January 9, 2011
Cornish Hens with Scallion Butter & Lime, from Food & Wine books “Chicken & other birds”, pg 83.
2 Cornish game hens, cut in half
4 T butter, softened
1 ½ tsp oregano
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
combine the butter, salt and herbs. Microwave until melted. Arrange the ½ birds in a roasting dish, cover with melted butter and herbs.
Roast @ 425° fir 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and done.
It’s very easy to toss in some quartered red potatoes or a bag of Trader Joes fingerling potatoes and 1 or 2 quartered onions to the roasting pan.
The recipe didn’t melt the butter, but I found it impossible to spread on the hens, that’s why I melted it.
The recipe says to top it with thinly sliced scallions and wedges of lime. I didn’t do that because enough is enough and I was hungry.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Flank steak with rosemary & roasted garlic
January 2, 2011
Flank steak with Rosemary & Roasted garlic, from “High Heat” by Waldy Malouf, pg 122
½ tsp coarse sea salt
3 heads garlic, halved
2 T olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
3 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 flank steak (1- 1 ½ pounds)
½ cup Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 400°. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the garlic and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well. Place the garlic in a small ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the dish with foil and roast for five minutes, then reduce the oven to 325° and continue to roast until completely tender, about 35-45 mintues.
Let the garlic cook slightly, then squeeze the cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the garlic into a rough puree and stir in the chopped rosemary. Season with the ½ tsp salt and plenty of pepper.
Using a sharp knife, lightly score the steak across the grain at ¼ inch intervals on both sides. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Set aside half of the rosemary-garlic paste and rub the rest all over the steak. Wrap the meat tightly in plastic wrap and marinate. If you are pressed for time, marinate the meat at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Place the meat on a hot grill and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side for rare. Or broil the meat for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn and cook for another 3-5 minutes for rare.
Transfer the meat to a board and let rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the steak to reabsorb the juices. Meanwhile, combine the remaining garlic-rosemary puree with the mustard.
Slice the meat to 1/3 inch slices on the diagonal across the grain and serve with the garlic mustard sauce.
How I did it: after I added the mustard to the remaining garlic sauce, there wasn’t much there. So I coated the steak with all of the sauce. It turned out pretty good. I like it.
Flank steak with Rosemary & Roasted garlic, from “High Heat” by Waldy Malouf, pg 122
½ tsp coarse sea salt
3 heads garlic, halved
2 T olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
3 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 flank steak (1- 1 ½ pounds)
½ cup Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 400°. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the garlic and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well. Place the garlic in a small ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the dish with foil and roast for five minutes, then reduce the oven to 325° and continue to roast until completely tender, about 35-45 mintues.
Let the garlic cook slightly, then squeeze the cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash the garlic into a rough puree and stir in the chopped rosemary. Season with the ½ tsp salt and plenty of pepper.
Using a sharp knife, lightly score the steak across the grain at ¼ inch intervals on both sides. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Set aside half of the rosemary-garlic paste and rub the rest all over the steak. Wrap the meat tightly in plastic wrap and marinate. If you are pressed for time, marinate the meat at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Place the meat on a hot grill and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side for rare. Or broil the meat for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn and cook for another 3-5 minutes for rare.
Transfer the meat to a board and let rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the steak to reabsorb the juices. Meanwhile, combine the remaining garlic-rosemary puree with the mustard.
Slice the meat to 1/3 inch slices on the diagonal across the grain and serve with the garlic mustard sauce.
How I did it: after I added the mustard to the remaining garlic sauce, there wasn’t much there. So I coated the steak with all of the sauce. It turned out pretty good. I like it.
Malay Barbecued chicken
December 22, 2010
Malay Barbecued Chicken, from “A Spoonful of Ginger” by Nina Simonds, pg 98
This is wonderful chicken.It's fabulous in salads later in the week.
1 whole roasting chicken, about 4-5 pounds, giblets removed and trimmed of excess fat
Roasting sauce:
4 ½ T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce
1 ½ T ketchup
1 ½ T light brown sugar
2 T minced garlic
1 ½ T minced fresh garlic
5 small shallots, peeled and minced
1 ½ tsp hot chile paste
The day before or several hours before cooking, prick the chicken all over with a fork so the seasonings can penetrate. Whisk the roasting sauce ingredients in a bowl, then rub the sauce all over the chicken and inside the cavity. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Arrange the chicken with its sauce, breast side down, in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the chicken over and baste with the sauce. Continue roasting for another 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and has turned a deep golden brown.
