Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese and More from Bountiful

The birth of our Bountiful cookbook wasn’t as painful as we had originally thought. Aside from a few weeks of never ending dirty dishes, the whole journey was creatively liberating and fun. Thanks a million to all you guys and gals and so many nice cooks, bloggers and friends out there who spread the good cheer.

Seeing what everyone is cooking from the book reminds us why we love what we do so much. Those late nights in the kitchen recipe testing, developing, editing, writing and washing dishes makes it all worth it when someone shares their favorite dish that they made from the cookbook.

Our goal was to make the recipes, approachable, non-fussy, delicious and make a vegetable or fruit the hero. We’re always looking to incorporate more vegetables into our meals, so writing this cookbook helped us do more of it on a daily basis. And we’re sharing some Bountiful recipes with you that amazing bloggers have shared. And some of them are hosting a giveaway of the book too!

A simple and favorite lunch is our roasted broccoli grilled cheese sandwich. Pair it with a bowl of chicken soup or tomato soup and what you have is a meal that everyone in the family will love. The roasted flavor of the broccoli and melted cheese is almost like eating a broccoli/cheese soup, but even better. It’s sandwiched within two crispy slices of bread. Now try to dip it in some tomato soup. It’s really to die for!

Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod made this Roasted broccoli grilled cheese and is sharing the recipe on her blog.

Tracey from Shutterbean perfected our Braised Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Parmesan. Love the photo.

Julie from The Little Kitchen made our Baked Eggs in Tomatoes. It’s beautiful! Head over there for the recipe.

Kelly from Just a Taste is a egg rolling master! Check out our Kale and Chicken Egg Roll recipe that she mastered.

Elise from Simply Recipes added kale to our Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Parmesan. Brilliant.

So there you have it, a sampling of some recipes from Bountiful. Make them all for lunch or dinner!

And come visit us at our next signings in New York City, Seattle, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Melbourne, Australia! Link is here.

Happy Weekend,

diane and todd

Where to buy the book online? Here’s also a list of some great independent bookstores in your area. Please support them!

AmazonIndiebound Book Larder, Seattle (signing on Friday, October 25, 2013)Book Soup and Vromans, Los AngelesKings English, Salt Lake City, Utah (signing on Saturday, November 16th, 2013)Powells Books, Portland, OregonBarnes and Nobles Avenue Bookstore, Melbourne Australia (signing on Saturday, November 9th, 2013, 11am )Book Passage, San Francisco (signing on Saturday, January 18th 2013, 1pm)

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Grilled Green Tomatoes, An Accidental Dish

It’s always an accident. At some point during my garden duties of tying up the tomato vines on the trellis, I inevitably bump a healthy green tomato and watch it fall to the ground. Darn it. There’s nothing more frustrating than to watch a beautiful heirloom tomato grow to it’s perfect shape and never see it to it’s full ripened stage. My clumsy hands somehow manage to break tender vines that are laden with tomato flowers and accidentally bump green tomatoes off the plants. It’s for reasons like these that Todd and I find the excuse to grow about twenty heirloom tomatoes because not only are we “slightly” obsessed, but also to balance out all the green tomatoes that fall to the ground.

I’ve pickled many-a-green tomatoes and Todd has churned out several batches of fried green tomatoes. But this afternoon, after staring at two beautiful green heirlooms that bumped to the ground, I decided to do something different. My motto for lunch was : Grill-it-Green.

The grill was heating up for a Vietnamese pork lunch and with some leftover marinade, I decided to to just lather the slices of green tomato in the sauce and throw it on the grill. What did I have to lose? If I didn’t like the taste of it, at least I tried to make use of fallen green fruit. My marinade was simple and garlicky and if it was good enough for pork, I felt that it would be good enough for two humble and plump green tomatoes.

Oh my. Why didn’t I grill green tomatoes before? Why oh why did this just come into my life now?

