Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken Chow Mein

serves 4 to 6

(Chinese-American)

Everyone's first experience with Chinese restaurant food was probably chicken or pork chow mein, this is a copy cat recipe to help you re-experience that first encounter at home.

                                                                                  Prep time:  30 minutes
                                                                                  Cook time:  15 minutes
                                                                                  Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 to 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into approximately ½- inch pieces
2 teaspoons plus ½ cup soy sauce, divided use
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 ounces Chinese noodles
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cold cup water
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
3 cups sliced celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
½ cup shredded carrot
1 cup yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 bunches  green onions, green tops sliced diagonally into 1-inch lengths
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can good chicken broth
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ pound bean sprouts (rinsed & drained)
5 ounces of bamboo shoots, matchsticked
5 ounces can water chestnuts (drained & sliced)

Rice or dry Chow Mein noodles

Preparation

marinate the chicken:

After you slice the chicken, place it in a bowl with 2 tsp of soy sauce, the rice vinegar and sesame oil and set aside for at least 1 hour.

prepare the noodles:

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

create a thickener:

Create a thickening slurry by blending the cornstarch and cold water.

create the chow mein:

1.  In large skillet or wok over medium heat, cook chicken in oil until done, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet.
2.  Raise heat to high and cook celery, yellow onion, scallions,  and sliced mushrooms in the oil until the celery and onions are crisp-tender; 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3.  Add chicken broth, ginger, oyster sauce, and remaining soy sauce.
4.  Add the cooked chicken, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
5.  Add the drained noodles to the pan, and continue to stir fry till the noodles are heated through, about 2 minutes.
6.  .  Bring the liquid to a boil.  Add the slurry and continue heating and stirring until the liquid thickens.

service:

Place the chow mein on a large serving platter and serve accompanied by rice or dry Chow Mein noodles.

Murgh Makani ( Indian Butter Chicken)

Murgh Makhani

(Indian Butter Chicken)

serves 4

Ingredients

marinade:

5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 whole lime, juiced

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

sauce:

1/4 cups butter
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 14.5ounce can tomato sauce
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pint whipping cream
1 bunch chopped cilantro
½ - 1 cup frozen petite peas (optional)

Preparation

marinate the chicken:

1.  Combine the marinade ingredients.

2.  Place the chicken in a 1 gallon ziplock bag, add the spice mix and seal the bag squeezing as much air out as possible.  Massage the chicken and marinade to insure the marinade coats all the chicken.  

3.  Marinate the chicken overnight.

create the Murgh Makhani:

1.  In a large sauté pan, sauté the onion in the butter until soft and translucent. 

2.  Add the marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

3.  Add the tomato sauce ingredients and cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on, stirring occasionally.

4.  Just prior to serving and after the chicken and sauce has cooked for 30 minutes add the whipping cream, cilantro and optional frozen peas. 

5.  Heat the Murgh Makhani until the peas are warmed through, about 5 minutes.

service:

Serve the Butter Chicken over Basmati rice and accompanied by naan bread and Samosas.

Braised Beef Short ribs with Red Wine Gravy

Braised Beef Short ribs with Red Wine Gravy

serves 6

(America)

                                                                             Prep time: 20 minutes

                                                                             Cook time:  2 hours 30 minutes

                                                                             Total time: 2 hours 50 minutes

The secrets to this delicious beef dish is the long, slow cooking of the short ribs and  the unique gravy.  The gravy is  created by passing  the vegetables through a food  mill and the touch  of balsamic at the very end to finish it off adds interest.  Around our house we say it's a well rounded meal since we get both our meat course and our vegetable side in  one dish.    Don't fuss over the dice size too much since all the vegetables will be . . . essentially pureed in the end.

