Spaghetti Napolitan: Japanese Style Spaghetti

I picked up a pre-made bowl of spaghetti Napolitan at a Japanese market near my apartment to try for lunch at work the next day and absolutely loved it.  It was so simple and delicious I wanted to try and make it myself. 


Ingredients:

1 package of spaghetti noodles, cooked to package directions.  I used a little less than the entire package.
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced. 
2 tbs chopped parsley
1 medium onion, thinly sliced.
1 clove garlic chopped
6 slices of ham sliced into squares, add more if you like,
or you can use sausage or hot dogs
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs butter
4 tbs ketchup
parmesan cheese
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1.  Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.
2.  Saute garlic in olive oil and just before it turns brown, add onion and bell peppers and ham
3.  Cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes
4.  Add ketchup and 1/4 cup of the boiling pasta water
5.  Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. 
6.  Add pastam butter, some parmesan cheese.
7.  Mix everything well and add more of anything to your taste.  I couldn't accurately measure what I used exactly.  Top with parmesan cheese.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Blondies

I was having a major peanut butter chocolate craving and have never made blondies, let alone brownies from scratch before.  I think peanut butter and chocolate is a match made in heaven!  I found a recipe for peanut butter white chocolate blondies and another recipe for blondies that had pumpkin and combined them and changed it a little and this is what I got. They are actually not THAT bad for you with the pumpkin and wheat bran and all.  You can also leave out the melted butter, but the texture will not be as melting in you mouth.


Ingredients:
 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
 1/4 cup wheat germ or wheat bran
 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs packed light brown sugar
 1 stick melted unsalted butter
 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
 1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
 2 eggs
 2 tsp vanilla extract
 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip
 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
 1/2 tsp baking powder
 1/2 tspof salt
 4 tbs honey
 If you like nuts, you can add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachio (sounds good!)  etc...


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray or with melted butter.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, honey and peanut butter with hand mixer until smooth.
3.  Fold  in pumpkin and incorporate everything evenly.
4.  Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl- flour, salt, wheat germ.
5.  Fold in mix ingredients into wet ingredients and stir together well.
6.  Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chip
7. Spread the finished mixture evenly in greased baking pan and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.  Test with a toothpick, it should come out clean.  It is also best if it is just a little undercooked, it is more moist that way.
8. Let bars cool in pan before cutting.

Emily's Chicken Salad

The best chicken salad I've ever had was when Emily made up her own recipe and served it with crackers.  It had an awesome flavor combination of aromatic sauteed onions and sweet corn and black beans.  It's probably one of the bests thing you could even do with your left over chicken.







Ingredients:

1 large onion, 1/2 finely chopped, the other half sliced
4 chicken breasts or about 8-10 chicken tenders
1 can Southwestern Style Corn (Green Giant)
Jar of mayo- use to taste
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Olive Oil


Directions:

1.  Melt about 2 tbs butter and 1 spash of olive oil in a pan to brown the onion sliced onion half and cool until semi-soft.
2.  Add another tablespoon or 2 of butter and cook chicken breast with the softened onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.  Remove cooked chicken and cut into pieces or shred into medium pieces.
4. Remove cooked onion and cook the other half of the finely chopped onion in about 1 more tbs butter until it is completely transparent.
5. Add chicken back to cooked finely chopped onion and add canned Southwest corn to warm pan.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
6.  Add mayo to taste, as much as you would add to tuna.

Serve warm or cold with crackers or in a sandwich.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is one of my favorite things to eat.  I would look around for a really good pie and have a hard time find it.  I've tried some of the frozen versions you can either bake or stick in the micro, but those are just not as good and are usually too salty.  I had a sample of the one from Trader Joes the other day and although it was delicious, it was over priced and not as meaty as I'd like.  So, I decided to try making it myself.  I like using puff pastry for the dough, but more traditional pot pies use regular pie crust.  Choose as you please!  I also like making smaller individual pies rather than a large one so each person can have their own pie.


