A very cheesy and filling dressing. Good for meals.
This is what you need
1 cup mayonnaise1 tablespoon lemon juice1/2 teaspoon garlic powder1/2 teaspoon onion powder1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
This is how to make it
Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Great as a salad dressing or dip for vegetable crudites or chips.
Makes 1 1/2 cups dressing.
The fish sauce gives it a distinct smell. Some may not like it, especially the vegetarians. Works for me though!
This is what is needed
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons fish sauce*
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
This is how to make it
Stir together all ingredients until blended.
Makes 1 cup.
Like the Honey-Mustard dressing, but has that bit of crunchiness!
This is what you need
6 tablespoons vegetable oil2 tablespoons cider vinegar2 tablespoons honey2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed1 garlic clove, mincedSalt and freshly ground pepper to taste
This is how to make it
Combine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Store in refrigerator.Makes about 1 cup
This is my favourite dressing, light and flavourful. Even the kids dont
mind it!
This is what you need2 tablespoons
white wine vinegar2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt or taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper or to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil
This is how to make itIn a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic,
salt and pepper. While continuing to
whisk mixture, slowly pour in vegetable oil in a small stream, whisking constantly until fully incorporated and slightly thickened. (Place the bowl on a damp tea towel to prevent it from slipping.)
Store any unused portion in the
refrigerator.Makes about 1 cup.
This is what you need
3 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
This is how to make it
In mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients until smooth and creamy. If too thick, add a few drops of water at a time.
Cover and refrigerate.
Makes about 3 1/2 cups salad dressing.
This dressing is great for turning a simple salad of mixed greens into a scrumptious salad.
This is how to make it
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Pinch of dried oregano
This is what you need
Combine all ingredients in small bowl and whisk to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes about 1/2 cup.
A very common and classic salad dressing. Goes well all seasons.
This is what you need
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 small shallots, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
This is how to make it
Whisk together first 7 ingredients until blended. Gradually whisk in olive oil.
Makes 2 cups.
Apple juice and honey add sweetness to this pretty vinaigrette, flecked with parsley and basil. Dry mustard and black pepper give a touch of heat. This dressing blends well with fruit salads as well as green salads.
Here's what you need
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple juice
3 whole fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Here's how to make it
Combine parsley, vinegar, olive oil, apple juice, basil, honey, salt, dry mustard and pepper in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
Makes about 1 cup.
Aniseed offers a hint of licorice flavor to this vinaigrette. Delightful when tossed with a simple mixture of fresh baby greens.
Here's what you need1 shallot,
quartered
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 teaspoon dried or canned green
peppercorns1/2 teaspoon aniseed
1 tablespoon white-wine
vinegar1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
Here's how to make itPlace the shallot, garlic, peppercorns, and aniseed in a blender and run on medium speed for a few seconds until mixture is chopped. Add the vinegar and blend well. With motor running, add oil in a stream and blend dressing until emulsified. Season to taste with
salt and pepper. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. Keeps well for 1 week.
Makes scant 1/2 cup dressing.
Alright, this recipe came out as I was about to studiously follow a Pasta recipe from the net on my laptop when the computer konked out on. So instead of trying to figure out how to bring the computer back to life, I went ahead anyway with whatever I remembered and it turned out quite a hit with the family. When I went back to the net, I realised I had quite strayed from what was supposed to done anyway. So, happy chance!
This is what you need
200 gms penne pasta
Salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (blend of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and savory)
Dash red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
450gms ground beef/mutton
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or a 1/2 teaspoon of dried)
2 1/2 cups canned chunky tomato sauce (almost 1 28-ounce can, Muir Glen brand if you can get it)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
This is how to cook it
Heat to boiling a large pot with 4 quarts of water in it. Once the water is boiling, salt it with 1 Tbsp of salt. Once the water returns to a boil add the pasta to the pot. Leave uncovered, let cook on high heat with a vigorous boil. Put the timer on for 8-10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package says is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain.