Every bite was a delicious surprise. I wasn’t really expecting much out of this last minute dish. Because I’m so partial to pickled green tomatoes, I didn’t think any other green tomato variation was better. Boy, was I wrong and Todd and I ate every single slice on our plates. The combination of a savory marinade combined with the char of the bbq equals perfection on a green tomato.

Grilled green tomatoes are a wonderful Summer dish to add to burgers, salads or even just as a side dish. I’m excited to just try a slice of grilled green tomatoes on my next burger. Now that, is a dish that’s on my next party menu.

Grilled green tomato salad with feta cheese and herbs? Grilled green tomato grilled cheese sandwiches? Grilled green tomato chutney? Grilled green tomato caprese?

My mind is already churning like mad for all the possibilities for green tomatoes. And you know what that means? Having to “bump” a few more green tomatoes off their vines. Ooooops. Darn it.

hugs,

diane

Yield: Serves 3-4

Total Time: 30 min

Cook the tomatoes to the texture that you like. I don't like them too soft. I usually grill them to where they still hold their shape and not falling apart. How thick you cut your tomatoes will determine how long they will cook

About 2 pounds of green tomatoes1/3 cup cooking oil, such as grape seed oil or olive oil3 cloves garlic, minced1 teaspoon brown sugar1 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce or Worcestershire saucefresh cracked black pepper to tasteHeat grill and slice green tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick.In medium bowl, combine oil, garlic, brown sugar, black pepper and fish sauce (or soy sauce or Worcestershire)Add green tomatoes slices to bowl and evenly coat all the slices with the marinade.Grill each side of the tomato till your desired texture (about 2-4 minutes on each side). How thick you slice your tomato will determine how long it cooks.Serve as a side dish, on burgers or chopped in a salad

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Lemongrass & Coconut Cream Grilled Mussels

I hope everyone have had a great July 4th celebration. This July 4th marks the 7th anniversary of Rasa Malaysia. Yep, seven years ago on July 4th, 2006, I started Rasa Malaysia as a hobby. Never have I thought that this humble blog has flourished into something so big and meaningful…I have to thank you—my readers. Thanks for staying with me and your tremendous support all these years, and I hope to be serving you more easy and delectable recipes in many years to come. Thank you!

Anyway, everything has been going very well for me on Rasa Malaysia and I am so excited that I am one of the contributors to the launch of KithenAid’s new blog “Kitchenthusiasts.” My challenge was “Rock a Cookout” with KitchenAid Outdoor Grill. Summer is in full swing now and I’m sure everyone has many summer BBQ’s to attend to. To me, there is nothing more fun—and delicious—than having your friends and family together for a summer cookout with an outdoor grill.

While chicken, steak, and burgers are popular, I wanted to challenge myself to rock a cookout with fresh mussels. Mussels are briny and they are especially enticing—and aromatic— when grilled over fire. My recipe is quick and easy, and the total prep time and cook time are short so you can have more fun mingling with your friends and family instead of manning the grill all day long. I love pairing these Lemongrass and Coconut Cream Grilled Mussels with cold beer as they are absolutely delightful and addictive.

(Click Page 2 for the Lemongrass and Coconut Cream Grilled Mussels Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

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Grilled Tomato “Lollipop” Toasts & our Favorite Cherry Tomato Varieties

This is the first in a series we’re sharing for Summer on our favorite heirloom tomatoes that we’re growing. And we’ll have a delicious recipe included too! You can visit all our tomato recipes on our tomato page.

Oh we know they’re not really lollipops. But when we were grilling these little red jewels the term “tomato skewers” sounded so mundane. After plucking these super sweet cherry tomatoes from their vines, they were so cute and plump, it sounded more appropriate (and fun) to call them lollipops. Because they’re so sweet like candy during this time of year, it only made sense to call them lollipops if we jabbed them on a stick.