How I did it: I use Bragg’s Aminos instead of soy sauce and I forgot to add extra salt. I also forgot to prick the skin on the chicken. OOPS. When you cook at high heat, if anything drips onto the bottom of the pan, it will smoke. I set off the smoke alarm when I took the chicken out to turn it over. I added some broth to the bottom of the pan for the remainder of the cooking. At the end, I strained it, reduced it and adjusted seasonings, then served it with the chicken.
This was really good. It smelled wonderful when it was roasting.
Malay Barbecued Chicken, from “A Spoonful of Ginger” by Nina Simonds, pg 98
This is wonderful chicken.It's fabulous in salads later in the week.
1 whole roasting chicken, about 4-5 pounds, giblets removed and trimmed of excess fat
Roasting sauce:
4 ½ T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce
1 ½ T ketchup
1 ½ T light brown sugar
2 T minced garlic
1 ½ T minced fresh garlic
5 small shallots, peeled and minced
1 ½ tsp hot chile paste
The day before or several hours before cooking, prick the chicken all over with a fork so the seasonings can penetrate. Whisk the roasting sauce ingredients in a bowl, then rub the sauce all over the chicken and inside the cavity. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Arrange the chicken with its sauce, breast side down, in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the chicken over and baste with the sauce. Continue roasting for another 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and has turned a deep golden brown.
How I did it: I use Bragg’s Aminos instead of soy sauce and I forgot to add extra salt. I also forgot to prick the skin on the chicken. OOPS. When you cook at high heat, if anything drips onto the bottom of the pan, it will smoke. I set off the smoke alarm when I took the chicken out to turn it over. I added some broth to the bottom of the pan for the remainder of the cooking. At the end, I strained it, reduced it and adjusted seasonings, then served it with the chicken.
This was really good. It smelled wonderful when it was roasting.
Pakistani-style grilled lamb chops
December 17, 2010
Pakistani-Style Grilled Lamb Chops, from “At Home with Madhur Jaffrey” by Madhur Jaffrey, pg 119
4 tsp very finely chopped ginger
2 tsp garlic, crushed to a pulp
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 ¼ tsp salt
½-3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
freshly ground pepper
½ tsp garam masala
2 pounds lamb chops, shoulder or ribs
2 T mustard, olive or canola oil
Combine the ginger, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, black pepper and garam masala in a shallow dish large enough to hold the chops. Mix well. Rub this marinade on both sides of the chops, cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.
Just before eating, preheat the broiler and set a rack 4-5 inches from the heat source.
Put the chops, with any marinade that clings to them easily, in a baking tray. Brush both sides with oil and place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned. If you want them more done, put them in a 350° oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops and the desired doneness.
How I did it: I used ginger pulp and garlic pulp. I got the garam masala at the Indian market in Tempe. I
These were really good. I liked them a lot.
Pakistani-Style Grilled Lamb Chops, from “At Home with Madhur Jaffrey” by Madhur Jaffrey, pg 119
4 tsp very finely chopped ginger
2 tsp garlic, crushed to a pulp
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 ¼ tsp salt
½-3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
freshly ground pepper
½ tsp garam masala
2 pounds lamb chops, shoulder or ribs
2 T mustard, olive or canola oil
Combine the ginger, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, black pepper and garam masala in a shallow dish large enough to hold the chops. Mix well. Rub this marinade on both sides of the chops, cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.
Just before eating, preheat the broiler and set a rack 4-5 inches from the heat source.
Put the chops, with any marinade that clings to them easily, in a baking tray. Brush both sides with oil and place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned. If you want them more done, put them in a 350° oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops and the desired doneness.
How I did it: I used ginger pulp and garlic pulp. I got the garam masala at the Indian market in Tempe. I
These were really good. I liked them a lot.
Provancal Beef Stew
December 18, 2010
Provencal Beef Stew, in “Stews” by Jenna Holst, pg 12
This is one of my favorite beef stew/soup recipes. To make it soupy, omit the flour but otherwise cook it according to recipe.
