Monthly Archives: February 2012

Asian, Thai

Yellow Curry With Chicken

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         Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste+
  • 2 chicken breast fillets, sliced
  • 1 x 400ml can coconut milk
  • 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
  • 150g green beans, trimmed and sliced
  • 115g baby corn, halved
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 125g cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • ¼ cup basil leaves
  • lime wedges and steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4–5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the beans and corn and cook for 3–4 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat and stir through the fish sauce, tomato and basil. Serve with lime wedges and steamed jasmine rice. Serves 4.

+ Yellow curry is mild and aromatic. You can use red or green curry paste; green is hot and sweet while red is milder and less pungent.

http://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/onepot/poultry/thai-chicken-and-bean-curry

Asian

Loco Moco

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Ingredients:

1 lb ground 85% lean grass-fed beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups beef stock
4 cups cooked rice
4 eggs, fried or poached

Directions:

Season the ground beef with salt, black pepper and onion powder in a medium bowl and form them into four three-inch patties. Fry the burger patties in a pan, a few minutes each side.

In the same frying pan, melt the butter, add the stock, and heat over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour and whisk until the gravy thickens and turns golden brown, two to three minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the gravy through a fine mesh and set aside.

Assemble the loco moco in a bowl. Top the rice with a fried egg, burger and gravy.

http://blog.junbelen.com/2011/02/15/hiking-kilauea-and-how-to-make-loco-moco/

American

Orange Chicken

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Ingredients:
Chicken-

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 eggs (beaten)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Oil (for frying)
  • Orange Sauce-
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
  • ½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.
Step 3: Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions. Enjoy.

http://blogchef.net/orange-chicken-recipe/

Italian

HANDMADE GNOCCHI WITH BURNT BUTTER AND GARLIC GLAZE

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Ingredients:
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Green beans, blanched, for serving
Parmesan, grated, for serving
For the gnocchi:
4 potatoes, oven-roasted
2 free-range egg yolks, beaten
210 g flour, plus extra for dusting
A pinch of salt
1 T olive oil
For the burnt butter:
75 g butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs rosemary, stalks removed
Cooking instructions: 
To make the gnocchi:Scoop out the fluffy insides of the roast potatoes and discard the skins. Mash, pushing the potato through a sieve, if necessary, to remove all lumps. Add the egg yolks, flour and salt. Mix by hand until you have a pliable dough.

Dust a work surface with flour, then, using your fingertips, gently roll the dough into long strips, 1 cm wide. Cut each roll into 1.5 cm pieces, then flatten each piece using the tines of a fork.

Fill a large saucepan with water, add the olive oil and bring to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until the dumplings fl oat to the surface. Remove from the water using a slotted spoon.

To make the burnt butter:

Place a small saucepan over a medium to high heat and add the butter, garlic, rosemary and lemon rind. Stir until the flavours infuse and the butter turns caramel in colour.

To serve:

Toss the gnocchi with the burnt butter, season to taste and serve with crunchy green beans and a good scattering of Parmesan.

http://tastemag.co.za/Recipe-1667/Handmade-gnocchi-with-burnt-butter-and-garlic-glaze.aspx
American

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes

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Ingredients:

  • 12 oz. orzo
  • 1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Grated Parmigiano Reggiano*

Directions:

  • Bring 2 large pots of water to boil.  Add a big pinch of salt in each.
  • To one pot, add asparagus and blanch, about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus.  Place blanched asparagus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them green.
  • To the second pot, add the orzo.  Cook per package instructions.  When tender, drain and place in a large bowl.  Add blanched asparagus and tomato halves.
  • Mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Stir into orzo and vegetables.  Stir in parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
  • This can be served warm, room temperature or cold.
  • *Note:  If you want to keep this salad vegan, leave out the Parmigiano Reggiano.

http://www.abigmouthful.com/lemon-orzo-salad-with-asparagus-and-tomatoes/

Dinner This Week, Seafood

Grilled Tilapia

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  • Take a shallow baking sheet and wrap the top and bottom with tin foil. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom, and add thinly sliced garlic on the top. Place your fish fillets over the sliced garlic, I used tilapia.
  • Season your fish with salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of paprika for color. Toss in some fresh herbs, I used parsley and basil. Add sliced cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives and a small handful of capers. Scatter a few lemon slices around and add some of the juice. Finish off by drizzling olive oil all over.
  • Place the pan on a hot grill and close the lid. The smell is intoxicating as the garlic starts cooking and infuses the fish. When your fish is firm to the touch, it’s done! This is great for a crowd, you can even use shrimp and a 1/2 sheet pan for more space. For my 4 fillets I just used a 1/4 sheet pan.
Italian

How to Make Gnocchi: An Illustrated, Step-by-Step Recipe

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Ingredients:

1 kg (2.2 lbs) russet potatoes (about 5 large), unpeeled
300 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt

Step 1: Cook the potatoes
Wash your potatoes thoroughly without peeling them. Boiling them unpeeled lessens the water that penetrates the potatoes while they’re cooking. Water is a gnocchi downfall. This is also why you must use the exact cooking time. Avoid piercing them during cooking as it’ll allow water to get in. Small potatoes take 10–15 minutes to boil; medium 20–25 minutes; large 35–45 minutes. If you’re unsure about your cooking time, boil one extra potato that you’ll use to test.