Ingredients:

1 whole roasted chicken, shredded (I just mainly used the breasts)
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets
1 large shallot, chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1 package frozen mixed vegetables (with carrots, peas, green beans, corn)
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cups milk
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chicken stock
3 tbs butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Tabasco Sauce
salt and pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
6 small aluminum pie tins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F
1.  On a baking sheet, scatter frozen vegetables and bake at 400 F for until the vegetables are roasted and golden brown.  Boil diced potatoes until almost fork tender.
2.  In dutch oven, melt 1 tbs butter and cook shallots for a few minutes until they've sweat, then add celery.  Cook few minutes until water has cooked out.
3.  Move celery and shallot mix to one side of pan and melt 2 tbs butter and add 3 tbs flour.  Stir around then mix entirely with celery and shallot.
4.  In a small pot, heat milk and chicken broth with sprigs of thyme until a slight boil.
5.  Add wine and milk mixture to dutch oven and mix well with a whisk.  If the sauce is not thick enough, add 2 more tbs flour and whisk vigorously until thickened.
6.  Stir in browned vegetables, potatoes, shredded chicken and cheese.
7.  Add tabasco sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8.  I whisked in a bit more flour because I like my pies with a thicker sauce.
9.  Discard thyme sprigs.
10. Let mixture cool completely and scoop some in each pie tin until almost full.
11.  Top with a cut square or circle of puff pastry cut to fit the tin size.  I cut the puff pastry into 1/2 inch strips and crossed them to make a lattice.  Brush with egg wash and bake until sauce is bubbly and puff pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Finally, an Oatmeal that I like.

I never liked oatmeal as a kid.  I know I've tried it when I was younger but as my mom said, I did not like "mushy" foods as a kid.  Sometimes, it would even make me gag.  I was a good solid food eater.  I gave oatmeal a shot when I was older and still never seemed to like it.  I didn't know how it should be prepared, you know the instant packet kind.  I think I always added too much water or over or under cooked it.  Nevertheless, I bought oatmeal at least half a dozen times because I wanted to like it.  I love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and I know oats are a nice healthy breakfast.  I mean they started selling it at Jamba Juice and Starbucks as a breakfast option.  I thought it was strange, but I guess that's just me.  I finally got this box of High Fiber Maple and Brown Sugar and decided to give it another shot and I can say now that I actually like oatmeal!  Forgive me for being so excited about it, but I am happy to say I now can eat oatmeal.  I made my first packet using a combination of milk, water, and fat-free half and half to make 1/2 cup and microwaved it for 1:30.  I only used those instead of straight water or milk because I had it on hand and it sounded good to me.  It was nice and creamy.  I've also tried it adding about 2tbs of plain oat bran before microwaving it and it's better that way because it's normally a little too sweet for me.

South Indian Green Bean Curry

Mixed with rice is the best!

This dish is so simple, healthy, and surprisingly full of flavors it was instantly one of my favorite vegetarian South Indian dishes I've had.  One of my best friends' mom makes this at her home and when I had it with some chapati, I began to love vegetarian food.  I've also made this with cauliflower and potatoes and peas curry and they're all great.  I don't really find myself eating green beans or ever buying it unless it is a holiday dinner, but after having some of this, I buy it from time to time to make this dish. 

Ingredients:

1/3 to 1/2 lb fresh green beans, diced into small pieces
1/2 medium onion diced
1 medium sized tomato, roughly diced
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp Sambar powder (depending on desired spice)
salt
water

1.  Heat olive oil in a pan and fry mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and turmeric.
2.  Once the seeds start popping in the oil, add diced onions and cook for a few minutes.
3.  Add tomato and and cook a few more minutes.
4.  Add diced green beans, salt, sambar powder and mix well.  Let it cook for 3 minutes.
5.  Taste and season to desired spice and saltiness.
6.  Add about 1 tbs water and cover with a lid, reduce heat, and leave it to cook for about 5 more minutes or until green beans reach desired tenderness.
7.  Serve with rice or roti.

