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Tag Archives: Dinner
Green lentils are slowly simmered with spicy Portuguese chorizo, leeks, carrots and celery to make a hearty autumn soup.
Zen (Zen Can Cook) and I were having a twitter converse the other evening about all things Basque, in particular, about him growing up in the region and I being of the Basque heritage. At the end of the conversation I was hungry for all things Basque in particular the comfort food of my youth.
My great grandmother came over to the states in the mid 1910′s from her native country the Vizcaya Spain region. I admire her for leaving her family, friends and country to seek new adventures at such a young age and being a woman on top of that - I am sure I get my sense of adventure from her or at least I like to *think so*. After being in the New York area for a bit she found herself in Northern Nevada at which time she fell in love, got married, had 8 kids and lived on a working ranch, yes, they herded sheep, just as they did in the old country, hence where my other love of eating lamb came from!
I have fond memories of her during my early days of youth. You see she passed away when I was 10, so I never really got to know “her”. I do remember going to her house, almost every afternoon, for coffee and cookies, the reason for my coffee addiction! I remember her praying and going to church and I would tag along sometimes. I loved the veils she wore over her pulled back gray hair and the mystery behind her going, the prayer beads and god. If she had lived longer, I probably would have continued going to church, with her, maybe I quit going because god took her from me at such a young age? I remember pots of “stuff” cooking on the stove, stuff that always smelled great and more times than not it tasted fantastic. I am sure if she lived longer, I would have loved to eat tripe at an early age, as now, I love it!
There are a few dishes that I remember eating often and one of them was lentils. I loved how small these little beans were and how the skin slipped off on the top of your tongue and what was left was a smooshy little bean. I use to be able to eat bowls of them. As well I loved all the garlic that was added to the pot and the smell of it slightly burning in the oil right before the lentils and broth was added. And I loved the spicy chorizo that was added to the mix. I have not made lentils in some time and usually when I make them now, it always ends up as something else, not soup. Thanks to Zen, I was provoked, to pull up some recipes that are tucked away in my memory and now I would like to share one with you.
Recipe: Chorizo and Lentil Soup
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chorizo, cut into slices *used Portuguese Chorizo as I cannot find Basque Chorizo in our area, we bring Portuguese chorizo from Boston, when we are out there
1 cup green lentils, cleaned and picked through
64 oz chicken stock
1 dry farmed tomato, left whole
Heat olive oil in a soup pot, add leek, celery and carrots. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, add the chorizo and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic (I add the garlic at the end of sauteing as it is suppose to have added health benefits if not overcooked), lentils and stock. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, then toss in the tomato and continue cooking for about 15 minutes longer or until the lentils are tender. Serve. Eat.
What is Pho? Pho is Vietnamese comfort soup, think noodle soup with an extra kick. The fragrant broth (either chicken or beef) is seasoned with coriander, cloves, star anise and the secret ingredient fish sauce. Before eating one garnishes the soup with bean sprouts, cilantro, chili peppers, limes and an assortment of other delicious sauces.
The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.
I remember the first time I Pho, it was with my old roommate, Lily. Lily and her boyfriend at the time, a guy from Laos, took me to this little hole in the wall in the tenderloin. We were in our twenties and had clearly over indulged the night before and he promised this would be the ultimate cure for what ailed us. We sat down at this big circular table and a small frail woman gave us 3 very tall coffees that were sweetened with creamy condensed milk. Next she sat down platters of fresh basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, limes, chillies, mint with little bowls of different sauces and finally a very hot bowl of broth with rice noodles and another platter of thinly sliced beef. We spent the next hour slurping noodles and ladling spoonfuls of warm broth into our broken bodies and he was right, we felt so much better after wards. That was my first introduction to Pho.
Lenny and I both love Pho, in fact every time we go out to Vietnamese food, which is often enough, it is a must. I have always wanted to make it at home but have just never gotten around to it. Over coffee last Sunday, I decided to see what the Daring Cooks were up too, I figured before even signing in, that I would not have time to do the challenge this month but wanted a peak. When I saw that it was a bowl of steamy Pho, I was plesantly pleased as I was coming down with something and this would be the perfect treatment for what ailed me.
Since I was not feeling well, I decided to go the short cut route and use prepared chicken stock. Normally, I would have made my own stock but since I was under the weather, this was the last thing on my mind. Jaden’s recipe was fairly simple and straightforward. I simmered a very succulent organic/cage free chicken breast with the broth and spices, over a very low heat for about 45 minutes, which left me with an amazingly moist and juicy breast. The soup was very flavorful with the addition of fresh chillies, cilantro, limes and hoison sauce. One addition that I have never had with Pho is slivers of red onion, this a nice and refreshing surprise, when slurped up in an entanglement of noodles, and chicken. The recipe made enough for us to have leftovers for lunch, I just packaged the broth and noodles separately from the veggies and reheated the next day – it was even more flavorful.
