Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: The Fragrance of Death

Showing posts with label The Fragrance of Death. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Wing It! #recipe by @LeslieKarst

Back in the 1980s when chicken wings were still a good bargain, I used to talk about writing a cookbook called Wing it With Leslie! The idea was that you could prepare wings in all sorts of ways, substituting different ingredients, as long as you included these things: acid, fat, sweetener, salt, and whatever flavor profile you were going for.

Thus, for Asian-inflected wings, you could use white vinegar, roasted sesame oil, sweet chili oil, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.

Or for an Indian flavor, lemon juice, canola oil, sugar, salt, and curry spices (e.g., ground cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, and black pepper).

The method is simple: Simply mix all the marinade ingredients together, then toss the wings with them and let them sit in the marinade for at least an hour, then roast the wings at 375 degrees F until nicely browned—about 45 minutes.

The other night, I went with a French-inspired mix of ingredients, which recipe follows. (Note that the marinade recipe makes enough for at least 12 wings, but I only cooked 4 large ones—enough for Robin’s and my dinner, so I had lots of marinade left over—which will make for a nice salad dressing.)

Feel free to switch out ingredients as you see fit to match your mood—or whatever you might have in your pantry and fridge!

French-Inflected Chicken Wings

(serves 3-4)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon brown sugar

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon herbes de Provence, tarragon, or thyme (not pictured)

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup olive oil

12 chicken wings

sesame seeds (optional--not pictured)

Directions

Blend together all the marinade ingredients except for the oil.

Then slowly whisk in the oil, till blended.

Toss the wings with the marinade and let sit for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with foil or parchment paper, for easy clean-up. Spread the wings out on the pan, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if using.

Roast until nicely browned, about 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

🌿 🐓 🌱

Look what's new from Leslie!

Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops,

the Law, and Cooking for RBG

(available for purchase here)

"a suspenseful, exhilarating memoir; Karst relays her determination to serve the 'perfect' meal to RBG alongside an uplifting, enlightening portrayal of one of the most admired justices in the history of the Supreme Court."

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine

THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH

the newest Sally Solari mystery

is now available as a paperback!

Praise for THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH:

“A page turner for me from the very first chapter, THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH had everything I’m looking for in a mystery and more.”

Lisa K's Book Reviews

"[An] enjoyable fifth outing for Santa Cruz, Calif., chef Sally Solari.... This well-done culinary cozy should win new fans for the ever enterprising Sally."

Publishers Weekly

All five Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Tofu-Veggie Stir Fry #recipe by @LeslieKarst

I’ve been experimenting more of late with tofu, a miracle substance that by itself is pretty bland, but takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it. A few nights back I cooked up a stir fry with tofu and veggies. What follows is more of a "method" than a recipe, and is a very simple version of the kind of stir fry I like to make. You can use any number of different vegetables to your taste, as well as other ingredients to spice it up more: fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fish sauce, chicken stock, black bean sauce, etc. And if you want the stir fry to be more saucy, simply make a corn starch/water slurry and stir this into the cooked vegetables, and then add the liquids and bring it back up to a boil.

Ingredients

1 package firm tofu

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoonginger powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 bunch broccoli

1 bunch bok choy

1 red bell pepper

1 onion

2 oz. canola oil

1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons cooking sherry

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

toasted pine (or other) nuts, for garnish

Method

First I sliced the tofu up and drained it between paper towels.

Next I cut the tofu slices into strips, and tossed them with dry seasonings (the garlic powder, black pepper, dried ginger, cayenne powder, sugar, and salt).

I then chopped up the broccoli, bok choy (keep the white part separate from the green), red bell pepper, and onion. (I would have used mushrooms too, but I didn’t have any on hand.)

The next thing I did was ask Robin to make me a martini (okay, it was really a "gibtini," since it had an onion as well as an olive). Ever since those halcyon days when I used to frequent the Tea Cup restaurant in Santa Cruz and sit at the bar and order chop suey along with a Bombay Sapphire martini, I’ve associated Chinese food with martinis, and like to sip one as I wok up a stir fry. (Alas, the Tea Cup is no more; it was a victim of the 1989 earthquake.)

Martini in hand, I commenced frying: I poured the canola oil into the wok over a high flame and let it get spitting hot, and then added the tofu, cooking it (in two batches) until it was golden brown, and then set this aside to drain on a paper towel. (Robin grabbed a few of these to nibble as she sipped her Manhattan, and announced that I should make “tofu French fries” more often, to have as an appetizer.)

Next I added the roasted sesame oil to the remains of the canola oil in the wok, and fried up the broccoli ’til it was half-cooked, and then added the onion. When this was starting to brown on the edges I added the bell pepper, and let it cook for a few minutes. I then dumped in the white part of the bok choy--it doesn’t require much cooking; just long enough to get hot.

I then poured in the soy sauce, sherry, and oyster sauce, and mixed it all together.

After this all came back up to a simmer, I turned off the heat and added the bok choy greens and the tofu fries, and stirred it all up.

Voilà! Plate (or bowl) it up on top of some steamed rice, sprinkle with some toasted pine nuts, and it’s ready to go.

