Leftovers or just stuff

Sometimes I don't feel like blogging. Really. I don't feel like taking pictures while I am cooking or cooking something new so I have new fodder for this blog. It isn't my style. What IS my style is a mish mash of thoughts flitting through my head and snapshots of the weekend that ramble rather than lead anywhere.



This weekend was a mish mash too. It is the last weekend that Dr. Food and I will be in the same state for a few weeks. Both of us are going off in different directions. Dr. Food for work and me to see my family. I get to see Annie and Tim and PARKER.

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Look at that face!



So back to cooking. We decided to make one of our favorites. I have posted it before but I am not sure if anyone ever saw it. You have to believe me this dish is awesome. It even has salt pork in it. Not that this is anything really big but anytime anyone says "Pork or Bacon" everyone seems to swoon. Not ME mind you.



Pork and I sorta broke up. I will post this recipe again because 1. You need to learn how to cook with a pressure cooker (not like the old ones your mother used to use that were dangerous. They are easy to use now and 2) This dish is still one of my very favorites.



If you make it tell me what you think of it. If you didn't like it don't tell me.



What am I chopped liver? Why yes, yes you are!



Why is there Kale in my chopped liver? Well, that is because we made Indian food and this is a pate which we make pretty often. I love it. I have posted this before too.



Not pretty but if you like pate (chopped liver) you will love this. Ok, you will love this if you love Indian food. We also made Suvir Saran's Mung dall Kee Khicharee (My Grand-Uncle's Khicharee)



This was good too. We also had Vij's Family Chicken Curry but I didn't take a stinkin picture of it.




Saveur Cooks 
Authentic French
Pintade au Chou 
(Guinea Hen with Cabbage)

(When I went to go get a "Guinea Hen" the man at the meat department 
told me that it was no more than a small chicken. I was surprised but 
that is what I used)

1 2-1/2-3lb Guinea Hen (like I said, I used a small chicken)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz lean salt pork diced

2 medium yellow onions peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp butter

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

12 new potatoes 

1 medium savoy cabbage, quartered, cored and cut into 1/4" wide strips 

1 12oz bottle of lager-style beer

1. Rub chicken inside and out with salt and pepper, then tie legs 
together with kitchen string

2. Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in the bottom of a pressure cooker over 
medium heat, add salt pork, and saute until brown and crisp, about 10 
min. Remove salt pork with a slotted spoon and set aside. Saute 
onions in salt pork fat until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove with a 
slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Add butter and remaining 1 tbsp oil to pressure cooker. Add 
chicken and brown all over, turning several times, for about 20 
minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add salt pork, onions, 
carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. Pour beer over chicken and 
vegetables. Place lid on pressure cooker, close tightly, and process 
according to manufacturer's instructions at a pressure of 10lbs or on 
high for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes, and 
carefully open cover.


Curried Chicken Liver Pate
from Vij's Indian Cuisine

1/2C canola oil (I use 1/4C)
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2lb red onions, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 C pureed tomatoes
1 lb chicken livers, washed
1 1/2 oz Kale leaves, washed and finely chopped
3 Tbsp dry white wine

Heat oil in a medium pot on high for 1 minute. Add asafoetida and cook for 10 seconds. Add onions, reduce heat to medium and saute for 5 to 8 minutes, or until golden to medium brown. Add garam masala, fenugreek, cayenne, turmeric and salt. Stir well, then cook for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes, until the oil glistens on top.

Stir in chicken livers and kale leaves and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring gently but regularly. Once chicken livers harden a bit and stop bleeding during the cooking process, they are cooked. Remove from the stove and cool for 45 minutes.

In a food processo, combine the chicken liver mixture and white wine. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a stainless or glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Serve with crackers.


Vij's Family Chicken Curry

1/2 cups canola oil (I used 1/4C)
2 cups finely chopped onions (2 large)
7.5-cm stick of cinnamon
3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground corinader
1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1.4 kilos chicken thighs, bone in
1 cup sour cream, stirred
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (including stems)


Directions

In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon and saute for five to eight minutes until onions are golden. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, tumeric, cumin, corinader, garam masala, and cayenne. Cook this masala for rive minutes or until the oil separates from the masala.
Remove an discard skin from the chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to the masala. Stir well. Cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until the chicken looks cooked on the outside Add sour cream and water and stir well.
Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring two or three times, until chicken is completely cooked. Poke thighs with a knife. If the meat is still pink, cook for five more minutes.
Remove and discard he cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour.
Transfer cooled chicken to a mixing bowl. Wearing latex gloves, peel chicken meat off the bones. Discard bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly.
Stir in cilantro.
Serve with naan or rice, Serves six.

Number of Servings: 6

Vegan Brown Rice Bowl...Yes you heard ME right

Where do I start. Ok, I will start with Saturday. Saturday was a lets just slop around the house day. What should we cook day. We decided that we would make some Chawanmushi. No, that wasn't a sneeze. Chawanmushi is a Japanese savory custard with shrimp, chicken and a surprise in it. It is one of my very favorites and really a winter food. That is why I decided that we better hurry up and make it because Winter is never really gonna happen anyhow.



First thing that has to happen is that Dashi has to be made. It is made with seaweed and bonito flakes. Oh grow up and expand your taste buds a bit before you wrinkle up your nose and click off of this blog.



