Thought for Food

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

• 2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 600g boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 1 capsicum (green bell pepper), deseeded and cut into 1/2” rings
• 5 fresh green chilies, chopped
• 1 small piece fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 can tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons tumeric
• 3 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large bunch green coriander, stalks and leaves chopped separately
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• salt

1. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee (or oil) in a large frying pan or wok and fry the chicken pieces until white all around (and slightly yellowish), then remove from the pan and put aside.
2. Add the second tablespoon ghee, put in the chopped onion and fry until brown. Then add the capsicum, ginger and chilies and fry briefly for about 1 minute.
3. Whizz the tomatoes in a blender, then pour the purée into the pan; add the tumeric, coriander powder, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and coriander stalks. Stir well and cook over high heat for a few minutes. Then add the reserved chicken pieces, reduce heat, cover and let simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Turn off the heat. Stir in the coriander leaves and garam masala. Let stand for a few minutes, then serve with rice and/or chapatis.

Horst Prillinger: The Aardvark Cooks

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Alfredo sauce ingredients:

1. Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add cream and simmer for five minutes.
3. Then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through.
4. Stir in parsley and add to recipe below.

Pasta Milano ingredients:

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. roasted garlic
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 Tbsp. sun dried tomatoes
• 1 tsp. fresh parsley
• 2 oz. chicken stock
• 3-5 oz. cooked pulled chicken (or grilled chicken breast)
• 1 cup Alfredo sauce
• 4 oz. cooked bow tie pasta (about 2 cups cooked)
• 1 Tbsp. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a 10” saute pan. Add olive oil, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, parsley, stock, chicken, and garlic.
2. Add Alfredo sauce, bow tie pasta and toss.
3. Put in large pasta bowl, and (optional) garnish with parsley, Parmesan cheese, fresh tomato and fresh basil.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

8 pounds ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 28 oz cans tomato sauce
4 8 oz cans tomato paste
1/4 cup salt
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried oregano
12 pounds spaghetti, cooked and drained

In a large stock pot brown beef, onion, and garlic; drain. add tomato sauce and paste, salt,sugar and seasonings;bring to a boil. reduce heat;cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Cook spaghetti, drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Mix spaghetti with sauce, spread in large roasting pans, cover with foil and re-warm in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 red sweet pepper, diced
1/2 green sweet pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup black kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh oregano

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together vinegars, sugar, oil, salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes, peppers, olives, cucumbers, Feta cheese, and oregano. Toss well and serve.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 Carrots, diced
• 2 Celery stalks, diced
• 1 19 ounce tin of Lentils
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cubed
• 2 medium Potatoes, cubed
• 1 28 ounce tin diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

1. Place large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and butter and heat until butter is melted.
2. Add chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the spices, stir well and continue to cook for another minute.
4. Add the ground beef and scramble fry until no longer pink.
5. Add the remaining ingredients along with enough cold water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
6. Serve with warm flatbread

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rating: Easy Kid Approved!

(NC) Here’s an old fashioned favourite that can help your child develop his taste buds for new foods. Instead of using chocolate in these cookies, we’ve used raisins but you can substitute dates, apricots or dried cranberries! (It’s all nutritious â and good!)

• 1 cup Crisco Golden Shortening 250 mL
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 250 mL
• 2 eggs 2
• 2 tbsp water 30 mL
• 3 cups Robin Hood or Old Mill Quick Oats 750 mL
• 1 cup Robin Hood All-Purpose Flour 250 mL
• 1 tsp baking soda 5 mL
• 1/2 tsp salt 2 mL
• 11/2 cups raisins 375 mL

1. PREHEAT oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. CREAM shortening, sugar, eggs and water in a large bowl on medium speed of electric mixer until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. COMBINE oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture on low speed mixing until blended.
4. STIR in raisins. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.
5. BAKE at 375°F (190°C) for 8 to 12 minutes or until light golden. Cool 5 minutes on sheet then remove to wire rack and cool completely.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes, Baking Time: 12 minutes, Makes: about 4 dozen cookies, Freezing: excellent

Tips:

• Replace raisins with your favourite chopped dried fruit.
• Replace all-purpose flour with Robin Hood Whole Wheat Flour.
• Under bake for chewy cookies; bake a little longer for crisp ones.

