Food Love Friday: Korean Ox Tail Soup

I know that, for most people in the country, September is still summer. Not so in Alaska. Gardens and flowers are in their last days. Gloves are necessary for the morning trek to the bus stop. And we'll have snow before the end of the month.

Which means it's a perfect time to shove the summer recipes into mothballed crates under the bed and pull out the winter comfort foods. I've been considering stews lately, like spending whole afternoons staring out the window thinking about which stock to use - the rosemary and red wine, the onion base, or the tomato? My seven year old went in another direction. He wanted beef, specifically beef tails (ox tails, per the olde school labeling at the butcher), specifically Korean Ox Tail Soup.

It's called Kkori Gomtang and it's perfect for cold days. It does take a couple of days to make, unless you wake up reaaaaally early in the morning and don't eat dinner until midnight.

The ingredient list is crazy simple:
ox tails
water
daikon radish
green onion
salt and pepper

(I added that picture so you could see how simple the prep is, and also to show off my favorite knife. Love ya, little Katana)

I may have accidentally dropped some garlic into the stock pot toward the end, because I seem to always be doing that. I used THIS recipe for the soup and THIS recipe for accompaniment kimchi (which we may have accidentally dropped into our soup bowls because we seem to always be doing that as well). That's a quick kimchi recipe, so there's a little less tang to it if you eat it fresh. The tang comes from the fermentation process, as do the naturally occurring probiotics, so you might want to go for a more mature kimchi, but plan ahead for that. Oh, or buy it from the store.

The cooking process is simple. The results are rich and satisfying. If you're worried about whether your family's western palate might have trouble with this, consider the simplicity of the ingredients and maybe tone down the amount of chili you add to the kimchee. Or eat it when it's fresher. The soup itself should appeal to anyone who enjoys fall-off-the-bone beef or wild game.

BEST. CHRISTMAS. EVER.

Christmas was pretty sweet this year. My mom gave me, from my late grandmother's kitchen, the Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking by Meta Givens. If you don't know about this things, it's epic. I've always experienced it as two hard-bound volumes full of classic recipes and food preparation/storage techniques and the science behind from-scratch cooking. This version, published in 1953 (its original copyright date is 1947) is a single volume. 1700 pages, illustrated and full of opinionated musings and straight-up strategy on how to work your kitchen like a tasty machine.

It also contains a menu for a full year, breakfast lunch and dinner. If I had the time, I'd attempt to follow it, starting with the first night's dinner: stuffed beef hearts.

I don't have that kind of time, but I'm going to explore this thing at every opportunity. Starting, of course, with appetizers. After all, who can resist morsels described thusly:

Canapes are midget open-face sandwiches charmingly decorated.

FRIDAY FOOD LOVE - TORTILLA-ENCRUSTED TILAPIA

I became slightly obsessed with tilapia when a friend recommended Kirkland Signature's (Costco) individually frozen loins. And no, it wasn't because of the word "loins".*

Nutritional Info

Tilapia isn't exactly an A-list fish, but it's low calorie, high protein and isn't strong-tasting so it's easy to prepare toward the flavor profile of your choice. It's not like we can eat salmon everyday. *looks around, realizes she's in Alaska* Okay, so some of us could, but it's not practical for most people.

Today we're doing Tortilla-Encrusted Tilapia. In the past, I've crusted this fish with panko, bread crumbs, herbed flour and oatmeal, but this was a first, and it was delightful!

TORTILLA-ENCRUSTED TILAPIA

3 tilapia loins
2 C corn chips
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t dried parsley
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 egg
1 T V8 or milk (this is not a typo)
1/3 C flour
2 T canola oil


1. Defrost and dry the tilapia loins
2. Mix the next eight ingredients in a food processor until the largest pieces are no larger in diameter that a Monopoly house (not a hotel - don't get crazy)
3. Pour the corn chip mixture onto a plate and smooth out
4. Pour the flour onto a separate plate and smooth out
5. Mix the egg and V8 or milk together and pour onto a separate plate.
6. Heat the oil in a frying pan over med-high heat

7. Dredge the loins in flour, shaking off excess, then the egg, then the corn chip mixture, patting it to adhere

8. Place in pan and cook on one side for six minutes.
9. Roll the loins over and cook for another four to six minutes, or until fish flakes easily when pressed with a fork.
10. Serve

I paired mine with sauteed onions and red peppers cooked with cayenne pepper and hot sauce - separated for the sake of the child. It would also be good with pico de gallo or mango salsa, or used as the fish in fish tacos.




*It was a little bit - but no more than 6% - because of the word loins.

COVER ART. COOKING BLOG. ANIMAL POO?

After much breathless anticipation, I received the cover for Don't Bite the Messenger from Carina Press (via CrocoDesigns).

And, with that stunning image, wheels are suddenly in motion. The book is available for pre-order at Amazon and B&N. My website is under quick development, and I'm learning and setting up social media as quick as I can. 

Facebook

Twitter

Carina Press will feature Don't Bite the Messenger on Net Galley starting, I believe, in the middle of December. If you'd like a copy to review, please keep it in mind or let me know and I'll see if I can get it to you earlier.

I'll be setting up interviews and a trans-galactic blog tour shortly, so if you'd be interesting in hosting little old me, please email me: writerjakes at gmail dot com. I can talk about the story, the Alaskan setting, getting an agent, the road to publication, or how every time I go to a beautiful slash regal historical site in France, something poops on me. You alone know which of these your audience will like best.

