Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Baked Puerto Rican Wings



Puerto Rican wings adobo
Prep Time
1 and 1/2 hours (including marinating time)
Number of Servings
makes 24 wings
Ingredients
6 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon ground oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
 24 chicken wings
Directions
Combine all the ingredients except the wings in a food processor and puree until smooth. Toss the chicken wings with the marinade and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Roast or grill the wings 30 minutes, or until fully cooked.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Chicken baked with tomatoes, olives and orzo



No way anyone in Kansas City had Freekeh. I used orzo. 
Chicken with Tomatoes and Freekeh
  • 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

  • 4 chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks; about 2 pounds total) 
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 cup cracked freekeh
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup pitted green olives, such as picholine
DIRECTIONS
  • 1.
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large braiser or straight-sided ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook, skin-sides down, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn and brown on other sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  • 2.
    Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Reduce heat to medium; add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in freekeh and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and thyme. Return chicken to pan; add tomatoes and olives. Bring liquid to a boil, then cover and roast in oven until freekeh is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes; serve.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Pork Spareribs with Tamarind Glaze

Pork Spareribs with Tamarind Glaze
Ingredients
IN A BOWL OR LARGE RESEALABLE BAG COMBINE:
1 CUP TAMARIND CONCENTRATE
2 TEASPOONS SEA SALT
1 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER
1 TEASPOON HABANERO PASTE (OR HABANERO HOT SAUCE)
2 TEASPOONS CURRY POWDER
1 TABLESPOON HONEY
3 TABLESPOONS FRESH GINGER SLIVERED
2 TEASPOONS GARLIC PASTE (CRUSHED GARLIC)
FOR THE TAMARIND GLAZE
2 CUPS TAMARIND CONCENTRATE (WHATEVER IS LEFT, PLUS SOME WATER)
1 TABLESPOON FRESH GINGER CRUSHED
1/3 CUP BROWN SUGAR
2 CLOVES GARLIC CRUSHED (GARLIC PASTE)
1 TEASPOON CURRY POWDER
1/4 CUP GREEN ONIONS DICED (GREEN PARTS AND WHITE PARTS)
1½ TEASPOON HABANERO PASTE OR HOT SAUCE
COOKING JUICES FROM THE RIBS
SEA SALT AND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE

Directions
  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with foil paper and lay out the ribs in a single layer. Make sure to remove any chunks of ginger you see. Cover with foil and bake the ribs for 1½ hours.
  • In the meantime, prepare the glaze. Once the ribs have cooked for the first 90 minutes, remove from the oven and drain and reserve the liquid. Return them to the oven uncovered.
  • Heat a medium saucepan, add a bit of oil to coat the bottom, then add all the white pieces of the green onions and half of the greens. Allow to cook for 1 or 2 minutes, just long enough to soften, then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the salt.
  • Stir well and adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary. Allow it to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring every so often until it begins to thicken. Once the glaze thickens to the consistency of heavy cream, add the rest of the green onions and remove it from the heat. Set aside.
  • After the ribs have cooked through and begin to get tender (about 90 minutes), raise the oven’s temperature to 450°F and generously brush the ribs with the glaze on one side. Return them to the oven and continue to cook for about 20 minutes. Flip the ribs, glaze the other side and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Finally remove them from the oven, flip and glaze them once more, but just let them sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
  • For the rice:
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the rice: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

I had been looking for tamarind concentrate for quite a while. All I could find was tamarind glaze. I finally ordered the concentrate online and used it today. I used about 3 tablespoons of concentrate to about 1 1/3 cup of water in the reicpe above. I also added a little of the glaze bottle contents to the  glaze sauce.


Friday, January 18, 2019

Korean style chicken wings with ginger glaze.





A Beautiful Mosaic
February 15, 2009

Note. When I cooked these today, I found 15 minutes was too much. They took less than 10 minutes.  When they looked done to me, I took one out of each batch and cut it open and it was done and not dry. All of the following are from the original recipe from A Beautiful Mosaic.  The pictures above are from our dinner tonight.

Sticky and sweet – finger lickin’ good
I recently made a batch of these chicken wings for a Super Bowl party after hearing there was a Buffalo wing shortage in the area.  Of course, these are not Buffalo wings, but I snatched up several packages of chicken wings just in case.  Korean style chicken wings can be spicy, although they usually are sweet and sour (and almost always delicious).  This recipe is always a bighttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3283079120_0612f932d3.jpg?v=0 hit at any party or potluck for adults and children alike.  Just be sure to keep plenty of napkins on hand.

Korean-style Crispy Chicken Wings with Sweet Ginger Glaze
30 pieces of chicken wings, rinsed and patted dry
1 medium onion, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1″ piece of ginger, finely minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2  tsp.  salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. corn starch
Glaze
2″ peeled ginger, thinly sliced
3/4 C. water
3/4 C. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 C. vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 C. corn syrup
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
oil for frying

Heat oil on medium high  in large skillet or pan.  Combine minced onion, garlic, ginger, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Add chicken wings and coat thoroughly.  Then add flour and corn starch to chicken mixture and coat well.

