Senin, 31 Maret 2014
Academy Award Winning Buffet of Goodies!
As my mother would say I love to watch anything that jumps around in front of my face. What she means by that is that I adore television and movies, particularly old movies, the ones you see on TCM. If I did not have to make a living, and because it would be socially unacceptable, I could sit like a zombie in front of a big screen tv and mindlessly click and blankly stare my way through life. Obviously, I, therefore, consider Academy Award night a very special night, not only for the awards, but for the clothes, jewels, hair, makeup and gossip which is equally as entertaining. In honor of my very special night, Nan (and I) prepared a very tasty little buffet full of my favorite goodies. My niece, Sophia, who is also my very eager and quite compotent sous chef, assisted me in making a fresh salsa and mango habenero chicken wings. Nan contributed her famous and most delicious taco dip to the party.
For the salsa, I (and Sophia) chopped approximately 4 tomatoes and placed them in the food processor with 1/2 onion, 1 garlic clove, several fresh chili peppers, a bunch of cilantro, the juice of one lime and salt. Because the tomatoes were of the dreaded winter variety and were barely even pink in color, I added about 1 teaspoon of tomato paste to add a bit of color, but up the flavor, add provide consistency. I pulsed it all to the proper consistency, but be careful, you dont want to pulverize it into tomato juice. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
My brother requested Mango Habanero chicken wings which I experimented with because I have never made them before. The flavor was great but I was so worried they would be too hot that I did not add enough habanero so, while tasty, they did not provide the kick I was looking for. In a small saute pan with a little bit of oil, I sweated about 1/2 small onion, 2 garlic cloves and 3/4 of a habanero pepper (if you want it hotter add the whole pepper). Set them aside to let them cool for a moment and added 1 can of Mango Nectar (you can find it in the Latin food aisle of the grocery store) to the food processor. Once cool, I added the onion mixture to the mango necture and turned pulverized until it was a smooth and very loose mixture. Next, pour the mixture in a sauce pan and add about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce and heat until reduced slightly. Just before you are ready to pour the mixture over your cooked chicken wings (see entry from February 19 for more on cooking the chicken wings), remove from the heat and wisk in a half stick of butter, cut into smaller pieces. Pour over the wings and serve hot!
While most layered taco casseroles I have seen are cold, this one is heated in the oven. In a pie pan, start with a layer of refried beans. Top with a layer of 1 pound of browned ground beef cooked with taco seasoning, about 1/2 bottle of your favorite jarred salsa and a mound of cheese (we used cheddar/jack). Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and melted. Spoon onto your plate and serve with tortilla chips, hot sauce and sour cream.
OATS AND CRACKED WHEAT RAVA IDLI
Dear friends, I am taking a small break from blogging for a couple of days, some last minute vacation plan :) Ill see you all next week :)
INGREDIENTS:
1. Cracked wheat, 1 cup.
2. Oats flour or oats bran, ½ cup. (To make oats flour, blend regular oats in a blend to a powder texture).
3. Thick sour yogurt, 1 cup.
4. Water, 2/3 cup or more depending upon batter thickness.
5. Baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon.
6. Salt, ½ teaspoon.
7. Chopped cilantro, ¼ cup.
8. Broken cashews.
PREPARATION:
Fry the cashews in a little oil until they turn golden brown. Mix wheat rava, oat bran, beaten curd, baking soda, salt, cashews, chopped cilantro with 2/3 cup of water. Add more water if needed until the desired consistency is reached. The batter should be just thick enough to pour into the molds. Pour the batter into regular idlis mould and steam for 10 minutes. Once cooled, remove from the mould and serve hot with any chutney or sambar.
Variation: Mustard seeds can be spluttered and added to the batter and fried channa dhal can also be added.
Deviled Shrimp Ragu Over Creamy Corn Custard – Hell Yeah!
As promised, here is part 2 to the heavenly corn custard video recipe I just posted. This sexy seafood concoction is a slightly more refined take on the southern classic, shrimp and grits.Grits has yet to find its way into my repertoire. Ive made it maybe twice in 30 years of cooking.
I don’t even remember if I like it, but I like polenta, and every time I see someone on TV making, or eating shrimp and grits, I think to myself, "that looks great, I really should make that."
Whatever the inspiration, this subtly sweet, fairly fiery shrimp ragu poured over the light, creamy custard was a magnificent combination.