Ingredients

6 pounds of meaty beef short ribs

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 cups chopped onions

3 cups diced turnips, cut into 3/4 dice

2 cups diced carrots cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 cups diced celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice

8 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped

1/4 pound sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)

1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs, lightly packed

5 large fresh sage leaves

5 bay leaves

2 cups dry red wine

1 cup port wine

3 cups chicken broth

Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Coarse kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Form a bouquet garni of the thyme, sage leaves, and bay leaves.

brown the ribs:

Place the ribs in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper and dredge each rib in flour shaking off excess flour and return to the baking sheet.  In a large, heavy Dutch over heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook ribs until browned all over, about 10 minutes per batch, and return the browned ribs to the sheet.

brown the vegetables:

   

Add the remaining 1/4 cup oil to pot. Add the onions, the turnips, the carrots, the celery, and the garlic; cook until the vegetables are tender and begin to brown, about 12 minutes, stirring often.  

Add sun-dried tomatoes and stir to coat. Return ribs to pot, placing on sides to fit in single layer. Add the wine, the port, and the bouquet garni and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add broth; cover and bring to simmer.

braise the ribs:

Transfer the Dutch oven to oven and braise until ribs are tender, about 2 hours. Let stand, covered, at room temperature 15 minutes.

create the red wine gravy:

After the ribs have had time to rest, carefully transfer ribs to large bowl, keeping meat attached to bones if possible.  Pass all braising liquid and vegetables through food mill into large bowl; return braising liquid to the Dutch oven.  Correct seasoning to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper and adding a few drops of balsamic vinegar, if desired.

Turn the heat on under the Dutch oven to medium and re-warm the gravy. Return ribs to gravy, cover and simmer to re-warm the ribs, about 5 minutes.

service:

Serve over buttered rice or accompanied by mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

Beef Pita Gyros

serves 4 to 6

(Greece)

Why pay $6 or $7 for a Gyros in a restaurant or from a street vendor when you can easily make them at  home for about $1 and no, you don't need a fancy vertical broiler . . .  here's how. 

                                                                                        Prep time:   1 hour

                                                                                       Cook time:  54 minutes

                                                                                       Total time:  1 hour 54 minutes  

       

Ingredients

Gyros meat:

1 pound ground beef

2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt

½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dry oregano

½ yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 clove garlic, peeled

5 slices of sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 –inch pieces

Tzatziki sauce:

1 large cucumber (about 1 ½ cups of chopped cucumber)

1 ½ cups yogurt*

½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Kosher salt, to taste

Toppings:

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced

2 cucumbers, peeled and medium diced

4 to 6 pieces of pita bread

 Preparation

create the Tzatziki sauce:

1.  Trim the ends off the cucumber and with a vegetable peeler remove and discard the skin. Cut the cucumber lengthwise in half; scoop out seeds.

2.  Finely chop the cucumber and transfer it to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt, mint, oil, and garlic, and season with salt. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use*.

 *The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week in a lidded container.

create the Gyro meat: 

1.  Combine the ground beef, salt, pepper and oregano in a large bowl using your hands to evenly distribute the spices. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

2.  After the meat and spice mixture has rested, transfer the mixture from the bowl to the bowl of a food processor, add the onion, garlic and bacon and process until a smooth puree is formed, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

                                        

first bake of the Gyro meat:

1.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil to make cleanup easy and, with moist hands, shape the meat mixture into a rectangular loaf about 8 inches long and 5 inches wide.

2.  Bake the meat loaf in the oven until the center of the loaf reaches 155° F, about 30 to 35 minutes.

3.  Remove the baked meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.

second bake of the Gyro meat:

1.   Adjust the rack of your oven to its highest position and turn on the broiler.  Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil.

2.  Slice the rested and cooled meatloaf crosswise into very thin pieces, approximately 1/8-inch thick. Lay the strips on on the prepared baking sheet and broil the slices until edges are browned and crispy, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Monitor the browning of the slices closely as the broiler browns the meat rapidly. 

service:

To serve the Gyros place a platter with the gyros meat on a service table accompanied by warm warm pita, the Tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, and diced cucumbers and allow the diners to construct their own Pita Gyro. 

Pizzadilla

Pizzadilla

makes 1 pizzadella

(America)

My grandkids love my home made pizzas, on one visit when asked what they wanted for lunch pizza was the uniform answer but pizza takes a couple of hours to put together.  So, not to disappoint, I came up with this quick and easy recipe.

