Shanghai - Donut King

Dried Pork Donut

I have seen several western style restaurants, such as Burger King and Donut King. The menu at Burger King was the same as we would find in the US, however the donut shop had a few surprises such as dried pork donuts and green tea donuts.

Shanghai - Tofu & Pigs Blood Soup

Tofu & Pigs Blood Soup

Lunch on my second day in Shanghai brought me my first food challenge of the trip. I was taken to a local restaurant by the investigator I'm working with. She order a dish which was almost like a thick soup with tofu, red peppers, scallions and congealed pigs blood. The pigs blood had the consistancy of a light tofu and believe it or not tasted pretty good. The soup, which was served over rice, was a bit spicy and just like tofu, the pigs blood took on the taste of the soup.

Fried Rice Noodle with Beef

The second dish of the meal was much more like what I'm used to eating. It was fried rice noodles with shinly sliced beef. This dish was excellent and I'll probably get it again. It had such a deep rich flavor that just made you want to eat more and more of it.

Breakfast in Shanghai

Chinese Breakfast

After a very long flight and a hair raising ride fron the airport I finally arrived in Shanghai last night. The traffic is just as bad as New York and the cab drivers are just as crazy. I woke up at 4:30 AM and I was starved. I could not wait for the restaurant to open.

I enjoyed my first Chinese breakfast this morning and it was wonderful. It consisted of the following items:

Mini Pork Dumplings

Mini Pork Dumplings - These were the best steamed dumpling that I've ever eaten. They did not need any soy sauce. I even went back for seconds.

Vegetable Buns - This is the Chinese equivalent of donuts. They are savory steamed buns stuffed with a variety of items. For breakfast I enjoyed a bun filled with vegetables that was savory and creamy in texture. I could have eaten a dozen of them.

Fried Noodles - These reminded me of fried lo mein.

Vegetable Buns

Fried Rice - Typical fried rice that I'm used to.

Tea boiled eggs - These were hard boiled eggs that were cooked in tea instead of water. The tea infused them with a wonderful flavor so that I did not even salt them like I normally would with hard boiled eggs.

Fried Chinese Twists - These reminded me of churos but were not as good. This was the only thing I did not enjo - they were greasy. I'll have to try them some where else.

Tea Boiled Eggs

Restaurant Review: YoPoP

YoPoP $ ★★★★☆

Location: 3605 Davis Dr. Suite 110, Morrisville, NC 27560

YoPoP, located in the Lowes Food shopping center at the corner of Davis Drive and Morrisville Carpenter Drive in Morrisville, has taken frozen yogurt to a whole new level. I’ve always enjoyed frozen yogurt but you were usually stuck with chocolate, vanilla and one other flavor that rotated monthly. At YoPoP you always have 12 flavors to choose from (they tell me they have a selection of 50 flavors that they pull from). The other great feature is that you dispense as much as you want and you pay by weight, not by preselected sizes. You can mix any flavors you want. They also have a HUGE assortment of topping that you add yourself. Wow the combinations are limitless. Paired with delicious toppings, Yopop frozen yogurt encourages you to make your own yogurt your way! Choose and mix as many yogurt flavors and toppings to your desire.

For additional restaurant reviews and Italian-Fusion recipes go to www.italian-fusion.blogspot.com

Florentine Lace Cookies

One of our family traditions is to bake a large variety of cookies for Christmas. I will usually start Thanksgiving weekend and freeze the cookies. They are kept locked away in the freezer until Christmas Eve. I will usually make at least a dozen different cookies. As long as I’ve know my wife, her favorite cookie has been lace cookies. These thin, crunchy, and sweet cookies just melt in your mouth. If anyone gave us a box of Italian cookies she would go through the box and pull out the lace cookies.

These cookies are easy but you must follow the directions exactly. It’s also fun to watch them bake. They puff up like a regular cookie then at the last minute it looks like someone deflated them and they get their characteristic lacy flat appearance.

Makes 76 2” Cookies

1.5 C Brown Sugar (packed)

1.5 C Quaker Quick Oats

1 TBS Baking Powder

½ C Melted Butter (cooled)

1 Large Egg (beaten)

Preheat oven to 350°

These cookies will stick to a baking sheet. You must line the baking sheet with either parchment paper or a Silpat (Silicone baking sheet liner). You can reuse the parchment paper for the entire batch of cookies. 

Stir all ingredients together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment—the batter will be very moist.

Drop by level ½ teaspoons on the lined cookie sheet. It’s critical that you use a measuring spoon to do this so that they are the same size. This helps you space the cookies and helps them cook evenly.  Make sure you have at least 1.5” between each cookie—they love to spread. Only place one cookie sheet in the oven at a time for even baking.

Place in a preheated oven for 8-9 minutes. When they start to cook they will spread out and puff up. During the last minute you will see them deflate. When the last cookie has deflated the cookies are done. You may have to adjust the time a bit depending on your oven – keep an eye on them.

Place the cookie sheet on a wire rack to cool. When the cookies are completely cooled, remove them to a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before storing them. 

To print a copy of this recipe go to Lace Cookies.

