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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2021)
2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021 HOME & LIVING Sweet and sour beef Beautiful butter lettuce salad whips up quickly, but keep that wok hot Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper 2 tablespoons extra- “When I cook vegetables virgin olive oil today, my goal is to showcase 1 large head butter lettuce, their natural fl avors and washed and patted dry qualities, so simplicity is key,” (it’s important to clean the writes chef Eric Ripert in his lettuce thoroughly of soil newly published cookbook, and sand), core trimmed “Vegetable Simple.” but head left whole Simple has certainly been 2 teaspoons fi nely chopped a defi ning element in my fresh tarragon leaves manner of cooking in the 2 teaspoons fi nely past 13-plus months, but chopped chives sometimes, those prepara- Ligaya Figueras The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Linda Gassenheimer Tribune News Service Sweet and sour beef is a popular Chi- nese stir-fry dish. Here’s a simple version that has great fl avor and can be made in minutes. The sweet and sour sauce is light so it gently coats the beef and vegetables blending the fl avors together, but not masking the taste of each ingredient. The secret to wok cooking is to achieve a crunchy texture while making sure the food is cooked through. Make sure your wok or skillet is very hot before adding the ingredients. The oil should be smok- ing. Then add the fi rst ingredient and let sit, without tossing for at least a minute. Repeat this process when adding the main ingredients. This allows the pan to regain its heat after adding the cold food. Helpful Hints • To substitute white or red wine vinegar for rice wine vinegar, use 3 ounces vinegar and 1 ounce water. • For easy stir-frying, place all of the prepared ingredients on a cutting board or plate in order of use. You won’t have to look at the recipe once you start to cook. Countdown • Make rice dish. • Prepare Sweet and Sour Beef ingredi- ents. • Stir-fry beef dish. Shopping List • To buy: 1 bottle rice wine vinegar, 1 package brown sugar, 1 small bottle reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1 container cornstarch, 1 bottle sesame oil, 3/4 pound grass-fed beef tenderloin, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small bok choy, 1 bunch scallions and 1 package microwaveable brown rice. • Staples: salt and black peppercorns. SWEET AND SOUR BEEF 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon sesame oil 3/4 pound grass-fed beef tenderloin cut into 1-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup red bell pepper cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 cup) 2 cups sliced bok choy, leaves and stems Mix vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and corn- starch together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. When oil is smoking, add beef and stir-fry 3 minutes, turning after one minute. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper to taste. Add red bell pepper and bok choy. Let stir-fry 2 minutes, turning after one minute. Move the ingredients to the sides of the wok and add the sauce in the center. Bring all of the ingredients into sauce and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over the rice. Yield 2 servings. Per serving: 420 calories (38% from fat), 17.5 g fat (5.7 g saturated, 6.8 g monounsaturated), 84 mg cholesterol, 38.5 g protein, 24.1 g carbohydrates, 1.8 g fi ber, 674 mg sodium. RICE AND SCALLIONS Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer 1 package microwave brown rice (1 1/2 cups cooked) 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1/4 cup sliced scallions Salt and freshly ground black pepper In a small bowl, combine the sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and salt and white pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season the lettuce lightly with salt and white pepper. Using a pastry brush, paint each lettuce leaf with the vinai- grette. Sprinkle with the herbs. Quarter and serve immedi- ately, on chilled plates. Serves 4. Per serving: 75 calories (88% calories from fat), 1 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, trace fi ber, 7 g total fat (1 g saturated), no cholesterol, 33 mg sodium. SILKY BROCCOLI SOUP Fine sea salt 1 large or 2 small stalks 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce SPRING Preparation: 10 minutes + overnight chill time Makes 2 servings 2. Season broth to taste with salt (usually 1/2 teaspoon, but this depends on the base used). Add chicken breasts or thighs to simmering broth. Reduce heat to very low, cover the pan and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the broth for 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, prepare vegetables and op- tional add-ins. 4. Remove chicken from broth with tongs to a cutting board. Discard skin. Pull chicken away from bones in long shreds. (Broth and chicken can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days.) 5. Just before