Tandoori Chicken additional information

If you do not have a grill, broil chicken until brown, then roast in oven at 350 degrees until done. Remember to check internal temp of chicken, should be 165.

Seven Meals for Seven Days: Meal #2

Grilled Tandoori Chicken Kabobs with Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

For marinade:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp of dried oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek 2% works nicely if you want less fat)

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 tbsp of lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 red pepper, cut into 6 pices

1 green pepper, cut into 6 pieces

1/2 white onion, cut into thirds and separate into six pieces 

1/2 zucchini, sliced into 6 equal chunks

2 whole skinless chicken breasts (cut into 3 equal chunks)

2 wooden or metal skewers 

For dipping sauce:

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 small bunch mint (leaves only

1/2 cucumber (shredded and dried on paper towel)

1 garlic clove (smashed and minced finely)

1/8 -1/4 cup coconut milk or plain milk to loosen if needed

Pinch of salt

small food processor or blender

For rice:

1 cup jasmine rice

chicken broth (instead of water)

2 pats of butter

1/2 half white onion small dice (use the other half from the marinade)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of frozen peas or fresh (blanched)

1/4 cup slivered almonds 

1/4 cup currants 

Directions:

In a small saute pan, over medium-high heat, toast the coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, garam marsala, paprika, cardamom, and ginger until brown and toasty looking. This will take 2-3 minutes. See photo below:

Add the toasted herbs, oregano, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, freshly ground pepper and salt to the yogurt and mix thoroughly. In a bowl, toss and coat chicken and cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. If you don't have that much time, 3-4 hours will work but the flavors will not be as intense.

While chicken is marinating, you will have time to cut up red and green peppers, zucchini, and the onion. After chicken is done marinating, alternate vegetables and chunks of chicken on the skewers (if you are using wooden skewers soak them in water for several hours beforehand so they don't burn on the grill) until they look like the photo below:

Preheat your grill to around 375 degrees and make sure you have sprayed the grill first so the chicken doesn't stick. I like to spray each side of skewers before I place on grill as well (I prefer Grapeseed spray but any kind of cooking spray will do). Grill chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees. Remember part of cooking is learning how to gage doneness so check center of chicken after 3-4 min. You can use a digital thermometer, I find they work best. If the heat seems too high you can lower it so the vegetables don't burn. You may have to spray the sides again in order to ensure that nothing sticks. 

For rice:

In a pot large enough for rice, saute the diced onion and a pinch of salt in the butter until translucent over med-low heat. Lower heat if necessary. This should take about five minutes. They will cook more as the rice cooks. Add chicken stock instead of water and follow the directions on box. Meanwhile, defrost peas and immerse in boiling water right before adding to cooked rice. In a small saute pan, dry toast (meaning no fat is necessary) the almonds over med-high heat by shaking pan until they are a golden brown.

When rice is done add the peas, toasted almonds and currants. Correct the seasonings with salt and pepper and gently stir to combine. You really do not need much salt depending on the broth you use unless you prefer more salt.

While rice is cooking, make your dipping sauce. In a processor or blender, blend together the yogurt, garlic, mint leaves and coconut or milk. When loose enough to pour but not too loose, transfer to a bowl and add shredded cucumber.  Stir to combine and enjoy. If you do not have a blender or processor, finely chop mint and add to other ingredients.

Place desired amount of rice on a plate and a skewer of chicken on top. You can spoon some dipping sauce directly on chicken or use for dipping. See finished product at the top of this recipe. This is a low fat healthy meal, so don't fret just enjoy.

Due to the impending inclement weather, I will not be posting the next 5 days of recipes until sometime next week. I think we all have more important things to worry about, like keeping our families safe and sound during this major storm. Make sure you have enough water, prepared foods, candles and batteries for your flashlights for the next few days and charge up your cell phones and lap tops. 

Best wishes to all, be safe and see you next week.

Susan

BF&C

Seven Meals for Seven Days: Meal #1

Hi everyone,

Today we are beginning our seven meals for seven days, so be sure to check in everyday! Not only are these recipes delicious, but they are easy to make as well. For today's meal, we enlisted the help of my dear friend Dina's daughters, Julia and Lila, whom I have known since they were little and not only are they developing into beautiful young ladies, but serious foodies as well!

All of our seven recipes will serve 2 people, so just double or triple as needed. We made enough sauce to either freeze or use for the next few days, but if you want less sauce just cut the recipe in half. You will still have leftover sauce, but this can be frozen for a couple months. When you plate your meal, use as much sauce as you desire but remember that a serving of pasta is only 4 ounces unless you want more.

