Recipe: Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)

After a few years of being spoiled by mild Winters here (felt more like Spring), Old Man Winter has come back with a vengeance and it is bitterly cold with temperatures below freezing.  Nothing like a bowl of hearty hot soup to warm you up but what to make? If you have been keeping your pantry stocked up with basic items bought on sale such as dried pasta, tomato sauce, canned beans, and chicken broth, you can make this hearty Italian soup called "Pasta e Fagioli". Pronounced "pastah eh fahzeeohl", it has been also popularly called "pasta fazool" by American-Italians.
It started off as a peasant dish in Italy using inexpensive ingredients and what better recipe to make on a shoestring budget?
You can make this strictly vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannelini or kidney beans (undrained)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups dried pasta (traditionally ditalini is used but you can use elbow shape) 

Directions

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the oil.  Saute the herbs and chopped vegetables until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the cans of beans with their liquid (it will help thicken the soup), tomato sauce, broth and water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then stir in the pasta. Lower heat and allow the pasta to cook for about 8 minutes.
3. Turn off heat and remove the herbs before serving.
4. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top (optional).

Recipe: Squid Adobo (Adobong Pusit)

It's the new year and I'm sure we all made the resolution to lose weight by eating less fat and more vegetables (and perhaps seafood!)
Here is a Filipino seafood dish that has very little fat in it and is quick and simple to make.
I first tasted this dish years back when a dear friend made it for me to try in her tiny kitchen in Queens.

I was lucky to receive a pound of fresh squid this year as a Christmas present!

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh squid (cartilage quill and beak removed)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
•  6 whole peppercorns
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 plum tomato sliced thinly
• 1 small onion sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar

 Directions

1. Rinse and clean the squid making sure that the hard quill is removed and the hard beak.
2. Put the squid, water, vinegar, and peppercorns into a large saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer for about a minute.
3. Remove squid and cooking liquid to a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Rinse out saute pan and put back on the heat. Allow pan to get hot (you'll notice the pan start to get dry)
5. Add the oil and saute the onion, tomato, and garlic until it is all soft.
6. Add the squid back to the pan and saute together with the vegetables for a minute then add the reserved cooking liquid, soy sauce, and sugar.
7. Stir until everything is all combined.
8. Remove from heat and serve with white rice.

Recipe: Spaghetti Al Limone

Sorry it's been a while since I last blogged but hopefully it gave you a chance to look over my older postings for Summer recipes for August. ;)
It's been mainly salads and the basic Summer BBQ fare on my end but as Summer ends and the cool Fall weather approaches, here's a last taste of Summer for you.

While perusing the online sales circular for Pathmark, I noticed that San Giorgio Pasta is on sale this week for 88¢ a box and a 2 pound bag of lemons is $2.99 perfect for making this classic simple and quick Italian dish of spaghetti in lemon sauce. There are many recipes on the internet for Spaghetti al Limone ranging from the use of heavy cream and white wine to the additions of garlic and shallots but in it's simplest form, it is just a sauce made with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. A Microplane rasp or the fine side of a box grater is needed to get the lemon zest off the lemon before you juice it. Depending on the size of the lemons you buy, you may need 2-3 lemons for this dish.
This will serve 4 people and pairs well with my Lemon Roast Chicken with Parsley.


Ingredients 

• 1 pound spaghetti 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• Salt
• Ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or basil leaves (whichever is on sale, in your garden, or your taste preference)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook spaghetti according to manufacturer's directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking we make the sauce. In a large serving bowl, add the lemon juice and zest. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until it is emulsified and looks creamy. Then mix in the Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. When pasta is al dente, drain in a colander and add to the large bowl with the lemon sauce.
4. Toss well to coat pasta in the sauce and then sprinkle the chopped herb on top.
5. Serve. 

Note: It's best to allow the pasta to sit a bit in the sauce to absorb more of the flavors.

Recipe: Chicken Teriyaki (revisited)

Chicken legs are on sale at my local supermarket for 99¢ a pound. I bought thighs and watched Youtube videos to learn how to debone them myself and save money. Boneless and skinless chicken costs more per pound because the butcher did it for you but if you learn the technique and do it yourself, you can save much more money.

I decided to make chicken teriyaki with the thighs as dark meat is more flavorful than white and traditionally, legs are used.

