The Metal Fork: A Modified Version

Green Curry Soup

Though this summer has not been quite as hot as prior years here in Chicago, we’ve had some scorchers here and there. It was one of those days a few weeks ago, and I was on the hunt for a refreshingly spicy green curry dish to lift the spirits. I found exactly what I was searching for on 101 Cookbooks; click here for instructions on how to make Swanson’s In a Hurry Green Curry.

Obviously I can’t take credit for Swanson’s fabulous recipe, but I can report the modifications I made. I like spicy stuff, so I definitely added more than 2 T of green curry paste. Since I used more tofu than she called for (14 oz instead of 6 and sautéed it first … I prefer it cooked to raw), I boosted the coconut milk to two (14 oz) cans. I also used both water and light vegetable broth and an entire package of frozen peas. 

 
The smell of this dish wafted through the apartment for hours. It tasted even more amazing than it smelled. Think of a coconut-milk-based soup from a Thai restaurant and then add a lot more green! The peas, asparagus and basil gave this soup the perfect tinge of freshness I was seeking. Leftovers tasted great too!

This is a keeper. Thanks, Heidi Swanson!

Asparagus Stir-Fry

I love to read, write, travel, and cook. Sometimes I like to read while traveling, or write about cooking. Heidi Swanson’s blog, 101 Cookbooks, brings all of those elements together into one beautiful package. Essentially, her striking photography pulled me in, and her eloquent writing hooked me. I have been a fan for several years now. Swanson’s blog and the ways in which she is able to convey important—and everyday—experiences inspire me.

Part of that inspiration includes the whole, all-natural ingredients with which Swanson cooks. Following her lead, I have recently been experimenting with more natural ingredients—whole-wheat pastas, quinoa, bulgur, etc. For the last several months, I’ve also been taking full advantage of the produce box that shows up at my doorstep every other Saturday. The box often includes a variety of fruits and vegetables that I would not normally gravitate toward at the produce market … like the kohlrabi bulbs that came in last week’s box. They look like little aliens!  It’s been fun to experiment with this vast array of fresh goodness.

The introduction of these new ingredients into my repertoire has motivated me to explore different produce items and sauces even further. Enter sesame oil and hoisin sauce.

I’d searched 101 Cookbooks to find some ideas for a one-dish meal using asparagus and discovered Swanson’s Asparagus Stir-Fry.  I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of flavor to expect from sesame oil, and I had no idea what hoisin sauce actually was.

This is yet another reason why I am so thankful to live in an urban environment. My local market has a large selection of ethnic foods of all kinds—Greek, Mexican, Asian, etc—so it was not difficult to find all the items I needed for this dish. Once home, however, I realized that I did not have cashews on hand as I’d thought. I substituted them with pine nuts and chose to use spinach over kale or chard. Otherwise, I followed the recipe verbatim and added some sriracha sauce at the end for a bit of a kick.

The sesame oil added a rich nuttiness to the tofu, and (unbeknownst to me) I actually did know what hoisin sauce was. Spring roll dipping sauce = hoisin sauce. Combined with the nutty taste of the sesame oil-infused tofu, the hoisin sauce brought a lightly sweet balance. This stir-fry came out so well that I’d wished I’d doubled the recipe. Next time!