Quiche Lorraine

Quiche the way I like it

This was one of the first things I learned to do really well in the kitchen.  Every time I make quiche, all those around me will descend like wolves on my glorious creation.  So many are intimidated by this recipe, but once you've made quiche over and over again as I have, it is such a beautiful thing to know you can have truly amazing quiche whenever you fancy it.  This here is my favorite quiche ever.  It is your quintessential quiche with leeks, gruyere, and bacon.  What more could one possible ask for?  I know.  A glass of sparking  French wine to go with.  Ahhhhhh.

My Mom's Pie Crust

5 ounces of flour
3 ounces of butter
3/4 ounce crisco
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 TBS sugar
2-3 TBS ice water

The Quiche

Lots of bacon
1 leek, very finely chopped (the whole thing, I do not spare a single part of the leek, it's all good)
1 TBS clarified butter
a splash of white wine
Salt and Pepper (to season the leeks)
1/2 ounce Gruyere, grated
2 ounces Emmentaler, grated
3/4 Cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg (to season the eggs)

Warm your carbon steel wok on medium over a gas flame.  Chop up your bacon into small bite size strips cutting against the stripes, making pieces about 1/4 wide and the wide of the bacon long.  Saute this bacon still it releases a good amount of fat, and has gone limp.  Now remove all the bacon from the wok.  Bring the wok to a steady medium high-ish heat.  Now working in a stage of 3 batches add the bacon back into the wok, allowing each batch to crisp and brown but not to burn.  Watch this the whole time. Remove each batch before adding the next one.  Have the crisp bacon plate be lined with paper towels.

Warm the butter in your cleaned out wok.  Once melted, add your chopped leek.  Season with a little salt, and a little pepper or nutmeg if you fancy.  Pop the lid on and allow this to sweat for a bit over low heat.  Now remove the lid, and splash in a bit of white wine.  Turn up the heat to medium and allow the  leeks to cook till very soft.  Set aside.

Take your quiche baking dish and oil it well.  This will help the crust to brown in the oven and to not stick as well.  Allow the crust to become quite cool in the fridge.  You can now roll out the whole pastry, or you can take bits of it, squish it about in the pan till the whole thing is covered in pastry.  Pop this into the freezer for about 4 to 10 minutes.  We just want it really cold, especially if you're like me and you just man handled the freekin' crust.  Now starting with Cheese put in alternating layers of cheese, bacon, and leeks. Now make the custard filling.  Whisk three eggs thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg as though you were going to scramble the eggs.  Now pour in the cream while whisking.  Slowly pour this over the filling.  There should be a good 1/4 inch gap between the filling and the top of the pie crust. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until everything is golden brown.  Allow this to sit for 10 minutes before serving.


 

Lettuce Wraps - east meets southeast Asian style

This is not in anyway a traditional Korean recipe. The Marinade itself is adapted from a Korean recipe, and I do believe in using the more superior Korean ingredients.  Korean sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, etc.  This is just how I like my lettuce wraps.  Korean grilled chicken, a mixture of Korean and S.E. Asian toppings and sauces. When it comes to Lettuce wraps it is totally personal.  I'd say, don't bother listening to someone else's method.  Just say, what kinda meat sounds good to you, what sorta veggies do you crave?  What dipping sauces turn your lettuce wrap into crack on veg?  Just make it the way you want it.

Korean Grilled Chicken

¼ Cup Korean Organic Soy Sauce 
2 TBS White Sugar
1 TBS Soju
1 TBS Honey
4 TBS Freshly Squeezed Pineapple Juice (Not from Concentrate), You can get this at Trader Joes
1 TBS of Korean Sesame Oil
1 TBS Korean Roasted Sesame Seeds
A good dash of Extra Bold Black Pepper
4 fat cloves of garlic
2 stalks of green onion
1 Inch of Ginger

First to make the marinade. Take a good cavernous vessel and proceed to add in the following ingredients:

The Soy Sauce

The Sugar

The Soju. That’s rice wine to you.

My Local Oregon Raw Honey. Mmmmmm.

The Freshly Squeezed Pineapple Juice. And don’t let me catch you using that canned stuff, and definitely not the stuff from concentrate! Bad. Very Bad.

And now for my ultimate favorite. The Korean Toasted Sesame Oil. I would bath in this. I would moisturize my whole body in this. Amber liquid gold this is. ‘Tis more beautiful than all the rubies and emeralds in the world. Although, I wouldn’t mind being given an emerald. I’d by very okay with that.

The Roasted Korean Sesame Seeds. Don’t just use any kind. Not Bulk. Not McCormick’s. It has to be Korean, it has to say roasted. This stuff is better than salt on your food. Yum.

Now take your beautifully green spring onions and fresh stinky garlic and

Mince ‘em up real fine.

Add 'em to your marinade.