I have another recipe for chicken teriyaki posted earlier on this blog but this recipe requires the chicken marinate in a brine first so that the meat has more flavor and is tender. The teriyaki sauce is cooked separately and brushed on afterwards.

Ingredients

 For the brine marinade:

•     1/2 cup water
•     2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons sugar
•     2 tablespoons mirin (sweet sake cooking wine)

•   6 boneless chicken thighs with skin on

  For the teriyaki sauce:

•     2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
•     2 tablespoons soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons mirin
•    1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
•    1/2 tablespoon minced ginger

Directions

1. Mix all the brine marinade ingredients together in a measuring cup.
2. Put the boneless chicken thighs into a zip lock bag and pour the marinade all over.
3. Squeeze out the air from the bag and zip close.
4. Allow chicken to marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour. (I marinated the chicken overnight and it was more tasty.)
5. Make the teriyaki sauce by heating the soy, mirin, and sugar (or honey) until the sugar dissolves.
6. Stir in the ginger and garlic. Set aside.
7. When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat your grill until hot and then grill the chicken skin side down for 10-12 minutes then flip over and cook until done (about another 10 minutes).
8. If you are pan frying, heat a few tablespoons oil in a large non-stick pan and lay the thighs skin side down. Cook as above.
9. Remove cooked thighs and allow to rest on a cutting board.
10. Brush on the teriyaki sauce, slice, and serve.

Recipe: Chicken Croquettes

When I cook chicken, I like to try to get more than one meal out of it. I'll usually make "White Cut Chicken" which requires poaching the whole chicken and you get a stock which you can use for other dishes. Roommate was tired of that dish so I had to figure out a new one.

Seems like American Baby Boomers are waxing nostalgic and I've noticed a lot of interest in Chicken Croquettes, a fried ball of cooked, chopped chicken, bound with a thick bechemel and served with chicken gravy. Sounds like a great way to use left over cooked chicken!

Here's a recipe that I came up with from several I found on the internet making a delicious stock from poaching the chicken that you can use to make the gravy to go with the croquettes.

Ingredients:

• One 3-4 pound whole chicken
• 3 stalks celery roughly chopped
• 2 carrots roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion quartered
• 2 dried bay leaves
• salt

Directions:

1. Put the chicken, celery, carrots, onion, bay leaves and into a large pot and add water just to cover the chicken.
2. Bring to a boil, salt to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons), then lower heat simmering for 1 hour.
3. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool so that you can remove the meat from the bones.
4. Put all the pulled meat into a food processor and pulse until the meat is finely chopped.
5. Put into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the bechemel.

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 stalked celery diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs (or plain bread crumbs)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and then add the celery, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 2 minutes and then add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute more.
2. Add the flour and continue to stir for 4 minutes. This roux mixture will start to get thick.
3. Add the milk and use a whisk to mix everything together. Allow to simmer for about 8 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Assembling the croquettes:

1. Take the chopped chicken out of the refrigerator and stir in the cooled bechemel with a strong large spoon. You might find it easier to use your hands to do this.
2. Using a small ice cream scoop or your hands, form small balls of the chicken mixture and then roll in bread crumbs.
3. Set on a Silpat or waxed paper lined baking sheet. You should get about 35 balls out of the mixture.
4. Put baking sheet of croquettes back into the refrigerator for an hour to set up. 

 

Cooking the croquettes:

1. Take the croquettes out of the refrigerator and fry them in a deep fryer for about 1 minute or golden brown. I did this in small batches of 4-5 in my Fry Daddy.
2. Drain fried croquettes on a wire rack over a baking sheet. This will keep them more crisp than draining them on a paper towel.

Gravy

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock (from poaching the chicken)
• Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a small pan and then whisk in the flour. Cook this for 2 minutes then add the chicken stock and continue to whisk until thickened.
2. Add Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve over the croquettes.

Recipe: Honey Walnut Shrimp

This is a rich dish that is most often served at Chinese restaurants as part of a banquet. The sauce ingredients of mayonnaise and condensed milk would suggest that it is originally from Hong Kong (which was under British rule). Crispy candied walnuts paired with lightly battered shrimp in a sweet creamy sauce is quite decadent so I only make this when shrimp is on sale. Luckily frozen shrimp is on sale at one of my local supermarkets for the Holy Week ($3.99/ lb for 26-30 count). Making this dish at home is quite easy and cheaper than ordering it out.

