XO Sauce Recipe

I’m recently back from a whirlwind week long trip to Guangdong province in China. The capital city Guangzhou is the home of Cantonese food and I am obsessed by many spectacular dishes I enjoyed there. Some were complicated like stuffed mud carp and a candy like crisp pork belly, and some were rather simple yet very compelling such as the congee I ate every morning topped with fried peanuts and some preserved vegetables. One of the simplest dishes I had was a pile of thin flat rice noodles tossed with vinegar, sesame seeds and a generous dollop of XO sauce. The savory, salty, fishy, hot and sweet ingredients in the sauce all meld together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.

XO sauce was invented in Hong Kong, possibly Kowloon, in the 1980’s and there are many different recipes for it. The name XO means extra old, like you see on a very expensive bottle of cognac (popular in China). But there isn’t any cognac in XO sauce, although the dried seafood used in it is rather expensive. The sauce is primarily dried seafood and ham or sausage and pungent aromatics and while you can buy it, it’s extremely satisfying to make. Fortunately you can easily find all the ingredients for it easily in an Asian market. I found the dried shrimp and scallops in a refirgerated case with tofu and noodles. Use the absolute best quality you can find. 

This sauce is kind of crumbly and chewy. It’s super easy to make and just a pure umami bomb. Add it to fried rice, rice porridge, dumplings or noodles, steamed green vegetables or fish, or on anything you like! I’m thinking a jar of it would make a really nice gift this time of year but I wouldn’t blame you for keeping it all for yourself. My version of it is adapted from various sources primarily recipes by David Chang and Kylie Kwong. I first made David Chang's recipe but I felt it had too much ginger and garlic. My version is closer to what I had in China and unlike Chang's version mine includes shallots and Shaoxing wine. 

XO Sauce 

Ingredients

2 ounces dried shrimp, about 3/4 cup2 ounces dried scallops, about 1/2 cup

3/4 cup rice bran oil or other neutral flavored oil

1 cup thickly sliced Chinese sausage

1 Tablespoon dried red chile flakes

1/4 cup shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half if large

1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

2 Tablespoons Shaoxing wine

2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari

Instructions 

Place the scallops and shrimp in a medium bowl and cover with water allowing extra water since they will absorb most of it.. Cover the bowl and let sit overnight. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick or cast iron. In a food processor pulse the Chinese sausage until finely minced. Place the sausage crumbles in the oil and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile drain the scallops and shrimp, place them in the food processor and pulse until finely minced. Repeat the process with the shallots, garlic and ginger. 

Reduce the heat to very low and add the chile flakes and minced scallops, shrimp, shallots, garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce to the pan. Stir the mixture and let the sauce cook over very low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should dry out and turn a deep redish golden color and have a thick sludge-like consistency. Remove from heat, let cool slightly then store in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

Enjoy! 

General Purpose Cookbooks 2015

Food52 Genius Recipes is a compilation of some of the best recipes from cooks, food writers and restaurateurs. All tested and “foolproof” you get recipes like Nigella Lawson’s Sense Chocolate Loaf Cake, Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion, the Simplest Roast Chicken from Barbara Kafka and Kenny Shopsin’s crazy recipe for Crepes that uses flour tortillas(!). I’m crazy about the recipe for Pasta with Yogurt & Caramelized Onions from Diane Kochilas and the Herb Jam with Olives & Lemons from Paula Wolfert. Having all those recipes in one place is very, very convenient! Who's it for? Everyone

The Yellow Table written by food blogger Anna Watson Carl has an emphasis on sharing meals. Carl’s breezy effortless style of cooking and entertaining is just right for those who are new to cooking. The recipes are straightforward and not complex. They cover very basic things like Roast Chicken with Lemon, Thyme & Shallots and Turkish Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki but also some recipes with a twist like Nutella-Shortbread Brownies, Pumpkin Madeleines and Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Mango & Cucumber. The focus is on entertaining but many recipes serve four. The photos in the book are fresh and inviting. Who's it for? Newbies

