grilled scallions and scallion vinaigrette (with a sunny side up egg)

since changing jobs,

i've imagined all the things

that i'm going to do,

all the things that i'm going

to cook,

all the things that i'm

going to see and change

about my life.

i thought maybe i'd

finally get around to

making zuni chicken - and being

the kind of person who remembers

to buy chickens two days ahead

of time -

and rick bayless' 27-ingredient

mole. i thought that i'd just make

quick breads and muffins on the

weekends and spend my days

making stock. maybe i'd finally

start canning.

and, i did do some things

that are new, determined to

somehow show my appreciation

that i've regained several hours

each week.

i made a torte for

dinner (a torte! on a

weeknight!) and even added

the two tablespoons of mint

that i usually would have left

out because, ew, mint. i figured,

i'm trying to be a different

person in many other ways,

why can't i make myself be the kind

of person who likes mint?

it was ok.

but, still, i tried.

i stopped myself from insisting

that we go grocery shopping,

like we normally do on sundays

and instead, went to the beach

to walk along the boardwalk on

a surprisingly beautiful day.

and when we walked outside

to catch a dinner reservation,

i took the time to wait as larry

ran back in the house to get the

camera, so that i could snap a few

pictures of the gorgeous sunset.

but, i've remembered something.

i love cooking, probably more than a lot

of people i know. i love devoting time

to making crazy things that most people

would rather buy. i love serving food

to my family and my friends.

but - sometimes.

i'm not a cooking robot with one button

always set to cook. i want to be like other

bloggers i read and those on twitter who

cook from friday night to sunday night,

but i'm not. i still have a job that requires

energy, i still have a family that i want to

see, errands that i have to run, pictures

that have to be hung on the walls of the

house that we've lived in for a year and season

finales that i want to watch sometime near

when they originally aired.

these things - these are things i've

struggled with. i've always felt like if

i was truly as passionate about food

as i claim to be, i would want to live

my life in the kitchen, always. but, i'm coming

to understand that there are different

ways to love cooking and ingredients

and technique. and sometimes, that

means embracing the most simple of

recipes and appreciating them for what

they offer, too.

i've let myself buy store-made turkey

sausages, that larry tossed onto the grill

along with ears of corn. and last night,

when i got out of work way later than

i was supposed to, i embraced

the quick sandwiches that i made with

peppadews, shallots, capers, feta,

oil-packed tuna and lemon, instead

of the more elaborate dinner i had planned.

and, that's why i was drawn to this recipe

from the may issue of bon appetit.

it looked so simple, but so lovely.

and, i'll admit, even though i'm a little

embarrassed by it, i was intrigued

by the idea of microwave-poaching

the eggs. i'm not sure why i even considered

it - i'm a good egg poacher.

(lest you take me as insanely sure of myself,

let me explain -

i'm a pretty poor producer of

runny sunnyside up eggs,

eggs over easy,

pretty-looking hard-cooked eggs,

or even, fluffy scrambled eggs.

but, i can poach eggs, and i wave that flag, proudly.)

however, a lot of people struggle

with poaching eggs and i thought,

hey, if this mug in the microwave version works,

maybe it could be poached eggs

for everyone.

so, i chopped up two scallions, which

i whisked together with lemon juice and the really

exceptional olive oil that we hadn't used since

we bought it on our trip to temecula last year.

i tossed the rest of the scallions on the grill

and placed slices of a baguette under the broiler.

and, then, i cracked an egg into a mug filled with

1/2 cup water. i microwaved for 1 minute, just like

the recipe said. when it beeped, i checked the egg,

which was clearly still liquidy. i gave it 25 seconds

more and tried to gently pour the egg onto a slotted

spoon, before watching the white, still liquid, start

to slither out. i gave the mixture 25 seconds more.

again, still liquid, but i could see that the yellow

was more than set.

there was egg in the sink.

i had an egg ready to go in another mug

of water. for some reason, the egg shells

were on the counter. the scallions - charred

and on plates - were getting

cold and i was cursing. without thinking,

i turned the grill pan back on, and tossed fresh

eggs over the ridges, watching the whites run,

and continuing to curse. but, then, the whites

set and i gently lifted the bottom to make sure

it wasn't sticking. this "quick" dinner was

actually going to be ok.

