Stir-Fry Brown Rice With Vegetables. 1 c. brown rice, uncooked1 tbsp. chicken bouillon granules3 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided1 c. thinly sliced carrots3 green onions, including some tops, sliced1 med. clove garlic, minced or dash garlic powder1 lg. green pepper, sliced in thin strips1 c. thinly sliced zucchini1 c. thinly sliced fresh mushrooms1/2 c. slivered almonds4-5 tbsp. soy sauce Cook rice the day or morning before serving, adding chicken bouillon to water.
Cool rice completely in refrigerator. Vegetable dumplings. In case I haven’t broadcasted this loudly enough in the 114 entries prior to today, I tend to get a little obsessive in the kitchen when trying to find “perfect” recipes.
“Perfect” is always some approximation of an ideal that got etched in my tastebuds in some other time and place — there’s salted butter caramel (Paris), bretzel rolls (a Fresh Direct discovery), frisee with poached eggs (Balthazar, 2003) and one day soon, those truffles from La Maison du Chocolat, as my wee Valentine’s Day supply has rapidly diminished.
I know better than to try to go back to such a place and expect the same experiences time after time, but it doesn’t mean I can’t have warming fits of nostalgia when I find a lost flavor on my dinner plate. Case in point today is the steamed vegetable dumplings from Ollie’s, a small chain of large Chinese restaurants up the west side of Manhattan. Peanut sesame noodles. The fact that today is a startling 78 degrees with low humidity and the sun is streaming in wide ribbons through every windowed wall is leaving me as torn as I have ever been between my simultaneous urges to Take Walk!
Frolic Outside! Drinks Beers on a Terrace, Somewhere! And come home late tonight with my skin smelling like summer and my forehead re-freckled and fall into a deep sleep, my legs twitching like a puppy who dreams about catching frisbees… and, you know, bake some things for tomorrow’s Seder. Hrm, is it actually any question what will win? Nevertheless, I haven’t even told you about my Single Girl’s Dinner from Monday night. Once Upon a Plate: Crispy Garlic-Ginger Chicken, Asian Style. Mongolian Beef Recipe.