Thank you Jaden for being our hostess this month and for picking the perfect fall meal for dinner. We will be adding this to our regular “must” eats! Be sure to check out how the other Daring Cooks made their Pho.
Recipe: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup: Pho Ga
For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce
1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)
Accompaniments:
2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice
Directions:
- To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
- In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
- Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
- Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
- Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
- Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.
Homemade semolina pasta with a simple fresh tomato sauce make an easy dinner that will please even the pickiest eaters.
A couple months ago Lori over at the Recipe Girl and I were tweeting about simple food that we sometimes forget about. The first one that came to mind for me, is a simple tomato sauce, that I use to make very often when I needed a quick meal after a long day. I have put that conversation and that recipe in the back of mind for an evening when we would need an easy dinner.
We have been traveling for the past three weeks (stop awwwing for us, it was all work) and have been locked in conference rooms where most of our meals have been dried out sandwiches or buffets of fried food and limp veggies. I have been dying to get back in the kitchen and even more so we have been dying for a good meal. I stopped by the market on my way home from work and picked up some Dirty Girl Dry Farmed Tomatoes, a baguette and a bottle of wine. Rest of the meal would be found in the pantry at home.
Some of you may be wondering what dry farmed tomatoes are? I discovered dry farmed tomatoes a couple years ago and have never looked back, in all honesty, I even look forward to these little gems more than their cousins the heirloom tomatoes. Dry farming is a waterless method of growing tomatoes which will only produce about 1/3 as many but the end result is a tomato that is dense and packed with flavor, not to mention the deep red color. As soon as I see the first ones in the markets, I am buying them all the time. At the close of the season, I purchase a big bag of them and freeze them whole. They are a wonderful addition to toss into a sauce, stew or soup.
Now back to dinner …… We got hooked on fresh pasta a couple months ago, after purchasing a pasta machine when we were in Montreal. We used it very often before it gave out on us after the 5 time of using. Finally upgraded last month and purchased the pasta attachments for the KitchenAid, love it! For this meal, I made a simple pasta dough out of some semolina flour, olive oil and organic eggs. While the dough was resting, I combined the tomatoes with lots of fresh garlic and a sprinkle of Maldon salt and then let it do it’s thing, while I rolled pasta. The attachments are so easy to use and you can have fresh pasta in less than an hour, I cannot believe we waited so long before purchasing!
Once the pasta was cooked (and fresh pasta only takes minutes) and drained, I tossed it with handfuls of fresh basil from the garden, a drizzle of olive oil, a generous grind of fresh black pepper and the fresh tomato sauce – Delicious!
Recipe: Homemade Fresh Tomato Sauce
1 lb fresh tomatoes, used dry farm tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
maldon salt, sprinkle
olive oil, drizzle
basil, handful, sliced thinly
Roughly chop tomatoes and put into a bowl. Add the garlic, sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better. Gently heat before serving, only until heated through. Cook favorite pasta, drain, add basil, olive oil and tomatoes. Toss. Serve. Eat.
Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness is the hostess for this month’s Hay Hay its Donna Day and she picked a Polenta and Parmesan Chicken recipe. I have had this bookmarked for sometime, so I was very excited that Stephanie picked something savory for us.
I had all intentions of making this at the beginning of the week, when the spinach I had purchased was very fresh. By the time I got around to making it, it was Friday and we were in the middle of getting ready to head to Baltimore for a few days; the spinach had gone bad! Since the spinach was not good I used baby red butter lettuce with the fresh basil as well I added some vine ripe tomatoes we had laying around. I loved the breading of parmesan and polenta which we crusted some organic, cage-free chicken breasts with. I gently pan fried the breast in grape seed oil. Grape seed oil is great to use for frying or even quickly roasting chicken breasts, as it can handle high heat, which in turn gives the chicken a nice crispy crust and very moist flesh. We were commenting throughout the meal how plump and juicy these breasts were …. yum! Half way through the cooking process, I had this feeling I was not going to like this dish, I am not sure why, just this feeling. Pleasantly surprised when we sat down and took the first bite. The honey mustard based dressing really brought the greens and the crispy but moist chicken together, it was very flavorful. This is a wonderfully light and easy dinner to make, we had it on the table in 30 minutes. We don’t have kids but I imagine it would be very kid-friendly as well.
Stephanie, thank you for picking a great recipe and for being our hostess for this month’s HHDD! Be sure to check out Stephanie’s site for the round-up of HHDD # 28 entries, I am sure there will be some great dishes from some fantastic cooks!
