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Definition: Sriracha

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:31:28 -0800

Sriracha
A spicy hot sauce from Thailand. It's a smooth paste made from sun-ripened chiles, vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic. The chiles and garlic are ground into a fine paste and are combined with the other ingredients.

Soup's On: Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup

partysugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:15:13 -0700

When I think of a deliciously comforting tomato soup recipe, the ingredients beer, blue cheese, and sriracha definitely do not come to mind. However, these out-of-the-ordinary elements are exactly why I knew I had to make this soup. Created by Iron Chef Michael Symon for Pilsner Urquell, the combination actually works - wonderfully well.

This soup is not your grandmother's tomato soup: While the rich flavor of tomatoes is most prominent, it has undertones of fizzy tanginess and pungent creaminess. The spicy sriracha adds a compelling and addictive heat to the velvety liquid. I so enjoyed this recipe that I have plans to make it again very soon. Don't be afraid of the odd ingredients. This soup is excellent! To look at the recipe, read more.

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
From Michael Symon

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves sliced garlic
1 medium red onion, small dice
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon picked oregano
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1 bottle light beer (recommended: Pilsner Urquell)
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
½ cup buttermilk blue cheese

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a four-quart pot over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onions and a three-fingered pinch of salt and sweat for two minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sweat for two more minutes.
Add the tomatoes and beer and bring to simmer.
Add the cream, sriracha sauce, and oregano and simmer for 45 minutes.
Pour the soup into a blender and add the blue cheese and blend until smooth, or add the blue cheese and with a hand blender, blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or chinois into a clean pot. Taste adjust the seasoning if necessary and reheat to serve.

Serves 4-6.

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Make Your Own Harissa

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:00:50 -0700

Any gourmand with a hankering for something spicy would be right at home in my kitchen, where the fridge is stocked with scorching sauces from every corner of the world. From Tabasco to Sambal Oelek and Sriracha, I'm extremely well-supplied in the store-bought specialties department.

I recently came to the conclusion, however, that I'm lacking somewhat in the homemade hot sauce category. Enter harissa, a fiery garlic and chili paste that hails from Tunisia and is used in stews, pasta sauces, grilled meats, and couscous. Although the chili paste is sold in tubes and jars at many supermarkets, it's easy - and much more fulfilling - to make from scratch yourself. See how I did so when you read more.

Harissa
From Saveur

Ingredients

8 dried or 1 1/2 oz. new mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
8 dried or 2 oz. guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded (I substituted aji panca peppers)
1⁄2 tsp. caraway seeds
1⁄4 tsp. coriander seeds
1⁄4 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried mint leaves
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
5 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Put chiles into a medium bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit until softened, about 20 minutes. Heat caraway, coriander, and cumin in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, swirling skillet constantly, until very fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer spices to a grinder with the mint and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
Drain chiles and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the ground spices, olive oil, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Purée, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the paste is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a sterilized 1-pint glass jar and fill with oil until ingredients are submerged by 1⁄2". Refrigerate, topping off with more oil after each use. Paste will keep for up to 3 weeks.

Makes 1 cup.

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Food Section Sampler - May 20, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:50:41 -0700

The economic recession has been a good thing for the outdoor grilling industry. - Chicago Tribune
Sriracha, the Asian hot sauce with the cult following, turns out to be a bona fide product of the USA. - New York Times
Star blogger David Lebovitz on what foods Americans do better than the French. - Boston Globe
Learn which wines pair best with barbecuing and grilling. - San Francisco Chronicle
For up-to-date, relevant terms in the current world of wine, refer to this wine glossary. - Wall Street Journal
Urban restaurant gardens have sprung up in some of the most unlikely places. - Los Angeles Times
Trade associations say Sam Adams has grown too big to be considered "craft" beer. - Washington Post

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Guy Fieri: He's Off the Hook

partysugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:20:27 -0700

Last week I had the chance to speak with Food Network's Guy Fieri. He's the host of three shows - Guy's Big Bite, Diners, Drive-ins, Dives, and Guy Off the Hook - and winner of the Next Food Network Star season two. Filming keeps him incredibly busy, but in his spare time, the celebrity chef - who prefers hot dogs to hamburgers and mustard to ketchup - continues to experiment in the kitchen. He's deeply passionate about food, especially food education for children, and encourages "people to get on the food train." Fieri and I talked about his upcoming appearance at New York City Wine and Food Festival, and I got to see a softer side of the "in it to win it" bad-boy chef.