Korean Potato Starch Noodles: Jap Chae

I first had jap chae at a Korean restaurant and absolutely loved it.  I love sesame oil and the clear noodles and beef slices.  Some places serve it cold as one of the many Korean side dishes, but I think it should be served warm.  When I first made it, I realized it is a lot easier to make than what you may think.  It just takes a lot of steps when you cook each ingredient separately, then mix it all together in the end.  It is also best to eat right after you make it.  I found the noodles didn't keep as well the next day.


Ingredients:

2/3 pound of beef flap meat*
1 package of Korean sweet potato starch noodles/vermicelli noodles
3 tbs sesame oil** plus some for stir frying
1/2 onion sliced
3-4 sprigs of green onions
1 bunch of spinach
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup Kikkoman brand soy sauce**
1 tbs sugar (at least)
salt and pepper to taste

shitake mushrooms, sliced (optional and I left it out because I cannot stand them)


1. Marinate sliced beef in 1 tbs soy sauce, a l ittle sesame oil and a little sugar for about 30 minutes.
2.  Boil a large pot of water for the noodles and cook about 2/3 of the package according to package instructions (about 5 mins).  Be sure NOT to over cook the noodles!
Once the noodles are cooked, run it quickly under cold water so it does not stick together.
3.  Stir fry the beef in a pan with some sesame oil, set aside.
4.  Stir fry the onions in a pan with sesame oil and salt until softened, set aside.
5.  Stir fry carrots with sesame oil and salt until semi soft, set aside.
6.  Stir fry green onions in pan with sesame oil quickly until just soft, set aside.
7.  Blanch spinach until just soft and rinse with cold water, then squeeze dry in a paper towel.  Mix cooked, dried spinach with a little salt and sesame oil.
8.  In a large pot or bowl, mix noodles with 3 tbs sesame oil and soy sauce  (or however much you like) and then add all of the cooked ingredients.
9.  Mix very well (it is easiest with your hands) then add sugar and salt.  Taste and add more of seasonings to your preference.

*  You can use any cut of beef, I just found that flap meat has the perfect texture because it's not too dry or chewy.

**  The amount to add of these are really to your preference, I used a low sodium soy sauce and thought it was not salty enough at all so I had to add some salt.

Thai Panang Curry with Beef

One of my favorite Thai curries has to be panang because it's meaty, nutty and not as soupy like most other curries such as green curry.  This dish has less coconut milk and it taste the best with a type of red meat like beef or pork.  Of course, you can use chicken or even shrimp.  I like it with peas, though authentic Thai recipes don't really add any vegetables and they definitely do not add bell peppers like a lot of Thai restaurants do here.  If you can get your hands on some sticky rice, it accompanies my panang very well!

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk
1lb (approx) beef (or pork) sliced into strips.  Any cut of beef with some fat marblization (is this a word?) is best.
2 tbs panang curry paste
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 tbs olive oil
1-2 kaffir lime leaves (if you cn get it)
1 tsp fish sauce (or to taste)
1/2 to 1 tsp sugar
water

1.  In a medium sized pot, fill the pot about half way with water and bring to a boil.  Add the sliced beef, make sure beef is submerged.  Cook the beef for about 5-8 minutes then drain.  This is to make sure the beef fat and blood  are cooked out and will not coagulate in the sauce.
2.  In a deep, clean pan or wok, heat 1 tbs olive oil and add curry paste after it is hot.  Watch out for oil splattering. 
3.  After 1 min,  slowly stir in coconut milk and stir until paste has dissolved.
4.  After it simmers, add lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar, taste and add more paste if you want it spicier.
5.  Add beef  and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until sauce has thickened  some.  Panang is supposed to be somewhat dry, but you may need to add about 1/2 can water so you can have some curry sauce so it's not too dry to eat with rice.
6.  Taste the beef to see if it is soft enough.  Once almost done, add peas and simmer a few more minutes.
7.  Serve with Jasmine rice.

