Kalbi Beef

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This is hardly a recipe, but it’s so good it’s worth sharing.  Andrew loves Kalbi beef and we have been trying to make a good marinade at home that would bring the same flavours but never quite got it right. Until this one. The interesting thing for me is that I always though a Kalbi marinade had to have a fruit in it, normally an Asian pear. The day I made this marinade, I didn’t have any Asian pear at home or any other fruit that I thought would be  a good substitute, so I just omitted it. It turned out better than any other. It smells so good when it’s grilling that even I wanted to have some. I decided to marinate a portobello mushroom but that didn’t go very well, I think the flavour of the mushroom didn’t match the marinade, but I am not giving it up, I plan to try it on tofu next.  As far as meat is concerned, I used Korean short beef and flank steak so far. Both were excellent, according to Andrew.

 

Kalbi Beef Recipe:

makes marinade for 1 lb of beef

You will need:

1/2 cup of soy sauce

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, finely chopped

3 large green onions, sliced

1 pound of Korean short ribs

 

Whisk all ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the meat and transfer to a plastic bag. Marinate for 24 hours in the fridge.

Remove meat from the bag and grill it in the BBQ until done. Discard the marinade.

Serve it with white rice.

Tonkatsu

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Tonkatsu to me is like the Asian version of he Wiener Schnitzel. It's breaded, deep-fried pork cutlets. The use of panko (a Japanese version of bread crumbs)  and the sauce makes Tonkatsu an authentic Asian dish. Andrew loves it, so I decided to make it for him. There is really no secrets to it, if you ever breaded any other type of food (veggies, chicken, beef), than you know what I am talking about. The one thing I am picky about is to have it crispy, crunch and dry. It is easy to end up with a soggy and oily piece of meat. To avoid that, make sure the oil is hot enough ( dip only a piece of the meat into the oil and see if it sizzles).

I bought a bottle of Tonkatsu sauce at my grocery store, but there is plenty recipes online to make your own at home, I just didn't have the time or energy for that.

 

Tonkatsu Recipe:

makes 4 pieces

 

You will need:

 

4 pork boneless chops

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

a splash of milk

1 cup of panko

canola oil for frying

 

Tonkatsu sauce for serving.

 

Pound the pieces of pork until they are pretty thin.

Make a breading station by placing the flour on a plate, the eggs and milk on a bowl and the panko on another plate. Working with one piece of pork at a time, cover the pieces of pork firstly with flour, shake off excess. Dip it in the egg mixture, let excess drip off. Place it on the plate with panko and make sure the piece of meat is fully covered with it.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a skillet and fry the pork one at a time until the outside crust is golden brown, flipping it once, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a paper lined plate, serve hot with white rice, cabbage and Tonkatsu sauce.

Enjoy it!

 

Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Bowl

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I mentioned before that Andrew loves Vietnamese food, and even though this type of cuisine is fairly new to me, I try my best to learn a few dishes to cook for him. This noodle bowl is one of his favourites, and it's much easier to make than the Vietnamese summer rolls, another favourite of his. I believe the main flavour comes from the beef marinade which is a mixture of lemongrass, garlic, sugar and fish sauce.

The meat I use varies, sometimes it can be thin cuts of beef I find at my local supermarket or a sirloin steak that is thinly sliced across the grain. For the dish pictured on this post I used sukiyaki meat, normally found at Asian markets, they are marbled beef slices that cook very fast because they are so thin.

 

Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Bowl Recipe:

serves 4

 

For the noodles:

8 oz of rice noodles

1/4 cup of canola oil

4 tablespoons of chopped scallions

1 garlic clove, chopped

 

Cook the noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the scallions and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, be careful not to burn the garlic. Toss the noodles in this oil mixture and divide into bowls.

 

 

For the beef:

If you are using thinly sliced meat, it's best to stir-fry them quickly using a wok or skillet. If using a piece of meat such as a sirloin, grill it and then slice it thin across the grain.

