Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks

What’s there not to love about chicken drumsticks? They’re dark meat (more flavor), relatively inexpensive (certainly compared to boneless skinless breasts), they cook up quickly (half an hour in the oven), you can save the leftover bones for making stock, they’re kid-friendly (have you ever met a kid who didn’t like drumsticks?), and they even come with built-in nifty handles (so you can eat like King Henry VIII).

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon or whole grain mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp finely chopped chives or green onion greens

Salt

6 large chicken drumsticks, about 1 1/3 lbs

Olive oil

Method:

1 Place rack on upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.

2 Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs and minced chives in a separate medium bowl.

3 Sprinkle each drumstick with salt. One by one, dip each drumstick in the mayonnaise mixture, turning to coat. Then dip the drumstick in the breadcrumbs mixture, turning to coat. Place the drumsticks on the prepared roasting pan.

4 Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes, until just cooked through, and juices run clear (not pink) when poked with a sharp knife.

Read More

Cranberry Bean Pasta Fagioli

Cranberry Bean Pasta Fagioli

Pasta e fagioli, meaning "pasta and beans", a traditional Italian dish is meatless. Like many other Italian specialties, including pizza and polenta, the dish started as Bauerngerichtdish, which consists of inexpensive components. Today may very well be, even in restaurants that do not specialize in Italian cuisine.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

5 cloves garlic, smashed

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 2 -ounce piece pancetta (optional)

5 canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand

Kosher salt

3 pounds fresh cranberry beans in pods, shelled (or 1 cup dried cranberry beans, soaked overnight)

2 bay leaves

1 piece parmesan cheese rind, plus 1/2 cup grated parmesan, and more for topping

2 cups small pasta, such as shells or ditalini

1 bunch kale, stems and ribs discarded, leaves chopped

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Toss the beef with the all-purpose cornstarch, pepper, 1 teaspoon oil, and soy sauce. Cover for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Heat ½ of the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until it’s brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside. Wash and thoroughly dry the wok or skillet.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and chili to the wok or skillet and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the reserved beef, lime juice, fish sauce, roasted red chili paste (if using), kaffir lime leaves (if using), and palm sugar; stir-fry for 1–2 minutes or until the beef is cooked through. Add the basil leaves and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until wilted. Dish out and serve immediately with jasmine rice.

Read More

Lasagna

Lasagna

Another theory is that lasagna is a Greek word (Lasa) or derivative (lasanon) meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot." Romans borrowed the word "lasanum", the "pot" in Latin means. The Italians, the word for done in the dish in which lasagna. Then the name of the food to a plate.

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

 3/4 pound lean ground beef

 1/2 cup minced onion

 2 cloves garlic, crushed

 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce

 1/2 cup water

 2 tablespoons white sugar

 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

 1 tablespoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 12 lasagna noodles

 16 ounces ricotta cheese

 1 egg

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1.In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4.To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

5.Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Read More

Mugasgas

Mugasgas 

Arab cuisine is defined as the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab world from Morocco and Tunisia to Yemen and Somalia, and incorporating Levantine, Egyptian and others. It is also influenced to a degree by the cuisines of Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, India, the Berbers and other cultures of the region before the cultural Arabization brought by the Arabs in the line during the Arab conquest of Islam. Originally, the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula is largely dependent on the diet of dates, wheat, barley, rice and meat, with little variety, with an emphasis on yogurt, such as labneh  (yoghurt without butterfat). If the original Semitic people started wandering, as well as the flavours and ingredients that favoured them.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour or 220 g

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon ground cardamom

1 tin NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk or 395 g

¼ cup water or 60 ml, warm

1 cup oil for deep frying or 250 ml

1 tablespoon pistachio nut, grounded (optional for garnish)

Method:

1.                        In a mixing bowl combine Flour, Baking Powder, Cardamom and mix well.

2.                        Add NESTLE Sweetened Condensed Milk and Water and continue mixing until dough is smooth. Leave to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

3.                        Roll dough out on a clean surface dusted with flour, cut into 3 cm wide triangles and deep fry in Oil until golden brown. Transfer and rest on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

4.                        Serve at room temperature, with sprinkled pistachio powder on top as an optional garnish.

Read More

Shrimps with Eggplant and Potato Soufflé

Shrimps with Eggplant and Potato Soufflé 

Arab cuisine is defined as the various regional cuisines spanning the Arab world from Morocco and Tunisia to Yemen and Somalia, and incorporating Levantine, Egyptian and others. It is also influenced to a degree by the cuisines of Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, India, the Berbers and other cultures of the region before the cultural Arabization brought by the Arabs in the line during the Arab conquest of Islam. Originally, the Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula is largely dependent on the diet of dates, wheat, barley, rice and meat, with little variety, with an emphasis on yogurt, such as labneh  (yoghurt without butterfat). If the original Semitic people started wandering, as well as the flavours and ingredients that favoured them.

Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable oil, for deep frying

2 medium eggplants or 500 g, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion or 125 g, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup mushrooms or 100 g, cut into quarters

750 g peeled shrimps, cleaned and cut lengthwise

2 cubes MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon

2 medium tomatoes or 300 g, peeled and pureed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

For the potato:

4 medium potatoes or 1 kg, cut into large cubes and boiled

½ cup milk or 125 ml

2 tablespoons butter

pinch of salt

pinch of white ground pepper

1 cup mozzarella cheese or 100 g, grated

Method:

1.                        Heat oil in pan and fry the eggplant slices until golden and set them aside on a kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.

2.                        In a medium saucepan, warm olive oil and sauté onion until tender. Add garlic, mushroom and shrimps; stir over a medium heat for 3 minutes then add MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon , tomato, tomato paste and black pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; Stir in parsley and set aside.

3.                        Mash the potato with milk, butter, salt and pepper.

4.                        Line the prepared eggplant slices in an oven proof dish, place shrimps mixture on top and the potato mixture over.

5.                        Sprinkle the cheese over the potato and bake in a preheated oven at 250˚C for 15 minutes or until the top is golden in color.

Read More

Beef with Red Chili

Beef with Red Chili 

This Beef and Red Chili Paste is from my friend Katie Chin’s new cookbook, Every Thai Cooking: Quick and Easy Family Style Recipes from Tuttle Publishing. A few months ago, I met Katie in person for lunch and we had a wonderful time chatting about recipes, food, cooking, and our life stories. I love Katie; she is fun, bubbly, and cheery. PWhen she sent me the preview copy of her cookbook, I immediately fell in love with this Beef with Red Chili Paste recipe.

Ingredients:

10 oz (330 g) beef tenderloin or top sirloin, sliced diagonally across the grain in ¼ in (6 mm) slices

½ teaspoon all-purpose cornstarch

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil, divided

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, finely sliced

1 fresh hot red or green chili, preferably Thai (deseeded if you prefer less heat), finely sliced

1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tablespoon Roasted Red Chili Paste or store-bought, (nam pla, optional)

2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin strips (optional)

2 teaspoons palm or brown sugar

¾ cup (15 g) fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves

Method:

1. Toss the beef with the all-purpose cornstarch, pepper, 1 teaspoon oil, and soy sauce. Cover for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Heat ½ of the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until it’s brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside. Wash and thoroughly dry the wok or skillet.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and chili to the wok or skillet and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the reserved beef, lime juice, fish sauce, roasted red chili paste (if using), kaffir lime leaves (if using), and palm sugar; stir-fry for 1–2 minutes or until the beef is cooked through. Add the basil leaves and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until wilted. Dish out and serve immediately with jasmine rice.

Read More

Thai Chili Chicken

Thai Chili Chicken 

Many people love Thai food because every bite is bursting with flavours. The four pillars of Thai flavours: salty, sweet, sour, and spicy are dancing in the mouth as we sink our teeth into scrumptious Thai dishes. There is no exception with this Thai chilli chicken recipe. I love that the mint leaves impart the iconic minty aroma and nuance to the chicken dish, while the coconut cream lends a rich note to the dish..

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

6 oz chicken breast, cut into strips

1 cup bamboo shoots, sliced into thin pieces

1 red chili, sliced into thin strips

1 cup fresh mint leaves

Squirts of lime juice

Sauce:

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar or to taste

2 teaspoons chili sauce (I used Rooster brand chili garlic sauce)

4 tablespoons thick coconut milk or coconut cream

Method:

1.Mix the Sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

2.Heat up a wok with cooking oil and add garlic until aromatic.

3.Add in the chicken and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, add the bamboo shoots, chili, and mint leaves and stir fry until the chicken is cooked.

4.Add the Sauce and stir evenly. Add a few squirts of lime juice, dish out and serve with steamed rice.

Read More