The firm spicy shrimp and the soft, sweet corn not only complimented each other, they pushed each other to places neither could have reached alone.This would make a fantastic first course for any summer dinner, and its certainly rich enough to be enjoyed as a entrée. You can also pour this over rice or noodles with complete confidence. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
1 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced very fine
salt to taste
cayenne to taste, optional
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced chives
1 tbsp cold unsalted butter
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins
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Wake up with a warm and lovely carrot muffin.
Happy First Friday of the New Year. Like any first of any season this auspicious occasion makes yours truly want to bake. And with snow on the ground, it has to be muffins- like these tender little bundles of gluten-free joy. So cute and sunny. I love the carroty color. The subtly fragrant texture of coconut flour and quinoa flakes. A hint of cinnamon and ginger. A bite of raisin.
Seriously chai worthy.
And more fiber rich than say, a powdered donut. Or your average gluten-free bagel which is nothing but starch (not that I have anything against starch these days; I am embracing my personal Doris since the news about weight and a longer life). This a treat you can eat without a heavy helping of self-imposed guilt.
Truth is I don't count calories or worry about dieting.
At my age (or any age?) I think worrying can make you gain weight.
Focusing on all the food you can't have. Thinking about how many bites is too much. Cutting back so drastically on caloric intake or carbs that your blood sugar plunges faster than a carnival ride. You don't want to be around me if I'm on a diet- or a low-carb regimen. I am one wildly cranky be-atch. I lose brain cells. I see flashing lights. I tip over. I claw through the refrigerator overwhelmed with the sensation of deprivation.
Until I find the long lost bag of gluten-free pretzels.
Then I'm done.
And done in.
So I don't bother with the details when I need to
Then I go for a walk (if it isn't zero degrees). I try to keep moving. Because the reason I gain a pie roll this time of year has less to do with carbs and fat grams than you think. It's not the morning muffin that gives me my muffin top. It's the hibernation. The paucity of exercise. The bump on the log that I become once the sun sets- at 4:42 PM.
It's hard to burn calories watching reruns of Downton Abbey.
Unless you're on a treadmill.
Which, like cousin Violet, I am most decidedly not.
Read more + get the recipe >>
Minggu, 30 Maret 2014
SANDRAS ALASKA KING CRAB MELT SUPREME
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| What a special treat that is so quick to prepare, a must when you have fresh Alaskan king crab... |
or 4 as a sidedish)
Posted: by Sandra
Prep: 15 min |
Cook time 20 min
INGREDIENTS
***Crab mixture
· ½ lb. king crab meat
· 1/4 cup mayonnaise
· 1/4 cup sour cream
· ½ teaspoon lemon juice
· ½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
· ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
· 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
· ¼ teaspoon each:
--Old bay seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder
· Kosher & freshly ground pepper to taste
***Cheddar cheese sauce
· 1-1/2 tablespoons butter
· 1-1/2 tablespoons flour
· Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
· 3/4 cup milk
· 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese; grated
· 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (beautifully enhances ‘yellow’ color)
· 4 slices of quality bread
· Olive oil (for brushing the bread before toasting)
· 4 bacon slices, cut in half, and cooked
· 1 tomato, thinly sliced (placed on top after cooking, but before cheese sauce)
***Garnish options
· paprika
· 1 chives (or green onions), chopped
METHOD
Preheat the over to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon then set aside on paper towel. In a medium bowl whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, worcestershire, dijon, and curry powder together, and then fold in the crabmeat; set aside.
Scantly brush the bread with olive oil and ‘lightly’ toast in toaster (to prevent getting soggy in the oven), and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Layer each with two ½-slices of bacon, and generously place crabmeat mixture over the bacon. Bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and seasonings and let the ‘flour flavor’ cook out for a couple of minutes; gradually adding the milk and heat (do not boil), whisking constantly until well blended. Turn heat off and add the cheese and tumeric, blending until smooth.
Remove bread with crab and bacon from oven; placing two apiece on each serving plate, place a slices of tomato on top, covering with cheese sauce, and garnish with paprika, and chives. Serve hot. ~ Enjoy!
To copy restaurant recipes
Copy of restaurant recipe can be easy or hard to s. It depends whether a dish is easy to tend as many side dishes or complex, how many main dishes or appetizers are - especially those which are considered a restaurants "Billboard" or signature menu item.
The key to a qualified restaurant is menu Copycatter to try a variety of dishes from restaurants. Also, try your taste buds and nose, able to detect and differentiate between various spices to train herbs and other flavors. Make a list (mental or on paper) of all the ingredients that you think are the next you have element of food in a restaurant and you say your Waitperson questions if you correctly linked.
