Eleanor Hoh

May Events

May 15, 2015 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Wok Star picks for May, enjoy, get rss feed for latest updates!

Miami IronSide Campus Collective Party
Fete Du Design
Friday, May 14, 7-10pm
7610 NE 4th court, Upper Eastside, FL 33138
Ironside’s spectacular showrooms and studios will be showcasing art, design and creativity along their 10 block campus just for one night! Stroll through and visit designers and artists. Don’t miss the fabulous piazza, the hub of Ironside with a cozy coffee shop and Ironside Pizza! Everything will be lit up for an exclusive evening filled with music, French flair cuisine, specialty cocktails by Villa Azur’s new restaurant Brasserie Azur, and a featured talk and public performance with French design duo Mel & Kio (RSVP required). Enjoy!
To me, this is one of the most interesting and exciting creative communities in Miami, don’t miss your chance to experience this event! They used to host my cooking classes there, it was so much fun.
Click here for details and to find out more about IronSide!

Casa Vinicola Zonin loft — Zonin 1821 penthouse loft

Cook Like a Wok Star Class with Eleanor Hoh
Wed. May 20: 6:30-9:30pm
$85pp 3 dishes paired with wines
Zonin 1821’s spectacular penthouse loft
8101 Biscayne Blvd, #705, MIMO, FL 33138

Get 20% discount by emailing wokstar at eleanorhoh dot com

Details here.

If you lead a busy lifestyle and don’t want to spend time sweating in the kitchen, this 3 hour crash course is the answer! My unique approach to cooking means there’s no recipes or measuring involved. And once you understand this easy technique, you’ll be able to concoct your own delicious dishes with a few fresh ingredients and only 4 seasonings. Light and healthy cooking in less than 30 minutes with very little cleanup. We all know starting anything is a challenge, so I have a handy WOK STAR KIT BUNDLE with everything you need to be successful and have a shot at stardom!
Voted Top Five Cooking Classes in Miami by New Times
Showcased in Saveur’s Miami City Guide
Selected as one of 16 dating ideas in Thrillist
Exquisite Creatures (not to be missed, see you there!)
Saturday, May 23: 3-5pm Libations
RSVP by TODAY, Friday May 22 to carlchildebrand@gmail.com
Gallery of Amazing Things,
481 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach, FL 33004
Carl Hildebrand, famous for organizing Miami’s chapter of Pecha Kucha is coordinating this stunning show, Exquisite Creatures: The Art of Natural History tomorrow. So, don’t procrastinate and RSVP immediately so you won’t miss this opening tomorrow, see you there!

H3 Education Series Presents:
Healing Herbs
Saturday, May 30, 10-12pm
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
Click here for details about Dr. Janet Galipo. I’m looking forward to this, see you there!

Saffron Supper Club #5
Sunday, May 31, 6-8:30pm
Bocce Ristorante, 3252 NE 1st Ave, Miami, Florida 33137
$65 pp (includes wine pairings) plus tax and gratuity
To RSVP call 786-245-6211 or email dana@sambabrandsmanagement.com
A roving pop-up dinner club exploring the food and culture of the Middle East is a collaboration between writer Sara Liss and Maude Eaton, a food and beverage consultant and founder of South Florida Foodies.
“Not many people realize that Arabic food influenced Southern Italy but it’s there in the culinary history of Sicily. So we’re focusing on that intersection of Arabic spices and techniques with traditional Sicilian cooking,” says Liss.

I’ve attended their supper club and it’s a lot of fun with great company and outstanding food! I wish I could attend but taking a food photography, writing course, see below.

Visit here for complete menu and details!

Food Photography & Writing Workshop
Sunday, May 31 from 3-6 (ish)
Bistro Ten Zero One, 1001 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach
$100 includes course materials and garden party

For more information and to register, visit LibbyVision and email Libby@LibbyVision.com or call 561.307.7788.

You are invited to a hands-on, learning intensive food photography workshop with acclaimed photographer, Libby Volgyes of LibbyVision. This three-hour workshop centers on elevating your photography with elegance combined with practically. (Yes – you can attend if you only have an iPhone!) It’s designed for the food blogger, but anyone interested in improving their food photography is invited to attend.

The class will learn practical tips on improving their food photography, basic lighting, props and styling, break down a photo shoot, and finish with a no-pressure photo shoot garden party. We’ll learn from each other, increase everyone’s knowledge, and build the food blogging community.

In addition, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and food writer extraordinaire Liz Balmaseda will teach a 45-minute seminar on concise writing.

Held at the Marriott Hotel in West Palm Beach and sponsored by Bistro 1001, the workshop’s Garden Party will provide shutterbugs with a chance to photograph an array of tantalizing treats in their beautiful garden setting. Onli Beverages will provide beautiful drinks to complement the food and after we’ve shot to our heart’s content, we’re invited to linger and enjoy the party.

Book Giveaway: Mandy Baca, The Sizzling History of Miami Cuisine

April 26, 2015 By Eleanor Hoh 28 Comments

Congratulations to winner, Magali Almeyra, a chef/owner of Mona who loves to cook and wants to learn more about Miami cuisine and its rich history!

Award winning author, Mandy Baca’s The Sizzling History of Miami Cuisine: Cortaditos, stone crabs & empanadas can be yours in a random draw for my book giveaway! This book recounts the delicious history of Miami’s spicy, vibrant and diverse cuisine in Miami. If you’ve ever wondered about a restaurant’s signature dish, Mandy has included a number of recipes which are used as historical data, whatever the reason, you’ll get a chance to get it! You can’t have a Miami food history book without mentioning The Mango Gang, Versailles Restaurant, Joe’s Stone Crab, Monty’s and the list goes on.