Summer screams of bbq and we’re constantly heating up our grill to cook up what ever flavors epitomize the season. Our five varieties of cherry tomatoes are peaking out as they normally do this time of year. They’re always the first to explode when the first hear wave arrives and this year, a week long of heat and humidity accelerated their growth and ripeness quicker than ever before. Yay!

Our cherry tomato plants are going bonkers, meaning they just don’t know when to stop producing fruit. We’re not asking them to stop either. Luckily, we’ve had family and friends visit so much for the last 4 weeks that all the cherry tomatoes are going to good homes and bellies. Nothing is better than sending home a basket full of vine ripened cherry tomatoes.

We’ve always grown Sweet One Hundred cherry tomatoes and enjoyed their wonderful bounty. But last year we found a variety called Sweet Million and have been hooked ever since. The difference between the two is that we find the Sweet Million to produce much more cherry tomatoes on longer branches and they’re sweeter. We always wait till they turn a deep red on the vine to where they want to just fall off the vine at the slightest touch. This is when the cherry tomato is at it’s sweetest and like candy. Last Summer we were making tomato bacon pizza’s like mad and never got tired of eating them.

Sugar cherry tomatoes are new to our garden this year and they’re mind blowing amazing. Even when they’re in their orange/red color stage, they’re still super sweet. And if you wait till they fall off the vine, they’re just like their name– Sugar sweet!

Yellow pear and as always, sun gold cherry tomatoes are in the garden again and we couldn’t be happier. Their color and beauty is always a treat to have in the garden. Our friends and family love plucking these varieties and adding it to their to-go basket of red cherries. It’s like a rainbow in a basket.

So what do we do with all these cherry tomatoes? This weekend we grilled them on the bbq and call them our tomato “lollipops”! Have you ever grilled your cherry tomatoes? They’re super amazing and the texture is like roasted tomatoes, but you don’t have to turn on your hot oven in the Summer. And best of all, they have the wonderful bbq flavor to them.

A simple way to enjoy these grilled tomato skewer “lollipops” is on grilled bread and swiped with a nice layer of ricotta cheese. Summer can’t get any better than this.

Make sure to make a big platter of these little skewer lollipops for your gathering because they’re sure to be a hit. They’re so good, your guests will probably just eat them off the skewers like candy too!

Happy Summer,

diane and todd

Yield: Serves 3-4

Total Time: 45 min

There are a number of ways to enjoy these bbq tomato skewers. Serve them as a side dish, as a snack or on anything you want. They're so good, they might not make it past the bbq!

about 1 pound of cherry tomatoes3 Tablespoons olive oil or grape seed oil1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce2 cloves of garlic, finely mincedsalt and pepper to tasteabout 10-12, 8" bamboo skewersSliced crusty bread1 cup of ricotta cheeseSoak and fully immerse bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutesIn large bowl, combine oil, Worcestershire and garlic. Allow marinade to sit for about 15 minutes.Wash and dry cherry tomatoes. Remove the stems if you want. Keeping them on just makes them prettier, then you can pull them off before serving.Add cherry tomatoes to marinade bowl and toss to combine and coat tomatoes.Skewer about 4-5 tomatoes on each bamboo skewer. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on each tomato skewer.Heat Grill to medium/high heat.Reserve the leftover marinade and brush them on the sliced crusty bread. If you need more marinade, just add a little more oil to the bowl.Grill tomato skewers on each side for about 3-4 minutes, or until they are cooked. Cooking time will vary depending on the heat of your grill and size of your cherry tomatoes.After tomatoes are cooked, grill both sides of the bread till crispy.Spread ricotta cheese on slices of bread and top with tomatoes. Remove stems if you want before serving.Makes about 10-12 skewers.

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The Homemade “Hot-Mess” Grilled Cheese- An Anniversary Lunch

This is what happens when you’ve shared your life together with someone for 17 years, The Homemade Hot Mess Grilled Cheese. Inspired from this Jack-in-the-Box commercial and our grilled cheese shoot with LA Brea Bakery a few weeks ago.  It’s this week, 17 years ago that we had our first conversations about food, gardening and camping together.