Pasta Margarita

Ingredients:

4 oz spaghetti

2 cans crushed tomatoes in puree (I prefer San Marzano)

1 fresh Mozzarella ball (cut up into half-inch cubes, use as much as you want)

2 oz tomato paste

1 grated medium-sized carrot

4 sprigs thyme (leaves removed)

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 large bay leaf

6 or more fresh basil leaves (julienned)

1 large onion (diced)

6 large garlic cloves (minced)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tbsp

Grated parmesan reggiano or asiago cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add onions, minced garlic and red pepper flakes (you can add more red pepper if you want sauce spicier). Reduce to medium heat and add a generous pinch of salt. Stir to incorporate and continue cooking stirring every few minutes until the onions are translucent. This should take about 7 or 8 minutes. Lower the heat if you have to, as you do not want color. See photo below.

Next, add the grated carrot and tomato paste, stir and cook for one minute. Then add the thyme, basil, oregano and bay leaf. Slowly pour in tomatoes and gently stir to incorporate. Bring up to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally. After the sauce is done, you can correct the seasonings by adding salt and freshly ground black pepper.

As sauce is simmering, fill a stock pot with water (don't forget to salt your water!). A few minutes before sauce is done, bring up water to boil and add the spaghetti and cook according to directions on box. I like mine al dente, you might like yours softer. See below photo...this is what your sauce should look like after simmering for one hour.

Put the cooked pasta in a bowl, ladle sauce on top, add diced mozzarella and toss to coat. Divide among two bowls and garnish with the julienned basil and grated parmesan reggiano or asiago. Drizzle each serving with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Buon appetito! 

It would be nice to pair this simple pasta recipe with sauteed broccoli rabe (blanch broccoli rabe first for a couple of minutes, dry on paper towels and saute in olive oil and sliced garlic -- tutorial upon request), or a simple green salad, a nice piece of crusty bread with olive oil and a glass of wine. This can also be made with gluten-free pasta. Enjoy!

Don't forget to check in for tomorrow's recipe -- grilled Tandoori chicken on skewers with jasmine rice.

BF&C

Kid-Friendly Recipes

These are a few recipes that kids can make themselves, add ingredients to (even ones that would make adults cringe), and that they will have fun with. The first three recipes are gluten-free. After playing around with so many gluten-free products, I have found that this one product, personal size pizza crusts by Kinnikinnink Foods, tastes good and holds up to all kinds of stuff that kids can pile on top. They are a bit sweet, but if you sprinkle a little salt on top of your ingredients before cooking or after, it works very well together.

I like other gluten-free pizza products too, but I have found that with any gluten-free product, it must be toasted very well to develop flavor. So kids -- have fun, make a mess, eat well, but remember to clean up!

Here is what the gluten-free pizza dough looks like before and after being toasted in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (every oven is different, so keep checking until it looks like the color in the second picture):

Once your dough looks like this, you're ready to put your toppings on!

Cheese Pizza

This is as simple as it gets. You can use any sauce you want and any meltable cheese including mozzarella, a Mexican blend, cheddar, etc. Put the pizza back in the oven, directly on the rack at 350 degrees for about 5 or so minutes until the cheese has melted to your liking. On this pizza you can add anything you want. With a knife, cut the pizza into four even pieces. If you do not have a gluten sensitivity, you can buy fresh pizza dough at your favorite pizzeria (if they are nice and have extra), otherwise you can go to the grocery store, but it's not as good. Because pizzeria dough is made to make a large pizza, you can cut the pizza dough into four even pieces for individual sizes or just make one big one. Shape in this case does not matter -- round, square, triangle, etc. As my dear friend Dina always says, whatever floats your boat!

Margarita Pizza

Ingredients:

1 plum tomato

Sliced Mozzarella cheese (as much as you want)

Fresh basil (as much as you want)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

First, arrange the Mozzarella slices on the pizza dough (you can space them out any way you want or even use shredded). Then, take your tomato slices and arrange them over the cheese. Next, roll up the basil leaves (see second photo) and chop them roughly; sprinkle it over the top of your pizza. Last but not least, sprinkle some salt and pepper (crushed red pepper if you like spicy) to add some extra flavor. Put the pizza in the oven and bake it at 350 degrees for about 7-10 minutes or, again, until the cheese is melted. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the pizza and cut into four pieces.

Bagel and Smoked Salmon Pizza

Ingredients:

Cream cheese

Red onion -- diced, or you can use scallion or chives

Good quality smoked salmon

Fresh dill

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions:

After you brown your pizza dough, let it cool completely. Spread desired amount of cream cheese on it and then top it with the smoked salmon (here I used 3 slices). Sprinkle the red onion and then the dill all over the top of the salmon, and finish it off with a little ground black pepper and a drizzle (1 tbsp) of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

Clam Pizza

Ingredients:

Real pizza dough

5 oz fresh or canned chopped clams (liquid drained)

3 cloves garlic

4 sprigs fresh Thyme

Crushed red pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pizza paddle

Pizza stone(optional)

Directions:

In a small saute pan, use 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute minced garlic over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes to soften garlic. Then, take the pan off the heat and add the clams and stir to blend together with the garlic.

