Korean Fried Chicken

I tried a different Korean Fried Chicken wings.  There are so many variations.  After I made them, Charlie tossed them  the sweet and spicy chili sauce and fried them again for a minute or two.  The first picture is of the finished wings and the second picture shows them after the first fry.  We also had rice and kimchi as well as a tossed salad and some strawberry shortcake.

Ingredients

Kosher salt

3/4 cups corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 pounds chicken wings (about 12 whole wings)

2 quarts peanut oil or vegetable shortening

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup vodka

1 recipe Sweet Soy Sauce or Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce

/ingredients

DIRECTIONS

1.

Combine 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add chicken wings and toss until every surface is coated. Transfer wings to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, shaking vigorously as you go to get rid if excess coating. Transfer to refrigerator and let rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

2.

When ready to fry, preheat oil to 350°F in a large wok, Dutch oven, or deep fryer.

3.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, flour, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add water and vodka and whisk until a smooth batter is formed, adding up to 2 tablespoons additional water if batter is too thick. It should have the consistency of thin paint and fall off of the whisk in thin ribbons that instantly disappear as they hit the surface of the batter in the bowl.

4.

Add half of the wings to the batter. Working one at a time, lift one wing and allow excess batter to drip off, using your finger to get rid of any large pockets or slicks of batter. Carefully lower wing into hot oil. Repeat with remaining wings in first batch. Fry, using a metal spider or slotted spatula to rotate and agitate wings as they cook until evenly golden brown and crisp all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with salt. Keep warm while you fry the remaining wings.

5.

Serve plain, or toss with Sweet Soy Sauce For Korean Fried Chicken or Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce For Korean Fried Chicken (or serve sauce on side).

procedure

Sweet Soy Sauce for Korean Fried Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mirin or other sweet rice cooking wine

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper (preferably Korean kochukaru, see note above)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup finely sliced scallions

DIRECTIONS

1.

Heat soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Combine corn starch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and whisk into sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with Korean Fried Chicken.

Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce for Korean Fried Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup gochujang (see note above)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vineger

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

1.

Combine gochujang, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Gochujang can be inconsistent in its thickness. Add up to 2 tablespoons water until sauce is just barely thin enough to drop off a spoon with inverted. Serve with Korean Fried Chicken.

Salmon en Papillote

Teriyaki Salmon

Parchment paper or aluminum foil, 12×18 inches

½ cup carrots, thinly sliced

1 cup broccoli florets

Olive oil to taste

Salt & pepper to taste

6 ounces skinless salmon

2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

2. Fold the parchment paper in half, then open up.

3. On one half, lay down the broccoli and carrots. Drizzle on oil and sprinkle on salt & pepper.

4. Lay the salmon on the veggies, and pour on teriyaki sauce. 

5. Fold the parchment paper over the salmon, and cinch the paper together by folding it over itself along the edges. 

6. Bake for 20 minutes or until internal temperature of salmon reaches 145˚F/63˚C.

Korean Teriyaki sauce

1/2 Cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mirin or other sweet rice cooking wine

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper (preferably Korean kochukaru, see note above)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup finely sliced scallions

Heat soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Combine corn starch with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and 

Csssolet for dinner today,

I made some garlic sausage a few months ago and took the last of them out of the freezer a couple days ago and decided to use them in a cassoulet.  I used a Thomas Keller recipe as a starting place. I used ham hocks instead of pork shoulder.  I toasted the bread crumbs on a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil. I did the bacon in the oven too.  My slow cooker isn't big enough to make this recipe even though I cut it down a little. My slow cooker isn't a versatile either so I made mine in a Dutch oven in the oven starting at 350 for the first hour then turned it down to 290 for another three hours. Since all the ingredients were already cooked when they went in the Dutch oven, they didn't need to cook as long as the original recipe.   Lastly, I used homemade sourdough French bread in place of the baguette. 

Thomas Keller's Slow-Cooker Cassoulet

4 out of 5

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 600 minutes

Servings: 8

Beloved by generations of French cooks, cassoulet is a rustic, slow-cooked dish made with white beans and a lavish assortment of meats, from duck confit or foie gras to sausages and succulent cuts of pork, lamb or  poultry. Here, we feature an adaptation of the Languedoc specialty from Thomas Keller, the internationally acclaimed chef of The French Laundry, in Northern California. To simplify the dish for home cooks, Chef Keller developed his cassoulet recipe for us utilizing the All-Clad Deluxe slow cooker.

Be sure to use precooked Spanish-style chorizo sausage links, not fresh Mexican-style chorizo. Spanish chorizo is available in a variety of textures; purchase a softer-style sausage, rather than a dry one, for this dish; dry sausages are best suited for slicing and eating on their own, as a tapa.

