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.
Best Ever Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hrs
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups icing sugar
Garnish
chopped walnuts
Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 275°.
2 Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
3 In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
4 In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
5 In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
6 Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
7 Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
8 Stir in banana mixture.
9 Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
10 Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
11 For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
12 Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
13 Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
14 Spread on cooled cake.
15 Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
TOTAL TIME:
40 min
Prep:
10 min
Cook:
30 min
4 servings
LEVEL: easy
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 whole canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
DIRECTIONS
Put cubed potatoes into steamer basket and place steamer into a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of basket. Allow to steam for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add butter to potatoes and mash with potato masher. Add peppers, sauce, and salt and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately.SERVES: 4 (SIDE); Calories: 152; Total Fat: 7 grams; Saturated Fat: 4 grams; Protein: 3 grams; Total carbohydrates: 23 grams; Sugar: 3 grams; Fiber: 4 grams; Cholesterol: 15 milligrams; Sodium: 1,003 milligrams
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can of peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Seafood Porridge
Seafood Porridge
ABOUT THIS SEAFOOD PORRIDGE RECIPE
This is an easy recipe using dried seafood to make a seafood porridge.
SEAFOOD PORRIDGE INGREDIENTS
- 100 Grams (3.5 ounces)Rice
- 50 Grams (1.75 ounces)Dried squids
- 50 Grams (1.75 ounces)Dried whitebait/silverfish
- 50 Grams (1.75 ounces)Dried shitake mushroom
- Sesame Oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh coriander leaves and spring onion to garnish
Step 1
Soak the shitake mushrooms until soft. Then cut into small pieces.
Step 2
Soak and wash the dried whitebait / silverfish.
Step 3
Wash the rice 2-3 times.
Step 4
Add in 1.5 Liters (or 6 and 1/3 cups) of boiled water and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Add in the shitake mushrooms.
Step 6
Heat the pan and fry the washed dried squid.
Step 7
Fry until the squid is dry and fragrant.
Step 8
Add the squid into the rice.
Step 9
Cook in the rice cooker for 1.5 hours.
Step 10
Serve with sesame oil, coriander leaves and spring onion (optional).
Now that you have learned how to make seafood porridge, please be sure to view these other seafood recipes.
ABOUT THIS SEAFOOD PORRIDGE RECIPE
This is an easy recipe using dried seafood to make a seafood porridge.
SEAFOOD PORRIDGE INGREDIENTS
- 100 Grams (3.5 ounces)Rice
- 50 Grams (1.75 ounces)Dried squids
- 50 Grams (1.75 ounces)Dried whitebait/silverfish
- 50 Grams (1.75 ounces)Dried shitake mushroom
- Sesame Oil to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh coriander leaves and spring onion to garnish
Step 1
Soak the shitake mushrooms until soft. Then cut into small pieces.
Step 2
Soak and wash the dried whitebait / silverfish.
Step 3
Wash the rice 2-3 times.
Step 4
Add in 1.5 Liters (or 6 and 1/3 cups) of boiled water and soak the rice for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Add in the shitake mushrooms.
Step 6
Heat the pan and fry the washed dried squid.
Step 7
Fry until the squid is dry and fragrant.
Step 8
Add the squid into the rice.
Step 9
Cook in the rice cooker for 1.5 hours.
Step 10
Serve with sesame oil, coriander leaves and spring onion (optional).
Now that you have learned how to make seafood porridge, please be sure to view these other seafood recipes.
Now that you have learned how to make seafood porridge, please be sure to view these other seafood recipes.
Banana Bread
Banana Bread
ABOUT THIS BANANA BREAD RECIPE
Banana bread is a sweet quick bread that makes for a delicious dessert, breakfast, or snack. This easy banana bread recipe creates a moist, dense loaf with a touch of spice from the nutmeg and cinnamon. Like most banana bread recipes, this recipe includes walnuts for added texture and crunch. If you don’t like walnuts, you can easily omit them. In order to make the banana bread a tad healthier, I use some whole wheat flour in place of some of the all-purpose flour. This adds extra fiber and protein to the banana nut bread. If you don’t have any whole wheat flour, just replace the amount with all-purpose. For those who want a very healthy banana bread, you can experiment by reducing the sugar or replacing most of it with honey or agave syrup. You can even try using apple sauce or sour cream in place of the oil. If you find a variation that you enjoy, please leave a comment about it at the bottom of this page.
