My trifecta for friendship: Scones, quinoa patties and Red Curry

 I realized my scone super power while baking at Macy's Coffee House in Flagstaff in the late 80s. This recipe is far and away from the one I used there, where we literally measured in handfuls and metal scoops. As for the curry, it developed over 20 years and is forever being altered. The patties are from a NYT article.
I'm posting these because I'm so excited to be headed to California for a blast of "girlfriend" with my best gal pal Kelly who baked with me at Macy's. She is also the one I made a poem for in the H`art Project with Joanne Green. I can't wait to cook for her.
​So here we go.

Pam’s Citrus Sour Cream Cranberry Scones
Preheat oven to 400. Bake 18-20 minutes
Combine

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Whir food processor
Add zest of one lemon. Do not omit. This is an important flavor.

Add 3/4 cups butter. Whir til gravely. 

Add a half cup cranberries or cherries and process for a few seconds. There will be tiny red fruit specks in the flour. This is the secret to how wonderful these scones are.

Transfer 

to a bowl. Add another cup cranberries.

Whisk 

a cup orange juice with 1/2 cup sour cream. Fold into the dry ingredients.
Don’t overmix.
Plop spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Mix a teaspoon cinnamon with 2 tablespoons sugar to sprinkle on top.
***Alternate flavor that’s equally delicious is to skip the lemon and dry fruit to replace with one cup chopped Medjool dates and half cup chopped dry fruit.

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Quinoa Patties

The stuff
2 cups cooked quinoa. FYI, one cup raw quinoa makes about 3 cups cooked.
1 cup corn
4 green onions, just the green part
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon mint
2 tablespoon cilantro (Use your favorite fresh herb.)
1/2 cup parmesan
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
1/4 cup dry polenta
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup panko breading
3 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons sambal or your favorite hot sauce

The Assembly
Mix cooked quinoa, corn, green onion, garlic and herbs. Add the cheese, salt, pepper, polenta, flour and panko. Finally, add eggs, ghee and ugly sauce to the party. I recommend placing it in the fridge for an hour for easier handling. The cakes are quite sturdy and pull together well. No need for frying in heavy oil. Just give a spritz of your favorite spray oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve as a side or in a bun. Drizzle with more sambal.

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Puka Road Red Curry
(Cooking and prep time 30 minutes. Serves 4)

Don't be afraid: it looks long but I swear it is the fastest meal after you've done it once.
Sorry no photo of the curry dish (I can't seem to find it), but what's important is you use Mae Ploy Curry Paste, canned potato and Kaffir lime leaf. I have a tree as you can see. (smiley face)

Ingredients
1 14 oz. package firm tofu, cubed
3 tablespoons safflower oil
2 tablespoon tamari
2 cans coconut milk
4 tablespoons Mae Ploy red curry paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
12 keffir lime leaves
1 can whole potatoes, drained and potatoes halved or quartered
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 a red pepper, in long slices
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves 
Preparation
Tofu:
Wrap tofu in a clean kitchen towel for at least an hour to wick away some of the water.
In a non-stick frying pan heat safflower oil then add tofu. Sear until golden. Near the finish of browning, add tamari and allow to cook one more minute, tossing tofu to cover evenly.
Assembly
In a hot wok, spoon the first two inches of coconut cream from can and sear. Stir as it bubbles for two minutes. You’ll smell the toasting coconut. Add red curry paste and cook another minute until fragrant. Add browned tofu with its juices, searing 1-2 minutes.
Add remaining canned coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar and keffir lime leaves. Simmer 5 minutes. 
Add sliced red pepper, potatoes and pineapple. Simmer 10 more minutes. 
Garnish with cilantro and basil. Serve over Pad Thai noodles or jasmine brown rice.









 

P.S. Have I told you how much I appreciate you today? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.