Pancake Tuesday...with a twist!

Korean Pancake - Pa Jeonpa 

This is the first in a series of weekly country specific recipes. We are spending the first week solely cooking recipes from Korea. We've never cooked Korean before.

This recipe differs from the original in the link in several ways. The vegetables and shrimp were sautéed in a wok, and seasoned with salt and pepper, before they were added to the pancake batter. Some of the carrot was julienned rather than just grated to keep some crunch. 

This recipe looked quick and easy to throw together with odds and ends from the fridge. This turned out to be the case. It was as simple as mixing flour and water and adding the vegetables for a nice savory pancake. The pancake was surprisingly filling and I found that I could just about eat one as a meal!

Hmm...Hash!

Recipe Reader Inspiration!

This delicious recipe was actually a product of needing to "clean out" the fridge and pantry. As often happens with me and potatoes, I end up with five or so ratty ones at the bottom of the bag that I feel gross about using because they've been sitting around for so long. As I was craving McDonald's(r) style hash browns, I searched through the ole Reader in hopes of finding a hash brown recipe I might have starred for a rainy day. Luckily I hadn't and instead came across this gem. Hash! I'd never tried making it before but cutting everything into tiny little cubes definitely appealed to my OCD side. I rarely keep a stock of pancetta but there's always chorizo around and I think it served as a great replacement. Without further ado...Handy Hash!

Handy* Hash

5 medium sized red skinned potatoes
1 medium yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 green bell pepper
1 small bunch of asparagus
cherry tomatoes
2 eggs
chorizo
small pat of butter (this is not
what is in the picture)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
finely chopped parsley



1. Cube everything into about 1/4 inch pieces except the eggs.
2. In a large fry pan, saute the cubed chorizo with a tiny bit of olive oil. When slightly browned remove from pan leaving behind the rendered fats and oils.
3. Add the cubed taters to the pan and leave them be for 6-8 mins until they start to look browned on one side.
4. Add the cubed onion and try not to get any tears in the potatoes.
5. Once the onions are translucent and the potatoes have started to look acceptably delicious, add the pat of butter and the chopped up veggies and garlic.
6. Add the chorizo and chopped parsley last of all.
7. Fry up the 2 eggs (make sure to season them).
8. Give everything one last good stir and add the two fried eggs on top.
9. Enjoy!

*No PeepShow references please.

This turned out surprisingly well and was absolutely delicious. I'm sure it could've been better if I'd had a cast iron skillet like the original recipe suggests, but I enjoyed it none the less. It will definitely become a go to recipe.

Bom apetite!

Comfy Carbonara

Recipe Reader Inspiration!

I've been making my own version of Carbonara for a few months now. It's the kind of meal that I can make in 20 minutes after a long day at work and still be proud of. I've found that the quality of the tasting experience with this one is directly proportional to the quality of the ingredients. There isn't a whole lot to it so there aren't a lot of places to hide below par components. As will be the case with most recipes I'll be posting, I alter them to fit whatever ingredients are on hand. I treat them more like guidelines than recipes.

Comfy Carbonara

small bunch of asparagus (snapped)
chorizo
sweet cherry tomatoes
3 eggs
small pat of butter
1/4 package thick spaghetti
1/2 cup of grated aged mozzarella
splash of whole milk
parsley*
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil pasta until al dente in plenty of water seasoned with olive oil and salt. Drain and set aside.
2. Before the pasta is done, saute the chorizo in a small bit of butter using a medium saute pan. Let the chorizo render for a few minutes.
3. Drop the small bunch of asparagus in boiling water for 10-15 seconds to intensify color and soften it a little bit. (This time varies depending on the thickness of the asparagus.) Chop them up into bite sized pieces.
4. Add the pasta to the chorizo in the saute pan. Add the three eggs and a splash of milk. Stir like mad. It should feel like you're making runny scrambled eggs.
3. When the pasta is properly coated and the eggs are just starting to set, add the asparagus and the cherry tomatoes.
4. When almost ready to serve, throw in the cheese and incorporate.
5. Enjoy with some extra grated cheese if so desired.



*I forgot the parsley this time but it's definitely worth remembering.

Bom apetite!

Things to do

1. Print recipes
2. Study "Cooking with dog"
3. Optimise ingredient usage

Should we aim for one or two recipe posts per week?