Ingredients

For the candied walnuts:

• 1 cup walnut halves
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar

For the shrimp:

• 1 egg white
• 1 pound shrimp (shelled and de-veined) if using frozen, thaw.
  
• 1 cup cornstarch
• oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the walnuts for 3 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain.
2. Bring the 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar to the boil and then add the blanched walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes then drain. Allow the walnuts to cool and dry on a cookie sheet.
   
3. Beat the egg white in a medium bowl and toss with the shrimp. Set aside to marinate as you make the sauce.
4. Mix all the sauce ingredients together well in a large bowl and set aside.
5. In a large saucepan, heat 2 cups of oil.
6. Fry the candied walnuts for about 5 minutes or until brown and shiny. Be careful not to burn them. Remove and place back on the cookie sheet to drain and cool.
7. Toss the marinated shrimp with the cornstarch in a large bowl until well coated.
8. Fry the shrimp in small batches until cooked and golden.
9. Remove and drain on paper towels.
10. Toss the fried shrimp and candied walnuts together with the sauce and serve immediately.
    

Recipe: Chicken Francese

This Italian American dish also known as "Chicken Francaise" or "Chicken Français", is quite popular at wedding dinners and catered events here in NY. It's easy to make at home as it only requires ingredients that you should already have in your pantry. White wine which is traditionally used, can be substituted with more chicken stock if you don't happen to have wine in the house. I serve this with steamed broccoli and white rice as the sauce is so flavorful.

Pathmark supermarket has a family pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts selling for $1.79 per pound this week and whole broccoli for 99¢ each. What a way to wow the family for less than eating out!

There are many recipes out there for this dish which is simply chicken breast pounded thinly, coated in egg batter and fried. Sauce made of lemon juice, chicken stock, butter, and wine.
This particular recipe is from Gourmet's adaption from an Italian restaurant.
Instructional video from HowCast.




Ingredients

• 4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 whole lemon, thinly sliced (garnish)

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet or with a rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking.
3. While oil is heating, stir together flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
   
4. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow bowl or pie plate.
5. Dredge 2 pieces of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Then dip floured chicken into beaten eggs to coat, letting excess drip off, then fry, turning over once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Fry remaining chicken in same manner.
6. Pour off and discard oil, then wipe skillet clean and heat butter over low heat until foam subsides. Add wine, broth, and lemon juice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 6 minutes. Stir in parsley and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and top with lemon slices.

Recipe: Soy Sauce Chicken "See Yau Gai"

Soy sauce chicken is a dish that my Grandmother would make every weekend as it is rather simple and the braising liquid (Master Sauce) can be saved and reused over and over. There are some restaurants that have a Master Sauce brewing for many years!
This dish is also popular in Chinatown and you'll often see the glistening, succulent, reddish brown chicken hanging in a window.

Chinese New Year falls on January 23rd and the Chinese consider serving chicken is a sign of prosperity.
Many of the ingredients can be found in the Asian section of your supermarket or cheaper in Chinatown. If you can't find the ingredient, I've listed substitutions. Szechuan peppercorns impart a lemony numbing sensation but black peppercorns can be used if you can't find any.

Ingredients

• 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken

Master Sauce:

• 1 cup light soy sauce (this is the regular soy sauce that you find everywhere)
  
• 1 cup dark soy sauce (this is basically for color but if you can't find it, just use regular)
  
• 1/2 cup Chinese shaoxing rice wine (you can substitute dry sherry)
• 1/3 cup Chinese rock sugar (or 1/2 cup brown sugar if you can't find rock sugar)
• 3 whole star anise (or use can use 1 tbsp of fennel seed)
  
• 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn (pan roasted in a small dry skillet for 3-5 minutes)
  
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  
• 1 cinnamon stick (try to use cinnamon from a Chinese market)
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove any fat deposits and discard.
2. In a pot large enough to hold the chicken, combine the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, star anise, roasted Szechuan peppercorn, ginger, cinnamon stick and the water. Bring to a boil.
   
3. Carefully add the chicken, breast side down. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook the chicken for 45 minutes, turning over once or twice and making sure it cooks for an even amount of time on both sides. Baste the chicken for a minute or more each time you turn it over.
4. After 45 minutes, turn off the heat and the let chicken sit, covered, until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit (about 77 degrees Celsius).
5. Remove the chicken from the pot using 2 large spoons and cool. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Serves 6 – 8.
6. Reserve the Master Sauce to use again in the future by bringing it to a boil, cool, and store in a plastic container in the freezer.
   