Once you've started to heat the water, start working on the sauce. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat a large pan on high heat. Salt the bottom of the pan generously. Once the pan is hot, break up small chunks of ground beef and add them to the pan, without stirring. (You may need to work in batches; do not fill up the pan.) You want the meat to get well browned. If the pan is too hot and the meat is burning, not browning, take the pan off the heat for a little, and reduce the heat to medium high. Once the meat is browned on one side (a couple of minutes) flip the meat over to brown on the other side. Turn down the heat and finish cooking the meat.
Use a spoon to lift the meat from the pan and add it to the pan with the seasoned onions. Add tomato sauce. Use the edge of your metal spatula to break up the bigger chunks of meat into smaller pieces. Add basil. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a simmer on low heat, let cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Once the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, adjust seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more sugar if the sauce is too acidic. Add more tomato sauce if the sauce is a little dry. Stir in the cooked penne pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
I picked this up from the internet somewhere and the sauce is really offbeat and unusual. The flip side is, it is a bit laborious but makes for a really impressive fancy meal.
Dont forget to tell the everyone what all you have used, thyme, wine, cider vinegar......Great to impress!
This is what you need:1 pack (450gms)
pasta, such as linguine or fettucini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (dry ones can work as a substitute, but use 3 tbsp in that case)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt and more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
This is how to cook itHeat salted (1tbsp salt) water in a large pot for the pasta. As the water heats, prepare the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them out initially and then not stirring them, so they have an opportunity to brown. Once lightly browned on one side, use tongs to flip the pieces over so they brown on the second side. When pieces are browned on both sides, and just cooked through, remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Deglaze the pan with white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and let liquids reduce by half (turn up the heat if necessary). Add the cream, mint, thyme, lemon zest, honey, salt, and vinegar. Reduce the sauce by half again.
Once the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and cook following directions on pasta package. When pasta is ready, drain and add to cream sauce when cream sauce has been reduced by half and is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add chicken to the pasta and sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with a little chopped fresh mint and thyme.
Serve immediately.
Again a pretty simple recipe. You need to use fresh sausages, not the frozen, mass produced ones, because with the frozen ones you cant get the meat out of the casings and the fresh ones taste much better. If you cant find the sweet sausage, just use the plain fresh sausage.
This is what you need:1 large sweet sausage
1 large hot and spicy sausage
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3/4 large (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes
Olive oil
1 lb (16 oz) spaghetti
pastaSalt
Grated Parmesan cheese
This is how it is cookedFor the Sauce:
Take the sausage meat out of the sausage casings. Break up into pieces and mix the sweet and spicy sausage meats together. Alternatively, if its only plain sausages that you can get your hands on, just add cayenne powder and crushed pepper to the skillet when adding the sausages. Brown the sausage meat in a large skillet on medium high or high heat with a little olive oil. In a separate skillet sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Purée the tomatoes in a blender, add to the skillet with the sausage meat. Add the cooked onions and garlic.
For the Spaghetti
Fill a pot at least half full with water and bring to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt. Slowly add the pasta, stirring to prevent clumping. Allow the water to come to a boil again. Cook, uncovered, with a fairly vigorous boil, for as long as the directions on the pasta package say, usually about 10-12 minutes. When pasta is al dente (good to bite but not too soft), remove the pot from the heat. Add a cup or two of cold water to the pasta to stop the cooking. Drain the water from the pasta through a colander. Mix in the sauce and coat the spaghetti evenly.
Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
Very simple and in minutes ready salad. Now dont go nuts about the poached chicken part. Poched chicken is basically boiled chicken but it is boiled in just enough water to submerge and for the flavour, you can either simply add stock cubes or herbs or just salt or if you like it basic, just keep it plain water. But having a flavour always helps. Once the water boils, reduce the heat and let it just heat without bubbling over for about 10 minutes. After that keep the chicken in the water for 10-15 minutes to cool down and soak in the water and its flavours. The rest is below.