So how do we start celebrating? By making a sexy grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.

To celebrate our 17th anniversary, it seemed quite apropos to start off a lunch with a sexy grilled cheese sandwich. But this isn’t just any grilled cheese sandwich. It’s loaded with pepper jack cheese, spicy pickled jalapenos, thick onions rings and really good crusty bread. It’s a sandwich for bad boys and naughty girls, or those daring eaters who don’t care about calories.

This is how we say, “I Love You. Now, let’s eat!”

It’s all homemade, it’s a hot mess and it’s a grilled cheese that’s super decadent, dripping with spice, grease, flavor and love. It’s the week of Valentines and our anniversary that get us in this mind-set to let loose and not take ourselves too seriously. After 17 years of sharing your lives together, it’s crazy culinary times like these that bring us closer. And if it means getting a little messy in the kitchen, well, it’s all worth the pile of dirty dishes.

To laugh out loud, joke around and still love each other regardless of our imperfections is what our purpose is in life.

Last year we made cake pops for our 16th anniversary. This year we made a mess of ourselves with a crumbly, drippy grilled cheese sandwich. What does all this mean? When we hit our 20th year anniversary are we going to go sky-diving?! Oh yes, what a fantastic idea.

In celebration of this week with all those that you love deeply, let’s cook good food, make a mess in the kitchen and join the Hot Mess Club!

Happy Valentine’s Day for everyday,

diane and todd

Yield: As many as you like

Total Time: 10 min

We're not sure if this sandwich really even requires a recipe, but below are the ingredients and you can certainly make it your own hot mess!

Slices of breadslices of pepper jack cheeseonion ringspickled jalapenosbutterButter outside slices of bread. Layer in cheese, onion rings and pickled jalapenos.Grill sandwich on both sides till crispy brown. Enjoy!

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In the land of grilled chicken

In addition to the previously-mentioned book shoot, I’d also been commissioned to do some photos of kai yaang, Thai-style grilled chicken, for a US food mag. So rather than return directly to Bangkok from Chiang Mai, I took the long route and stopped by two of Thailand’s most famous destinations for the dish: Khao Suan Kwang and Wichianburi, both in Thailand’s northeast.

Khao Suan Kwang is a tiny town in Khon Kaen, located about 40km outside of the provincial capital. The streets (well, street) of the town are literally lined with vendors selling grilled chicken — I was told that there were as many as 130, and this could very well be true. The chickens — a specific breed that’s small with relatively little meat but fatty, flavourful skin — are splayed in a specific way on long bamboo frames — feet and head and all (shown at the top of this post) — and are slowly grilled on a thick metal grill over an enamel basin of coals.

At the busier restaurants, the chickens are grilled in stages over coals of varying heat, and I was told that grilling a chicken can take as long as 4o minutes. Another unique local aspect is that upon serving, Khao Suan Kwang-style grilled chicken is dusted with white pepper; one of the more famous restaurants uses coarsely ground peppercorns. I tried the wares of two vendors here (as the chickens are only sold whole here, this means I ate nearly two entire chickens), and the flavours ranged from meaty and almost baconlike to slightly herbal.

Probably equally as famous is the grilled chicken from Wichianburi, a rural district in Phetchabun.

This style of grilled chicken is sold from the roadside all over Thailand and can be identified by its specific cooking method, which sees the chicken splayed on a small, triangle-shaped bamboo frame that elevates the chicken at an angle over slightly flaming coals. If you eat the dish in Wichianburi, a specific breed of chicken is used. The local marinade — and indeed the dipping sauce –  is generally slightly sweet, and the unique cooking method also produced a smokier chicken, something I really enjoyed.

I’d post stronger images, but I’m not sure which ones the magazine will choose; I’ll be sure to let you know when it comes out in print.