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
all purpose flour for dusting the meat (I used garbanzo bean flour)
2 ½ pounds beef round or chuck, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
2 ½ T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (or 1 15 oz can)
2-inch strip of orange zest
¼ cup frsh flat-leaf parlsey, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 springs fresh Thyme
1 ½ cups full bodied red wine
½ cup beef broth or water
Mix the flour, 1 tsp of the salt and pepper together and dust the meat. Heat the 1 T of the oil to hot in a large (stew) pan. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, orange zest, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and remaining salt and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Pour in the wine and broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any cooked on bits.
Return the meat to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Provencal Beef Stew, in “Stews” by Jenna Holst, pg 12
This is one of my favorite beef stew/soup recipes. To make it soupy, omit the flour but otherwise cook it according to recipe.
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
all purpose flour for dusting the meat (I used garbanzo bean flour)
2 ½ pounds beef round or chuck, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
2 ½ T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (or 1 15 oz can)
2-inch strip of orange zest
¼ cup frsh flat-leaf parlsey, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 springs fresh Thyme
1 ½ cups full bodied red wine
½ cup beef broth or water
Mix the flour, 1 tsp of the salt and pepper together and dust the meat. Heat the 1 T of the oil to hot in a large (stew) pan. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, orange zest, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and remaining salt and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Pour in the wine and broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any cooked on bits.
Return the meat to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Lamb curry with spinach
December 13, 2010
Lamb curry with spinach, in Indian Regional Classics by Julie Sahni, pg 118 & 120
Lamb Curry:
1 ½ pounds boneless lamb cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
3 T vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped onion (from one large onion)
1 T grated fresh ginger (or finely minced)
2 tsp finely minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
½ tsp ground red pepper
1 T paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 cup pureed tomato
coarse salt
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Heat the oil in a heavy, non-stick saucepan over high heat. Add the lamb and 1 T oil. Sear the lamb on all sides, turning and tossing. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining oil and the onion to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger, cumin, goriander, red pepper, paprika and turmeric. Cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the tomato puree, lamb, salt and pper to taste and enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Let the curry rest for at least 30 mintues and reheat before serving.
The spinach (saag gosht)
1 packed cup of chopped spinach, frozen or fresh.
3 T vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 Tsp Garam Masala (or cumin)
1 to 2 tsp minced green chile
Squeeze the spinach to remove any extra moisture. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook until golden about 10 minutes. Stir in the garam masala and chile. Add the spinach and sauté for 3 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Add the seasoned spinach to the lamb curry, stir well to mix, and serve.
How mine turned out: I miss read the recipe and didn’t use enough coriander or paprika. I only used 1 tsp of each.
The rest went ok. I didn’t have any cilantro since what I have is Italian Parsley.
I didn’t chop the spinach. I just used fresh, whole leaves and stems.
This was pretty good. We’ll have to wait and see how it is tomorrow for left-overs.
Lamb curry with spinach, in Indian Regional Classics by Julie Sahni, pg 118 & 120
Lamb Curry:
1 ½ pounds boneless lamb cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
3 T vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped onion (from one large onion)
1 T grated fresh ginger (or finely minced)
2 tsp finely minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
½ tsp ground red pepper
1 T paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 cup pureed tomato
coarse salt
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Heat the oil in a heavy, non-stick saucepan over high heat. Add the lamb and 1 T oil. Sear the lamb on all sides, turning and tossing. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining oil and the onion to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger, cumin, goriander, red pepper, paprika and turmeric. Cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the tomato puree, lamb, salt and pper to taste and enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ hours. Let the curry rest for at least 30 mintues and reheat before serving.
The spinach (saag gosht)
1 packed cup of chopped spinach, frozen or fresh.
3 T vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 Tsp Garam Masala (or cumin)
1 to 2 tsp minced green chile
Squeeze the spinach to remove any extra moisture. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook until golden about 10 minutes. Stir in the garam masala and chile. Add the spinach and sauté for 3 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Add the seasoned spinach to the lamb curry, stir well to mix, and serve.
How mine turned out: I miss read the recipe and didn’t use enough coriander or paprika. I only used 1 tsp of each.
The rest went ok. I didn’t have any cilantro since what I have is Italian Parsley.
I didn’t chop the spinach. I just used fresh, whole leaves and stems.
This was pretty good. We’ll have to wait and see how it is tomorrow for left-overs.
