COOKING

SEAFOOD SALAD

2012-02-27T13:38:00.002-08:00

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

800 g seafood (e.g. shrimp, scallop, small squid, baby octopus, mussels, clams)
1 clove of garlic
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
salt and freshly milled pepper
salad for garnish (spinach or mix salad leaves)
lemon for garnish
Method
Pour the lemon juice over the garlic and leave to infuse for 1 hour. Then remove the garlic.
Prepare the seafood – chop the squid into rings, prepare mussels and clams before cooking. Rinse the seafood and let drain well. Cook the seafood in a little water stirring slowly for about 5-7 minutes until it is very soft. Squid and octopus usually takes the longest time to cook. Discard any mussels and clams which do not open once they have been cooked.
Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Turn the seafood in the sauce until coated, and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour for the flavours to develop.
In case of using salad leaves for serve, place the seafood on leaves with a little bit sauce. It is recommended to use more sauce servicing seafood as a separate dish.

Wild Mushroom Soup

2012-02-27T13:34:00.002-08:00

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

400 g fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
2 shallots, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
around 1,5 litres (6 cups) beef of mushroom stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
150ml (2/3 cup) double cream
salt and freshly ground back pepper
fresh thyme springs for garnish

Method

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add the sliced leeks, chopped shallots and garlic and cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened but not coloured.

Slice fresh mushrooms and add to the pan. Stir over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. In case of using dried mushrooms, add the sliced presoaked mushrooms, soaking liquid, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Half cover the pan, simmer gently for 30 minutes over a low heat stirring occasionally.

Pour about tree-quarters of the soup into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Return to the soup remaining in the pan, stir in the cream and heat until boiling. Check the consistency and add more stock if the soup is too thick.

Taste for seasoning. Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme springs.

Grandma Helen's Struffoli

2012-02-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

Grandma Helen's Struffoli

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 fluid ounce whiskey (rye, bourbon, or Canadian is fine but not Scotch)
3 cups honey (Traditionaly we have always used Golden Blossom brand if not available use pure clover honey)
oil (for deep frying) or shortening (for deep frying)
multi colored sprinkles (These are the little round hard sprinkles rather than the soft elongated ones used on ice cream cone)

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Add all liquid ingredients (Except honey) to dry to form a dough.

Knead dough well to incorporate all ingredients.

For balls roll dough out in 1/4 inch round strips like pencils.

Cut the pieces at small intervals with an angle cut.

How far apart you make the cut is your judgment call, as the smaller the spacing the smaller the balls and vice versa.

Mom likes the look leaving them as is with the angle cut giving a unique shape to the balls as they fry.

If you prefer perfectly rounded balls, you can roll the pieces in the palms of your hands like miniature meatballs before frying.

For ribbons cut some of the dough in flat strips about 1/2 inch wide preferably using a crimped edge cutting wheel as it gives a fancy serrated edge to them.

Form loops or bow shapes with the ribbons and deep fry balls and ribbons separately until golden brown (ribbons as they are flat will cook quicker than the balls).

Drain on absorbent paper.

Heat honey in a deep pot until it starts to thin out and become pourable.

Remove from heat.

Dip bows and ribbons in warm honey and set aside.

Add balls to the honey and toss to coat.

Transfer balls to holiday platter and top with the ribbons and bows.

Or you can mound the balls to look like a Christmas tree and decorate with bows on the sides.

Sprinkle with multi colored sprinkles.

Sesame Chicken

2012-02-24T08:06:00.000-08:00

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves , pat dry with paper towels
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2-1 teaspoon ground ginger (fresh is better)
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Cut chicken breast into 1 inch strips or bite size pieces.
Heat a large non-stick skillet that has been sprayed with Pam, over medium-high heat.
Cook chicken for about 6 minutes or until no longer pink.
Mix together honey, soy sauce, water, corn starch, ginger and red pepper flakes.
Whisk until no corn starch lumps appear.
Pour sauce mixture into skillet with chicken.
Cook until sauce thickens slightly.
You can add more water if sauce is too thick.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken starts to soak up the sauce.

Bihari Kabab

2012-02-24T08:02:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

1 kg very tender beef cut into 1" thick strips
2 large onions sliced
2 tbsps vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
1 cup yoghurt
2 tbsps garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp star anise powder
1/2 tsp mace powder
2 tbsps raw papaya paste
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Fry the onions in the oil till soft. Drain on paper towels and grind to a smooth paste.
Mix the onion paste, all the spices with the yoghurt and add the beef strips to this mix. Add salt to taste and set aside for 8-10 hours in the refrigerator.
Add the raw papaya paste to the yoghurt and beef mix about 1 hour before you are ready to cook the kabab.
Thread 8-10 beef strips onto each skewer and grill till cooked.
Serve immediately with piping hot Naans (tandoor-cooked Indian flatbread).

Paella Valenciana

2012-02-24T04:11:00.002-08:00

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup dried white beans
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
8 chicken drumsticks or a whole chicken
1 rabbit – skinned and cleaned
24 snails, cleaned
2 1/4 lbs green beans
2 artichokes, each cut into 4 pieces*
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4-6 cups chicken broth
A pinch of saffron threads
medium grain or "Pearl" rice

Preparation:

This Valencian paella recipe makes 8 servings as a main course.

