Asian Salmon w/sweet pepper sauce

Dunno where in Asia this is from, but OMG, it is delish!  I have done it w/o doing the noodle prep, but that adds another level of deliciosity!

All measurements are approximate.  Cook until safe to eat…..

3 tb vegetable oil or EVOO

2 cloves garlic

1 red/orange/yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced (you can add a small red chili if you’d like as well or some pepper flakes)

2 TB palm or brown sugar

1 TB rice wine (vinegar)

1 TB soy sauce or Braggs Aminos

1 c water

cornstarch/water or better yet, mochinko glutinous rice flower…. shake a bit over pot.  No need to blend with water and temper into dish.  Shake and mix in… thickening is almost instantaneous.

2 TSP lemon juice

6.5 oz egg noodles (or about 1/2 box of spaghetti…. I used whole wheat)

3 TSP Asian sesame seed oil (always add @ end for finishing, don’t cook with it)

2 TB fresh chopped cilantro

4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz ea.

In a wok or frying pan over medium high heat, warm 1 TB vegetable/EVOO. Add chili (optional), garlic and bell pepper, stirring occasionally until pepper is soft.  Stir in sugar, vinegar/wine, soy sauce and water.  Reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 mins.  Stir in thickening agent, bring to boil and then cook until thickened (very quick with glutinous rice flour)

Cook noodles.  Mix lemon/lime juice, sesame oil and cilantro with drained noodles (not necessary but oh so GOOD!!!).  You can mix the pepper stuff with this as well.

 

Cook salmon in your favorite manner.  Serve with the above.

 

 

Chicken in Tomato Sauce (Chinese)

So I’ve migrated towards Asian cuisine after the addition of a beautiful son from Shenzhen, Guangdong, China in 2012.  After 14 years, his tastebuds are pretty well fixated on “Chineesee Fooooood!” as he calls it.  The stuff in parenthesis is how I prepared the recipe…..

Ingredients:

• 240 gm chicken breast, julienned (1 3# bag of thighs)
• 3 to 4 tomatoes (about 300 gm), cut into chunks, deseeded (about 15 Romas, not seeded)
• 20 gm brown sugar (片糖, chop into smaller pieces), available at Asian stores (1/2 c brown sugar)
• 1 tsp minced garlic (2 TB garlic)
• 1 Tbsp tomato ketchup (5 tb ketchup)
• 1/2 cup water (no water, I just used the marinade)
• a dash of salt

Marinade:

• 2 tsp light soy sauce (3 Tb soy sauce or Braggs Amino Acids)
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (1 Tb rice wine)
• 1 tsp sugar (1 Tb sugar)
• 1 tsp cornflour (none)
• pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste

Chop chicken and tomatoes.  Combine everything and cook until safe to eat.  Top with scallions if desired.  Serve with rice.

Read more: http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/01/chicken-in-tomato-sauce-chinese.html#ixzz2M36CxDoH

 

 

Beef and Eggplant Stew Recipe

Now if I headed it with “Tadzhikistani Badrijan Kourma Recipe”, your eyes probably would’ve rolled back in your head…..  Tadzhikistan is a country north of Afghanistan and the cuisine is influenced by Persian cooking.  Meat is not terribly plentiful, so soups and stews (protein content) is bolstered with yummy chickpeas!  I don’t bother with saffron rice with a crust as the cookbook “Please to the Table” calls for.  It holds up great to barley or potatoes!  The ingredient measurements aren’t important.  This recipe is courtesy, once again, of my cooking Bible, Please To The Table

INGREDIENTS

1 lg. eggplant, about 1 1/2 pounds

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups coarsely chopped onions

3 medium-size carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally, 1/4-inch thick

1 lb. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. sweet Hungarian paprika

1 tsp. cumin seeds, or more to taste

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste

2 cups Beef Stock or canned broth (I use “Better Than Bouillon, about a Tb)

3 lg. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped pinch of sugar Salt, to taste

1 can (16) chick-peas, drained (I rehydrate my own)

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Pierce the eggplant all over with a small knife and bake on a baking sheet until soft, about 45 minutes. Cool until manageable, cut in half, scoop out the pulp, and set aside.
Heat half the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute until colored and softened, about 15 minutes.
In a heavy casserole, heat the rest of the oil over medium-high heat, and brown the meat on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Add the sauteed vegetables, turmeric, paprika,cumin seeds, cayenne, and the eggplant pulp to the casserole. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the stock, tomatoes, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 1/4 hours.
Add the chick-peas, taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary, and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley with rice, barley or potatoes. Serves 6 over rice

 

Sweet N Sour Onion & Honey Sauce

This is a rendition of an ancient traditional Russian sauce or meat accompaniment called vzvar, courtesy of a cookbook called “Please To The Table”.  It can be made with fruit or vegetables, then made sweet and sour with vinegar and honey.  Bud’ zdarov!

1/4 c. oil (I only use EVOO or coconut oil.  They’re the ONLY oils that don’t turn into damaging free radicals in the cooking process).

3 large (bermuda) onions, diced

3/4 c. beef broth (I use 1 tsp “Better Than Bouillon” soup starter + water)

1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1-1/2 tablespoons honey

4 tsp cider vinegar.

Saute onions until colored and soft, about 20 minutes.  Add the broth and turn on high until liquid is reduced by 1/2, about 7 minutes.  Stir in mustard, honey and vinegar, turn on low and simmer another few minutes.  Serve warm, not hot.

