The Louisville Chef

Based upon the fact that the entire batch was eaten in one evening, I would say this is a thumbs up. There are so many types of salsa, but I find this one particularly good, because the ingredients are roasted prior to combining.

In many traditional Mexican recipes, the ingredients are roasted in a pan or fried in oil. I wanted to make it easier to prepare and a bit less fat and oil, so I did it this way and I was very happy with the results.

I really do think this is easier to make with a food processor, but if you want to be traditional, you can use a mortar and pestle, or as they are called in Mexico, molcajete.

The key to making this special is the roasting, so before you begin, preheat your oven to 375F/190C. Then prepare all of your vegetables as described below.

Ingredients:

8 Roma Tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Large Onion, peeled and cut into 4 quarters.
2-3 Jalapeno or 1-2 Serrano Chilies if you want it hotter
6 cloves of Garlic, peeled

Preparation:

Lie them all on a non stick baking sheet, skin side down for the tomatoes and drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Put into the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. You want the ingredients to have a nice brown color along the edges, but not burnt. Then remove from oven and let them cool on the baking sheet.

Prepare the following:

1 bunch of fresh Cilantro, leaves and stems, about 2 cups unchopped, or 1 cup chopped.
Juice of two Limes, you may add more to taste. 2 tsp Sea Salt, you may need to add more, but start with the 2 tsp and see how you get on.

Take all of your roasted ingredients and the juices and oil from the baking sheet and put into the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped, then add in the rest of your fresh ingredients and continue to blend until smooth. This is not a chunky salsa, but rather a smooth paste.

One of my favorite things about the summer is being able to grow my own organic veg. This year I decided to try an experiment and I wanted to share my results. Maybe I am the only person that didn’t know this, but either way, I think it’s very interesting. What do they say, “small minds amuse easily”?

Deviled Eggs

Cole Slaw w/Pineapple and Toasted Sesame Oil

Potato Salad

I’m not sure why, but as a boy I hated tuna casserole. Now I absolutely love it and it’s a simple way to make something that just pops in the oven and serves 6-8. Paired with a salad, it’s the perfect Sunday dinner.

This is a quick and easy recipe and I’ve modified it to take out some of the fat and frankly you wont even miss it. You can class this up or not, depending on your mood, so feel free to be creative.

Ingredients:

1 lb of medium egg noodles
1 can of Cream of Celery Soup, Fat Free
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, Fat Free
1 cup of Duke’s Mayonnaise
1 can of Evaporated Milk, Fat Free
2 cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 cup of Celery, diced
1 cup of Green Onions, chopped
2 Tbsp Chives, chopped
1 cup of Green Peas, frozen
3 5 oz cans of Tuna, in water, not drained
1 tsp Salt
Black Pepper

Preparation:

Start your water for the noodles. While the water is heating up, chop all of your vegetables and combine soup, mayonnaise, evaporated milk and beat them until smooth.

Cook your noodles until just al dente, so usually about 1-2 minutes less than recommended on the package, but taste just to be safe.

Drain your noodles and pour into a large mixing bowl, fold in your tuna, vegetables, then finish with soup mixture, salt and black pepper and 1 cup of your grated cheese. Fold the mixture until incorporated and then pour into a baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil, then into a preheated 325 degree over for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest covered for 5 minutes and serve.

Options:

Add 1 cup of Carrots, chopped
Add 1 Tbsp or Curry Powder
Add 1 Tbsp of fresh Tarragon, minced
Add 1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
Add juice of one Lemon

As HRM Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee is just around the corner on June 5th, I thought an easy version of this classic dish would be in order. Coronation Chicken is commonly served at luncheons at Buckingham Palace.

Ingredients:

500g (1 1/4 lb) Roasted White Meat Chicken, diced
50g (2 oz) Mayonnaise
50g (2 oz) Crème Fraiche or Soured Cream
2 Tbsp minced Green Onion, green parts only.
3 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice
75g (3 oz) Mango Chutney, or if you prefer to be more traditional, substitute Apricot jam.
1 tsp Curry Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Zest

I think it’s safe to say that adobo is the national dish of the Philippines. There are so many variations on this dish and it can be made with chicken or pork. I find that both are equally good, but chicken is a personal favorite.

It’s a bit like a stew and a bit like a fricassee, but it is not difficult to make and is fairly quick to table. Ideally, you should marinade the meat overnight to really infuse the flavors.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of Chicken Thighs, bone in skinless or Chicken Breasts boneless, cut in large pieces.
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
3/4 cup Cider, Rice or Distilled Vinegar
1/2 cup Water
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
8 cloves of Garlic, peeled, crushed and loosely chopped
4 Bay Leaves
1 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Onion, sliced

Preparation:

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, water, ground black pepper and garlic and mix together. Pour over the chicken pieces and marinade overnight. If you are in a rush, try to marinade for at least 2 hours.

Then pour chicken and marinade into a sauce pan and add all remaining ingredients. Bring up to a boil and reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

If you would like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken pieces and reduce the sauce and then add back the chicken and serve over rice.

If you want to be very authentic, serve with garlic rice. You can make this by cooking the rice as normal and while the rice is cooking, just sauté some sliced garlic in oil and pour over the prepared rice and serve.

Whenever I go to Thailand, this is one of my favorite dishes. Soup noodle is wonderful, full of flavor and heathy. This is an easy stock to make and remember the longer it cooks the better it will be.

As you are using pork bones, it is important to first cover them in water, bring to a boil and then cook for 10-15 minutes and then drain the water and rinse thoroughly. Then add additional water and all of the ingredients and bring back to a boil and cook for 4-6 hours on a low simmer. Note: you can also use beef bones.

Once the stock is finished, then drain off all of the cooked ingredients, and you will be left with the finished stock. Then choose your noodles, garnishes, and put into a bowl and pour the hot broth over them and finish with fish sauce, lime, chili and or Sriracha sauce.

Ingredients:

16oz Pork bones, with a little meat on the bone, boiled and rinsed
1 medium daikon (mooli), sliced
1 bunch Coriander roots
4 cloves Garlic, mashed
1 inch piece fresh Ginger, sliced
1 bunch Spring Onions, cut in half
Juice of two limes
10 White Peppercorns
3 whole Star Anise
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
16 cups Water

For garnish:
Noodles- Kaset brand cellophane noodles or fresh egg noodles/vermicelli
Sliced Beef or Shrimp/Fish Balls
Bai Pak Chi – Thai green which adds a unique flavor. You can substitute cilantro if needed.
Deep fried Garlic- Nang Fah brand
Dried Chili
Green Onion, chopped
Chilis with Vinegar-Fresh chilis sliced with Golden Mountain White Vinegar
Fish Sauce- Tra Chang brand
Sriracha- Shark brand brand
Lime wedges

I love pancakes. I think they are one of the best comfort foods around. However, what passes for pancakes around most tables is just sad. I have always said, why not make your own and people look at me like I’m crazy. For some reason, people think pancakes are hard to make, but that’s just not so.

Here is a recipe from one of my Southern moms and I can promise you if you whip up a batch of these on a Sunday morning with butter and maple syrup, you will be a hit. They are to die for, and this recipe makes a lot of pancakes. By the way, this makes good waffles too.

Ingredients:

2 cups of AP Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 1/2 Tbsp Sugar
2 large Eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
2 cups of Buttermilk