with the economic woes today, lots of folks are asking about spreading their dollar out a bit thinner, Rice has been the answer for centuries..
Rice and sausage san Antone..
Ingredients
* 2 2/3 cups water
* 1 1/3 cups uncooked long grain white rice
* 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
* 1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce
* 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
* 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until evenly brown.
4. In a medium baking dish, mix the cooked rice, cooked sausage, picante sauce, and sour cream. Top with Cheddar cheese.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly.
Broccoil and rice
Ingredients
* 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
* 3 cups instant rice
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 1/4 cups water
* 1 (16 ounce) package processed American cheese, cubed
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 bunch celery, chopped
* 1 large onion, chopped
* salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Cook broccoli and rice according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and 1 1/4 cups water. Gradually stir in cheese until melted. Be careful that the cheese doesn't burn.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and saute celery and onion until soft.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, rice, soup and cheese mixture, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly brown.
Rice Mexicalli
Ingredients
* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 1 onion, diced
* 1 green bell pepper, diced
* 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
* 2 cups fresh corn kernels
* 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
* 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup salsa
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon minced cilantro
* 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
1. In a medium stock pot, brown the ground beef over medium heat. Drain any fat. Add onion and green pepper. Cook until onion is tender.
2. Stir in the beef broth, corn, tomatoes with green chile peppers and tomato sauce. Add salsa, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cilantro. Mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil and stir in rice.
3. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 25 minutes.
4. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the mixture and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Chicken and Pork with rice cassorole
Ingredients
* 1 pound ground pork sausage
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
* 1 onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 cup chopped celery
* 3 cups chicken broth
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
* 2 (6 ounce) package long grain and wild rice mixture
* 1 (3 ounce) package sliced almonds
Directions
1. In a large skillet combine the sausage, chicken, onion, garlic and celery. Saute over medium heat until sausage and chicken are browned and vegetables are tender. Crumble sausage, drain fat from skillet and return sausage to skillet.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Stir in the chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, mushrooms and rice. Mix well and spoon mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with almonds.
4. Cover dish and bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until cooked through
Rice and Black eye peas Cajun style
Ingredients
* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 2 small onions, chopped
* 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 1 cup long grain white rice
* 2 cups water
* 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2 (15.5 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained
Directions
1. Crumble the ground beef into a deep skillet or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and green pepper. Cook and stir until beef is evenly browned. Drain the grease.
2. Add the rice and water to the pan, and season with Creole seasoning, pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, until the water is absorbed. About halfway through cooking the rice, stir in the black-eyed peas.
Fried rice
Ingredients
* 2 cups enriched white rice
* 4 cups water
* 2/3 cup chopped baby carrots
* 1/2 cup frozen green peas
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 eggs
* soy sauce to taste
* sesame oil, to taste (optional)
Directions
1. In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In a small saucepan, boil carrots in water about 3 to 5 minutes. Drop peas into boiling water, and drain.
3. Heat wok over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in carrots and peas; cook about 30 seconds. Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs with vegetables. Stir in cooked rice. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.
THIS Very Basic RECIPE can be adulterated any way you wish, cube up beef, pork or chicken and saute and add to the mix, peel and saute shrimp, add mushrooms, you can throw in canned chicken, canned crab, canned shirmp, Tuna, anything you wish to build up this dish..
hope that takes you in a few directions...
Thank you
CHEF
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
storing fresh cheese?
Zhukov:
One I hope hasn't been covered:
We bought a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano a while ago. I read that exposure to air is bad, but that if you could the cheese out of the air, you could store it for quite a while. Is it safe to store this cheese vacuum-packed in the fridge, and for how long?
[ETA] Found my answer on the Foodsaver website. It says that vacuum sealed cheese lasts 4-8 months in the fridge as compared to 1-2 weeks.
Follow-up: How do you tell hard cheese is going bad?
Excellent question, with the exception of fresh cheese, Ricotta, cottage cheese, mozzarella, mascarpone, crème fraiche, and other soft, "farmers" cheeses, should be treated similar to that of milk or cream depending on the fat content of the cheese. The higher the fat content in the fresh cheese the longer it will last. The high moisture to salt ratio in these cheeses allows for an environment that encourages spoilage. One way to combat this is to add active cultures to the mix, such as those contained in yogurt and sour cream. These retard the formation of spores that cause the eventual deterioration of every thing..they can also alter these fresh cheeses by draining their moisture or salting them. Provolone is actually made the same way as Mozzarella but with a dryer, saltier environment Provolone can age indefinitely. (At least as far as food safety is concerned.)
