Lemongrass Sausage in lettuce cups

I am always looking for an easy dinner that I can throw together quickly (I mean really...who isn't) and took a pic of this one out of my friend's famous monthly cooking magazine. 

This recipe is a fantastic two-fer, because although I think it was intended to be an appetizer (which I have yet to do), I have made it for dinner several times. As an appetizer, I can guarantee that you will be the toast of the party if you bring these babies as your hors d' to share. 

Often big chain supermarkets (and of course, Asian grocery stores) carry stalks of fresh lemongrass, which is essential this dish. I use about three stalks stripped to the soft inner core to equal 1/2 cup. 

I usually double the recipe and freeze the patties, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap and store in a zip-top bag for an even quicker lunch or dinner. Just thaw for 20 minutes and proceed with cooking.

LEMONGRASS SAUSAGE LETTUCE CUPS

1/3 cup coarsely chopped scallions


1/4 cup finely chopped fresh lemongrass

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar (I use agave liquid, either is fine)

1 teaspoon lime zest

2 medium garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp fresh ginger, grated  (optional, but delicious)

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground chicken thighs

1 tablespoon neutral oil

12 butter lettuce leaves (from 1 head)

1 cup matchstick-cut carrots

Fresh mint and cilantro leaves

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese fish sauce) 

Toss together scallions, lemongrass, ginger, salt, sugar/agave, lime zest, and garlic in a bowl. Mix in ground pork and chicken

Shape ground pork mixture into 12 (2-inch) patties. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Working in batches, cook patties until well browned and no longer pink in center, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skillet; let rest 5 minutes.

Stack 2 lettuce leaves to form a cup; repeat with remaining leaves. Place 2 patties in each lettuce cup with matchstick carrots, mint, cilantro, and nuoc cham.

Ground Chicken/Turkey Thai Larb Salad

I really should have posted this recipe years ago, because I make it often and often lose the recipe. 

Right now, it's living on my phone as a blurry photo, and so I decided to type it out and post it for-real so that I could find it in a hurry. 

We are fans of anything you can put on a salad and call dinner, and this is a good one. Served with steamed rice, quick-pickled onions, lettuce and a handful of chopped herbs, and you have a 30-minute dinner, and makes perfect leftovers for a salad lunch tomorrow. 

CHICKEN/TURKEY THAI LARB SALAD

1 lb of ground chicken or turkey - I usually double this recipe for leftovers!

1/2 red onion, sliced for pickled onion

4 cloves minced garlic

3 sliced green onions/scallions

some fresh jalapeño slices of you like a kick

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Vietnamese fish sauce

Lettuce of your choice: butter, red leaf, romaine, spinach, whatever

Chopped/torn herbs, to taste: cilantro, basil, and mint

Dressing

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar/agave syrup

1 tbsp water

shake of red chili flakes 

Chopped roasted peanuts or sliced almonds for garnish

If you like pickled onions: thinly slice half a red onion and place in a small bowl with a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a shake of sugar and two pinches of salt. Let it rest in the fridge until you're ready to eat. 

Next, steam some white rice. Or be lazy like me and open a bag of TJ's frozen brown rice and empty it into a covered dish, microwave 3 minutes.

Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. 

Add ground turkey/chicken, minced garlic cloves, three thinly sliced scallions (whites and greens), and a couple of slices of jalapeño. 

Season with a black pepper and cook until chicken is cooked through and browned. 

Stir in soy sauce, fish sauce, a small spoonful of sambal oelek or  sriracha, cooking until the liquid is almost completely reduced.

Toss dressing over warm meat and serve with rice, Bibb or butter lettuce leaves, lime wedges, quick-pickled onions, more hot sauce if desired, and chopped/torn herbs.

Basil Chicken, Thai style

I am always trying to replicate—or make better—dishes that I eat at restaurants, especially dishes that seem so simple it's more work to put on shoes and go out to eat them. 

I also hate eating out, because I hate to wait (an hour +) to be seated, hate to be rushed by the waitstaff (and anxious wait-ers, sending side-eye to your table with silent thoughts of GTFO), and wanting  desperately to drink my own wine with my meal, and not some crappy 2-buck sauv blanc. 

SO, this tastes just like the take-out version, is super easy to make, and pairs nicely with your slightly better than crappy sauv blanc. 

One last note: Dishes like these are only "good" if they taste like YOU want them to taste. 

I mean, the taste that you are used to from your favorite take-out place. So if it doesn't taste good to you, by all means, experiment with the fish sauce, soy, sauce, oyster sauce, etc. until it matches your favorite take-out place. Then, you know you have a successful dish in front of you! PS write down your personal proportions so you can replicate it. 

BASIL CHICKEN, THAI STYLE

2 cups minced chicken breast

1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup white onion

1 cup Thai basil (if unavailable, use normal basil)

3 tablespoons oil 

11/2 tablespoon fish sauce

11/2 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use low sodium)

1 teaspoon sugar (I use agave syrup, sold at Trader Joe's in baking section)

1 splash water (optional)

Mix the soy sauce in a cup with the agave, and stir to dissolve.

Heat a wok or frying pan on medium to high flame for 20 seconds. Add 3 tablespoons oil and swirl the wok/frying pan so that the oil is evenly distributed.

Add minced garlic and fry for 10 seconds. Quickly add minced chicken and continue frying until chicken turns white.

Pour the sauces into the chicken and mix well. Add the basil and fry for another 30 seconds. If the chicken looks dry, add a splash of water. Throw in the cashew nuts and turn the flame off. Stir the cashew nuts into the chicken.

This dish goes well with rice, over cooked soba noodles or on top of a salad of lettuce and mixed herbs like cilantro, basil and mint. 

(celebrating annual) Hot Crab Dip (Day)

I'm done searching my computer for this damn recipe - I only make it once a year, on Super Bowl Sunday, with any leftover crab I froze from our Annual Christmas Eve Crab-fest. We are fortunate that Dungeness crab season runs November to March in our area, so I'm not sure why I only make this once a year?* (see next paragraph) I think it would make a great crab enchilada filling with a green chile sauce. 

*Don't be frightened by the recipe - this is dip is ridiculously rich, so make sure you are prepared for the fat-bomb that follows. 
Boom.

HOT CRAB DIP

This recipe can be scaled to make an infinite amount, which is good news because that's how much you will want to eat.  

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce, I prefer Frank's

1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning or seasoned salt

6 ounces fresh lump crab, drained

Preheat oven to 350°.

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except crab and beat with a stand mixer or by hand until smooth. Gently stir in crab., and sprinkle with some homemade Emeril's seasoning (you can Google that). Spread gently into a greased shallow baking dish. I like a thin layer of dip so there is lots of crusty top for everyone. 

Bake 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly, and hopefully a little toasty on top. 

Serve with your favorite dippers. Ours include regular flavor Doritos.