🌱 🍆 🌿

The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari Mysteries, a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California.

An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Leslie’s website
Leslie also blogs with Chicks on the Case
Leslie on Facebook
Leslie on Twitter
Leslie on Instagram

Look what's coming from Leslie this April!

(now available for pre-order here)

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine

THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH

the newest Sally Solari mystery

is available for purchase here!

Praise for THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH:

All five Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Dal with Ginger and Cabbage #recipe by @LeslieKarst

I’ve been teaching myself to cook Southeast Asian and Indian foods over the past few years, and one thing I find myself coming back to over and over again is dal. It’s simple to make, nourishing, and utterly delicious.

Dal, which is Sanskrit for “to split,” is a Southeast Asian stew- or soup-like dish made from lentils, bean, or peas. It’s often served as a side with curries, roast meats, or rice, but the recipe I give here would work fine as a main course, especially if supplemented with some delicious naan bread smeared with melted butter.

This recipe calls for red lentils, but any type of pulse would work; though the amount of water and cooking times will vary. And although you may be tempted to substitute store-bought ground cumin instead of roasting and then crushing the whole seeds yourself, I highly recommend you try it—at least once. The difference in flavor is astounding!

Dal with Ginger and Cabbage

(serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side)

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils

3 cups water

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1” ginger (2 tablespoons, coarsely chopped)

½ medium head cabbage (about 5 cups, coarsely chopped)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola

salt and black pepper to taste

dollop yogurt (optional garnish)

splash lemon juice (optional garnish)

Directions

Rinse the lentils and check for any stones, then place in a medium-size saucepan along with the water over medium heat. Once it comes to a simmer, use a slotted spoon to remove as much of the foam as you easily can. Add the turmeric and stir it into the lentils. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook until the lentils are tender (about 20 minutes), stirring from time to time to make sure they don’t burn on the bottom.

While the lentils are cooking, prepare the ginger and cabbage: Coarsely chop the cabbage (removing the tough stem area), then peel and coarsely chop the ginger.

Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot, then pour in the cumin seeds. Cook them for 30-60 seconds, stirring often so they don’t burn, until the seeds start to smoke a bit and emit a pungent, cuminy aroma.

Remove the seeds to a mortar (or coffee grinder), and crush them with a pestle (or the grinder). It’s okay if some of the seeds aren’t completely crushed.

Reheat the skillet over medium heat, then pour in the oil and, once shimmering, add the cabbage. Cook, stirring often, till the cabbage starts to wilt, then add the crushed cumin and half of the ginger.

Continue frying until the cabbage starts to brown, then turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once the lentils are tender, add the other half of the ginger to them, then continue cooking (still covered) for another couple of minutes.

Add the cooked cabbage to the lentils, stir well, then season the whole thing with salt and pepper, to taste.

The dal can now sit on the stove, covered, and be reheated right before service. Serve, if you like, garnished with a dollop of yogurt and splash of lemon juice.

🌱 🍛 🌿

An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Leslie’s website
Leslie also blogs with Chicks on the Case
Leslie on Facebook
Leslie on Twitter
Leslie on Instagram

Look what's coming from Leslie this April!

(now available for pre-order here)

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine

THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH

the newest Sally Solari mystery

is available for purchase here!

Praise for THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH:

All five Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Thai-Style Stir Fry #recipe by @LeslieKarst

What I crave this time of year—when it’s cold and rainy like today (yes, even in Hawai'i!)—is a healthy dose of brightly-colored, crunchy vegetables, to remind me of summer.

The other night, I had some nice veggies and basil in the fridge, so I decided to make a Thai-style stir fry. (The ingredient list that follows for the vegetables is merely a suggestion; feel free to use whatever ones strike your fancy.)

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk

1 teaspoon red curry paste

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice (bottled is fine)

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 sm. heads broccoli

2 bell peppers (or 6-7 of the tiny ones)

1 onion

1 eggplant

pineapple chunks (optional)

chopped basil

pine nuts (for garnish)

Directions

Chop up the veggies into bite-size pieces.

that’s a daiquiri in the bottom right, made from
fresh Meyer lemons

Pour the coconut milk into a medium saucepan (as it has a tendency to boil over) Add to it the red curry paste, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. (You might want to add these ingredients to taste; you’ll know if it needs more umami, salt, or sugar.) Bring this mixture up to a simmer and cook for about fifteen minutes, in order to reduce it.

Now to stir-fry the veggies. When you stir-fry vegetables, you should commence with the ones that take the longest to cook (in this case, the broccoli). Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet until it's shimmering, then add the broccoli and cook, stirring/tossing often. When it's about half-way done, add the bell peppers to the pan and continue stir frying.

notice how the color of the coconut milk has changed,
with the addition of the other ingredients

Next go in the onions, then the eggplant. ( I had cut a fresh pineapple up into spears that afternoon, and decided on the spur of the moment to add some of it to the mix, too.)

When the veg are all cooked—but still crunchy—pour the now somewhat thickened curry sauce into the wok, and add coarsely-chopped basil.

Stir it all up, then serve over steamed rice, topped with a sprinkling of pine nuts.

🌱 🍆 🌿

An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.