Stir Fried Snow Peas

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our farmer's markets are flooded with legumes this week. There are bins of snow, snap and English peas just waiting for the taking. I'd love to believe they are field fresh and locally grown, but I suspect they've been shipped from a neighboring state. I guess that's local enough to prevent a guilty conscience on my part, but the locovore in me wishes they were truly home grown. The snow peas looked wonderful and the few I tested were stringless, so there was no doubt about which peas were coming home with me. I love to stir fry vegetables, especially at this time of year. The rapid tossing and high heat, assure the vegetables will be crisp tender and offer perfect resistance to the tooth. I like to finish certain of the vegetables with a light coating of an Asian-style sauce. The sauce used in this recipe is really interesting and I think those of you who try it, will enjoy it. There is, however, a caveat. The sauce coats the peas in an unappetizing shade of brown. The peas you see in the picture above were wiped clean for the photograph. If you saw them fully dressed you'd run for the hills and think that I had come undone. While they'll win no beauty contests, I can assure you the peas are delicious and appear regularly on my table. If you can look past the unfortunate color, I think you'll really enjoy them. Here's the recipe.

Stir Fried Snow Peas...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh snow or sugar snap peas
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Dash cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet or wok, saute the peas in canola oil until crisp-tender. Add the garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and cayenne; saute 1 minute longer. Add basil; toss to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Yield: 6 servings.







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Sauteed Sugarsnap Peas with Ginger and Garlic

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...What do you eat and, more importantly share, when your legs feel like mush and your brain thinks it's oatmeal? I'll wager the first thing that came to your mind is fresh sugarsnap peas. That's what jumped into mine. While I am, of course, jesting, this garden plain Jane can be made interesting with a little effort and a bit of garlic and ginger. The little effort part was especially appealing to me this evening. I'm battling eye strain, allergies and a body that thinks it's too old to do what it's been told to do. It's been forced to do some exercise it finds unpleasant and it's retaliating with aches and pains that are worthy of a television commercial. There is nothing seriously wrong, but a portion of the time we'll be spending in Turkey involves hiking on steep and uneven terrain. I'm an endurance champion on flat land, but the prospect of billy goat terrain convinced me my legs needed more and different exercise than they had been getting. They don't like the stair master - at all - but they are now in official training for our fall trip to Turkey and Morocco, and until they're accustomed to the new regime, easy dinners will be the order of the day. I decided to do a simple grilled salmon with steamed rice and included this slightly Asian version of sugarsnap peas. I love these peas, but they come with a caution. Unless they are field fresh they need to be "stringed" before being eaten. That simply means that the fibrous string that runs along the top of the pod must be removed. To do this, break off the stem tip of the pea pod. The stem is a rough area that extends slightly out from the top of the pod. You'll hear a snapping sound as the stem breaks. Gently pull the stem downward, pulling the strings on either side of the pod with it. This is an easy dish to make. In a pinch, you can even use garlic and ginger from a jar and have passably good results. The peas are sauteed and are table ready five minutes after they hit the pan. Those of you who are looking for new ways to prepare vegetables will enjoy them fixed in this manner. Here's the recipe.

Sauteed Sugarsnap Peas with Ginger and Garlic...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
1 pound sugarsnap peas
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced or finely shredded fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1) String peas by beginning at tip and pulling strings on eith side down. If peas are very young, you can omit this step. Cut off stem ends and leave whole. Place in colander and rinse under cold water. Shake well and drain.
2) In large skillet heat oil. Add garlic and ginger and saute briefly about 30 seconds. Add peas and, over medium high heat, toss and cook for 2-4 minutes, depending how large they are. Do not ovcercook. Add salt and pepper just as they are finished cooking. Serve immediately.
Yield: 2 - 4 servings.








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Banh Mi

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The first of today's pictures comes from South Vietnam. It was taken in February when temperatures were hovering around 100 degrees. This young woman has something she values more than comfort. Skin tone is a measure of a woman's beauty and social standing in her culture. While her outfit is unusually colorful, layers of protective clothing are worn by some younger women who believe they must have fair skin if they are to marry well. She was a lovely young girl and I'm grateful she allowed me to take her picture. I had just come from a fascinating tour of a bakery down the street from where she is standing. The bread throughout Southeast Asia is truly extraordinary. The French taught them how to bake, but they've improvised and worked on the old recipes and now make bakery products that rival those of their teachers. Vietnamese sandwich rolls are made with a mixture of white and rice flour that produces a crust that crackles on first bite but then yields to a soft interior. A perfect vehicle for holding the ying-yang flavors associated with a Vietnamese baguette. Unfortunately, I live in a community where the rolls for banh mi are unavailable. I've tried to make them, but without success. So, we make do with small French rolls when they are available. The recipe for my sandwiches comes from Thieng Heng, a hole-in-the-wall operated by Vietnamese expats in Paris, France. I came across the recipe in the sale bin of an airport book store. It comes from a treasure of a book called The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. There are several quick steps to the recipe. The first step in making a perfect banh mi is the preparation of a caramel sauce that's used to marinate and glaze a grilled pork tenderloin. While the pork cooks, the topping, a light vegetable pickle made from finely shredded carrots, cucumbers and onions, is assembled and set aside. Finally, the components are layered on a lightly toasted roll and served. There are many recipes for banh mi. I hope you'll visit Wandering Chopsticks and Blazing Hot Wok to take a look at two very authentic versions of the sandwich. Here's my recipe.

Banh Mi...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
. Caramel Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
. Pork
2 (3/4-pound each) pork tenderloins, silver skin removed
. Vegetable Pickle
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into fine julienne strips
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into fine julienne strips
1 small red onion, very thinly chopped
. Assembly
4 (6-inches long) baguettes, cut lengthwise
Mayonnaise
12 fresh cilantro sprigs
2 jalapeno peppers, finely sliced
Soy sauce or Maggi

Directions:
1) Place sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until mixture turns dark brown, but not burnt, about 10 to 12 minutes. Prepare a cup of hot water and place within arms reach of stove. When caramel is ready, remove pan from heat. Hold it away you to avoid being burned by splatter. Add 1/4 cup water to cool caramel and stop further cooking. Once it's stopped sputtering, add fish sauce and soy sauce; swirl pan to combine. Set aside to cool.
2) Place shallots, garlic and ginger in a blender. Add vegetable oil and caramel mixture. Blend to a paste. Place tenderloins in a pan and brush all surfaces with caramel paste. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, combine sugar, vinegar and salt in a large bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Add cucumbers, carrots and onion and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain.
4) Preheat broiler or gas grill. Place tenderloins on a broiler pan or grill and cook until pork is done, about 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Cut in thin (1/8-inch) slices.
5) Toast buns. Spread with mayonnaise, top with meat. Garnish sandwiches with pickled vegetables, cilantro sprigs, peppers. Sprinkle with soy sauce or Maggi. Press down on top of sandwiches to compact and serve. Yield: 4 to 5 sandwiches.

This recipe is being linked to Outdoor Wednesday, an event sponsored by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.