Worldly Recipes: Ramen

On January 29, 2017 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Worldly Recipes1 Comment

The first time I tried this delectable Japanese dish was when Furious Spoon opened in Wicker Park, which is only a twenty minute walk from our apartment. We were instantly hooked and decided we needed to learn how to make it at home. Now, ramen is one of my go-to recipes during the week. The ingredients are relatively cheap and it’s quick and easy to make. Mike and I have the process down to a science, and it only takes about 25 minutes for us to pull it all together.

This recipe makes about five to six servings, which is perfect for dinner plus leftovers for lunch. One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s very versatile and can be changed to fit all tastes and flavors. Here’s my favorite version:

Ingredients:

(2) 32oz packages of 50% Less Sodium Beef Broth
(1) Pound of Short Rib
(4) Packages of Ramen Noodles
(1) Orange Pepper
(2) Cups Mushrooms (I use the stir fry mix from Mariano’s)
(1) Bunch of Radishes
(1) Bunch of Green Onions
(2) Baby Bok Choy
(2) Cloves of Garlic
(1) Teaspoon Ginger Powder
(2) Tablespoons Olive Oil
(3) Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Pepper and Sriracha to taste

Steps:

Empty the beef broth into a large pot and turn the burner on medium-high
Finely chop the garlic and add to the broth, along with the ginger powder and stir
Cut the beef into bite sized pieces and begin to cook in 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Slice the pepper into thin slices and then cut the slices in half
Slice radishes, reserve half
Slice mushrooms, if they aren’t sliced already
Cook the vegetables in the remaining olive oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce
While everything cooks, slice green onions and baby bok choy and set aside
Once the vegetables and meet are cooked, add them into the broth using a slotted spoon
Also add in a small handful of the green onions
When the broth begins to boil, add in noodles
Once the noodles are cooked, add in sliced bok choy and let simmer for a minute
Serve in bowls and top with the raw radish, sliced green onions and sriracha
ENJOY!

Have you tried making ramen at home? What do you like in your ramen?

Worldly Recipes: Risotto

On July 27, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Travel Tips, Worldly Recipes2 Comments

I love making risotto. It’s as simple as that. The act of making this recipe has a soothing familiarity to it that is very relaxing, plus Mike and I both almost always have seconds so it’s a popular dish in this apartment. Risotto can be made for any taste, with any number of ingredients. I typically make this dish in the fall and winter, but this past rainy weekend had Mike and I craving something hearty. It has a wonderful warming quality about it that will shake away any rainy weather blues. You can really use any protein or vegetables you want to, but this time around I used short rib, peppers and mushrooms to flavor this particular risotto. It’s a fairly simple recipe that takes a little bit of knife-work, a lot of stirring and a little patience to pull off.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup red and green peppers, chopped
1 1/2 cup bella mushrooms, chopped
1 lb short rib, sliced into 1/2 inch squares
3 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt, Pepper and Oregano to taste

And here’s how you’ll combine them:

First and foremost, pour yourself a glass of that wine. You have a whole bottle and you only need 1/2 a cup of it for the food.
Chop your vegetables, separating the onions and garlic from the peppers and mushrooms
Slice the short rib to cook separately
Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot
Add in onions and garlic to sweat
Add in rice
Add in peppers and mushrooms and saute
Start adding in liquids, 1 cup at a time and stir continuously
Season as needed with each addition
In a separate pan, saute short rib in a tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper
When there is only a cup of broth/wine left to add, add in the cooked meat
Stir in the parmesan cheese
Cook off the rest of the liquid and continue stirring, rice should be tender but not chewy
Enjoy!

Try it out and tell me what you think!

Have you ever made risotto before? What is your favorite kind to make?

Worldly Recipes: Bibimbap

On March 26, 2016March 26, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Worldly Recipes2 Comments

I fell in love with bibimbap on my first night in Seoul, Korea. My first meal right off the plane was in a mall restaurant, where we had Shabu Shabu for the table and there was a build your own bibimbap bar. I loved how customizable the dish was while still being absolutely delicious no matter the toppings. This dish consists of rice, meat (if you want it), vegetables, and any other topping that might enhance it. I make this recipe at least once a month for my boyfriend and myself and it never gets old. I will say that you will probably dirty ALL of your sauté pans making this dish, but I promise it will be worth it. It makes two healthy servings with enough for a leftover lunch.

Let’s start with the wine that I drank while I made this delicious dish, Bollicini Prosecco. Now pour yourself a glass of wine and get cooking!

Ingredients:

Marinade:

½ Cup Soy Sauce
2 Tsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Sesame Seeds
2 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, Chopped
2 Stalks of Green Onions, Sliced
1 LB of Beef Short Rib, Sliced
2 Cups Jasmine Rice
4 Cups Water
1 tsp salt

Whisk marinade ingredients together and add in sliced short rib. Make sure the meat is fully coated with the marinade, cover dish and place in refrigerator while you finish your mis en place. Start cooking rice, adding salt to water.