Braised chicken with Dates & Moroccan spices
December 12, 2010
Wow! It’s been more than 2 weeks since I’ve posted a recipe. What have I been eating?? I made a shrimp stir-fry the other day. There isn’t a recipe since I used Fry’s already made stir-fry veggies and added frozen shrimp, then sauced it up a bit. When I made the Puerto Vallarta red snapper (tilapia), I steamed some salmon. I had that on salads a couple of times. I made some pasta (rice) and topped with marinara and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
I need to actually read the recipes before I choose them for the week. Several things I’ve selected lately require marinating over-night which I didn’t seem to notice. So, I’ve been winging it. That is exactly what this project was supposed to prevent.
Add to that… I was shopping at Fry’s and they were having a sale—buy one, get one free on chicken, whole and parts. I needed chicken thighs for this recipe, but ended up buying two whole chickens and two packages of chicken thighs. It looks like I’ll be eating a lot more chicken and less of anything else for awhile.
The whole plan of weekly menus has been tossed for this week at least. We’ll see what I come up with.
Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan Spices, from Epicurious.
This takes awhile to make, so don’t start hungry!
3 ½ pounds chicken parts (breasts, thighs, legs)
1 T flour (use non-gluten)
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds shallots (about 11), slivered
3 cinnamon sticks
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp tumeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 T fresh lemon juice, divided
12 dates, pitted & halved
¼ cup almonds, toasted & coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro
Sprinkle chicken with flour, salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken (in batches if needed). Pour of the fat, leaving 2 T. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until shallots begin to soften, about 18 minutes. Place chicken pieces on top of the shallots. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer until done, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the chicken and shallots to a platter, tent with foil. Boil the juices in the pot until slightly thickened. Stir in the dates and remaining 2 T lemon juice. Simmer until dates are heated through (do not cook to long or the dates get mushy). Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro.
How mine turned out: The sauce didn’t thicken well, maybe because of the non-gluten flour I used. I over-cooked the dates, add them at the end just to warm.
It turns out my cilantro was Italian Parsley. I thought it tasted whimpy.
I served it over millet.
Later, I shredded the chicken, and combined the milled and the chicken & sauce to make a casserole-type dish.
I’m not sure I’m going to make this again. It took a long time and wasn’t fabulous. Good, but not fabulous.
Wow! It’s been more than 2 weeks since I’ve posted a recipe. What have I been eating?? I made a shrimp stir-fry the other day. There isn’t a recipe since I used Fry’s already made stir-fry veggies and added frozen shrimp, then sauced it up a bit. When I made the Puerto Vallarta red snapper (tilapia), I steamed some salmon. I had that on salads a couple of times. I made some pasta (rice) and topped with marinara and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
I need to actually read the recipes before I choose them for the week. Several things I’ve selected lately require marinating over-night which I didn’t seem to notice. So, I’ve been winging it. That is exactly what this project was supposed to prevent.
Add to that… I was shopping at Fry’s and they were having a sale—buy one, get one free on chicken, whole and parts. I needed chicken thighs for this recipe, but ended up buying two whole chickens and two packages of chicken thighs. It looks like I’ll be eating a lot more chicken and less of anything else for awhile.
The whole plan of weekly menus has been tossed for this week at least. We’ll see what I come up with.
Braised Chicken with Dates and Moroccan Spices, from Epicurious.
This takes awhile to make, so don’t start hungry!
3 ½ pounds chicken parts (breasts, thighs, legs)
1 T flour (use non-gluten)
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds shallots (about 11), slivered
3 cinnamon sticks
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp tumeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 T fresh lemon juice, divided
12 dates, pitted & halved
¼ cup almonds, toasted & coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro
Sprinkle chicken with flour, salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken (in batches if needed). Pour of the fat, leaving 2 T. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until shallots begin to soften, about 18 minutes. Place chicken pieces on top of the shallots. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer until done, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the chicken and shallots to a platter, tent with foil. Boil the juices in the pot until slightly thickened. Stir in the dates and remaining 2 T lemon juice. Simmer until dates are heated through (do not cook to long or the dates get mushy). Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro.
How mine turned out: The sauce didn’t thicken well, maybe because of the non-gluten flour I used. I over-cooked the dates, add them at the end just to warm.
It turns out my cilantro was Italian Parsley. I thought it tasted whimpy.
I served it over millet.
Later, I shredded the chicken, and combined the milled and the chicken & sauce to make a casserole-type dish.
I’m not sure I’m going to make this again. It took a long time and wasn’t fabulous. Good, but not fabulous.
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