Ingredients

1  large(burrito size) tortilla for each pizzadilla

3 ounces your favourite pizza sauce for each pizzadilla

1 or 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan for each pizzadilla

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella for each pizzadilla

toppings of your choice (pepperoni pictured)

extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1.  Place your pizza stone* in your oven and preheat your oven to 400° F.

2.  Place one tortilla shell on your pizza peel* spread 3 ounces of pizza sauce evenly over the tortilla.

3.  Evenly distribute 1 or 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan over the sauce, evenly distribute 2/3 cup of shredded mozzarella over the sauce and Parmesan, distribute your choice of toppings (if desired), and sprinkle a little extra virgin olive oil over the pizzadilla.

4.  Using the peel, slide the pizzadilla onto the preheated pizza stone and bake until the mozzarella melts and becomes bubbly.

5.  Slice the baked pizzadilla into 4 wedge shaped slices and plate.

6.  Repeat the process for each pizzadilla.  

* unrimmed cookie sheets can be substituted for both the pizza stone and the pizza peel.

Pizza Siciliano

Pizza Siciliano

1 13"x 17" pizzas

(Italy)

One of my first jobs was as a young pizzaiuolo (Italian for pizza chef) at Sally's Sicilian Pizzeria in Deer Park, New York.  Sicilian pizza is slightly different than the Neapolitan pizzas most Americans are familiar with.  For the first thing, Sicilian pizza is rectangular and secondly, while Neapolitan pizza is known for being very thin, Sicilian pizza is 1 inch or more thick.

                                                                                 Prep time: 1 hour 45 minutes

                                                                                 Pizza cook time: 15 minutes

                                                                                 Total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

Basic Sicilian Pizza dough:

13.2 ounces (2 1/2 cups) bread flour, plus extra for "bench" flour

7.4 ounces lukewarm (105°F) water

.21 ounces fine sea salt

.32 ounce extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for the pan and to drizzle

.21 ounces of honey

.16 ounces active dry yeast

to make more than one pizza the bakers ratio is: flour=100%, water=70%, honey=2%, yeast=1.5%, salt=2%, and olive oil= 3%

Spicy New York Style Pizza Sauce:

4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some to drizzle

1 tablespoon butter

1 heaping tablespoon dehydrated onions

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

28 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes, finely hand crushed or pureed

1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

toppings:

2 cups Spicy New York Style Pizza Sauce (see recipe above)

8 ounces of grated whole milk mozzarella

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Sliced pepperoni, sausage (sliced or crumbled), onions (sliced or chopped), green or peppers (sliced or chopped), pitted green, black of Kalamata olives (sliced or whole), ham (sliced or torn), meatballs (sliced), salami (sliced), Basil (whole or chiffonade), anchovies, or a combination of the above

Preparation

Basic Sicilian Pizza dough:

1.  Proof the yeast by mixing the honey into the water in a bowl or large measuring cup until the honey dissolves; sprinkle the yeast over the honeyed warm water and stir in.  Let the mixture to stand until the mixture forms a spongy head, about 10 minutes (if the yeast doesn't form a foamy head discard and start again, the yeast is “dead”).

2.  Add the flour to the bowl of your stand mixer and form a well in the center; put the salt, the olive oil, and the proofed yeast into the well.  Attach the dough hooks to the mixer and turn mixer to low and mix until the dough begins to come together and no dry flour remains.

Increase the mixer’s speed to medium-high and mix, scraping down the bowl side occasionally if necessary, until the dough is stretchy and smooth and comes cleanly away from sides of bowl (it may stick to the bottom of the bowl but that’s ok), the dough should be only slightly sticky to touch; about 6 minutes.

3.  Transfer the dough onto lightly floured flat work surface and knead into a smooth ball; about 5 minutes do not skimp on this step as it develops the elasticity of the dough.

4.  Lightly coat the inside of a large bowl with some extra-virgin olive oil.  Add dough ball and turn to coat it with oil (be sure to coat the ball or it will form a crust which will impede the dough's rising). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to double in size, about 1 hour.   