Quarter real pizza dough and stretch out in any shape you can get it. I use a counter to stretch it so the ends will stick as you pull and press sides down to desired shape and thickness. I like thin pizza myself so I made it very thin but did not break it. Carefully pick up and transfer to a pizza paddle sprinkled with coarse corn meal (you can buy paddles at kitchen/chef stores like Chef Central in Hartsdale or sometimes in markets), continue to stretch until it holds it's shape and make sure the corn meal is distributed evenly on the bottom so it does not stick when you transfer (push the paddle forward and the pizza will slip off easily into oven. If you use a pizza pan that has holes in the bottom, you do not need corn meal as you will be stretching the dough into the pan, not on a surface. You can also use a sheet tray if you do not have a stone.

Spread clams and garlic over dough leaving a 1-inch edge, then add a layer of the finely grated parmesan cheese (use as much as you want), then sprinkle the fresh thyme or a little dried thyme is fine too, all over the cheese. Make sure, of course you remove thyme from it's stems by holding it at the end and gently pulling downward and most of the leaves will follow. With a pastry brush (if you don't have one just drizzle olive oil onto the 1-inch edge), brush the 1-inch edge with olive oil. Then, drizzle pizza with 1 tbsp of the oil.

Finish by sprinkling red pepper flakes (to taste or optional but I love a spicy kick) and a little sea salt.

Bake in 450 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes or until dough is golden brown and crispy. Remember dough is quartered and thin and will cook faster than pizzeria pizza. Yummm!

If you do not like crunchiness of the corn meal you can try a pizza pan which you can buy in any market. I use a stone and a paddle just because I can!

Goat Cheese, Caramelized Fennel and Vidalia Onion Pizza

Oops! I think someone got to this pizza before I could take a photo of the final product, but you can get the general idea. I swear, it wasn't me!

Ingredients:

3 oz or more to taste of good quality goat cheese

1 small fennel bulb

1 small Vidalia onion

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Fresh tyhme and chopped fennel fronds (the part at the top of the fennel)

Fresh pizza dough

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Follow pizza dough directions from previous recipe.

Cut the stalks off the fennel, discard and save a few fronds for garnish. Pull of the leaves of 4-5 thyme stems. Cut fennel in half, cut out the hard stem at the bottom and discard. Cut onion in half and thinly slice both vegetables.

Add olive oil to a saute pan large enough to hold the sliced vegetables. Heat up the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the fennel and the onion and a pinch of salt, stirring every minute or so as they brown. This will take about 10 minutes or more. In the interest of conserving calories, I add a little water if it looks too dry, and continue to stir. This is not exactly the proper method for caramelization as caramelization needs ample fat, but I don't care because I don't know about you, but I certainly don't need the extra calories from adding more fat, so I just keep adding water and keep stirring until it gets nice and brown like the above photo. Have your pizza dough ready on your paddle sprinkled with corn meal or on your pizza pan, and crumble the goat cheese over the dough leaving a 1-inch edge. Then, evenly spread the caramelized onion and fennel over the goat cheese. Sprinkle the thyme and as much of the chopped fennel fronds as you want. Take a pastry brush and brush olive oil onto the 1-inch edge and drizzle about 1-2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil all over the pizza. Finish with freshly ground pepper. I don't add extra salt because there is salt in the vegetables and goat cheese is naturally salty. Place in your oven like in the previous recipe for approximately 7-10 minutes or until dough is golden brown and crispy. Remember, thin pizza cooks faster than thick pizza. Remove, cut into 4 slices and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Dessert

Using the same gluten-free dough from the first three recipes, toast in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes instead of 15. Use good quality chocolate (we used Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bar -- 60% bittersweet chocolate, but you can also use Hershey's). 

Take the dough out of the oven, cut it into 4 pieces and while it's still warm, put chocolate on top of two of the squares. I know I don't have to tell you how much chocolate. If you are a small child, have your parents help you with this part. Use a metal skewer or a wood skewer with 2 marshmallows per square at the end and hold it over your stove burner and roast until crispy. Make sure you use a pot holder at all times near fire or anything hot! Do not do this if your parents are not home. When marshmallows are done, push them off skewer onto the chocolate and top with the other squares of toasted dough. You can put peanut butter on this as well or bananas or whatever else you can think of. Be creative or just enjoy these the way they are -- they taste like the real thing!

I wanted to include gluten-free products because I am gluten-intolerant, but all of the above recipes can be made with real pizza dough and the smores can be made with real graham crackers. But, I think kids and parents alike will enjoy these recipes. I do encourage everybody to play with amounts and ingredients because cooking should be fun, experimental, and about learning how to gauge amounts without using measuring tools. But until you are comfortable, feel free to measure out everything. Enjoy!

