July 17, 2012 Dinner at Jeff & Sandie's

ARGENTINEAN GARLIC CHICKEN WITH CORN, TOMATO AND PARSLEY SAUCE

SAUCE:
2 cups Parsley leaves, fresh, stems removed 500 mL  (For Chilean flavours, substitute fresh cilantro for parsley; for Peruvian, use basil instead.  I used half cilantro, half parsley)
1/2 cup Sweet onion, chopped 125 mL
8 Cloves garlic, minced 8
1/3 cup White vinegar 75 mL (I used half white vinegar, half red wine vinegar)
1 tbsp Dried oregano 15 mL
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes 2 mL
1/2 tsp salt 2 mL
1/4 tsp Pepper 1 mL
2/3 cup Olive oil 150 mL
3 Field tomatoes, seeded, diced 3
2 cups sweet corn, cooked 500 mL

CHICKEN:
1 tsp Each salt, pepper, dried oregano, ground cumin, garlic, onion powders 5 mL
6 Chicken breasts, boneless skinless 6  (I used thighs)

- SAUCE: In food processor, combine parsley, onion, garlic, vinegar, oregano, hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper; process until finely chopped. With motor running, slowly add oil and process until well blended but with coarse texture. Pour into bowl. Stir in half the tomatoes. Cut corn from cobs; stir into bowl.

- CHICKEN: Combine salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and garlic and onion powders; sprinkle about 1/2 tsp (2 mL) on each side of each chicken breast.
Lightly oil barbecue grill and heat to medium. Place chicken on grill; close lid and barbecue for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside. Alternatively, roast in oven at 400 degrees for ~20 min.  Serve with parsley sauce spooned over each one. Garnish with remaining tomatoes.

CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF

1 Raw Head Cauliflower, run through grater on food processor
1/2-3/4 c Almonds, slivered
1/4 c Butter
1/2 c Diced Onions
2-3 cloves Garlic, chopped, or a teaspoon or two from a jar
About a 1/2 c Chicken Broth, more or less
1 Teaspoon or so Dried Thyme

Toast almonds on cookie sheet (use a piece of foil underneath for ease in pouring them into pan later-and cleanup) in oven on 350 until you smell them and they are just turning brown. Watch them carefully because they will burn quickly if you leave them alone. They should only take 5 minutes or so.In a skillet saute the onions in the butter. Add the garlic when the onions have been on for a few minutes so it doesn't burn. Add the cauliflower and stir, sauteeing for a minute or so. Add the broth a bit at a time, just enough to make it moisten up the cauliflower. Remember the 'rice' is not really rice, it will not absorb fluids on standing. Cook, stirring every so often, for 5 minutes or so, covering as much as possible. Add thyme, salt and pepper, almonds and serve!

MANGO PUDDING

1 cup mango puree
1 cup coconut milk
I package Knox gelatin
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup honey (can skip if mango puree is already sweetened)

Put puree into a big bowl.
Mix together gelatin into 1/2 cup hot water. Whisk solidly for two minutes straight. Add the honey to this mixture.
Add this to the puree.
Add coconut milk to the puree as well.
Put into the fridge to set for 2 hours to overnight
Makes five 1/2 cup servings

June 26 2012 CD - Mushroom Barley Soup

not actually our soup but it looked just like this from The Joy of Cooking ingredients 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup chopped shallots 1 tsp dried thyme 2 cups veggie stock (bweeyawn cubes work) 2 1/2 cups water 3/4 cups dried barley groats 1 tsp salt 2 tsp pepper instructions 1. Try really hard not to interfere with Brennon's absurdly messy chopping style Bstyle and the outraged OCD chicken 2. Blend oil and butter on high heat, 3. add mushrooms and shallots, cook until mushrooms are wilted, about 5 minutes 4. add thyme, reduce heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes  5. add broth, barley, salt, pepper 6. bring to a boil, reduce heat*, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 1 hour

*Brennon actually boiled this hard for an unknown length of time before intervention so it's a pretty bulletproof recipe

Lentils

Lentils
-----------
Ingredients
1 1/2 Cups lentils (red/pink)
1 pod cardomon
1 pod clove
1 tsp corriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 mustard seed
1 stick cinnamon
3-4 curry leaves/bayleaf (optional)
1 tsp cashmiri curry powder
1/2 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2-3 seeds fenugreek
2 tbspn olive oil
coconut milk, lemon and salt

