This dish was inspired in part by shrimp and grits and in part by gambas al ajillo (recipe here). I hope you like it as much as Ed and I did.
Posts Tagged ‘recipes’
Chocolate Bar Cheesecake Bites (Won 1st Place in a Baking Contest!)
In Other Desserts on November 16, 2010 at am
These bite sized treats are creamy, chewy, and chocolatey with a crunchy toffee crust. They’re a great way to use up leftover halloween candy.
These won 1st place (out of 14 entries) at my sister’s company’s baking contest. It was their annual fund raising event for charity (United Way). The winner is determined by the employees’ votes. Last year was my first time competing and I submitted caramel popcorn. Unfortunately, only 3 people chose to sample it. 🙂 But of the 3 people that sampled it, 2 voted for it. So I consider that a success. 🙂 (See the recipe for my caramel popcorn here.)
Best Shortbread Cookies Recipe
In Cookies on November 10, 2010 at amI have been trying, and been disappointed by, shortbread cookie recipes for years. Jamie Oliver finally put an end to my search. His self proclaimed, Best Shortbread in the World really is the best homemade shortbread that I’ve ever made or tasted.
If you’ve ever made shortbread cookies, you know that All of the recipes call for cornstarch. But I’ve discovered that the secret to shortbread cookies is to use anything but. This recipe works well with semolina or corn flour. Note that corn flour is not the same thing as cornstarch. Semolina and corn flour give the cookies a firmer, crunchier texture with a lot more flavour. For the sake of recipe testing, I tried this recipe using cornstarch and the cookies were inedible in comparison. Now that I’ve found my favourite base recipe, I can’t wait to experiment with variations like dried apricot, citrus zest, chocolate dips, etc.
Note: I used an 8″ x 8″ pan by accident for the latest batch of cookies (shown above). A 9″ x 9″ pan is suggested, and I highly recommend sticking to that. Otherwise, the cookies are too thick (as shown above), take longer to bake, and turn out slightly dry on the bottom but crumbly on the top. The cookies I made using a 9″ x 9″ pan turned out beautifully.
Favourite Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie Recipe
In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Poultry on November 8, 2010 at amI have been making pot pies for years and it is still one of the dishes that Ed requests the most. I’ve made family style pot pie, individual pot pies and even miniature pot pies (second photo below) for pot lucks and parties. This is a very forgiving recipe. You could use half and half instead of cream, and you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. This is a great way to use up left over turkey because you can freeze the pot pies and then bake them from frozen.
If you’re short on time, here are 2 shortcuts:
- instead of blanching vegetables in a separate step, cook all of the vegetables together with the onions in the first step, prior to adding the flour
- use store bought puff pastry
Asian Grilled Chicken Wings
In Meat and Eggs on November 6, 2010 at amWhen I was growing up, my parents used to throw a giant bbq every summer. How I miss those bbqs, because I’ve never seen anyone serve anywhere near as much food (meat in particular) as they did. I remember there always being hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, beef short ribs, skewered fish/squid/beef balls, kebabs, and of course, chicken wings. They would often throw in a few steaks, chicken breasts, salmon steaks and shrimp skewers too. The beef short ribs and chicken wings were always my favourite. I remember watching my dad brush honey onto the wings. I’d get excited because that meant that they were almost done 🙂 I’ve never seen anyone else make wings this way, but I’m pretty sure it’s a Malaysian thing. I use just a touch of honey for the subtlest sweetness because I think these wings are best when the flavour of the honey is barely recognizable.
Alternatively, you could bake the chicken wings in an oven until just cooked through, brush with honey, and finish them off on the grill. Note: I don’t own a bbq (yet) so I used my electric grill. A grill pan would work better because electric grills have difficulty maintaining high heat consistently. So adjust the suggested heat and cooking times according to your equipment. Read the rest of this entry »
Greek Quinoa Salad Recipe
In Soups and Salads on November 4, 2010 at amQuinoa is high in nutrients and an excellent plant-based source of protein. Since it is basically flavourless, it is very versatile for salad making. You can use whatever vegetables, herbs, cheeses, vinaigrette, etc. that you like. Here I’ve made a greek style quinoa salad. See my other quinoa recipes here and here.
