Tag Parties That Cook recipe

Go Banh Mi Crazy with this Parties That Cook Vietnamese Sandwich Recipe

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in General, Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , March 31st, 2011 @ 2:05 pm

Lucky you! April Fool’s Day isn’t until tomorrow, so we will not prank you. After all, we wouldn’t want to be one of those awkwardly early pranksters… Yeah.

This completely serious blog post was inspired by MEE. Bun Mee, that is. Opening Friday in San Francisco, this Vietnamese street food restaurant is stirring up a lot of buzz from popular sources like Thrillist and Daily Candy. With nine banh mi variations in the works, what’s not to be excited about? In case you want to try making your own, Parties That Cook has your recipe for delicious Banh Mi Sandwiches, complete with tangy Pickled Vegetables and the spicy kick of Hot Chili Mayo!

Vietnamese Pork Meatball Banh Mi Sandwiches with Cilantro and Mint
This recipe can also be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library.

Ingredients
Pickled Vegetables:
2 cups Carrots (about 1 ½ large carrots), peeled and coarsely grated
2 cups Daikon (Japanese white radish – about half a large radish), peeled and coarsely grated
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Hot Chili Mayo:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 whole green onions, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 pounds ground pork
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 green onions, finely chopped
2 Tablespoon fish sauce
2 Tablespoon Sriracha
2 Tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon canola oil

Sandwich Assembly:
2 baguettes
Red jalapeño slices for garnish
1 bunch fresh cilantro sprigs
1 bunch mint
Toothpicks

Methods/Steps
Prepare Vegetables: Place the carrots, daikon, rice vinegar, sugar and salt into a small bowl and let sit for ½ hour up to 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Make Mayo: Stir mayo, green onions, Sriracha and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make Meatballs: Preheat oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, gently mix pork, basil, garlic, green onions, fish sauce, Sriracha, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Using moistened hands or a small scoop, roll meat mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs.  Arrange on baking sheet.

Cook Meatballs: Heat sesame oil and canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs. Sear meatballs until brown all over. Lower the heat if browning too quickly, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to another sheet pan. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Then place into oven to finish cooking for 7-8 minutes, until cooked through.

Assemble Sandwiches: Cut each baguette into 8 mini baguettes. Then cut each mini baguette 2/3rd the way through (leaving one side attached). Pull out enough bread from each mini baguette to leave 1/4-inch-thick shell. Spread hot chili mayo over each bread shell. Cut a meatball in half and place in a mini baguette.  In the middle of the meatball, place cilantro and mint, pickled carrot and Daikon, and finish with a sprig of cilantro. Arrange red jalapeños on top. Secure with a toothpick.

Serve: Garnish tray by making sure the cilantro and vegetables are poking out showing off all of the beautiful colors.

Serves/Makes
Makes 24 Mini Sandwiches

Recipe adapted by Parties That Cook®

For other Vietnamese food options, Thrillist has rolled out a Bay Area Banh Mi Map.  You should also check out Kitchen Side Car and Little Knock – the forces behind tonight’s Rice Paper Scissors, a Saigon-style pop-up open from 6pm until they’re sold out! Follow @kitchensidecar and @littleknock for the exact location.

Parties That Cook Vegetarian Recipe: Polenta Toasts with Red Bell Pepper Pesto and Goat Cheese

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in General, Go Green, Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , February 24th, 2011 @ 4:25 pm

Have you ever wanted to be one of the “cool kids”? It’s OK to admit, we can’t all have been Cheerios at McKinley. There’s still time to make the transition, even for those no longer in school. The IT thing to try right now: Vegetarian Food. Parties That Cook is here to help with this recipe for delicious Polenta Toasts with Red Bell Pepper Pesto and Goat Cheese that will give you a whole new view of vegetarian food!

Polenta Toasts with Red Bell Pepper Pesto and Goat Cheese
This recipe can also be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library!


Ingredients
Polenta:
Canola oil for oiling sheet pan and frying
7 cups milk
2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups polenta (coarse cornmeal)

Red Bell Pepper Pesto:
2 red bell peppers
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeds removed and chopped
1/4 cup smoked almonds
2 large cloves garlic
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice plus 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Toasts:
7 ounces goat cheese
1 Tablespoon milk or cream
Thyme sprigs for garnish

Methods/Steps
Polenta: Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Combine milk, salt and butter in a large heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Gradually add the polenta, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to low. Cook the polenta until it is creamy and thick, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Pour out onto oiled sheet, spread evenly so that it is very smooth and flat. Let cool to room temperature.

Red Bell Pepper Pesto: Roast the pepper over a stovetop flame until blackened (or broil in the oven until blackened). Transfer to a paper bag for 5 minutes to steam then peel off the charred skin and remove seeds and stem. In a food processor, blend the peppers, chipotle, almonds, garlic, oil, lemon juice and zest, Parmesan and salt until very smooth.

Grilled Polenta: Using a wet, 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out polenta circles. Heat canola oil in a large non-stick grill pan or griddle. Cook polenta on one side until golden then flip and cook on the other side. Transfer finished circles to a serving platter.

To Serve: Mix the goat cheese, milk and thyme with a fork. Spoon goat cheese into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Put a dollop of the pesto onto each polenta circle. Pipe a rosette of goat cheese in the center. Garnish with thyme sprig and serve.

Makes 24 Polenta Toasts

Want to try something new, eat delicious food, and learn a few new cooking techniques in the process? Then be sure to check out our first ever Vegetarian Tapas Cooking Class on March 1, 2011! Vegetarian International Tapas (similar to the one above) are on the evening’s menu, though you don’t actually have to be a vegetarian to attend. After this class, you may just be inspired to try Source, a Vegetarian and Vegan restaurant with a much-anticipated opening in San Francisco on March 2.

Read previous entries