Angle Hair Pasta with Seafood and Chorizo

Unable to find  a restaurant here in Astoria that makes a good seafood primavera, my friend and I decided to make it ourselves.    Since he's from Mexico, I thought I’d appeal to his since of taste by adding a little chorizo.   Although I’m not a big fan of monk fish, it is the perfect texture for stews or ragouts.  You can add any fish you like.  I used what was available at my local fish market.  Keep in mind that this recipe is for two people; you may want to increase the the quantity of fish if you are serving more people.  Oh… I must also tell you, the vermicelli was toasted. Sorry I didn’t take any pictures while preparing it… just got a bit tied up in cooking and entertaining.  Actually, you can prepare whatever pasta you like.

Angle Hair Pasta with Seafood and Chorizo

Ingredients

½ pound Monk fish

1/3 pound calamari

1/3 pound shrimp

½ pound New Zealand clams

2 tablespoon olive oil (total)

1/3 cup onions, small dice

1/3 cup red pepper, small

1 tablespoon sliced garlic

1 small link of chorizo dices

¼ teaspoon chili flakes

1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

½ cup white wine

1 cup of Marinara or tomato sauce

½ cup clam broth

1 tablespoon fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Salt to taste

Angle hair pasta, prepared

Directions

Prepare seafood by cutting the monk fish into bit size chunks, cut calamari into ¼ “ rings, peel and devein shrimp. 

Heat a small saute pan with 2 teaspoon olive oil, add monk fish; sear until slight brown

Remove from pan and set aside**

Add about 1 teaspoon more of olive oil to the pan and saute the shrimp;set aside when tender**

In a medium saucepan heat remaining olive oil;

Add onions, peppers and garlic; cook until onions become translucent

Add chorizo, chili flakes and oregano; cook for about five minutes; deglaze pan with white wine

Add clam juice, tomato sauce, calamari and basil; bring to a boil; simmer for about 2 minutes then add remaining fish, and parsley, bring to a boil then allow to simmer for about 3 minutes more.  Season to taste.

 

 

Serve over desired pasta immediately

In hindsight, seasoning the shrimp with smoked paprika would have rounded out the flavors more.

** It is not necessary to saute the monk fish and shrimp separately.  I just feel it gives me more control against overcooking the fish but realize adding it directly to the broth remove 1 tablespoon of olive oil from the dish.  It really is up to you.

*** I steam the clams in a little white wine in separate pan, then strain the liquid into the broth as part of the clam broth.  I do this to avoid getting sand from my clams into the sauce. 

Chicken Plov

If you live in the South, you may call it Purlough or if you live in the West Indies, you may call it Pelau.  Although the name and flavors change from  place to place, few will disagree that the combination of meat, fish and vegetable cooked in rice is a harmonious concoction. Whether its Pilau, Pealla or Plov I am sure you will recognize the similarities. 

I have had the pleasure of enjoying all of these amalgamations and yesterday I made Chicken Plov for friends.  I knew they had never heard of Plov so I was happy to enlighten them.  Plov is from Central Asia where it is typically made with lamb, chicken or beef.  It is sort of a cross between Indian pilau and Spanish paella. I think you’ll like this dish.  The combination of allspice, almond, and raisins work very well together. 

I used chicken thigh meat but if you want to use breast that’s fine too.  Just be careful not to overcook the breast otherwise the dish will be very dry. 

Chicken Plov

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless thigh meat

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon allspice

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon saffron threads

¼ cup olive oil

Black pepper to taste

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup chopped/ slivered, toasted almonds

¼ cup chopped scallions

1 ½ cup white rice

3 cups chicken stock

Directions

Place chicken in a bowl and season it with ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon salt, turmeric, (I actually used 1 teaspoon fresh turmeric)1 tablespoon olive oil and black pepper to taste.

 Place on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked but not dried out. 

While chicken is cooking, heat a medium sauté pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. When pan is hot but not smoking, add onions, carrots and garlic.  Cook until onions become translucent. 

Add remaining spices along with rice.  Cook, stirring continually for about 2 minutes then add chicken stock. 

Bring rice to a boil; cover and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.  

Once the liquid is almost completely evaporated, remove from the oven and add chicken. 

  

Place back in the oven for five minutes more. Remove from the oven.The liquid should be completely evaporated and the rice nice and fluffy.  Add the  raisins,almonds and scallions. 

Toss gently and serve.

