Tag: food

Georgian Chicken – Shkmeruli

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Georgian food was a cuisine that I just hadn’t had a chance to explore. After hearing a lot about it and having a few Georgian bakeries and restuarants opening up nearby, I decided to do a deep drive and I was impressed. It’s rich cuisine with influences from many cultures.

This is a one pot meal that’s packed with flavor and is even better the next day. While not a totally traditional classic Shkmeruli, it’s very good and quite a bit lighter as I did not add the cream. Although I must say I’m sure it would have been even better with it.

Ingredients: 

Chicken, I used 5 bone in thighs.

Flour, for dusting. 

3 Tbsp Butter

1 1/2 Tbsp Khmeli Suneli spice blend, 1/2 for chicken, 1/2 for flour. See note.

6-8 cloves Garlic, minced

3 medium Carrots, chopped 

1/2 cup Celery, chopped.

1 Onion, chopped

5-6 Baby Potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 

1/2 cup White Wine 

1/4- 1/2 cup Chicken or vegetable broth

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup Heavy Cream, optional 

Preparation:

Season your chicken with spice blend and salt and pepper. Allow to rest in the fridge. 

Preheat your oven to 350F. Coat the chicken in the flour and spice blend and brown in your oven proof pan and set aside. 

Add the garlic, vegetables and potatoes into the Dutch oven and wilt slightly. Deglaze with your wine. Add back your chicken, remaining spice mix and veggie stock. 

Cover and into a 350F oven for 35-45 minutes. Remove cover and add cream if using and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and adjust for salt as needed. 

It is traditionally served with Georgian bread to soak up the sauce. You can sub warm pita if the traditional bread is not available.

If you need to make this gluten free, you can skip the flour coating and just brown the chicken directly in the pan.

Note: You can find many Khmeli Suneli spice blends online, but I particularly like this one from Mariko. Very balanced and incredible flavor. You can order it on Amazon from their storefront. They are a small business and they ship directly.

Tom Yum Koong, Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

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This is a traditional Thai soup. To make it properly, you need to layer the flavors, rather than throwing everything into the pot at one time.

I have heard from a few people that some of the ingredients are somewhat hard to find. If you have a local Asian market, they often keep the galangal and kaffir lime leaves in the freezer section. Both freeze very well.

Barring that, here is a great Thai produce site to find everything you need. Use what you need of the lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves and freeze the rest. https://importfood.com

Ingredients:

6 cups low sodium Vegetable Broth
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 – 3/4 lb Shrimp, shelled and deveined with shells, heads and tails retained.
3 pieces of sliced Galangal, softened with back of your knife.
2 stalks Lemon Grass, peeled and tough ends cut off and softened with back of your knife.
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and mashed.
3-5 fresh Thai Chilies, sliced in half.
8 Kaffir Lime leaves
1 Tbsp Chili Paste with Soya Bean Oil, see picture and note below.
1 cup Fresh Oyster Mushrooms, chopped into bite size pieces.

2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
3-4 fresh Limes, juiced
Fresh Cilantro for garnish.

Preparation:

Begin by heating up your oil in a medium to large stock pot. Then add in your galangal, garlic, chilies and lemon grass and retained shrimp shells and sauté them briefly until the aroma starts to release.

Add in your vegetable broth and kaffir lime leaves  bring it up to a soft simmer. Allow this to gently simmer for about 20 minutes.

Then strain the broth and return to your pan. Add your chili paste and oyster mushrooms. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and then add your fish sauce and shrimp. Cook just until the shrimp turn pink. This will take only a minute or so.

Add your lime juice, adjust to taste, top with fresh cilantro and remove from the heat and serve.

Note: Sugar is often added to Tom Yum Koong, but I found the chili paste I used was quite sweet, so I omitted any additional sugar. If you can find Thai Nam Prik Pao (Roasted Chili Paste) then you might need the sugar. If so, 1 tsp would be suffcient.

Grandma Grace’s Collard Greens

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Greens are a very Southern thing. There are some that love them and some that aren’t so fond. After making and eating a lot of greens, I understand why. When they are bad, they can be really unpleasant. 