1 piece of lemongrass, about 10 inches long (the amount sold in herb-like packages)

2 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon of canola oil

4 tablespoons of fish sauce

1 lb of meat (see note above)

cooking spray or vegetable oil

Place all ingredients except the beef in the food processor and pulse until lemongrass is finely chopped and mixture looks combined. Pour marinade into a plastic resalable bag or a baking dish, add the beef, making sure it's well coated by the marinade. Let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 4 hours in the fridge.

Heat a wok or a large skillet over high heat and spray with cooking oil or add a little bit of oil and cook the beef, moving it around the wok or skillet until it's browned and cooked though. This should be quick, since the meat is very thin. ( If using sirloin, grill meat and then slice it across the grain)

Top each noodle blow with a portion of the beef.

 

For the sauce:

 

1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup of fish sauce

3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice or vinegar

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 small dried or fresh red chiles

Mix all ingredients well and serve alongside the noodles.

 

Toppings: use any one of these, according to your taste

 

dry roasted peanuts, crushed

mint leaves

basil leaves (Thai or regular)

carrots, shredded or julienne

Napa cabbage, shredded

If you have spring rolls at home, such as frozen ones, you can cook them, cut in half and add to the noodle bowls as well.

 

 

 

I am submitting this recipe for this round of Weekend Wokking, an event created by Wandering Chopsticks that features a different secret ingredient every month. This month's host is Palachinka and the secret ingredient is beef.

 

Chilli con Carne

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Making chlli con carne is really easy, I love one pot meals (who doesn't?). This recipe makes a lot and all I can say is: Thank goodness Andrew doesn't mind eating leftovers! I made this on a big pot and left it on the stove top for days, whenever it was meal time, just reheat and serve. Andrew likes it with some shredded cheddar on top and a squeeze of fresh lime. Oh, and warm tortilla chips as well. I realized I forgot to add cilantro leaves to the chilli on the photos, but that is really important, it compliments all the other Mexican flavours on this dish.

There are many variations and ways to prepare chilli con carne. You can make it lighter using chicken or turkey meat, or try adding some mushrooms. I used this recipe from Jamie Oliver Site as a guideline.

Chilli con Carne Recipe:

All cans used are 14.5 oz/400gr in size.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and white parts removed, chopped

1 teaspoon of ground chilli powder

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 cans of red kidney beans

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 1/2 lb (approximately) of ground beef

cilantro

salt and pepper

lime, shredded cheddar, tortilla chip, for serving (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and red pepper. Add spices, stir it around and keep the vegetables cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes more, stirring every so often. Add the beef and break up any large pieces, cook it until starts to brown. Add the tomatoes. Fill up one of the cans with water and add to the pot. Add the beans. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer until cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add chopped cilantro directly on the serving bowls. Top chilli bowls with shredded cheese and a squeeze of lime.

Mongolian Beef

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This is one of Andrew's favourite dish to have at any Asian restaurant. I have  made it for him in a couple of different ways, but the goal was to be as close to a restaurant meal as possible. It's a nice way to treat yourself or someone you love without shrinking your wallet's contents (or having to face any ugly winter weather outside).

I use only one wok to make this version of Mongolian beef, good news if don't really love cleaning up pots (who does anyway?). The thickness of the sauce is up to your liking, the longest you cook it for, the thicker it will get. Thinning it out with water is also an option. I tried this dish with flank steaks, sliced crosswise and also with pre-cut stir-fry meat which is cheaper. According to Andrew (the tester, taster and Mongolian Beef expert), the flank steak is a better choice. Still on Andrew's expert opinion of the dish... I add  half of a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to it and it gets a "2 stars"  in spiciness.

 

Mongolian Beef Recipe:

makes 2 servings

You will need:

 

1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise

1/4 cup of cornstarch

3 teaspoons of canola oil

1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds

 

 

Prepare the meat:

First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch (see picture bellow).

Make the sauce:

Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later. 

Cook the meat and assemble dish:

Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.