i arranged the scallions on two plates.

i smeared a bit of ricotta over the toasted

bread and placed them next to the scallions.

when the eggs were ready, i carefully removed

them from the impractical cooking device and

used them to top the bread. and then i drizzled

both plates with a bit of the vinaigrette.

even, after all the cursing, they looked quite pretty.

pretty enough that i

insisted that we go outside,

so that larry could hold the plate

while i snapped pictures,

ignoring the neighbor's dog

barking up a storm at his

crazy new neighbors

who step outside in the evening

to take pictures of their dinner.

and, while as usual with eggs,

i could take or leave

the surprisingly set whites

surrounding a runny yolk,

i loved the seared scallions and the really simple

vinaigrette. i think that i

would enjoy them even more,

under a thick piece of pan-roasted fish.

but, that?

that would have been too complicated.

grilled scallions and and scallion vinaigrette (with a sunny side up egg)

adapted from bon appetit magazine

i think the stars of this recipe are the grilled scallions and the vinaigrette. the eggs were fine, but i think we all know how to make an egg. even though i coped by cooking the eggs on the griddle, feel free to make them in a pan, poach them or, i would think, even scrambled and served over toast would be nice. besides cooking the eggs on the griddle, i made a few changes: i increased the quantity of chopped scallions in the vinaigrette from one to two and used half a lemon, instead of just 1 teaspoon of juice.

also, i chose to toss a few pieces of a baguette under the broil for a couple of minutes (checking on them occasionally), until just golden and firm and then smeared them with fresh ricotta that we had in the fridge. the eggs sat nicely on top - but that's your choice.

2 bunches scallions

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 large juicy lemon, juiced

eggs, cooked to your liking (how many? i ate one, larry ate two - your choice)

toasted baguettes slices topped with ricotta cheese (if you like that kind of thing)

using sharp knife, thinly slice 2 scallions; run your knife over the sliced scallions a couple times to chop a bit smaller. place in bowl; whisk in olive oil and lemon juice. season gently with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. set aside.

place remaining scallions on a plate; drizzle with remaining olive oil and toss to coat. season gently with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. heat a grill pan (or skillet) over medium-high heat. place scallions on hot pan and cook 5 minutes, or until tender and slightly charred, flipping occasionally. divide scallions between two plates.

place eggs and bread (if using) on plates, if desired. drizzle with scallion vinaigrette.

homemade sriracha

those who know me,

know that i will never get

over the thrill - a thrill that

is probably only mine - of making

something in my kitchen that

a saner person would settle for

coming out of a bottle, box or bakery.

so, i appreciate my small doses of joy,

making marshmallows and quince paste

and preserved lemons, and other things

like beer mustard, grape nuts,

graham crackers and sesame-topped

hamburger buns, which

i don't think i've ever told you about.

(scratch that - i did talk briefly about

the buns.) i always keep my eyes

open for the next homemade adventure.

i discovered the newest project to

make my family ask why,

(why, brooke, why?

you know you can just buy that, right?)

several months ago,

tucked into the finalist page of

food52. the contest was

your best condiment and

the candidate i was instantly

drawn to was

fresh sriracha (aka, homemade "rooster").

to be honest, this one was chosen as the

runner up and i cannot remember what won.

(ok, to be fair (or maybe meaner?),

i just looked up the winner.

it is called

dead guy sauce.

maybe i never knew?

i think i would have remembered

something with a name like that.)

but, i've digressed.

back to the rooster.

we are a family who

always has sriracha in the fridge door

(along with too many other hot sauces,

mustards and other condiments to count),

so how could i pass up the opportunity to

make a from-scratch batch?

there was only one roadblock:

red fresno chilies. i could not find

them anywhere and when a recipe

only has 5 ingredients, i think it's

a pretty good idea to stick closely

to the original.

i looked in my local grocery stores.

i looked in my asian markets.