Ingredients:

Accouterments:

1 Cup Red Pepper, Slice Thin
1 Cup Mixed Mushrooms, Sliced
2 Cups Spinach
1 Clove Garlic
½ Cup Yellow Onion, Chopped
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
½ Cup Bean Sprouts
1 Large Egg
Salt and Pepper

Garnish:

½ Cup Green Onions, Sliced
Sriracha
Kimchee

Directions:

Cut your vegetables: Slice the mushrooms, if they aren’t already (mine were) and chop the onions, these will be cooked together. Chop your garlic, this will be cooked with the spinach. Slice your red peppers.
Once the water for your rice is boiling, start cooking your meat in the marinade in a stir fry pan.
Heat sesame oil in a sauté pan, once hot, sweat onions in pan before adding mushrooms and salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in another sauté pan, and throw in garlic. If you’re like me, this is the extent of your burners’ capacity, but don’t worry, we’ll make it work. Add in spinach, salt and pepper and stir.
Once mushroom and spinach dishes are thoroughly cooked, remove them from the stove and cover to keep warm.
If you have two more sauté pans, now is the time to use them. If not, place cooked vegetables in separate bowls, and cover with saran wrap.
Sauté red peppers in olive oil and set aside
Heat olive oil for your eggs (I only do this step for Michael, because I don’t eat eggs), once oil is hot, start egg. I usually cook it over easy but it’s up to you. Season with salt and pepper.
Start plating while the egg cooks. Scoop rice into bowls, and place each vegetable, the meat and the bean sprouts separately around the center.
Top your bibimbap with the egg, place it in the center of the dish, and garnish with green onions, kimchee and sriracha to taste.

And voila! Enjoy your Korean Bibimbap!

Have you had bibimbap before? What do you top yours with?

Worldly Recipes: Lasagna

On January 23, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Travel Tips, Worldly RecipesLeave a comment

Welcome to Worldly Recipes, a new segment of RebeccaWanderlusting where I explore my love for cooking! I’ve always loved working with food, and since I have a degree in Culinary Arts, technically I know what I’m doing. However, sometimes my ideas in the kitchen fall flat as a pancakes (just like the pineapple upside down cake I made for my sister’s birthday!) Since we’ve moved into this new apartment (back in April, 2015), I’ve been cooking more and more, so I decided to share some of my favorite dishes here! I can combine my adventures out in the world with my adventures, or misadventures, in the kitchen. The first recipe I want to share is my take on Lasagna, a dish created in Naples, Italy. I didn’t really have a recipe to go on, so I kind of made it up as I went along. But that’s part of the fun of cooking, right? Right! The lasagna turned out really well and made some delicious left overs! Full disclosure, I made far too many lasagna noodles and a huge mess, but overall, everything went great! So without further ado, here is my lasagna recipe:

Lasagna Noodles – I used Prince brand, the kind you boil, not the kind you can just bake. I made the whole box, which turned out to be too much. I only used nine noodles in total for a 13”x9” dish
1 large can of tomato sauce (29oz)
1 can of diced tomatoes (14oz)
½ a green pepper, diced medium
1 small onion, diced medium
6oz white Mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Two cups of spinach
1lb of ground turkey
Grated Parmesan Cheese to taste – I used Mama Francesca’s
16oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese
9oz Goat Cheese – I used La Bonne Vie brand
½ cup of red wine – I used Menage a Trois Red Blend
Oregano to taste
Dash’s Garlic and herb to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Once you have all your ingredients, here’s what you do with them:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Put on a large pot of water to boil for the noodles, add a dash of salt to the water
Pour yourself a glass of wine because you deserve it (not the ½ cup in the recipe, you’ll need that later)
Medium chop the onion, mushrooms, and green pepper
Finely chop the garlic
In a large sauce pan, sweat the onion, green pepper and garlic in olive oil for five minutes, or until the onions are translucent
Add the can of diced tomatoes and the mushrooms and let the mix simmer for a couple minutes
Add the tomato sauce into the mix and set to low heat
Season with salt, pepper, and oregano
Add ½ cup of wine into the sauce and stir well
Cook the ground turkey in a little bit of olive oil
Season the turkey with Mrs. Dash’s seasoning, Oregano, and salt and pepper
Once the water for the noodles is boiling, add in nine lasagna noodles
Drain the grease from the turkey meat, if there is any
Once the noodles are cooked, lay them out on a sheet pan with tin foil on it so they don’t stick together
Put a layer of your sauce on the bottom of a 13×9” pan
Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles
Add turkey, spinach, and goat cheese (use a fork or your hands to separate the goat cheese)
Then sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese and a dry parmesan cheese to taste
Cover with another layer of sauce and noodles
Add one more layer of turkey, spinach, the cheeses, and sauce
Add the last layer of noodles, and cover with sauce
Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top and more Parmesan to taste
Cook the lasagna for 25 minutes, or until the center is nice and piping hot

And voila! A delicious dinner for six… or two with leftover for the next few days.

I hope you’ll forgive my first attempt at recipe sharing. I made it through the whole cooking process and then realized I didn’t take any pictures, so the next one will have a ton, I promise. If you are able to try this recipe, please let me know how it goes!