Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘recipes’

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Soft Polenta (3 Ways)

In Sides and Sauces on May 3, 2010 at pm

Firm polenta is perfect for hors d’oeuvres, fancy looking meals, and parties.  But I prefer to eat soft polenta.  Soft polenta is a simple side dish made with cornmeal.  It also makes a fantastic substitute for rice or pasta when served with saucy or flavourful or meaty (or vegetarian) dishes such as stews, ragu, etc.  A friend introduced it to me a few years ago when I was at her place for dinner.  She served it with melted cheese and sour cream and I could not get enough of it.  Prior to that, I didn’t think that polenta was eaten in any other texture than firm.  I’ve been making soft polenta regularly ever since.  (See my shrimp on polenta recipe here.)

I have posted two different recipes for soft polenta.  The first is very basic and light, and I’ve included 2 different ways to serve it.  The second is a rich, creamy, and heavier polenta recipe.

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Stir Fried Pineapple and Beef

In Meat and Eggs on April 30, 2010 at pm

Pineapple beef is a delicious and simple Cantonese (Chinese) dish.  We order this often at Magic Wok – one of our favourite restaurants in Markham, ON.  But it’s really easy to make at home; you just need a very good quality, ripe pineapple.  I made this dish again recently using an organic pineapple and my family and I agreed that it was the best pineapple we had ever had, and it made this dish incredibly tasty.  If you carve a pineapple boat (which is also really easy to do), this is the perfect dish to serve to guests.  Note that the pineapple bowl looks prettier if you keep the leaves on, but I was in too much of a rush when I was making this.  Just be careful when you’re cutting through the stem because it can be tricky and the leaves are sharp.  If you want more colour in this dish, you could cut half of a green pepper and half of a red pepper into chunks and add them to the wok shortly after you’ve started cooking the beef.

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Indian Lentil Soup

In Indian, Soups and Salads on April 29, 2010 at pm

Most Indian lentil soups are pureed and very thick.  But the vegetable soup that I had at a popular local Indian restaurant was light, brothy, lemony, and in my opinion, much better than the typical pureed lentil soup.  So I re-created it at home.  You can easily adjust the water or boiling time to achieve your preferred consistency.  See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.

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Deep Fried Chocolate Bar

In Other Desserts on April 27, 2010 at pm

We have the chip shops in Scotland to thank for the deep fried Mars bar.  I still remember the first time I saw one of these.  Several years ago, I was watching a news segment about the unhealthy eating habits in Scotland.  I knew that it was meant to turn people off but I remember thinking, “Deep fried Mars bars?  Oh my goodness, that’s the best idea ever!  That would taste sooo good!  I can’t wait to try it!”  And for some reason, I waited this long.  Maybe because my pile of recipes to try is taller than I am  🙂  When I came up with the idea to throw a deep fried food party, I knew I had to make these.  They were everyone’s favourite at the party.

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Best Chinese Roast Pork Belly

In Meat and Eggs on April 26, 2010 at pm

This is incredibly easy to make and tastes just like the siu yuk (roast pork belly) that you buy at the Chinese restaurants and grocery stores.  I suggest buying the meat from an Asian grocery store because it is much much cheaper there.  Make sure you buy the boneless pork belly with the skin/rind on.  Pork side also works.  You want to choose a cut of meat that has an even thickness so that the rind cooks evenly, otherwise sections of the skin will burn.  But if this happens you can always scrape the burnt parts off with a knife before serving.  I tested three different methods of making crispy siu yuk.  The simplest method involved brushing oil onto the rind prior to baking; the second method involved brushing the skin with vinegar before drying it out in the fridge; and the third method involved scalding the rind with vinegar and boiling water prior to refrigeration.  From my experience, the rind that had been brushed with vinegar crackled the soonest.  Scalding the rind resulted in a very crunchy, but tough, skin.  I have posted the method that, in my opinion, was the best.

