Tag: Bay Leaves

One Pot Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes

Note: I was sent an 11-Inch NanoBond Skillet from Hestan Culinary in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

Before I get to this awesome recipe for One Pot Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes, I wanted to share with you a new addition to my kitchen that I’m madly in love with. One of the most important tools in any cook’s kitchen is a skillet. I use my skillets more than any other pot/pan in my house (although my Dutch oven gets a pretty good workout too). So having a good, sturdy, evenly cooking skillet is super important. I’m not exactly kind to my pots and pans… they get frequent use, and my husband isn’t the best at remembering not to use metal utensils on my non-stick cookware (sigh)… so having a skillet that can put up with some abuse is really important to me.

Which is why I’m so excited to share the 11-Inch NanoBond Skillet from Hestan Culinary, handcrafted in Italy. Not only is it beautiful, the NanoBond technology makes this skillet darn near indestructible.

Here are some of the features:

  • Molecular titanium bonds thousands of nanolayers for a lifetime of beauty
  • 400% stronger than stainless steel
  • 35% better heat conduction than aluminum-clad cookware

Additionally, the skillet is high-heat tolerant to 1050°F! So it’s perfect for searing meats or even cooking right on the grill.

To test out my new skillet, I wanted to make something I’ve been craving for a while now: Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes.

This one pot (or skillet) wonder simmers chicken and potatoes in a seasoned curry sauce until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Jamaican mild curry powder (I used Jamaican Choice)
  • 1 habanero pepper
  • 2 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • cooked rice, for serving

Continue reading One Pot Jamaican Curry Chicken and Potatoes

Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Note: I was sent a ZOS wine saver for review. All opinions are mine alone.

Using wine in recipes both adds and enhances flavor. I love cooking with both red and white wine, but I really only drink red wine. Which means I keep a re-corked bottled of white wine in my fridge, which over time, begins to oxidize and change taste (and not for the better!)

 

So when I was contacted to try ZOS wine saver, I was intrigued. The ZOS wine saver is a solution that eliminates 100% of the oxygen from an opened bottle of wine, which can preserve the bottle for weeks or months. The ZOS wine stopper has an oxygen-absorbing cartridge that allows you to use a small amount of wine and still maintain its flavor for future use.

Source: zos.wine

The ZOS wine saver is made of an oxygen barrier stopper attached to a replaceable cartridge. You just insert the ZOS stopper into an open bottle of wine and the cartridge absorbs all of the oxygen in the bottle. Each cartridge lasts 5 to 15 bottles and is easily replaceable. The ZOS wine saver (paid link) can be purchased on Amazon.

With the weather warming up, I wanted to make a yummy seafood recipe that’s hearty but light. Cioppino is a fish stew originally from San Francisco, utilizing whatever was caught that day at sea. This recipe for Cioppino (Seafood Stew) includes making a broth and then making the actual soup. The broth can be made a couple of days ahead of time. Both parts of the recipe use white wine, so this recipe is the perfect test for the ZOS wine saver.

Ingredients:

Broth:

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 8-oz. bottles clam juice
  • 4 sprigs parsley
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Soup:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 1 lb clams, scrubbed
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 lb sea bass, skin removed and cut into 1” pieces
  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
  • ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes (or margarine for dairy free)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
  • day old bread, for serving (omit for gluten free)

Continue reading Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

Pressure Cooker Chicken Orzo Soup

I feel like I’ve been baby-stepping my way into this recipe. I started by making a Pressure Cooker Whole “Rotisserie” Chicken, followed by Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth. So I’m taking it one step further and making Pressure Cooker Chicken Orzo Soup!

This recipe actually builds from the two previous, with some minor changes. For simplicity, the entire recipe from start to finish is below so you don’t have to go to multiple posts to make it. The multi-pot shortens the time of making a solid chicken soup, but it is still a labor of love. Total time to cook is roughly 3 hours.

It freezes well, so it’s a great recipe to make now to have on hand for sick days!

