Hawaiian Rice Bowl With Spam - Spamtastic fried rice

 
So my coworker had never tasted Spam. I am known in my social circle for my Spam cookery (My Spam Christmas tree is quite a sight to behold), so I felt it was my duty to rectify this situation.
 
Since she was unfamiliar with the salty goodness of Spam, I thought just a hunk of processed porky goodness might be a bit much. That's a bit like having a shot of Absinthe for your first sip of alcohol.
 
So I decided to make a delicious Hawaiian stir-fry starring Hawaii's favorite meat product, Spam.
 
A few years when there was a Tsunami warning in Hawaii and people were stocking up and evacuating to high ground, one of the images that stayed with me was emptied Spam shelves in the supermarket. Save the Spam!
 
You'll notice my hand in the photographs, something you almost never see on this blog. My husband was so excited about the Spam he agreed to play photographer.
 
Here are the ingredients:
 
 

 
Spam, canned pineapple chunks, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, Sriracha, a large container of cold cooked white rice( about four cups), two eggs, enough onion for half a cup of diced onions, a red bell pepper, garlic, ginger and scallions. You'll also need some oil for cooking, I like peanut or canola.
 
Let's begin by dicing some Spam. You'll need about half a can for this dish.

 

Dice it finely into 1 inch pieces, we're looking to get most of the elements the same size for this dish.

 

Now dice the onion.

 

 



 Then the pepper.

 

 Mince 2 to 3 cloves of garlic.

Grate about a tablespoons of ginger. I keep a root in the freezer and grate off what I need.

I
 grated it onto the board here, but often I rate it onto a bit of wax or parchment paper so it's easier to transfer it into a bowl.

You'll also want to dice the scallions. Dice the whites and the greens separately. They'll be used at different cooking stages. Use between 3 and 6 scallions depending on how much you enjoy the flavor. I'd want six, my husband would want much less.

 

Dice the pineapple up a bit. Usually the chunks in the can are quite large. Use about half a large can or a small can.

 

 

Now let's make the sauce. Three tablespoons of soy sauce.

Two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil. It's pricey, but buy it, keep it in the fridge and use it a tablespoon at a time. You'll be amazed at what it can do for your cooking.

 

Add anywhere between a teaspoon and two Tablespoons of Sriracha - this depends on how hot you like things. A tablespoon is a good compromise. I used a teaspoon here.

 

Stir them together and set aside. You won't use this until the very end.

Crack your two large eggs into a cup or bowl.

Then beat them.

Time to get cooking! Heat about a tablespoon of oil in your pan. Let's go with a large non-stick skillet. Get the oil hot, then add the Spam.

Add the onions, peppers and scallion whites.

Cook over high heat, stirring constantly for about six to eight minutes, until onions and Spam start to brown a bit. Then add the garlic and ginger and stir until you smell the garlic and ginger.

Remove the Spam and veggie mixture to a plate or bowl and put just a bit more oil into your pan. Now add the while rice. Stir it around to break it up and thoroughly heat the rice.

When the rice is heated through, shove it off to one side of the pan and add just a few drops of oil to the empty side of the pan.

Now add the beaten eggs to the empty pan.

The eggs should cook in about thirty to forty seconds.

Stir it into the rice.

Add the Spam veggie mixture back into the pan.

Mix them back in with the rice.

T
hen add the soy sauce mixture and stir it in.

Once that's combined, remove it from the heat and add pineapple.

Then add the scallion greens.

Stir to combine and then serve. Delicious!

T
he verdict - Here's my coworker's Facebook Status:

I told you it was delicious!

Cyn

Perfect Corn on the Cob in 5 Minutes

Perfectly cooked corn on the cob is just a few minutes away!

Here's how to make it. First, shuck some fresh sweet corn.

As you can see by the photo, removing all the silks is not my strong point. Now put the corn in a microwave safe dish or plate. I usually cut the cobs in half or sometimes in thirds. Cutting it into manageable pieces works especially well for buffets or gatherings with a wide variety of food. This way everyone can have a little bit.  It also stretches the corn to feed a crowd and makes it easier to handle.

 

 

Cover the corn tightly with plastic. This is important, because you are essentially steaming the corn.

 

Then put it into the microwave for 5 minutes.

Let the corn sit for a couple of minutes while you prep the butter.  Add butter, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar into a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup.  Now, if you have fresh corn just a few hours out of the field, you might not need the sugar. Otherwise, it gives off-season corn a much-needed boost. Give it about 40 to 60 seconds in the microwave.

 

Carefully take the plastic off the corn. Be careful, it's HOT! You don't want a steam burn. Give the buttery, salty mixture a stir.  Now you either pour it over or brush it onto the corn. I like to toss it all together in a big bowl. This way each individual cob is buttery and delicious.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Making a Fritatta - super quick and inexpensive supper.