5.  At this point the dough can either be used immediately or the dough can be placed in an appropriately sized resealable plastic bag(s), sealed and placed in a refrigerator for up to 4 days to allow additional flavour to develop.   Remember, if you’ve refrigerated the dough allow at least 1 hour before you are going to make the pizza(s), take the dough out of the refrigerator shape into a ball(s) and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for that time.

*note: if you are making multiple pizzas, after the dough has doubled in size divide the dough into equal sized portions for immediate use or place each portion in its own resealable bag for maturing. 

the pizza base:

1.   Lightly oil a 13"x 17" rectangular, rimmed cookie sheet (I call them pizza pans).

2.  Proceed to form the pizza by placing the ball of dough on a flat, floured work surface and flatten it out to form into a rough rectangle; then using your hands, work the rough rectangle into a finished 13"x 17" rectangle, us a rolling pin if you wish.   Lightly flour the rectangle to keep it from sticking to itself and fold the finished rectangle in half and transfer it the oiled pizza pan, unfold it and adjust it to fill the pan edge to edge.

3.  Cover the pan with a damp cloth (try to avoid having the cloth touch the dough) and allow to rise in the pizza pan for about 1/2 hour.

4.  Proceed to prepare the Spicy New York Style Pizza Sauce.

Spicy New York Style Pizza Sauce:

 1.  In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring the olive oil to the ripple state, add  the dehydrated onions, the basil, the oregano, the crushed red pepper flakes**, and the granulated garlic  and cook, stirring constantly, until the  herbs are fragrant, about 1 minute. 

2.  Reduce the heat to low and add the crushed/pureed tomatoes, stirring constantly until the tomatoes combine with the herbs and begins to caramelizes, about 3 minutes.  Raise the heat and bring to a simmer.  Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, black pepper, sugar and additional red pepper.

3.  Cover and simmer for about 1/2 hour over low heat.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

  

*note:  left over pizza sauce can be frozen and used at a later date

**note:  if you're not sure of how spicy you like your sauce start with 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and adjust seasoning during cooking.

Place your oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 550° F.

constructing and baking the pizza:

1.   Build the "pie" by distributing the tomato sauce over the "pie" completely to the edges (or to within 1-inch of the edge if you enjoy the crust).  Top this by evenly distributing first the grated Parmesan then the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce.  Add any additional toppings and finally even distribute about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over the entire pizza.

2.  Place the pizzas in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and begins to brown slightly, becomes bubbly and the bottom of the pie begin to brown; at 550° F. this should be about 15 minutes.  Watch the pie and, if your oven does not heat evenly, move the pie around to insure it cooks evenly.

service:

When the pizza is finished remove from oven, immediately sprinkle with the Parmesan and either cut the pie in half or thirds the long way and then into fourths width-wise to produce 12  slices.

New York Style Pizza

New York Style Pizza

(America)

makes 1 14-inch pizza

Whenever I long for my childhood in New York my taste buds turn to a New York style thin crust slice.  This variation of pizza is a direct descendant of the original Neapolitan “pie” brought to America by Neapolitan immigrants.  This is the pizza preferred by New Yorkers, the original . . . bought by the slice and handled with a “New York fold”, true New Yorkers would never dream of eating it with knife and fork.  The slices are crisp on the bottom, slightly charred, the next thin layer is soft and chewy and topped with a spicy, cooked tomato sauce loads of shredded cow’s milk mozzarella toppings of your choice and small pools of good quality extra-virgin olive oil.  