Ingredients: (serves 8)

Chicken:

  • 1 (3 to 4 pound) whole chicken – I used a 3 pound chicken
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup water

Soup:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 yellow onions, chopped, divided
  • 4 carrots, peeled and chopped, divided
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped, divided
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 4 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh oregano
  • up to 8 cups water
  • 1 cup uncooked orzo (or rice to make gluten free)

Continue reading Pressure Cooker Chicken Orzo Soup

Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I go through a ton of chicken broth and stock — I never seem to be able to keep enough on hand!

So when I was making my Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken, I knew homemade Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth would be the natural next step.

Making your own broth or stock is a super easy (and affordable) way to get the most out of your whole chicken!

Just a quick summary on the difference between stock and broth: both simmer bones and/or meat in water with onions, carrots, celery, and aromatics but stock is left unseasoned (no salt) while broth is seasoned.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized onion, quartered
  • 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 10 whole peppercorns, omit for stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, omit for stock
  • the bones of 1 chicken carcass
  • 8 cups water, or as needed

Note: If you’re making this immediately following making a chicken in your Pressure Cooker, you won’t need as much water.

Continue reading Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth

Coconut and Turmeric Chicken Curry

I came across a recipe for Sri Lankan Coconut and Turmeric Chicken Curry a while back, but was unable to find all of the ingredients to actually make it. (Curry leaves are difficult to come by near me!)

Recently, I just gave up and decided to make it with some substitutions.

This recipe from Delicious.com, even with my adjustments, is so fantastic that I can only imagine how good the original is!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
  • ~1 1/2 inch piece ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed
  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 3 cardamom pods, smashed
  • 1 piece of cinnamon
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk, well shaken
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons cashews, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
  • the zest and juice of 1 lime
  • Coconut flakes, and sliced scallions, to serve

Continue reading Coconut and Turmeric Chicken Curry

Pressure Cooker Barbacoa Beef Tacos

Note: I was sent a Cosori Premium 6qt multicooker in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

I’m not going to lie, pressure cookers have always kind of intimidated me. I was under the impression that they were difficult to use, and easy to mess up.

Well, after trying out the Cosori Premium 6qt pressure cooker over the past couple of weeks, I’m here to tell you they are actually quite easy to use!

source: cosori.com

Pressure cookers are definitely having a moment right now, but they’ve actually been around since the 1600’s in some form or another. Pressure cookers use steam pressure to help cook food faster. When cooking tough meat, pressure cookers help tenderize the meat and cook it surprisingly quickly in the process.

source: cosori.com

The Cosori Premium 6qt pressure cooker is actually a multicooker – it’s a pressure cooker, hot pot, steamer, slow cooker, food warmer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, and rice cooker – all in one! The unit has 17 smart cooking programs, but you can also adjust the cooking time, temperature, and pressure cooking levels to customize your cooking.

source: cosori.com

I couldn’t wait to test the pressure cooker out! I immediately thought of barbacoa – super tender and shredded meat (typically lamb or beef) with seasonings, so it’s time to try making Pressure Cooker Barbacoa Beef Tacos!

We eat a lot of tacos in my house, so I knew this would be a perfect test of the pressure cooker’s ability. This recipe actually uses two of the features available -” sauté/brown” and “meat/stew” pressure cooking. The Cosori premium pressure cooker is quite large (6 quarts!), so I decided to make a huge batch for future dinners. (It’s always helpful to have a full freezer for busy fall weeknights.)

Note: If you’ve been considering purchasing the Cosori Premium 6qt pressure cooker, click on this link and use code UCS9PK3K to receive 10% off! (The code is only good through October 31, 2018, so be sure to purchase before then!)

Ingredients: (makes 12 servings)

  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 chipotle in adobo, plus 3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons ground oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups beef broth, plus a tablespoon or two, divided
  • 6 lbs boneless chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
  • Salt and pepper, for seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 small white onion, finely chopped
  • Cilantro, for garnish
  • Lime wedges

Continue reading Pressure Cooker Barbacoa Beef Tacos

French Onion Soup

 Note: I was sent a box of Vidalia onions to make this post. Opinions are mine alone.

When I first received a box of Vidalia onions, I knew I had to make French Onion Soup. The sweetness of the onions, especially after caramelizing, is perfect for this recipe.

