ORANGE COUNTY, Ca. January 2012—Here are three recipes: one seafood, two vegetarian and all with potent flavor and heft. Two recipes are from Chef Michael Stebner at True Food Kitchen with locations in California and Arizona. The other is from Chef Vania at Second Story in Manhattan Beach, California. Enjoy with or without New Year’s resolutions.
Red chili shrimp with wok’d soba noodles
The smoky, spicy taste of the sauce makes this dish irresistible. The key ingredient is Asian chili paste.
For the Wok
1 pound Mexican white shrimp peeled, deveined, rinsed
1 1/2 pounds blanched yaki soba noodles
1 cup broccoli florets sliced 1/8” thick
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms 1/8” thick
2 cups spinach leaves
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoons expeller pressed canola oil
For sauce
2 tsp Asian chili paste*
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. You should work in 2 batches for the wok shrimp and noodles. The entire dish takes only a few minutes to cook, so make sure you have everything ready before you start cooking. Begin by dividing all of the wok ingredients in half. In a hot wok add half of the Canola Oil and half of the ginger and garlic, Quickly add the shrimp and toss keeping the wok on the flame. Allow the shrimp to cook about ¾ of the way, then add the vegetables continue to wok for 1 minute to cook the vegetables. Add the noodles and wok for 30 seconds to heat them through. Add the sauce and allow it to coat the noodles tossing thoroughly and quickly. Scoop into a serving bowl, repeat with the remaining ingredients.
*Can use sambal oelec, sesame chili oil or rayu, a chili-infused vegetable oil
Chef Michael Stebner
Roasted beets in agrodolce
A vegan recipe from True Food Kitchen, this roasted beet salad’s nutritional density and flavor comes from arugula and pistachio nuts.
10 medium sized beets, stems removed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons red chili garlic sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 cups arugula leaves
2 tablespoons pistachio nuts
Salt & pepper, to taste
Drizzle oil on beets and toss to coat, adding salt and pepper to cover. Place on sheet pan in a 325° oven for 60-75 minutes or until easily pierced with a paring knife. Remove and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Using a paring knife, remove the skins of the beets, cut the beets into bite sized pieces.
Mix together the honey, red chili garlic sauce and red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Add the olive oil to finish the marinade, season to taste with salt and pepper. In a larger bowl combine the beet pieces with the marinade, tossing well. Reserve to marinate up to 6 hours When ready to serve, toss the arugula leaves in with the beets. Place on a serving plate and top with nuts.
This salad from Chef Vania Almeida at Second Story feature quinoa, a seed native to Peru. It can be used as a grain and substitutes easily for rice or cous cous in recipes, but its nutrient value is much higher. Along with several essential minerals quinoa supplies complete protein.
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 small roasted golden beet
2 small roasted red beet
3 red tear drop tomatoes
1/2 cup portobello mushrooms
2 brussels sprouts
Extra virgin olive oil
Chopped garlic
Chopped parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sauté mushrooms in olive oil until golden brown, add garlic and tomatoes and sauté for another minute, add Quinoa, salt, pepper and parsley. Reserve.
Pick out some leaves from Brussels sprouts and fry it in hot olive oil for 30 seconds. Place it in paper towel and add salt.
To assemble the salad, add quinoa mix into a ring mold.
Dice the roasted beets and place it on top of the salad.
Garnish with Brussels sprouts leaves.
Puree the remaining of red beets with a little water and use the puree to decorate the plate. Drizzle olive oil around as shown.
Chef Vania Almeida
Manhattan Beach, CA
Linda Mensinga was editor of Culinary Trends for 15 years, now a contributing writer to Great-taste Magazine. If you have a great restaurant, recipe or food you’d like to share please send an email. You can reach her at mensingabakes2@gmail.com.
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