Recipe: Parmesan and Polenta Chicken
2 cobs corn, husks and silks removed
olive oil for brushing
2 x 200g (7oz) chicken breasts
flour for dusting
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/2 cup(100g/3 1/2 oz) polenta
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
100g (3 1/2 oz) baby spinach leaves
1/2 basil leaves
grated parmesan cheese, extra to serve
dressing
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt and cracked black pepper
To make the dressing, place the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, oil, honey, salt & pepper in a bowl & whisk to combine. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F. Brush the corn with oil, place in a baking dish & roast for 25 minutes or until golden. Slice the kernels from the corn & set aside. Slice the chicken in half horizontally, dust with the flour, dip into the egg & press into the combined parmesan & polenta to coat. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat & cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden & cooked through. Arrange the chicken, corn, spinach & basil on plates & spoon over the dressing & grated parmesan to serve. Serve. Eat.
This is an easy recipe for a classic Portuguese stew of sweet green peas, Portuguese chorizo and eggs.
Lenny (Laudalino, his Portuguese name) loves this dish, it is comfort food for him. While he was in Boston last week, his mother sent him home with a container full of traditional Portuguese chorizo. We have yet to find them out in the bay area, so this is always a welcome treat. He also loves sweet peas so I decided to surprise him with one of his favorite dishes for dinner.
Now keep in mind, I will NEVER be able to make Portuguese dishes as his mother does nor would I want to try to compete. *wink* I make these dishes purely by what is in my “memory taste-box”. Lenny said it was similar but that his mother does not use a wine base but rather water. I like using wine as I feel it gives it more flavor (shhh, don’t tell) as well I like the peas to be bright green and not over cooked (the result of growing up in the 70′s and eating overcooked veggies). Traditionally, or at least the way I have been served this dish, the eggs are fried, I prefer a slightly runny yolk so I lightly poach them with the peas during the last few minutes of cooking. It is similar to mom’s but not really, regardless it was delicious; think of it as a modern twist on a traditional recipe.
I like to serve a simple salad, a big loaf of crunchy bread and a glass of wine with this dish.
Recipe: Peas and Chorizo: Ervilhas Portuguesa
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 portuguese chorizo, sliced into circles
16oz frozen sweet peas
white wine
olive oil, portuguese preferred
kosher salt, to taste
2 eggs
Saute onions in a drizzle of olive oil, over medium to low heat, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo and saute until cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, stir. Add peas and pour in about a cup of white wine, more or less, depending on how saucy you like the dish. Lower the heat and cook until warm, about 3 minutes, give a stir. Gently crack eggs on top of the peas and cover with a lid, cook until whites are cooked and yolks still runny, about 3 minutes. Serve. Eat.
Ga xe phay also known as Vietnamese cabbage and chicken salad is a great salad to make with leftover chicken, it is lightly seasoned with fresh herbs and a slightly spicy dressing.
We had a long weekend and were craving comfort food, something to cure all! For both of us that would be spicy food, but not greasy spicy food, rather healthy spicy food. I had the perfect meal in mind all day long …
Yuie of Lemonpi was twittering last week about a Vietnamese chicken salad she was making for dinner, it sounded fantastic, and I wanted the recipe! Imagine how excited I was when I got an email last week with the recipe! Y said that the recipe was originally from a Wendy Hutton (the Diva of Southeast Asian Cuisine) cookbook and that she changed it around to suit her cooking style. I took both the original as well as Y’s version and combined the two to make this fantastic salad. I used the leftover chicken breasts from the other night and let me say the chicken was still incredibly moist and slightly spicy, perfect for this salad. The salad is light and very refreshing as the base is made from crispy cabbage and an abundance of fresh herbs. Not only was there plenty for two of us for dinner but we also have enough for two lunches tomorrow, I love meals like that!
Recipe: Vietnamese Cabbage and Chicken Salad (ga xe phay)
2 chicken breasts, previously cooked, skin and fat removed, shredded
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup firmly packed mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup firmly packed coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1 cucumber, halved, sliced thinly
Dressing:
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 large red chili, minced
Sprinkle salt over the onion, rub with your fingers, and set aside for 30 minutes. To prepare the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside for the flavors to blend. Just before serving, put the cabbage, vegetables, and herbs in a large bowl. Rinse the salted onion under running water, then squeeze dry and add to the salad base. Add the chicken and dressing, tossing to combine well. Serve. Eat.
Not your ordinary “shake-n-bake” chicken that our grandmothers and mothers use to make. The chicken is brined first and then coated with a spicy batter before being plunged in hot grape seed oil and fried until golden brown. Delicious hot or cold.
