Sunday, December 5, 2010
Southern Thai chicken liver curry
Make your curry paste: throw all these things in a food processor:
-six peeled cloves of garlic
-one stalk of lemongrass, peeled and cut into sections
-ten peeled red shallots
-a fat piece of ginger, say 1/8 lb.
-1T grinded coriander seeds
-1t grinded cumin seeds
-10 long red dried thai chilis, that you soaked in water for 20 minutes
-pinch of salt
turn on the food processor until you have it grinded very well, to a smooth paste. you would scrape the sides occasionally.
now thinly slice
-6 red shallots
pout 1/2c vegetable oil in a small heavy pan, put the sliced shallots in there and turn on the heat to medium. the shallots will start to fry and remove half of them when they get golden brown and crispy. now put in your curry paste and fry this for 5-10 minutes, until it makes a strong fragrance.
gradually add
-2c chicken stock
and be letting it simmer down until you have a smooth somewhat thick sauce. mix together in a small bowl
-2T sugar
-1T fish sauce
-2T white vnegar
now take and poach, sothey are almost cooked
-1/2lb. chicken livers
cut them into small cubes and save them.
once your sauce is thick, add the fish sauce mixture and the livers. cook for 3-5 minutes, until the liver is fully cooked, now turn off the heat and add:
-finely chopped cilantro, to taste
-1 thickly sliced shallot.
-the fried shallot that you saved
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
vietnamese beef stew
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Butternut Squash Soup
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Gordon Ramsay's Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
Shepherd's pie
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 500g minced lean lamb
- 1 large onion, finely grated
- 1 large carrot, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 1 sprig of rosemary, needles chopped
- 250ml red wine
- 300ml chicken stock
- 1kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 50g butter
- 2 egg yolks
- Parmesan, for grating
- Olive oil
- Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Pan-roasted carrots
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- Small handful of thyme sprigs
- 1 garlic clove
- 500g medium sized carrots, peeled and trimmed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Few knobs of butter
Method: How to make shepherd's pie
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Dave's Strawberry Shortcake
As Dave says, it's hard to think of strawberry shortcake without thinking of Daddy. (LFL Sr.) Dave has perfected his shortcake recipe and here it is! He said it is the best he's had in his life and he thought that even Daddy would have trouble coming up with anything negative to say about it. What better compliment is that?
CAKE
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
STRAWBERRY SAUCE
2 lbs. strawberries, stemmed and divided
1/4 cup water
5 to 6 tablespoons sugar ( really to taste )
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar plus additional for sprinkling
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Cake/ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 8 or 9 inch cake pan with margarine. Sprinkle bottom and sides of pan with sugar; tap out any excess sugar. Whisk flour and baking powder in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, cream cheese, and butter in another bowl till smooth. Beat milk, eggs and vanilla in another bowl to blend. Beat milk mixture into cream cheese mixture. Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Evenly sprinke one tablespoon of sugar over the top of the batter. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, usually right at around 40 minutes in my oven. Cool in pan. Cover and let stand at room temperature ....... you can make your cake way in advance if you want or the other way around it doesn't really matter, Sue. I always like to have my strawberry mixture sit overnight.
Sauce/ Place half of the strawberries in processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarsley chopped. Transfer to medium saucepan; add 1/4 cup water, 3 tablespoons sugar and lemon juice to chopped berries. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until strawberries are very tender, about 4 minutes. Return strawberry mixture to processor and puree until smooth. Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer into medium bowl. Cover and chill until cold (at least 2 hours)
Quarter or slice remaining strawberries and toss with another 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar. Let stand at room temperature until sugar dissolves and juices form stirring occasionally ( around 30 minutes to an hour ) Add strawberry sauce to the berries, cover and chill overnight.
Whip chilled whipping cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar, and vanilla in bowl until peaks form.
Cut cake into wedges. Split each wedge horizontally in half. Place bottom of each wedge on plate. Spoon strawberry mixture over, top with whipped cream. Place top of cake over cream. Sprinke with powdered sugar and serve. I sometimes put extra strawberry mixture and whipped cream on top too, for me and the kids but it looks real pretty and professional for company if you serve it like I described.
Bon Appetit !!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
spinach frittata
-Caramelize half a large red onion. (Thinly slice it, put in a skillet over very low heat with a tablespoon of olive oil, covered, until well wilted, like 30 minutes, then turn up the heat and stir until it gets browned)
-Fry two strips of bacon
-Grate 1/2c parmiggiano reggiano
-Blanch 10oz. fresh spinach in salted water.