This is what you need:
1/2 kilo poached chicken breast
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
roughly shredded lettuce leaves
This is how to make it:
Cut chicken into 1/2 cubes. Mix celery, lettuce, mayonnaise, mustard, and parsley in a bowl. Add chicken; toss to coat. Done!
Okie Doks.
This is an easy one and and you really need to get dirty with it. You have use your hands to mix the mince meat with all the other ingredients. I can tell you one thing for sure, if you want to cook, you need to use your bare hands. Dont go by the belief that you can cook without using your hands, there's no fun in that. Get your hands working and get the feel of the food that you are going to eat. Of course, wash your hands please and guys...please...wash your hands before you enter the kitchen after popping into the loo no matter what you were doing there!
Puuhhleeezze!
This is what you need:
1/2 kilo ground mutton ( you can use chicken or beef, if you like and these can be the round one or the more long type ones too)
1 green onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach (frozen ones will save you the trouble)
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill or 3/4 teaspoon dried ( go for the dried ones to save time)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
This is how it is cooked
Combine ground beef, green onion, spinach, tomato, feta, dill, salt and pepper. Form into 2 patties. Grill or pan-fry over medium-high heat for 6 minutes on each side for medium doneness.
Have it with the bun or even without it.
Ooohhhh! Mushrooms... I love mushrooms and its not just the white button mushrooms, but there are others and you can any one of them to the soup and the broth gets more exciting...shiitake, porcini......Oooohhhhh!
This is what we need
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
500 gms mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry sherry (replace with 1/2 cop broth if you like)
1 cup heavy cream
This is how to cook it
Melt butter in a pot over high heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper; sauté until soft and light brown, about 10 minutes. Add broth and sherry; simmer to allow flavors to blend, about 5 minutes. Transfer soup to a blender. Holding blender lid down firmly with a folded kitchen towel, blend at low speed to purée (you may have to work in batches). Return soup to saucepan; bring back to a simmer over medium heat. Add cream and simmer, stirring constantly, until soup is thick, about 5 minutes. Serve right away or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving.
This is truly yum!yum! I have never come across something like this in any Thai restaurant, so this is probably not an authentic Thai recipe.
But in any case, as I said, yum!yum!
This is what you need:
3 cups lower sodium chicken broth (not cream of coconut)
1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon sugar substitute
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces button mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
This is how to cook it
Combine broth, coconut milk, ginger, fish sauce, jalapeño, lime zest and sugar substitute in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add shrimp and mushrooms; simmer until shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and discard ginger. Stir in spring onions, cilantro and lime juice and serve.
Ok now that you know where Burma is (yeah! yeah!), here's another recipe from Burma, I came across and cooked very recently. Came out well and unlike Indian food, its not too spicy. The hotness quotient is subjective.
This is a somewhat dry recipe unlike the full on curry like
Kaukse.
Here's what you need2 Onions, rough chopped
5 Cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 Inch piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
2 sticks of lemon grass, roughly chopped
2 Red chillis seeded and chopped (habaneros work well, you'll need rather more Thai chillis)
1tbsp Fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tsp Ground turmeric
4 tbsp Veg oil
1 kg Chicken cut into curry pieces
4 Green (or two black) cardamon pods
2 tbsp rough chopped coriander/cilantro leaf
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Here's how to cook it:Grind the first 7 ingredients (ie up to and including the turmeric) together into a smooth paste (food processor/pestle and mortar etc). Heat oil in wide frying pan or wok and add paste, stiry-fry until moisture has evaporated and paste has started to brown. Add chicken pieces and stir well, scrape bottom of pan to prevent sticking. THis wont be a problem if you are using a non stick. Cover tightly and simmer for 35-45 minutes - there should be enough liquid given off from the chicken during cooking but check now and then and stir. If chicken does get too dry and starts sticking/burning (and it's never happened to me) add a tablespoon or so of water and stir in, scraping residue off bottom of pan.
