DIY Banh-Mi

A few weeks ago, I had professionally-prepared banh-mi, but I found myself wondering if I might be able to make my own at home. After doing some web research, I assembled my list of ingredients and set out to get everything necessary.

The sandwiches are already multicultural - French imperialists left behind their bread baking skills in Southeast Asia, so the sandwiches require a crusty bun.
Where to turn but the local panadería?

Can I tell you how excited I am to have good crusty bread in the 'hood? These bolillos are fab.

The veggies: daikon from the Asian supermarket, pickled carrot/daikon in sushi vinegar, chopped scallions, and a tomato for good measure

Daikon is my new favorite vegetable. It doesn't hurt that I always think about this.

And a very important garnish: cilantro (also added lettuce)

I also added mayo and hot chili paste, and chopped up eggs and shrimp for the innards. After doing this a second time, I recommend pulling out excess bread from the inside of the bun, and making a paste of the mayo/chili/onion/pickled veggie that marinates for a while before going on the sandwich.

A bit more involved than a pbj but worth it for a weekend lunch.

The Perfect Hostess - Part 2

As promised, here are the results of the baked egg in tomato recipe from The Perfect Hostess.


The recipe is a bit vague, as older recipes can often be: scoop out the innards of a tomato, crack an egg into it, cover with breadcrumbs and bake at 350 until the white is firm. Cross-referencing with a recipe from the JOY I decided to forego the breadcrumbs and instead topped the egg with a little butter, salt and pepper.


Thirty minutes later, I pulled the dish out of my toaster oven and enjoyed it with buttered, toasted English muffins. Unfortunately the pictures are not very appetizing - you'd probably have to bake 50 of these to get a pretty one. But they are tasty.

Baked Stuffed Poblanos

I don't usually post recipes on here because most of the stuff I make is from other people's recipes. But I made up this baked poblano dish this past week (after researching baked peppers, rice pilaf, and Mexican rice) and I was so dang proud of how they turned out I thought I'd share.

INGREDIENTS:
2 lg poblano peppers
3/4 of a large white onion
2 scallions
2 lg cloves garlic
1 lg carrot
2 c. vegetable stock
1 c. canned chopped tomatoes (1/2 can)
1 c. long grain white rice
1/3 c. chopped toasted walnuts
1 c. shredded jack cheese
chopped parsley to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Roast poblanos and set to steam
3. Chop vegetables (I made mine pretty small). Put large saucepan over medium heat; add oil. Let it get hot, then add the onions and garlic. Saute for a minute or two, adding salt to taste. Add the rice and carrot and cook for a couple more minutes. Add a little more salt, especially if your veggie broth is unsalted. Then add 1.5 cups of the vegetable stock and all the tomatoes. Cover and cook the rice until done (about 10 minutes after it boils). Then remove from the heat, fluff the rice with a spatula, and let sit covered for 10 more minutes. Stir in the cheese, walnuts, and parsley.
4. Peel the poblanos, cut off the tops, and make a slit down the side. Remove seeds and ribs.
5. In a 9x9 baking pan, lay down a layer of the rice mixture. On top of that, lay the poblanos, which you can stuff with the remaining rice and reclose. Pour the remaining 1/2 c. veg stock into the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Serve with black beans and or as a taco/burrito filling. Serves approximately 4.