General Tsao Chicken

 



Ingredients:


Sauce:

1/2 cup cornstarch (corn flour)
1/4 cup water
1+1/2 tsp minced garlic
1+1/2 tsp minced ginger root
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cooking wine
1+1/2 cup hot chicken broth


Meat:

3 lbs deboned dark chicken meat, cut into large chunks
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper
1 egg
1 cup cornstarch (corn flour)
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
2 cups sliced green onions
16 small dried hot peppers


Directions:

Mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with water.
Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, vinegar, wine, and chicken broth .
Stir until sugar dissolves.
Refrigerate until needed.

In separate bowl, mix chicken, 1/4 cup soy sauce and white pepper.
Stir in egg.
Add 1 cup cornstarch and mix until chicken pieces are coated evenly.
Add cup of vegetable oil to help separate chicken pieces.
Divide chicken into small quantities and deep-fry at 350 degrees until crispy.
Drain on paper towels.

Place a small amount of oil in wok and heat until wok is hot.
Add onions and peppers and stir-fry briefly.
Stir sauce and add to wok.
Place chicken in sauce and cook until sauce thickens.


Lisa C. . . . .

Turkey Meatloaf

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 5 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
• 3 extra-large eggs, beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl.
Mix well and shape into a loaf on an ungreased sheet pan.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through.


**A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.
**I also like to make them in muffin tins.. The gremlins love them and the leftovers freeze easier.. (Who doesn't LOVE individual servings..

Lisa C. . . . .

Sesame Chicken

 

Ingredients:

3 whole boneless chicken breasts

Marinade:

2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry
a few drops of sesame oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sauce for Sesame Chicken:

1/2 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup vinegar (Guide notes: I find that a little low. It all depends on how sweet you want the sauce; for a sweeter sauce use less vinegar)
1/4 cup cornstarch (corn flour)
1 cup sugar
2 TB dark soy sauce
2 TB sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste, or more if desired
1 clove garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

3 1/2 - 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying


Directions:

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.

To prepare the sauce: mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.

To deep-fry the chicken: add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.

Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.

Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.




Lisa C. . . . .

Chicken Teriyaki

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tbsp prepared spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 sliced thin medium onion
1 cut in half garlic clove
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 skinned boned chicken breast halves, each about 4 oz

Directions:

In medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mustard, sugar and ginger;
set aside.

In large, nonstick skillet, over high heat, toast sesame seeds until golden brown, about 4 minutes; remove from pan and set aside.

In same skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until soft, about 5 minutes, if desired, discard garlic clove halves. Add chicken and soy sauce mixture to skillet. Cover and simmer, turning chicken over once, until chicken is cooked through.

To serve, place chicken on platter, pour sauce and vegetables over chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Garnish with scallion fan.

Lisa C. . . . .

Grilled Chicken w/ Arugula Salad

 Ingredients:

• 2 bone-in whole chicken breasts, halved
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
• 3 cups packed arugula
• 1 1/2 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh oregano
• About 1/2 cup Whole Citrus Vinaigrette
• 1 1/2 oz. Pecorino cheese

Directions:


1. Prepare grill and let burn down to medium-hot coals. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with olive oil; season well with salt and pepper. Grill over coals, skin side down, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Move to edge of grill, away from direct heat; cover grill loosely and cook, turning once or twice, until opaque throughout, about 20 minutes.

2. While chicken is cooking, make salad. Combine corn kernels, arugula, and oregano in a bowl. Add vinaigrette, toss, and season with salt and pepper. With vegetable peeler, shave cheese onto salad. Toss lightly.

3. To serve, arrange chicken on plates and pile salad alongside.

Lamb Cutlets with Lemongrass and Ginger

Ingredients

12 lamb cutlets
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 lemon grass stems, peeled and sliced into fine rounds
3cm root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
3 tbsp mint, chopped
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for dressing
lemon wedges

Directions

1. Remove the cutlets from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
2. To make the marinade, pound the garlic, lemon grass, ginger and sea salt into a rough paste in a medium-sized pestle and mortar. Add the herbs and pound for a further minute, then stir in the extra-virgin olive oil and mix together well.
3. Mix the chops with the marinade and leave for at least 1 hour to infuse. Preheat the barbecue and make sure the grill bars are clean. Put the cutlets on the hottest part. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Put on a plate and cover with foil. Let them rest in a warm place, lightly covered with foil, for 10 minutes.
4. Once serving... Give them a good ground of fresh pepper, place a lemon wedge on each plate and serve immediately.