View Thai Eats in a larger map

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Tomato Chutney Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I’m a hopeless romantic when it comes to grilled cheese sandwiches. When hankering for a grilled cheese, I dream of biting into the perfectly crusty and crispy sandwich that oozes out plenty of cheesy love. Those close to me know that I fiercely embrace savory, hearty and cheesy comfort foods. Grilled cheese sandwiches are no exception when it comes to making me happy, giggly and oh so full of joy.

The variations of great grilled cheese sandwiches are endless. I’ve seen some crazy concoctions when it comes to slapping something between two pieces of bread and some cheese. But the grilled cheese recipes  I’m most drawn to are the ones that focus on a great bread, a perfect melting cheese and one more element that will balance and heighten the eating experience without distracting from the simplicity of the sandwich.

One of my answers to this roster of great grilled cheese sandwiches is a well made tomato chutney. I’m rather particular with my tomato chutneys because I don’t like them too sugary sweet. What I do love about a great tomato chutney recipe is the perfect balance of tang, zest, sweet and acidic tomato flavor.

Adding the wonderful flavor of tomato chutney to a warm grilled cheese sandwich makes the sandwich extra flavorful, balanced and zesty.

Although Summer might be officially over, our garden tomatoes tell us quite the opposite. Our wacky tomato bounty is telling us that they’re not ready for Summer to end and honestly, I have absolutely no problem with that.

If our tomatoes say that there’s still time to eat and make tomato recipes, then I’m all over it. Puppy Lexi is all over it too when it comes to helping me pick garden tomatoes. Well, she loves playing with the tomatoes like toys and not really loving the harvesting part.

Combining my craving for a great grilled cheese sandwich and an abundance of tomatoes, I decided to make a huge batch of tomato chutney to savor over the next few weeks. When we asked all you amazing readers for tomato recipes, you all inspired us tremendously with your advice. Thank you for all that, you amazing people!

Liz from Liz the Chef came to the rescue with her tomato chutney recipe. She’s mentioned it a few times to us before about how much she loves her tomato chutney. So to start with her tomato chutney recipe in hand, I made an incredibly delicious batch to eat with my grilled cheese sandwiches for the next few months. Thanks Liz!

hugs,,

diane

More Tomato Recipes from our archives.

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Lemongrass and Sriracha Grilled Shrimp

Lemongrass Grilled Shrimp pictures (1 of 5)

How’s your summer so far? I hope everyone has been busy firing out your grill, having endless pool parties, and more importantly, having a blast with your friends and family.

If you’re looking for new barbeque recipes and ideas, I wish to tempt you with my upcoming Asian-style BBQ recipes. Let’s start with this mouthwatering lemongrass grilled shrimp, spiced with Sriracha, and marinated with fish sauce, garlic, and jazzed up with a chili-calamansi (or lime) dipping sauce. Sounds so good already, right? But wait, my next two posts are Thai Chicken satay with peanut sauce and lobster roll!

This Vietnamese-style lemongrass grilled shrimp is extremely easy to make, but the taste is so amazing that you won’t believe they take less than 30 minutes to make. The highlight of the recipe is lemongrass—which imparts the distinct aroma and unique flavor to the grilled shrimp skewers. The fish sauce and garlic marinade further enhance the briny sweet taste of the fresh shrimp, and the spicy Sriracha lends that extra kick that everyone has grown to love.

Mr. Rasa Malaysia (who is unfortunately allergic to shrimp) kept saying “smell so good” as I eagerly removed the lemongrass grilled shrimp from my new grill. My friend gave me some fresh calamansi and I squeezed a little lit of the juice on the shrimp before serving….heavenly. You simply can’t go wrong with this lemongrass and Sriracha grilled shrimp recipe; I can say that very few grilled shrimp recipes tops this one.