You’ll also love this book if you’re a food historian, foodie, food writer, chef, home cook or just visited Miami and enjoyed the diverse influences from Latin and Caribbean nations or just plain love to eat! There’s also juicy tidbits listing the openings and closings of restaurants with links to blogs revealing why chefs left certain restaurants in the back of the book!
If you don’t win Mandy’s book, you can still order it here. You can find out more about Mandy and her upcoming books here. She was listed in Zagat Miami’s 30 under 30 list of gastronomic game changers.
Ready for Book Giveaway? Keeping it simple, here you go:
1) Subscribe to my free newsletter in right sidebar so you’ll be the first to know about Giveaways of this sort or get first dibs to attend special culinary events and a whole lot more.
2) Leave a comment below why you want Mandy’s book! Then email me eh at eleanorhoh dot com so I have your email if you win.
3) Eligibility: Only for United States residents. Closing date: Monday, May 25, 2015 midnight, ET.
4) A random winner will be picked and contacted via email. Respond ASAP, otherwise I will pick the next winner.
5) Your book will be sent directly to you, good luck everyone!

Easy Weeknight Dinners To Impress!

April 9, 2015 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

I’m all about simplifying weeknight dinners so my latest discovery using oven and wok combo will impress you so much that you’ll want to immediately invite friends over for dinner to show off your new dinner trick, it never fails! Once you’ve got this down, you’ll be able to make loads of variations, see mine below. It’s the same easy technique as my visual roadmap for wok cooking.

WokStar-porkstew-stirfry-bokchoy — Try quinoa instead of rice, pasta or potatoes! All the lovely juice from the stew makes it very yummy. I like to add fresh scallions and just stir into stew last minute, ummm!

It’s a fail proof stewing method and same concept as slow cooking in a crock pot except…
1) you won’t need one more cookware taking up counter space
2) you can use whatever you find in your fridge
3) you’ll be guaranteed success every time!
Here are a few things you need to know to guarantee your success…
1) use meat that has a ton of marbling i.e. fat so it doesn’t get dry, I love pork shoulder strips or pork belly. It’s not fat that makes you fat, it’s sugar and starchy carbs. I learned a lot since becoming prediabetic and my numbers are so good, I’m off medication!
2) use firm veggies to include with meat and add less firmer veggies half way through.
3) always start with switching oven on at 345 while chopping aromatics: onion, garlic and ginger.
4) use very little chicken broth or any leftover wine or beer, you don’t want soup!
5) you don’t need much seasonings cause you’ll want to taste the flavors from your meat and veggies! Seasonings can be tamari, dry spice rubs, dry herbs, tumeric ginger (good for digestion and all sorts of health benefits, be aware it’ll turn orangey yellow which I love, more color the better!)
6) use a wide baking tray, trust me you’ll want to make a whole lot of this to last a few more dinners! After filling with veggies and meat, cover tightly with foil and stew for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours, check half way through if you want, but I’ve never had to do anything even after peeking at it!
7) stir fry a veggie that gives contrast and oompf to your stew! Two that were outstanding…bok choy and rappini.
Ready to find out how to make your pork fork tender?
This is not a recipe, it’s a method, along same lines as my no-recipe technique for wok cooking, remember?

WokStar-aromatics-porkstew — Switch oven temp to 345 while you chop aromatics: onion, ginger and garlic thwacked in big chunks, no need to dice

WokStar-oven-pork-stew — Use very little chicken broth, wine or beer and tamari. Sprinkle dry spice rubs on the meat and top with onions, garlic and ginger. You can even just make this without any other veggies if you don’t have any.

WokStar-stirfry-bokchoy — Stir fry bok choy while stew is in oven! Cut down bok choy and rinse well. Add a little broth or water in wok and put lid on to ‘steam fry’!

WokStar-bokchoy-sweetpeppers-stirfry — When bok choy’s texture is cooked how you like them, add some contrasting colored veggies like mini sweet bell peppers and stir fry in a little oil with garlic and ginger. Sprinkle a little San-J tamari and medium sherry and they’re ready!

WokStar-porkshoulder-stew-tomatoes — Lay pork shoulder strips on top of veggies and cover pork over with onions, garlic and ginger. This stew had tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions and made in glass baking tray but it was a tad small, that’s how I found a baking tray was the best!

WokStar-porkshoulder-brusselsprouts-stew — A stroke of genius, brussel sprouts are my hubby’s fav, they were so juicy and full of flavor from the pork.

WokStar-porkshoulder-stew-celery-peppers — This was a throw in all the veggies I could find from the fridge: celery, Chinese broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini. I sprinkled some of that spicy Huy Fong chili garlic sauce, it’s vinegary, so helps to give your stew a nice zing!

WokStar-porkshoulder-oystermushrooms-peppers — Earthy Delight’s Oyster mushrooms were soooo good in this one, tender and juicy and picked up all the flavors from the sauce and meat! Orange and red bell peppers but always, always onions, garlic and ginger.

WokStar-porkstew-rapini — I stir fried rappini and mini sweet peppers for the next day to change up the sides!

If you’ve enjoyed learning this technique for stewing in the oven, you’ll enjoy my no-recipe technique for wok cooking! If you live in Miami, you can attend a class, if you live elsewhere, my instructional DVDs together with my Wok Star Kit will provide everything you need to succeed.
Here are more Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas for Grilling and Wok Stir Fry!
Why Grill and Stir Fry in One Dinner?
Grilled Hoisin Pork Chop with 3 different veggie sides
Grilled salmon and stir fry bok choy
Grilled Swordfish with stir fry zucchini

Eleanor Hoh

Wok Star picks for May, enjoy, get rss feed for latest updates!

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