Now my specially box of freshly rough ground Extra Bold black pepper. I highly recommend heading on over to Penzey’s to get a big 4 ounce bag of this stuff. It is the most aromatic, delicious black pepper I have ever cooked with. The smell, the scent, truly intoxicating. Add a big old fat pinch to your marinade.

And then add in you minced ginger, cuz you’ve been a total silly and forgot all about it. Mmm. ginger. The Lord really knew what he was doing when he invented this gorgeous rhizome.

Now Take your chicken thighs and prick them all over with a fork. I like to think this helps the marinade penetrate my meat as quickly as possible. It seems to help, so I’ve always done it.

Now bring these two together for a match made in heaven. The chicken and marinade that is.  Leave to marinate for as long as possible. Although, I’ve had excellent results in letting this marinate for the length of time it takes my coals to be ready. Now to the grill.

How beautiful a sight is that. Grill these baby's over a direct heat while watching closing. I use a tiny little guy, so I only need to fill up my chimney coal starter about half way. Make sure to create a spot for indirect heat as well. This will allow any chicken that is turning a little too dark on the outside to continue cooking on the inside.

Pop that lid on whilst the meat is cooking away. Make sure all holes are open to allow your fire to breath and the smoke to get all nice nice with the meat inside. Cook the chicken in total about 10 - 15 minutes, or until firm-ish to the touch and the juices run clear.  

The Feast. I like to put just about everything but the kitchen sink in my lettuce wraps. Once the chicken gets sliced real thin after resting a wee bit I like to pull out all my toppings. My suggested toppings (as seen in the picture) are:

Pre-shredded cabbage
My homemade Quick pickled carrots:
Julienne the carrots, toss in a sprinkle of salt, leave to drain 15 minutes, rinse and squeeze, add enough sugar to coat, and enough vinegar to balance out the sweet, taste as you go)
Thinly sliced red onion 
Cilantro 
Basil leaves 
Sliced red bell pepper 
Grilled mushrooms, garlic, bell peppers, and green onions (toss in peanut oil, salt and pepper, grill or stir fry till they look yummy to you)
Choice of red leaf, iceberg, or butter lettuce (whatever you like, really)
My Homemade Vietnamese dipping sauce: 
Juice of a lime 
3 TBS white sugar 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
2 TBS fish sauce 
2 TBS white distilled vinegar
My homemade Korean garlic sauce: 
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 green onion, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 Cup Korean toasted sesame oil
My homemade Korean hot sauce: I can't remember how I made this. It contains the following:
hot pepper paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds, white distilled vinegar, minced garlic, black pepper, honey, mirin, sugar, white miso, etc. Just too much. It's real good though. I recommend starting with a basic Korean Lettuce wrap dipping sauce you find on line.

My gorgeous creation before I devour it.
Pretty much just put whatever you want into your freekin' lettuce wrap, drizzle on all three sauces.  And stuff your pie hole with this veggie engorged lettuce wrap from heaven.  Sooooo good.

Ree's Asian Beef Stir Fry

Do you ever go to a website and look at the same recipe over and over again and then finally break down and get that really expensive ingredient that it calls for just so you can cook the recipe. No? Then I guess it's just me. If you haven't heard of the pioneer woman then you don't know what you're missing. She is the author of the most visually delectable cooking blog on the net; oh, and she's married to this really sexy cattle rancher. Because of this her beef connections are enviable. For the rest of us when we go to the butcher its a matter of deciding whether or not it is worthwhile to purchase the flank steak at 16 bucks a pound. Lately I've decided that it is worthwhile because of how much I'm saving on eating really good beef in a restaurant.

This recipe here is one of Ree's, a sweet spicy gingery stir fry brightened up with sweet snow peas. I altered the recipe a little to match my tastes as well as my intense attraction to fresh ginger. You will notice the huge increase in ginger, Ree used 1 tbs minced ginger for `1.5 pounds of flank steak, I used 2 tbs for 3/4 of a pound. I added some extra complex sweetness with the addition of honey and pineapple juice and different spices, namely cayenne and black pepper. For a deep savory Asian flavor I also added a little Korean sesame oil. And since I prefer sugar snaps to snow peas I used those instead. So really, now this recipe has become my own. When I see a recipe I'm not content to just follow the directions. I usually look at a recipe at decide that it's just a suggestion not a command.

.71 pounds of flank steak, slice on the diagonal against the grain, just like Ree said to do
1/4 cup of organic korean soy sauce
1.5 tbs cream sherry
2 tbs fresh ginger, minced
1 heaping tbs brown sugar
A good swirly squirt of honey
1 tbs fresh (not from concentrate) pineapple juice
A sprinkle of black pepper and cayenne
1 tbs cornstarch
1 -2 tsp of sesame oil (Korean)
A good pinch of red pepper flakes, crushed between your fingers
3 spring onions, cut ear horse style
4 ounces of sugar snap peas, strings removed

Add the ginger, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, honey, pineapple juice, black pepper, cayenne, and cornstarch to a medium sized bowl. Whisk till cornstarch is dissolved. Add in the beef. Add a good couple squirts of sesame oil on your beef. Mix all together. Leave a good half hour.