Gather the Equipment for Paella

Gather the following equipment:

17 inch (144cm) paella pan
Round charcoal BBQ
Charcoal
Medium sauce pan
Sharp knife for chopping meat and vegetables
Meat cleaver
Wooden spoon with a long handle

* If artichokes are not in season or you cannot buy them fresh, use a 16 oz can of artichokes, drained.
Soak the white beans overnight and drain the liquid before cooking.
Before you can start cooking, you will need to gather all equipment and start preparing the ingredients.
You'll need one whole chicken, cut into serving-size pieces or 8 chicken drumsticks. If you use a whole chicken, use a meat cleaver to cut the chicken into pieces small enough to easily mix while sautéing. Do the same for the rabbit.
Frozen or canned snails can be purchased specialty grocery stores and they should be clean and ready to cook with.
Chop the garlic finely. Cut the tomatoes in half, then cut each half into four pieces. Rinse green beans and snap the green beans in half. Cut off blemishes.
If you are using fresh artichokes, trim tops of leaves and cut off bottom stem. Cut artichokes in quarters, length-wise. If you are using canned artichokes, open and drain the artichokes. Set all vegetables aside.
If you are preparing the ingredients ahead of time, you can do everything up until this point and refrigerate the ingredients until you are ready to start cooking.
Now that you have cleaned and chopped the ingredients, it's time to light the BBQ. When the coals on the BBQ are covered in white ash, cooking can begin. Assemble all the ingredients on a table near the BBQ, so that you can stay in the area and monitor the cooking.
Place the pan on the grate and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom and allow the pan to heat. When hot, sauté the onion, garlic and tomatoes in the olive oil. Add olive oil as needed to prevent sticking. Once the onions are translucent, add the chicken, snails and rabbit. Cook, stirring constantly – about 15 minutes.
Add the white beans and stir.
Add the rice in the form of a cross. Stir for 2-3 minutes to thoroughly coat the rice with oil and mix.
Add saffron to the sauce pan of broth and stir. Slowly pour broth into pan until contents are covered. Add the rest of the vegetables. Spread ingredients evenly over pan. Allow to simmer, cooking rice and beans. Add more broth if necessary.
When rice is cooked, remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil, allowing paella to “rest” for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Ham 'Fried' Rice

2012-02-23T16:18:00.003-08:00

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Pure Wesson® Canola Oil
3/4 cup diced fully cooked lean ham
1-1/4 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
2-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon La Choy® Lite Soy Sauce
PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1/2 cup Egg Beaters® Original
1 can (14 oz each) La Choy® Chop Suey Vegetables, drained
Directions
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham and rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Cook's Tip
Egg Beaters also may be cooked in the microwave. To cook in microwave, spray 2-cup glass measure with cooking spray. Add Egg Beaters; microwave on HIGH 1-3/4 to 2 minutes or just until set, stirring after 1 minute. Then stir with fork until broken into bite-size pieces.

Banana Bran Muffins

2012-02-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

PAM® Baking Spray
1-1/2 cups shredded wheat bran cereal
1-1/2 cups fat free milk
1-1/2 cups Ultragrain® All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup Egg Beaters® Original
1/4 cup Fleischmann's® Original-stick, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (1 cup = about 3 med)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 medium muffin cups with baking spray. Set aside. Stir together cereal and milk in large mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
2. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside. Add Egg Beaters, melted Fleischmann’s and vanilla to cereal mixture; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in flour mixture and bananas just until combined. Spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake 20 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Serve warm.

Daleem

2012-02-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
Mixed yellow, green and red daals- 1 cup
250 gms wholle wheat or cracked wheat
750 gms mutton or lamb meat
cumin powder 2 tsp
red chilli powder 2 tbsp
ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
garam masala powder 1 tsp
coriander leaves-a few
mint leaves- a few
cloves-8
ccardamoms-8
cinamom- 6 sticks
black pepper corns 10
ccaraway seeds 1tsp
bay leaves a few
green chillies 10-12
oil or ghee 5 tbsp
onions-500 gms,sliced thinly
Method:
Soak wheat or cracked wheat overnight.Then boil with the daals till thick and cooked.Heat oil and brown onions, keep aside. In the same oil,add red chilli powder first and then all other spices and salt.Add meat and brown.Keep quarter of the onions and add the rest to the meat mixture..Add water and let it cook til tender.Now add the wheat mixture to the meat,cooking on medium heat till the mixture boils. When well blended s prinkle with the rest of the onions.coriander annd mint leaves and a sprinkling of garam masala powder. Seve with lime wedges.

Malpura

2012-02-23T16:05:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:
* 1 cup maida.
* 1 tblsp. rava.
* 4 tblsps. sugar.
* A few drops essence of saffron.
* A pinch of baking powder.
* 1 tblsp. each of sliced raisins and charoli.
* A few sliced almonds and pistachios.
Method:
Mix together all the above ingredients with the. exception of sugar. Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup water and mix into the flour mixture to form a batter.
The mixture should be a thick batter If you do not have the right consistency of batter add a little flour or water to make the right consistency.
Heat enough ghee for deep frying to smoking, lower the heat, then put in 1 tblsp. of batter.
Spread the batter into a thin round shape and fry over a slow fire to a nice golden colour. Drain nicely and serve hot

COOKING

SEAFOOD SALAD

Wild Mushroom Soup

Grandma Helen's Struffoli

Grandma Helen's Struffoli

Directions:

Sesame Chicken

Directions:

Bihari Kabab

Paella Valenciana

Gather the Equipment for Paella

Ham 'Fried' Rice

Ingredients

Directions

Cook's Tip

Banana Bran Muffins

Ingredients

Directions

Daleem

Malpura