Cheese making techniques have been around and perfected for a few thousand years, and have come a long way by the time of the Romans.
Accounts of cheeses with a suspicious resemblance to Parmaggiano were being described in the areas to the north of previous Etruscan territories and it had been produced for more centuries than we can count,
Hard durable cheeses such as Parmaggiano or Pecorino of today – were a means of nourishment a soldier could travel with for months in the hot Mediterranean climate. Soldiers were freed from the worry of foraging for fresh food.
basiclly, Cheese was he original version of C-rats and today's MRE's
Natural cheese is alive. Suffocation and dampness is the enemy. Plastic wrap, plastic bags, and other airtight containers should be avoided in all cases except the fresh cheeses. These storage methods trap in stale air, as well as prohibiting the cheese from venting moisture and other byproducts. Once a soggy oxygen deprived environment develops, anaerobic bacteria present themselves. This is a bad thing. This is spoilage. Butcher paper, parchment paper, and wax paper avoid this problem. The cheese is allowed to dry out as it would do anyway if were intentionally aged in a full wheel; it just dries faster in a cut wedge. Mold will still grow on the cheese. Generally these molds are the same ones found naturally on the cheese’s rind. Just cut off the moldy part, and you’re good to go. Eventually the cheese will get stale, but not much worse. In general, long before the cheese is ever dangerous to ones health, it will taste awful.
As for refrigeration: As previously stated, the invention of refrigeration followed the advent of cheese making by thousands of years and probably predates written history so dry natural cheese is bred to allow cool and room temperature storage. IF you have been to Italy, Spain, Greece, you will find fresh hard cheeses sitting on the counter wrapped in cheese cloth, the cloth the only thing protecting it from the elements and it has been this way, well, forever..
Refrigeration merely slows down the life cycle of the cheese. For a piece of Gouda this means 3 months outside refrigeration vs. 6 (or even more) months inside. For Taleggio, this could mean 12 days as apposed to 3 or 4 weeks .
In the case of vacuum sealed cheeses, we are dealing with what accounts to suspended animation. The vacuum created generally halts any biological activity that would otherwise occur. Once the seal is broken the cheese should always be stored in a breathable environment
So, to generally answer your question, Dried cheese rarely goes bad, it dries out, it loses flavor, it grows additional molds similar to the molds that created the cheese to begin with,,
as long as your hard cheese's are wrapped in breathable wrapping to avoid contamination and are not allowed to sit in dampness they will last quite a long time, months, even a year or more easily.
Sealing, Water entrapment, the sweat or tears that weep from quality cheeses, not allowed to dry are the enemy of dry cheese not particularly age and lastly
if it Tastes like your feet and it wasn't supposed to to begin with IT IS probably BAD
Thank you, you always bring me challenging questions,,appreciate it..
CHEF
One I hope hasn't been covered:
We bought a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano a while ago. I read that exposure to air is bad, but that if you could the cheese out of the air, you could store it for quite a while. Is it safe to store this cheese vacuum-packed in the fridge, and for how long?
[ETA] Found my answer on the Foodsaver website. It says that vacuum sealed cheese lasts 4-8 months in the fridge as compared to 1-2 weeks.
Follow-up: How do you tell hard cheese is going bad?
Excellent question, with the exception of fresh cheese, Ricotta, cottage cheese, mozzarella, mascarpone, crème fraiche, and other soft, "farmers" cheeses, should be treated similar to that of milk or cream depending on the fat content of the cheese. The higher the fat content in the fresh cheese the longer it will last. The high moisture to salt ratio in these cheeses allows for an environment that encourages spoilage. One way to combat this is to add active cultures to the mix, such as those contained in yogurt and sour cream. These retard the formation of spores that cause the eventual deterioration of every thing..they can also alter these fresh cheeses by draining their moisture or salting them. Provolone is actually made the same way as Mozzarella but with a dryer, saltier environment Provolone can age indefinitely. (At least as far as food safety is concerned.)
Cheese making techniques have been around and perfected for a few thousand years, and have come a long way by the time of the Romans.