 

Tzatziki (Greek cucumber and yogurt sauce)

2 c. Greek yogurt, or 2 c. regular plain yogurt, strained.  To strain yogurt, line a colander with coffee filters.  Dump yogurt over the filters, stick in the fridge for a couple hours.  You’re trying to replicate the creamy texture of Greek yogurt but you don’t HAVE to…..

1 cucumber, peeled, shredded and then the liquid squeezed out with your hands (you can twist it up in a tea towel too to get the water out)

garlic, to taste (1 or more tsp minced)

1 Tb EVOO

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

bit of salt

Combine, let sit a few mins for flavors to combine, and then OPA!!

 

Quick n tasty Northern Bean Soup

2 ounces sliced pancetta or bacon, cut in small strips.  I used some smoked turkey, something I seldom buy due to nitrites/nitrates.  I used 4 oz  and sauteed it up with the onions.

1 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cans (15 ounce size) cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained (1 lb of dried beans, cooked to mushyness)

2 tsp dried sage

1 Tb chicken soup base (it’s more chickeny and less salty than bouillon)

pepper

Sautee the non beans in some EVOO until done to your liking of carmelization.  Mix with cooked beans.  You can puree them as well. I also snuck in the equivalent of a head of cauliflower that I had pureed and frozen in the freezer.

 

Bridal Trend 2012 links

http://www.onewed.com/photo-and-video/blog/top-12-trends-for-2012-weddingsrevealed

 

Armenian Lentil Soup (Vospapur #2)

There seems to be an Armenian lentil soup for every day of the week!  This is also a great way to use up left over chicken, especially a chicken prepared with paprika or if you’re daring, leftover Cajun spiced chicken.

For this soup you’ll need –

About 6 c water

Chicken or tomato flavored soup base or bouillon

1.5 cups lentils.  Any color will work, but the orange ones cook to mush in about 15 minutes for a QUICK meal.

1 onion, chopped.  I like red

EVOO to sautee the onion, if desired

1 10 oz pkg frozen spinach

1 lb tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved

couple cloves of garlic, to taste

2 Tb lemon juice or more to taste

.75 tsp cumin

.5 tsp coriander AND hot paprika (or cayenne will do)

Bring lentils to a boil in bouillon, then simmer till soft.  At some point, add the frozen spinach.  While lentils are simmering, sautee onions if desired.  If not, then just chop and toss in the soup.  Add spices to the onions and when they’re almost to desired carmelization, add garlic.  If you add it too early, it can become bitter.

Add tomatoes to soup pot and anything else I forgot to reference above.  Providing it doesn’t get too thick, you can NOT make a mistake with this.  When the tomatoes are soft, turn off the heat and add 2 tb of lemon juice.

While enjoying this delicious Armenian dish, try to think of other famous Armenians besides the KK’s.

 

Lazy Ukranian Buckwheat Casserole

This is a breakfast staple at my house with (turkey) sausage added.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup roasted buckwheat (kasha) (250 mL)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt (2 mL)
1/4 tsp. pepper (1 mL)
1/4 cup butter (50 mL) I use 2 tb EVOO
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (2 mL)
1 cup sauerkraut, drained (rinsed if too sour) (250 mL)
1/4 cup chicken stock (50 mL)
1/2 cup sour cream (125 mL) I use greek yogurt – lower in fat.

INSTRUCTIONS

In saucepan, bring buckwheat, 2 cups (500 mL) water, salt and pepper to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until water is absorbed. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat; cook onion and thyme, covered and stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until onion is softened. Mix with buckwheat and yogurt/sour cream and sauerkraut.  It can’t get any lazier than that!!

CHEF COMMENTS

A spinoff of traditional Ukrainian cabbage rolls (buckwheat rolled in cabbage leaves), this shortcut recipe still has its original flavour. Look for buckwheat in supermarkets or delicatessens.

 

Armenian Lentil Soup w/Dried Apricots (Vospapur #1)

There seems to be a Vospapur  for every day of the week in Armenian cuisine.  Lentils are cheap and a great source of protein and fiber.  You can use brown lentils, but I prefer red lentils because they cook to mush in about 15 minutes.  The beauty of these recipes is that they are flexible.  Just make sure to add water as needed so your lentils don’t burn.  The apricots rehydrate nicely and add just a sweet touch to the soup.  Try it!

EVOO

1 large onion, chopped (I like red)

2 large cloves garlic or about 1 TB jarred

1.5 c. red or brown lentils

1.3 c. chopped dried apricots. (11 of them…. cut with scissors so they don’t stick to your knife blade)

5 c. water + stuff to flavor it to make 6 servings.  In other words, check your bouillon or soup starter for one portion and then make it 4-6 portions.  I like chicken flavored soup starter better than bouillon b/c it’s more chickeny and less salty.

3 plum tomatoes (or regular, doesn’t matter!) chopped

1/2 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tsp ground thyme

S & P

2 Tb lemon juice.

In a soup pot, sautee onion over medium heat until the color you like.  Then add garlic (don’t add it at the same time b/c it cooks faster than onions and can BURN).  Saute a bit longer.  Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to boil, then simmer until lentils are mushy.  Make sure to check on the consistency from time to time!

When soup is satisfactorily mushy, add 2 Tb lemon juice and simmer a couple mins more.  Stir and enjoy.  You can also puree it but I don’t see the need when the lentils are mushy!

You can also add left over cubed up chicken.  Cajun flavored chicken adds a wee bit of a kick to this sweet and mild soup.