Cooking in batches, fry chicken wings in oil over medium to medium high heat for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

In the meantime, bring water, brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger slices to a rolling boil in small sauce pan.  Boil vigorously for 15 minutes.  Lower heat to medium and add corn syrup.  Cook until mixture thickens to the point where the glaze stops half way when dripped from a spoon.


Take out ginger slices with a slotted spoon and set aside when slightly thinner than you want.  It will thicken significantly as it sits.
The key to crispy chicken is cooking it twice, so after you cook all the chicken wings once, refry briefly (about 3 minutes or so) right before you are ready to serve. 

Pale and limp looking once-cooked chicken

Deep golden brown and super crispy twice-cooked chicken

Drizzle glaze over the chicken and toss carefully.  Serve immediately and be prepared for to be asked for the recipe.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice With White Sauce



Charlie asked about this dish yesterday. He said he had it in New York several years ago and it was really good.  I could not find pita or the hot sauce so got some flat bread that I thought would do. Turns out the dish he had did not have any bread, hot sauce, lettuce or tomato so it didn't matter anyway.

Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice With White Sauce 
This utterly faithful recipe perfectly recreates a New York City halal-cart classic: Chicken and Rice with White Sauce . The chicken is marinated with herbs, lemon, and spices;  the rice golden; the sauce, as white and creamy as ever.
Ingredients
  • For the chicken:
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
  • 1/4 cup light olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (6 to 8 thighs)
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • For the rice:
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • For the sauce:
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • To serve:
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 1 large tomato, cut into wedges
  • Fluffy pocketless pita bread, brushed in butter, lightly toasted, and cut into 1 × 3-inch strips
  • Harissa-style hot sauce, for serving
Directions
For the chicken: Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season the marinade to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and add half of the marinade (reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator). Turn the chicken to coat, seal the bag, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade (see Note).

Remove the chicken from the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Season with kosher salt and pepper, going heavy on the pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until it is lightly smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until they are lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the center of each thigh registers 165°F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 6 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Using a chef’s knife, roughly chop the chicken into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the remaining marinade, cover loosely with plastic, and refrigerate while you cook the rice and prepare the sauce.

For the rice: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

For the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt.

To serve: Return the entire contents of the chicken bowl (chicken, marinade, and all juices) to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. To serve, divide the rice, lettuce, tomato, and toasted pita bread evenly among four to six plates. Pile the chicken on top of the rice. Top with the white sauce and hot sauce. Serve immediately, passing extra sauce at the table.

Note: Do not marinate the chicken longer than 4 hours or it’ll get a mushy texture. If you must delay cooking the chicken for any reason, remove it from the marinade, pat it dry with paper towels, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Lots of snow, not melting, more forecast. CHILI DINNER


Norm's Chili 
1 lb hamburger 
7 oz chorizo, no pork
1 onion, finely chopped 
8 oz tomato sauce 
2 T. sugar
3 Tbs. chili powder  Omit or cut way back. DON”T use cayenne
1 ounce red wine vinegar 
1 C. picante sauce 
1 bay leaf 
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt 
1 T. paprika 
salt to taste
1 can red beans, not drained 
1/2 tsp. pepper 
1/4 tsp. cumin 
1/4 tsp. cayenne 
1 bottle beer 
1-2 ounces cocoa powder 
dash or two Tabasco  
about 1/4C ketchup


Saute meat, when almost done, add onions and garlic. When onions are tender, add rest or ingredients. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove lid and let cook down if necessary. Refrigerate overnight and remove fat and reheat. 
Note: if desired.... 
If cooked without beans, serve them and grated raw onion on the side as a garnish. 

Chili toppings

soda crackers,
corn chips 
thin sliced radishes
thinly sliced green onions 
sour cream 
diced fresh jalapeno 


Monday, January 7, 2019

Beef enchiladas, potato skin nachos and peach cobbler



Charlie wanted some canned peaches from Costco and we ended up with a jar that never got eaten so I used it to make cobbler.  Potato skin nachos is one of those recipes that after you have made it, you have to decide if you ever want to make it again, and if so, what kind of changes need to be made. I used flour tortillas instead of corn because we like them better and they are easier to work with. One more thing, I hit the sauce with a stick blender to blend in the chiles with the sauce.
TEX-MEX Beef Enchiladas 
I hour, 20 min.  4 servings

2 T. Olive oil 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth
small can chipotles chile inn adobe + 1T. sauce from can
2 garlic cl. minced
S& P
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar
1/4 C. AP flour
1 1/2 T. chili powder
1 sm. onion, fine chopped
3/4 lb. lean hamb.
8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1/4 C. chopped cilantro.

DIRECTIONS
  • 1. Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
  • 2. Make filling: In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.
  • 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (If freezing, don't place any sauce in baking dish. See Cook's Notes below.) Spoon 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. Make enchiladas: Stack tortillas; wrap in foil, and warm in oven, 10 minutes. Fill each with a heaping 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up.
  • 4. Raise oven heat to 450 degrees. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with cilantro and, if desired, a green salad. 
Potato Skin Nachos
CUISINE: American  PREP TIME: 25 Minutes  COOK TIME: 40 Minutes  SERVINGS:  4-6 Servings
Two favorites come together, nachos and potato skins! These loaded potato skin nachos can be ready at a moment's notice. Ready for game-day or for movie night with family and friends.