Accounts of cheeses with a suspicious resemblance to Parmaggiano were being described in the areas to the north of previous Etruscan territories and it had been produced for more centuries than we can count,
Hard durable cheeses such as Parmaggiano or Pecorino of today – were a means of nourishment a soldier could travel with for months in the hot Mediterranean climate. Soldiers were freed from the worry of foraging for fresh food.
basiclly, Cheese was he original version of C-rats and today's MRE's
Natural cheese is alive. Suffocation and dampness is the enemy. Plastic wrap, plastic bags, and other airtight containers should be avoided in all cases except the fresh cheeses. These storage methods trap in stale air, as well as prohibiting the cheese from venting moisture and other byproducts. Once a soggy oxygen deprived environment develops, anaerobic bacteria present themselves. This is a bad thing. This is spoilage. Butcher paper, parchment paper, and wax paper avoid this problem. The cheese is allowed to dry out as it would do anyway if were intentionally aged in a full wheel; it just dries faster in a cut wedge. Mold will still grow on the cheese. Generally these molds are the same ones found naturally on the cheese’s rind. Just cut off the moldy part, and you’re good to go. Eventually the cheese will get stale, but not much worse. In general, long before the cheese is ever dangerous to ones health, it will taste awful.
As for refrigeration: As previously stated, the invention of refrigeration followed the advent of cheese making by thousands of years and probably predates written history so dry natural cheese is bred to allow cool and room temperature storage. IF you have been to Italy, Spain, Greece, you will find fresh hard cheeses sitting on the counter wrapped in cheese cloth, the cloth the only thing protecting it from the elements and it has been this way, well, forever..
Refrigeration merely slows down the life cycle of the cheese. For a piece of Gouda this means 3 months outside refrigeration vs. 6 (or even more) months inside. For Taleggio, this could mean 12 days as apposed to 3 or 4 weeks .
In the case of vacuum sealed cheeses, we are dealing with what accounts to suspended animation. The vacuum created generally halts any biological activity that would otherwise occur. Once the seal is broken the cheese should always be stored in a breathable environment
So, to generally answer your question, Dried cheese rarely goes bad, it dries out, it loses flavor, it grows additional molds similar to the molds that created the cheese to begin with,,
as long as your hard cheese's are wrapped in breathable wrapping to avoid contamination and are not allowed to sit in dampness they will last quite a long time, months, even a year or more easily.
Sealing, Water entrapment, the sweat or tears that weep from quality cheeses, not allowed to dry are the enemy of dry cheese not particularly age and lastly
if it Tastes like your feet and it wasn't supposed to to begin with IT IS probably BAD
Thank you, you always bring me challenging questions,,appreciate it..
CHEF
HOT WINGS for superbowl
our friend HURLA is wanting to make "healthier" hot wings for the big game today. I do not like breaded wings, nor do I want to fry them. However, I want the skin to be crispy because there is nothing worse than slimy skin on a hot wing! Any pointers?
Thanks,
simplest way, lower fat...
Ingrediants
2 Dozen Chicken Wings
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
½ Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
¼ Cup of Catsup
½ Cup Steak Sauce
Salt & Pepper to Taste
½ Cup of Orange Juice
¼ Bottle of Hot Sauce or I like to use Picante’ Sauce (measure More/Less to Taste)
Cup of Light or fat free Ranch Dressing
Combine chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Stir in steak sauce, catsup, picante & orange juice.
Mix well, until smooth.
Marinate wings in sauce for about one hour.
Arrange wings in a foil-lined pan; cover with marinate sauce. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for approximately twenty minutes, or in microwave on high for about 6 minutes – until juices run clear. Serve with ranch dressing.
or grilled/broiled indoors
Ingredients
* 2 pounds chicken wings, tips discarded
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 1 cup honey
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 1/2 cup hot sauce
Directions
1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.
2. Wash the wings well and pat dry with paper towel. Season the meat with cayenne, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook the chicken wings on preheated grill until cooked through and juices run clear, 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the wings. Brush the wings liberally using 1/2 cup of honey while they are cooking.
4. Melt the butter, pour into a large bowl and mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of honey and hot sauce. Remove the wings from the grill and immediately toss them in the hot honey butter sauce to coat. Serve the wings 'wet' or return them to the grill for 1 minute per side to set the sauce.
or
Asian Fusion...
Ingredients
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 green onions, chopped
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
* 2 tablespoons fish sauce
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
* salt to taste after cooking(optional)
* 16 chicken wings
* 2 limes, quartered
Directions
1. Whisk together the garlic, green onion, sugar, five-spice powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, and salt in a bowl. Arrange the chicken pieces in a shallow, non-metallic dish. Spoon the sauce mixture over the chicken to evenly coat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F Lightly grease a baking sheet.
3. Arrange the marinated chicken on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy, about 45 minutes. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
let us know how they work out
CHEF
Thanks,
simplest way, lower fat...
