Lemongrass Chicken

This chicken dish is a Vietnamese dish from an Asian recipe-book I've had for a long time. It's very tasty and you can make it as spicy as you like by adding or removing the red chili. Make sure you taste the chili before you add it to the dish or you might be in for a surprise. The chili can be very hot or not so hot, take a bite from the tip of the chili as that is supposed to be the most spicy part of the chili. Before using remove the seeds and finely chop. (from what I've heard the seeds if used will also take it up a notch spice-wise so if the chili is to mild you might want to add some)

Ingredients;

2 lb chickenfilet sliced thin
2 tbs corn oil for frying

Dry rub;

1 tsp ground pepper
2 inch lemongrass, chopped
3 red chili, chopped
2 scallions coarsely chopped
1 tsp "hot madras" curry powder
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 tbs dark brown sugar


1 tbs fishsauce
1/4 cup water

Garnish;

2 tbs cilantro chopped
2tbs scallions chopped

Add oil to a skillet and heat until it starts to smoke, then add the chicken (a little bit at a time)  and fry for 3 minutes. Remove when golden brown. Place the fried chicken in a bowl.

Add the dry rub ingredients to a food processor or a blender and blend on high until it makes a paste. Add the marinade to the fried chicken and toss to coat it all.

Let rest in the refrigerator for one hour then add to a pan and heat until warm. Add fish sauce and water and combine. Simmer until chicken is cooked all through.

Serve with rice, quinoa or just a green salad. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh cilantro and scallions.

Asian Style Chicken Wings on the grill

These chicken wings have a distinct Asian taste. They are rather sticky so make sure you have plenty of napkins at hand. Serve as part of a buffet or for dinner with a green salad on the side or perhaps a noodle dish.

Ingredients;

3 lb chicken drummettes

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tbs Asian sesame oil

2 tbs rice vinegar

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp hot sauce

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground cloves 

1 tbs toasted sesame seeds (toast in a dry frying pan over medium heat until they start to color making sure they don't get burned).

In a small bowl whisk all the ingredients except for the chicken drummettes and the sesame seeds. Pour 3/4 of the sauce into a ziploc bag and add the chicken. Toss the bag so that all the chicken drummettes are coated with the sauce. This can be done ahead but if you are not using the chicken right away put it in the refrigerator until ready to be used. 

Cook on the grill over medium-medium/high in a grill pan (I use the disposable ones because they tend to get rather messy) together with all the sauce for 20-25 minutes turning every five minutes or so to prevent burning. 

Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining sauce and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. 

Enjoy!

Paella

Paella is one of Spain's most famous and cherished dishes named for the pan in which it is cooked. The Paella pan is wide and shallow and made of a thin, conductive metal, with sloping sides and a handle on each side. It is important to use a wide shallow pan so that all the liquid is evaporated at the time the rice is done. The Paella pan is also supposed to respond quickly to a change in heat as the Paella is cooked over high heat first and then at a lower temperature. When the pan is taken of the heat the rice at the bottom is supposed to stop cooking immediately.

As Paella is like an ever-changing combination of ingredients there is no right way to cook one but it seems like every region and major city has one, perhaps even every family. I'm not sure what to call this one so I'll just call it; PAELLA!

Ingredients;

2 Lb chicken tights with skin, bone-in

1 onion chopped

oliveoil

4 tomatoes

4 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 cup white wine (dry)

1 tsp freshly squized lemon juice

Saffron (I use 2 packets)

salt and peper

3 cups short or medium grain rice 

7 cups chicken stock

12 mussels

18 shrimps (raw, shell on)

1/4 Lb chorizo (chopped)

1/4 Lb peas

3 tbsp chopped parsley

lemon wedges for garnish

First fry the chicken tights in the pan on each side until they get a nice color, transfer to an oven-safe dish and bake on 400F until cooked all the way through. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry on medium heat for some minutes, if needed add some olive oil (might not need it because of the liquid from the chickens) then add the chorizo and fry for another couple of minutes (if raw until cooked through). Chop the tomatoes and add to the pan with the bay leaf, wine, lemon juice, spice and chicken stock. Let simmer for about 5 minutes then add the rice. Turn up the heat and boil hard for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to low and add the mussels, peas and the shrimp and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated, the rice is cooked but has a bite to it, the mussels have opened and the shrimps have turned pink.