Quinoa Cakes

It has been a busy week.  Country clubs are starting to reopen and I spent a lot of time on the road.  Typically, I will prepare food on Sunday so that I have something at least partially ready when I get home.  I made quinoa to have with roasted chicken this week but forgot about it.  So today, I’m going to make quinoa cakes with it for dinner. The addition of chickpea flour, cumin and coriander gives them a pleasant Mediterranean flavor.  Chickpea flour is an excellent source of fiber and protein. This just needs a salad and you have a complete meal. Try it out.
Follow the basic recipe for Quinoa as indicated in the February 9, 2013. 

Quinoa Cakes

Ingredients

Basic Quinoa recipe 

½ cup chickpea flour

1 cup frozen, thawed spinach

¼ cup chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl

When mixture is well combined, use a 2” biscuit cutter to form cakes

Sear in a small amount of olive oil until brown on each side

Finish in a 350F oven for about 15 minutes

Serve with a salad

Chicken Tagine

I couldn't wait to use the preserve lemons I  made in the January 20th post and what better way to use them than in a dish from North African.

Now, I am willing to bet that if I ask 100 people how to make chicken tagine, I would get 100 different answers.  This wonderfully aromatic dish is the hallmark of Moroccan cooking.  When most people refer to tagine, they are talking about the dish that can consist of meat, chicken, fish or vegetables.  However, the word "tagine" also refers to the method of preparing, which is slow-cooked inside this cooking vessel. 

You can also make the dish in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven depending on how much you’re preparing.

Like the many people who prepare tagine, I've added my own twist with the addition of green chilies; here is my version. 

Chicken Tagine

Ingredients

1 Chicken skinned and cut into bite size pieces (16^th)

1 onion sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Salt and pepper

½ teaspoon thin sliced green chili

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon saffron, toasted and crushed

3 cups chicken stock (approximately)

¾ cups olives

½ preserved lemon peel - julienne

¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro

¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley

Directions

Place chicken in a medium bowl 

Add 1/2 tablespoon garlic, salt, pepper, chili, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon saffron to chicken and let marinade for at least 1 hour

In a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan heat olive oil

Add onions and allow cooking until soft and golden brown, adding remaining garlic, ginger, cinnamon and saffron

Add marinated chicken

 

Now add enough chicken stock to cover the chicken

Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, and then lower the flame to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender

Add olives preserved, lemons, parsley and cilantro

Remove from flame

Enjoy!

General Tsao’s Vegetables

I learned how to make most Chinese take-out sauces from my Asian purveyor Kathy.  Whenever I wanted to make any Asian dish, she always had insight on how it should be done.  What’s more, one of my cooks was Chinese and had worked previously  in Hong Kong resulting in a firm grasp of how to make many Cantonese specialties.  There are many recipes on preparing General Tsao Sauce but I will give you my version based on what I’ve learned.  In an effort to cut back on the fat  often associated with stir fry, I recommend seasoning the vegetables with a small amount of oil, salt and pepper then roasting them in the oven until they are firm to the bight or simply steaming them.  Once your sauce is complete all you have to do is toss the vegetables in the desired amount of sauce.   I needed to clear out my refrigerator so these are the vegetables I used.  You are free to use what ever vegetables you like.

General Tsao’s Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/3 cup slices shallots

¼ chopped ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

½ sherry or Chinese rice wine

½ cup sherry vinegar

1 cup hoisin sauce

1 cup oyster sauce

¼ cup mushroom soy

½ cup orange juice

1 cup water

¼ cup brown sugar

¼  cup cornstarch slurry

2 tablespoons sambal

2 teaspoons orange zest

Directions

Heat sesame oil in a medium sauce pot; add shallots and ginger; when shallot start to brown add garlic and simmer until garlic starts to brown.

Add vinegar and wine; reduce by half

Add hoisin, oyster, soy sauce, orange juice and water

Simmer for about 15 minutes

Whisk in slurry until sauce reaches desired consistency

Simmer for 5 minutes more

Strain; stir in sambal and zest.