Recipe: Lemon Roast Chicken and Parsley

This is a recipe that I learned years ago when I first started living on my own and have been roasting chicken like this ever since. I saw Chef Jeff Smith make a roast chicken on TV when he used to have his show on PBS and I adapted his simple recipe to give it more flavor. Whole chicken is often on sale for 79¢ to 89¢ a pound.

Ingredients

• 1 three to four pound chicken
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil (I use extra virgin for more flavor)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 bunch fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Rinse the chicken inside and out with water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Rub the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.
4. In a small bowl, make a dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice, and ground thyme.
5. Rub the chicken inside and out with the dressing.
6. Stuff the chicken loosely with the parsley and bake uncovered in a roasting pan for about 1 1/4 hours.

Note: Originally the recipe did not mention if the lemon juice was from a bottle or not but if you are using juice from a large fresh lemon, go ahead and stuff the chicken with the juiced lemon halves as well to give more flavor.

My tip: It's easier to make the dressing in a glass measuring cup so that you can see the measurements and have one less bowl to clean.

The resulting juices at the bottom of the pan make a delicious gravy.

Cooking hint: Pour the salt and pepper into a small bowl and mix together well and use it to season the chicken. This way you have less of a risk of getting chicken juices all over the place, cross contamination, and makes seasoning food fast and easy.

Recipe: Mashed Potato Gnocchi

Thanksgiving has come and gone and you're stuck with leftover mashed potatoes.
What to do?
You can make gnocchi with them! Gnocchi are Italian soft dumplings that are gently poached until they rise to the water's surface, then drained and served with a sauce.
Depending on how "wet" your mashed potatoes are, you may have to add a few more tablespoons of flour until the dough is dry enough to handle without sticking to your fingers. Recipe makes 8 servings or 4 hearty dinner portions.


Ingredients

• 4 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 whole egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes and egg until well combined.
2. Add the flour and mix well until the dough is workable. If the dough is still a bit wet and sticky, add tablespoons of flour until the dough is dry enough for you to handle.
3. Turn the dough out on to a clean work surface and using a knife, cut the dough into 4 even pieces.
4. Roll a piece of dough into a long 1/2" thick rope and with a knife, cut into 1" pieces.
5. Set a side on a plate.
6. Do the same with each remaining piece of dough.
7. Once all the gnocchi are made, drop them gently into a pot of simmering salted water. When they rise to the surface, they are done (about 3 minutes).
8. In the meantime, prepare in a saute pan, the sauce that you will serve the gnocchi with (tomato, pesto, or sage butter)
9. Gently lift the cooked gnocchi out of the water with a slotted spoon and toss with your favorite sauce.
10. Serve.

You can also freeze the uncooked gnocchi separated on a cookie sheet and then transfer them into a storage bag and keep in the freezer.

Recipe: Korean Grilled Short Ribs - Galbi Gui

Galbi (or kalbi) is a Korean dish of grilled marinated beef short ribs. The dish is pretty popular and is usually served with fluffy white rice and lettuce leaves for wrapping.
One would take some grilled meat, pulling it off the bones, placing it in a lettuce leaf with some rice, wrapping it up into a roll, and then traditionally dipping it in a spicy fermented bean sauce.

Making it yourself is more economical than going out to a Korean restaurant and this feeds the craving when you don't happen to have a Korean restaurant in your neighborhood. Short ribs are selling $2.59/lb at Assi Plaza in Queens.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of beef short ribs (the thin sliced L.A. rib style is most often sold)
  

For the marinade:

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Asian pear chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger

Directions

1. In a food processor, puree the chopped pear and onion. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse to mix.
2. Place ribs into a large zip lock plastic bag and pour the marinade in to cover meat.
3. Seal bag shut and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator but over night is best for optimum flavor.
4. Heat a large non stick pan and coat with a bit of cooking spray.
5. Remove short ribs from marinade and cook 2-3 minutes each side.
   

Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken

Here is a recipe that makes wonderful use of soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake (or cooking wine) that you should have on the Asian side of your pantry.

Dark meat chicken is usually used to make this as the meat is more tender than white meat. Besides, chicken thighs and legs usually cost less than breast meat so this is a dish that everyone can afford to make.

