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Shrimp Scampi and Garlic mussels with white wine and heirloom tomatoes.
I had a dinner guest yesterday and had to cook dinner quickly since I then had to say goodbye and see my sweet off to the airport.
When in a rush, seafood is a good bet.
I made a quick scampi for first course which I have posted about in an earlier post.
It is the simplest and most delicious thing you can make in under 5 minutes.
Heat some olive oil and I throw in a couple of green chilies for good measure to flavor the oil.
Add the shrimp and season with salt.
Add tons of minced garlic and cook shrimp for a couple of minutes. Add a good splash of wine and some broth if you want extra sauce. Cook another couple minutes and finish with a pat of butter.
Serve with crusty bread in a bowl with the shrimp and sauce.
While the bowls are being cleared, I start the second course which is equally fast and flavorful.
Heat up about a cup or two of broth (chicken, clam or even water) with a cup of white wine. When it comes to a boil add the mussels and a pinch of salt.
Cover. Chop up the best tomatoes you can find – I used heirloom tomatoes that were extra ripe and juicy.
In about 5 minutes the mussels should all be open, add minced garlic, chopped tomatoes and a pat of butter.
Cover with the heat off and finish with chopped parsley.
Serve in large bowls, again with a crusty bread and a crisp white wine.
Dinner is done and now we say our good byes.
Sigh.
Until I cook again!
Month: June 2015
Poached Salmon on Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Yes the heat is upon us and I like to stay in the kitchen for a minimal amount of time making dishes that allow me to walk away while they cook.
Poaching is the perfect technique.
I like to poach a large piece of salmon and use it in this dish or make salads for sandwiches and quick snacks.
I hope you learn the technique of poaching and then can apply it to most fish as well as chicken.
POACHED SALMON OVER PEANUT SESAME NOODLES
Poaching is a fantastic technique.
I talked of poached eggs and now we poach salmon.
It is a great dish to have cold over salads, pasta or sandwiches.
Poach a side of salmon and create quick and delicious meals for the week.
Create a court bouillon which is a just a fancy French way of saying a flavorful poaching liquid. I add a few black peppercorn, parsley, onions, garlic, ginger and lemon juice.
Slather the salmon with grainy mustard and place in the liquid once it comes to a boil.
Bring the liquid back up to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes covered. Make sure the water is not boiling or it’ll will coagulate the salmon protein and make it tough.
Once its cooked through, I like to leave it in the poaching liquid till it cools.
Use the liquid to cook the pasta or rice.
For the pasta – it is a very simple recipe – make a sauce of peanut butter, tahini if you have it, chili sauce (preferably Asian), soy sauce and some sesame oil. Add a little water if you need to and pour over hot noodles.
Toss the cooked pasta with this flavorful sauce and top with a piece of the salmon and you have a nutritious and beautiful dinner.
This dish can also be eaten cold and think of taking it to your next picnic or add it as a side to your outdoor grilling parties.
Until I eat again!
Saag Paneer (Spinach and home made cheese)
Paneer (home made cheese) with Spinach
This is the only picture since I wasn’t planning on blogging about it – but got many requests for the recipe.
By popular demand – here goes.
This is not exactly what you would find in a restaurant but I will tell you how to achieve that too.
1 lb. paneer (buy in Indian stores), cut into 2 inch rectangles.
I will post the recipe of how to make your own paneer if I get enough requests 🙂
8 ounces, chopped frozen spinach (use fresh if you like)
1 onion, diced
4 plum tomatoes, diced (use canned if you like)
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped finely
salt to taste
1 tbsp. cumin powder
2 tbsp. coriander powder
½ tsp. cayenne pepper – or to taste
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Heat the oil and add the onions and salt. Saute for about 10 minutes or till the onions are caramelized. Add the cumin, cayenne and coriander, along with the ginger and garlic.
Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes making sure the spices are cooked through.
Now add the tomatoes, spinach and ½ cup of water.
–If you are looking to achieve the restaurant style smooth spinach – blend this mixture and put it back in the hot pan.
Add the paneer and simmer for about 10 minutes or till the paneer has come up to temperature.
Add some more water if you need to.
Taste for seasoning and serve hot with chapati or rice or whatever you please 🙂
Until I cook again!