Store in a jar; keep in the refrigerator.  Sauce will keep for at least two weeks

This is what I had in my refrigerator

I added a little tofu seasoned with five spice.  I recommend that you make your own five spice, if you have the time. You will never use the powdered stuff once your try this. Equal part of the five spices--Szechwan pepper corns, star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks--toasted and ground

Toss prepared vegetables in the desired amount of sauce 

Gently heat and serve

Cornish Hens with a Coconut Curried Sauce

Today was a day that I would rather forget.  I took part in a competition and completely bombed.  What makes this experience so frustration is that I know that perfect practice makes perfect performance and my practices were never perfect.  I also find it very disconcerting that I clearing am not the cook that I was in my 30's.  Having not worked in the daily grind of a kitchen for a few years’ now- my sense of timing and coordination are clearly lacking.  I've never felt the inconvenience of getting old in my 40’s but this morning as I pulled my burned vegetables out of the oven, I couldn't help but long for, "the good old days" of my younger years when a hand full of practice dry runs would have been more than enough.  Although cooking is the last thing I want to do right now, I thought I’d share a modified version of the dish I attempted.    Cornish Hens with a Coconut Curried Sauce-- you can use chicken if you like; it will work just as well.  Just remember to cook the chicken breast a bit longer.

The way you cut your chicken is purely up to you.  I removed the backs and winglets for stock and cut the meat off the legs and thighs for the braised part of the dish.

This dish aims to please.  The Cornish hen is prepared two ways—roasted and braised.

Cornish Hens with a Coconut Curried     

Ingredients

2 Cornish Hens

2 tablespoons curry paste plus 1 teaspoon

¼ cup light coconut milk plus ½ cup more

1 cup chicken stock

½-teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon olive oil

¼ cup peeled pearl onions

1/4 cup red pepper medium diced

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons chopped ginger

1 stick lemongrass

2 kefir leaves

 1/4 cup cut carrots

1/4 cup cut parsnips

1/4 cup fresh water chestnuts

2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

¼ cup scallions greens

Directions

 In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons curry paste and ¼ cup coconut milk for marinade.  Marinade the chicken for at least 4 hours.  For best results let it sit overnight

Preheat a medium saute pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil

Remove breast from marinade and sear on skin side. 

  

When the skin is brown, flip over and finish cooking it in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Season parsnips and water chestnuts with a little olive oil and salt.  Place in a small pan a roast until tender

While the breasts are cooking, heat another skillet add olive oil, onions, garlic, ginger, red pepper, lemongrass, and kefir leaves.

Saute for about 2 minutes then add marinated thigh meat. 

Add chicken stock; bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. 

Simmer for about 20 minutes

Add ½ cup coconut milk, parsnips and water chestnuts; simmer for about five minutes more

Finish with cilantro and scallions

If you roasted the breast whole like I did, cut them down the center once you have removed them from the oven and they have cooled.  

Serve and present as desired. 

I find that I don’t need rice with this because the variety of vegetables are enough.

Freekeh

For the past month or so, I’ve eaten quinoa every day as either a cereal for breakfast, a salad for lunch or a warm grain for dinner.  Yesterday I went out in search of another grain that would give Quinoa a break.  I am having okra and tomatoes tonight for dinner and I don’t want brown rice or the ubiquitous Mother of Grains.  Growing up my Mom would prepare okra and tomatoes with a piece of smoked pork.  Since I have gotten older and more health conscience, I leave out the pork.    As I walked through the Middle Eastern section of the supermarket, I came across a grain called Freekeh.

Freekeh is a green wheat.  An ancient grain used in the Middle East, it is harvested while still young resulting in a highly nutritious alternative to rice.  Freekeh is high in  protein and fiber which  can make you feel more satiated.  What ’s more, this grain is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin both of which have been positively associated with prevention of age-related macular degeneration. Since freeheh is slightly roasted, it takes on a smoky nutty flavor and the texture similar to bulgur wheat.

It is very easy to prepare and cooks in about 20 minutes.  One of the things I really like about freekeh is that it has great flavor on its own.  I didn’t have to add carrots, celery, onions and herbs the way that I do to many of the other grains I prepare.  I simple added scallions and garnished it with young celery leaves and that nutty smoky flavor really held its own.

Freekeh

Ingredients

1 cup freekeh

1 cups chicken stock or water

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

¼ cup chopped scallions

1 teaspoon olive oil

Young celery leaves garnish

Directions

In a small pot heat olive oil, add scallion; saute for 1 minute

Add freekeh, chicken stock, bay leaf and salt

Simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated. 

Enjoy this grain as you would a rice. I was having okra and black beans tonight. 

Since the freeheh had a smoky flavor, I didn't miss the smoked pork in the okra. 

The black beans were the perfect addition.  It all came together very nicely.