Style Beef and Broccoli

Style Beef and Broccoli 

Beef round steak stir-fries quickly with broccoli florets and garlic, simmering in a simple marinade of sherry, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce. It’s also delicious with chicken instead of beef

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oyster sauce

 2 teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil

 1/3 cup sherry

 1 teaspoon soy sauce

 1 teaspoon white sugar

 1 teaspoon cornstarch

 3/4 pound beef round steak, cut into 1/8-inch thick strips

 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more if needed

 1 thin slice of fresh ginger root

 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets

Method:

1.      Whisk together the oyster sauce, sesame oil, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place the steak pieces into a shallow bowl, pour the oyster sauce mixture over the meat, stir to coat well, and marinate for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.

2.      Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, and stir in the ginger and garlic. Let them sizzle in the hot oil for about 1 minute to flavor the oil, then remove and discard. Stir in the broccoli, and toss and stir in the hot oil until bright green and almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the wok, and set aside.

3.      Pour a little more oil into the wok, if needed, and stir and toss the beef with the marinade until the sauce forms a glaze on the beef, and the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Return the cooked broccoli to the wok, and stir until the meat and broccoli are heated through, about 3 minutes.

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Crispy Swordfish Nuggets

Crispy Swordfish Nuggets

We love seafood of just about any type, but swordfish happens to be a family favorite. I was looking for some new way to prepare a beautiful piece of swordfish we recently bought and decided to cut it into pieces and grill it on skewers. I cut the swordfish into 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch squares and sat looking at them for a while, wondering if I really wanted to grill them..

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Pounds Of Swordfish 1 1/2 Inch Thick

2 Cups Homemade Breadcrumbs

Cracked Black Pepper

Sea Salt

1/2 Fresh Red Chile Pepper, Finely Chopped (Optional)

2 Teaspoons Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley

1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest

2 Eggs

4 to 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil

To Serve:

Lemon Wedges

#These crispy bites of swordfish are great with tartar sauce, or simply with lemon wedges as shown.

Method:

1.      Cut the swordfish into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

2.      Mix together the breadcrumbs, chile pepper, lemon zest, and parsley, then season with salt and pepper.

3.      Beat the two eggs with a fork until frothy.

4.      Dip the swordfish nuggets first into the eggs, then roll in the breadcrumbs pressing lightly to ensure the crumbs adhere well to all of the sides.

5.      Once all of the nuggets are breaded, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

6.      Cook the nuggets until they are golden brown, and just barely cooked through inside.

7.      Place the nuggets on a platter with the wedges and serve hot.

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Baked Shrimp with Tomatillos

Baked Shrimp with Tomatillos 

Shrimp can be cooked either shell on or shell off. Cooking with the shell on will result in better flavor, but can be fussy to eat, as you have to pick off the shells as you eat them. Shelling and deveining the shrimp before cooking can add a good 10 minutes to prep time, but the resulting dish is easier to eat. This is a one pan dish, going from stove-top to oven, so use an oven-proof pan.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup

1-2 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 lb tomatillos, chopped

Salt

1/2 cup clam juice OR 1/4 cup water*

1 lb shrimp, cleaned, deveined

1 cup Cotija queso seco cheese (can substitute feta)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Lime juice

Black pepper

An oven-proof sauté pan or cast iron pan

(*One time we made this we used tequila instead of clam juice, it was good too!)

Method:

1.      Heat oil in the pan you will use for baking. Add the onions and jalapeños, cook for 5 minutes on medium high until the onions begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the tomatillos, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatillos are cooked through, but still hold their shape. Sprinkle salt over the tomatillos as they are cooking.

2.      If using clam juice, add to pan, turn up the heat and reduce by half. If using water, just add the 1/4 cup of water without reducing.

3.      Add the cheese and shrimp. Cook in a preheated 425°F oven for 10 minutes.

4.      Remove pan from the oven. If using a pan with a handle, such as a cast iron frying pan, I recommend cooling the handle with ice for safety; it's so easy to forget that pan has just come out of the oven, and you grab the hot handle by mistake. Right before serving, mix in the cilantro and sprinkle with lime juice and freshly ground black pepper.

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African Chicken in Spicy Red Sauce

African Chicken in Spicy Red Sauce

This recipe is from the October 2006 issue of Cooking Light. It's very tasty! The original recipe calls for using breast halves, drumsticks and thighs. I just used skinned, boneless breasts. Also, used olive oil instead of cooking spray. This is their description - " This flavourful Ethipian-inspired chicken stew uses Berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend. Store extra spice mix covered in a cool, dark place for up to two weeks. Use leftovers on Salmon, flank steak, or chicken for fiery flavour. Serve with basmati rice.