Ingrediants
2 Dozen Chicken Wings
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
½ Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
¼ Cup of Catsup
½ Cup Steak Sauce
Salt & Pepper to Taste
½ Cup of Orange Juice
¼ Bottle of Hot Sauce or I like to use Picante’ Sauce (measure More/Less to Taste)
Cup of Light or fat free Ranch Dressing
Combine chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Stir in steak sauce, catsup, picante & orange juice.
Mix well, until smooth.
Marinate wings in sauce for about one hour.
Arrange wings in a foil-lined pan; cover with marinate sauce. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for approximately twenty minutes, or in microwave on high for about 6 minutes – until juices run clear. Serve with ranch dressing.
or grilled/broiled indoors
Ingredients
* 2 pounds chicken wings, tips discarded
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 1 cup honey
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 1/2 cup hot sauce
Directions
1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.
2. Wash the wings well and pat dry with paper towel. Season the meat with cayenne, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook the chicken wings on preheated grill until cooked through and juices run clear, 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the wings. Brush the wings liberally using 1/2 cup of honey while they are cooking.
4. Melt the butter, pour into a large bowl and mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of honey and hot sauce. Remove the wings from the grill and immediately toss them in the hot honey butter sauce to coat. Serve the wings 'wet' or return them to the grill for 1 minute per side to set the sauce.
or
Asian Fusion...
Ingredients
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 green onions, chopped
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
* 2 tablespoons fish sauce
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
* salt to taste after cooking(optional)
* 16 chicken wings
* 2 limes, quartered
Directions
1. Whisk together the garlic, green onion, sugar, five-spice powder, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, and salt in a bowl. Arrange the chicken pieces in a shallow, non-metallic dish. Spoon the sauce mixture over the chicken to evenly coat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F Lightly grease a baking sheet.
3. Arrange the marinated chicken on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy, about 45 minutes. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
let us know how they work out
CHEF
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
a reader asked me about uses of sesame seeds..
seeds of the sesame plant (Sesamum Indicum to use its scientific name) are featured in many Asian cuisines. Spice paste concoctions made with sesame seeds enhance Indian dishes, and sesame seeds play a role in Japanese vegetarian cooking. In China, sesame seeds are used to flavor cakes, cookies, and popular desserts such as sesame seed balls and fried custard. You'll also find them in savory dishes.
Both black and white sesame seeds are used in Chinese cooking. (A third variety of beige colored sesame seeds is not as popular). Like sesame oil, white sesame seeds have a nutty flavor, while black sesame seeds taste more bitter. However, whether a recipe calls for white or black seeds often has more to do with the appearance of a dish rather than flavor.
White sesame seeds are nearly always toasted before using. There are differing opinions over the value of toasting black sesame seeds, as it can accentuate the bitter flavor - let your taste buds make the decision. Because sesame seeds contain a high percentage of oil, it's best to store them in the refrigerator if you plan on keeping them for more than two or three months. Otherwise, they can be kept in a covered jar at room temperature. In any event, check and make sure they don't smell rancid before using.
Sesame seeds are a nutritional goldmine - high in mineral content, and containing two proteins that are not normally found in other vegetable proteins. For people with milk allergies, sesame seeds provide an alternative source of calcium.
this amber colored, aromatic oil, made from pressed and toasted sesame seeds, is a popular ingredient in Chinese cooking. Not for use as a cooking oil, however, as the flavor is too intense and it burns quite easily. Try adding sesame oil to marinades, salad dressings, or in the final stages of cooking. Recipes often call for a few drops of sesame oil to be drizzled on a dish just before serving.
Seseme crusted Salmon
Ingredients
1. 1/4 cup soy sauce
2. 2 tablespoons dry sherry
3. 1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
4. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
6. 1 clove garlic, minced
7. 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
8. 3 tablespoons water
9. 1 egg white
10. 2 pounds center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
11. 1/4 cup black and white sesame seeds
12. 1/4 cup cooking oil
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, chicken broth, sugar, ginger, and garlic. In another small bowl, stir together the 2 teaspoons cornstarch and the water.
2. Whisk together the egg white and the 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Brush the skinless side of the salmon with the egg-white mixture and then dip it into the sesame seeds to coat.
3. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Put the salmon in the pan, sesame-seed side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 3 minutes longer for a 1-inch-thick fillet. Remove.
4. Pour any oil from the pan. Add the soy-sauce mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring. Whisk in the cornstarch-and-water mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute longer. Serve the salmon with the sauce poured around it.
Tuna steaks would be perfect with the sesame-seed crust and the sauce. You can also use salmon steaks instead of fillets.