Step 2: Mash the potatoes
Once your potatoes are done, drain them and let them cool until you can handle them. Peel the potatoes and mash them into a large bowl: the tool that will help you breeze through this step is a potato ricer. It guarantees lump-free gnocchi. If you don’t have a ricer, mash your potatoes with a fork (like I did) or a potato masher. Pay extra attention to make sure you eliminate as many lumps as possible.

Let the mashed potatoes cool to room temperature.

Step 3: Prepare the dough

Mix flour and salt together in a small bowl. Mix the mashed potatoes with the egg yolks and olive oil. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the potatoes and mix gently until the flour is moistened and the dough looks crumbly.

Lightly flour your work surface. Put your dough on the surface. Knead it gently to incorporate the flour: press on the dough with your hands, fold it in half, turn it by a quarter turn and press it again. You should do this for about 1 minute: over-kneading is another gnocchi downfall. It leads to a tough, rubbery texture.

After kneading, your dough should feel soft and smooth. If it sticks to your work surface, sprinkle a bit more flour — but keep in mind that you must limit the amount of flour you add to the gnocchi to make sure they don’t become heavy and dense.

When you dough is ready, put it in a bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

Step 4: Roll and cut the dough into bites

Clean your work surface, dry it thoroughly and sprinkle lightly with flour. Tear off a lemon-size piece of dough and roll it into a rope (about 3/4 in. diameter). Use a knife to cut out square bites.

Now you have two choices: leave your gnocchi plain, looking like miniature pillows, or indent them using a gnocchi board or a fork.

Leaving them plain is a good choice when you want to fry them in butter, or serve them with a classic brown butter (see this recipe). I really like the crunchy texture it renders, a nice contrast to the creamy interior.

Indenting gnocchi is ideal when you want to serve them with a sauce, because the pattern allows it to better cling to the pasta.

To indent gnocchi, you can use either a special board or a fork. The method to roll and indent is a bit intriguing and difficult to explain in words.

As you roll your gnocchi, arrange them in a single layer on baking sheets, making sure they don’t touch. Gnocchi are best cooked within 2–3 hours of being made (keep at room temperature).

To freeze: put the gnocchi on the baking sheets straight into the freezer. Once hard, transfer them to freezer bags in portion sizes. They’ll keep for two months.

Step 5: Cook the gnocchi

Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Put about 12–15 gnocchi into the water at once and wait until they come back to the surface. When they do, they’re ready. Don’t turn your back on them because it takes just two minutes! Use a slotted spoon to fish them out, put them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep them warm. Repeat the process until all the gnocchi are cooked.

 

Crock Pot

Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken With Ginger and Yogurt

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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 tablesppon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 10)
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
  • 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, whisk together the tomato paste, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cumin, and ¾ cup water. Add the onion and stir to combine. Place the chicken on top and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  2. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).
  3. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
  4. Just before serving, add the yogurt and ½ teaspoon salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-curried-chicken-with-ginger-and-yogurt-00000000052369/index.html

Seafood

Beer-Battered Tilapia with Mango Salsa

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INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 1 pound tilapia fillets, (about 3), cut in half lengthwise
  • 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
  • Mango Salsa, (recipe follows)

PREPARATION

  1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cumin, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Whisk in beer to create a batter.
  2. Coat half the tilapia pieces in the batter. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Letting excess batter drip back into the bowl, add the fish to the pan; cook until crispy and golden, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil. Coat the remaining fish with batter and cook in the remaining 2 teaspoons oil; adjust heat as necessary for even browning. Serve immediately with Mango Salsa.

Mango Salsa:

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ripe mango, diced (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

PREPARATION

  1. Combine mango, onion, lime juice, vinegar and cilantro in a medium bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes; stir before serving.

TIPS & NOTES

  • Tip: To cut a mango:
  • 1. Slice both ends off the mango, revealing the long, slender seed inside. Set the fruit upright on a work surface and remove the skin with a sharp knife.
  • 2. With the seed perpendicular to you, slice the fruit from both sides of the seed, yielding two large pieces.
  • 3. Turn the seed parallel to you and slice the two smaller pieces of fruit from each side.
  • 4. Cut the fruit into the desired shape.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/beer_battered_tilapia_with_mango_salsa.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mango_salsa.html_0