Indian Frozen Foods – Chicken Tikka Masala
I get this question so often that I have decided to focus on Indian frozen foods more.
It is both for my knowledge and to help you navigate through the ever increasing numbers of frozen products out there.
Please let me know if you have any favorites or things that may have disappointed you.
INDIAN FROZEN FOODS
I am often asked about Indian foods in the freezer section.
My response if always the same – it is what Stoeffers lasagna is to your grandma’s.
Don’t expect it to be the best but in a pinch – it’s fine.
There are so many companies now and I will admit that I haven’t tasted them all and don’t intend to.
But of those that I have, these are my conclusions of the Chicken Tikka Masala:
It’s nearly not enough food for this girl.
I need to supplement with bread or another meal or consider it a snack.
The rice is always exceptional – god knows which rice they use.
It is always very fragrant.
The chicken is a tad over cooked and dry but that is to be expected.
The sauces tend to be sweet like in this one for instance.
But overall, its okay – I can’t really say much more than that.
Trader Joe’s prices are the best.
This meal here I bought from d’agostinos and I believe it was close to $7/-
Trader Joe’s is $3/- and so you can have two.
I keep a few frozen dinners in my freezer – usually a pot pie and lasagna.
So, in a pinch when you come home and have about 10 minutes for a meal – this is your answer.
Until I eat again!
Very Simple and Delicious Chicken Livers
SPICY CHICKEN LIVERS
I make the best chicken livers – I really do.
I make them in several ways but this is a special weekend treat.
Buy good and fresh chicken livers from a butcher or a reputable store.
1 lb. chicken livers, washed and drained
6 green chilies or to taste
1 tbs. oil
cilantro for garnish
3 -4 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
In a pan, heat the oil and put the chilies – cook them for a minute so they blister.
Add the livers and season with salt and pepper.
Cook on one side for 5 minutes and then turn them over. cook another 5 minutes – they are ready when they are barely pink from the center.
Squeeze fresh lemon over them and enjoy with eggs, paratha (Indian flat breads) or any other crusty bread.
I will share my other chicken liver recipes in the future posts – cognac laced chicken liver pate anyone?
Until I eat again!
Leg of Lamb in a Spicy Green Sauce (with an Indian flair)
A leg of lamb is a thing of beauty.
This is a recipe that I developed over years – borrowing from others and fine tuning the tastes. This is what I have come up with now.
A AA
I make a mean leg of lamb – it is so simple and satisfying.
I make it for company and then there are always leftovers for sandwiches or just a midnight snack.
This has an Indian flair to it in that it is spicy and very flavorful.
1 leg of lamb (Bone in or out – your choice ) – it will effect the cooking times
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch thyme, optional
1 bunch mint, picked
2 tbs. dijon mustard
2,3,4 or how many ever green chilies
6-8 cloves of garlic
juice of a juicy lemon
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup oil
Put all ingredients in a food processor/blender and make a paste.
(This is a great sauce for tea sandwiches or I add it to rice)
Marinate the lamb as long as you have (from 6 hours to 48 hours)
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Bring the leg to room temperature for about half and hour.
Cook on high heat for 30 minutes and then lower the heat to 350 degrees.
Now the cooking times will vary according to the size of the leg and if it is bone in or not.
Takes about an hour and a half depending on it you want it rare, medium rare or well done.
Please don’t make it well done.
With a thermometer check the temperature:
145 degrees is rare, 160 is medium rare and 170 is well done.
Serve with potatoes, beans or even couscous.
Enjoy – write me. I live for your comments.
How to Poach Eggs
HOW TO POACH EGGS
Anyone who reads my posts knows my love of eggs. They are just such a versatile protein packaged in a convenient shell.
I enjoy poaching eggs and have noticed that many people are afraid of this technique.
It couldn’t be simpler – you just have to be patient and a little quick.
It is also a healthy way of cooking eggs without any fat.
Take a large skillet and fill it with about an inch of water and a tsp. of white vinegar.
The vinegar helps the protein coagulate and for the egg to stay together.
Cold eggs are best for this since the yolk is sturdier when cold.
When the water comes to a boil, break an egg into a bowl and gently slide it into the water. The closer you get to the water the better shape the egg will keep.