To see what Fieri had to say when we chatted, read more.

PartySugar: Tell us about your role at the Food Festival.
Guy Fieri: I'm new to the whole food festival thing. My first one was last February in South Beach. I'll be doing a live filming of Off the Hook. It will be two one-hour taped specials featuring all kinds of good food. Anybody that's into food, chefs, cooking, partying - they should go to the festival.

PartySugar: At a festival so large, do any chefs make you star struck?
Guy Fieri: No, not star struck. I'm a big fan of a lot of chefs. I love what Emeril created. Bobby is a bad-ass. Rachael took this whole world and turned it into a new realm. Everyone is the King/Queen of their own kitchen, so I respect them all.

PartySugar: Out of all the seasons of the Next Food Network Star, you are the only one who actually became a FN star; why do you think that is?
Guy Fieri: If I had that answer, I would be churning out new stars for the network! I made who I wanted to become. I did things my way. I don't know really. Divine intervention, perhaps?

PartySugar: Have you ever had a bad experience at one of the diners, drive-ins, or dives?
Guy Fieri: Oh yeah. There's no reason to lie. I'm not a food critic. I usually look at the recipes and can tell what will be good and what won't be.

PartySugar: What's in your fridge?
Guy Fieri: Let me open it for you! Organic blackberry preserves, sriracha, six different jars of olives, 10 kinds of mustard, sesame oil, horseradish, fish sauce, unsalted butter, salted butter. I'm sort of a mad scientist when it comes to cooking. I love every type of condiment and sauce. The vegetable drawer is kind of empty. It's only got red pepper, onion, carrots, new potatoes, celery, and beets. The cheese drawer has three kinds of salami, six cheeses, parmesan reggiano. In the freezer I have bacon cut into small portions 'cause my son likes to have a little bacon at breakfast. Smoked elk sausages, spaetzel that I made, capers.

PartySugar: What's your advice to the everyday home cook?
Guy Fieri: Make two new things every week! Break out new recipes, try new ingredients, experiment with new things. Don't make a whole meal of new dishes for your family, but if you want to give curry a try, make your usual rice, vegetables the kids like, a salad, and then the curry. That way if no one likes the new thing, there is still other stuff they can eat. Don't be discouraged when something goes wrong. But really food is so awesome, everyone can do it. The common denominator between humankind is food. It's empowering to cook.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: 20-Minute Peking Duck

partysugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:30:16 -0700

Normally Peking duck takes over 24 hours to make, however this dish - which is inspired by the ingredients used in the traditional Chinese recipe - comes together in twenty short minutes. Duck breasts are used instead of a whole duck, making for a quick cook time. The fragrant, syrup-like sauce is a blend of fresh orange juice, sesame oil, and Sriracha. To make this exciting dish - from our friends at MyRecipes.com - tonight, read more.

20-Minute Peking Duck
From Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 (8-ounce) packages boneless duck breast halves, thawed and skinned
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
4 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 8 strips
2 green onion tops, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Get more recipes at MyRecipes.com

Directions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add duck to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side.
Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 3 minutes on each side or until done. Cut duck diagonally across grain into thin slices.
Combine hoisin, orange rind, orange juice, and Sriracha. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spread about 2 tablespoons hoisin mixture down center of each tortilla.
Top each tortilla with 1/4 of duck, 2 cucumber strips, 1/4 of onions, and 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds; roll up.

Serves 4 (serving size: 1 filled tortilla).

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 331(29% from fat); FAT 10.8g (sat 2.6g,mono 3.9g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 26.6g; CHOLESTEROL 88mg; CALCIUM 36mg; SODIUM 595mg; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 6.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.3g

Like the recipe above? Try out some of these other ones:

- Dinner Tonight Recipes in 45-Minutes or Less
- Quick and Easy Meal Ideas
- All About Poultry from Cooking Light
- Get More Chinese Recipes

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Kitchen Experiments: Forbidden Fried Rice

YumSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:30:58 -0800

Earlier this week, I gave you a recipe for a Balsamic Soy Chicken. I purposely made an extra serving for lunch the next day. However, when it came time for lunch, the chicken and Forbidden Rice wasn't cutting it. I really wanted a vegetable. To see what I did for my latest kitchen experiment, read more.

