Sesame Peanut Pasta 涼麵

no pics today. sleepy. just jotting down recipe so i remember it. not copied from any one source. this is from much research and compiling many recipes to suit own tastes.

INGREDIENTS:

sauce:

• 1/3-1/2 cup extra crunchy PB
• 3 tbs soy sauce (or about one part soy sauce, 3 parts PB)
• 2 tbs tahini paste
• 2 -3 tbs agave nectar (thinner, blends better than honey)
• 1 tbs chinese vinegar (or other vinegar. not balsamic)
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 clove garlic, roasted in toaster oven and minced (raw = too sharp)
• 1 chili pepper (seeds)

other:

• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 lb chicken thigh
• 1 batch (3 cm diameter?) linguini (i like spinach!)
• 1/2 small cucumber, sliced thin
• equal amounts of carrots (4 baby carrots), julienne
• 1 green onion stalk, sliced thin
• other option for toppings: eggs, beaten, pan fried as thin omelet, then slice into strips

DIRECTIONS:

1. cut chicken into strips (easier if still slightly frozen)
2. boil 1 inch of stock in pot, put chicken in, simmer.
3. set aside when cooked.
4. mix all ingredients for sauce
5. add 1-2 tbs hot stock to melt/blend ingredients.
6. cook pasta in salted water. drain, toss in ice cubes to cool to room temp.
7. add chicken pieces and sliced cucumber + carrots, etc
8. mix with sauce
9. top with handful of green onions.
10. serve room temp.

Mango Chicken Curry!

adapted from Simply Recipes.

learning to work with what i have is helping me become a better cook, i think. with no blender on hand, this dish came out to be more of a stew rather than a creamy curry. not that this was necessarily a bad thing…i simply simmered my veggies a little longer and mashed them as best as i could with the edge of my spatula. it’s a wonder R didn’t get annoyed with all the ruckus i was making in the kitchen as he tried to work in the next room. but i don’t feel too bad. he was amply rewarded 30 minutes later for enduring the distraction.

anyway. i gotta get me one of those hand held blenders. alton brown says no kitchen should be without one. alton brown also said all meat should be brined. he is a wise man. ’cause tonight was not only my first curry, but my first successfully juicy chicken. huzzah!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbs minced ginger
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 mango
• 1/2 lb chicken thighs
• 2 tbs curry powder
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1-2 tbs vinegar (all i had was chinese chinkiang vinegar…kinda sweet, similar to balsamic)
• 2 chili peppers. dried, powdered, or otherwise.
• ~1/3 cup cream or half and half

PREP:

1. chop chicken in bite size cubes. brine.
2. finely dice onion and bell peppers
3. mince garlic, grate ginger
4. chop half a mango in cubes (match size of chicken), mince other half.

COOK:

1. heat oil in pan. add onions. sweat ’em for 5 – 10 min until brown on med/high heat.
2. add bell peppers. saute 2 more min.
3. add more oil to center of pan, fry up curry powder until fragrant. mix in w/ veggies until well distributed.
4. add garlic, ginger, seeds from chili pepper. saute 1 more min.
5. pour in chicken broth, vinegar, minced mangoes. bring to boil.
6. reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 min. everything should be soft. mash to your heart’s content, or blend with hand blender.
7. drain chicken from brine. bring pot to medium heat, add chicken and raisins. stir to coat well, cover, then return to simmer for 10 min or until chicken is just cooked through (cut open largest piece to check)
8. keep heat on low. add in remaining large diced mangos and slowly pour/mix in cream. DON’T raise heat or cream will curdle.
9. add salt to taste. adjust for flavor, adding more vinegar if too sweet.
10. serve with store bought garlic naan. i found Trader Joe’s to be a bit bland. so ibrushed it with olive oil and generously sprinkled on garlic salt.

NOTES:

1. Ripe mangoes are sweeter (duh). make for a creamier, less tart curry.
2. substituting cream for coconut milk (and perhaps adding a dash of lime instead of vinegar) will make for a more Thai-like curry.
3. chicken thigh > chicken breast

Pistachio Rosemary Crusted Pork Chops

(yea yea, i know. my pictures are really ugly lately. get me an iphone 4. or a real SLR.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4oz shelled pistachio meat, unsalted
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 large egg
• brining solution
• 2 center cut bone in pork chops, cut 3/4 inch thick

PREP:

1. make brining solution: i used some ratio of chicken stock and orange juice for the liquid, honey, kosher salt, thyme, cinnamon, and 1 rosemary sprig for seasoning.heat over stove until dissolve, then introduce ice cubes until solution is lukewarm. sink in chops and stick in fridge for 2 hours
2. blend pistachios with finely minced rosemary leaves in mortar/pestle or blender. set aside.

COOK:

1. drain brining solution. pound chops to tenderize. sop up extra moisture with paper towel.
2. beat egg with pepper. dredge chops in egg mixture.
3. roll chops in pistachio dust to coat both sides. pat it in. let it sit for 10 min.
4. heat oven to 350 (i used toaster oven)
5. heat cast iron skillet or non stick pan on high, add olive oil. heat until oil smokes.
6. pan fry chops 2 minutes/side to form crust.
7. finish off in oven until internal temp ~ 160F. 15 min or so.
8. serve with nectarine pumpkin seed salad. EAT.

Roasted Pumpkin Seed and Nectarine Salad

• Fresh yellow peaches
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Roasted sunflower seeds
• crumbled goat cheese
• Spinach

Dressing: balsamic vinegar and honey

Pan Seared Trout with Spicy Lime and Chive Creamed Corn

Success! pic came out rather ugly due to crap-tacular lighting at my apartment, iphone camera limitations, and my growling stomach yelling at me to hurry the frack up. adapted from the spinning plate

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 lime
• fresh chives
• 2 corn on the cob
• butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• tony chachere’s creole seasoning
• 1 filet rainbow trout
• salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. cut each corn on cob in half. place smooth side down, remove kernels vertically.
2. use back of knife or edge of spoon to “milk” the cob, scraping downwards.
3. in a small bowl/cup, mix ~1 tbs lime zest. 1/4 cup of cream. 1 tsp sugar. and ~ 1 tbs of lime juice.
4. finely chop several stalks of chives. set aside. (1-2 tbs)
5. melt a generous pat of butter in a small sauce pan, add corn and pulp. reduce heat to med-low. season with tony charchere’s to taste. cook 10 min until corn sizzles and pops.
6. meanwhile, prepare room temperature filet by rubbing dry with paper towels then seasoning both sides generously with kosher salt and pepper.
7. heat skillet/non stick pan on high. add oil to thoroughly coat bottom.
8. when oil smokes, place filet in skin side down (always presentation side down first). ~4 min on high heat, or until fish is cooked 3/4th of the way up. do not move! (if tail of filet is thinner than body, use deeper pan and have tail flush against the side.)
9. raise heat of corn to medium and add in cream mixture. mix, add more cream to consistency of preference. remove from heat, mix in chopped chives.
10. flip filet. finish searing for 1-2 min.
11. spoon creamed corn in plate. top with trout. garnish with lime slices.
12. EAT.