 

	Use a strainer to help shake off excess corn starch from beef. They should be lightly coated, not over coated with corn starch.

 

Sausage in Puff Pastry

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It's the 23rd afternoon,and in my perfect world plan, I would have done all the preparations for Christmas Eve dinner, cleaned the house and sent emails to everyone still missing on my list. In my real world, however, I am far behind plans... Pretty much 100% behind... I guess I could blame it on a small incident involving broken glass, a bottle of super glue and my fingers soaking in acetone for an hour.

So this is going to be a small post, very straight forward. This appetizer is great for parties, maybe I'll do them again for New Year's Eve Party. It is super simple, if you have a package of sausage and puff pastry at home, you are all set. So good luck, and stay away from that Crazy Glue!!!

Sausage in Puff Pastry Recipe:

You will need

Flour for dusting

1 lb of puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets of store bought type)

1 lb Bratwurst sausage or other kind of your preference ( 1 package of store bought sausage)

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into a large rectangle about 18 x 9 inches. (If you are using store bought dough, this is roughly the size of both sheets put together. Just place them side by side overlapping slightly and smooth it out with a rolling pin). Cut rectangle in half lengthwise so you'll end up with 2 pieces 18 x 4,5 inches.

Remove the casings from the sausages and roll them into 2 long logs the same length of the pastry (about two and half sausages for each log). Use flour if needed to make it easier to shape them. Place one sausage log on top of each piece of pastry. Moist the long edges of the pastry with water and fold the pastry over the sausage, pressing ends to seal it. You will end up with some excess dough around the edge. Trim it with a knife and poke the left edge along with a fork so it puffs up nicely.

Brush the logs with the egg and cut it in smaller pieces, about 12 - 16 pieces per log. Using a kitchen scissor, make two small cuts on top of each small piece of sausage roll.

Transfer pieces to a baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it as they can burn quickly towards the end. Cool them on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or reheat on a low oven (200 degrees) for about 15 minutes.

Sweet and Spicy Linguiça (Linguiça Picante com Mel)

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This was a big hit at our Holiday Party. Everyone enjoyed the linguiça so much that it was over before some of the late guests arrived. Linguiça (LING-GWEE-SAH) is also known as Portuguese sausage. Brazilians eat it in pizzas, as an appetizer, part of a BBQ, you name it. It can be found at Latino food stores, or sometimes at Asian groceries stores too, normally vacuum-packed. I like to grill it for Andrew, or use it in a caldo verde.

I found this recipe at this great Brazilian site. I didn't make any changes to it, but you can also see some pictures of it here.

Sweet and Spicy Linguiça Recipe:

You will need:

1 lb of linguiça, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

1 bottle of sparkling wine

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

honey

In a large pot, combine the linguiça and top it with the champagne, about 1 inch. You might not need all the wine.Cover pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat, remove lid and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, adding the pepper flakes about half way through. When most of the liquid is gone and the linguiça is browned, remove from heat and drizzle with honey,enough to cover it all. Transfer to a plate and serve it warm or at room temperature.

Deviled Chicken Drumsticks

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These drumsticks are from Gourmet Magazine (August/08). They are very easy to make, with few ingredients that you are likely to have in your pantry anytime. Since I don't eat meat, I have to rely on Andrew's taste for the feedback on meat dishes. But don't worry, he is pretty picky. Here is his feedback: crispy outside, juice inside, and slightly spicy. Perfect! 

If you don't eat those drumsticks out of the oven, try to enjoy them at room temperature, or even cold. Just don't reheat them, or you'll loose the crispness from the crust.



Deviled Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
adapted from Gourmet Magazine (August/08)

makes 4 drumsticks

You will need:

4 chicken drumsticks 

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Brush chicken pieces with mustard. Set aside.

Stir together panko, cheese, paprika, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle with melted butter and toss.

Coat each drumstick in the crumb mixture and place them in a cooling rack set over a baking tray.