BF&C

Questions and comments

Hi guys!

I am looking forward to some of your comments, suggestions and requests on how I can make this blog better. In the next few posts, I am going to be giving recipes that you can do with your kids to get them interested in cooking. I taught my own children how to be sufficient enough in the kitchen so they can scramble eggs, make their own sandwiches, make pasta and even their own sauces.

My son Sam recently made my vichysoisse recipe for one of his friends and his family. When my daughter Leni, moved into an apartment in her junior year of college, she called everyday to ask what should she do for dinner. Once she bought a twelve pack of chicken breasts, froze it and then asked me how to cook just one. I laughed and said defrost the whole thing and invite some friends over.

Most kids do not know how to shop, whether it is for themselves or when you send them out to the market because they just got their license and they might as well run your errands for you. They invariably come back with all the wrong things. So I think some simple, kid friendly recipes are in order!

I am also going to start "seven meals for seven days". These suggestions will help you busy moms create dinners that are quick and easy, maybe your kids will even help!

So, please check my blog every day, I will send out updates as well and would love to hear your opinions!

Susan

Braised Short Ribs

Hi everyone,

When I first started this blog, it was meant to be a way to answer your questions, fulfill requests and teach my friends simple recipes to make at home. So far I have given recipes that all my friends have asked for but I do believe in raising the bar a bit.

The next recipe I am posting will be for short ribs. It is simple but only looks complicated due to the amount of ingredients and it is a tad time consuming, but trust me the results will be worth it. The night I served it, I placed one or two short ribs on a bed of mashed potatoes with some sauteed spinach, spooning the gravy around the mash. It was delicious! The way I have photographed it is just one more way to plate in a modern way.

So, you can think of other accompaniments in terms of veggies or other sides and plating. The possibilities are endless.

This recipe serves 8-12 people, depending on your appetite.

Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients:

6 boneless short ribs cut in half

2 large carrots cut in 1"chunks

3 stalks celery cut in 1"chunks

1 large onion roughly chopped

10 large garlic cloves, smashed

10 sprigs or more of fresh thyme

1 sprig rosemary

4 oz tomato paste

7 cups beef stock

2 cups red wine/if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it

2 large bay leaves

2 cloves

1 tsp whole peppercorns

1 can whole peeled tomatoes (drained)

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

flour for dredging

large roasting pan just big enough to hold ribs and liquid

heavy duty tin foil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Salt and pepper short ribs, dredge with flour, shaking off any excess. Melt the butter and oil in large saute pan on med-high heat and start searing ribs in batches on all sides until they look like the above photo, brown and crispy. Place browned ribs in a large bowl covered with tin foil to keep warm.

Pour off excess oil and add the 3 tbsp of olive oil.  Add carrots, celery, garlic and onion to pot and brown on med-high heat, stirring constantly so it does not burn. You can adjust heat if you think it is burning but it probably is ok as you want veggies to caramelize. This will take about 10 minutes or so. 

Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Continue cooking for several minutes to impart tomato paste.
Add red wine to deglaze, scraping up all the yummy brown bits. Simmer until wine is reduced by half.

After red wine is reduced by half, add tomatoes, mash them lightly with a fork and add thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns and cloves.  Cook for five minutes.

Place ribs in a roasting pan large enough to hold the ribs and liquid to cover.  Using a spatula, transfer the sauce to the roasting pan, remember to scrape out every bit of delicious sauce. Usually this is all done in one saute pan but I happened to be making a large amount and my saute pan could not fit all the ribs. So, we improvise.

Cover pan with heavy duty tin foil and seal tightly. Place pan on a rack that is in the center of oven.
Braise for approximately 2 1/2-3 hours. You can check the smaller pieces after 2 1/2 hours and remove them to keep warm and let the thicker ones continue cooking until tender when pierced with a knife.

Wash your saute pan and remove cooked ribs to a bowl and strain sauce into the saute pan through a fine mesh sieve to remove solids, pressing down with a ladle to get all the liquid. Bring up to boil, then turn heat to simmer and reduce, uncovered, by half.

When sauce is reduced it can still be a little loose so I like to take a ladle full of sauce and 1 tbsp of arrowroot (you can get this in any grocery store in the spice aisle), whisk together in a small bowl and add to sauce. Arrowroot thickens before boiling point so just bring up the heat enough to simmer so it thickens. Add sprig of rosemary at this time. Then correct seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and remove rosemary. Give the sauce a squeeze of lemon and stir.

Place your ribs (which shrink during cooking so that they will now fit in original saute pan) back in saute pan and chill overnight. The next day, you will be able to scoop off the fat and to reheat, bring to a simmer slowly as to not break the meat. Heat until meat is hot in center.
Serve and enjoy!