Heat a cast iron pan (cuz we're making stir fries Ree's way, not mine) with 2 tbs peanut oil on medium heat. Leave till wisps of smoke start to rise. Add in the sugar snap peas and fry till golden but still crisp. Remove and set aside.

Add in beef without the marinade. Turn of to medium high. Stir fry till the juice cook down and stick to the beef.


Add in the green onions and stir fry a little more.



Add in the sugar snap peas and the remaining marinade and the pepper flakes. Fry till a lovely color and the sauce in sticky. Serve with warm rice.

French Pizza Night "Tart D'Alsace"

Doesn't this look just yummy scrumbos?  My favorite frozen grocery store pizza is the Tart D'Alsace from Trader Joes.  So Naturally I came to the decision that I could make one just as good.  In actual reality I made it even better.  Instead of ordinary onions I made up sweet caramelized Spanish onions, and instead of ham I used salty smokey heavenly bacon, and instead of a Swiss cheese I used a nutty crumbly rich melting British cheddar.  This was so good it was physically painful to have to share it.  Not sure if I did really.


Tart D'Alsace

Scraps from short crust pastry

Greek Yogurt

1/4 - 1/3 cup honey baked ham, diced

3 TBS of spanish onion, diced roughly

1 pat of butter

A pinch of salt

Coastal Cheddar

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven with the baking sheet in the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Soften up the chilled dough by "kneeding" for a bit till it becomes soft and pliable. Shape into a disc that is 8 inches in diameter. Dust with flour. Roll out into a circle by rolling in one direction and then turning 90 degrees and rolling in the same direction.Now turn in the edges on all sides to create a "crust" for the pizza. Now spread on enough greek yogurt to cover the pizza thinly. sprinkle over the ham. Pop this into the fridge to let the dough chill up again. While the pie is chilling lightly fry the onion in the butter till turning golden, and almost a little black in spots but not burning. Season with a pinch of salt. Take the pizza out and sprinkle over the onions, then take a vegetable peeler and make thin shavings of cheese. make enough to put on your pizza. lay this on your pizza. Sprinkle over freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 9 minutes directly on the preheated baking sheet in the oven. Should be golden brown and flaky, the yogurt should have thickened, and the cheese melted. Eat right away, doesn't really need to cool.

Christmas Toys

There is a beautiful four letter word that is bandied about amongst foodies and cheffies alike. That word is Shun - it is synonymous with precision, elegance, and strength. Could I sound more like a horrible infomercial than I already do? No . . probably not.

Yet these beauties are prized possessions of those who know the true transcendent experience of using one of these lovely pieces of cutlery. For Christmas my sister gave me one of the greatest gifts an aspiring chef can receive - a Shun Santoku . Santoku loosely translates into 'Three Virtues' referring to the three tasks that the knife performs - slicing, dicing, and mincing.

I for one just like to finally feel that I have arrived in acquiring the proper knife which reflects the label my sister bestowed upon me - a knife wielding ninja. I know it isn't reality but I love to fancy myself a character within a culinary Asian drama where in my skills with the knife are able to leave an entire audience stunned. Oh, and while we're add it lets just make a 5' 8" beauty who's hair looks gorgeous even after cooking all day in a hot kitchen.

Now if you'll excuse me . . . I here my basket of onions calling me.

Sausage Rolls - "We can can get heavenly breakfast foraging in the larder, then a real breakfast when we get in." - Kay Harker

Box of Delights . . . Perhaps the paragon of British children's fantasy novels. I'm sure many will prefer The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, but none can compare to the poetic chaotic beauty and magical goose pimples I experience when reading the Box of Delights. I am not posting here a food item specifically referred to in the book, however as fan of the book I am also a fan of the BBC 80's production despite it lacking many a magic scene due to a low budget. In one of my favorite scenes Kay Harker and his friend Peter sneak into a larder to have a secret breakfast; in this scene it would appear they are eating sausage rolls, jam tarts, and lemonade. However in the book they eat ham on bread with a blob of butter, mince pies, and cream. Here I provide sausage rolls since they are my favorite thing that the Brits ever invented. I just about subsisted on them when vacationing in the U.K. with my family. That and curry.


Sausage Rolls

The Sausage Meat

1 Pound of good quality unseasoned pork sausage meat
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp tsp allspice
A sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp mixed herbs (any kind you like, sometimes if I'm feeling lazy I just use poultry seasoning)

Pop everything into a bowl and mix it all up good with your hands till well combined. Leave in the fridge for a good while to let the flavors fully infuse into the sausage meat. This is a good spicy sausage meat that you can use for anything british - Pork pies, scotch eggs, sausage rolls, what have you.

