Thursday, 22 November 2012
BEST CHINESE FOOD..
Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets1 cup choclo (kernels off the cob)
¼ lb. butter (or coconut or palm oil)
2 Aji Panca peppers, dried
2 banana leaves
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup water
1 lemon
Salt
Black pepper
Directions:
1. Soak toothpicks in water (so they will not burn)2. Break open dried Aji Panca peppers; remove and dispose of seeds. Break peppers into nickel-size pieces.
3. Steep pepper peices in ¼ cup hot water just off the boil, and allow to steep until the water comes to room temperature. Then put it back on the heat, bring it to the brink of boiling, and allow to return to room temperature again. Try to use a small vessel and keep it covered. This should result in a reddish pepper broth, much like you a tea.
4. Add butter to broth and bring to a simmer (long, low, and slow), making sure not to let your butter brown or separate. This may require turning your burner on and off periodically to ensure that your butter does not burn. Leave pot uncovered to allow excess water to evaporate slowly. The butter should take on a pale red/pink color and should remain slightly opaque throughout the process.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Sautée choclo with the sliced onion and garlic in butter or oil and salt lightly. Cook about halfway through; it will finish cooking with the fish.
7. Cut banana leaves in halves.
8. Place the pieces of fish, slightly overlapping, on banana leaves; add the (par-cooked) onion-and-choclo mixture.
9. Pour Aji Panca-infused butter sauce over fish.
10. Wrap fish in leaves, making sure to seal well. Use soaked toothpicks to pin together any loose flaps.
11. Place fish in banana leaves on aluminum foil and roast in a 500° oven (or on a grill) for nine minutes.
12. Squeeze lemon over fish.
Butternut Squash with Brown Butter & Sage
Butternut Squash with Brown Butter & Sage
It seems a Thanksgiving meal is incomplete without some kind of starchy mashed side. Be it potatoes, winter squash, or sweet potatoes, it’s a staple not just on the holiday itself but throughout the season.
This luscious butternut squash purée fills that role glamorously but is easily thrown together at the last minute. Bake the butternut squash while you shower and get dressed, then brown the butter while the squash cools enough to handle. Unlike potatoes, winter squash doesn’t become gummy, so you can bring all the ingredients together quickly in a blender or food processor.
Although simple to execute, the purée does not disappoint in terms of flavor: sweet squash, creamy ricotta, and nutty brown butter with a jolt of earthy, salty fried sage to garnish. It’s a pasta-less riff on the classic butternut squash ravioli!
Silky Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2.5 lbs.)12 tbsp. butter, divided
½ cup strained ricotta
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Salt
10-20 medium sage leaves, to garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Rub lightly with a bit of oil and place skin-side-up on a baking sheet. Roast until soft all the way through, about 45 minutes.
2. Add 6 tbsp. butter to a large saucepan over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted and begins to foam, whisk until it turns deeply golden. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk to incorporate any brown bits.
3. Scoop the flesh of the cooked butternut squash into a blender or food processor. Add the brown butter, ricotta, nutmeg, and one large pinch of salt and process until smooth.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 6 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add the sage leaves and fry until dark green and crispy. Remove using a slotted spoon and sprinkle generously with coarse salt. To serve, garnish each serving with 1-3 sage leaves. For potluck or family style, serve the squash in a rectangular dish and sprinkle the sage leaves over the top so each scoop as at least one leaf. (For real decadence, continue to brown the butter used to fry the sage leaves, and drizzle this over the finished dish, along with another pinch of salt.)
Saturday, 17 November 2012
HOW TO CUT A MONGO....
How to Cut a Mango
Mangos, delicious in smoothies, luscious in salsa, can be a slimy, slippery challenge to cut. The best way to go about it is to start first with a ripe, but still firm fruit. If the mango is too ripe, it will be a mushy mess, and hard to cut into pieces, though easy enough to scoop out for pulp.
How to Cut a Mango Recipe
METHOD
1 The mango has a flat-ish oblong pit in the center of it. Your objective is to cut along the sides of the pit, separating the flesh from the pit. Holding the mango with one hand, stand it on its end, stem side down. Standing up the mango up like this you should be able to imagine the alignment of the flat, oval pit inside of it. With a sharp knife in your other hand, cut from the top of the mango, down one side of the pit. Then repeat with the other side. You should end up with three pieces - two halves, and a middle section that includes the pit.
2 Take a mango half and use a knife to make lengthwise and crosswise cuts in it, but try not to cut through the peel.
3 At this point you may be able to peel the segments right off of the peel with your fingers. Or, you can use a small paring knife to cut away the pieces from the peel.
