A Lovely Saturday Meal......

Saturday afternoon is a lovely yet all too brief episode in our busy lives, but one that we regularly enjoy especially in-between seasons, like now. We suffer shock to our systems every year during this in between kind of time before the chill of winter sets in but the memories of the blazing hot summer still linger in our minds, so when days all of a sudden shorten and a cool breeze whips by us, we are rewarded by an all too small period that is near perfect. It only happens twice a year and only for about 2-3 weeks, between Winter and Summer and then between Summer and Winter, then it's gone. Such a time is now and I try and make the most of it.

It's a little past four o'clock in the PM but the shadows tell me soon it will be my very favorite time of the day, twilight, the real "zero hour" and I make a point to stop and notice. But being Saturday means it's boxing day around here, hence my being able to post at leisure as Ricardo watches his fights (can't stand boxing even after all these years so I find other things to occupy my time, like cooking of course!). Before dusk arrives I get my ingredients together and leave them while I await the setting sun, but once the night sets in I am again hard at work bringing together my planned meal. And yes, all my meals are planned well in advance and coordinated so I never have any one-use ingredient, they must all be multitaskers or will not take part in my menu planning. Same goes for my cooking equipment, everything must serve double or more duty.

Today we are having one of our favorites: Thai. Yum. And one of the most iconic dishes in this country's repertoire: Pad Thai. I will serve it along with a hot and spicy Thai Basil Rice (Ay Caramba! That's one hot dish!) Since these are fast cooking dishes everything has to be ready for you to use, which you can do in advance, chop and prepare things that go together or at the same time and can be added together, it will make for a quick and amazing meal.

Pad Thai.- Wonderful and flavorful, easy to prepare and quite impressive. You can make it a variety of ways to suit your taste too.

limes
1 egg
4 teaspoons fish sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes or serrano chile sliced very thin
ground pepper
1 shallot or onion, chopped
2 tablespoon sugar (taste and judge)
2 tablespoon tamarind paste
1/2 package Thai rice noodles
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2-1/4 lb shrimp, Optional, cleaned, deveined
1/3 cup tofu - extra firm, Optional
1/2 cup Chinese chives - green - I use Mexican green onions
2 tablespoons peanuts
1 1/3 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon preserved turnip, Optional

NOTES: The trickiest part is the soaked noodles. Noodles should be somewhat flexible and solid, not completely expanded and soft. When in doubt, under soak. You can always add more water in the pan, but you can't take it out. Shrimp can be substituted or omitted, can use anything you'd like. If you don't like heat, omit the dried chili pepper. Tamarind adds some flavor and acidity, but you can substitute white vinegar. The nuts can be omitted of course but it's classic.

Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing the other ingredients, for 5-10 minutes. Julienne tofu and cut into 1 inch long matchsticks. When cut, the extra firm tofu should have a mozzarella cheese consistency. Cut up Chinese chives into 1 inch long pieces. Set aside a few fresh chives for a garnish. Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh. Mince shallot and garlic together.

Don't have a need for Fish Sauce? Don't worry, mix some soy sauce, a little water and add 1-2 teaspoons of lime juice and taste. Might not be the real thing (and I don't think you want me to tell you how to make the real stuff) but will serve in a pinch. Same goes for the Tamarind, you can substitute some A-1 Sauce, Pickapeppa or even Heinz 57 (with a little water and maybe some sugar if you think it's too tart), and you won't miss it too much. You can also use regular noodles if you have to. The point is, if you are planning making more Oriental style foods it would make sense to stock these items but if this is a one time deal, don't spend the money.

Directions.- Use a wok. If you do not have a wok, any big pot will do. Heat it up on high heat and pour oil in the wok. Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok unless you're using roasted ones. Add shallot, garlic and tofu and stir them until they start to brown. The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep things from sticking. Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce, chili pepper and preserved turnip (I put these in a small dish, already measured out). Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat, if it is the case. Make room for the egg by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles. Add shrimp and stir. Add bean sprouts, chives. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and very tangled.

Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve hot with a wedge of lime on the side and raw Chinese chives and raw bean sprouts on top. As always, in Thailand, condiments such as sugar, chili pepper, vinegar, Basil leaves and fish sauce are available at your table for your personal taste. Some people add more pepper or sugar at this point your choice.
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Spicy Thai Basil Rice.- Fragrant, hot and spicy, full of flavor. If you don't like as much heat, tone it down but it's loaded with antioxidants this way.....clears the sinuses too.

2 cups long grain rice
4 cups chicken stock
2-3 garlic cloves chopped
4-6 Serrano chiles, sliced very thin
2 tablespoons sugar, optional
Bunch of Basil leaves, without stems
1/2 Sweet Red Bell Pepper, cut in thin strips
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt (if your stock has no salt)
Black Pepper

In a large pot with tight fitting lid, put the oil and butter over med-high heat until it shimmers. Add the chiles and stir for 1 minute. Add the rice, garlic and bell pepper, sugar and stir for about 4-5 minutes until the rice turns a matte white color (it will change color yet will not brown). Add the stock, Basil leaves and salt and pepper. Stir well so everything is well combined and the rice starts to bubble.

Cover tightly and lower the heat to low. Cook for about 15 min and then check. Most of the liquid should have evaporated by now, leaving very little liquid left. Taste a couple of rice kernels and insure they are soft. If this is the case, turn heat off, keep covered and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before checking seasonings and serving. If you still have liquid, cover once more and let cook for 5 more minutes, check again as described before. The rice will finish cooking during the last 5 minutes, steam and "flower" so allow it the time it needs to finish.

NOTE: You can also serve the rice as a main dish, adding leftover chicken or meat, fish or whatever you like, more vegetables or change the stock to beef or vegetable. You could also use Oregano instead of Basil for a different flavor or add a small bunch of cilantro before you put the lid on to cook. Rice offers an unlimited amount of variations and as always, it's your choice.
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Well I'm done and dinner is ready. Box is still going on yet I'm free to move on to other projects, the guys can serve themselves when they get hungry. Time to relax and chill, a perfect Saturday plan.

Sending everyone my best wishes for a great weekend. Enjoy!