Tod Mun Pla

These Thai fish cakes have been one of my favorite dishes since I first tasted them over 20 years ago at Flavours & Spices in Makati (which I learned from a friend had already ceased operation for several years now). When we try new Thai restaurants here and when we were living in Hong Kong, I check them out the moment the menu card is handed to us. If they're not on the menu, or if the server has never heard of them, then I consider the restaurant NOT authentic Thai. When we first came here in the US 15 years ago there were very few Thai restaurants, most of them didn't serve tod mun pla. We later learned almost all the Thai restaurants here in the Washington D. C. area at the time were owned by Chinese and their cooks were Chinese. There are several new Thai restaurants now that are owned by Thai people and some have these in their menu. I guess they are not popular with Americans because of their chewy texture which is precisely why I love them. The cakes are served as appetizer but I have them as main course, eaten with steamed rice and cucumbers with sweet and sour chili sauce.

Tod Mun Pla
1 pound fish paste
1 tablespoon Thai red chili paste
1 tablespoon fish extract
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup sliced green beans
3 fresh kaffir lime leaves, sliced thin (optional)
½ cup oil for frying

• Combine the first 4 ingredients in a food processor for 1 minute, add egg and process for another minute. Add green beans and lime leaves, pulse 5 times or until just combined.
• Heat oil in a skillet, fry about 2 tablespoons of fish mixture, flatten with spatula while frying. Flip and fry on other side until golden brown.

Cucumber Salad
2 mini cucumbers, sliced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 red chili, finely minced
½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

• Combine vinegar, sugar and chili. Mix in the sliced cucumbers. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle peanuts on top.

Potato, Chorizo, and Vegetable Omelet (Spanish Tortilla)

I didn't know what to do with the 6 egg whites leftover from the zabaglione gelato I made. I was not in the mood to bake angel cake, besides I'm not into angel cakes, they're tasteless. After consulting my personal adviser, the internet, I found a site devoted entirely to leftover egg whites and egg yolks, isn't that wonderful? I chose to make fritatta/tortilla/omelet.
This omelet or tortilla is from my cookbook TAPAS: THE LITTLE DISHES OF SPAIN by Penelope Casas. The dish is very flexible because you can add any vegetables you like and children who don't like vegetables such as lima beans won't notice they're eating them. Her vegetable suggestions (all pre-cooked): mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, and green pepper. I added 2 whole eggs to the 6 egg whites with one chopped tomato and pimiento for a somewhat healthy dinner fare.

Potato, Chorizo, and Vegetables Omelet
adapted from TAPAS by Penelope Casas
½ cup olive oil
2 medium potatoes, in small cubes
6 eggs
salt
1 small onion, chopped
¼ pound chorizo, skinned and diced
¼ cup sliced cured ham
½ cup cooked peas
½ cup baby lima beans

• Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes slowly until they are tender- they should not color. Meanwhile beat the eggs lightly with salt. When the potatoes are done, drain, reserving about 4 T of the oil, add the potatoes to the eggs.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil in the skillet and sauté the onion until it is wilted. Add the chorizo and ham and cook for another couple of minutes, until the chorizo begins to give off its oil. Stir in the peas and limas and cook for 2 minutes more. Add this mixture to the eggs and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Heat another 2 tablespoons of reserved oil in a clean 10-inch non-stick skillet until very hot. Add the egg mixture, spreading it out with a pancake turner. Lower the heat to medium-high. When the eggs begin to brown underneath, invert a plate of the slightly larger size over the skillet and flip the omelet onto the plate. Add 1 more tablespoon of reserved oil to the skillet, then slide the omelet back into the skillet to brown on the other side.
• Lower the heat to medium and flip the omelet two or or three more times (this gives the omelet a good shape while it continues to cook), cooking briefly on each side. It should be juicy within. Transfer to a platter and cool, then cut in thin wedges or into 1 - 1½ inch squares than can be picked up with toothpicks.

I Can't Believe It's Real Butter!

A lot of boggers have been writing about being able to churn butter in their own kitchen using a mixer. I read some of their recommended sites and thought the steps are simple and easy enough for anyone who knows how to operate a Kitchen Aid mixer. It was a success on my first try and the butter is sweet and I think tastes better than the store's, or I might just be biased, heheh. The procedure is here for anybody who would like to try. I used 4 cups of heavy cream which yielded 14.5 ounces of delicious butter. I filled a ramekin then halved the remainder which I put in individual bags and kept in the freezer. I also kept the 1 ½ cups buttermilk in a jar in the refrigerator for later use in baking. Next time I will culture the cream before churning for that Australian or French stronger butter flavor.

the butter and the buttermilk

the butter after the 4th washing


the lump weighing almost a pound at 14.5 ounces

Update July 24

I was very happy with the result of homemade butter and cultured another 4 cups of heavy cream by mixing in 1/3 cup of plain organic whole milk yogurt. I let the mixture, covered with plastic wrap, sit on the kitchen counter for 18 hours. I incorporated just a tiny bit of air and added salt to the finished butter. The yellow color is deeper and the taste is superb and comparable to French butter. Making butter at home is a very easy and fun project to do and children can join in the fun by helping knead the butter when washing out the buttermilk.
Total yield this time: 15 ounces butter and 16 fluid ounces buttermilk which by the way is equally delicious!

Zabaglione Gelato

David Lebovitz' Zabaglione Gelato is super creamy and super delicious, I already had 2 servings today, mmmm. He suggests you spoon lots of sugared strawberries at the bottom of a wine goblet, then top with a scoop of the gelato. I didn't have any strawberries but I do have cherries in syrup and fresh blueberries which are also good with the gelato.

Zabaglione Gelato
from THE PERFECT SCOOP by David Lebovitz

1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
big pinch of salt
1 lemon
1½ cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
½ cup dry Marsala wine

• Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Zest half of the lemon directly into the warm milk.
• Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm lemon-infused milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolk back into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.
• Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Add the Marsala and stir until cool over an ice bath.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.