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Tuna Salad in Avocado

In Soups and Salads on April 25, 2010 at am

I love tuna salad and I love avocados, and this is a great way to serve tuna salad to guests for lunch or for a snack.  It’s not exactly low in calories, although it’s low in carbohydrates 😉 and most of the calories from an avocado are from monosaturated fats (making it ridiculously good for you).  Avocados are also nutritious and lower blood pressure, so they’re worth every calorie.  The great thing about tuna salad is that you can make it with whatever herbs, vegetables, or fruit that you happen to have on hand.

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Deep Fried Onion Rings (3 ways)

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 24, 2010 at pm

A friend of mine was sick with gall bladder problems that prevented her from eating [pretty much] anything for several months.  So when she recovered, I threw her a Deep Fried Food Party.  She requested onion rings so I took this opportunity to try some new recipes.  There are many different breading options and several different methods of coating onion rings.  In search of my favourite onion rings recipe, I discovered that everyone likes their onion rings done differently. So I have posted three different recipes that I think are good.

The first recipe is for battered onion rings.  This one takes the least amount of time to prepare.  If you cut your onion rings thicker (1/2 inch) and if you have a thick enough batter, you will get a thick coating that’s crunchy and soft.  They’re different from what you normally get in restaurants and bars, so I really like them.  The second recipe is for basic onion rings that are pre-soaked in milk and can be coated with your choice of flour, bread crumbs, cracker meal, or cornmeal.  This takes the most amount of time to prepare.  The third recipe is for panko crumb coated onion rings.  In my opinion, these had the most crunch and the texture is unique to that of classic onion rings.  These were more tedious to make than the basic onion rings.  Before you choose a recipe, keep in mind what you’re serving them with.  For example, the battered onion rings would be great on their own with beer, but you might prefer the panko coated onion rings if you’re serving them with burgers.

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Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

In Meat and Eggs on April 23, 2010 at pm

This dish is called three cups because it is traditionally made with equal proportions of three main ingredients: soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine.  It is a one pot dish that is flavourful and very easy to make.  Although the authentic version has thai basil in it, I have also made this dish without it and it still tastes great.

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Enoki Mushroom and Pork Roll

In Other Asian Foods on April 21, 2010 at pm

These are enoki mushrooms rolled in thinly sliced pork and grilled or cooked on a griddle (you could also pan fry or bake these).  All of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Markham, ON serve these.  But since I rarely eat there now, I tried making my own, and they turned out really well.  🙂

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Poached Eggs with Asparagus, Prosciutto and Hollandaise

In Red Meat and Eggs on April 20, 2010 at pm

I love eggs and eat them often for dinner.  Usually, I eat eggs when I’m being lazy, but I decided to make a slightly fancier egg dinner.  It was simple to make and delicious.  If you want a healthier meal, simply omit the hollandaise sauce.  I took this opportunity to learn how to poach eggs properly and I tried Julia Child’s Blender Hollandaise Sauce recipe.   See my post on How to Poach an Egg here.

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How to Poach Eggs

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Breakfast, How-To, Red Meat and Eggs on April 19, 2010 at pm

I love love love eggs.  So, I’m well practiced at soft boiling, scrambling, and making sunny side up and over easy eggs.  I even stir fry and steam them in Chinese dishes (recipes in the Asian – Other Asian Foods category).  But I never poach them.  So when I watched Anne Burrell poach eggs on the Food Network, I figured it was about time that I learned this technique.  So I did some research online and pooled together some tips for poaching eggs.  I was very excited to learn (from Anne Burrell) that poached eggs can be made ahead of time.  Apparently, restaurants do this all the time.  So you could easily make several batches of these one day in advance if you’re having guests over for brunch or dinner.

Pictures above:  From my Poached Eggs with Asparagus, Prosciutto and Hollandaise Recipe here.

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Stir Fried Beef and Enoki Mushrooms

In Meat and Eggs on April 18, 2010 at am

I first tried this combination in a small Chinese restaurant in Markham, ON.  It’s incredibly simple and the sauce makes it great with rice, so I recreated it at home.

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