Seven Spoons is the names of the blog and cookbook from Tara O'Brady. Though not vegetarian, this one definitely puts vegetables on the center of the plate, Here recipes are inventive and smart. Even when she is cooking standard things, like burgers, there’s a twist that makes them something special, in this case a spoonful of miso. The recipes cross many boarders, there’s Fattoush with Fava Beans and Labneh, Hard Cider Gougeres, Broccoli Rabe with Bagna Cauda and a recipe for Clams and Orzo that reminds me of my favorite steamed mussels recipe with fennel. There is a dessert section where she manages to even improve on Canadian classics like her Walnut Cherry Oat Butter Tart Pie. Who's it for? Bored cooks looking for inspiration 

Remember the Mediterranean diet? The Mediterranean Family Table book brings it all back. It’s written by a doctor who was born in Sicily. It’s an interesting book because it doesn’t eschew every last morsel of meat or bread.There are recipes for his mama’s meatballs, and lamb kebabs, but mostly you’ll find recipes for all kinds of salads, soups and plant based dishes. Some of the recipes are rather unusual such as the Orange and Egg (hardboiled) Salad, Anchovy and Ricotta Bruschetta with rosemary and a breakfast dish made from day old bread, ricotta, milk and hot coffee. The recipes I was most drawn to are the ones from Sicily such as Tuna alla Siciliana with garlic, mint, tomatoes and onions and the Roasted Cauliflower, served with melted fontina. Who's it for? Those focused on healthy eating

Disclaimer: This post includes books that were provided as review copies an contains affiliate links. 

On Being Thankful & Handmade Basket Giveaway

Some years it’s easy to find reasons to be thankful and positive. This is not one of those years for me, and for many people I know. But I want to share something that really moved me. It’s a video of a basket maker in Rwanda (and it’s just 2 minutes long). Take a look!

Being thankful for chairs, for electricity, for being able to support her family in a country that suffered the most terrible genocide not that long ago is truly a wonderful thing. As you may recall, in three months in 1994 an estimated 800,000 to a milion Rwandans were brutally murdered and a country destroyed. Today Rwanda has made the most incredible strides toward reconciliation. And if it’s possible in Rwanda, why not in the rest of the world? 

The day after Thanksgiving is the traditional start to holiday shopping. If you are heading to the Macy’s near you or just shopping online, I hope you will check out the baskets from Macy’s Rwanda Path to Peace initiative. Because the program is celebrating 10 years, there are beautiful 10th anniversary baskets available in festive red and white. Half of the wholesale price of every basket goes to the women who make them by hand. The weavers make roughly 10 times the average wage in Rwanda. This amazing program supports fair trade, sustainable income and poverty reduction, it employs HIV-positive weavers to help them support themselves and promotes the culture of reconciliation by employing thousands of women who are organized in groups from both sides of the 1994 Rwanda genocide conflict.

You can find the entire Rwanda basket collection online including the anniversary baskets which range from $30-60 each. Please note sale prices and discounts do not impact the amount the weavers earn. 

I’m giving away this gorgeous basket in Fall colors. I received this basket to review and am very impressed with the quality. It would make a wonderful fruit basket or centerpiece. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

To enter this contest and win the basket please leave a comment telling me what you are thankful for this year. You must have a US mailing address to win. You MUST leave your email address in the field where it is requested, it will not be visible to the public only to me. DO NOT leave your email address in the body of your comment, if you do, I will delete it. I will choose a winner at random on December 3, 2015.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and received the product for this post as a gift. It was my choice to give it away and I was not paid for this or any other post. 

Thanksgiving Punch Recipe

The past few years I’ve been making a welcoming cocktail for Thanksgiving. This year I was offered a bottle of Templeton rye and a stipend for ingredients to create a punch for the holiday. It sounded like a slam dunk, but I am not terribly gifted when it comes to developing cocktails. I can follow a recipe, I can swap out a few ingredients but creating new cocktails is not really my strong suit.