I made a frittata for supper. And I used the Vine app to record it.  Here's how it's done, just click on image to play:



Then there's the cooking method:

What? You want instructions? Why weren't you paying attention? Okay then, for those of you not paying attention.

4 eggs beaten with 3 tablespoons milk or cream plus salt and pepper and a pinch of garlic powder
1 Yukon gold potato diced  small and microwaved in a container covered in plastic for 4 mins.
1 tomato diced, then salt and peppered and liquid squeezed out.
About 1/4 of a small onion diced.
1 tsp jalapeno salsa or 3 chopped pickled jalapenos. (optional)
3 to 4 sliced of thick bacon, diced.
1 tablespoon of butter
Chopped herbs of your choice
Salt and Pepper.
Cheese or cheeses of your choice. This is the leftover bag remnants of  shredded Swiss, cheddar and Italian blend.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In oven-safe skillet melt butter and add bacon.
When bacon is crispy, add onions. Cook until they are translucent.
Toss in microwaved potatoes. Stir constantly until potatoes just start to brown.
Add tomatoes.  Stir until they just start to wilt.  Add jalapenos. Give a few stirs.
Add chopped herbs to egg mixture and whisk.
Turn off heat and pour egg mixture over ingredients in pan.
Place pan in oven and cook until it puffs up and starts to brown - 10 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy.

Liver With Caramelized Onions And Red Wine Sauce - I Promise It's Good

 

If you like liver and onions, you're going to love this. If you've been subjected to bad liver and onions, I might be able to change your mind about them.

Interesting note: during our first conversation my husband and I discovered that we both love Star Trek,

 

We were also both big fans of the 1971 cartoon The Funky Phantom, about a Revolutionary War Ghost who solved mysteries with a group of teens and their cat.

 

And it turns out we both love liver and onions. I preferred mine with a side of spinach, which Tim turned his nose up at, until I made fresh spinach. Now we're on the same page. It has taken me a few years to learn how to properly cook liver. Many people turn it to the consistency of jerky or shoe leather and often it is not well-seasoned. We're going to fix all that.

 

I've used calves liver here, veal liver is tenderer, but also more expensive. You may only be able to find liver frozen, so thaw it out and then season with salt and pepper. It's a very important step. Give the seasoning awhile to flavor the raw meat, overnight is best.

 

I am willing to admit that raw liver is the most unattractive thing on the planet. Here it is after I've patted it dry and it still ain't pretty. Do pat it dry, though. We want to get a nice sear on the liver.

 

I

 

If you have large pieces of liver, cut them in two. We want nice-sized pieces that fit easily into the pan and onto the plate. Try to fine thinly sliced liver, otherwise it will either be over-cooked on the outside and raw (blech) on the inside.

 

 



Mix flour, salt and pepper together in a dish.

 

 

Slice a medium sweet onion thinly and mince a clove of garlic.

 

 

 



In a large frying pan (I prefer a non-Teflon coated one for this purpose) add butter and olive oil and turn on medium heat.

]
Now carefully flour the liver. It's delicate and you don't want to tear the meat. Stay strong, the raw liver shots are all done now.

By the time you finish, your butter and oil should be shimmering.

Using tongs, carefully add the liver. You should hear a sizzle.

Add as many pieces of liver as you can manage without crowding the pan. If it's too crowded, you won't get a nice sear. The browning is important. Remember, this is beef you're dealing with.

After a minute or two, your liver should be nicely brown. Flip it and give it a minute or two on the other side.  When it's done, remove it to a foil tented plate and cook the rest of the liver. After that's cooked, allow the meat to rest. This is very important. The heat contracts the meat and rest gives the fibers time to loosen up and become tender again.

Now your pan has bits of browned meat and flour, the base of your delicious sauce. Add some butter and then your onions.

To those onions, add salt and a sprinkle of dried thyme.

Sautee until the onions become soft and then add the minced garlic.

Give the garlic about 30 seconds and then add red wine to deglaze the pan. If you don't care for wine, you can skip straight to the veal or beef broth.

Give it a good stir, getting all the brown bits of flour and meat off the bottom of the pan. This is what will thicken your sauce.

Now it's time to add the broth. I love Kitchen Basics veal broth, but you could also use beef broth.

 

 

Add about a cup or cup and half, based on how much liver you have. This sauce is going to reduce by more than half before you serve. Do not add salt now. It will cook down and become too salty. If you've chosen to skip the wine, add about half a teaspoon of sugar.

 

 

Eventually it will reduce down to a lovely glaze. Then it's time to add some butter. This will enrich the sauce and make it glossy. This is also time to salt and pepper to taste. TASTE it!

 

 

Arrange the liver either on a warmed platter or individual plate and spoon the sauce on top.

I've served it here with my favorite, spinach with oven roasted tomatoes. This would also be delicious with mashed potatoes.

 

 

Enjoy!