The Rough Puff Pastry

8 ounce of flour

1/2 tsp of salt

6 ounces of butter

About 6 TBS of ice water

The juice of 1/4 of a Lime

or Lemon

Cut up the butter into small blocks, like the size of a dice, maybe slightly larger. Pop these onto plate and leave in the fridge to chill up a bit. Stir the flour and salt together into a chilled

bowl. Pop in the butter. Toss with the flour Add a bit of the water and all of the lime/lemon juice mixing with your hands as you do. Keeping adding and working in the ice water till it turns into a soft pliable

dough. Pop onto a very lightly floured board. Marble is ideal, but not necessary. Roll out into a long rectangle always just rolling back then lifting the pin up and rolling forward. Once rolled out mark the pastry into thirds from top to bottom. Fold the bottom away from you making sure to keep a pocket of

air within and pr

ess it down along the second mark line. Bring the top third down tow

ards you and leaving again a pocket of air and press lightly along the bottom of the pastry. Turn 90 degrees and roll into a long rectangle again. Repeat the folding and rolling at least once or twice more. Ending at the folding up and down part and putting the block of pastry into the fridge for a good 15 minute rest. Repeat this whole thing including the resting time twice more. Then one more time and let rest as long as you can, but 30 minutes is just fine. Now it is ready to roll out and use for wha

tever you like. Makes a good lid for a meat pie (just make sure the filling is cooled down).


Constructing the sausage rolls:

Roll the prepared pastry out as thin as you can. A long wide rectangle is best. Now take out the prepared sausage and shape into longish fat snakes. Lay this sausage at the edge of the rectangle of pastry and then start to roll until all the sausage is completely covered with the pastry.



Get them all rolled up and sealed nicely with a bit of milk. Now take these snakes and slice them into roughly two inches in length. Pop these onto a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and lay this into a large freeze that can hold the baking sheet. Once frozen pop into a large plastic bag and leave in the freezer. Take out and thaw as needed. Create slanted slashes atop the rolls. Put into a 425 degree oven for roughly 15 minutes. Longer of the sausage is very fatty.

Curry for One

Sometimes you just really need a curry. Okay, I always need a curry. So when you're at home just pottering about on your own and need a quick curry without all the fuss I recommend the following recipe. Although between you and me I don't even use recipes anymore for my everyday curries. You just pop in an onion with a bit of ginger paste, garlic paste optional, pop in the spices (basic curry spices being cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder,). Simmer in any sauce you like, tomatoes, yogurt, coconut milk, cream, a bit of water and tomato paste. Finish with garam masala. leave for a few minutes. done. Oh, and don't forget the salt. Spruce up with whatever toppings you like: cilantro, chutney, raita, toasted nuts, whatever.

A Very Simple Curry

1 shallot, finely minced

A heaping tsp of ginger paste

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp coriander

A sprinkle of cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chili paste

2 chicken tenderloin pieces, sliced into bite sized

1/2 cup to 1 cup greek god's yogurt

salt to taste

Water as needed

finishing spices: 1/8 tsp each of garam masala and cumin powder

warm a cast iron pan on medium with a little oil in it. turn to low and add in the shallots. saute your shallot till soft and translucent. Add ginger paste and saute till a little golden. Add in the spices and mix about with the onions and ginger letting it getting fragrant. Add in the chicken and chili paste and stir about till chicken is cooked a bit and turning a nice color and smelling really good. Add in some warm water scrapping up the browned bits. let it simmer a bit. Keep adding in some yogurt and stirring about cooking up till it looks nice and saucy. Season with salt to taste. Let it simmer on a medium low till bubbling about the edges and the chicken is nice and tender with the lid on. once done, turn off the heat stir in the garam masala and cumin powder. Pop the lid on and leave a good 3-5 minutes to let the spices to meld and fuse with the sauce.

serve with toasted almond flakes.

Cumin Chicken Tikka

1 pound of chicken drumsticks

1 TBS Lime juice

Salt to taste

3 oz. of greek yogurt

3 cloves of garlic

Heaping tsp ginger paste

heaping tsp Indian red chili paste

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cayenne

heaping tsp cumin seeds

heaping tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp sugar

1 tbs peanut oil

slash chicken Indian style with kitchen scissors. Rub the lime juice into the chicken and sprinkle all over with salt. While this is marinating mix the rest of the ingredients well and once assemble and the chicken has sat a good 15 minutes in the pre-marinade rub the yogurt and spice mixture well into the chicken. Allow this to marinate for at least a couple of hours, but preferably overnight.

To cook the chicken you may grill it or broil it turning the chicken every ten minutes till the internal temperatures is about 165 or the chicken is coming easily away from the bone. Half way through baste the chicken on side, then towards the last 10-15 minutes baste again on the other side with the remaining marinade. It's find if parts of it appear to be burning. That is just flavor.

Serve either plain or with a tikka masala style gravy, which I provide my recipe here.