-Mix all of this together with three eggs 1/4t of salt and 1/2t black pepper.
Now you melt 1T butter in a non-stick skillet over low heat. Turn on your broiler. Pour in the mixture and smooth it out. Leave it alone and let it cook about 8 minutes, until it is starting to get set and the sides will lift away from the pan. Take the skillet and put it under the broiler for about 45seconds so that the top can get finished.
That is all. This has much more spinach than you think is correct, but it is healthier like this, not so heavy in the gut, and you will see that it holds together just fine. You can replace parmesan cheese with gruyère, comté, or "swiss." My sources tell me that all of these pair well with spinach.
Serve with champagne, beer or coffee, depending on the occasion and your likes.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Chunky Apple Walnut Cake
Monday, September 27, 2010
Paul's Lentil Soup Recipe
It is now May 10, 2011. I've just changed (added to) the ingredients because the following was my best batch.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 c. vegetarian stock
- 1 c. water (or chicken stock if you wish)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups spinach (or kale), torn or chopped
- 3/4 cup red or brown lentils
- 1/2 cup brown rice (or long grain white)
- parsley & basil or cilantro or a mix of all 3
- 3 - 4 T. olive oil
- 1/2 - 1t. salt
- pepper
This soup was very easy, cheap, and low mess factor. Of course the quality of ingredients always matters, but this soup was quite tasty, and even passed the pregnant wife test, a high standard by any means.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
3 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 chilli, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
450 g (1lb) chicken meat cubed
12 bamboo skewers
1. Pound the lemongrass, shallots, chilli, garlic and oil until fine. Add the salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, honey, sugar, sesame oil and pepper to the lemongrass mixture, stirring well to combine. Place the chicken cubes in a large bowl with the paste and marinate for about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, start the barbecue fire. Soak the bamboo skewers.
3. When ready to eat, thread the chick cubes on the skewers and grill over medium-hot coats until done, about 4 minutes on each side. remove from the fire and serve.
Serves 3-4
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking time:8 mintues.
Pork Marinade for Grilling or Baking
3 shallots or white part of 3 scallions
Grilled Skewered Pork
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 spring onions (scallions), chopped
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
450g (1lb) streaky pork, thinly sliced
16 bamboo skewers
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the honey, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, garlic, spring onions, oyster sauce, salt and pepper , mixing well. Add the pork, coating the slices well. Cover and marinate for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, start the barbecue fire. Soak the bamboo skewers.
3. When ready to eat, thread the meat strips on the skewers . Don't be tempted to overload the skewers; skewers which are too generous will char on the outside by the time the inside is cooked.
4. Grill over medium-hot coals for 3 to 4 minutes, brushing the meat with the marinade. When browned and cooked, remove from the fire and serve.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 8 mins
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Calabacitas
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The McNair's Pinto Beans
Cuban Style Black Beans
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Basic Cornbread (plus 2 tasty variations)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sue's Chicken Soup
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Missing Moleskine
Last night, a precious notebook of brand "Moleskine" was lost. This majestic gift was given to me by Abbers, the one in the green shirt. The only two places I can think that it would be are either the Living Room or the Dining Room. I wrote in it in the Living Room and I think I may have brought it into the Dining Room onto my desk. However, I am almost positive that I left it on top of that piece of furniture adjacent to the yellow couch.
We've searched for hours to no avail.
Please, do your part in the search for this missing gem. Your efforts will not go unrewarded.
Sincerely,
Joseph Lovegren
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Puttanesca Sauce
Spicy, savory, and exciting, Puttanesca, or Streetwalker's, Sauce is ready to toss with pasta in minutes.
Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Add:
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 dried red chili pepper
Cook, stirring and crushing the pepper with the back of a spoon, just until the garlic is pale blond, about 30 seconds. Stir in:
1 cup oil-cured black olives, such as Gaeta, pitted and coarsely chopped
6 anchovy fillets, soaked in water to cover for 5 minutes and drained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Cook for about 30 seconds, then stir in:
1.5 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, if desired, seeded, and chopped, or one 28-
ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice, crushed between your fingers as you add
them to the pan
Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in:
3 tablespoons packed minced fresh parsely
2 tablespoons drained capers
Season with:
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Enough for 1 pound of pasta.