This is the bonito flakes.



This is the dashi after being strained. It now is used as a soup base.



The dashi gets put in some whipped up eggs.



A few cubes of chicken and a shrimp are put into these cute little cups. There is the secret ingredient!



Ginko Nuts! I love them. When we lived in the Bay Area I could get them fresh. Now I have to resort to canned which are not very good. Dr. Food hates them. When he chews into one he makes this really weird face. So, I put them into his anyhow and he gives them to me to eat.



They are then steamed.



Very good. I know that I posted this recipe before but I had to show it again.



We also made a little Dyna-mite! Yum. I love this stuff.



This recipe has all kinds of seafood in it. It is served in Japanese restaurants although I don't know if it is just an American thing or if it really is served in Japan. I got the recipe from RasaMalaysia.com. It turned out great and tasted just like in restaurants.



Then Dr. Food went out of town and I was on my own for a couple of nights. I had just seen this Macro Brown Rice Bowl in Food and Wine and was dying to try it out. It was so good I wanted to cry.



No meat kids. JUST Quinoa, Brown Rice and Vegetables.



Just love kale!

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I will definitely be making this again.



I could eat this every night. No, I swear.



This bowl of good has a Tahini dressing which makes it a bowl of even better.



So night two of Dr. Food being gone was my beloved Kimchi Rice Bowl.


You know it had to have an egg on top of it.



SLURP!


Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini
Food and Wine Magazine

Printable Version


1 cup long-grain brown rice
1 cup red quinoa
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 carrot, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
Salt
1 head of broccoli—stems peeled and sliced into coins, heads cut into small florets
One 12-ounce bunch kale, large stems discarded
1/4 cup tahini, at room temperature
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons warm water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup mung bean sprouts

In a medium saucepan, cover the brown rice with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is just tender, about 40 minutes. Drain and return the rice to the saucepan; keep covered.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat until the quinoa is tender and all of the water has been absorbed, 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add the carrot and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the shiitake, cover and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring a few times, until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the broccoli, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until deep green, 5 minutes. Add the kale, cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the broccoli and kale are just tender, 4 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in the other vegetables.

In a small bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, garlic, warm water and crushed red pepper. Season with salt.
Transfer the brown rice and quinoa to bowls. Top with the cooked vegetables, diced avocado and bean sprouts. Serve, passing the tahini sauce at the table.

A Cheesecake Cookie from my past

When I saw that Abby Dodge's #Baketogether was cheesecake I flashed on a recipe and a story from my past. Eon's ago in another life, I had a sister-in-law that was a chef. She could make something out of nothing. She awed me with the way that she grew all her own food. She created things that my kids would come home after a visit and tell me about. Back when Annie was little she came home and begged for Sorrel.

When I was dating her brother (Mr X-husband) she made us cookies that I never forgot. So what did I do? When Annie went to visit her years later I asked her to get the recipe for me. When Annie has a mission she doesn't quit until it is accomplished. That is my girl! The recipe is written in Annie's writing and I treasure it.



This recipe actually is a healthy one. Little sugar considering it is a cheesecake. I used toasted sesame seeds in the crust but you can also use walnuts.



The filling uses honey instead of white sugar. Did I tell you that this is my very favorite honey EVER. I am a honey connoisseur. Shut up I am SO.



So cheesecake pictures are boring when they have no fruit on it. Let me restate that... MY cheesecake pictures are boring. I need a favor from all of you.



This is the picture that I took of the cheesecake cookie. Just my everyday plate and a picture of an ole cheesecake cookie. Then I had second thoughts and had a convo with myself

Janis: The damn white plate is good enough.

Myself: Come on Lard ass, beautify it a little bit.

Janis: Don't call me Lard ass.

Myself: Just put the damn thing on a pretty plate already...



This is after I put it on a pretty plate but still my substandard photography. Which one do you like better? You can say neither. I can take it.



Why am I showing you a picture of brussel sprouts in my Cheesecake cookie post? Well you see I am not good at keeping things until later to post about. Once they happen I have to tell you right away. I am so not OCD!

These Brussel sprouts were really good. All it is is olive oil (2 Tbl) with Fish sauce (1 Tbl). Squish the brussel sprouts around in it and saute until brown and crispy in spots



Oh, and this is the shiken that I made. I took the Peruvian Chicken buttermilk soak and used that. Then I took the Chourmoula recipe from Paula Wolfert's new book "The Food of Morocco" and rubbed it all over the chicken.



Good dinner. I used a regular plate to show you. Maybe I should have used a fancy one...

Cheesecake Cookies (2" squares)

1/3 C butter
1/3 C brown sugar
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C chopped walnuts or toasted sesame seeds
1/4 C honey
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1 Tbl milk
1 Tbl lemon juice
Grated peel of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. Blend together with a pastry cutter to make crumbly texture: whole wheat flour, brown sugar, and butter. Mix in chopped nuts. Reserve 1/2 C of nuts for top.

2. Press remainder into an oiled 8" square pan and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

3. Soften cream cheese with mixing spoon. Blend in honey. Blend in remaining ingredients and beat well.

4. Spread over crust and sprinkle with reserved crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.