Tikka Masala Gravy

TBS butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp Indian red chili paste

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground fennel

sprinkling of cayenne

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tbs tomato paste

Juice of 2/3s of a lime

1 14.5 oz. can of tomatoes, pureed

Salt to taste

TBS butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

Melt butter on low. Add in garlic, ginger, chili paste. Allow to stir fry for a bit till fragrant and lovely. Add in the ground spices and stir about. Allow fragrance to develop. Stir in the tomato paste and allow to cook of for a bit and mix into the aromatics and other spices. Add in the pureed tomatoes a little at a time as you stir and mix into the paste. Once enough added finish off adding in the rest of the tomatoes. Now stir in the lime juice. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Add in the cream slowly on a low heat stirring all the time. Add in the butter and stir still melted and fulling combined in the sauce. Allow this to simmer for a few more minutes. At the very end add the two spices listed below. Serve over rice and chicken tikka (or really anything you like)

Finishing spices (add these once the sauce is essentially done, turn off the heat, pop the lid on and leave 5 minutes):

1 tsp each of ground cumin and garam masala

"A Korma is pointless, it's Futile! I Won't Touch it!" - Smithy from "Gavin and Stacey"

It was just a matter of time that the allure of the Indian curry would find me in the Kitchen gathering up all available spices and having a beautiful dance. I've created a kind of masala dabba (Indian spice box) using various containers I purchased or found about my kitchen. Some spices I needed to purchase and others I could find. The most financially prudent way to purchase Indian spices with the best quality is at Whole Foods in the bulk spice section, however for spices you cannot find there I recommend Penzey's Spice Store. There I found unusual spices like smoky black cardamom and the more traditional white poppy seeds used in Indian cuisine. Haven't been able to procure curry leaves or Amchur (mango powder), however in most cases the leaves are noted as being optional and the mango powder can be substituted with lemon juice.

Okay, talking far too much about my spice shopping. Which curry do I choose to make first? Of course me being me I have researched and poured over just about every curry recipe I could get my grubby little hands on. Since my sister and I actually prefer a a mildly spiced Korma just like Stacey from the Brit-com "Gavin and Stacey" I decided to try a couple of different Korma recipes. In the end I found myself preferring the second rendition that I made. But for the sake of having a "Battle of the Curries" I shall post both recipes here.

The first recipe is a tomatoey creamy korma mildy spiced with fennel and paprika, also noticed the lack of cumin and a smaller addition of fresh ginger. The addition of carrots also bring their own flavor to this curry, adding that sweetness so characteristic to their kind. Note however in both cases the use of a sweet onion. I love sweet onions and pretty much never use anything else.



Creamy Tomato chicken Curry with carrots

10 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bit size pieces
1 large carrot, rolling cut chunks (Japanese style)
¼ cup tomato paste
¾ cup boiling water
A good knob of ginger, grated
3 large cloves of garlic, crushed
Some peanut oil
A knob of butter, unsalted, plus extra for frying onions
½ a sweet onion, sliced thinly
5 cardamom pods, smooshed a bit
6 whole cloves
¼ tsp cinnamon (purchase a stick for next time)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp ground fennel
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ cup coconut milk
¼ cup plain yogurt
Salt

Mix the ginger and garlic together with a ¼ cup of water. Fry you onions in oil and a bit of butter till golden. Add a pinch of salt to the onions. Scoot to one side of the pan. Add the knob of butter. Allow to melt and stop bubbling. Add in the ginger/garlic mixture and sauté till golden and fragrant. Add the whole spices and bobble about till smelling nice. Stir back in the onions. Add the ground spices and incorporate with the onions, frying up till fragrant. Pop in the chicken and stir about till gone white and coated with spices. Add in the carrots and allow to cook for a bit. Add a good sprinkling of salt over the whole lot. Mix boiling water with tomato and add into the chicken and deglaze the pan scrapping up any good flavor bits. Pop the lid on and simmer on low till chicken and carrots are tender and done. Take the lid off and turn up the heat. Allow the liquid to cook down till creamy and thick. Turn heat to low and stir in the coconut milk and yogurt. Add another good pinch of salt. Stir and pop the lid on. Leave turn simmer a few more minutes. Serve with basmati, mango chutney, and cilantro if you like.

The second curry is Nuttier, creamier, and robust with the heady scent of cumin. I love this one because I feel all the flavors blend well, the toasted almonds as a garnish truly elevate the dish to a kind of culinary eloquence if you will.