Ingredients:

4 lb. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 8 pieces and trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 cup panko

4 oz. thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips

4 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions (about 3 medium onions)

2 cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 can (35 oz.) peeled Italian plum tomatoes, drained and
  coarsely chopped

2 cups chicken broth

12 cups cooked Great Northern beans or other small white
  beans, drained

6 fully cooked or smoked chorizo or garlic sausage links,
  about 1 1/2 lb. total, each halved on the diagonal

1 garlic head, halved crosswise

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1 lb. baguette, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing

Coarse sea salt, such as sel gris, for garnish

Directions:

Season the pork generously with kosher salt and pepper; set aside.

In the stovetop-safe insert of a slow cooker over medium-high heat, combine the canola oil and panko. Cook, stirring constantly, until the panko is toasted and golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the panko to a baking sheet and season with kosher salt and pepper.

Add the bacon to the insert and cook until crisp on both sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat in the insert.

Add half of the pork to the insert and brown on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining pork.

Add the onions and 1 tsp. kosher salt to the insert and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, about 7 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and broth. Remove the insert from the heat and add the beans, pork, chorizo and garlic.

Place the insert on the slow-cooker base, cover and cook on low until the pork pulls apart easily with a fork, 9 to 10 hours. Skim off the fat, and remove and discard the garlic. Fold in the panko and the 1/4 cup parsley. Adjust the seasonings with kosher salt and pepper.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat the broiler.

Brush the baguette slices with olive oil. Arrange the slices, oiled side up, on top of the cassoulet, overlapping them. Broil until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

Let the cassoulet stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle each serving with the reserved bacon, sea salt and parsley. Serves 8 to 10.

Adapted from a recipe by Thomas Keller, Chef/Owner, The French Laundry.

Swedish meatballs with egg noodles and green beans.

Green Beans

cut up a strip of bacon and slow cook in silllet to release fat and crisp bacon. Add a couple tablespoons of  chopped onion and cook in bacon fat until onions are soft.  Remove and save. Cook beans in salted water until well done. Drain, salt, add bacon and onion back to pan and keep warm until ready to serve.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions.

Swedish Meatballs                      Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

SHOW:  Good Eats  EPISODE:     Great Balls of Meat

Watch as Alton reinvents that '60s party classic, the Swedish meatball.

Ingredients

2 slices fresh white bread

1/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons clarified butter, divided

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 pound ground chuck

3/4 pound ground pork

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups beef broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

ADD CHECKED ITEMS TO GROCERY LIST

Directions

Watch how to make this recipe.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Tear the bread into pieces and place in a small mixing bowl along with the milk. Set aside.

In a 12-inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

Using a scale, weigh meatballs into 1-ounce portions and place on a sheet pan. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds.

Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250 degrees F. Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet. Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the beef stock and whisk until sauce begins to thicken. Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, 2005

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/swedish-meatballs-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Lobster Cobb Salad lunch

I got a package of frozen cooked lobster meat and thought I'd make a salad with it. It turned out to be not lobster chunks but mostly shredded. I felt ripped off because it was kind of expensive and I expected more than lobster scrapings. Oh well it was lunch and filling.

Lobster Cobb Salad (Serves 4 - 6)

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=637&S=0  posted on facebook by Carol Spodibakski 
I cut ingredients in half.

For the vinaigrette

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 

5 tablespoons good olive oil 

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

For the salad: 

2 ripe Hass avocados 

Juice of 1 lemon 

1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat, cut in 3/4-inch dice 

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 pound lean bacon, fried and crumbled 

3/4 cup crumbled English Stilton, or other crumbly blue cheese 

1 bunch arugula, washed and spun dry (I used Romaine)

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. 

For the salad, cut the avocados in half, remove the seed, and peel. Cut into 3/4-inch dice and toss with the lemon juice. If the arugula leaves are large, cut them in half crosswise. 

Put the lobster and tomatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Add the diced avocados, crumbled bacon, blue cheese, and arugula and toss again. Serve at room temperature.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Mushrooms and asparagus.

Before Charlie left this morning, he told me he was working late and then going out for dinner so I ate alone... well if you don't count Java.  I don't mind sharing. She has good table manner - most of the time.  Biggs isn't interested. He never is.

I had Spaghetti Carbonara with mushrooms, asparagus and some sourdough French bread.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS MUSHROOM CARBONARA

Tip Hero  Posted on Facebook by Carol Spodobalski

Serves 6 to 8  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1-½ pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 pound dry spaghetti

• 4 large eggs

• 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup Parmesan, grated

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• Sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).

2 Place the asparagus and mushrooms on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to evenly coat.

3 Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables start to caramelize, stirring halfway.