Roast in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chicken and Sausage Bake

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This is the type of dish you prepare the night before by marinating it overnight and finish it in the oven the following day. It makes it very easy to do during a busy work week.

This is a Nigella recipe that I found on a magazine.  The house smells really good while the dish is in the oven.
This is also one of those recipes where you can be really loose when it comes to the ingredient list. Use dry mustard if you don't have Dijon, whatever herbs you prefer or have in hand will do, add more onions if you like them, remove garlic if you don't like it, etc. I normally make it with oregano but sage, rosemary or parsley works well too.

Chicken and Sausage Bake Recipe
 adapted from here

 

You will need:

1 small lemon, halved
2 small onions, peeled and quartered through the roots ends
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of died oregano

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of chicken thighs and drumsticks 
3 garlic cloves
4 Italian sausages
2 tablespoons  fresh oregano 

Squeeze the lemon halves into a large resalable plastic bag and add lemons to it.
Add onions, olive oil, mustard, dry oreano and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well, add chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper. Marinate it overnight.

Remove from fridge about 30 minutes before you want to bake it.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Pour contents of bag in a baking dish, add sausages. Turn chicken skins side up and season again. Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano.

Bake in  preheated oven until cooked trough and golden brown, about 1 hour, turning sausages halfway through.

 

Turkey Meatballs for the Freezer

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These meatballs are a freezer staple here at home (for Andrew's meals). I keep a bag of frozen ones for those days when you don't have time to cook something from scratch or just don't feel like doing much in the kitchen. It allows me to make a healthy and substantial meal in very little time. Having some marinara sauce ready in the refrigerator makes it even faster.

These meatballs are nicer than your regular old ones, for a couple of reasons:

The bread is whole wheat and the meat is turkey which makes this a healthy recipe.

Instead of using breadcrumbs, the fresh bread slices are processed and than soaked in milk, which makes the meatballs very moist (no one likes dry meatballs).

Turkey Meatballs Recipe:
slightly adapted from here

makes about 30 meatballs

You will need:

3 slices of whole wheat sandwhich bread (multigrain is fine)
1/4 cup 1% milk
3 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon choped chives
1 beaten egg
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tray of ground turkey meat, about 1 1/4 lb
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In the food processor, chop the bread slices until crumbs form. Soak fresh bread crumbs in milk for about 10 minutes.



Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix it well. With damp hands, form balls of about 2 tablespoons large each.
Place meatballs in a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze until firm.


Transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag, it will keep for up to 3 months.
When ready to use, cook meatballs with marinara sauce in a covered saucepan until done.

Tortilla Chips-Crusted Chicken

Pin It We had a party a while ago and ended up with a lot of tortilla chips left over. I don't mind them if I am in a Mexican restaurant, as an appetizer or at a party. But it's not the kind of food we eat on a daily basis. I find it very salty, and I don't like jarred salsas either, so I have to make my own (really good one) every time we want to eat the chips, plus we avoid highly processed foods like this one as much as possible.
So I decided to try and use it to coat chicken breasts and roast them. It turned out really good, a nice way to use a left over bag of Doritos. The chicken was roasted, not fried, and I used mustard to coat it first instead of eggs. If you leave some chunks of tortilla chips the chicken turn out crispier and have a nice texture to it.

Tortilla Chips-Crusted Chicken Recipe

Note: this more an idea than a recipe itself. The quantities and oven time will depend on how many chicken breats you wish to roast or/and how much tortilla chips you have. I would say that for each chicken breast I used approximately 1/4 cup of crushed chips.

You will need:

corn tortilla chips (like Doritos), preferrably left over

boneless, skinless chicken breats

salt and pepper

Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.

Crush tortilla chips (I did it in a food processor) and transfer to a plate. Coat chicken breasts with some Dijon mustard and cover them with the crumbs, pressing down with your fingers.

Place coated chicken breasts in a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and roast it until in the preheated oven until cooked through, about 30 minutes.