Note: When using canned tomatoes, we prefer San Marzano brand.
Provençal Mixed Dried Herbs
Commercial mixtures of dried Provençal herbs usually contain too many herbs, including rosemary, lavender and sage, and usually smell musty. If you are able to collect your own herbs and dry them, a good mixture is composed of thyme, oregano, savory and marjoram, in descending proportions. When the bundles are dry, store them in paper bags, stapled or covered over with other paper bags to protect them from dust without enclosing them in an airtight atmosphere, until autumn when all of the herbs have been picked and dried. Crumbled the bunches between gloved hands, whirl the crumbles, small batches at a time, in a food processor, pass the processed herbs through a sieve with the help of a gloved hand, put them into jars and store them. A wonderful seasoning for stuffings, marinades, sausage meat and pâtés, frilled meats and poultry, or to replace a bouquet garni if you are in a hurry or have no fresh herbs at hand.
Tapenade (Caper and Black Olive Spread)
1/2 cups(3 1/2 oz/100g) capers, rinsed and well drained
3 salted anchovies, rinsed and filleted
pinch of Provençal mixed dried herbs
pinch of coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic
4-5 tablespoons (2-3 fl oz/60-90 ml) olive oil
Combine the olives, capers and anchovies in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and purée. In a mortar pound together the herbs, salt, a generous grind of pepper and the garlic to form a paste. Add the olive mixture and work together, turning the pestle and adding olive oil, a little at a time, until the mixture is the consistency of a thin paste.
Serves 6
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
cookbook recommendation
Monday, September 6, 2010
Chilli Chicken
500 g(1lb) boneless chicken breast, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces
4-6 red chillies, fresh or dried
3 tablespoons oil
1-2 tablespoons chilli paste
2-3 spring onions, thinly sliced
Marinade:
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
Sauce:
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 7 mins
1. Combine all the Marinade ingredients, mixing well. Place the chicken chunks in a bowl, then pour the Marinade over the chicken, coating the pieced well. Set aside to marinate for 20-30 mins.
2. While the chicken is marinating, combine the Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cut the chillies lengthwise and scrape away the seed and white membranes.
4. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat and add the chillies. When chilies are scorched and smoking, add the marinated chicken and quickly stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the chilli paste and cook for another 1 minute.
5. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sauce. Cover wok with a lid and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the spring onions and transfer to serving dish. Enjoy with rice.
* Chilli paste is a blend of ground, fresh or dried chillies. Not to be confused with chilli sauce, it is thicker and spicier, and is sometimes fermented to further enhance its flavor. It is sold mainly in jars and is widely available in food stores. To add some color and flavor to this dish, you may add 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas, diced carrots and diced red or green bell peppers. These should be added right after the chilli paste, but before the sauce. For extra zest, garnish the dish with a generous sprinkling of minced fresh coriander leaves (cilantro).
Saturday, September 4, 2010
3/3/2 White Sauce
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Shredded Cabbage and Chicken Salad
Think of this dish as the Vietnamese version of the Western coleslaw, a dish of shredded cabbage dressed with a light mixture. But this recipe contains both shredded cabbage and shredded carrots, plus chicken and refreshing mint leaves, turning this into a light yet satisfying meal. You can make the dressing in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use. Plan to serve this dish as part of a whole meal to serve 6; alternatively, this recipe makes a light main salad serving 2 or 3.
250g (2 cups) chicken breast, cooked and shredded
320g (4 cups) shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
10g (1/4 cup) fresh mint leaves
50g (1/4 cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Fresh coriander (cilantro) sprigs for garnishing (optional)
Dressing:
2 Thai chillies, minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons salad oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. To make the salad, combine the shredded chicken, cabbage, carrots and mint leaves in a large mixing bowl.
2. To make the dressing, combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl, stirring well to mix. Dress the salad and toss well to combine.
3. Transfer the salad to a serving plate. Garnish with the chopped peanuts and coriander sprigs and serve.
Serves 2-3
Preparation time: 10 mins
buffalo wings
what is important to success is that you have a thermometer that can measure the temperature of your oil and you try to fry them in a heavy pot, like a dutch oven, which can keep the oil temperature a bit stable. temperature control is responsible for whether your wings are juicy and crispy.