i asked people, from my friends to

my boss, to keep an eye out for red fresnos,

promising that i'd pay them back and

give them sriracha for their troubles.

my (now former) boss said ok,

but i think he was surprised and tried,

as was his right to do, to promptly

forget the request.

and then, because everything has

just been slightly easier over the past

couple weeks, i turned around in

a new-to-me market and realized

i was staring at a basket of them.

i grabbed three handfuls and headed

to the scale, shocked that i had

pulled exactly 1/2 pound and thinking

maybe this was a sign that the recipe

was meant to be.

when i got home,

i set to work seeding and chopping

the peppers using my wing and a prayer

method: don't use gloves and then

cross your fingers that you don't

accidentally touch your eyes.

i tossed them into a container with

a few giant cloves of garlic,

distilled white vinegar and kosher salt.

i shook it a couple times, because

i can't leave well enough alone, and

faced the consequences the next morning

when i accidentally tipped a good tablespoon

or two onto the counter.

later that next day,

i tossed the whole lot into a

small saucepot with a few tablespoons

of tropical, gooey palm sugar, let the whole

thing simmer for five minutes and then,

waited really impatiently for the

mixture to cool. after 10 minutes,

steam was still rising from the top.

so, i transferred it to the blender,

hoping it would cool faster outside

of the hot pot. after 10 more minutes,

i couldn't take it. i wanted out of the

kitchen. sometimes i get like that.

so, i took my chances, tossed a dish towel

over the blender, hit puree and pressed on the lid

with all my might, praying that larry wouldn't

come home to me and our schoolhouse slate-colored

walls, covered in chili sauce. he didn't have to.

and two minutes into the blending, i gathered

up the nerve to let go and take a picture.

i almost didn't strain the mixture.

it seemed like the right consistency, and frankly,

i have a certain hatred for straining, especially

when recipes instruct you to press hard to

extract all the liquids. but i did and it was

barely any work.

and, then, i tasted the sriracha,

worried that i would be forced to admit

that i should have, for once,

just left well enough

alone and continued to buy our

standard squeeze bottle.

but, happily, that is not the case.

this recipe does everything it promises -

delivering the same flavor we expect

from our asian chili sauce, but significantly

fresher, less salty and, as i already knew

from the ingredients, without the

crazy preservatives.

and, i'm sure you'll be shocked to know:

i think it was totally worth it.

homemade sriracha

adapted from edamame2003 via food52

i wasn't sure if i was meant to seed the peppers or not - it didn't say in the recipe (which i think most people would take to mean, don't seed). i opted to take the seeds out, worried about the potential spice level if they were kept in. but, i did make the decision not to sweat it if some seeds made their way into the vinegar. i was very happy with the spice level, but for a spicier sauce, i'm guessing you could keep them all in.

also - as i think you can see from the picture, the chili sauce was slightly foamy when first made. that went away after it spent a night in the fridge.

1/2 pound red fresno chili peppers

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons palm sugar

halve peppers; seed (or don't - see note). chop peppers. place in jar or container with lid; add garlic, salt and vinegar. stir; cover tightly. let sit overnight.

the next day, transfer mixture to small saucepot; add palm sugar and stir to combine. over high heat, bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. let simmer 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool.

transfer cooled mixture to blender; puree 5 minutes, or until smooth and mixture is an orange-reddish color. pour into strainer set in bowl; pressing to release as much liquid as possible. (it may seem a little thin, but it will thicken up in the fridge.)

transfer chili sauce to a jar, bottle or squeeze container. the mixture should keep for about 1 month.

shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i saw a really delicious-sounding recipe

last weekend for shrimp burgers.

on wednesday, i really wanted to use

the pickled korean radishes

that i had just made for something

more than snacking.

so, i did the only thing that made sense:

i made turkey burgers.

clearly, burgers were on my brain

and i kept thinking about traditional

cheeseburgers (why? i'm not sure):

beef,

cheese,

ketchup

and, usually, pickles.

so, instead i strayed:

korean-inspired turkey burgers

(that quickly made the leap to asian

burgers when i started tossing every

sauce in my fridge into the bowl),

enhanced with shiitake mushrooms

and topped with a

sesame-scallion mayo instead of ketchup.