4 Take the mango piece with the pit, lay it flat on the cutting board. Use a paring knife to cut out the pit and remove the peel.
How to Cut a Mango
Mangos, delicious in smoothies, luscious in salsa, can be a slimy, slippery challenge to cut. The best way to go about it is to start first with a ripe, but still firm fruit. If the mango is too ripe, it will be a mushy mess, and hard to cut into pieces, though easy enough to scoop out for pulp.
How to Cut a Mango Recipe
METHOD
1 The mango has a flat-ish oblong pit in the center of it. Your objective is to cut along the sides of the pit, separating the flesh from the pit. Holding the mango with one hand, stand it on its end, stem side down. Standing up the mango up like this you should be able to imagine the alignment of the flat, oval pit inside of it. With a sharp knife in your other hand, cut from the top of the mango, down one side of the pit. Then repeat with the other side. You should end up with three pieces - two halves, and a middle section that includes the pit.
2 Take a mango half and use a knife to make lengthwise and crosswise cuts in it, but try not to cut through the peel.
3 At this point you may be able to peel the segments right off of the peel with your fingers. Or, you can use a small paring knife to cut away the pieces from the peel.
4 Take the mango piece with the pit, lay it flat on the cutting board. Use a paring knife to cut out the pit and remove the peel.
Friday, 16 November 2012
Sinfully Delish Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sinfully Delish Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Total Time: 45 mins
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Ingredients:
10 yukon gold potatoes
8 garlic cloves
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter garnish
chives, chopped (optional) paprika (optional)
Directions:
1 Quarter the potatoes (we leave the skin on) and put into a large pot of salted water.
2 Add the 8 cloves of peeled garlic.
3 Boil until tender.
4 Drain and add the sour cream, butter and cream cheese to the pot and mash with a potato masher, for best texture do not use a mixer.
5 Spread mixture into an oven proof casserole dish (about 9X13)and garnish as desired.
6 Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the top has browned to your satisfaction.
7 For faster results, skip baking and place under broiler for a few minutes.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Total Time: 55 mins
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick (about 2 large or 3 medium-small potatoes) salt & freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1 Combine butter, cream, salt, sugar, and sweet potatoes in large saucepan.
2 Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with fork.
3 This will take between 30 to 45 minutes.
4 Take off heat and mash sweet potatoes in saucepan with potato masher.
5 You can also put potatoes into kitchen aid mixer and mix.
6 Stir in salt and pepper to taste.
7 Serve immediately.
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick (about 2 large or 3 medium-small potatoes) salt & freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1 Combine butter, cream, salt, sugar, and sweet potatoes in large saucepan.
2 Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart when poked with fork.
3 This will take between 30 to 45 minutes.
4 Take off heat and mash sweet potatoes in saucepan with potato masher.
5 You can also put potatoes into kitchen aid mixer and mix.
6 Stir in salt and pepper to taste.
7 Serve immediately.
French food.
Total Time: 48 mins
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 28 mins
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs mushrooms, rinsed, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 8 cups of any combination of white button, shiitake, oyster, portobello, chanterelles or whate)
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
1 garlic clove, finely chopped salt & pepper, to taste
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, washed, stemmed & coarsely chopped
5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
1 garlic clove, finely chopped salt & pepper, to taste
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, washed, stemmed & coarsely chopped
5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions:
1 Make crepes if using homemade & set aside.
2 Preheat oven to 350°F.
3 Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot enough to sizzle a slice of mushroom. Add the mushrooms all at once and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until they begin to brown. About 10 minutes.
4 Stir in the parsley, thyme, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
5 Reduce heat to medium and stir in the spinach. Cover & cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
6 Uncover & add the goat cheese, stirring until melted.
7 Spoon mixture down the center of each crepe. Roll up crepes and arrange side by side in a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
8 Cover pan with foil and heat until cheese melts, about 15 minutes.
9 Serve warm.
1 Make crepes if using homemade & set aside.
2 Preheat oven to 350°F.
3 Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot enough to sizzle a slice of mushroom. Add the mushrooms all at once and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until they begin to brown. About 10 minutes.
4 Stir in the parsley, thyme, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
5 Reduce heat to medium and stir in the spinach. Cover & cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
6 Uncover & add the goat cheese, stirring until melted.
7 Spoon mixture down the center of each crepe. Roll up crepes and arrange side by side in a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
8 Cover pan with foil and heat until cheese melts, about 15 minutes.
9 Serve warm.
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