Spaghetti Bolognese

I can't believe that of all these years I have been making spaghetti and meat sauce, I never knew what goes into a spaghetti bolognese recipe. Actually, I did not realize that it is mainly a meat sauce, and a true recipe includes only a small amount of tomato sauce. I absolutely love this sauce and could probably eat it every day. You can always change it up a bit by using different types of ground meat and spices. Here's how I do it:





Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
4oz diced bacon or pancetta
3/4 cup finely diced carrots
3/4 cup finely diced celery
1/2 of a medium onion finely chopped
1 cup beef stock
1 clove mince garlic
1 cup red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 can crushed tomato, seasoned if you like
1 to 2 tbs TJ's Red Pepper Spread (adds a nice sweet sorta flavor)


garlic seasoning
pepper

1. In olive oil, cook the pancetta, onions, carrot, celery, and garlic until soft.  If using bacon, cook separately until almost crispy then drain fat and add to veg. pan with olive oil.
2. Add the ground meat, pepper, garlic seasoning and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add beef stock and red wine and cook until some water has evaporated.
4. Stir in tomato paste, ketchup, can crushed tomato
5. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

A traditional bolognese dish adds a bit of cream or milk to the sauce in the end, but I left it out and it's good either way!

I Love Pizza

 

I have been trying to find out what a New York Pizza tastes like since I have never had the pleasure of eating a slice in NYC, so I went to this place New York Pizza and Pasta in West Los Angeles to try it out.  I’ve been told it’s the closest thing to NY so far by a New Yorker living in LA…and damn was it gooood.  We ate the entire medium pie.  Well, the slices weren’t THAT big but it was too good to stop.  I loved this pizza and the meatball sandwich I saw being eaten by the man next to me looked awesome too.  I’ll have to try it next time I go, if I can resist not ordering a pizza again. 

Dish #1 Braised Chicken Stew in Dutch Oven

I bought an issue of the Food Network magazine simply because I couldn't resist the photo on its cover of a delicious looking "one-eyed toast" and strips of perfectly cooked bacon. I had to have it! As I was reading it I came across this equally delicious looking pot of Beer-Braised Chicken and decided to make an adaptation of it with slightly different ingredients. I don't really like using beer because I don't like its taste. Actually, I tried this recipe almost exactly and it came out terrible mid-way because of the beer and mustard, so I changed it up and here's what I did.

Ingredients:

3 slices extra thick cut bacon cut in 1/2 inch pieces
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in half
salt and pepper
flour for dredging chicken
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pearl onions, fresh or frozen
1/2 pound small baby potatoes cut in half
3 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tablespoons chicken/beef stock powder
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 can stewed tomatoes (I used sliced)
1 lemon wedge juice
1/2 cup white wine
some water to cover the pot

1. Cook the bacon pieces in a dutch oven/crock pot like from Le Creuset* on stove until browned. Remove bacon and set aside and leave the grease.
2. Clean and dry each chicken piece. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour.
3. In another non-stick pan, sear the chicken with olive oil on both sides until browned then return to crock pot with bacon grease and cook for a few more seconds. (I found this to be better because the chicken was sticking to the crock pot.)
4. Add wine, onions, potatoes, thyme, sugar, water just so that it covers the ingredients.
5. Stir in stock powder and can of stewed tomatoes.
6. Let simmer of 15 minutes, then add in parsley, bacon, lemon juice.
7. Put the pot in the oven at 375 F for about 20 minutes. Season more to taste if you like, then remove from oven when the potatoes are cooked to your liking. Discard thyme stems.
You can also add some cooked macaroni to your bowl just before serving. It's delicious!


*I know those wonderful Le Creuset pots are too expensive for a lot of people (especially a student like me) but I found mine at the Cost Plus World Market for about $20, so you can find one for a reasonable price out there too.