Ingredients:

Chicken

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onions (2 medium)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

4 lemon wedges

Berbere (use 2 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons ground red pepper

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:

1.      Berbere.

2.      Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Yields 1/4 cup. Serving size is 1 teaspoons.

3.      Chicken.

4.      Place chicken in a shallow dish; drizzle with juice, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

5.      Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes (do not brown), stirring frequently.

6.      Add 2 tsp Berbere, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, butter, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom, cook 1 minute.

7.      Add wine, broth, and tomato paste; stir until well blended.

8.      Add chicken mixture; bring to a boil.

9.      Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until chicken is tender, turning chicken occasionally.

10.  Stir in cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Pakora

Pakora

Pakoras always make a special place on the table as appetizers loved by family and in formal buffets too, across the globe. It’s an interesting way to add some spice and zing to the veggies once in a while and the hot combo is simply irresistible.

Ingredients:

Onions: 2

Cauliflour: 1 cup (florets)

Spinach: 1cup (finely chopped)

Sweet Peppers: 7-8

Mashed Potato: 1/2cup (for filling in sweet peppers)

Grated ginger: 2 tsp

Chickpea Flour: 1 cup (add more if required)

Rice Flour: 2 tsp

Salt: 1 tsp or to taste

Paprika: 1/2 tsp

Black Pepper: 1/4 tsp

Chat masala: 1 tsp

Fenugreek flakes: 1 tsp

Carrom Seeds (Ajwain): 1/2 tsp

Water: 3/4 cup (add more if required)

Cooking oil: 1 cup

Corainder, Tamarind and Tomato sauce for serving

Method:

1.      Wash and pat dry the vegetables. Cut the florets of cauliflower, finely chop spinach and thinly slice the onions. Slit the peppers vertically. Boil and mash the potatoes in another bowl and add seasoning to taste.

2.      In another bowl take chickpea flour (besan), rice flour and add spices. Slowly add some water until the mixture reaches the consistency of whipping cream. Beat the batter well and set aside to for couple of minutes and heat some oil in the meantime.

3.      Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan. Check the temperature of the oil by dropping a small drop of the batter in the oil. If the oil is ready and hot, coat the chunk of chopped veggies with the batter and drop it one by one in the hot oil. Fry on medium heat till it turns golden brown from both sides. Drain the chunks on the paper towel to soak the excess oil. Keep frying till you are done with the batter.

For Sweet Peppers:

4.      Stuff the peppers with spiced potato stuffing and coat in chickpea flour batter and fry one by one.

5.      Enjoy it piping hot from the pan to the platter with sweet tomato, coriander and tamarind chutney and of course hot cup of tea. The hot combo of tea plus pakoras is absolutely sumptuous in this festive fall season.

6.      Relish it with a cuppa hot chai or warm hot chocolate.

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Spicy King Prawns

Spicy King Prawns 

This wonderful shrimp recipe is by Nadia Roden from Party By the Pyramids. It is healthy and super fast. If you have all of the ingredients ready ahead of time, you can prepare the dish quickly, as guests arrive..

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined

salt

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or 1 cup flat leaf parsley.

Method:

1.   Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet. Add the garlic, paprika (One Tablespoon plus One teaspoon), cumin, ginger and cayenne and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and stir in the cilantro.

2.   Transfer to a platter and serve.

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Seafood Malabar

Seafood Malabar

This irresistibly fragrant South Indian seafood curry has a creamy coconut sauce that's tinted with turmeric and lifted with lime juice.

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, crushed

 1 teaspoon sugar

 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 500g skinless snapper fillets, cut into 2.5cm pieces

 250g green medium prawns, peeled, deveined

 250g calamari tubes, cut into 1cm-thick slices

 80ml (1/3 cup) sunflower oil

 1 brown onion, halved, thinly sliced

 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

 1 large fresh green chilli, thinly sliced

 1 x 400ml can coconut milk

 125ml (1/2 cup) Campbell's Real Stock Vegetable

 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

 Fresh coriander sprigs, to serve

Coconut sambal

 45g (1/2 cup) coarsely grated fresh coconut

 1 large fresh green chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt

 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

Method:

1.Combine the garlic, sugar, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the snapper, prawns and calamari and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour to marinate.

2.Meanwhile, to make the coconut sambal, combine the coconut, chilli, coriander, lemon juice, yoghurt and ginger in a bowl. Season with salt. Cover and place in the fridge to chill.

3.Heat half the oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the snapper mixture and cook, turning, for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining oil and snapper mixture, reserving excess marinade.

4.Reduce heat to low. Add the onion, ginger, fresh chilli and reserved marinade and cook, stirring, for 10-15 minutes or until onion is soft. Stir in the coconut milk and stock. Increase heat to medium. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

5.Add the snapper mixture, reserving the calamari, to the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the calamari and cook for 2 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in the lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish and top with coriander. Serve with the coconut sambal.

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