Remove from heat, add the chicken tights and cover with paper towels then let rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

Garnish with the lemon wedges and parsley, serve out of the Paella pan.

Mmmmmmm!

Almost Jamie's Tray BakedChicken

This recipe iI found in a new cook-book of mine Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes. I omitted the slices of bacon and the butter in the recipe but except for that it's pretty much the same.

Ingredients;

Dried oregano
Sweet paprika (I use Hungarian)
4x6 ounce chicken breast (the recipe called for skinless but since I'm not using bacon on the top I used chicken breast with skin and that was perfectly fine...)
1 lemon
2 ounce cherry tomatoes
a couple of sprigs of rosemary

Turn the heat on under an empty frying pan to high and add some olive oil. Sprinkle a good pinch of dried oregano, salt&pepper and paprika and drizzle over some olive oil on a large piece of parchment paper. Lay the chicken breasts on the parchment paper and roll them making sure they are covered with the spices.

Add to the hot pan and fry for 4 to 5 minutes until golden on both sides.

In a roasting pan add lemon in quarters along with the tomatoes. Tip in the chicken breasts and any juices from the pan. Arrange nicely. Put the rosemary sprigs in the frying pan on medium heat and move them around until they are covered in the remaining juices. Pop them into the roasting pan with the chickens and bake in the oven under the broiler on medium setting (use your ovens setting chart since different ovens seems to differ a lot) for 25 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked but not dry.
Eat with a salad or my Vegetable Gratin, rice or pasta.

Enjoy!

Lemongrass Coconut Chicken

This recipe is from my favorite cook-book, Barbecue by Eric Treuille & Birgit Erath. As you can see the book has been put to good use over the years.

 

Ingredients;


2 lemon grass stalks
3 fresh green chillies, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves
3 spring onions, chopped
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
Grated zest of one lime
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
salt, pepper

Remove and discard the outer tough skin on the lemon grass stalks, roughly chop. Put it in a food processor with chillies, garlic, spring onion, cilantro, spices, grated ginger, fish sauce and coconut milk.

Pulse until smooth. Toss the chicken with the lemongrass mixture then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Grill until chicken is cooked though. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with fresh papaya sambal (optional) and rice if you prefer that, I tend to stick to the chicken and sambal only.

Honey, Balsamic Chicken

This recipe I got from a close friend back in Norway (she's Swedish though), Gisela. We seem to have the similar tastes so if she says that something is good, I know it is.

Ingredients;

Chicken (I use organic and calculate 1 breast piece per person)

Salt/pepper

Olive oil

Honey

Balsamic Vinegar

Garlic

Sun dried tomatoes in oil (I use the chopped)

Black olives

Italian spice

Parmesan

Arugula

As you can see I have not indicated any quantities in my recipe. To me it all depends on what you like. Do you like a lot of sauce or do you like it more dry. Do you like olives or not.

The thing you might wonder is the honey/balsamic part and you can start with that. The sauce is supposed to be sweet so I use a lot of honey. Try first 1 part balsamic and 3 parts honey. If you think its to sweet add more balsamic, if you think it's to acidic add more honey. 

I would use 1/4 cup balsamic and then 3/4 cup honey and then add 4 choppedcloves garlic. Mix all this in a bowl and set aside. Remember you can use more garlic if you want, this is just a starting point.

After that pat dry the chicken, cut into cubes and fry in a pan with some olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. It only needs to get brown but not cooked all the way through. you will need to do this in batches if frying more than 2-3 breast pieces.

Put the chicken in an ovenproof dish and put in the oven (350F) until almost cooked through (10min). 