(Click Page 2 for the Lemomgrass Grilled Shrimp Recipe)

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I am lucky that I live in Orange County because I can pretty much get all the ingredients I want at the many ethnic food stores here. Whenever I want to cook Chinese, there is 99 Ranch Market. When I am in the mood for Japanese food, I go to Mitsuwa or Marukai. And when I need ingredients for Malaysian,…

When a Michelin-trained private chef writes about food, you know it’s gotta be good and that’s exactly what Zen Chef at Zen Can Cook (previously known as Chefs Gone Wild) delivers–a food blog choked full of scrumptious dishes that rival the finest and best restaurants around. Zen is always wacky, hilarious, and I admire his cooking and wicked writing style (read…

I miss the breakfast breads in Vietnam during my travels, specifically Vietnamese-style baguettes (bánh mì). Here in the States, whenever I need my bánh mì fix, it’s a fifteen minutes drive to Little Saigon. Most of the time, there’s a line, so it takes even longer to get my fix. That’s why I decided to make it at home. Bánh…

During my childbirth confinement, I missed eating seafood so much, especially my favorite shrimp. So, there was no surprise that as soon as the confinement ended, I headed straight to my favorite seafood restaurant and had a feast of seafood meal. I have also resumed cooking, albeit in a small way as I am adjusting to motherhood and my new…

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Grilled Crisp Tofu Pockets (Tahu Bakar)

(Note: Tofu is spelled as “Tahu” – the Indonesian spelling instead of “Tauhu” in the cookbook.)

My friend Andrea Nguyen at Viet World Kitchen has recently released a new cookbook “Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It At Home.” It’s one of the cookbooks that I really look forward to because I love tofu and tofu-related products.

The book was sent to me when I was in Malaysia. The first thing upon returning to my Irvine home, I dug through my piles of magazines and books and looked for Asian Tofu. The first night when I woke up middle of the night due to jetlag, I read through the beautiful cookbook. I only have one sentence to say about Andrea’s newest project: she is a real food writer and a pro…her passion, dedication, and knowledge in the subject matter shine through in Asian Tofu (and her previous books). I have a huge respect for her and her work; she is someone whom I constantly look up to.

Here is the tahu bakar recipe, or grilled crisp tofu pockets, an Indonesian/Malaysian snack that is both appetizing and brightly flavorful. I recently had an unforgettable tahu bakar when visiting my friend Indochine Kitchen in Medan, Indonesia. It’s a dish that I hope to re-create at home, and now I have the perfect recipe to refer to.

Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home by Andrea Nguyen is available for purchase at all major bookstores and online stores such as Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

Reprinted with permission from Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home by Andrea Nguyen, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Photo credit: Maren Caruso © 2012

(Click Page 2 for the Grilled Crisp Tofu Pockets (Tahu Bakar) Recipe)

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Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a fun and festive celebration and I wish you all a great 2010. Following my Teochew porridge post on preserved turnip eggs (???), I would like to share with you yet another simple dish that goes well with porridge—bean sprouts with tofu puff. My father loved bean sprouts with bean curd (tofu)…

(Chinese recipes, prepare authentic Chinese food now!) If you love tofu, I am sure you have your favorite tofu dish–be it Mapo Tofu, claypot tofu, steamed tofu, or fried tofu. While many people think that tofu is tasteless and plain, I love tofu very much. Tofu can be very versatile and delicious, if you know how to pair it with…

Recently, I received a new Japanese cookbook from my publisher Tuttle/Periplus—”A Cook’s Journey to Japan” by Sarah Marx Feldner. After reading through the beautiful cookbook, I had a sudden urge of making agedashi tofu or fried tofu in sweet fish stock, one my of favorite Japanese dishes that I always order at izakaya or Japanese restaurants. And the timing just…

To celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, I will be sharing a series of Chinese recipes with you on Rasa Malaysia, and it started with my ginger and scallion fish recipe a few days ago. Today, I have Christine of Christine’s Recipes here with her “Rainbow Fried Tofu” dish—or sweet and sour fried tofu. Christine’s Recipes offer a great selection…

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'Thai Grilled Meat' Wall Decal - Removable Graphic

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Kimchi Sour Cream with Grilled Artichokes Recipe

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May 30, 2011Kimchi Sour Cream with Grilled Artichokes Recipe

Roy Choi, the mastermind behind the Kogi BBQ taco trucks in Los Angeles is fabulous with mixing up culture and cuisine. His new Culver City restaurant, A-Frame, is in a former IHOP, hence the name. The food is polyglot Los Angeles. It commingles ingredients and culinary concepts that were born in different places on the planet but somehow met and married in the City of Angels. Choi tells the story of modern multiculturalism in his food.

