Chicken Korma

I NEVER cook from cookbooks but a close friend, whom I trust to only give me the best advise, recommended the Williams-Sonoma 'Essentials of Slow Cooking' Cookbook.  Well, to my disbelief, ALL the recipes have turned out AMAZING! (obvi... its william-sonoma)

So I had to post this and recommend everyone get this cookbook!

1/2 cup canola oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2-inch cinnamon stick (I used ground cinnamon)

2 bay leaves

1 T. ground coriander

1 t. ground turmeric

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. ground cumin

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup canned tomato sauce

1 T. sugar

salt

2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1/2 wide

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

3 T. chopped fresh cilantro

In a large frying pan (I use my dutch oven to make it a 1 pot meal) over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil.  Add the onion and saute until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and cumin and saute until the spices are fragrant and evenly coat the chopped onion, about 1 minute.  Stir in broth, tomato sauce, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt and de-glaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil.

STOVE TOP:  Add chicken strips into broth-spice mixture and stir to coat.  Partially cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is thickened, about 1 hour.

SLOW COOKER:  Transfer the broth-spice mixture to a slow cooker.  Add the chicken strips and stir to coat.  Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is thickened, 3 hours on the high-heat setting or 6 hours on the low-heat setting.

About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, combine the buttermilk and cashews in blender or food processor.  Blend or process until the nuts are finely pureed and combined with the buttermilk.  Add to the chicken and stir to blend with the chicken and sauce.  Continue cooking until the sauce is completely heated through and thick, about 5 minutes.  Remove and discard the cinnamon stick (if used) and bay leaves.

Divide the chicken and sauce among warmed bowls, garnish with the cilantro, and serve at once.

About 

Sweet & Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza

This is one of my FAVORITE pizzas!!! Not traditional and such a fun change for a weekly norm.

1 package store bought pizza dough

1 jar Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (trader joes has it)

1/2 T. red pepper flakes

5 slices 'canadian bacon', each cut in 4 pieces ... americans don't have 'real' canadian bacon apparently- it's pretty much ham here. so if you want to save money just get 4 slices of ham.

4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 tomato, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 cup chopped pineapple (or more... )

2 cups mozzarella cheese

3 green onions chopped 

1. Preheat oven to the packaged temperature for the pizza dough.

2. Prep pizza dough as directed on package.

3. Par-bake pizza for 2 minutes (this helps the dough from not becoming soggy when all the toppings go on)

4. Take pizza out of oven and spread sauce on pizza (the more the better)

5.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and layer the following:

- 'canadian bacon'/ham

- 'real' bacon

- tomato

- bell pepper

- pineapple

- cheese

6. Bake as directed or until cheese has melted and is bubbly

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped green onion!

Serve with a asian slaw and enjoy!

Tabouli (Parsley Salad)

3 large bunches of parsley
1/3 cup burghul (crushed wheat #2)
2 cups water
4 green onions, with ends
1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)
2 large tomatoes (diced small & seeded)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil

Wash parsley well, drain and shake out excess water.
Soak crushed wheat in water in large mixing bowl for 20 minutes, stirring the wheat every 5ish minutes.
Drain well and set aside. Remove stems from parsley and chop fine (I put the parsley in the food processor and pulse a few times till "chopped finely").
Add wheat, tomatoes, and green onion and mix.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.

*To serve, line outside of a platter with romaine leaves, green ends facing out. Add tabouli in center of platter. Scoop tabouli with leaves and eat! (it's kinda like an arab lettuce wrap!)

Hommous Bi Tahini (Hummus)

In lou of Lent, I thought we should post some "veggi" foods... since we are supposed to be fasting from meat and dairy. If you have a chance to go to a middle eastern store to get Tahini, DO IT! it's worth it. I usually use the glass jarred Tahini's... usually the brand "MidEast"

1 19oz can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, liquid saved and set aside
1/4 cup sesame seed past (Tahini)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup lemon juice (or to taste)

Combine all the above ingredients in a food processor, adding only enough of the reserved liquid to meet your satisfaction...(the more liquid added, the thinner the dip). Blend for 2-3 minutes to a smooth consistancy.
*Place in a shallow bowl or on a platter, smooth out. Take a spoon and add little divits in the hummus. Sprinkle with good olive oil and garnish center with parsley sprigs, lemon wedges, or a tomato rose.

Serve with Pita Bread (also worth getting fresh at a middle eastern store)

Arabic Rice

1/2 cup vermicelli (cut into 1 inch pieces)

1/4 cup unsalted butter (or clarified butter)

1 1/2 cups rice

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups water

Brown vermicelli with butter in saucepan.  Add rice stirring over medium heat for 1 minute.  Stir in salt and water.  Turn to high heat and bring to a boil.  Turn heat to simmer; cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.

   *when rice is tender, there may be some liquid at the bottom of the pan.  After it has cooked, let rice sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb and liquid and "set" the rice.  Cooking time varies.

   *Garnish with toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and parsley.