When the waiter, cooking or your favorite recipe Manager is ready, you used a copy of the actual recipe to create a specific court, most of the way home to you, copy it in your own kitchen.
After the list of ingredients and some instructions for putting together and preparation is most of the battle of course. But even then could not having some special utensils or devices are used to make the dish the restaurant need to compensate. Or, you may need to scale the recipe significantly down you, if the recipe exist, is to produce large batches at a time.
There are books available now that these problems have developed. Their authors have spent many hours track or find scores of these secret restaurant recipe-s test over and over, and then change kitchen as needed for the average Kochs.
Where is a way. If your wildest desire is located, your favorite-restaurants top to copy recipe at home know that you can do it... so get to work!
Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist solid gold info writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to duplicate exactly a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarahs article where reveals your source for the most delicious secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html
Rabri
Rabri
Ingredients
- Milk 3 liter
- Sugar 100 gm
- Cardamom, Nutmeg & Mace powder a pinch
- Pistachio sliced to garnish
Method
- Bring 3 liters milk to a boil in a deep heavy pan.Allow to boil for 1 hour .While the milk is boiling slowly keep stirring to avoid burning and let the cream thicken at the edge of the pan.
- Lastly when thick add 100 gm sugar a pinch of cardamom, nutmeg and mace powder.Garnish with 1 tbsp sliced pistachio and serve.
Sabtu, 29 Maret 2014
The 3 Most Important Ingredients used in Anglo Indian Cooking – Vinegar Ginger and Garlic Paste and Oil
The 3 Most Important Ingredients used in Anglo-Indian Cooking – Vinegar, Ginger and Garlic Paste and Oil
1. As far as possible use White Non-Fruit Vinegar in Vindaloo and other dishes calling for Vinegar. Fruit Vinegars such Apple cider Vinegar, coconut vinegar, etc would give our Anglo-Indian Vindaloo a completely different taste.
2. To get the authentic Anglo-Indian Curry taste while using the recipes in my books, use ginger and garlic paste that is ground at home in a blender using fresh root ginger and garlic. The ready made ginger and garlic paste available in stores around the world contain preservatives and other ingredients that detract from the original taste of the Curry giving it a completely different flavour.
If fresh home made ginger and garlic paste is not available, then Garlic Powder can be used instead of fresh garlic. 1 teaspoon of garlic powder is equal to a whole garlic, so half a teaspoon would suffice. Ginger powder too can be substituted for fresh ginger. 1 teaspoon of dry ginger powder mixed with ¼ cup of water is equal to 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger paste, so half a teaspoon of ginger powder would be equal to 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger paste.
3. Any good cooking oil could be used in the preparation of these dishes such as Sun flower Oil, groundnut Oil or even Olive Oil depending on one’s preference.
All the Recipes in my Books are for 6 generous servings. If cooking for a smaller or larger number, the quantities should be adjusted accordingly. Likewise, the pungency of the dishes could be reduced by reducing the amount of chillie powder and other seasonings according to individual tastes.
Garbanzo Bean Pilaf Nohutlu Pilav
Now a highly common and popular street food, garbanzo bean pilaf (nohutlu pilav), was a special dish served during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror by Grand Vizier Mahmut Paşa to his guests. Mahmut Paşas pilaf had both real, edible garbanzo beans and garbanzo beans made out of gold! Mahmut Paşa called the golden ones his "diş kirası," which literary translates as "tooth money." But dont think it was a compensation for broken teeth! In the past it was a tradition of wealthy families to give a feast for the poor and the wealthy alike during the month of Ramadan. The family would give a small gift to everyone who attended the fast breaking dinner (iftar) for kind-of renting their teeth to their hosts for the night. Apparently Mahmut Paşa offered the gift in the food in stead of handing it out.
Nowadays in Turkey you can eat this rich and tasty pilaf, usually along with pieces of chicken, at small sloppy restaurants during the day and on the street late at night, post-bar hours, and with no "tooth money."
1 cups rice
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (soaked over night and boiled the next day until cooked or use can garbanzo beans)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp butter (traditionally sheeps tail fat is used for this recipe, but we settle down for butter now)
2 cups of water
salt and pepper
-Heat butter in a non-stick pot.
-Add onion and stir until soft.
-Add rice and garbanzo beans. Stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add water, salt, and pepper.
-Let it boil first and then turn it to low heat. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. Do not stir the rice while cooking.
-Turn it off and cover the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Place lid on tightly. Let sit for ~10 minutes.
-Fluff and serve it as a main dish or as a side with meat.