serving, return broth to a sim- mer. Add 1 sliced zucchini, 1 cup peas, 1 diced tomato and optional 1/2 sliced jalapeno; cook 2 to 4 minutes (the longer time is for the frozen peas). Step 6: Stir in 3 cups spinach and the shred- ded chicken; simmer 2 minutes. Stir in 2 sliced green onions, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and 1 tablespoon chopped dill. Add any optional ingredients and sprinkle with lemon zest. Serve in deep, warmed bowls. OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST BOWL BUTTER LETTUCE SALAD Muesli cereal delivers a great blend of textures in these overnight bowls. Try a com- bination of frozen diced mango and blueber- ries here. Mixed berries or cherries would also taste delicious. You can skip the frozen fruit and serve the cereal topped with sliced banana and fresh berries. 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk or skim milk 1 tablespoon cane syrup, rice syrup, pure maple syrup, agave syrup or honey, to taste 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch salt 1/2 to 2/3 cup muesli cereal, such as Bob’s Red Mill, or old-fashioned oats 1 cup chopped fruit, such as frozen mixed fruit or mixed berries M ICHAEL 541-786-8463 A C ERTIFIED M ASTER A RBORIST When your computer is in despair OUTSTANDING For All your Meat processing needs Schedule Early For our Mobile Truck! Bring in your game scraps for sausage, burger or jerky! Baker County CUSTOM MEATS COMPUTER REPAIR Fast and Reliable MOBILE COMPUTER SUPPORT DALE BOGARDUS 541-297-5831 VISIT BAKER’S MOST INTERESTING STORE Store is open 24 hours 7 am to 7 pm Take Out Only 2390 11th Street Baker City OR. Owners Del & Jana Woodcock Take out and Catering is Available. 515 Campbell Street Baker City 541-523-4318 1. Mix 1 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 table- spoon syrup, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a bowl until smooth. Fold in 1/2 to 2/3 cup muesli cereal and 1 cup chopped fruit. 2. Spoon mixture into 2 individual covered containers. Refrigerate covered overnight. Her Feet, His Feet, We take care of ALL Feet We specialize in quality medical and surgical care for all types of foot and ankle problems. Still running unsupported Windows 7? We’ll help you avoid critical issues by installing Windows 10! Travis T. Hampton, D.P.M. Foot and Ankle Surgeon www.GVfoot.com Recipes excerpted from “Vegetable Simple” by Eric Ripert. Copyright © 2021 by Eric Ripert. Excerpted by permission of Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. 2 teaspoons aged sherry vinegar 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Per serving: 231 calories (23% from fat), 6 g fat (1 g saturated, 2.4 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 4.4 g protein, 39.9 g carbohydrates, 2.8 g fi ber, 8 mg sodium. Continued from Page 1B 541-963-0265 888-843-9090 In a medium to large pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt, then add the broccoli stems and cook until they start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the fl orets and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Once the fl orets and stems are tender, drain them in a sieve set over a bowl, reserv- ing the liquid. Transfer the broccoli to a blender, adding enough of the reserved liquid to cover. Add the butter and puree until very smooth. You can adjust the consistency with more of the reserved cooking water if it’s too thick. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper. Serve in 4 warmed bowls, or chill im- mediately and reheat later, to keep the soup’s bright green color. Serves 4. M. Curtiss PN-7077A CCB# 183649 M Microwave rice according to package instructions. Measure 1 1/2 cups rice and reserve remaining rice for another time. Add oil, scallions and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Yield 2 servings. By Linda Gassenheimer Ready the next day tions don’t produce results that are beautiful to behold. The vegetable dishes that Ripert shares from his rep- ertoire are as artful as they are easy. I was drawn to Butter Let- tuce Salad because it calls for a pastry brush, used to paint the lettuce leaves with an herby vinaigrette. The notion of a lettuce head as canvas is a lovely reminder that cooking is a form of art, an expression of creativity. In the headnote, Ripert remarks that “your guests will enjoy cutting into the lettuce head with a knife and fork, as they would a wedge salad.” Mine certainly did. The bright broccoli soup takes advantage of the entire plant, stems included. I served it warm, but one of my dinner guests, who took leftovers home that night, happily drank it cold for breakfast the next morning. Top it with croutons if you desire crunch and some color contrast. broccoli, fl orets separated and stems thinly sliced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Freshly ground white pepper La Grande 1408 N Hall Street Enterprise 601 Medical Parkway Baker 3175 Pocahontas Rd. www.gossmotors.com 1415 Adams Ave, La Grande 541-963-4161 Computer not running as fast as when it was new? Let us install lightning-fast solid state drive!
