Like White on Rice

I had never used a rice cooker before tonight. It hasn't been on my top ten list of kitchen gadgets to buy, but since my good friend Chad (What up?!?!) is in the middle of packing and moving, I have become the proud new foster parent of a cute little red rice cooker. All you do is add measured amounts of rice and water, plug it in, and you're good to go. It's pretty cool, although I had this fantasy that it would be done in, like, five minutes or something. It's not really that different from making it on the stove top, except that when I do, I find myself constantly adjusting the heat.

Since I wasn't feeling the greatest, I thought I would just make some white rice and call it a day. But then I saw some tofu chillin' in my fridge and thought, "What the heck." I can always use some protein. Enter: The NY Times Recipes for Health section. (Yes, I'm like a broken record!) But I remembered a tofu recipe that I had made before. I was all over it. The tofu marinated while the rice cooked, and then the tofu took a mere five minutes to cook. Fab. I made a few adjustments, including changing the yield (maybe I should just be eating less?) and subbing out the mirin (cuz I didn't have any). Check it out ya'll:



Pan-Fried Marinated Tofu

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound firm tofu
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
Cooked rice (optional for serving)

1. Combine the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together well.

2. Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Slice into 1/2-inch thick slabs. Add to the bowl with the marinade and gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour, or for up to a day.

3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, nonstick skillet. When the oil is hot, add the tofu in one layer (cook in batches if needed). Cook for 1 - 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn the tofu over and cook another 1 - 2 minutes, or until lightly browned on the other side. Remove from the pan and serve with additional marinade or soy sauce, and rice if desired. Serves 3.

Shramps

So, one of my favorite quick dishes utilizes frozen shrimp. Is that gross? I don't think so, but I know of at least one friend that is disgusted by frozen shrimp. I think that if they are prepared properly and you are not serving them as Shrimp Cocktail, then who cares? The freezer can be your pantry too.



You know that dish that is ubiquitous in Spanish restaurants? Garlic Shrimp? Or Sauteed Shrimp With Garlic or whatever they call it? I have figured out how to make it at home! Yeah, yeah...it's no great feat. Big deal, you say. HOWEVER, I have discovered that the key to replicating this great restaurant dish is...SALT. Not the perfect shrimp or 84 cloves of garlic. Salt. I think that most home cooks under-salt their dishes when they could really step it up a bit without alerting the American Heart Association. I'm not suggesting that you encrust your shrimp with salt. I'm just saying that sprinkling a little on top is probably not enough.



Following is my very unscientific recipe for:


Garlic Shrimp For One


Salt and freshly ground pepper

10 medium frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined (about 1/3 pound)*

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Crusty Bread (optional - actually, required)


1. Once the shrimp is thawed, pat dry with paper towels, and generously season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Once hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute. Gently add the shrimp and cook without moving for 2 minutes. Turn each shrimp over and cook until done, about 2 minutes more. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and stir. Serve immediately with crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce.

*I use the frozen 1 pound bags of raw 31-40 shrimp/lb that are already peeled and deveined.