Happy Thanksgiving!

Apple Crisp

Porcini Mushrooms

Sauteed with butter and sprinkled with grey sea salt

Chipotle en Adobo

Sauce is very spicy. Serve in small amounts with eggs, pork, etc.

12-15 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and deseeded
3 cups water
1/2 medium onion, sliced
6 Tbs ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, coarsely minced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
honey, brown sugar, or maple syrup (optional)

Split the chiles lengthwise and remove the seeds.

Add onion pieces to a saute pan with some olive oil and saute for 5 minutes until the onions sweat. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan, and simmer in a partially covered pan for one hour, stirring occasionally or until liquid reduces to about a cup. Place chiles and sauce in a blended and puree. Add honey or other sweetener to taste.

Modified from a recipe by Los Chileros de Nuevo Mexico

Lessons to Learn from Julia Child

From My Life in France by Julia Child:

I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excuses and explanations over the food you make. When one's hostess starts in with self-deprecations such as "Oh, I don't know how to cook ...," or "Poor little me...," or "This may taste awful...," it is so dreadful to have to reassure her that everything is delicious and fine, whether it is or not. Besides, such admissions only draw attention to one's shortcomings (or self-perceived shortcomings), and make the other person think, "Yes, you're right, this really is an awful meal!" Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed--eh bien, tant pis! Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truely vile ... then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile--and learn from her mistakes.

Green Mangos with Dried Prune Powder

Green mangoes are immature mango. About two years ago, when my cousin was showing me around Kaohsiung, Taiwan, he bought some sliced green mangoes with dried prune powder to share as a snack from a street vendor at a night market. I immediately loved the prune powder, and recently found the powder at a local Asian supermarket. This snack tastes almost like crunchy granny smith apples dipped in a salty-sweet raisin-plum powder.

Green Mangoes with Dried Prune Powder (A Taiwanese snack sold by street vendors)

• 1 green mango
• a few pinches of dried prune powder
• plastic bag

Skin the green mango using a peeler. Do not eat the skin because it contains an irritant and allergic compound. Slice the fruit away from the seed, and then into sticks. Place into a plastic bag with a few pinched of dried prune powder. Shake and then eat with your fingers or a toothpick.

Stir Fried Garlic Pea Shoots

Pea shoots are the tender young leaves and tendrils of pea plant vines (they are not the same as pea sprouts). They can be found in Asian supermarkets. Since they are fragile, they can only be stored for at most one or two days in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator. They can be eaten raw or lightly cooked (e.g. in salads, as a topping for soups, or quickly stir fried). More information about pea shoots can be found at http://vegetables.wsu.edu/peashootbroc.pdf

Stir Fried Garlic Pea Shoots

• lots of minced garlic (e.g. 3 large cloves)
• several handfuls of pea shoots
• pinch of salt
• olive oil

Rinse pea shoots in cold water and drain. Heat oil in wok or skillet on high. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown, because it will become bitter. Add a pinch of salt. The pea shoots have enough water in them to lightly steam while cooking, so no additional water needs to be added. Add pea shoots to pan and quickly toss, until just wilted (about 30 seconds). Immediately remove from pan and serve while piping hot.