lamb stew

This is my favorite lamb stew in the world. It's hearty, easy, and delicious. The recipe calls for lamb shoulder, but I use whatever boneless cuts of lamb I have. You could also substitute beef. I think you could also substitute chicken, but then I would also use chicken broth instead of beef, and white wine instead of red.

LAMB STEW
2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and trimmed of fat
2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs canola oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, chopped fine
4 carrots, cut into 1/2 pieces
2 Tbs brown sugar (I skip or substitute with whatever sugar I have)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground cumin (I like to buy seeds and then grind them with a pestle and mortar)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
3 cups beef broth

In a bowl toss lamb with seasoned flour until well coated. In a 4- to 6-quart heavy saucepan heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown lamb in 2 batches, transferring to another bowl. In pan cook onion and garlic in remaining tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add carrots, celery, brown sugar, thyme, spices, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine, broth, and lamb. Simmer stew over low heat, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 2 1/2 hours, until thickened and lamb is very tender.

Serve stew over couscous or noodles or eat it by itself like I do.

salad dressing

It makes me insane when people waste their money buying salad dressing. Store-bought salad dressing is expensive, full of ingredients that do not belong in dressing, and basically just sucks. I've been making my own dressing since I was a kid, because that's what my dad did, and he taught me.

Salad dressing requires four things:
olive oil
vinegar
salt
pepper

Mix that up in a bottle, shake it good, and taste it. Too tart? Too oily? Add vinegar or oil to balance it out. Now you can put this on a salad and be good to go. If you want to get tastier, add these things:

dijon mustard
sugar or honey
chopped garlic

want to get all fancy? throw in this:
dried basil
lemon zest
fresh orange juice

unlike school, in the salad dressing world, substitutes are welcome:
walnut oil for olive
rice vinegar for whatever other vinegar you are using

oh, you think you're crazy? try this:
ketchup
poppyseeds... so good

Basically, you can add or sub anything to make a great dressing, just remember your foundation: oil, vinegar, salt, pepper!

spicy eggplant stir-fry

This recipe is one of my standbys, I found it in a Sunset magazine at my physical therapist's office. You can make it without the pork, and substitute or add any vegetable you may have on hand. The really yummy part of this recipe is the sauce, and the eggplant is delicious too. I will typically substitute green beans, or broccoli, or greens like chard or kale in the recipe.
1 pound eggplant
1 Tbs peanut or canola oil
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs minced ginger
1 tbs minced garlic
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 soy sauce
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs rice or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp red chili paste (totally worth buying for this recipe because you will make it all he time)
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 pound extra-firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
Rinse eggplant and cut crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds. Cut rounds into 1-inch-wide strips.

Pour vegetable and sesame oils into a 12-inch nonstick frying pan or a 14-inch wok over medium-high heat. When hot, add eggplant and stir frequently until soft when pierced and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer eggplant to paper towels to drain.
Add ginger and garlic to pan and stir frequently until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork and stir until crumbled and brown, about 5 minutes.

In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili paste, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Pour into pan and stir until mixture is simmering and thickened, about 1 minute.

Gently stir in tofu, eggplant, and green onions until heated through.

essential ingredients

This is my list of basics that we keep in the house and keep a running grocery list for. Whenever we run out, we immediately mark it on our grocery list. These are things we consider essential, but you may not, so edit it to your own tastes. So you don't get panicked when you see how long the list is, take a moment to mark your own essentials with a *.
For better prices, buy in bulk at Rainbow in SF, Berkeley Bowl, or Whole Foods

DRY GOODS
Flour
Sugar
Salt
Yeast
Rolled Oats
9-Grain (for hot breakfast)
Raisins
Polenta
Corn Meal
Brown Rice
Jasmine Rice
Arborio Rice (for risotto)
Pinto Beans
Black Beans
Cannellini (White) Beans
Chickpeas
French Lentils
Orange Lentils
Couscous and/or Israeli coucous
Pasta

Cornstarch
Baking Powder
Baking Soda

Almonds
Pecans
Pine Nuts
(do not overstock nuts, they go rancid if you have them for too long)

CANNED/JARRED GOODS
Peanut Butter
Jam
Tomatoes
Coconut Milk
Curry Paste
Fish Sauce (for thai cooking)
Soy Sauce
Chicken Stock
Mayonaise
Mustard (regular and dijon)
Ketchup
Maple Syrup
Pickles
Lemon Juice


OILS
Extra-virgin olive
Canola (refrigerate)
Peanut (refrigerate)
Toasted Sesame
Walnut (refrigerate)

VINEGARS
Balsamic
White
Apple Cider
Red/White Wine
Rice

PERISHABLES
Eggs
Milk
Cheese (hard and soft)
Bacon
Potatoes
Onions
Carrots
Garlic
Celery
Butter
Ginger

SPICES
Allspice
Basil
Bay Leaf
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Cumin
Coriander
Curry Powder
Dill
Marjoram
Nutmeg
Oregano
Paprika
Parsley
Peppercorns
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Tumeric