Ramen Cabbage Salad

Here's another super simple dish that always gets rave reviews when I bring it to potlucks.  The first time I had this salad was at a church potluck.  The pastor's wife had brought it, and when I asked her what it was, she called it a Chinese salad.  I was like, "Are you sure?"  Because I was pretty sure that it wasn't Chinese in origin.  But regardless of the name, it's really delicious.  You get a nice crunch from the cabbage, instant ramen pieces, and almonds, and the dressing is enhanced by adding the seasoning packet from the ramen into it.

The secret to keeping the ramen and almonds crunchy is to dry toast them in a pan and mix it in with the rest of the salad just before serving.  And you'll want to heat up the vinegar and soy sauce a bit to make sure that the sugar dissolves into it.

 
Ramen Cabbage Salad
serves 15-20

1 package instant ramen (I usually use Maruchan's chicken flavor)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
14 oz. bag of coleslaw mix (I like to get the kind with green and red cabbage and carrots for color)
4 scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil

 
Crumble the ramen into small pieces (I find it easiest to do this while the bag is still unopened).  Save the seasoning packet for the dressing.  Toast the ramen pieces, almonds, and sesame seeds on a dry pan over medium high heat until lightly browned.  Set aside and let cool.

 
Mix the coleslaw mix with the chopped scallions in a large bowl.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

 
In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar.  Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Pour into a small jar.  Add the oils and ramen seasoning packet.

 
Just before serving, add the toasted ramen pieces, almonds, and sesame seeds to the cabbage mix.  Shake the dressing and toss into the salad.

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Corn Souffle

This is one of my favorite dishes to bring to a potluck, especially around this time of year, because it's dead easy to make, but everyone always raves about how delicious it is.  And the weirdest part is, almost all the ingredients come out of a box or a can.

 
I wouldn't technically consider it a souffle, but if you bake it in a souffle dish, it will rise and fall like one.  If you don't have a souffle dish (like me), you can also just bake it in a regular 9"x13" baking dish, and it'll be just as delicious.  It's like a super moist corn bread, but to describe it like that is to do it a grave injustice.  It's just that little bit sweet enough where you'll keep taking another bite to try to taste it some more, and it's light enough that you won't regret it.

So make this dish, sit back, and wait for the compliments to roll in.

 
Corn Souffle
serves 15-20

2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil or 1 stick of butter, melted
8 oz. sour cream
16 oz. can whole corn kernels, drained
16 oz. can creamed corn
8 1/2 oz. Jiffy corn muffin mix

Preheat oven to 350°F.

 
In a large bowl, beat the 2 eggs.  Add oil or melted butter and sour cream and combine (the sour cream will help emulsify the oil and eggs).

 
Add the drained corn and creamed corn and mix.  Finally, add the corn muffin mix and stir until combined.

 
Bake in a 2 quart souffle dish for 55 minutes or a 9"x13" baking dish for 45 minutes until golden brown.  Serve warm, if possible, but it's okay at room temperature, too.

 
If you like, you can also sprinkle on some shredded cheddar cheese when there are 10 minutes left to bake.  Other ideas for add-ins would be chopped peppers, scallions, and crumbled, cooked bacon.  Personally, I like it just as it is.  ^_^

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Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard Quiche

This quiche is good.  How good?  Good enough to rouse me out of a 2+ year hiatus to post about it.  That's how good.  It's loosely based on this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but I had yellow onions instead of leeks, so I decided to caramelize them first, using the dry pan method which has been working pretty well for me.

So what makes this dish so good?  Maybe it's the thyme, which I think is my new favorite herb.  I remember the first time I tasted Stove Top stuffing and wondering what that new, wonderful flavor was.  Growing up in a Taiwanese home, the only herbs I was used to tasting were scallion and cilantro.  But after almost 20 years of wondering, I think I can now identify that herb as thyme!  Now if only I could figure out what goes into the Long John Silver's batter.

Another new fresh ingredient I've discovered is nutmeg.  I used to just use the stuff that came out of a spice bottle and never really understood what the big deal was.  Then one day I saw some whole nutmeg at the bulk spice rack at Harvest and decided to pick up a couple since I had a Microplane I could use to shave it with.  Well let me tell you, fresh nutmeg is a completely different species from the dried stuff!  I am definitely a fresh nutmeg convert now.  Just remember, a little goes a long way, so don't over do it.

 

Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard Quiche

1 prepared whole wheat pie crust, thawed but chilled (regular pie crust would work, too)
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, stems removed
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/2 bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup half and half
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

Heat a large non-stick pan to medium high and add chopped onions. Cook until browned but not burnt, about 6 minutes.

 

Add a tablespoon of butter, the fresh thyme, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and continue to stir while cooking.  Add the remaining tablespoon of butter when the onions become dry and start sticking to the pan, about another 5 minutes.

 
Once the onions are evenly caramelized, about another 5 minutes, add the chard and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

 
Preheat to 425°F.  In a medium bowl, whisk the half and half and next 4 ingredients.

 

Mix in cooled onion and chard mixture.  Pour filling into crust.  Place pie on a baking sheet to make it easier to transport and in case the filling overflows in the oven.

 

Bake quiche for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 10-12 minutes longer.  Transfer to rack and cool 10 minutes.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

 
You'll probably notice that there was no cheese in this quiche recipe.  Believe me, it doesn't need it.  But if you really want, you could probably throw in a handful of shredded cheddar or Gruyère.

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Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn)

I tried elote for the first time a while ago at La Verdad, but I wasn't totally blown away. Then I tried it at Toro a couple of weeks ago, and wow, I couldn't get enough of it! (As an aside, I had always assumed that Toro was a Japanese sushi place because to me, toro = fatty bluefin tuna belly. So I was a little surprised to find out it was actually a tapas restaurant, where toro = Spanish for bull.)

A couple days later I was going to a bbq, so I decided to look up how to make it myself. What I came up with is an amalgam of what I found and a few adjustments to make the corn more similar to how I remember they made it at Toro. I chose to pre-cook the corn before grilling it so that I could ensure that the corn was cooked all the way through and also so that I wouldn't be hogging up time and space on the grill. I also added some raw garlic and the spices to the mayonnaise since I remember there was a garlicky taste in their sauce, which was pink. I found the cotija cheese, a mild, aged cheese, at Whole Foods, but if you can't find it, you can substitute either grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese.

Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn)
makes 12 servings

12 ears of corn
1 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves
4 limes
Cayenne pepper
Chile powder
Paprika
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place corn in husks directly on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until corn is soft to the touch. After it has cooled, remove the silk and husks. If you like, you can break the ears in half.

Run the garlic cloves through a garlic press (or mince well) and add to the mayonnaise. Add the juice from half of a lime and quarter the rest of the limes. Mix in cayenne pepper, chile powder, and paprika to taste.

Grill the corn on a hot grill until lightly charred. Top with the mayonnaise sauce and crumbled cotija cheese. Sprinkle on more cayenne pepper and/or chile powder as desired, and serve with lime wedges.

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