So I cheated. Meet my secret weapon, one of my favorite bartenders, Jen Ackrill. She was a fixture at Rye in San Francisco before moving to live the dream in Hawaii. Today she is the Director of Mixology at Top of Waikiki and SKY Waikiki. I got a chance to try her revamped cocktails when I visited Oahu last year. Jen makes really, really good drinks. She crafts sophisticated cocktails, even her fruity tropical ones and she is particularly skilled with brown spirits. Her cocktails are always balanced and inviting. Next time you are in Waikiki, stop by and say hello! Seeing the sunset at Top of Waikiki, a revolving bar with incredible views of the beach and the city really can’t be beat. 

This punch contains my all-time favorite vermouth, Carpano Antica. I started drinking vermouth in Italy and France and it’s long been my go to aperitif. Carpano Antica is nothing short of spectacular. It’s bitter and sweet with vanilla, warm spices, orange, cocoa and toffee. 

Templeton rye was made during prohibition and was fabled to be a favorite of Al Capone. The current version has notes of toffee and caramel. It’s sweet, lush and has characteristic rye spice and a woodsy character. 

I asked Jen to come up with something with Templeton rye and apple cider that a home bartender could make and this is it! A Fall punch just right for Thanksgiving that has a lot in common with the classic Manhattan. My sincere thanks, not just for the holiday but to Jen for saving the day. 

Thanksgiving Punch by Jen Ackrill

Makes about 10 servings

3 cups Templeton rye

1 cup Carpano Antica

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup simple syrup (I use equal parts water and sugar)

11/2 cup apple cider

Top with a spicy ginger beer like Cock and Bull

Garnish with orange and lemon slices, star anise and cinnamon sticks and a thoughtful block of ice—use a fun cake pan: turkey or leaf shaped to make your ice. 

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I received the Templeton rye to make this cocktail as well as a stipend for ingredients. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post. Many thanks to Jen Ackrill for her recipe. 

The Nordic Cookbook

Photo Erik Olssen

The Nordic Cookbook covers the cuisines of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, each of which reflects diverse cultures, histories and populations. One of the most celebrated contemporary chefs from Sweden, Magnus Nilsson, the chef of Fäviken was tasked with compiling this impressive book. He started with a poll, then embarked on a series of culinary adventures for three years through the region to gather recipes and more. The result is a book with a staggering 700 recipes.You might be wondering, does it even make sense to try and include all the Nordic countries in one book? That was the very question the author struggled with answering, but eventually he approached the project with gusto. I asked Nilsson what surprised him most in writing the book and this is what he told me, "I thought I knew the food culture of the Nordics rather well and it turned out I didn't. There was just so much more diversity than I ever expected."

Indeed, one of the reasons the book is so useful is that introduces readers to a much broader range of recipes than ever before. So do the Nordic countries have much in common? This is what Nilsson told me,  "The one thing which all parts of the Nordic region have in common is that there are four distinctive seasons of which one, Winter, is one when you can't harvest plant based foods. Meaning that historically people had to preserve summers surplus and keep it for winter. Even though we can have fresh foods all year around these days this is still very visible in the way we eat." Not surprisingly there are recipes for pickles, jellies and jams.

You'll find lots of classic recipes for things like meatballs and gravlax and Danish pastries, but also some clues as to what makes these recipes so special. I was surprised by some of the more modern recipes, like Chilli Creamed Chicken and Banana Casserole, apparently a classic 1980's recipe from Sweden and Boiled Danish Meatballs in Curry Sauce. The number of recipes for potatoes could have filled an entire cookbook. Mostly the ingredients are accessible with lots of pancakes, braised meats, soups and cake,  however I doubt many folks will attempt the recipe for Icelandic rotten shark, Puffin Stuffed with Cake or Boiled Pilot Whale with Blubber and Potatoes. Regardless, it's good to know those recipes have been preserved for future generations to learn about, complemented by documentary style photography throughout. 

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book and this post includes an affiliate link. I was not paid to write this or any other post. 

I heart Instacart!