Do this with all the eggs you plan to cook and as you see in the 3rd pic, turn them carefully when the whites have set. Flip them slowly and then cook for another couple of minutes.
The beauty of the poached egg is its runny nature. So if you like a fully cooked yolk, this is probably not the technique for you.
When the egg looks cooked enough to handle, pull it out and place it on a paper towel to soak up the water. Dry it from the top too and season with salt and pepper.
Once you have these ready, the sky is the limit as to how you can use them.
Simply topped over buttered toast.
Eggs benedict of course – we’ll talk Hollandaise another time.
As pictured, I set it atop toast with poached salmon I had left over with an arugula salad and a balsamic dressing.
Please don’t be afraid of poaching.
At the most you’ll crack a few eggs 🙂 Who cares.
O, I forgot, top pasta and soups with poached eggs. The yolk running onto the pasta when you break it open is heaven.
Until I eat again!
Egg Curry
HOME MADE CHICKEN CORN SOUP
Home Made Chicken Corn Soup
It all started with a whole chicken and a recipe I read about steamed soy sauce chicken. That is a story for another day but for the purposes here I made a chicken broth.
You can do this by covering a chicken in cold water – add aromatics like sliced fresh ginger, couple garlic cloves, cilantro stems and a few green chilies.
Let the water come up to a boil uncovered and then simmer for about 30 minutes and you have chicken broth.
Remove the skin and shred the chicken. Set aside.
To defat the broth, you can use the fat separator or leave the broth in the fridge overnight – a layer of fat with form on top which you can remove.
Don’t throw the fat away though – use to cook potatoes 🙂
When ready to make soup – bring the broth up to a boil and dissolve 3 table spoons of corn starch in cold water.
Season the broth with salt or soy sauce – it will change the color of your broth if you use soy sauce.
When the broth is hot, slowly drizzle about ½ the cornstarch into it, stirring constantly.
Let it come up to a boil and see if you like the consistency. Chinese restaurants make this soup way too gloppy – you make it as thick as you like by adding more of the cornstarch slurry.
Add the frozen corn and the chicken – when you do this doesn’t really matter.
When the soup has thickened, beat two eggs and pour them into the hot soup.
Stir as you drizzle if you want the egg to break up or let the eggs make larger strings by not stirring.
Taste the soup for seasoning.
For garnish, I like to slice green chilies and add them to white vinegar.
I serve the soup with my favorite sirracha, sesame oil and cilantro leaves.
Let your guests add as much seasoning as they like.
Try this soup – it is so simple, so much better than your local Chinese restaurant and o so soul warming.
Until I eat again!
SPICY AND TANGY ARBI (EDDO/MALANGAS) WITH POTATOES
Arbi – also called Eddoe or Eddo is a tropical vegetable, closely related totaro.
Eddoes are also called malangas in Spanish-speaking areas and is known as arvi or arbi in Urdu and Hindi
Arbi is a vegetable I grew up eating as a child and I quite enjoyed it. This weekend when I was in the Indian market I ran into them and asked my mother if she would teach me to cook it. She agreed and this is what I learned.
First you boil them in lots of salted water much like potatoes. We added a few potatoes too since potatoes are standard in this dish.
After they are soft, drain, cool and peel.
In the meantime process a red onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies in a food processor to form a coarse paste.
Cut the arbi and potatoes into 2 inch pieces and add the onion paste to it along with 2 tbs. coriander powder, 1 tbs. cumin powder, 1 tbs. red pepper flakes, salt, 2 tbs. mango powder and 1 tsp. carom seeds (ajwain).
-If you can’t find mango powder, add 2 tbs. vinegar.
Mix well and then add 3 tbs. of flour – mix well again.
Now heat a skillet with 2 tbs. oil ( I like to use mustard oil – you can use any oil like vegetable or peanut).
Now add the spiced arbi and potatoes. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes or until they are brown and create a crunchy crust in places.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve as a part of an Indian meal.
It is also quite good as a snack with drinks.
We ate it with chicken kebabs, daal and chapati.
Please try this dish – it is healthful and really delicious.
Until I eat again!
Indian Culinary Center, NYC 