Sesame Chicken
3 whole boneless chicken breasts
Marinade:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry
a few drops of sesame oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sauce for Sesame Chicken:
1/2 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup vinegar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 TB dark soy sauce
2 TB sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste, or more if desired
1 clove garlic (minced)
Other:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
3 1/2 - 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
To prepare the sauce: mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.
To deep-fry the chicken: add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.
Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.
Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.
CHEF
Both black and white sesame seeds are used in Chinese cooking. (A third variety of beige colored sesame seeds is not as popular). Like sesame oil, white sesame seeds have a nutty flavor, while black sesame seeds taste more bitter. However, whether a recipe calls for white or black seeds often has more to do with the appearance of a dish rather than flavor.
White sesame seeds are nearly always toasted before using. There are differing opinions over the value of toasting black sesame seeds, as it can accentuate the bitter flavor - let your taste buds make the decision. Because sesame seeds contain a high percentage of oil, it's best to store them in the refrigerator if you plan on keeping them for more than two or three months. Otherwise, they can be kept in a covered jar at room temperature. In any event, check and make sure they don't smell rancid before using.
Sesame seeds are a nutritional goldmine - high in mineral content, and containing two proteins that are not normally found in other vegetable proteins. For people with milk allergies, sesame seeds provide an alternative source of calcium.
this amber colored, aromatic oil, made from pressed and toasted sesame seeds, is a popular ingredient in Chinese cooking. Not for use as a cooking oil, however, as the flavor is too intense and it burns quite easily. Try adding sesame oil to marinades, salad dressings, or in the final stages of cooking. Recipes often call for a few drops of sesame oil to be drizzled on a dish just before serving.
Seseme crusted Salmon
Ingredients
1. 1/4 cup soy sauce
2. 2 tablespoons dry sherry
3. 1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
4. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
6. 1 clove garlic, minced
7. 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
8. 3 tablespoons water
9. 1 egg white
10. 2 pounds center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
11. 1/4 cup black and white sesame seeds
12. 1/4 cup cooking oil
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, chicken broth, sugar, ginger, and garlic. In another small bowl, stir together the 2 teaspoons cornstarch and the water.
2. Whisk together the egg white and the 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Brush the skinless side of the salmon with the egg-white mixture and then dip it into the sesame seeds to coat.
3. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Put the salmon in the pan, sesame-seed side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 3 minutes longer for a 1-inch-thick fillet. Remove.
4. Pour any oil from the pan. Add the soy-sauce mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring. Whisk in the cornstarch-and-water mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute longer. Serve the salmon with the sauce poured around it.
Tuna steaks would be perfect with the sesame-seed crust and the sauce. You can also use salmon steaks instead of fillets.
Sesame Chicken
3 whole boneless chicken breasts
Marinade:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry
a few drops of sesame oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sauce for Sesame Chicken:
1/2 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup vinegar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 TB dark soy sauce
2 TB sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste, or more if desired
1 clove garlic (minced)
Other:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
3 1/2 - 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
To prepare the sauce: mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.
To deep-fry the chicken: add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.
Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.
Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.
CHEF
Friday, January 8, 2010
someone had a question about Stir Fry
Hey Chef, love the column!
I need assistance with chicken stir fry. I put cubed chicken breast cuts into a hot wok w/peanut oil and once they start to brown, add red and green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Shortly after I add soy sauce. Tonight I realized that soy sauce just doesn't seem right...how else can I add an authentic Asian taste? I also plan to add cubed pineapple to the wok just as soon as I get some. Ideally I'd like to eat this over brown rice. Any suggestions appreciated.
thank you, glad the column is of service,,,and a good question,,
if you check the index of my column, look for master sauce, it is an ancient recipe for basic chinese sauces and fun to create and give "life" to
in cooking Asian food, peanut oil is good and an OK flavor, but want true asian flavor try sesame oil..you are also lacking garlic and GINGER, a very common ingredient in Asian cooking.
here is a good stir fry sauce you can make and hold in your refer for future use, should last about 6mo with out question, maybe a year if you care for it..
Basic Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 1/ 2 tsp. sesame oil
1/ 2 tsp. minced garlic
1/ 2 tsp. minced ginger
1/ 2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1/ 8 tsp. Tabasco
1/ 2 tsp. salt
1/ 4 tsp. pepper
1 1/ 2 tsp. lemon or lime juice
1 1/ 2 tsp.cornstarch
1 Tbs. rice wine or sherry
Directions:
Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry 15-30 second over medium heat to bring out the flavor.
Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Bring just to a boil, stirring. Dissolve the cornstarch in the wine and whisk into the sauce. Heat until sauce thickens and reaches a full boil. Simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.
hope that helps you out,,
CHEF
CHEF!
Well I tried it tonight, kind of. The store I was at didn't have rice wine or sherry so I grabbed a random bottle of sauv blonc.
I also used lime juice. When cooking it, how long should it take to get thick? I had it boiling for several minutes and it didn't get real thick like the sauces you'd see in restaurants. I didn't want to boil it any longer since I was afraid I'd lose flavor. How should I apply it to the food? I put it in the wok with the food and a majority of it burned instantly. Should I put it on the food after the food is transfered to a bowl?ok, wine wont matter much, though the taste wont quite be what your seeking. but not far off.
and you didnt tell us how it tasted????
and
well,
sounds like I made an assumption..or making one now, either way,,your sauce didn't come out correctly.
when adding corn starch as a thickening agent, you have to have a bit of a practiced hand,
you combine the ingredients and bring them to a boil and you then whisk in the corn starch blend. the stock has to be at a rolling boil when whisking in the cornstarch, allowed to bring back to a boil and then remove from heat immediately!
Secondly, in making the cornstach blend, you have to sort of keep it moving after you mix it or the starch just settles to the bottom and doesnt gel correctly when added to the stock.
the sauce should gel slightly thicker than maple syrup,
to test, Dip the bottom of the bowl of a room temp ladle and pull out immediately, it should look freshly shellacked
Allow a moment to cool and then dip it again, and you should get a second "coat", this double coating should be clear and not cloudy at all nor should you see small opaque lumps, pills, or balls, these lumps are improperly broken down cornstarch and if you see them, you need more practice, just strain the sauce, bring it to a boil and try again..bnt only once or twice or you are going to effect the taste..(you can practice on the cheap by thicking boiling water
)I don't know if you ever played with cornstarch,,
you take a tablespoon or so of cornstarch in the palm of your hand, get it a bit wet and begin to try rolling it into a ball with both hands, palm to palm, add a bit more water until you can make it happen, once you have a ball going, STOP and watch it turn into a rather disgusting looking puddle in your palm, and begin to roll again and you will quickly have a ball forming again.
in understanding how cornstarch and water works together, it helps you understand a bit how it works when you are cooking with it.
s long as you keep moving the palms of your hand you will have a solid viable ball, once you stop, phfft, gooey mess
1 bring stock to a rolling boil
2 whisk cornstarch and water/wine together quickly
3 whisk starch blend into boiling stock
4 whip while it thickens lightly then allow it to return to a boil, whisking occasionally
5 turn off and remove from heat immediately..shoudl settle out in about 10 min.
when making Asian food of any kind remember you need to move things very quickly to get the "right" taste/texture of the fresh ingredients.
when adding the sauce to the cooked food, it is the absolute last thing added, stirred in when you have achieved temp for the main ingredients and then transferred to the serving dish immediately.
it is a sugar based sauce and will stick and burn when added to HIGH heat as it is caramelizing and you MAY have to add the sauce after transferring the ingredients to a separate bowl, maybe.
let me know if that does it,,and if you like Asian food and have limited time and knowledge there of, check out Martin Yan;s books, He does a nice job of explaining Asian nuances.
Thank you, hope that gets you there
CHEF
Monday, January 4, 2010
with the weather turning chilly..
the question came up on the preparation of stocks..
here are some basic recipes for stock. Starting with fresh stock gives you an understanding of how to use the most from all the foods you bring into your kitchen. With a good stock base you can create about anything with in your imagination in soups and sauces in days ahead.
Making Brown Stock at Home
One of the most popular stocks used by professional chefs and more and more home cooks is a basic brown stock. The reason for its popularity? It is the foundation for making a number of sauces including brown sauce, demi-glace, and pan sauces.
When reduced to a thick syrup it is called Glace de Viande. In addition to being critical in sauce making, Brown Stock and Glace de Viande are often used as a base for soups and braises and give any dish additional flavor and color.
It is not difficult to make but does take a lot of time and equipment to make basic brown stock and if you want to prepare a Glace de Viande, it takes even longer. Here is a basic recipe for making brown stock.
BASIC BROWN STOCK
Yield: 2 gallons
Ingredients:
8 pounds veal marrow bones sawed into 2-inch pieces
6 pounds beef marrow bones sawed into 2-inch pieces
16 ounces tomato paste
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups chopped celery
4 cups dry red wine
1 bouquet garni
Salt and pepper
16 quarts of water
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour. Remove the bones from the oven and brush with the tomato paste. In a mixing bowl, combine the onions, carrots, and celery together. Lay the vegetables over the bones and return to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the roasting pan on the stove and deglaze the pan with the red wine, using a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan for browned particles.