When I think of potato skin nachos, I think of a cool fall day ... a day spent with friends enjoying warm and delicious dishes, such as chili and a big plate of endless nachos! For this recipe of potato skin nachos, I combine my love of potato skins with nachos! With a little help from your microwave, this dish comes together fairly quickly. Need more? Just pick up some extra potatoes and toppings and do a little prepping ahead. Better yet, have your friends and family pitch in and create a new, fun tradition.
Ingredients
4 SMALL RUSSET POTATOES WASHED (1 POUND TOTAL)
OLIVE OIL
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
6-8 OUNCES COLBY JACK CHEESE SHREDDED
1 15-OUNCE CAN
BLACK BEANS DRAINED
8-10 STRIPS THIN SLICED BACON CHOPPED AND COOKED UNTIL CRISPY
1/3 CUP PICKLED JALAPEÑO RINGS
1/3 CUP RED ONION FINELY DICED
1-2 ROMA TOMATOES DICED
CHOPPED CILANTRO TO TASTE
1/2 CUP SOUR CREAM OR MEXICAN CREMA


Directions
  • After washing the potatoes, gently pierce them on the side with a knife. Transfer to a microwave-safe plate. Cook on high in the microwave for 7-8 minutes, turning every 90 seconds, until fork tender.
  • Carefully remove from microwave and let cool. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  • Once potatoes have cooled, slice into wedges. You should have 4 wedges per potato. Take a spoon and carefully scoop some of the cooked potato off, mostly towards the center of potato. Don't scoop too much from the ends, because potato wedges will break. Transfer to a baking pan.

Quick and Easy Peach Cobbler

Ingredients18 servings158 cals

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
2 (16 ounce) cans sliced peaches in heavy syrup 
1/2 cup butter

Directions
  • Melt butter or margarine in 9 x 13 inch pan. 
  • Mix together the flour, sugar, and milk. Pour mixture into the pan. Spread peaches, including syrup, evenly around the pan. 
  • Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

New Years Day dinner. same but different

It all started at the grocery store yesterday... No wait, it all started for real several years ago when I spotted an old time butchers bone saw at an antique store.  The kind they used before they got motorized and the blade looked unused. I thought I might have a use for it someday.  Now back to yesterday.  I was planning to get a big meaty ham shank or two for dinner today but they only had pork shanks of a brand I had a couple times before.  They were pork, not cured ham and the pork that was there was very scanty. It was mostly bone  with a bite of two of pork, so I got a nice sliced Carando ham. You know those hams are never spiral sliced  all the way down. There is quite a bit of bone and meat on the end that is hard to get off,  so I cut that end off with the bone saw and used it instead of the usual shank or hock.  It turned out great. It was just as good as prior NYD dinners plus there was a lot more meat and lots of sliced ham for dinners to come.  I cooked the black eyed peas the same as always with the ham and bone. The ham fell off the bone and was easy to slice up.  I did the collards differently. Instead of boiling it for a couple hours, I cooked it like spinach:  I put it in the skillet with just the water that I rinsed it (I cut off the stems first) . When it had cooked down, I added some oil, onions and garlic and cooked them until the onions softened, then I added some red pepper powder and the ham from the beans and cooked it until the flavors were blended. I added the collards back, added a little bean water and simmered it for a few minutes before serving.  I'll probably do dinner this way from now on.

Here is the recipe in total.  I cut  down the recipe and used a fine chopped onion  with the greens instead of scallions and left out the allspice because I didn't have either of those.

Black-Eyed Peas With Ham Hock and Collards
AVID TANIS YIELD About 12 cups cooked beans, 10 to 12 servings TIME2 hours

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds black-eyed peas, soaked overnight if possible
2 pounds smoked ham hock, meaty ham bone or slab bacon
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 large onion, peeled and stuck with 2 cloves
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 pounds collard greens, cut in 1-inch ribbons (about 8 cups)
1 bunch scallions, cleaned and chopped, for garnish


PREPARATION
1 Drain peas and put them in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add ham hock or bone (if using slab bacon, cut it into 2-inch chunks), cover with 10 cups water and turn heat to high. Add salt, onion stuck with cloves, bay leaf, black pepper and allspice.
2 Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until peas are tender. Throughout cooking, add water as necessary, always keeping liquid level 1 inch above surface, stirring with wooden spoon occasionally. Turn off heat. Check broth for salt and adjust seasoning. Mixture should be fairly brothy. With a pair of tongs, remove ham hock, ham bone or bacon. Chop meat and skin in rough pieces and set aside.
3 Put a large wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and heat until wavy. Add garlic and red pepper and let sizzle without browning. Add collard greens and stir to coat. Season with salt and add 1 cup water, stirring to help wilt greens. Add chopped ham and reduce heat to medium, then cover with lid slightly ajar and cook until greens are soft, about 20 minutes. Check seasoning.

4 To serve, put greens and meat in low soup bowls, then ladle over hot black-eyed peas. Sprinkle with scallions.