Summer Menu Ideas
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Mango Mousse Recipe
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White Chocolate Coconut Mousse
Fun Jello Cake
Cookie Truffles
The Best Truffles Ever
Perfect Pink Rice Krispies Cupcakes
"Caramel Kix Balls"
Chocolate Cookie Roll
Raw Coconut Pudding
"Ambrosia Dessert Pasta Salad"
Fruit Salad
Strawberry Salad
The Easiest Biscuit Cake Ever
Raspberry Marshmallow "Zefir" (Зефир)
BBQ Chicken
Chicken Cabbage Salad
Bell Peppers and Rice Noodles Salad
Cabbage Salad in Brine
Marinated Tomatoes in Ketchup
Quick Marinated Cucumbers
Black Forest Ham Sandwich
Pita Pocket Sandwich
Smoked Cheese Sandwiches
Early Riser or Kwintus Beans
These, my friends, are beans. Eight to 10 inch long, flat, Romano style beans. According to our preference, they are a pole bean, but they are ready in as few as 55 days; or about the same time as most early bush beans. I would say they beat Blue Lake this year by about 10 days. They can be expected to last all season too, unlike most bush beans. So far, they have been churning them out pretty steadily, although after a month it looks like they might take a little break. Theyll be back though; there are new flowers forming on the vines.
People claim they are good even when very large. Im finding they actually have a fairly narrow window of opportunity for picking. It isnt that they arent good at a range of sizes from moderately small to quite large; its that they grow so fast they can whizz through that window within a day, easily. So, like just about every other bean its best to pick these every day. They can get as long as they like, but once they start to thicken they toughen fairly rapidly.
In addition to having been apparently renamed from Early Riser to Kwintus, some people say that Northeaster is the same variety as well. Im not finding a lot about the history of these beans under any name. They are an Italian type, but said to be French, or Dutch. One suggestion is that they are, in fact, Piatelli (Plate); definitely Italian in that case, although that name describes more a class of bean than a specific variety. It does makes a certain amount of sense, however. If that is the case, then if I let them get too large to cook as green beans, they should be good as shelly or dried beans.
How and when they made the jump to North America and acquired all the new names, I dont know. But they are well worth growing for their extreme speed of production.
They have been extremely healthy and rampant. By now they are up to the top of the trellis and making forays into the territory of the beans next to them, and growing back down again. Many of our larger beans did this last year; ultimately going up to the top, back down to the bottom, and back up to the top again by the time they died down, meaning that ultimately the vines would have been over 20 feet in length. Its too early to say for sure that these will do that, but I will not be surprised at all if they do. We arent having disease problems with the beans this year, but overall, these are lush and dark green. Like all beans, they prefer hot weather and should not be planted until the soil has warmed up sufficiently.
Those flowers in the picture are not the bean flowers, but from a trumpet vine I was pruning.
Jumat, 28 Maret 2014
The Not So Hidden Valley Paleo Ranch Dressing
Happy face lettuce leaf says "make this salad dressing...or the lady eats me!" (Spoiler alert: hes dead now.)
Paleo Ranch Dressing
By Paleo Table
- 1 cup paleo mayonnaise
- 1 cup canned coconut milk, shaken
- 1-2 Tbsp. fresh dill, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced into a paste with a bit of Kosher salt
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Whisk all ingredients to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator for however long it doesnt go bad.
Chicken and Spring Pea Stir Fry
I just realized this year that I am wild about peas in a pod! Snow peas and sugar nap peas. They have the most delicious delicate yet sweet flavor and the most wonderful crunch. They require and, in fact, are at their best with little preparation and hardly any cooking time at all. Here I have lived all these years and never knew what a treat Spring peas were. Now that I know and am sharing my discovery, go get some and make them immediately!
This may possibly be the easiest and fastest stir fry ever. I poached a boneless skinless chicken breast early in the day and chilled it out in the refrigerator until it was time for dinner. When it was time for the stir fry, I cut the chicken breast into strips. As the fry pan was heating with a tablespoon of canola oil, I chopped a little onion, washed my peas and made a sauce of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, asian chili sauce, rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame oil. I stir fried the onions for just a minute until they were translucent, added the peas and tossed them in the pan for about 30 seconds. Then, in with the chicken just long enough to heat through or another 30 seconds or so. Finally, I poured in the sauce, stirred it all to combine and turned off the heat. I tumbled the perfectly cooked still crunchy peas and chicken over a bed of fluffy white rice and I had an incredibly quick, delicious and healthy Springtime meal.
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