I have to say that this recipe produced the best greens I’ve ever had. They were just perfect. The two things I instantly noticed in Grace’s recipe was cooking the meat with the broth and then adding the greens and the vinegar during the cooking process, rather than afterwards. Grace says, “the vinegar cuts the bitterness of the collards”. 

Ingredients: 

3 Ibs Collard Greens, to skip the process of washing and soaking whole greens, just buy the chopped greens in the bags. They are pre-washed and ready to go. I still pick them over to remove any larger stems. 

1-2 smoked Ham hocks or smoked turkey leg. If unavailable, any smoked meat will do. I used smoked pork necks one time. 

2 boxes Chicken Broth, about 8 cups. 

1 Vidallia or sweet Onion

1 Red Bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Garlic, minced

1 tsp Red pepper flakes

Salt, I like to wait until the greens have cooked a bit before I add the salt. 

Preparation:

Add all ingredients, except the greens and the salt and cook on medium low heat until the meat is falling off or easily comes off the bone. When ham hocks are done remove them and put in a bowl to cool.

Using a slotted spoon look to see if there are any pieces of bone in the broth. Then, I add the collards a bit at a time into the broth and mash them down. 

Bring to a boil and then turn to down to med/low, cover and cook for two hours. checking liquid and stirring occasionally. 

After the ham hocks are cool, remove the meat and chop finely and add to the collards. I add the salt at this time and cook for about another 30 minutes to an hour.

World Famous “Sunday Sauce”

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Regular readers will know my love for Italian food runs deep, especially for the true comfort dishes practiced and perfected in kitchens by generations of nonnas (Italian grandmothers).

Sunday is a special day when the family comes together for a big meal and while each family has their own traditions of which dishes are served. In the US, the tradition of the Sunday Sauce is essential.

While this is a marinara base, the key is the slowly braised meats which flavor the sauce and then impart a flavor to the sauce that is beyond delicious. You can also add braciole, lamb necks and/or veal knuckles etc, but this is optional. Bottom line, if you cook anything in a tomato sauce for 4 hours, it will come out great.

 The key, as with all comfort food, is to use the best ingredients, take your time and layer the flavors. Here is what you will need.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

½ lb ground Beef

½ lb ground Pork

2 Tbsp Grated Romano Cheese

2 Tbsp Breadcrumbs, I like panko breadcrumbs or plain.

1 Egg, beaten

1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, this is my secret weapon for killer meatballs.

Sauce:

5 Italian Sausages, sweet/hot or both, cut in half.

1 or 2 Beef Short Ribs, depends on size. Try to find them around 3 to 4 inches; the larger ones do not fit in the pan well. You can also have the butcher cut them in half.

1 or 2 Pork Ribs, country style is good. Same size as above.

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 cloves of Garlic, smashed with side of knife and loosely chopped

1 cup finely diced Onion

½ cup finely diced Carrot

½ cup finely diced Celery

¼ cup Marsala Wine

2 – 28 oz cans of whole San Marzano Tomatoes, puréed in a food processor or crushed by hand.

1 Tbsp Salt

Black Pepper

Preparation:

First, prepare your meatballs by combining all ingredients. Start with the meat, then salt and cheese, work it together then add your beaten egg and gently work the mixture and lastly add your breadcrumbs 1 Tbsp at a time until it comes together. Roll into 2 inch diameter meatballs or whatever you prefer and put into the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 375F/190C. Take your beef and pork ribs and salt and pepper both sides and put onto a foil lined baking sheet or directly on a griddle, then place the prepared meatballs and sausages onto the same sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.

To make your sauce, start with a large heavy duty saucepan, which will hold the heat and give you a consistent low simmer. A cast iron Le Cruset is perfect. Larger is better, as you don’t want to crowd the meat.

Heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Stir frequently and make sure to add ½ of the salt and some pepper to the mixture.

When it is sautéed and translucent, add your Marsala wine and cook until the wine is gone (about 3-4 minutes), then add the tomatoes and bring up to a soft simmer.

Once the meat is finished, gently add it into the sauce, add the rest of the salt and softly simmer uncovered for 4 hours or longer, stirring occasionally. 

Serve over your choice of pasta with grated Romano and Parmesan cheese. Optionally, you can remove the meat and serve it as a separate meat course after the pasta course.