I have been itching to make chicken curry as well as fried chicken for the past couple weeks. I could not make up my mind which one to make so I decided to try and combine the flavors of both recipes. I wanted this fried chicken to be moist and juicy not dried out as most fried chicken is. So I decided to go out on a limb and brine the chicken before frying. I made a simple brine of salt and water. I did not add any spices as the batter for the chicken would take care of the heat. I have brined a turkey before but never a chicken, I did not want it to be over salty so I only let it sit for 4 hours. I was amazed at how silky the chicken was when I took it out of the brine, it was as if this chick had spent the day at the spa being rubbed down with sea salts. The chicken skin and meat incredibly smooth, I knew instantly, this would be the moistest chicken ever!
I made two batters to coat the chicken with, a buttermilk and egg batter and a flour and breadcrumb one. This is where the heat comes in from the curry dish I was thinking of. We love Harissa and use it very often, so I took chili flakes and combined it with garlic, caraway, coriander, parsley and black pepper and mixed this with the flour and breadcrumbs. Before frying the chicken I soaked each piece with the buttermilk mixture and then heavily coated it with the flour mixture.
I don’t use a deep fryer, I consider it just one more thing that we do not need. I have a big cast iron dutch oven that was my grandmothers and I used that. I have not used it very often in the past but thinking of fried chicken made me think of her so I brought it out. I like to use grape seed for frying and even baking chicken. Grape seed oil can withstand high heat before getting to a smoking point. The end result is a very light, clean and slightly nutty taste. After bathing our chicken in both batters I fried each piece hot grape seed oil until golden brown and cooked through.
I served the chicken with a light and creamy polenta dish and just before serving I sprinkled some black Hawaiian salt over the entire plate, not only for color but to add a little more flavor. The result, the moistest fried chicken I have ever had. Not over salty, which I am always concerned with when brining and it was slightly spicy but not too hot, just right. The creamy polenta was a great addition to the meal as it helped cooled down what heat there was in this dish. You will LOVE this recipe, it is really fantastic!
Recipe: Harissa Fried Chicken
Brine:
* 1 cup kosher salt
* 4 cups hot water
* 12 cups cold water
* 1 whole chicken, organic, cut up
1. Mix salt and hot water in a very large bowl. Once the salt is dissolved stir in the cold water. Add the chicken to the brine and put in the refrigerator. Brine chicken from 1 – 4 hours. After the process is finished, rinse chicken very well and pat dry with paper towels.
Frying the Chicken:
* 2 cups ap flour
* 2 cups breadcrumbs
* 1 tablespoon chili flakes
* 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
* 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
* 1 tablespoon coriander
* 2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 2 eggs, cage free, organic
* grape seed oil
1. Combine flour, breadcrumbs and spices in a deep shallow bowl or plate.
2. Combine buttermilk and eggs and whisk together until blended, also in a deep shallow bowl or plate.
3. Heat about 1/2″ of grape seed oil in a deep frying pan or cast iron pan, until hot. I used a cast iron dutch oven.
4. Dip each chicken piece into the buttermilk mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Gently shake off any excess. Gently fry in the hot grape seed oil until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Put in the oven, on low heat (about 350) to keep warm, while cooking rest of the chicken
6. Serve. Eat.
Recipe: Creamy Polenta
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1/2 cup polenta
* kosher salt, pinch
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Heat the chicken broth to boiling. Stir in the polenta. Lower heat and simmer until cooked, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Before serving stir in the butter and salt. Serve. Eat.
A light and refreshing Moroccan salad made with cucumbers, red peppers and slivers of red onion. Great as a meal on its own or with grilled chicken or fish.
I was introduced to this salad in a French Moroccan household, where it was eaten every Friday night for Sabbath. I loved how wonderful something could taste that was so simple. I have not made this salad in awhile but I had some cucumbers and red peppers begging me to do something with them and this simple salad came to mind, perfect for a hot city night, which it is tonight! As well I am trying desperately to drop 5 pounds by month end, this is the perfect meal for a little healthy diet. This salad can be changed up a bit by adding tomatoes and parsley, which would be a wonderful addition with the end of summer tomatoes out there.
Recipe: Moroccan Cucumber and Red Pepper Salad
1 cucumber, cut into small chunks *I don’t peel as I only use organic as well I don’t deseed, they are a nice addition
1/2 red pepper, cut into small chunks
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
1/4 lemon, juiced
red vinegar, drizzle
olive oil, drizzle
kosher salad, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Combine cucumber, red pepper and onion in a mixing bowl. Drizzle vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil over the top and season to taste. If you want to add tomatoes and parsley add with the other veggies. Stir to mix. Serve. Eat.
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