I have compared quinoa purchased from Bulk Barn to Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa. I found that Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa held its shape more firmly, had a better texture, and tasted better. So in my opinion, it is worth it to pay [much] more for the brand name product.
Mango Quinoa Salad Recipe
In Soups and Salads on November 2, 2010 at amIn an attempt to reduce the amount of meat that I eat, I started making quinoa salads more regularly since quinoa is high in nutrients and an excellent plant-based source of protein. I have compared quinoa purchased from Bulk Barn to Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa. I found that Bob’s Red Mill organic quinoa held its shape more firmly, had a better texture, and tasted better (even though both sources of quinoa are basically flavourless). So in my opinion, it is worth it to pay [much] more for the brand name product.
This variation of quinoa salad was inspired by mango ceviche (recipe here). See my other quinoa salad recipes here and here.
Yeung Chow Fried Rice Recipe
In Other Asian Foods on October 29, 2010 at amThis is Ed’s favourite fried rice dish, so we order it often but it’s really simple to make. Note that fried rice is always supposed to be made with day old rice, because the moisture from fresh rice may result in a mushy dish. In some restaurants, the rice is darkly coloured and in others, the rice is still white (my preference). You can adjust the soy sauce or dark soy sauce to your preference.
Tandoori Chicken Recipe (Murgh Tandoori)
In Indian on October 26, 2010 at amTandoori chicken is often recognized by its bright red colour. But I don’t like to order it because most restaurants actually achieve this colour using red food colouring. (If you’d like to do this at home, mix it into your yogurt before adding the yogurt to the chicken.) If you’re like me and you don’t have access to a tandoor (clay oven), you can make this using your oven and/or grill (see instructions below). Also, I’ve heard of people putting a lump of charcoal in their ovens to infuse a smoky flavour into the chicken. I can’t wait to get my hands on some charcoal to try this!
This is how I make tandoori chicken at home. Note that I prefer my tandoori chicken mildly flavoured, so adjust the spice to your taste.
Tarka Dall (lentils)
In Indian on October 24, 2010 at am
I’ve been wanting to incorporate more beans and lentils (legumes) into my diet for a long time now. They’re high in nutrients and fiber, they’re cost-efficient, and they’re available year round. This is my recreation of a local (Kingston, ON) Indian restaurant’s version of tarka dall – a pureed lentil side dish. See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.
Chana Masala Recipe (chickpeas)
In Indian on October 22, 2010 at amChana masala is an Indian dish that consists mainly of chickpeas and tomatoes. It is mildly spiced and is slightly sour in taste. What I love about this recipe is that the tartness comes from amchur / amchoor powder, which is ground, dried mangoes! (You could also make this using lemon juice, but I highly recommend getting the amchoor.) All of the people that tried this asked for the recipe. See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.
Photo below: For my friend’s birthday, I made homemade Indian takeout and we had dinner at her place. I made fast-cooked beef “borma”, tarka dall and chana masala (and rice, of course).
Beef “Borma” Recipe
In Indian on October 20, 2010 at amRegardless of how familiar you are with Indian food, I’m sure you’ve never heard of beef borma before. That’s because I coined the term “borma” for a happy accident where I mistakenly made a dish that was half bhuna and half korma. My housemate and my friend and I liked this dish so much that I decided it was worthy of 1. sharing and 2. distinguishment from other Indian curries.
The night before, I had been researching beef bhuna and beef korma recipes – the first being tomato based and the second being cream based. I had decided on making the korma. But while making my fast-cooked version of an otherwise authentic dish, I mixed the recipes up in my head and accidentally added tomatoes instead of cream. Since I accidentally used tomatoes that were meant for a bhuna in my korma, my dish was named “borma”. Then again, “torma” (t for tomatoes) might actually be more appropriate…
Note that authentic bhuna and korma dishes involve slow cooking beef for at least 1 1/2 hours. But I don’t like the texture of slow cooked meat, so I prefer to use tender cuts of meat and make fast-cooked versions of Indian curries. The great thing about this cooking method is that you can enjoy an authentic tasting Indian curry on a work night without compromising on the restaurant-like flavour. See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.
Photo above: I was making homemade Indian take out for my friend’s birthday. Pictured are beef “borma”, tarka dall (lentils) and chana masala (chickpeas).
Cooking with Alison 