Mirin is a sweet sake seasoning used quite often in Japanese cuisine.

Teriyaki is usually broiled or grilled and the sauce is constantly brushed on the meat as it cooks but with this recipe you do it on the stove, thickening the sauce as the chicken cooks. Definitely a one pan dish!

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken thighs (you can debone them now or later)
• 2 tablespoons sake (you can substitute Chinese Shao Hsing wine or Dry Sherry)
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons mirin (this gives that shiny luster of teriyaki)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (grate using the small, not fine teeth of a box grater)

Directions

1. Place the chicken thighs in a plastic zip lock bag.
2. Mix the teriyaki ingredients well in a bowl and then add to the chicken.
3. Seal the plastic bag and allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.. The longer it marinates, the more flavor it absorbs.
4. In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
5. Take the chicken pieces out of the bag and reserve the marinade.
6. Cook the chicken pieces skin side down over medium heat until browned then turn the chicken pieces over and brown the other side over low heat.
7. Add the teriyaki marinade to the chicken in the pan and cover.
8. Steam cook the chicken until done.
9. Remove the lid and continue to simmer the sauce until thick.
10. Turn off heat and remove chicken.
11. Remove the bone and slice the chicken into strips.
12. Pour thickened teriyaki sauce over the chicken.

Recipe: Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Pasta is on sale this week for 80¢ a box at my local supermarket. Italian Turkey Sausage is on sale for $2.99. Broccoli Rabe is $2.99 per pound. I already have extra virgin olive oil and garlic in my pantry so I decided to buy all these ingredients to make this popular Italian dish for about $7.

Orecchiette (Italian for "ear") is the pasta shape that is normally used for this dish. I substituted Medium Shells which is similar.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of broccoli rabe (stems trimmed off and rinsed)
• 1 pound of Medium Shell pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage (hot or sweet, the taste is up to you) cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup reserved broccoli rabe water
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a handful of salt and bring back to boil.
2. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for a minute. Remove from water with tongs and allow to cool and drain in a colander.
3. Bring the water back to a boil.
4. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the sausage until browned, about 12 minutes.
5. Add the chopped garlic and saute for a minute more.
6. Add the drained broccoli rabe and toss to coat everything in the flavored oil.
7. Add 1 cup reserved broccoli rabe water and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (about 10 minutes)
9. Drain pasta and return to the pot.
10. Add the broccoli rabe and sausage sauce to the pasta and toss.
11. Transfer everything to a serving plate and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Recipe: 7 Bean and Barley Soup

Here in the big city we have Whole Foods that are starting to spring up around town to give competition to the other large supermarket chains already established here.

I recently visited one and liked how they sell their dried grains and beans in bulk which often times is cheaper than pre-packaged name brands. There is a scale in the department so you can weigh and print out the price tag for your purchase. I bought their 7 Bean and Barley mix for $2.69/lb.

The soup mix bin has a miniscule little blip of a recipe stating that you need 1 chopped onion, 1 pound of soup mix, and 8 cups of water but that sounded too bland. Searching the internet came up with a couple of recipes but they utilized bacon, smoked ham hock, or smoked turkey and I wanted to make it simple, healthier (after all it's a bean soup) and not needing expensive ingredients.

That being said, I created this simple, economically friendly recipe.

You can also use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock if you wish to make it purely vegetarian.

Makes about 4 hearty servings.

Ingredients

• 1 pound 7 Bean and Barley soup mix
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons oil (corn, canola, olive oil... it's your choice)
• 2 cans low sodium chicken stock (14.5 oz cans)
• water (2 cans worth)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the bean mix and soak in a large bowl of water for 8 hours or overnight to plump the dried beans back up again.
2. Drain the bean mix and set aside.
3. In a large 4 quart pot, saute the garlic and onion in the oil for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add the drained bean mix
5. Add the 2 cans of chicken stock
6. Add 2 cans worth of water (great way to rinse out the chicken stock cans for recycling!)
7. Cover pot and bring to a boil.
8. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Bang Bang Chicken

This dish is so named because of the sound of banging as you hit the cooked chicken breast into loose meaty threads.

Consider this a Szechuan Chinese version of the American chicken salad. It's a great way to utilize the poached chicken breast from making White Cut Chicken ("Bak Chit Gai") which you can also find on this blog.

The Szechuan pepper lends a lemony flavor and numbing sensation to the dish.