Put everything into a large stockpot. Add the bouquet garni and season with salt. Add the water. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the stock for 4 hours, skimming regularly. Remove from the heat and strain through a China cap or tightly meshed strainer.
Yield: about 2 gallons
Basic Chicken Stock
makes 1 gallon
Ingredients:
8 pounds chicken bones
6 quarts cold water
1 pound Mirepoix
1 Sachet d'Epices
Salt to taste
Rinse the bones and add them to a large stock pot filled with the water.
Bring the stock to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the stock for 4 to 5 hours skimming the surface when necessary. Add the mirepoix, sachet d'epices and salt during the last hour of simmering.
Strain, let cool and store.
Roasted Chicken Stock
Ingredients
5 pounds chicken bones and parts
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
3 carrots, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch chunks 1 leek, rinsed will, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
12 sprigs fresh parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a roasting pan, combine the chicken parts, onions, and tomato paste. Roast for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a large stock pot Add the celery, carrots, leeks, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
Add enough cold water to cover all the ingredients. Bring water to a boil very slowly. This will help prevent clouding of the stock. Do not cover the pot. When the stock comes to a boil, lower the heat so that the stock simmers gently. Skim any froth or foam that may surface.
Let the stock simmer for about 4 hours, skimming as needed.
Turn off the heat and let the stock cool for 3o minutes to 1 hour. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken bones and discard. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and discard the vegetables left behind. Strain again, this time through a sieve or colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.
Cool overnight in the refrigerator to allow the fat to rise to the surface. Skim the fat and portion the stock into containers. Label, date and freeze.
Fish Fume -Yield: 1 Pint
Ingredients
1 fish bones (sole is best -
-or use 1; /2 salmon/sole)
2 tb butter
1/2 md onion, sliced
1/2 md carrot, sliced
1 bouquet garni
1 1/2 c wine, white
1 c stock, chicken or
1 c water
Instructions
Fish Fume:
heat the butter in a saucepan. Add onion and carrot and cook
briefly for about 1 minute.
Add fish bones and continue to cook. (Do not brown, but cook
until meat falls off.)
Add bouquet garni, white wine and chicken stock or water. Bring
to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Strain
through chinois.
Reduce by half, strain again, and reserve.
Bouquet Garni is a cheesecloth bag with parsley, bay leaf,
oregano, thyme, and rosemary inside.)
Mirepoix is the French name for a combination of onions, carrots and celery (either common Pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. Mirepoix is known as the holy trinity of French cooking.
Sachet d'epices (Fr)
This translates into "Bag of spices." Most commonly consists of aromatic ingredients that are encased in cheesecloth. It is used to flavor stocks and other liquids. A classical sachet contains parsley stems, cracked peppercorns, dried thyme, and a bay leaf.
good cooking,,
CHEF
here are some basic recipes for stock. Starting with fresh stock gives you an understanding of how to use the most from all the foods you bring into your kitchen. With a good stock base you can create about anything with in your imagination in soups and sauces in days ahead.
Making Brown Stock at Home
One of the most popular stocks used by professional chefs and more and more home cooks is a basic brown stock. The reason for its popularity? It is the foundation for making a number of sauces including brown sauce, demi-glace, and pan sauces.
When reduced to a thick syrup it is called Glace de Viande. In addition to being critical in sauce making, Brown Stock and Glace de Viande are often used as a base for soups and braises and give any dish additional flavor and color.
It is not difficult to make but does take a lot of time and equipment to make basic brown stock and if you want to prepare a Glace de Viande, it takes even longer. Here is a basic recipe for making brown stock.
BASIC BROWN STOCK
Yield: 2 gallons
Ingredients:
8 pounds veal marrow bones sawed into 2-inch pieces
6 pounds beef marrow bones sawed into 2-inch pieces
16 ounces tomato paste
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups chopped celery
4 cups dry red wine
1 bouquet garni
Salt and pepper
16 quarts of water
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour. Remove the bones from the oven and brush with the tomato paste. In a mixing bowl, combine the onions, carrots, and celery together. Lay the vegetables over the bones and return to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the roasting pan on the stove and deglaze the pan with the red wine, using a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan for browned particles.