Creamy Almond Chicken Korma

1 sweet onion, chopped
4 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods
Cinnamon stick
12 ounce of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 + inches of ginger, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp paprika
50 grams of almond butter
8 ounces of chicken stock
1/4 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup of greek yogurt
Salt to taste
2 oz flaked almonds, toasted

Heat some peanut oil over medium heat in a cast iron frying pan. Add the onions and fry till golden. Season with a little salt. Add the whole spices and fry till fragrant. Add in the ginger and garlic and fry till fragrant and colored. Add the ground spices and mix in with the onions and fry till fragrant. Add in the chicken and coat with the onion and spice mixture. Season with a little salt. Cook the chicken for a few minutes. Add in the chicken stock scrapping up all the good bits. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and put the lid on. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes till chicken is cooked through. Take the lid off and bring to a medium heat. Allow the liquid to cook down till it's about half it's original volume. Turn the heat to low again and stir in the almond butter and coconut milk. Season with a little more salt if you like. Allow to simmer for 5 or 10 more minutes. Have the heat now as low as it will go. Add in the greek yogurt and slowly combining. Make sure it is warm. Turn off the heat and pop the lid on. The Heat of the cast iron pan should continue to cook the curry keeping it nice and hot. Serve over basmati rice with the toasted almond flakes (these make this curry truly special).

Culinary Olympics Day 2

Day 2 of Culinary Olympics. Being daunted already by even the thought of 82 countries. I think I’ve lost it. I was able to make dishes for three Asian countries.

Dish: Mongolian Beef
Country: Mongolia, Duh!
Weight: 6 ounces
Dimensions: Variant in nature, a 1 inch high, 5 inch wide blob
Score: 4.6

Dish: Spring Onion Flat Bread
Country: Taiwan
Weight: 18 ounces
Dimnsions: ¼ inch thick, 6 inch diameter
Score: 5.0

Dish: Japanese Cucumber pickle salad
Country: Uhh, Japan
Weight: 4 ounces
Dimensions: 3 inches deep, 4 inches wide in bowl
Score: 4.9

So only three countries this time. I had wanted to do Dan Ta (Custard Tart ) for Hong Kong and trying to find a North Korean recipe. Yah, they don’t exist. I could only find comments on how the food tasted in North Korea by a visiting Guilo. If anyone out there has an authentic North Korean recipe please let me know.

Countries I made. All in all the scores were high. My greatest success, the onion flatbread. A thin layer of toasted Korean sesame oil (I only use Korean, I am a sesame oil snob) rolled into each round flatbread with a sprinkling of green onion. Like heaven to eat, and we ended up doing Asian style tacos by putting the beef in the bread. I love Asian style tacos. My fave- Bulgolgi, Onion/Carrot/Zuchinni sautéed in Korean sesame oil with a little sea salt, Kimchi, Spring Onion Korean Spicy Salad, Cilantro, Korean toasted sesame seeds piled high on a shell fried in . . you guessed it, Korean sesame oil. That stuff is like a fine wine to me. I could take it straight in shots like whisky!

My Culinary Olympic Challenge / Day 1

82 Countries
82 Recipes
16 Days

Can it be done? I hope so. Will I go crazy in the attempt and start acting like a vicious blood sucking bunny? Maybe.
It’s two in the morning and I’m still making lists and compiling recipes. I’m driven. I’m obsessed. I hope this stays with me to the end. It’s the second day of Olympic events, third counting opening ceremony, and so far I’ve produced 5 dishes, and ticked off 5 countries. South Korea, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Iran. So far the key here is to stay focused and keep the dishes simple but delicious. Here are the profiles for my first dishes:


Dish: Kalbi Short Ribs
Country: South Korea
Weight: 1.1 Pounds
Dimensions: ¼ inch thick by 10 inches long
Score: 4.9

Dish: Carrot Pudding
Country: Nepal
Weight: ½ Pound
Dimensions: 1 and ½ inches deep in pot
Score: 3.7


Dish: Chicken Curry with Sliced Apples
Country: India
Weight: 1.6 Pounds
Dimensions: 4 inches deep
Score: 4. 7

Dish: Chapati
Country: Pakistan
Weight: 6 oz.
Dimensions: 5 inches in Diameter
Score: 3.9

Dish: Milky Mash Potatoes
Country: Iran
Weight: 1.2 pounds
Dimensions: 6 inches long
Score: 4.3


It's looking good so far. Curry and Kalbi came through with flying colors, and the Potatoes and Chapati were a close second, with Carrot Pudding trailing in at last. My chapati was a little chewy, but the toastyness ( yes I make words up) made up for it. The curry was a roaring success, and I will definitely be making it again. Please stay tuned for the next countries' dishes, and let me know what you think of my challenge.

Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup

And here is the deliciously edible result of homemade chicken stock: a yummy scrummy Chinese Chicken and Corn soup. This was my favorite to have in a Chinese restaurant growing up. I have of course added my own flair on an originally simple recipe. I highly recommend this soup for any family members who are feeling poorly.