French Onion Soup is a favorite of mine. Who doesn’t love comforting soup with a bunch of bread and cheese goodness on top?

My version below is adapted from a recipe I found on Food Network.

Ingredients:

  • 6 Vidalia
  • 4
  • 1/4 cup sherry
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Continue reading French Onion Soup

Pork Belly Adobo

I’m fairly certain all avid cooks dream of the day they will receive their first piece of Le Creuset cookware or bakeware. Le Creuset products are also a staple on wedding registries. So when I was contacted to help spread the word that a Le Creuset store was opening in the King of Prussia Mall (outside Philadelphia) I absolutely wanted to get the word out. How exciting! I’m pretty pumped to visit it for the first time. The store is near the Macy’s; you can park and enter through the Orange Garage. (Address: 160 N Gulph Road • Suite C226A • King of Prussia, PA 19406)

To celebrate, the Le Creuset store hosted three separate events this past weekend, including bubbles bites with Yellow Springs Farm, a cooking demonstration with chef Ben Thomas, and sweet treats and coffee with Aux Petites Delices and La Colombe.

 

I was also sent a beautiful Rectangular Dish with Platter Lid, which is great for casseroles as well as for marinating in the dish and using the platter to serve.

To try it out, I decided to make a Filipino recipe I’ve been eyeing up for a while: Pork Belly Adobo. The recipe is pretty simple; you marinate the pork belly in a soy sauce marinade, brown the pork, and simmer in the marinade to finish cooking. But the result is fan-tas-tic.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 5 pounds boneless pork belly, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
  • Cooked white rice, for serving

Continue reading Pork Belly Adobo

Cape Malay Curry

My husband and I (obviously) love trying new and different recipes. Living in Philadelphia, we are lucky enough to have a pretty solid restaurant scene, covering quite a range of cuisines. So my interest is always peaked by a recipe I haven’t tried before that comes from a different part of the world and I can make at home, like this recipe for Cape Malay Curry.

Cape Malay Curry comes from Cape Town, South Africa. Beginning in the 17th century, slaves from Indonesia and Southeast Asia were brought to work the farms of Cape Town, South Africa. Known as Cape Malays, the name “Cape” is derived from the Cape of Good Hope and “Malay” refers to the community’s Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean ancestry.

The Cape Malay community has had a lot of influence on South African foods, particularly with the introduction of certain spices, hot sauces, and curries. This chunky beef stew is a sweet and savory curry dish, which reminds me a bit of my husband’s favorite meal, Slow Cooker Chicken and Chickpea Tagine, so I had a feeling we’d like this recipe.

This is definitely a weekend meal; it simmers on the stove for 2 hours. However, it could easily be multiplied to make a large batch and frozen for future meals.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 pound beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 1/4 cups less-sodium beef broth
  • 1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
  • 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/3 cup apricot spread
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (or coconut milk to make dairy-free)
  • 1 cup cooked rice

Continue reading Cape Malay Curry

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

As kids are going back to school (or may even be back!) and the “busy season” of work creeps closer, it’s necessary to find recipes that can be prepared ahead of time so that weeknight meals can be on the table as quickly as possible. My favorite tool for really yummy dishes that I can just reheat is my lovely slow cooker.

 

Cooking Light had a recipe for Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice that is perfect for weekend prep and weeknight meals. This particular recipe has a good amount of prep time before putting everything in the slow cooker so I’d suggest making it on a weekend versus a weeknight morning. (If you want to make this before work, set aside 30-45 minutes to get everything ready to put in the slow cooker.)

