Instead of going to the dirty Chinese food on the corner--why not make your own take-out. It's healthier, makes delicious leftovers and works out your chopping skills.
Stir-Fried Portobellos with Ginger-Oyster Sauce America's Test Kitchen (hence the detailed instructions)This stir-fry cooks quickly, so have everything chopped and ready
before you begin cooking or use a sous-chef to chop while you coo.k. Serve with steamed white or brown rice.
Serves 3 to 4
Glaze
2 tablespoons soy sauce (use GF if needed)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce (GF)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons oyster sauce (leave out for GF)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Vegetables
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press
(about 2 teaspoons)
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
6–8 portobello mushrooms (each 4 to 6 inches), stems discarded, gills
removed (see below), and cut into 2-inch wedges (about 7 cups)
2 cups carrots (sliced), or other longer-cooking vegetable from the chart below
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup snow peas or other quick-cooking vegetable from the chart below
1 pound leafy greens from chart below
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
1. Whisk glaze ingredients in small bowl; whisk sauce ingredients in
separate small bowl. In third small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with 1
teaspoon vegetable oil. Set bowls aside.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, without
stirring, until browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn
mushrooms and reduce heat to medium; cook until second sides are
browned and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to
medium-high; add glaze mixture and cook, stirring, until glaze is
thick and mushrooms are coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to
plate; rinse skillet clean and dry with paper towels.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high
heat until beginning to smoke. Add carrots and cook, stirring
occasionally, until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup
broth and cover skillet; cook until carrots are just tender, 2 to 3
minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates, about 30 seconds.
Transfer carrots to plate with mushrooms.
4. Heat remaining teaspoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over
medium-high heat until beginning to smoke. Add snow peas and bok choy
stems or napa cabbage cores and cook, stirring occasionally, until
beginning to brown and soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add leafy greens and
cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 1 minute. Push
vegetables to sides of skillet to clear center; add garlic-ginger
mixture to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon or spatula,
until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir mixture into greens.
5. Return all vegetables to skillet along with sauce. Toss to combine
and cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and vegetables are
coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, top with sesame
seeds, if using, and serve immediately.
Choosing and Preparing Vegetables for a Stir-Fry
Portobello mushrooms and eggplant are the mainstays in our stir-fries.
As for the other vegetables, use those called for in the recipe or
switch them with another vegetable from the same category below. We
recommend using one harder, longer-cooking vegetable paired with
quicker-cooking vegetable and a leafy green (either napa cabbage or
bok choy).
Longer-cooking vegetables (to yield 2 cups)
* 4 small carrots, peeled, sliced on bias 1/4 inch thick
* 1/2 pound broccoli, stalks discarded, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound cauliflower, core removed, florets cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 pound medium asparagus, bottoms trimmed, cut on bias into 1
1/2-inch lengths
* 1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed, cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch lengths
Quicker-cooking vegetables (to yield 1 cup)
* 1 medium bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 3 ounces snow peas, strings and tough ends trimmed
* 3 medium ribs celery, ends trimmed, cut on bias 1/2 inch thick
* 1 small zucchini or summer squash, seeded, quartered lengthwise,
and cut on bias 1/4 inch thick
Leafy Greens (to yield 2 cups stems and 4 cups greens)
* 1 small bok choy or napa cabbage (about 1 pound), stems/cores
and greens separated, stems/cores cut into 1/4-inch strips, greens
into 3/4-inch-thick strips
Step-by-Step: Preparing Vegetables for Stir-Frying
Portobello Mushrooms: After removing the stem, gently scrape the
underside of the mushroom with a dinner spoon to remove the feathery
gills, which can impart a muddy taste to the stir-fry.
Zucchini: Halve zucchini lengthwise and gently scrape out the seeds
from each half with a small spoon. Cut in half lengthwise again, then
cut into 1/4-inch slices on a 45-degree bias.
Napa Cabbage: Separate leaves, removing the core of each leaf with a
wedge-shaped cut. Slice the leafy greens crosswise into 3/4-inch
strips. Cut the cores into 1/4-inch strips.
Once upon a time, one of my favorite things to bake was brownies (okay, it still is). I vividly remember making my mom's brownie recipe. The whole family was around to reap the benefits. As I pulled the brownies out of the oven, they looked a lot flatter than usual. I forgot to add the flour! I thought they were ruined. My dad, however, the ever-knowing-chocolate-man, who would never even think about throwing away dessert, knew the secret was to simply rename what I had made to Flourless Chocolate Cake. I found this one on Epicurious and it was so amazing I actually made it two weeks in a row. It tastes moist and freshly baked even after a full week (if you can stand to wait that long to finish it). I served it with a Cabernet Blackberry sorbet which did a great job of cutting the chocolate. Blood orange would be delicious too.
