I had a fairly ginormous brunch yesterday, and was consequently not all that hungry for dinner, but figured I’d better get some vitamins (besides those found in eggs Benedict and a Bloody Mary). I wanted something simple and fresh, which those ingredients could easily provide. Much as I love obnoxiously complicated dishes and weird ingredients, I rarely have time (or energy) for such feats, and tonight I didn’t want much anyhow.
I also had a bunch of bloody gorgeous spinach and Vidalia onions sitting in my fridge, begging for a home on my love handles. I was only too happy to oblige!
What I used:
Half of a medium Vidalia onion
About half a pound of fresh spinach
2 tbs. butter
3/4 tsp. herbes de Provence
½ tsp celery salt
Salt
Black pepper
Fish sauce (optional)
Cider vinegar (optional)
Wash and tear the spinach into a saucepan (don’t dry it fully). Cover the pan and turn on the heat to medium. When the lid gets hot to the touch (there is a reason my fingers have mile-thick calluses!), reduce ton low, and let sit for about three minutes. Now add your butter, herbes, celery salt and regular salt, stirring well. Re-cover and remove from heat, letting it all melt together while you dice your onion. If you want to kick up the flavor a bit, I recommend adding a splash of either fish sauce or cider vinegar here too, depending on your mood.
Once the butter is all nicely melted, remove the spinach to a bowl, using a slotted spoon to keep as much butter as possible in the pan. Set that aside, and return the pan to the stove, turning the heat back on and adding a bit of black pepper. Sautee the onions until they’re as done as you want them (I like ‘nicely caramelized’). When it’s all done, deglaze with white wine.
The finished spinach and the finished onions are each a really tasty dish, and together make a fantastic light dinner. Or a great side dish. Or, if you really must, a stellar burger topping.

Unlike neighboring China and Japan, Korean food has not caught on in such a big way here in the US. I think this is sad – not that kim chee isn’t delicious and awesome, but Korean cuisine has so many other things to offer.
Chap chae (or jap chay) is one such offering. This classic dish is usually made with yam noodles, some variety of veggies, with or without meat, and can be served either with barbecue or as a main dish itself. I’d never attempted to make chap chae before, but a recent conversation with a friend about how he misses the Korean joint in his home town reminded me that I’d at some point acquired a basic recipe for the stuff, and should try it.
Based on the availability of certain ingredients, and my own whims, I’ve made some alterations to the original recipe. My results were really delicious, and the leftovers are even better – I’ve been eating this batch for a week! Be aware that it is a large recipe…you will need a big wok, or to cut quantities.
What you’ll need:
12 oz rice stick noodles
3/4 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 carrot, julienned
1 zucchini, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 Serrano peppers, diced
8 shitake mushrooms – stems removed and diced
1/2 pound sirloin cut into thin strips
1 tbs black sesame seeds
2 tbs sesame oil
3/8 cup light soy sauce
3/8 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (or more soy sauce).
3/4 cup rice wine
2 tbs sugar
3 cloves garlic (diced)
Pinch ground ginger
Black pepper
Fresh mung bean sprouts
Soak your noodles in hot (not boiling) water for about 20 minutes, until soft, then drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Mix the soy sauce, Braggs*, oil, ginger, black pepper, sugar, and a quarter of the garlic and Serranos, together in a glass, and set it aside to infuse a bit, while you chop all your veggies.
Heat some oil in a (VERY) large wok, and add about a third of your sauce plus another quarter of the garlic and Serranos and toast till they start to brown. Reduce heat to medium and add your steak and stir fry for about 4 minutes or until almost done. Remove from the wok (keep as much of the oil in as you can) and set aside.
Now add your carrots, red peppers and zucchini, and stir in the sesame seeds. Stir fry all of this for a few minutes, until everything is almost-but-not-quite tender. Now add the onions and mushrooms(and a bit more oil if needed).
After another minute or so, add back your steak and the rest of your garlic and Serranos. After that’s all in, cut the noodles with a knife and stir them into the wok, followed by the rest of your sauce. Stir fry until everything is well mixed and the right texture. Be very careful not to cook the noodles too long, or it’ll get mushy!
Remove everything to a bowl, and deglaze your wok with the rice wine and a splash of soy sauce. Once that reduces by about half, pour it over the dish as a sauce and stir it in. This is entirely optional but I think it’s tasty.
Serve hot with a garnish of cold mung bean sprouts.
Like I said: I make no claims to authenticity here, but it is yummy. The only alteration I may make in the future would be to pickle the carrots beforehand, perhaps in mirin.
* I decided to make the sauce by halving the soy sauce and using Braggs because it makes the dish a bit less salty, which is nice for many reasons, and also because it adds a flavor I like. Do as you wish.

My obsession with tindora/vargoli/ivy gourd continues unabated, and each time I see them at the farmers market, I cannot help but buy more than one person can reasonably consume. No one has ever called me ‘reasonable.’
Last night I realized that I had about a half-pound of gourds left, and a large sweet potato that wasn’t getting any fresher. I decided to move away from the pickle-and-peanut concept I’ve found so reliable for vargoli, and considered a different tack. The results were really, really delicious.
Ingredients:
Sauce:
– 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
– 1/4 tsp. fresh grated horseradish
– 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
– 1/8 cup olive oil
– Splash Madeira wine
– 1 pinch herbes de Provence
– Salt and pepper to taste
Other:
– 1/2 pound fresh vargoli (aka tindora, ivy gourd, gourd, etc.)
– 1 large sweet potato
First, microwave your sweet potato (skin on) for about 3 and a half minutes, until soft but not quite done. Set it aside to cool a bit. While that’s going, clean and slice your vargoli into rounds and set them aside and, in a small glass, mix the sauce ingredients until nicely emulsified.
Now get a wok (or fry pan) going on medium-high heat. Add some oil (maybe 2 tbs). When it’s all up to temperature, add your mustard seed and coriander seed, heating until they start to crackle and jump. Add the sliced vargoli and stir-fry for a minute, then let it be still while you peel and dice the sweet potato.
Toss the potato and cup of sauce in with the vargoli, and cook until everything’s done, stirring as little as possible to let things caramelize a bit.
Served alone this makes a really delicious and very healthy meal that is even vegan and gluten free, but I really like having a side of good yogurt (Greek or home-made regular) to go balance it out. Enjoy!!!