Chinese Chicken and Corn Egg Drop Soup

About 1 – 2 Cups of Left Over Chicken Bits Chopped (I used all the left over bits from my roast chicken)
1 small can of sweet corn
4-6 Cups of Chicken Stock, more will make the soup thinner
2 eggs, stirred as for western scramble
½ a sweet onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBS Soy Sauce, more or less to taste
1 Small red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
3 Green onions, finely chopped
1 TBS pre minced ginger from a jar
A handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
Salt, at least ½ tsp or more to taste (since the stock is unsalted)
2 TBS Cornstarch, mixed with enough water to liquefy

Sautee the onion and garlic till soft and onions slightly colored. Add in chili. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the corn, chicken, and stock (add only 4 cups now, add more later if needed). Bring to a boil. Lower to a bubbling simmer. Leave with lid on for about 20 minutes or so. Stir in the soy sauce, ginger, and salt. Add the cornstarch liquid and bring up heat to about medium. Cook while stirring till it thickens a bit. Slowly add egg with a whisk or fork to create cooked swirls of egg in your soup. Test for seasoning and adjust accordingly. When done turn off heat and throw in cilantro, stir. Serve garnished with green onions.

Put the Bones on to Boil

So what happens after a lovely roast chicken dinner and your left with nought but bones, why homemade chicken stock of course! I have struggled in the past with homemade stock finding it to be severely lacking in flavor or depth. I decided this time round to experiment with a Chinese style stock since my kitchen comes permanently supplied with Asian ingredients, ginger, green onions, garlic and cilantro. I followed the exact cooking directions of Kylie Kwong’s recipe but I used my own ingredients, and it was absolutely perfect. I especially loved the rich aroma of ginger wafting about the house. This is a type of light stock that would be great for more than just soup, although I have yet to make other things with it. It would probably work well for Stir Fry or a Base for Curry Sauce.

Chinese Chicken Stock

1 Chicken carcass with any unattached bones
4 Spring Onions, cut in half
5 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and bruised
1 small handful of fresh cilantro
½ a Carrot, peeled
¼ of a Sweet Onion, sliced into thick wedges
5 Big slices of fresh Ginger
Enough Water to just cover


Pop all ingredients into a pot. Cover with water. Put on full whack till boiling. Skim off impurities then lower to a still simmer. The water should be kept warm but not bubbling. Leave for about two hours with a lid on it. Skim off any impurities and then drain liquid using whatever you have handy, muslin, larger coffee filter. Be patient. The draining may take some time. This stock makes wicked Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup.

Roast Chicken Sundays

Tis a cold and stormy evening and I sense some good old fashioned cooking coming my way. A sizzling roast, Doubley Delish tatter mash, garlicky green beans, and stuffing all drowning in a delicately flavorful camel hued gravy. I believe with some recipes simplicity is key, and my Roast Chicken Dinner is no exception. Notice I do not truss the chicken. This is not necessary. I cheated with stuffing and just served stove top. I do have a super fancy stuffing I make sometimes, but I was going for a simple non stressful dinner.



Roast Chicken


1 Four Pound Chicken
½ Stick Melted Butter, unsalted
1 ½ TBS Dijon Mustard
3 Fresh Sprigs of Rosemary, from my Garden, Each cut in 1/2
6 Cloves of Garlic, 4 bruised, and 2 Sliced
½ a Sweet Onion, Sliced into ½ inch slices
½ a Carrot, cut into 3 inch spears
Salt/ Pepper Nutmeg
1 Pint of Water

Oven: 400 Degrees Fahrenheit ( Note, I have a cheap heat inefficient oven, so use your discretion)

Take chicken out of fridge one hour before preparing it and wash the bird, remove giblets. Pat dry on all sides with paper towels or cloth towel, (throw cloth towel into the laundry directly after using). Melt butter and stir in mustard. Set Chicken on V-rack and put into roasting pan. Rub top of the chicken with butter mixture then tuck the wing tips under the bird. Toss into the bottom of the roasting pan 2 rosemary sprig halves, the 4 bruised garlic cloves, carrot, and onion. Stuff into the bird the rest of the rosemary, garlic slices, 2 tsp of the butter mixture, and salt the cavity liberally. Pop into oven and cook for 1 hour. Take bird out, season the top with salt/ pepper/ nutmeg, then flip with large sturdy tongs. Baste the other side with the rest of the Butter mixture. Pour the water into the bottom of the pan. Roast for 40 more minutes or until the breast reaches 180 degrees. Take out and leave to rest. Start Preparing your tatters roughly ½ hour before you think the chicken should be done.

Doubley Delish Mash

6 yellow Potatoes, quarted
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cut the same size as the yellow tatter pieces
2-3 TBS Butter
¼ Cup of Milk
Salt and Nutmeg

Put at the potatoes into a smallish pot. Salt them, just barely cover with water, pop lid on and put onto a stove top at full whack. Once boiling lower to medium, medium high. Leave partially covered and cook for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and return to pot. Set back on element and dry off the moisture a little. Add a little salt, nutmeg, the butter and milk. Stir and mash the tatters till they look the way you like them. Taste and adjust as you see fit.