One of the memorable things I tasted was Choi’s kimchi sour cream, which he served as a dip for sweet potato fries. The kimchi sour cream is a riff on ranch dressing, but with just a hint of tang and garlic. You barely detect the Korean edge but it does subtly let itself be known. 

Now that we’re firmly in grilling season, I decided to make my own rendition of Choi’s kimchi sour cream and serve it with grilled vegetables. I’ve tried it with artichokes and asparagus. Both were fabulous. I imagine you could grill summer squash such as zucchini, patty pans, or crook neck.  I suppose you could call it an Asian ranch dressing and put it on a salad!

Here’s the recipe for what I did. Give it a whirl and remember to use the juice from a mature jar of kimchi. If you don’t have “stinky” kimchi, double the amount of kimchi juice used. If you want a little oomph, add a few drops of fish sauce to the kimchi sour cream. Fish sauce is often used in making kimchi.

Serves 2 to 4

Salt
Water
2 artichokes
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
2 large cloves garlic, smashed

Kimchi Sour Cream
1 1/2 teaspoons mature (stinky) kimchi juice
2 pinches sea salt
2 pinches sugar
Smidgen of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Canola or olive oil

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While you wait for that, remove any hard or dead looking leaves from the artichokes. Cut off the stem from each artichoke, setting them aside. Trim 1/2 inch from the top of each artichoke, then use scissors to remove the tips of any thorny leaves. Now split each artichoke in half. This makes cooking them much faster.

When the water comes to a boil, add the artichoke halves and stems. Throw in the bay leaf, peppercorns, and garlic. Cover and vigorously simmer until tender. I estimated 30 to 45 minutes for my artichokes but the cooking time depends on the size and variety of artichokes. Check the cooking progress every fifteen minutes or so.  When done, a leaf should pull away easily but the artichoke should not be mushy. 

Use tongs to remove the artichokes from the pot, placing them on a plate, cut side down, to drain and cool.  The artichokes can be prepped up to 2 days in advance. Return them to room temperature before grilling.

2. To make the kimchi sour cream, stir together the kimchi juice, salt, sugar, garlic, fish sauce, vinegar, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Let sit for 5 minutes then taste and adjust the flavor. Cover until you are ready to serve. Makes about 1/4 cup.

3. Use a spoon or grapefruit knife to remove and discard the furry choke at the center of each artichoke half. Transfer artichokes to a bowl or plate and pour oil over them, making sure you get some between the leaves. Grill them over medium-hot (medium-high) heat, turning frequently, until they have heated through and picked up a tiny bit of char, 5 to 10 minutes. (If you sometimes mistakenly undercook the artichokes like I do, this grilling time is great for finishing the cooking process.) Transfer to a platter and serve warm or at room temperature with the kimchi sour cream.

Posted in Recipes: All, Recipes: Fast and Easy, Recipes: Gluten-Free , Recipes: Grilled, Recipes: Non-Vietnamese, Recipes: Vegetable Sides and Pickles, Recipes: Vegetarian | Permalink

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such interesting flavors and so creative. love it!

Posted by:Averie (LoveVeggiesandYoga) |June 01, 2011 at 12:12 PM

Those are really pretty, andrea, and i think a wonderful medium for oysters. not sure i'm quite ready to make those thin skins yet.

Posted by:LOUBOUTIN SHOES |June 02, 2011 at 01:28 AM

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