4 While the vegetables are roasting, bring 6 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.

5 While the pasta is cooking, add the bacon to a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crispy, and most of the fat has rendered off. Turn off the heat and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.

6 In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan and a generous amount of the fresh cracked pepper until well-combined.

7 Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

8 Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the sauté pan. Toss in the spaghetti and heat for a few minutes until the bubbling has subsided and much of the water has evaporated.

9 Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture to the pasta while quickly stirring. Continue stirring until the egg mixture has thickened, adding additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.

10 Season with black pepper and sea salt to taste. Gently toss the spaghetti with the roasted asparagus and mushrooms, and serve immediately. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

NOTE

• Stirring while mixing the eggs and pasta is very important! If the pasta and eggs are not mixed quickly enough, the eggs will scramble and the sauce won’t be creamy.

Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking

Crunchy oven fried chicken, cheese stuffed potato fritters and salad with strawberry/lemon dressing

My list of 'to try' recipes was getting long so I tried three in one meal.

SUMMER SUPERFOOD SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY LEMON DRESSING

July 6, 2016 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Make this dish for your next summer barbecue dish or you can also make it to bring for lunch during the week. The dressing will stay for about 7 days or so in the fridge. Because there is fresh fruit in the salad, I recommend enjoying it within 5 days or so.

You can also add some grilled chicken or shrimp on top if you want the extra protein boost too.

PREP TIME  5 mins   TOTAL TIME    5 mins    Serves: 2-3

½ cup sliced Driscoll's strawberries

½ cup Driscoll's blueberries

1 white nectarine, sliced

¼ cup sliced almonds

¾ cup cooked farro, cooled

2 cups baby kale &greens mâche rosettes mixed (or your favorite greens)

Strawberry Lemon Dressing

5 large Driscoll's strawberries

Juice from half a lemon

2 tablespoons maple syurp

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1 Combine salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl

  2 Begin making dressing in a blender by combining all dressing ingredients together

3 Blend together until well combined

Cheese stuffed Potato Fritters

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs peeled potatoes

•9 oz Cathedral City Mature Cheddar

• 9 oz pancetta

• 2 0z sweet peppers

• .4 oz fresh coriander

• 2 eggs

• 1tsp fresh cracked black pepper

• 1tsp chilli flakes

• Panko bread crumbs for coating

• Butter / coconut oil / olive oil for frying

Method:

Boil the potatoes in salted water. Once done, drain and mash well.

Preheat a heavy bottom frying pan and fry down the pancetta until well done and crispy then add into the mash with any fat in the pan included. If you are making a vegetarian version and will not be adding any meat, which can yield fat in the process of cooking add 2 tablespoons of butter, olive oil or coconut oil, they will all work well.

Finely chop the fresh peppers and coriander; add into your mash.

Split  block of  Mature Cheddar,  into one 150g and one 100g chunk.

Grate the 150g block and add into the mash.

Add black pepper and chilli flakes and mix well.

Once everything is well mixed, crack two eggs and mix well until all ingredients are well combined and your mixture is smooth and evenly distributed.

Cut the remaining smaller 100g block of cheese into 5 even pieces and then cut each of the 5 strips into half. You need 10 small blocks of cheese which will be stuffed into the fritters.

Now everything is ready so it is time to form the logs.

  

Place some of the mixture in the palm of your hand, flatten it, add a chunk of cheese and then form a log around it. I like to keep my ones kind of log shape so they are easier to fry.

Once all logs are done, coat them in panko bread crumbs. If your logs are too dry for the breadcrumbs to adhere to them then you can beat an egg in a bowl and dip the log in the egg before the breadcrumbs to help out.

Put your oil or butter for frying in to your frying pan and heat up. Fry on a medium heat till golden brown. You will want to leave them for about 2 minutes on each of the four sides, so they are well cooked all the way through and piping hot inside.

Serve warm and enjoy that cheesy goodness 

Crunchy Oven-Fried Chicken

 JANUARY 15, 2015

Apparently, the trick to crunchy oven-fried chicken is parking a cookie sheet inside the oven while you’re preheating it. In that way, when you place the prepared chicken in the oven for oven-frying, you’ve got a hot surface that ensures both sides of the chicken are fried evenly. Check out this neat recipe from Leah Rodrigues at Foodista.

Ingredients

1 Chicken- cut up

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons garlic pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons paprika

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Olive oil

Instructions

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

In a baking pan, whisk together flour, garlic pepper, sugar and paprika. In a medium size bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, baking powder and baking soda until smooth.

Dip each piece of chicken into buttermilk mixture, shaking off excess. Roll in flour mixture and then dip into buttermilk and flour mixture a second time. Place in baking pan and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake about 50-55 minutes or until chicken is golden.