TRIPLE G Baby Back Ribs

 Three G?? Garlic, Ginger, and Grilled...

Ingredients



For the ribs and spice paste
4 racks true baby back ribs (each ¾ to 1 lb.) or 2 racks American baby back ribs (each 2 to 2½ lbs.)
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 piece (2 in.) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs. honey
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. Asian fish sauce or additional soy sauce

For the dipping sauce
4 tsp. coarse salt (kosher or sea)
4 tsp. white pepper
4 juicy limes, cut in half

Directions


1. Prepare ribs and spice paste: If necessary, remove thin, papery membrane from back of each rack of ribs (some stores sell baby backs with membrane removed). If using larger racks of ribs, cut each rack in half. Place ribs in nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold them in single layer.

2. Place garlic, ginger, sugar, 1 tbs. salt, and black pepper in mortar and pound to paste with pestle. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, purée ingredients in food processor. Work in honey, soy sauce, and fish sauce or additional soy sauce. Spread spice paste over ribs on both sides. Let ribs marinate in refrigerator, covered, 1 to 4 hours.

3. Prepare ingredients for dipping sauce: Place 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. white pepper in neat mounds side by side in each of 4 tiny bowls. Place 2 lime halves next to each bowl.

4. Preheat grill to medium. When ready to cook, brush grill grate clean and apply thin coat of oil to grate. Place ribs, bone side down, on hot grate and grill until golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes per side, a little longer for full-size ribs. If flare-ups occur, move ribs to another section of grill. When ribs are done, meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/4 inch.

5. Transfer racks of ribs to cutting board and cut into individual ribs, then arrange on platter or plates for serving. Just before eating, instruct guests to squeeze 1 to 2 tbs. lime juice into bowl of salt and white pepper and stir until mixed.

Dip ribs in sauce before eating. 

Pastelón de papas (Potato and beef casserole) **

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 tablespoon of parsley finely diced
• 1/2 lb. of ground beef
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 small onion diced into very small cubes
• 1 green pepper diced into very small cubes
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• 1 pinch of oregano
• 2 tablespoons of mashed garlic
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
• Salt

Direction:


Before starting to cook: Butter up a 3-inch tall baking pan. Heat up the oven to 350 °F.

1. Season the meat with salt, pepper, onions, green pepper, and oregano. Or simply use Sofrito. In a shallow pan heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the ground beef and stir so it cooks evenly. Add two tablespoons of water and the tomato paste, Let simmer at medium heat. Adjust water when necessary. When the meat is ready let all the liquid evaporate, adjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat and reserve.
2. Mix the milk, butter, eggs, garlic, parsley and salt to taste, add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Put half of this mixture in the baking pan, cover with the meat and finally cover with the remaining potatoes. Bake until the top is light golden. Let cool down, take out of the mold, cover with the mozzarella and put in the oven until the cheese melts.

Pork Sinigang // Tamarind Spicy Pork Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs Pork, cut into chunks
  
• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 2 onions, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4ozs Kangkong (river spinach)
• 4 ozs String beans
• 2 pieces horse radishes, sliced
• 3 pieces gabi (taro), pealed
• 2 pieces sili pag sigang (green finger pepper)
• 8 ozs sampalok (tamarind)
• 3 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)
  
• 1 liter of rice water or water

Instructions:

• Boil sampalok in water until the shell shows cracks. Let cool then peal off the shells and with a strainer, pour samplalok (including water) into a bowl. Gently massage the sampalok meat off the seeds, strain again.
• In a pot, sauté garlic and onion then add the tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add pork and fish sauce then add the rice wash. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes then add the gabi. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the pork is tender.
• Add the horse radish and simmer for 10 minutes then add the string beans, kangkong and sili (for spice-optional). Let boil for 2 minutes.
• 
  Instead of sampalok fruit (tamarind), you can substitute it with apackaged seasoning like Knorr, tamarind bouillon cubes or mamasita.