Chicken Gravy

Drained Chicken Fat/ Juices ( I use a fancy all in one Chicken fat/ juice drainer Pouring device that drains and eliminates the fat all the same time)
1 can of Swanson’s Chicken Broth
¼ Cup of white flour
Water
Salt / Pepper / Nutmeg

Add Chicken Juices with a touch of the fat to a pan. Add the broth. Bring to a boil. Stir flour into enough water to liquefy it. Once broth/juices/fats are boiling add flour mixture while stirring constantly. Keep on stirring till you reach desired thickness. Taste and season accordingly.

Garlic Green Beans

1 Handful of frozen green beans per person
1-2 cloves of garlic per handful of green beans, crushed
Garlic Salt
Oil

Heat oil on medium high in a wok. Add green beans. Stir-fry till green beans are no longer frozen. Add garlic. Stir-fry till green beans are as tender as you like them. Season with garlic salt liberally.

Thai Curry Peanut Butter Sauce

So I was feeling a little poorly and craving the spicy food that helps burn out the fever. I kept thinking my Red Thai Curry Paste, Curry, sounds good. But what is more fantabulous than curry sauce, why peanut curry sauce! So Here is my version of Thai Peanut Curry Sauce. I served it over rice and autumnal roasted vegetables.

The veggies:

1/2 a Yellow Onion, wedged
1/2 a head of Garlic, peeled and sliced
1 large carrot, cut into 3 inch spears
6 new potatoes, but in half
1 sweet potato, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 of a cabbage, slice into 1 inch thick wedges
1 small leak, halved lengthwise, and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 TBS Olive Oil
2 tsp Sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degree Fahrenheit. Prep the vegetables and put into a large roasting pan and toss with the olive oil and sugar. Put into the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until done and caramelized to your liking. While this is cooking clean up, take a quick shower, etc. But do not forget to check it once every 10-15 minutes, and give a good toss. When they have been cooking for 30 minutes start the rice cooking in your rice cooker (if you don't have one, get one, 30 dollars at costco), you will thank me for it. Once you get the rice on its way start on you sauce (again I don't use recipes, so use your own discretion when using one of my recipes, add 1/2 the portion of anything if you like):

Thai Peanut Curry Sauce

2 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste
1 TBS Lite Olive Oil
1.5 cups of Water
1/2 cup extra of water ( for later)
3 TBS crunchy Peanut butter
2 TBS fish sauce
2 TBS Dark Brown Sugar
1 chicken broth cube
1/2 cup extra of water ( for later)
1 TBS cornstarch
1/2 to 1 Cup coconut milk

Saute the curry paste with oil in a moderately warm pan till fragrant. Add a little of the water and de-glaze the bottom of the pan (the paste will stick a little). Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the curry paste. stir in the peanut butter, fish sauce, dark brown sugar and chicken cube, stirring as you add to help along the dissolving process. While stirring add the rest of the first portion of water. Bring to a boil, and continue stirring to thoroughly combine everything. Lower to a bubbling simmer, add the 1/2 cup water with the cornstarch together, cook till the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick cream or egg drop soup. When the rice and veggies are ready lower the heat to low of the sauce and stir in coconut milk. Serve over the veggies and rice.

Happy Halloween Pumpkin Curry

This Halloween I made a luscious and creamy Kabocha pumpkin curry using my favorite Jamaican Curry Powder by Grace Foods. My recipe is so simple (yet so good, thanks mainly to finally finding a yellow curry mix I am bonkers about.) I don't really use recipes when I cook (only when I bake), so my amounts are a little bit guesstimated.

1: 4 pound pumkin, deseeded, and slice into large bite sized pieces
1 14 oz can of coconut milk
3 cups (or so) of broth (whatever you like)
2-4 TBS of Brown Sugar
1 Large onion, thinly slice
2-4 TBS of Jamaican Hot Yellow Curry Powder (Grace Foods), I found this at a Jamaican Grocery store
Salt

Roast(recommended method) or steam your pumpkin pieces till they are cooked through (if roasted toss in a little olive oil, put in an oven at 425 F till just tender). While doing this make the sauce. Fry your onion in a butter/ oil mixture till golden, add a pinch of sugar if you wish to speed up the process. Once cooked add as much curry powder as the onion will soak up. Fry for a minute or two to develop the flavor. Deglaze with part of the coconut milk and a little broth remembering to scrape up the flavor with a flipper dipper. Allow to simmer a few minutes. Add the rest of the broth and brown sugar and bring to a low boil. Leave on a low simmer while your pumpkin finishes cooking. Add pumpkin to curry sauce when done. Leave on a simmer till ready to serve. Right before serving stir in the rest of the coconut milk. Season with salt and adjust the seasonings as you see fit.

Culinary Adventures

 I am beginning my first culinary blog.  I hope to write about my adventures, via food, movies, and literature, through both real, like Asia and Europe, and fantasy worlds, like Narnia or The Twelve Kingdoms.  I want to redefine views on food.  It is not just fuel.  It represents human emotions, relationships, and cultural heritage that can reflect so much more than just food.  I would love to start a group of people that are looking to reenact food scenes in both books and movies as well.