Korean Bapsang: Kimchi Bokkeum Bap (Kimchi Fried Rice)

After the delicious Korean meal I made a week ago, I decided to use up my remaining kimchi on another Korean classic.  I can't even explain what this rice tastes like, and kimchi is certainly an acquired taste, but there's just something tempting about the whole thing.  And before you know it, you've tossed back a whole bowl slathered with yolk and sesame oil, and it's a beautiful thing.

Kimchi Bokkeum Bap (Kimchi Fried Rice)
From Korean Bapsang blog

3 to 4 strips of bacon, diced
¾ cup diced kimchi
¼ small onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
3 to 4 tablespoons juice from kimchi
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons Korean chili pepper paste (gochujang)
2½ cups cooked short grain rice
Vegetable or canola oil for stir-frying
½ tablespoon sesame oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 green onion, chopped
2 fried eggs

Heat a lightly oiled large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon pieces. Cook just until the bacon is slightly browned but not crisp. If you don't want all the rendered fat, remove the fat from the pan leaving about a tablespoon.

Add the kimchi, onion, carrots, juice from kimchi, soy sauce, and gochujang. Stir fry until the kimchi turns soft and deep in color, 5 to 6 minutes. Take the time to do this step so the rich flavors develop.

Add the rice along with a tablespoon of oil, if you have removed the bacon fat.

Stir constantly until everything is well incorporated and the clumped up rice is broken up, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scrape up the flavorful brown bits from the pan while stirring. Mix in the sesame oil and the sesame seeds at the end.

Top with the fried egg, and garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallion and serve.

Makes 2 servings

Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice: Tri-color Sweet Potato Salad

The fun thing about this time of year is all of the neat ingredients you find at the grocery store that are rolling off the farms.  I happened across some beautiful colored potatoes, so I figured it might be nice to try a cold salad with as many colors as I could get in one bowl.  The potatoes were pretty delicious, and the sweet potato made a nice foil for the regular potatoes.  The spinach helps you feel healthy, but the sweet mustard dressing is the real star.

Tri-color Sweet Potato Salad
Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice blog

1 pound russet potatoes
1 pound sweet potatoes

1 pound purple potatoes
4 large eggs
½ pound applewood-smoked bacon
½ cup diced red onion
1 packed cup fresh baby spinach leaves

Dressing:
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the potatoes, cut them in half and place them in a big soup pot or divide them between two large saucepans. Cover with water and bring to a slow boil. Cook until fork tender 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Meanwhile, add the eggs to a small saucepan, bring to a slow boil for about 10 minutes. Drain and add cold water to the pan to cool them off.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil and lay out the bacon in one layer. Bake until crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and chop.

Make stacks of the spinach leaves, roll them up and thinly slice (chiffonade).

Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and add to a large bowl. Peel and chop the eggs - add to the bowl with the onion, spinach, and bacon.

In a small bowl whisk all dressing ingredients together until well combined. Pour about half of it into the bowl along with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well combined, adding more dressing as needed. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.  Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Makes 8 servings

Nestlé Toll House Treasury: Butterscotch Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake is pretty nostalgic for me.  It's one of those cakes that my mom would make from a box mix every once in a while, and there's just something about the crunchy caramelized sugar top that really makes this delicious.  Naturally, when I found a recipe that also included butterscotch chips, I had to try it.  The chips help make what is normally a little bit of a bland cake into something really special, but I might just include them in the batter only next time.  There's something about brown sugar topping that nothing else can match.

Butterscotch Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Adapted from Nestlé Toll House Treasury

2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 (12-ounce) package Nestlé Toll House butterscotch flavored morsels, divided
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened, divided
2 (8-ounce) cans sliced pineapple, drained and reserve ¾ cup juice
7 maraschino cherries
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In a 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat, combine 1 cup butterscotch morsels and ¼ cup butter.  Stir until morsels are melted and mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat.  Arrange pineapple and maraschino cherries in skillet.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, remaining butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat until creamy.  Gradually add flour mixture alternately with reserved pineapple juice.  Stir in remaining 1 cup butterscotch morsels.  Pour over pineapple.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Immediately invert cake onto serving plate.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

My Korean Kitchen: Bulgogi (Korean Grilled Beef) and Aeri's Kitchen: Ssamjang (Wrapping Sauce)

After the time I spent in Korea many years ago, I occasionally get a craving for some of the foods that I ate on a regular basis there.  And this is definitely one of those foods.  There are actually several different meat dishes that you can eat wrapped in a shiso leaf with rice and spicy sauce, but this tends to be the easiest to make in the US without a dedicated Korean table grill.  And I just happened to find a nice package of thinly sliced ribeye, so...

Bulgogi (Korean Grilled Beef)
Adapted from My Korean Kitchen blog

1¾ pounds ribeye or top sirloin (or any tender prime beef cut), thinly sliced, ⅛-inch thickness
½ onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
½ carrot, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

2 green onions, thinly sliced
Red lettuce leaves
Ssamjang (see below)

Marinade

6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, rice syrup, or honey
2 tablespoons rice wine (mirin)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 Asian pear or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the marinade ingredients.  Place the thinly sliced meat, onion wedges, and carrot slices in a mixing bowl and pour the marinade over all.  Mix well while gently massaging the meat with your hands.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or move the marinated meat into a glass container with a lid) and marinate the meat for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat a skillet on medium high until well heated. Add the vegetable oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom. Add the meat and vegetables and cook on medium high to high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the meat and vegetables cook to your desired doneness. Toss in the sesame seeds and green onions and stir to combine.

Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves with ssamjang and steamed white rice.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ssamjang (Wrapping Sauce)
From Aeri's Kitchen blog

2 tablespoons soybean paste (doenjang)
1 tablespoon red pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon honey
½ tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sesame seeds

Mix all of the sauce ingredients together. If you like to eat this often, you can make a larger portion ahead of time and then store it in the refrigerator to serve whenever you need it.

Makes ¼ cup