Lubi bi Ziet (Green Bean Stew)

2 cans green beans or 2 lbs. fresh or frozen

1 medium onion, diced

3 T. olive oil or vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1.4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

water

1 can tomato paste

In a saucepan, saute onions with oil until almost brown.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute.  Add tomato paste and cook about 2 min.  Using the can from the tomato paste, add 3 cans of water.

Bring to a boil and add salt, pepper, and cinnamon.  Cook 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse green beans and add to the tomato mixture.  Let cook at a simmer for 20 minutes. 

Serve over Arabic Rice 

Laham Bi Ajeen (also a meat pie)

1 lb lean ground beef

1 t. dried Mint

1 t. Lemon Pepper

1 T. Paprika

1/2 t. Chili Pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 T. Flour

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 1/2 t. Salt

1 Onion, minced

1 Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped

1/2 Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped

1/2 bunch Parsley, finely chopped

1 15oz can  Diced Tomatoes, well drained

2 T. Tomato Paste

Pine Nuts

Pizza dough

Mix beef with hands with first 7 ingredients.

Add all other ingredients except pine nuts and mix well.

Spread onto little stretched out rounds of pizza dough about 6" in diameter, pressing meat into dough so it stays.  

Sprinkle with a few pine nuts.

Bake in oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked and dough is done.

This mixture is enough for (2) 1lb packages of pizza dough. 

(I've baked a whole pizza with the mixture... it only took half of this mixture to make a 15" pizza)

You can also make little turbans (pictured) or triangles like the spinach pies.

Fataya (Mom's Meat Pies!)

Mary and I are still trying to get Mom to post something on One Family Four Kitchens.  But of course, trying to explain how to "post" something over the phone 1500 miles away is nearly impossible.  (we are still trying to teach her how to scan something and send it in an email... sorry mom!)

So here is Mom's Meat Pies!

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 t. salt

1 t. Lemon Pepper

1-2 Lemons, juiced

Dash or 2 of cinnamon (this is the most important thing, next to the lemon juice)

2 cans Pillsbury Biscuits Dough (the blue can)

Brown meat and onions, chopping meat into small pieces while in pan.

Drain if needed and start adding the rest of the ingredients while you are still cooking the mixture.

Cut biscuits in half so you have 2 circles.  Roll them out with rolling pin on floured board so they are about 4 inches in diameter

Add a tablespoon or two of meat mixture at one edge of dough

Roll meat in dough so like a cigar. (or you can do it in triangles like the spinach pies)

Bake at 375-400 degrees for 8 minutes or until dough is light brown in color.

Remove from oven and serve! 

As a child, being one of the only "brunettes" in our neighborhood, my parents would pack these in our lunches instead of a sandwich.  I didn't know the difference till I got older... I thought everyone knew what a meat pie was!

Fataya (spinach Pies)

1 lb. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and squeezed dry

1 Small Onion, chopped fine

1 t. salt

1/2t. lemon pepper 

juice of 2 lemons

dash or two of cinnamon

2 T. Olive Oil 

Pizza Dough (or buy Bridgeford frozen rolls or loaves of bread)

Mix all ingredients together except dough.

Roll out 4" rounds from dough.

Add 1-2 Tablespoon of spinach mixture to middle of dough

make a triangle with dough, pinching the seams together.

Spray a baking sheet with oil and place spinach pies on sheet 1 inch apart from one another

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Take out of oven and brush with olive oil immediately 

 

Strawberry French Toast

This is going to be my new go-to breakfast item when cooking for a group.  A few great things about this recipe: 1. you can use the fruit of your choice, 2. you can use either fresh OR frozen fruit, and 3. you can (and should) make this ahead of time--the day before is best!

This recipe is meant for a 9 x 13 dish, but it can easily be cut in half or quarters when baking for a smaller group.  Because it's more of an assembly/layering of the ingredients, everything can be altered to your liking (the amount of fruit, cream cheese, bread, etc.)

Ingredients: 

12 slices DRY white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)*

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 1/2 cups of frozen (or fresh) strawberries**

12 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup your favorite syrup (i.e., maple or flavored)

*The easiest way to DRY bread for this recipe is to cut them into 1/2 inch cubes (as called for) and place them on a baking sheet.  Bake, uncovered, in a 300 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes (or until dry) stirring twice.  The reason for doing this is to make sure that the bread absorbs as much of the egg mixture as possible (so it truly tastes like french toast.)

**Originally, I used 1 cup, but I found that the more fruit, the better!  Also, instead of a bag of frozen strawberries, I grabbed strawberries in a syrup (the ones in those containers so it was literally a block of strawberries.  I defrosted just enough to break apart, but still frozen.)

Recipe: 

1. Place half of the bread cubes in the bottom of a well-buttered 3-quart baking dish. 

2. Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and strawberries on top.  

                        

3. Arrange remaining bread on top of strawberries.                               

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs together.  Beat in milk and syrup.    

5. Pour the mixture over the assembled casserole.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let chill for 2 to 24 hours.

6. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove plastic wrap and cover dish with foil.

7. Bake for 25 minutes.  Uncover, bake for about 25 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

8. Let stand for 10 minutes.  Serve warm with syrup.  Enjoy!!