The first thing I did was look through my cupboards. There wasn't much left, but I decided to take out two carrots, and some eggs. I peeled and finely shredded the carrots, and then in a separate bowl I lightly beat the eggs. I then threw the rice and chicken into a large skillet, heated it up until it was warm, then I tossed in the carrots, mixed that together, and finally I poured the egg mixture around it. I then scrambled it up, seasoning with salt and pepper as I went along.

The end result was a tasty - if not a bit odd-looking - black fried rice. It made for a delicious meal, and came together really quickly. I topped it off with a bit of sriracha sauce.

What do you think? What would you have whipped together?

Top Chef 3.7 - Guilty Pleasures Recap

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:27:26 -0700

Last night's Top Chef took us from nine cheftestants to eight. But before there was an elimination, there was a quickfire challenge and some more can't-get-along gang action.

The episode starts off with some behind the scenes action. Joey's departure has made people sad, and Dale and Sara N. have built a new friendship. After a few minutes of watching them behave like real people, we're whisked off to the kitchen for an elimination challenge. This time the guest judge is Chef Govind Armstrong and the product they're hawking is Coldstone Creamery. To find out what happened next, read more

Once greeted, the chefs are given 45 minutes to make their own original mixes to blend in to Coldstone's Sweet Cream Ice Cream. Surprisingly Hung says that he loves Coldstone - I was nearly floored I really thought it would be something else for him to hate on. He does however, hate on regular ingredients saying that, "Any monkey can make berries." And since he's apparently not a monkey, he's decided to go with cauliflower, tempura flakes and a bunch of other wild things. And as much as I love wild creations, even I had to wonder what on earth was he thinking. How is someone going to love cauliflower over macerated berries or peach cobbler? Same thought applies to Casey who decided to use Sriracha. Yes, she put hot sauce in ice cream... In the end it was Dale with a peach cobbler type concoction who won the challenge.

After the quickfire Padma tells them that they get to go out for a night on the town. Excited, they all head back to the dorms and get all gussied up for the event. However when they arrive at their destination they realize UH OH! It's not a night on the town, it's a night in a roach coach! The eight remaining contestants - Dale, as winner of the quickfire, got to sit out and enjoy a nice meal with Chef Armstrong - divide into two teams and are asked to make late-night food for drunken party-goers.

The teams are Hung, Sara M., Brian and Tre versus Sara N., CJ, Howie and Casey. Once again, I felt sorry for the folks paired with Howie. He keeps getting called a bulldog, and don't you think it's because he looks a bit like one?

The time is 10pm and they have 15 minutes to explore the kitchen, create a menu and then go shopping. $300 dollars and 30 minutes at the grocery store later, the teams arrive back at their coaches at 12:12. The first customers show up at 1:46am. At this point tensions are high, Howie's team is not getting along, Sara N. wants to put ice in a milkshake - um, seriously??? - and when Chef Tom shows up to order his food his mini-hamburger takes an eternity to arrive. Meanwhile, on the other team, the crowd is pumped and happy. Brian has set up a raw bar outside and is really working the crowd. It's clear that their truck is more successful, but apparently it also tastes the best as well.

At the judges table Brian's team is rewarded for being so efficient and communicative. Tre wins the platinum club card and an autographed book (pretty weak compared to last week's Trip to Italy) with his take on Bacon Wrapped Shrimp and Cheese Grits. However, I must point out that even Ted Allen noted, "If you want to make people happy, give them bacon."

Of course if this team is the winning team, then it means that, once again, Howie's team is the losing team. At the judge's table, things get nasty between Sara N. and Howie. Also, Sara said she felt demoralized having to wear the clothes she had on in the kitchen - to which I say, seriously? Didn't you choose to wear that??? She and Howie bicker all the way back to the waiting area when finally Sara is asked to pack her knives and go. I wasn't fully surprised, the editing made it pretty obvious to me - especially showing her bonding with Dale - however I did really like her departing quote. As she left she said, "There's a fine line between being competitive and being an a**hole." I guess we all know who she was talking about!

So what did you think of the episode? What were your fave parts? Did you think it was totally unfair of them to let the cheftestants get all dolled up? Or do you think they should have seen that coming? Will Brian ever cook something that's not seafood? And why did Howie choose not-quite-Cuban sandwiches in Miami??

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