                                                                  Prep time:             1 hour 45 minutes

                                                                  Sauce cook time:   15 minutes

                                                                  Bake time:             11 minutes

                                                                  Total time:              2 hour 11 minutes

Ingredients

 New York Style Pizza Dough:

7 ounces warm (105 ° F) water

.16 ounces active dry yeast 

.2 ounces honey

.53 ounces extra-virgin olive oil

10.6 ounces (about 2 cups) bread flour, plus additional for work surface

.16 ounces Kosher or sea salt

note: to make more than one pizza the bakers ratio is: flour=100%, water=67%, honey=2%, yeast=1.5%, salt=1.5%, and olive oil= 5%

Spicy New York Style Pizza Sauce:

8 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes, finely hand crushed or pureed

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some to drizzle

1 heaping tablespoon dehydrated onions

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

standard topping:

5 to 8 ounces cow’s milk mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preparation

New York Style Pizza Dough:

1.  In an appropriately sized measuring cup, combine the water and honey stir to combine.  Stir in the yeast and let sit for about 10 minutes. 

2.  Meanwhile place the flour and the salt into a sifter and sift it into the medium bowl of a stand mixer.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the yeast mixture.  Turn the mixer, fitted with dough hooks, to medium (4 on a Kitchen Aid^© stand mixer) and turn it on.  Continue kneading (mixing) until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball around the dough hooks (scrap the sides of the bowl to move flour into the path of the hooks as needed), the dough may still stick a little to the bottom of the bowl but that is ok.

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface (if the dough is really sticky sprinkle with flour until it is just a little tacky) and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky (add flour gradually as needed to reach the slightly tacky state), 3 to 5 minutes.

4.  Lightly oil a large mixing bowl with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil the ball on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours*. 

*note: if you are making multiple pizzas, after the dough has doubled in size divide the dough into equal sized portions for immediate use or place each portion in its own resealable bag for maturing.  

Spicy New York Style Pizza Sauce:

1.  In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring the olive oil to the ripple state, add  the dehydrated onions, the basil, the oregano, the crushed red pepper flakes**, and the granulated garlic  and cook, stirring constantly, until the  herbs are fragrant, about 2 minutes. 

2.  Reduce the heat to low and add the crushed tomatoes/tomato sauce, stirring constantly until the tomatoes combine with the herbs and begins to caramelizes, about 3 minutes.  Raise the heat and bring to a simmer.  Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt, black pepper, and additional red pepper.

3.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

  

*note:  for more than one pizza increase ingredients proportionally

**note:  if you're not sure of how spicy you like your sauce start with 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and adjust seasoning during cooking.

Constructing and baking the pizza:

1.  Place an appropriately sized pizza stone on the top shelf of your oven and pre-heat the oven to 550° F or as high as your oven will go, to attain the highest temperature allow the oven to preheat for 1 hour.

2.  Place the risen dough ball on a flat, lightly floured work surface and flatten it into a disk, then with your fingertips and palms, press it into a thinner disk of dough approximately 14-inches round and 1/8-inch or less thick (if necessary use a rolling pin to achieve the thickness [don’t worry if the pizza isn’t perfectly round . . . that’s called “rustica” and it’s the way “real” Italian pizza looks in Italy]).  Sprinkle flour over the surface of this thin disk (this will become the bottom of the pie when you place the disk on the peel in the next instruction).

3.  Distribute some flour over the surface of a pizza peel (this will act as “ball bearings” and allow the dough round to move easily over the surface of the peel) and transfer the formed pizza base onto the peel (shake peel to insure pizza moves freely).  Evenly spread 4 to 6 ounces of the Spicy New York Style Pizza Sauce (depending how “wet” you like your pizza) over the pizza base leaving about 1-inch un-sauced margin around the edge for a crust, now evenly distribute the mozzarella cheese over the sauce* and finally sprinkle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the pizza.

4.  Gently shake the peel to insure the pizza moves freely (if it doesn’t gently lift the edges of the pizza that are sticking and distribute additional flour until it does).  Using the peel slide the pizza onto the stone and bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the bottom crust is well browned (a little charring is good!), about 9 minutes depending on how hot your oven is.  After the pie has baked for 9 minutes turn the broiler to high and broil for 1 or 2 minutes until the crust begins to brown around the edges but don’t allow the cheese to char.  Remove from the oven, slice into 8 wedge shaped slices and serve. 

5.  Return the oven to bake at 550° F and repeat, if you are making more than pie, with the remaining dough, pizza sauce, and cheese.

*other toppings can be added at this time