Shortly before chicken is ready slit open cardamom pods and extract seeds, crush seeds in pestle and mortar and add to chicken with coriander leaf, stir and simmer for a further minute or so, taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve with plain rice or coconut rice.
Goes great with Singha or Tiger Beer..hic!
Eggs....one of the first things I learned to cook, or rather decided to cook on my own was eggs. I made an omlette when I was 10. My mother was away to her friends house and I decided to somethin else than just raiding the fridge for leftovers. What a clever boy I was.....I didnt burn down the house and live to tell the tale.
Now this dish was taught to me by Andre, an Italian classmate of mine who couldn't believe that I was skipping breakfast since I never had the time to eat something before the classes. Even though I did not start having breakfasts well after graduating, I have made this a number of times for the family on weekends. Thank you Andre. Just for the records, I did teach Andre to teach Butter Chicken, so we are even!
The trick to this dish is to reduce the tomato mixture to thick sauce that won't break and liquefy when added to the eggs. If you've never made scrambled eggs this way before, you are in for a treat. Steady, slow cooking turns them incredibly creamy. Add a sliced tomato or avocado as a tasty side.
This is what is needed (to serve 4):
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion sliced
4garlic cloves chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
8 eggs
1/4 stick of butter or two tsp full butter
1/4 cup freshly sliced basil
handful of chopped chicken/turkey/ham
This is how to cook it
Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion 5 minutes, until softened; add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add roasted peppers, tomatoes, and cayenne. Cover and cook 10 minutes, until vegetables are very soft, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer over medium heat until sauce is thick, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated).
In a large bowl, beat eggs until blended. In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add eggs and basil. Cook, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, 10 minutes, until soft blobs form and eggs are barely set.
Add pepper mixture and chopped chicken; stir just until mixed.
Its the Herbs which add the touch from the regular scrambled eggs. You can use the dry mixed herbs from the stores if the fresh ones are hard to find. The taste is of course better with the fresh ones. The portion is good enough for 2 people. The whole thing wont take you more than 15 minutes.
Ahh! the warm smell of scrambled eggs early in the morning with a herby twist!!
Have with warm buttered toasted bread and cold watermelon juice...oooh!
Here's what you need
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons of cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, parsley, or chives or a combination
Here's how to cook it:
Whisk eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and herbs in a medium bowl.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add eggs and cook, stirring with heatproof rubber spatula, until creamy, eggs are set but still moist, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrambled eggs must be moist, so dont overcook it.
Breakfast's served!
Alright, now I am a huge fan of Persian food and the delicate tastes, aroma and history of their culture is absolutely second to none. Besides the love of their food, the people are one of the most hospitable and civilzed. Persians are not arabs and most of them would like you to know that as well. As a very young child I have spent a great time in Tehran and many times, I would walk into my neighbour's house as a 3 year old and eat with their kids while they would do the same. As an adult I rediscovered their food when living in the Middle East.
Amongst the many Kebabs (remember that this is where Kebabs originated from), the Kebab Burgh is amongst my favourite.
These are great when barbecuing and you can have these with the traditional bread, Khaboos or Kamachi.
Here is what you need
800 grams boneless lamb
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 large grated onions
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
4 medium tomatos
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sumac (optional)
This is how to make it
Prepare marinade: combine olive oil, lime juice, onions, garlic, saffron, salt and black
pepper. Cut lamb into 1 cm thick and 4-5 cm long pieces. Do not remove all the fat as
you will need it to melt. Marinate overnight (preferrably 24 hours) in refrigerator.
Container should be covered.
Thread lamb on long, thin metal skewers. Thread whole tomatoes separately on another
skewer. Brush with marinade. Barbeque for about 5 minutes on each side, turning
frequently.
In case, you are not barbecuing and are not too keen on turning on the oven, the kebab can also be fried lightly and cooked covered in a non stick pan. Due to the marination, it will cook in about within 20 minutes. Be sure to turn it around occasionally to avoid burning it.
Divine, I tell you, divine.