Ragu alla Bolognese

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There are many versions of this classic sauce, which originates in Bologna. Some use wine, some use milk, some use wine and milk and some only use a bit of tomato paste, but this is my tried and true version. It is epic, but it is definitely not fast food.

In my recipe, the order of the ingredients is important. Make sure to add the milk before the wine. And remember this is slow food. It’s always on simmer. Set aside at least 5 hours of cooking time, or even a bit more. The smell will tell you when its ready

A quick read through the recipe prior to beginning is a good idea. 

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

1 large Carrot, finely diced

1 large Onion, finely diced

1 stalk Celery, finely diced

1/4 cup Pancetta, finely diced

1 lb Beef, ground 

1 lb Pork, ground

1 cup Whole Milk 

Nutmeg, freshly grated 

Salt and Black pepper 

1 cup (235ml) white wine

1 – 28 oz. (800g) canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed or pulsed. I like to crush them with my hands.

Preparation:

Add your butter and olive oil, and bring it up to a medium simmer, then add the pancetta, and allow it to gently release its fat, then add the beef, and then add the pork. You’re going to cook each of the meats until they just lose their rawness. A little pink is okay. At this point a little bit of salt and a little bit of pepper is good.

Then add your whole milk, and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, and gently simmer it until the milk is almost gone. Then, you will add your wine and gently simmer until it is almost gone. 

Now add your tomatoes and gently simmer for 5 + hours. Be careful to avoid sticking. If it gets too thick, you can always add a little bit of water. This is where a cast iron heat diffuser comes in very handy.

When it’s finished, you will serve with fresh egg pasta, like tagliatelle or pappardelle and a little bit of Parmesan Reggiano.

If you can’t find fresh pasta, a quality dried egg pasta is perfectly fine. Remember not to overload the pasta, as this is a rich sauce and you want to taste the pasta as well.

Note: This makes a lot of sauce, so divide it up and freeze it. It freezes well. I like to let it defrost in the fridge and then gently reheat with a tiny bit of water.

Chicken Tikka Masala

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Probably one of the most popular dishes in most Indian restaurants. It’s actually not that challenging to make and your homemade will be better. The list of spices can be daunting, but you only need to buy them once and these spices are used frequently in many Indian dishes. They can be found in your local Indian grocery, or easily ordered online. I like to store mine in glass containers. If you want them to last even longer, then buy whole spices and grind them as needed. A dedicated coffee grinder is perfect for this.

Marinade for Chicken:

1½ lbs. (700 grams) Chicken, skinless boneless chicken thighs. 

1/4 cup (120 ml) Yogurt, plain 

2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder, mildly hot, but more for color.

1 teaspoon Garam Masala 

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Coriander powder

1 teaspoon Cumin powder 

1 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Lemon juice

1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi aka dried Fenugreek leaves

1 tablespoon Oil

Onion, Garlic, Ginger Paste:

1½ cups (150 grams) Onions 

4-5 cloves Garlic 

2 inch piece of Ginger root, peeled 

Masala Sauce:

3 tablespoons Oil (or ghee)

1 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons Garam Masala

1 tablespoon Coriander powder

1 to 1½ teaspoon Cumin powder

1 to 2 teaspoons Sugar

1 1/2 cup tomato puree or blended Tomatoes. 

1/4 cup water, use as needed to keep from burning, but you don’t want it soupy. 

1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi aka dried Fenugreek leaves. 

For Garnish

3 tablespoons Coriander leaves/Cilantro (fine chopped)

Preparation:

Prepare your marinade mixture and allow the chicken pieces to marinade for at least a few hours.

Make your puree by adding the onion, garlic and ginger into a mini blender/ food processor. Grind it in stages until it’s a smooth paste. 

Sauté your onion, ginger garlic paste in 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil. Cook it until the harsh smell is gone. Then add your ground spices for the sauce and cook them gently until they smell fragrant.

Add your tomatoes and cook until the mixture thickens slightly.

Preheat your oven to 475°, and place your chicken into the oven for 8 to 9 minutes. Then use the broiler to sear it for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. You want to watch it carefully. 

Remove chicken from the oven and add into the thickened sauce along with the fenugreek leaves. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken is fully done. 

Finish with your chopped coriander/cilantro and serve with basmati rice and/or naan bread.