Antipasto

It would not be a holiday without a large dish of antipasto.  For the non-Italians reading this, think of the largest dish you have ever seen in your life covered with the most wonderful assortment of marinated vegetables, meats, olives, and cheeses served with crusty Italian bread.  I remember serving this to some friends and watching them eat it with such gusto that nothing was left on the platter, only to discover that they thought that this was the entire meal.  The look of surprise and shock on their faces when I brought out the pasta was priceless. 

What’s in an Antipasto? An antipasto can contain a mixture of marinated vegetables, meats, olives, and cheeses. The combination is entirely up to you. I will always serve fresh mozzarella but I will usually try a different cheese to compliment it each time I make an antipasta, so tailor the antipasto to your own tastes.

No matter how small or large, marinated vegetables are always included in my antipasto.  The following marinade can be used for a large variety of cooked vegetables; however I have always included roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts.  The vegetables must be marinated at least 24 hours in advance.

Antipasta Marinade *

2 TBS Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 TBS White Wine Vinegar *

1 TBS of peeled and chopped Garlic (3 cloves)

1 tsp of Dried Oregano

½ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use the best)

2 TBS Chopped Fresh Parsley or 2 tsp Dried Parsley

In a blender, process the first five ingredients, the lemon juice through the oregano.  While the blender is spinning, gradually drizzle in the olive oil to form an emulsion.  Stop the blender and add the parsley.  Pulse three times to mix.  Let the marinade sit while you prepare the vegetables.

VEGETABLE PREPARATION

You can marinate roatsed red peppers, canned artichoke hearts or mushrooms—the choice is yours. For Christmas Eve I usually make all three.

Roasted Red Peppers

You can roast your own peppers or you can do what I do and buy jarred Mt. Olive Roasted Red Peppers.  Be careful not to buy premarinated peppers.  Drain the peppers and cut them into ¼ to ½ inch strips. Place the roasted red peppers into a container with a tight fitting lid and pour enough marinade to cover the roasted red peppers. Mix them 2-3 times over the next 24 hours. 

Artichoke Hearts

Artichokes have become very expensive in the US so I use canned artichokes for this recipe.  Do not use premarinated artichokes.  I also discourage the use of frozen artichokes since they can sometimes be hard and chewy.  Thoroughly drain the artichokes and quarter them.  Do not use the canned quartered artichokes since they tend to be chewy. Place the artichoke hearts into a container with a tight fitting lid and pour enough marinade to cover the artichoke hearts. Mix them 2-3 times over the next 24 hours.

Button White Mushrooms

This involves some cooking.  Clean one pound of button mushrooms and cut off the bottom of the stem.  If the mushrooms are large you can quarter them.  Carefully place them in a large pot of salted, boiling water and let them cook for two minutes.  Immediately drain and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking. Place the mushrooms into a container with a tight fitting lid and pour enough marinade to cover the mushrooms. Mix them 2-3 times over the next 24 hours.  

MEAT & CHEESE
Only use the best quality meats and cheeses in your antipasta. I used Boar's Head cold cuts and cheeses. Do not buy them ahead of time. Purchase them the same day that you are making your antipasta for the best taste. Roll up the cheese and meats tightly.

PLATTER ASSEMBLY

The final step is to  Then arrange them with your meats and cheeses on a large platter. Serve with some crusty Italian bread and watch your guests enjoy.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Antipasta Marinade – You can substitute Italian dressing but do not use light or fat free varieties.

White Wine Vinegar – The only substitute is white balsamic vinegar. Do not substitute any other kind of vinegar.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Marinated Antipasta Vegetables.

Baked Stuffed Clams

Growing up in an Italian family meant that you had a lot of aunts and uncles, most of which were not even relatives.  Growing up I had two special people in my life, my Uncle Joe and Aunt Laura.  They owned a fish store in Long Island that I loved to visit.  One of my finest memories is when Aunt Laura taught me to make baked stuffed clams.  Now, mind you, she made 25 pounds at a time and never measured anything.  It took a lot of trial and error to scale down this recipe and actually figure out how much of each ingredient to put in.  Once my mother and I learned to make these, we have had baked stuffed clams every Christmas Eve celebration.

Baked Stuffed Clams

Makes 8-12 clams

I 6.5oz can Chopped Clams (drain and reserve juice)

¼ C Plain Breadcrumbs

¼ C Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

1 TBS fresh or 1 tsp dried Parsley

5 grinds of freshly grated Black Pepper

1 tsp chopped Garlic

1 TBS Olive Oil

4 tsp reserved Clam Juice

Paprika

1 Lemon (cut into wedges)

12 Clean Clam Shells *

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Drain the can of chopped clams and save the clam juice. Mix the clams through the olive oil in a bowl.  Add 4 teaspoons of the reserved clam juice. If the mixture is dry, add more of the reserved clam juice until it holds together.  Put 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture in clean clam shells.  Sprinkle paprika over top of the filled clams.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Note: Clams can be prepared ahead of time, covered in plastic wrap, and refrigerated overnight. Increase cooking time to 20 minutes if the clams are cold.

* Pronto Substitutes

Clam Shells – When I don’t have any clam shells I use small oven proof dishes that I purchased at a Chinese market that are supposed to be used as personal  condiment dishes for things like soy sauce.

Mushrooms – This stuffing can be placed in mushroom caps and cooked as directed in this recipe.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Baked Stuffed Clams.