- News Canada

Technorati Tags: Recipes, Cooking, Oatmeal, Raisin

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

by Nigella Lawson
from Forever Summer

Nigella Lawson’s healthy salad combines feta cheese with refreshing watermelon and brings Tel Aviv sunshine to the table

Servings: 8
Level of difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
You will need: Cook’s Knife, Cutting Boards, Juicer

Ingredients
1 small red onion
2 limes, or more, depending on juiciness
1.5kg watermelon, ripe and sweet
250g feta cheese
1 bunch flat-leafed parsley, fresh
1 bunch Mint, chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100g pitted black olives
1 pinch Pepper

Method
1. Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pickness in the onions and diminish their rasp. Two limes’ worth should do it, but you can find the fruits disappointingly dried up and barren when you cut them in half, in which case add more.

2. Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 4cm triangular chunks, if that makes sense (maths are not my strong point).

3. Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl.

4. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.

5. Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don’t lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime. Hava Negila! The taste of Tel Aviv Sunshine!

Cook’s note: As improbable as it might sound, this combination is utterly fantastic, both savoury and refreshing at the same time. You can pare it down to the essential contrast, and serve no more than a plate of chunked watermelon, sprinkled with feta and mint and spritzed with lime, but this full-length version is hardly troublesome to make and once made will, I assure you, become a regular feature of your summer table.

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Everything you wanted, needed, could, should know about making pizza. The Ridiculously Thorough Guide to Making Your Own Pizza

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Almighty Beer-Can Chicken
By Scott Schirkofsky

A popular method of cooking chicken in recent years both in Barbeque contest as well as backyard barbeques is the beer-can chicken. Cooking a beer-can chicken couldnâ t be any easier but the results are worthwhile. This is a technique that delivers a moist, succulent chicken and flavorful chicken. Itâ s also a bit of a showstopper and makes a lively conversation starter as well. Is it chicken in a beer can? Close but try beer can in a chicken. The beer is used to both keep the bird flavorful and moist, and the cook happy. By the time the bird is ready to eat, the chef will not be the only one with a beer belly!

Is it safe to eat chicken that has been in contact with the ink from a beer can? When the FDA was asked this question they were not sure because they have only tested the cans as a container and not as a cooking utensil. However the ink on the cans is applied at a temperature in excess of 500 degrees while the can never get hotter then 215 degrees during the cooking process. The conclusion by most is that there is nothing harmful in using the cans.

For those cooks who still worry about possible contamination, vertical stainless steel chicken roasters are available. These roasters have their own reservoir for beer, water or your choice of liquid.

1 whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can beer

Preparing the chicken
Remove and discard neck and giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub or brush the chicken lightly with oil then season inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub.

Open a can of beer and drink half. Wait 5 minutes then drink the other half and open a second can for the chicken. Drink half of the second beer and reserve remainder of beer for the bird. Using a “church key”-style can opener, pop a few more holes in the top of the can so that the moisture will be able to escape.

With the can on a steady surface, lower the chicken onto the can. It should stand on itâ s own using the legs and can as a tri-pod. Refrigerate the bird while you get your grill or smoker setup.

Preparing the grill
Whether you intend to grill or smoke the bird, the goal is indirect heat. No coals or burner directly under the chicken. Place a drip pan under where you intend the bird to sit. If you are grilling, turn the burners to medium-high on one side of your grill and place the bird on the other side.

Cooking the chicken
Continue to cook the chicken over medium-high with the grill cover on for approximately 1 1/4 â 1 1/2 hours. The chicken will be done when the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh. Remove from grill with tongs and move to cutting board. Be careful not to spill the beer when removing the can. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Toss the beer can out along with the carcass.

Scott Schirkofsky is the chef and owner of At Home Gourmet. You can find more recipes, cooking tips, food and beverage articles on his highly recommended website: http://www.athomegourmet.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Technorati Tags: Grilling, Recipes, Cooking, Barbeque, Chicken

Posted by Ian McKenzie at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)