Put everything into a large stockpot. Add the bouquet garni and season with salt. Add the water. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the stock for 4 hours, skimming regularly. Remove from the heat and strain through a China cap or tightly meshed strainer.
Yield: about 2 gallons
Basic Chicken Stock
makes 1 gallon
Ingredients:
8 pounds chicken bones
6 quarts cold water
1 pound Mirepoix
1 Sachet d'Epices
Salt to taste
Rinse the bones and add them to a large stock pot filled with the water.
Bring the stock to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the stock for 4 to 5 hours skimming the surface when necessary. Add the mirepoix, sachet d'epices and salt during the last hour of simmering.
Strain, let cool and store.
Roasted Chicken Stock
Ingredients
5 pounds chicken bones and parts
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
3 carrots, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch chunks 1 leek, rinsed will, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
12 sprigs fresh parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a roasting pan, combine the chicken parts, onions, and tomato paste. Roast for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a large stock pot Add the celery, carrots, leeks, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
Add enough cold water to cover all the ingredients. Bring water to a boil very slowly. This will help prevent clouding of the stock. Do not cover the pot. When the stock comes to a boil, lower the heat so that the stock simmers gently. Skim any froth or foam that may surface.
Let the stock simmer for about 4 hours, skimming as needed.
Turn off the heat and let the stock cool for 3o minutes to 1 hour. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken bones and discard. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and discard the vegetables left behind. Strain again, this time through a sieve or colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.
Cool overnight in the refrigerator to allow the fat to rise to the surface. Skim the fat and portion the stock into containers. Label, date and freeze.
Fish Fume -Yield: 1 Pint
Ingredients
1 fish bones (sole is best -
-or use 1; /2 salmon/sole)
2 tb butter
1/2 md onion, sliced
1/2 md carrot, sliced
1 bouquet garni
1 1/2 c wine, white
1 c stock, chicken or
1 c water
Instructions
Fish Fume:
heat the butter in a saucepan. Add onion and carrot and cook
briefly for about 1 minute.
Add fish bones and continue to cook. (Do not brown, but cook
until meat falls off.)
Add bouquet garni, white wine and chicken stock or water. Bring
to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Strain
through chinois.
Reduce by half, strain again, and reserve.
Bouquet Garni is a cheesecloth bag with parsley, bay leaf,
oregano, thyme, and rosemary inside.)
Mirepoix is the French name for a combination of onions, carrots and celery (either common Pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. Mirepoix is known as the holy trinity of French cooking.
Sachet d'epices (Fr)
This translates into "Bag of spices." Most commonly consists of aromatic ingredients that are encased in cheesecloth. It is used to flavor stocks and other liquids. A classical sachet contains parsley stems, cracked peppercorns, dried thyme, and a bay leaf.
good cooking,,
CHEF
Friday, January 1, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.
I personally can not abide the taste of black eye'd pea's or black beans for that matter...
but, here is a speedy way to make some rather tasty dishes with said offending legumes
Basic Black eye'd pea's
Ingredients
* 3 cups water
* 1 pound dry black-eyed peas
* 2 smoked ham hocks
* salt to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 bay leaf
Directions
1. Rinse dried peas thoroughly, sorting any tiny pebbles or other debris.
2. In a large stockpot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil with black-eyed peas, ham hocks, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours, or until peas and ham hocks are tender. If ham hocks require further cooking, simmer in water in a separate pot until meat is easily pulled from the bone.
3. Cool ham hocks and remove all meat from the bone. Stir ham into the peas, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed, and serve.
black eye pea stew
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
* 8 ounces smoked sausage, sliced
* 8 ounces of diced cooked ham
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 lbs of cooked black-eyed peas(can be canned)
* (1 inch) cube smoked hog jowel for luck, (salt pork of fat back can be sub'd but will only make you 1/2 as lucky)
* 3/4 cup water
* 1/2 cup cooked white rice
* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and smoked sausage. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the black-eyed peas and ham and hog jowel for luck for the next year! Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 1/2 hour. When ready to serve, stir in cooked rice and serve topped with cheese melted under the broiler..
black eye'd pea salad
ngredients
* 1 cup dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes
* 2 pounds of cooked black-eyed peas, drained (can be canned)
* 1/2 small red onion, chopped
* 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
* 6 ounce crumbled feta cheese
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon honey
Directions
1. Place sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl with enough boiling water to cover. Allow to sit 3 minutes, or until softened. Drain, and cut into strips.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the sun-dried tomatoes, black-eyed peas, onion, bell pepper, and feta.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey. Drizzle over the salad, and gently toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!
And there's a hand my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o thine,
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!
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