This dish stimulates all the tastes of sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 large chicken breast (cooked)
• 1 large cucumber (or you can substitute 1 head of romaine lettuce sliced thinly)
• 1 large carrot julienned (cut into match stick sized pieces)
• 3 scallions cut into 2" pieces and then thinly sliced lengthwise (so it looks like grass)

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons tahini sesame paste (you can also use smooth peanut butter)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (I use Kikoman)
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil (I like Kadoya brand)
• 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (you can substitute Balsamic)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground Szechuan Pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Chili flakes (optional)
• 4 tablespoons water

Directions

1. With the back of a chef's knife, bang the chicken (skin side up) until the chicken starts to flatten and loosen into fibers. You can then pull the chicken meat into bite sized pieces.
2. If using cucumber, cut in hald lengthwise, scoop out seeds with a spoon, and slice thinly.
3. Put all the salad ingredients into a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well. The sauce will look like it's breaking but keep stirring until it is all smooth.
5. Toss with the salad ingredients and serve.

Recipe: Spaghetti with Anchovies and Bread Crumbs

Dried pasta always seems to go on sale at the supermarkets. I stock up on it when it sells for less than $1.

I learned this recipe from my roomie who learned it from their Italian boss. Originally it called for much more bread crumbs but I found it too dry and adding more pasta water made the whole thing gummy. I modified the recipe a bit.

The pine nuts add extra crunchy texture and a nice flavor. I bought a bag at Costco and keep in the freezer.

This dish does not have a fishy smell or taste as anchovies lend a salty and fullness of flavor (they're used in Caesar dressing).

Paired with sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, you'd think you were in an Italian restaurant!

This will make 8 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 tin of anchovies in oil
• 1 pound of spaghetti
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6 large cloves garlic chopped finely (or you can use a garlic press)
• 3/4 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs (has more flavor than plain)
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti al dente (about 10 minutes)
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Open tin of anchovies, drain off oil and chop finely.
3. Add the olive oil, chopped anchovies and minced garlic into a deep large frying pan (you are going to put the pasta into the sauce to finish so you'll need something with high sides) and simmer over low heat stirring until the anchovies dissolve into the oil.
4. When pasta is done, reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
5. Add the cooked spaghetti to the garlic-anchovy sauce and toss well until fully coated in the sauce. If it looks too dry, add a little bit of the pasta water to loosen it up to your liking (you could use more olive oil instead but it will add more calories to the dish).
6. Add the bread crumbs and toss well again.
7. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle the pine nuts on top.

Recipe: Chicken & Dumplings

Pathmark tends to have kale, mustard greens, collards, and the like on sale for 79¢ per pound.

When that happens I usually buy a bunch of kale to make this dish that is perfect on a cold Winter's Day or cool Spring Evening. I just bought chicken thighs for 95¢ per pound and it's perfect to make this dish. Dark meat has more flavor and hold up well to stewing than white meat which toughens up. This recipe will serve 2.

Ingredients

For the Chicken Stew:

1 pound chicken legs or thighs or mixed

3 cups chicken broth (fresh or low sodium canned)

1 bay leaf

1 celery rib sliced crosswise into 1/4" pieces

2 medium carrots peeled and sliced into 1" pieces on the diagonal

4 small onions skins removed and cut in half (or you can also use 2 cups frozen pearl onions)

2 springs of fresh thyme

1 cup packed of coarsely chopped kale leaves

Salt and fresh ground pepper

For the Cornmeal Dumplings:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

1/3 cup milk

Directions

For the stew:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken pieces, broth, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Skim the broth of fat that floats at the surface with a spoon. Stir in the celery, carrots, onions, and thyme springs. Cover pot slightly and allow to simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the chopped kale and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the dumplings:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. With your fingertips, work the butter pieces into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in milk until blended.
2. Drop tablespoons of dumpling bater in 8 clumps over the top of the stew. Reduce the heat to low and cover allowing the dumplings to steam and cook through for about 10 minutes.
3. Discard the bay leaf and thyme springs before serving.

Recipe: Chicken Tikka Masala

I bought a large tray of boneless skinless chicken breasts when they were on sale and stored in the freezer until I could figure a variety of things to do with them. A 32 oz. container of yogurt is on sale this week for $1.99 at the supermarket so I bought it to make this dish.

