Chai Spiced Pumpkin Barley Pudding (vegan)

I trust the creative process is different for many people, but for me it's a pretty haphazard and frenzied ordeal.  While I might come off as very Type A because I work very very hard, and because - let's be honest - it's more socially acceptable, my mind is hardly organized or linear in any capacity (and the disorganization of my private environment mirrors this).  People often ask me what I have planned for future posts, and with some exceptions the answer is usually "absolutely nothing."  Once in a while this concerns me, and I wonder what might happen if another idea doesn't come along.  Then, I remember that the whole point is just to post what I actually cook, so as long as I'm eating we're all good.  While for brief moments I might lose faith in the fact that ideas will come, they always do.

In this case, to some extent, everyone is having the same idea - pumpkin.  I'm sure on some subliminal level I choose to feature pumpkin now because it's really been out there in the food blogosphere.  I've also been meaning to make one my absolute favorite desserts, kheer, or a Indian-spiced rice pudding.  So maybe all that was wafting around in my brain and it all clicked on Sunday when I was writing up the last post for coconut curry barley risotto.  Surely the sweet notes of the coconut curry activated some memory of kheer and expressed itself in fall flavors of pumpkin and chai.  Whatever, it happened, and it's good.

No doubt this recipe can be modified for more traditional palates (because this one is a pretty strong dose of Eastern spice).  You can certainly play with the spice combination to go with a more "pumpkin pie" result, or just tone down the chai to something more similar to a pumpkin chai latte by eliminating the garam masala (since it has curry).  If you aren't vegan, using cream instead of coconut milk would definitely get a more chai latte effect.  Or, leave out the pumpkin and just go for a straight up chai pudding.  If rice suits you more than barley, so be it.  Experiment and see what happens.

Coconut Curry Barley Risotto

Prior to this instance, I've never once re-made a recipe for the blog because I didn't think it came out well enough the first time.  In most cases, I'll note how to make the recipe better for the next time (although I hardly make anything twice anymore) and post whatever results from the first attempt.

Risotto is tricky; so even though my first attempt with this idea last Wednesday was delicious tasting, I knew I could achieve a better risotto consistency after learning a few lessons.  And, mostly, it didn't look like risotto in the photographs.  While in real life the barley was still thick and creamy, it read in the images as more of a barley pilaf.  I've seen enough food programming on reality TV to know that when you call something a risotto, it better look and feel like risotto.  

Like I said, in most cases I would either just post what I got the first time or discard the idea for the post all together, but the flavor of this dish was so good that I had to give it another go.  If you like Thai curry soup, or Southeast Asian flavors in general, then this is right up your alley.  If you love creamy risotto as well, then I think this is your jackpot.  If you've become a vegan and miss creamy, cheesy things, I hope you can add this to your recipe box.

Like a true risotto, the dish is very rich.  As a savory meal, the edamame and shitake mushrooms are obviously a Southeast Asian play on the traditional Italian peas and crimini mushrooms, but I most definitely plan on making a sweet version with honey, raisins, and almonds for a future dessert (especially if it was pumpkin & chai spiced!).

Summer Tofu Bibimbap

SUMMER TOFU BIBIMBAP 
W/ BARLEY

Well, its finally here - my first international trip of the summer begins tomorrow.  No, I'm not going anywhere near Asia, which is partially why I prepared Bibimbap for dinner.  

Now don't worry loyal followers, because I have two excellent posts scheduled to magically appear while I'm away for the next 13 days.  I'm going to try my best to write some fun content from the road as long as I can find access to good "wee fee" in those European one/two star hotels.  Barring any unruly behavior from my fellow travelers (my students) or any of the other potential European hold-up (flood, protest, mass strike, economic collapse, deathly heat wave, world war, student revolt, socialist uprising, art fair, Illuminati riff raff, auto de fé, etc., etc.) you'll be well taken care of.

So, a little about this Bibimbap.  Firstly, if you've never had a traditional Korean Bibimbap here's the story: rice bowl topped with little piles of spicy seared meat, various sautéed vegetables, and runny/raw egg all served up hot and stirred together moments before eating so the yolk coats everything and makes it delectable.  This version is vegetarian, for one, but also a little fresher and crisper for summer.  The vegetables are quickly pickled and served as cold accoutrements.  Finally, I used barley instead of rice, because I think the firmer texture complements the crisper vegetables.  

If you're looking for something spicy and hearty, but still healthy and fitting for a summer night, then here is the perfect meal for you.  Guten appetit/Buon appetito/En Guete/Bon appétit!

Middle Eastern Stuffed Onions

In the last few months I've watched two impressive documentaries focused on the passing on of an acclaimed restaurant from father to son.  Side-by-side the documentaries are a perfect cultural Venn Diagram around the craft of food in the East and/or West.  The first was Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which documents the career and retirement of famous chef Jiro Ono as he prepares to hand his understated, but globally recognized Tokyo sushi bar over to his oldest son, Yoshikazu.  The second was the French documentary Step Up to the Plate (Entre les Bras), which tells a nearly identical story line about Michel Bras and his oldest son, Sébastien (except that Bras' restaurant is a lot less understated). 

While I saw the second film about three months after the first, I highly recommend watching them one after another.  In fact, I'd like to watch Jiro again just to do a closer cultural comparison.  Obviously, both films honor the incredible careers of Ono and Bras, but what I found most interesting were the comparison between Yoshikazu and Séba...both middle-aged men who diligently worked to become equally talented enough to open their own successful restaurants, if they had chosen a more independent path.  In Japan it is traditional for the eldest son to inherit his father's business, and Séba seems inspired by that despite a very contrasting Western worldview that glorifies the self-made man.  But despite Japanese tradition, or simply Séba's sense of duty, both documentaries acutely depict the intense amount of pressure both sons feel as they follow in their fathers' footsteps.  Each son must walk the extremely fine line that allows them to develop their own culinary identities while adhering to the culinary traditions of their family and culture.  The outcome for both is artistic mastery, I think.

If the cultural context of each film doesn't interest you so much, they're both very good food documentaries in their own right.  The amount of care and craftsmanship taken with the ingredients and cooking process is really well filmed.  Step Up to the Plate, in particular, highlights contemporary French cuisine as an intensive design process from the market to the plate.  

One dish Sébastien Bras creates, in particular, inspired this post...very loosely.  He roasted a whole onion, carefully removed the outer layers, and stuffed it with some sort of creamy, cheesy, Frenchy filling.  I was mostly impressed with how beautiful the roasted onion looked.  However, lacking the hours it would have taken to roast a whole onion, I opted for a faster method of cooking it whole.  And, lacking the desire to consume such a rich dish, I made a Middle Eastern filling of barley, chickpeas, and vegetables instead.  So, yes, quite a loose inspiration.  Inspiration, nonetheless.