You could easily make banana nut muffins with this recipe by putting the banana bread batter into muffin cups instead of loaf pans. If you are looking for a full banana nut muffin recipe click here.
For this banana bread recipe you will need 2 bread loaf pans that are 8.5 inch long, 4.5 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall. If you have 9 inch by 5 inch pans, those will work too, but one of your banana bread loaves will be much smaller than the other.
For the best banana flavor use ripe or overripe bananas. You can tell by looking at the peels. If the banana peel is bright yellow with no green or has brown specks that it is ripe. If the peel is brown it is overripe.
BANANA BREAD INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour + extra for dusting bread loaf pans
- 3/4 cup wheat flour
- unsalted butter for greasing bread loaf pans
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg - freshly grated
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 lemon - 3 teaspoons lemon juice + lemon zest from the whole lemon
- 3 bananas - very ripe. Peeled and chopped.
- 3 large eggs - at room temperature
Preheat your oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
Rub butter all over the bottom and the sides of the bread loaf pans.
Rub butter all over the bottom and the sides of the bread loaf pans.
Step 2
Add some flour into each of the loaf pans. Shake the flour around the bottom and sides to coat the pan evenly. Once the pans look like the image at the left, shake out any excess flour.
Step 3
Place the walnuts on a sheet of aluminum foil and place them in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes to toast them. Once toasted, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the aluminum foil.
Step 4
Sift the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder into a large bowl.
Step 5
Whisk together.
Step 6
Add the toasted walnut pieces into the bowl.
Step 7
And whisk them in. Create a well in the center of the bowl.
Step 8
Add the egg yolks to a separate medium sized bowl. Beat the eggs with a fork.
Step 9
Add the bananas into a separate bowl and mash them with the same fork.
Step 10
Here are the bananas mashed.
Step 11
Add the mashed bananas to the eggs.
Step 12
Stir the bananas and egg yolks together until well mixed.
Step 13
Wash your lemon under water and dry it. Using a zester or a grater, zest the lemon into the bowl with the eggs and bananas. Zesting removes the yellow peel on the outside of the lemon. The lemon zest will add additional flavor to the banana bread.
Step 14
Add the sugars, 3 teaspoons of lemon juice, vanilla, oil, and nutmeg into the bowl with the eggs and bananas.
Step 15
Stir everything together until thoroughly mixed. Be sure to break up and clumps of brown sugar with your fork.
Step 16
Pour about 3/4 of the banana mixture into the well you created in the bowl containing the dry ingredients.
Step 17
Stir.
Step 18
Add the remaining banana mixture and stir just until you no longer see any white flour and the mixture is smooth. You do not want to over-mix because it will make the banana bread tough.
Step 19
Here is the finished banana bread batter.
Step 20
Spoon the banana bread batter into the loaf pans. If you are using 8.5 inch by 4.5 inch loaf pans then they should both be about half full. I'm using 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pans. As you can see I filled one about half way and just put the leftover batter in the other pan.
Place the loaf pans in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. You will see that the banana bread will shrink from the sides of the pan. Test that the banana bread is done by inserting a metal skewer into the center. If the skewer comes out without anything stuck to it, it is done. If the skewer still has batter on it, continue cooking. You do not want your banana bread to be raw in the middle. If the banana bread isn't done yet but the top is starting to go past a golden brown color, place a piece of aluminum foil over the bread in a tent shape. This will help keep the top from over browning. Once the banana bread is fully cooked, remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool. Once cool, you should be able to easily remove the banana bread from the loaf pans.
Serve your banana bread with butter or cream cheese. You can even toast it to add crunch and some extra flavor.
Now that you have learned how to make banana bread, please be sure to view these other fruit bread recipes.
Place the loaf pans in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. You will see that the banana bread will shrink from the sides of the pan. Test that the banana bread is done by inserting a metal skewer into the center. If the skewer comes out without anything stuck to it, it is done. If the skewer still has batter on it, continue cooking. You do not want your banana bread to be raw in the middle. If the banana bread isn't done yet but the top is starting to go past a golden brown color, place a piece of aluminum foil over the bread in a tent shape. This will help keep the top from over browning. Once the banana bread is fully cooked, remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool. Once cool, you should be able to easily remove the banana bread from the loaf pans.
Serve your banana bread with butter or cream cheese. You can even toast it to add crunch and some extra flavor.
Now that you have learned how to make banana bread, please be sure to view these other fruit bread recipes.
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