1. you change the sauce to barbecue sauce. combine:
-1.5 c ketchup
-1c cider vinegar
-1/4c worcstershire
-1/4c soy sauce
-1c brown sugar
-2T dry mustard
-4T chili powder
-1T fresh ginger, grated
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2T vegetable oil
-3 slices lemon
simmer for five minutes and it's done.
now for the wings:
-1.5 lbs chicken wings, divided into wing and drumette. dry them off first. (discard the tips or save them for stock)
dredge them in:
-1/3c flour
-1t salt
-1/2 t black pepper
(-1T ground cofffee) this is what i put in extra
fry them at 375F for 10 minutes, keep warm in a low oven while you prepare the other batches.
now you sauce them as you like.
Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Cham)
The classic dipping and seasoning sauce of the Vietnamese table, nuoc cham makes its appearance at nearly every meal. It is easy to make and stores well in the refrigerator.
3 fresh red (Thai)chillies, chopped (preferred) or 1 teaspoon Asian chilli paste
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
60g(1/4cup) sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
3 tablespoons fish sauce (3 crabs brand preferred)
125 ml (1/2 cup) water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Makes 250 ml (1 cup)
Preparation time: 10 mins
Although you can simply combine all the ingredients at once, you will get better results by pounding the chilli paste, which should contain bits of hot chillies, with the garlic and sugar before adding the remaining ingredients and mixing well.
Caviar D'Aubergine
Caviar D'Aubergine
Eggplant Spread
The spread is best served warm, as an hors d'oeuvre accompanied with warm toasts and chilled white or rosé wine.
3 elongated eggplants (aubergine), about 1.5lb (750g) total weight
2 cloves garlic
pinch of coarse salt
2 salt anchovies, rinsed and filleted
freshly ground pepper
fine salt
4-5 tablespoons (2-3 fl oz/60-90 ml) olive oil
1. Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Prick the eggplants several times and place them in a shallow baking dish. Bake until the flesh is very soft when pierced with a knife tip, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, split the eggplants in half. Using a spoon scrape the flesh onto a plate. Discard the skins and mash the flesh to a coarse purée with a fork.
3. In a mortar pound together the garlic and coarse salt to form a paste. Add the anchovies, grind in pepper to taste and pound again. Empty the contents of the plate into the mortar and turn with the pestle, slowly adding the olive oil until the mixture is a loose, spreadable consistency. Add fine salt to taste.
Serves: 4
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
MaMa Routier's Eggplant Fritters
Veal liver Knedles
Crush and press through a strainer:
150g veal liver
add:
-30g goose fat
-3 egg yolks
-a roll, wetted and then squeezed out
-30g white bread crumbs
-an onion, diced then blanched in water
-salt, pepper, paprika
-flour
says the book:
"Mix together this less than appetising mass with your hands. Add enough flour to be able to mould it, with your floured hands, into fat balls like walnuts. Poach them in salted boiling water for ten minutes. Remove them from the water. Let them cool. Sauté them in the goose fat. Serve hot."
Edouard de Pomiane (1929) Cuisine Juive, Ghettos Modernes
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Lemonade
squeeze lemons over a wire strainer into a container until you have at least 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.
meanwhile make a simple syrup with 3/4c sugar and 1c water.
combine these two liquids in a 1L jar, top off with water. chill.
then put ice cubes in a tall glass and mix 1 part spirits to 3 parts lemonade. you could also drink the lemonade by itself.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Beer With Lime And Salt
1/2 Mexican Lime or Key Lime (same thing as far as I know)
Salt
Open a can or bottle of your favorite bad beer. Tecate is sufficiently bad but you don't really have to pay that much. The lime and salt do the work. It has been rumored that this recipe may even work with Keystone Light. In fact, it may be the only way to save that patient.
Pour the beer into a glass, or leave it in the container, then squeeze half a lime into the beer. Then salt to taste, but don't take too much time with this step because you may lose half your beer as it foams over the top if you dawdle.
If you are sharing this experience with a friend, it can be quite a trick to get both of your beers prepped in time to exchange a toast of "Cheers", "Salud", "Ciao", or "Here's to (whatever.)" Two salt shakers can solve this problem. In any event, the toast must not be dispensed with. A can works well because you get that pre-beer blast of straight lime and salt that has collected around the top, which is nice. But if you don't want to be reminded of what beer you had to settle for, or that you're drinking from a can, then go for the glass.
At this point, Ben Franklin's adage will come to mind: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Salud!