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

 

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves, plus 4 sprigs rosemary, with hard woody stems
• 5 large garlic cloves, 2 cloves minced, 3 cloves smashed
• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1-pound each
• 4 slices maple bacon

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, fresh ground black pepper, chopped rosemary, and minced garlic and mix well. Rub the mustard mixture over the surface of the tenderloins and wrap in plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place rosemary sprigs and smashed garlic in the center of a roasting pan. Remove the plastic wrap from the tenderloins and top each with 2 slices of maple bacon. Tie with kitchen twine to secure bacon strips.
Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer, inserted in the tenderloins, registers 160 degrees F. Remove from oven when desired doneness is reached and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove kitchen twine, slice and serve with your favorite sides. Garnish with the rosemary sprigs and garlic. Enjoy!



Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson

Brats n Beer w/ Carmelized Onions

Ingredients:


1 package (19.76 oz. size) fresh bratwurst
2 large onions, sliced thinly
3 bottles (12 oz. size) beer (whatever is handy)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
5 buns or rolls
Mustard to taste

Directions:
 

Place the brats, onions, caraway seeds and beer in a pan and heat to boiling. Cover, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the brats to a covered plate.

Strain the onions into a collander. Turn drained onions into a pan with a little olive oil and slowly cook until well carmelized (about 20 minutes).

Grill brats on low to medium heat for 10 minutes, turning the brats so they are browned on all sides. Serve on your favorite bun. Spread a little mustard and smother brat with the cooked onions.

Satay

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 lb Pork
• 2 tbsp Curry Powder
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk

Bamboo Skewers

• Soak bamboo skewers at least half an hour so that the ends do not burn on the grill.
  
• Slice the pork into thin strips (about 1/4 of an inch thick) that will fit onto the skewers (many times you can ask your butcher to slice for you when you buy it at the supermarket).
  
• Marinade the pork and curry powder, sugar, coconut milk and salt for the same amount of time that you soak the skewers (I do both at the same time).
  
• Thread the pork onto the bamboo skewers. There is no right or wrong way to do this. It is personal preference. I find that stuffing the skewers produces a moister, tastier and a more tender meat than when it is stretched tight.
• Grill and serve with peanut sauce and cucumber in vinegar and a pinch of salt..
  

Oven Fried Chicken

 

 

 

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2/3 cup instant oats
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cups frozen green peas, steamed or microwaved until hot

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a resealable plastic bag or shallow dish, combine oats, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Brush each chicken breast with Dijon mustard. Add chicken to oat mixture with tongs and turn to coat both sides. Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. 

Burboun Pork

Ingredients

1/4 cup Kentucky Bourbon
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (I do half dijon and half spicy mustard)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, or 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
dash hot sauce
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

Direction

1. In blender or food processor, combine bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, mustard, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and oil; pulse until smooth.
   
2. Place tenderloin and marinade in a food storage bag; refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight (I always marinate it overnight because otherwise it's not as juicy or tasty).
   
3. Cook 4 inches from a hot charcoal fire for 15 to 25 minutes or until the pork has reached 165° internally and is no longer pink in the center.
   
4. Baste occasionally while cooking.
   
5. Slice in 1/2-inch thick slices to serve.

Pollo Wasakaka (Baked Chicken w/ Wasakaka Sauce)

Ingredients

 

1 roasting chicken (3 1/2-4 lb.)
1 lg. clove garlic, halved
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme

pinch of Oregano
2 lemons
1 c. chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425°F.Partially loosen skin on chicken breast and legs. Rub garlic halves over breast and leg meat; place garlic in cavity of chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon of thyme.
Thinly slice 1 of the lemons; insert slices between skin and meat of chicken. Cut remaining lemon into wedges; place in cavity of chicken along with remaining 3/4 teaspoon thyme. Place chicken on rack in roasting pan. Place in oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and roast for about 45 minutes or until temperature at breast reaches 160°.

For the wasakaka

• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 small Onion
• 1/4 teaspoons of mashed garlic
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1. Blend the ingredients for the wasakaka until they are well mixed. Adjust salt to taste. 

Crock pot Chili

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1can cooked black beans
• 1can cooked Red Kidney Beans
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green peppers
• 1/2 cup diced green chile peppers
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 to 4 beef bouillon cubes, or beef base
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
• 1lb Lean Ground Beef
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Brown meat with onion and green pepper (add a little salt and pepper). Combine all ingredients except cheese and cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

Serve hot in bowls with a little cheese sprinkled over each serving.


*Many times I add some Italian Sausage ground out of casing... SUPER yummy