Since I have a craving for Indian food, I decided to take a trip to Kalustyan's and pick up a small packet of garam masala and green cardamom pods. You can probably find garam masala in your local supermarket in the spice section or make it yourself. Recipe below.

Chicken Tikka Masala is such a popular dish in England that it has become the national dish. It is grilled kabobs of chicken simmered in a creamy tomato sauce. I cooked the chicken in a pan to show that it can be done without a grill. Besides, it is a snowy 29°F outside.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 piece minced ginger (about 1 inch long)

• 6 bamboo skewers (soaked in water)

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (recipe below)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream (can use half & half to lighten the dish)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Prepare and cook the Tikka:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl and toss chicken chunks to coat. Thread chicken on skewers, place in a shallow dish and pour marinate on top. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.
2. After an hour, discard marinade.
3. Grill or broil chicken, turning occasionally, to cook through about 8-10 minutes. If you don't have a grill, you can cook in a large saute pan.
   
4. Remove from grill and set a side while you make the sauce.

For the Masala sauce:

1. In a large saucepan, heat butter and add garlic and the jalapeno. Cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Cook until fragrant.
3. Stir in tomato sauce.
4. Simmer 15 minutes.
5. Stir in cream and simmer until thickened about 5 minutes.
6. Remove chicken from skewers and add to the sauce.
7. Simmer 5 minutes until chicken is warmed through.
8. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Garam Masala is an Indian spice mix. If you can't find it in your area, you can make a quick version by mixing:

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

This mix can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place

Recipe: Tricolore Pasta with Zucchini, Onion, Tomato Sauce

I grew a huge zucchini this summer and was trying to figure what to do with it. The reason it was so huge was because I plucked most of the flowers to fry leaving a few left to mature into fruit.

I have this fascination with different pastas and shapes and spied Barilla's Tri Color Fiori (flower) on sale for 99¢ at Pathmark recently. A box of pasta. A huge zucchini. A large bottle of tomato sauce in the pantry that I also bought on sale and a basket of onions. I decided to make a vegetarian dish for dinner tonight and interestingly enough, the color of the vegetables is echoed in the pasta.

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic crushed (I used a garlic press but if you don't have one, mince it fine)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 zucchini diced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• few grinds of fresh cracked black pepper

• 12 oz box of tri colored pasta (any shape you like)

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil (this is for the pasta).

2. In a large skillet over medium flame, heat the olive oil for a few seconds and add the crushed garlic. Saute for a few seconds to perfume the oil and then add the chopped onion.

3. Saute until onion is soft (about 5 minutes) then add the diced zucchini. Saute for about another 5 minutes (I like my veggies to maintain their integrity and not be over cooked mush) and then add 1 cup tomato sauce.

4. Stir to incorporate everything together.

5. Finish with sprinkling of salt and pepper and set aside off heat covered. The vegetables will continue to cook slowly steaming under the cover.

This can be served by itself as a vegetable side dish.














By this time, the water has hopefully boiled and you can follow manufacturer's direction on cooking your pasta. When the pasta is done, drain and toss with the vegetable mixture.


Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese.

This dish serves 4.

Recipe: Campbell's Kitchen: Autumn Cabbage Rolls

This hearty and filling dish is an easy to make recipe that I found courtesy of Campbell's Soup.
Cabbage tends to be inexpensive usually going to a few cents per pound. When ground turkey is on sale, I buy it to make this or keep it in the freezer until I have everything ready to make this dish.

10 large cabbage leaves

1 pound ground turkey

1 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup

1 slice stale or toasted Pepperidge Farm® Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat Bread, crumbled

1 1/4 cups water

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 small onion, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1 medium carrot, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

• Place the cabbage leaves into a 4-quart saucepan and add water to cover. Heat over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. Drain the cabbage leaves on paper towels.
  
• Cook the turkey and minced onion in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the turkey is well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.
• Stir the turkey mixture, soup, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup water and black pepper in a large bowl.
• Spoon 1/4 cup turkey mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold the cabbage leaves around the filling. Place the cabbage rolls, seam-side down, into a 12-inch skillet.
  
• Add the sliced onion, shredded cabbage, carrot and remaining water in the skillet and heat over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour or until the filling is cooked through, basting the cabbage rolls occasionally with the pan liquid.
  
• Remove the cabbage rolls from the skillet and keep warm.
  
• Stir the lemon juice, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the lemon juice mixture in the skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Serve the sauce with the cabbage rolls.