Method
Wash and soak lentils 15-20min. drain water.
Heat oil wt mustart seeds - medium high
Add onions when mustard seeds have stopped popping (1-2min)
Add spices garlic after onions have glazed. roast (1-2min)
Add drained lentils and fry in spice mixture for (2-3min)
Stir constantly so that lentils do not stick
Add boiling water to cover lentils (approx 1"above lentil level)
Reduce heat and let simmer stirring occasionally (15-20min)
Add coconut milk, salt lemon to taste
When serving sprinkle chopped cilantro

-- Abdel Naroth

--
Brennon Obst | Freelance Designer/Developer | paradoxMultimedia
google talk: b.1.alpha@gmail.com | (604) 345-6915 (m)

Kenny's Favourite!

Greek Salad

(Kenny's Favourite!)

Greek salad, or horiatiki, is a rough country salad of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, sliced red onion, green pepper, crumbly feta cheese and plump kalamata olives. Serve this delightful combination as a side dish or as a light meal with some crusty bread.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic—minced

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish

3 tomatoes—cut into wedges

¼ red onion—sliced into rings

½ cucumber—sliced into thick half-moons

½ green pepper (capsicum)—julienned

4 oz (120g) feta cheese—cut into small cubes

16 kalamata olives

PLACE the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a small jar with a screw-top lid and shake to combine. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large bowl. POUR the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving. Garnish the Greek salad with a little freshly ground black pepper.

Pao de Queijo

This is a Luana classic...thought it would be good to post it up.. :)

Pao de Queijo

1 lb Tapioca flour
160 ml water
100 ml oil
salt (to taste)
2 eggs
4 oz grated cheese (any hard cheese)
1/4 cup yogurt

Add salt to the oil and water and heat it to a boil in the microwave (45 seconds max.). Mix it with the flour until homogeneous (the flour will have a wet appearance). Add the eggs, yogurt, cheese and mix with your hands. Shape it into small balls and either bake or freeze.

Baking (fresh or frozen) - pre-heat the oven to 350F and bake cheese balls for 25 minutes or until the buns are golden.

Enjoy! :)

Cheesecake

I typed this recipe up for my friend and I thought I would share...

Lu

Ellen's Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust

¼ cup melted butter

1 cup crumbled graham crackers

Filling

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pkg. cream cheese (cut into cubes and at room temperature)

¾ cup sour cream

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Make the crust by mixing butter and graham crumble with a fork and pad it onto a baking dish. Reserve. Mix all filling ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour blended mix onto the crust and bake for about 30 min. or until the first crack appears.

Luana - CD March 25th 2009

Chickpea Falafel with Cilantro Dip
Serves 4
14oz chickpea can, drained
6 scallions, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
oil for deep-frying
1 small fresh red chile, seeded and finely chopped
3 tbsp mayonnaise
salt and freshly ground pepper
sprig of cilantro for garnish
1. Put the chickpeas in a food processor or blender. Add the scallions and process to a smooth puree. Add the egg, turmeric, garlic, cumin and about 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro. Process briefly to mix, then season with salt and pepper.
2. With wet hands, shaped the mixture into about 16 small balls
3. Heat the oil for deep-frying to 350, or until a cube of bread added to the oil browns in 30-45 seconds. Deep-fry the falafel in batches for 2 -3 min. or until golden. Drain the falafel. Place in a serving bowl and keep warm.
4. Stir the remaining cilantro and the chile into the mayo. Garnish with cilantro sprig and serve with the falafel.
Spicy Chickpea and Eggplant Stew
Serves 4
3 large eggplant, cubed
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight (or use canned)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 x 14oz can chopped tomatos
salt and pepper


for garnish2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
sprigs of cilantro
1. Place the eggplant in the colander and sprinkle with salt. Set the colander in a bowl and let it sit for 30 min to allow the bitter juices to escape. Rinse the eggplant with cold water and dry. *Add some weight on the eggplant
2. Drain the chickpeas and put it in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Drain
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and the onion, cook until soft. Add the spices and cook stirring for a few seconds. Stir in the egg plant and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas and season with sat and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. To make the garnish, heat the oil in a frying pan and, when very hot, add the sliced onion and the garlic. Fry until golden crisp. Serve the stew with rice, topped with the onion and garlic and garnished with cilantro.
Serve with Rice or Quinoa or any grain you like! :)