 

A couple of notes before I dive into the recipe. You actually soak the dried red beans in water overnight, so don’t forget to do that that night before you plan on making this recipe. Also, dried kidney beans apparently contain a toxin that is not killed at low temperatures (like in a slow cooker) so you have to boil them for 10 minutes before slow cooking. (Who knew?! Definitely don’t skip that step!) This recipe makes 8 servings so you can also freeze the red bean mixture for future meals if you won’t finish it during the week. Ok! Let’s cook!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound dried red kidney beans
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 oz andouille sausage, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped poblano chile (~2 chiles)
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 10 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 (12-ounce) can lager-style beer
  • 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne pepper)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

 

Continue reading Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Brisket Ragout Over Pasta

As someone who went to Catholic school for most of my life, kosher cooking isn’t exactly something I was exposed to. I have a general understanding of what it means to keep kosher, but I really never took the time to delve into what it really means. I was recently sent a cookbook called The Kosher Carnivore: The Ultimate Meat and Poultry Cookbook by June Hersh. Not only is it filled with really delicious sounding recipes, but the author took the time to even include a “Kosher 101” in the introduction.

Did you know that giraffes are considered acceptable for human consumption as identified in the Torah? (Sorry, thought that was a fun fact). Animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves are considered acceptable, which includes the more commonly eaten cow and lamb. Bird-wise, it seems a little more lenient. In general, predators or scavenger birds are prohibited but most birds are ok for consumption. Meat is considered kosher when it meets a specific criteria when slaughtered and butchered. Kosher eating also means that meat and dairy cannot be within the same meal, but neutral foods, like oil and eggs, can be used.

Whew. Ok. Now that I’ve completed Kosher 101, I’m ready to try to make a staple of Jewish cooking: brisket, specifically Brisket Ragout over Pasta! At the suggestion of the author, I shredded the brisket and served it in a ragout over pasta.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (2.5-3 lb.) brisket
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil
  • 2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
  •  2 leeks, cleaned and and sliced
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, drained
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 box farfalle pasta, cooked al dente
  • 1 cup panko
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

Continue reading Brisket Ragout Over Pasta

Matzo Ball Soup

One of my favorite parts of learning to cook is having the chance to learn about cultures through different foods. I love paging through cookbooks that contain recipes I’ve never tried and learning something about the history and tradition behind these recipes. In preparation for Passover, I was sent a copy of The New Jewish Table, written by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Washington D.C.’s Equinox Restaurant. The cookbook takes traditional Jewish recipes and turns them into beautiful modern dishes.

The cookbook is filled with a ton of re-imagined comfort foods, and is broken into seasons to make the most of seasonally available product. The last few pages of the book also has suggested menus for Jewish holidays. I hope to cook through the Passover menu over the coming days because it all sounds so delicious (besides the gefilte fish, sorry haha.)

 

The Grays’ have filled the cookbook with personal stories and notes throughout that give a family feel and a background to their traditions which is a really nice touch. Each recipe is also labeled by type of recipe to make it easy to keep kosher: dairy, meat, parve, or mixed. Todd Gray’s childhood traditions are also present throughout the cookbook and include a few nods to traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. (I particularly liked these recipes because, well, what is more comforting that food from the Pennsylvania Dutch?)

 

This cookbook almost reads like a memory book and is filled with wonderful stories, photographs, and obviously recipes. The New Jewish Table would be great for someone who is interested in learning about Jewish traditions through food and those who have grown up with these traditions and are looking for a fresh update to their family favorites.

 

I decided to make the recipe on the cover, called “Not Exactly Aunt Lil’s Matzo Ball Soup.” The recipe is a more polished version of Ellen Kassoff Gray’s Great Aunt’s soup. It has noodles in it, but to make it for Passover, this version below has omitted them. Todd Gray’s spin on this traditional recipe turns a comforting dish into a truly beautiful dish. I altered the dish very slightly, but my version is below. To see the original recipe, be sure to pick up a copy of this cookbook.

This recipe falls into the “meat” category. It is also appropriate for Passover.

 

Ingredients:

Caramelized Shallots:

  • 2 cups chopped shallots
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Matzo Balls:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
  • 1/4 cup club soda
  • 1 cup matzo meal
  • 1/2 cup chopped Caramelized Onions (above)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

  • One 3-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 1 large yellow onion, quarterd
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 2 small carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium turnip, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 bunch parsley, washed and blotted dry
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Garnish:

  • 2 cups finely diced carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup finely diced turnips
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions, both green and white parts

Continue reading Matzo Ball Soup

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