skip the cheese.

and instead of the cucumber pickles,

neon pink radish wedges.

i decided to wing it,

buying whatever looked good to me

in the produce department, from

gigantic shiitake mushrooms,

to scallions, a firm jalapeno

and knobby ginger.

when i got home, i diced the mushrooms,

and reasoned that in spite of the fact

that i just didn't want to dirty another

pan, i really should saute them first.

so, i heated a bit of oil, added the

mushrooms, followed by the ginger,

jalapeno and garlic, cooking them all until they

were just tender and fragrant.

as soon as the mixture was out of the pan,

i stirred in the scallions,

sesame seeds,

sriracha,

sesame oil

hoisin and

oyster sauce.

the made-up mixture was spicy,

and even though i reasoned that

all the turkey would mellow it,

i still opted to make a very

gently-flavored spread to

smear over the burger:

mayonnaise,

scallions,

garlic

and sesame oil.

it was...fine.

yes, on it's own, it was

ok. with the burger, it

was better. is it worth it

to make again? i really

don't know. i do know that

i wanted it to be fabulous.

but, sometimes, as in life,

things just aren't.

it was a good burger.

still spicy after cooking,

moist thanks to the mushrooms

and packed with all of my favorites.

but, i wasn't as original

as i believed i was.

while assembling, i

realized that they were a

clear imitations of one of my

very favorites: turkey meatball banh mi.

but, these tasted even better because we

ate them in the daylight.

and that?

that was fabulous.

shiitake turkey burgers with scallion-sesame mayo and pickled korean radishes

i made some interesting choices with these burgers. an avid lover of sticky sweet hoisin sauce, i added a spoonful before considering the consequences. it was already stirred in before i thought about the fact that these burgers were sure to burn, thanks to the sugars in the sauce. since i had already taken a wrong turn, i thought stirring in equally sugary oyster sauce seemed like a good idea. i also added in sesame seeds, which i loved - but i'm pretty sure some of those burned, too. at that point, the more the merrier, right? if you worry that the burgers charring a few minutes before they're finished will bother you, maybe think about removing these ingredients from the turkey and instead, adding the sauces to mayo. maybe.

a note about the toasted sesame seeds. i buy them from the asian markets, toasted, in large quantities and on the cheap. totally worth it.

scallion-sesame mayo

i think it's safe to say that you will have more mayonnaise than you need. that's ok - even not-so-exciting mayo has it's uses.

3 large scallions, trimmed and sliced

2 small cloves garlic, peeled and halved

2/3 cup reduced-fat mayo

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

in mini food processor, pulse scallions and garlic 10 times, or until finely chopped. add mayo, sesame oil and a pinch of kosher salt. process 30 seconds, or until well combined, scraping down sides, if necessary. taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

shiitake turkey burgers

2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4" dice

1 (1-inch piece) gingerroot, peeled and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (use only half if you want to tone down the spice)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

3 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 heaping tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 1/4 pounds ground dark turkey

4 buns, halved (it's a nice echo if they're sesame buns)

scallion-sesame mayo

pickled korean purple radishes, dried with a paper towel

in medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil 30 seconds, or until shimmering. add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. add ginger and jalapeno; cook 1 minute, more. add garlic; cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. remove from heat and immediately transfer to large mixing bowl. stir in scallions, sesame seeds, soy, hoisin, oyster and chili sauces and sesame oil; season gently with salt and black pepper. let cool completely.

add turkey to bowl; using hands, mix just until combined. separate into four equal patties.

heat grill or grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. add burgers. cook 10 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center, turning once. transfer to plate. place buns on grill and cook 1 minute, or until toasted and golden brown (do yourself a favor and check them midway through in case your grill runs hot).

to assemble: place one burger on bottom of each bun. top with pickled radishes. spread top bun with mayo and place on burger. if you happen to have made baked sweet potato fries during this whole thing - all the better. put those on the other side of your plate. you may find yourself thinking the scallion-sesame mayo isn't all that bad on the tip of a fry.