Take out the dish,  cover with sun dried tomatoes (I use the whole glass with the oil and all), olives, as many as you like, italian spice and the honey/balsamic sauce. Sprinkle with some parmesan and put the dish back in the oven. 

Raise the temperature to 400F and leave the dish in the oven until chicken is cooked and its warm. You should see the sauce bubbly, the cheese melted and the chicken/cheese getting some color without being burned. 

When the dish is out of the oven, put a big heap of arugula on the top, sprinkle with more parmesan and eat. I just eat it like this but you can add rice and/or bread.

Moussaka

When I make Moussaka I have a more "you take what you have" than keeping strict to the recipe approach. I have used lamb, beef or chicken. I have used Mozzarella instead of Feta-cheese and if I don't have enough ricotta I replace some with milk or greek yoghurt. This means that it's never the same but to this date it has always tasted good if not totally authentic. I will give you my basic recipe and then you can use it as you please. Don't be afraid to improvise, it will most likely turn out good anyway.

Ingredients;


2 eggplants
1 squash (if very small use 2)
1 onion, chopped (red, white, yellow, use what you have)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound ground lamb (or beef or chicken..)
olive oil
salt/pepper/cinnamon/oregano/parsley
1 can chopped tomatoes
3 tbs tomato paste

16 oz ricotta cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 egg
nutmeg

Cheese for sprinkling on the top (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 F. On a baking sheet toss slices of eggplant and squash (cut lengthwise) with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer and roast until soft.

In a large saucepan warm some olive oil and then add onion, garlic and ground meat. Cook until meat is browned stirring to prevent it from sticking. Add the spices, tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste it and if you want add some more spices. When it comes to the oregano and parsley you can use either fresh or dry. If you use dry add from the start, if you use fresh add at the end. I really like the cinnamon taste so I use at least 1 tsp or more, some use less. Taste is very much a matter of preference, you have to use enough spice for the dish not to be dull but then it's all up to you. Some find a specific taste to be to overpowering others just love that  (remember taking into account that it's not healthy to eat to much salt, I tend sometimes to forget that)

For the ricotta mixture just stir the ricotta, feta and egg then add some nutmeg, at least a good pinch, until blended.

To assemble the Moussaka use an ovenproof dish and start with a layer of eggplant/squash, then add the sauce and some cheese mixture. Repeat the process ending it with a layer of cheese mixture on the top and, if you want, sprinkle some extra cheese on top of that.

Bake at 400F for 45-60 minutes until top is golden and dish is warm and set all the way through.

I hope you like it.

Chili Chicken with beets and chevre

This is a hearty salad with fresh beets that looks and terrific with the deep green of the spinach and the deep  purple of the beets.

Ingredients;


4 beets medium size (If they come with the stems, keep them for later use. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days)
4 filets of chicken (I use organic)
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
2 tbs regular soy sauce
1 tbs sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
Baby spinach (as much as you like, I always cover the bottom of the serving tray I'm using)
salt (I use Maldon)
Chevre (I use one box crumbled chevre 6 oz or 170 gram, but you can use as little or as much as you like)
Balsamic vinegar and good olive oil

First marinade the chicken in the sweet chili sauce, soy and garlic (mixed) for as long as you have time, preferably an hour. Grill, bake or pan fry the chicken in olive oil, whatever you prefer. I tend to use the grill since I live in sunny Florida. The chicken is done when no longer pink inside or the juice is no longer pink.

While the chicken is marinating cook the beets until tender with the skin on to keep the color from leaching out. Rinse them in lukewarm water. The skin slips off easily once cooked, just rub it of with a paper towel or your fingertips if you like them lightly pinkish.

When the chicken and beet is done cut the beets in eight and slice the chicken as you prefer, thick or thin slices.
Arrange the salad with a layer of spinach at the bottom, then add the beets, the chicken and the chevre.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil then add some fresh ground pepper and flaky sea salt.

Eat and be merry!