Since August I have ordered groceries from the online delivery service Instacart more than 10 times. Crazy, right? Not at all. I am absolutely thrilled with their service and here’s why:

Choice

I can choose from among several stores. Not just big box stores like Costco and Target and supermarkets like Safeway and Whole Foods, but also smaller local stores like Rainbow Grocery that offer lots of bulk ingredients. 

Price

For most of the stores, the prices are exactly the same as they are in the store! 

Service

The service is amazing. You can not only track your order, but chat in real time with the shopper who is shopping for you. If they can’t find the item you want, they get in touch immediately with suggestions for replacements that you can approve. Also if you decide you want more or less of something or if you forgot an item or can’t find it in the database you can communicate that too. 

Accuracy

They get my orders right, which not something I experienced when I tried ordering directly from a supermarket unfortunately. 

Time

It’s a huge time saver for me to be able to skip going to the store. Of course, I do still go to the farmers market and shop for some things like fresh produce, but there are many items I really don’t need to personally pick out such as eggs, dairy products and cleaning supplies.

Convenience

I love being able to not just shop, but comparison shop at multiple stores to see who has the best prices on items I want to purchase. In the time it takes me to make a list, I can place an order online. The detailed receipts are also extremely helpful when I’m creating recipes for clients and need to keep track of my expenses. Last but not least, no looking for parking, no waiting in line to check out and no schlepping heavy bags of groceries.The groceries come right to my front door (up two flights of stairs).

The Instacart website, iPhone app and iPad app are super easy to use and after just a few deliveries I was sold. I gladly paid $99 for an Instacart Express membership and now get free delivery within 2 hours for any purchase over $35 (good for one year). Want to try it? Use this link and get $10 and free delivery to try the service.

Do they deliver near you? So far they are operating in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington. But you can check with your zip code.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post although I do get a tiny credit towards my account if someone signs up using the link provided. 

Bison Black Bean Chili Recipe

A few years ago I heard Ted Turner speak about bison at the Sustainable Food Institute at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He slipped in, spoke was very opinionated and went over his allotted time, but he certainly was engaging.Attendees learned he is one of the largest landowners in North America, a proponent of conservation and a big believer in bison. He talked about bison as a means to both economic viability and environmental sustainability. Turner has a staggering 51,000 bison on his land, which is over 10% of the entire population in North America. He also runs Ted's Montana Grill where he serves bison. 

Bison are an integral part of the prairie ecosystem, grazing in herds and fertilizing plant cover. The natural behavior of bison is still very much intact because unlike cows, they are not domesticated. Bison meat is naturally lean and is a good source of protein, iron, zinc and selenium.

If you've never cooked bison before and can find it in ground form, try using it in chili. The bison itself tastes very similar to beef but is a bit richer and less fatty. This chili is mostly beans, but flavored with chiles, chile powder and spices, onion, garlic and fire roasted canned tomatoes. I generally prefer buying whole tomatoes rather than diced ones, they break up and cook down more easily than diced. Chili is one of those dishes that just gets better over time as the beans soften and the flavors meld together. I serve it with plenty of toppings--grated jack cheese, chopped green onions and cilantro and sometimes a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Note: I don't recommend soaking the beans

Black Bean & Bison Chili 

Serves 6-8 

1 pound dry black beans

1 pound ground bison meat

1 onion (white or yellow) diced

3 cloved garlic, minced 

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

2 roasted peeled Hatch chiles (mild, medium or hot), optional 

2 Tablespoons chili powder (mild, medium or hot)

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

28 ounce can whole fire roasted tomatoes and their juice

1 Tablespoon tomato paste
Salt

Place the sorted black beans in a large Dutch oven and cover with about 10 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until tender. 

In a large pot combine the bison, onion, garlic and peppers. Cook, crumbling the meat until the meat browns and vegetables soften. Add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes then crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them and the juices to the mixture. 

Add the cooked beans and 2 cups of the bean cooking water and the tomato paste to the meat mixture, partially cover the pot and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until thick. Season to taste with salt. 

Enjoy!