Also, separately, I became a contributor at the awesome Pots n Pens blog, along with some other fantastic writers. Cooking, reading and writing: what's not to like? My first post there will go live on December 5th, I believe, so please pop on by and say hi.

That's it for now. Is a lot, yes?

Cover Art: Copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

CUPCAKE QUEST 2011 - I

I recently had the distinct pleasure of eating a pumpkin citrus cupcake. I didn't get the recipe from the bakery, mostly because I was focused on that bakery box like Frodo on his ring toward the end of book three. The cupcake was delicious. Light but well-flavored. Satisfying without being too heavy.

I'm trying to replicate the recipe. Tonight I baked iteration #1. It wasn't close, but it was good in a different way. Closer to a pumpkin citrus muffin than a cupcake, partially because the recipe I tore apart and stuffed with pumpkin required more moisture (I've attempted to correct that in the following recipe). This version is denser, less sweet, and high in fiber and vitamin A! The toddler loved it, and it was pretty easy. Recipe to follow.

Lemon Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drop baking cups into cupcake sheet. Makes about two dozen.

1 1/2 C sifted all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t allspice
2 eggs
1 C granulated sugar
1 C pumpkin puree
1 t vanilla
1 T lemon juice
1 t lemon zest
1/4 C vegetable oil

Sift all the dry ingredients except sugar together. Set aside.
Stir the pumpkin, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest and vegetable oil together until just mixed. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs on medium until well-mixed. Beat in the sugar until creamy.
Mix in the dry and wet ingredients alternately until incorporated, scraping sides when necessary.
Spoon into paper cups, filling just over half full.
Bake. They're done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Enjoy!

And, as a bonus to LOTR lovers, below is what I believe to be the root system of a resting Ent. See how it's not really attached to the earth?

Another Drive-By Thought Brought to You by Monday

I was walking down the street today carrying a cutting board (Don't ask.)*, and people were looking at me oddly. I would have understood if they'd appeared amused by my small, lime green accessory. But they didn't. In fact, a few people noticeably deviated course to avoid me. I looked a little tired, and my hair was a bit scruffy, and I was dressed all in black, but it was a Monday. That's par for the course.

And then it dawned on me. Carrying a cutting board probably conveys the same kind of threat as visibly carrying a knife, except it's worse. Carrying a knife says you think you might need to cut something (or, egads, someone). Carrying a cutting board says you're planning to do some cutting and you're going to be fastidious while you do it. And, as everybody know, fastidiousness is terrifying.**

So, learn from my mistake, unless you enjoy terrifying strangers (terrifying is a verb here). That is all.

* No, wait, do. I'd taken a loaf of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread in to work and wanted to ensure there was an appropriate cutting surface. It was moderately well received (the bread, not the cutting board).

** X-Ref: Hannibal Lecter.

Recipe Time! Huli Huli Chicken

It's Memorial Day Weekend (almost) or, as we refer to it around the house, grillin' time (we never call it that). In honor of the men and women who have honorably served (and continue to serve) our country, I offer up a marinade. I know it's not much, but I offer it with feeling.

This is my version of a Hawaiian marinade often accompanied by small children on the side of the road calling out the best sales pitch I've ever hear: "Huli Huli Chicken...Buy it!" It has just under 700 ingredients, but most you will find around your home. Just check outside, under the rocks and moss.

Huli Huli Chicken

1 Whole, Cut-Up Chicken plus 6 Legs (or Equivalent)
1/3 C. ketchup
1/3 C. soy sauce (regular sodium)
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. sherry
1/4 C. honey
2 t. minced ginger root
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 t. Worchestershire sauce
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. sesame oil (not toasted)
1 t. Sriracha (optional or to taste - this is a Thai hot sauce)

Whisk together all ingredients except chicken. Reserve 1/2 C. and add chicken to remainder. Marinate at least 1/2 hour. Grill, brushing on reserved marinade. Enjoy!

From Woe to Wow (and other stupid titles)

I have been suffering from a stomach ailment. It started with acute and dreadful symptoms and is now more like a lazy houseguest. It lays about eating Utz Pub Mix, flipping channels and leaving its dirty socks in my way while I’m trying to work and/or pace (Which is a pre-working exercise during which I try to get my brain to wrap itself around POUS/S: problems of unusual size/scope).

An odd response to this malady is that I’m obsessively drawn toward any television programming having to do with food. In fact, if I am in front of the set, I’m attentively flipping back and forth between two programs at the same time. Why? I have no appetite. When I do eat, I can only eat small amounts of pretty bland food. So why this obsession? I don’t know. Why did Eve eat the apple?

I’ve also been cooking a lot, in part to make food I can actually tolerate. I am currently awaiting my slow cooker’s beep to alert me it’s time to take the potato-leek-collard green soup out and blend it to smithereens. Yes, I did say collard greens. Will it be good? I have no idea. It smells good. I just finished a batch of pumpkin-apricot muffins (Nuffins, if my son is reading this, which I doubt he is because he can’t read. It’s not a problem. He’s only two and he’s not Robert Titzer’s kid.) And I baked chicken and then hacked it up and made chicken salad out of it. I debated adding apple to my chicken salad. I’ve had it and enjoyed it, but wasn’t sure it would go over well with the Household.

So, to answer the question you’ve surely been asking: Yes, you can catch what I have by reading this blog. If by “what I have” you mean a desire to cook mouthwatering food. The stomach bug probably does not travel electronically.