Roasted Squash Bread Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch wedges
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
• 3 (1-inch thick) slices country bread or round peasant loaf, torn into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro, parsley or dill, or a combination of all three (optional)

• PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. In a large bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season well with salt, black pepper and red-pepper flakes (if using) and toss again. Spread the squash in an even layer on the sheet pan and roast until it begins to brown in spots, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. While the squash roasts, in the same bowl (no need to wipe it out), toss the bread with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. After the squash has roasted for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from the oven and turn the squash pieces over. Add the bread to the sheet pan. Roast 10 to 15 minutes more, turning the bread halfway through, until the croutons are golden and crisp and the squash is tender.
  3. While the squash and croutons roast, whisk together the tahini, lime juice, honey and 2 tablespoons water. Season to taste with salt.
  4. Arrange the squash and croutons on a platter or in a bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Scatter with the herbs, if using.

 

Picadillo

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 ounces dried chorizo, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef
•  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped, or one 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
•  Pinch of ground cloves
•  Pinch of nutmeg
• ⅔ cup raisins
• ⅔ cup pitted stuffed olives.

• PREPARATION

  1. Put the olive oil in a large, heavy pan set over a medium-high flame, and heat until it begins to shimmer. Add onions, chorizo and garlic, stir to combine and cook until the onions have started to soften, approximately 10 minutes.
  2. Add the ground beef, and allow it to brown, crumbling the meat with a fork as it does. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  3. Add tomatoes, vinegar, cinnamon, cumin, bay leaves, cloves and nutmeg and stir to combine. Lower the heat, and let the stew simmer, covered, for approximately 30 minutes.
  4. Uncover the pan, and add the raisins and the olives. Allow the stew to cook for another 15 minutes or so, then serve, accompanied by white rice.

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie

In my many endeavours to use rhubarb without ending up with something that is both too sweet and sour at the same time, on June 12th I concocted this Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie. I think the richness of the cream cheese managed to balance the tartness and sweetness.

Here's the recipe, as best as I can remember it.

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie

A.

1/4 C cornstarch

3/4 C sugar

1 pinch salt

3 C chopped Rhubarb

B.

4 oz (half brick) cream cheese

1 egg

1/4 C sugar

C. Double Crust Pie Dough

(3C flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, pinch salt, 10 oz solid fat, 8-10 Tbsp ice water - make this using whatever your preferred method is; I usually do half butter half Tenderflake lard for the fat)

1. Mix A together in a bowl

2. Whisk B together in a separate bowl until smooth (-ish)

3. Pour A into the bottom crust, then pour B in over it

4. Add the top of the pie crust in a lattice

5. Bake at 425 F for 10 minutes, then at 375 F for an additional 30-40 minutes (place tinfoil on top to prevent the top from browning too much) 

Cantonese style Braised Beef Brisket

4 Servings

Ingredients

2 lb beef brisket
1 lb daikon
1 lb carrots
bean curd sticks ( eye ball)
3 garlic cloves sliced
3 slices of ginger - 1 inch long
1.5 tbsp chou hou sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp rock sugar
2 tbsp cooking wine
2 star anise
1 dried orange peel
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 1/2 cups of chicken or beef broth
soy sauce and salt to taste
scallions and cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Cut brisket into 1x2 inch cubes; blanch in boiling water. Remove, rinse and drain beef after water comes back to boiling.

2. Set oven to 300 F.

3. In a dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of oil in low heat.  Cook sliced garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

4. Add chou hou sauce, rock sugar, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce and stir fry on low heat for 1 minute.

5. Add blanched beef, cooking wine, star anise, orange peel and bay leaf.  Cook under medium heat until the beef is well covered in sauce and slightly brown; about three minutes.

6. Add 2 1/2 cups of broth and bring to a boil.

7. Cover dutch oven and place in heated oven for 2 to 2.5 hours until beef is tender.  Turn the beef with a spatula every hour.

8. Add daikon, carrot and bean curd sticks. Place back into oven until daikon and carrots are soft; 30 to 40 minutes.

9. Soy sauce and salt to taste.  Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

sour cream and onion chicken NYT

Crispy Sour Cream and Onion Chicken

ALI SLAGLE

• YIELD4 servings
• TIME35 minutes

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.

Picture sour cream and onion dip slathered on chicken cutlets, dredged in panko bread crumbs, and fried until crisp like a potato chip, and you’ll envision this recipe. The marinade doesn’t just deliver flavor here: The lactic acid in the sour cream also keeps the thin chicken breasts juicy. Shower the crispy chicken with fresh chives and lemon juice, or, if you crave something creamy for dunking, pair it with a dip of sour cream, lemon juice and chives.

 

899 ratings 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally (see Tip) and pounded 1/8-inch thick, or use 4 chicken cutlets (don’t split or pound)
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup thinly sliced chives (or 1 tablespoon dried chives), plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
•  Canola oil, for frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

PREPARATION

1. Pat chicken dry, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, chives and 1 tablespoon onion powder. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. (Chicken can sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours. Refrigerate, then let come to room temperature before cooking.)
3. In a shallow bowl or lipped plate, stir together the panko and remaining 1 tablespoon onion powder; season with salt and pepper.
4. Working one at a time, press the chicken breasts into the panko, using your fingers to pack the panko onto both sides of the chicken, and place on a large plate or a sheet pan.
5. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 1/8-inch canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Drop a piece of panko in: If it sizzles, the oil’s ready. Add a chicken cutlet (or two, if they can fit comfortably), and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding and heating more oil as needed, and removing excess panko from the pan with a slotted spoon.
6. Serve chicken with more chives and lemon wedges for squeezing.

Tip

• Freezing the chicken breasts for 15 minutes to firm them up will make slicing them through the middle easier.

Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BATTER:

•  Unsalted butter, for greasing
• 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup/120 milliliters vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup/60 milliliters honey
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (from 2 to 3 medium bananas)
• ¼ cup/60 milliliters warm water

FOR THE TOPPING:

• ¼ cup/55 grams brown sugar, preferably light brown or Demerara sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment or wax paper, leaving enough paper hanging over the sides to lift the cake out after baking. (This will prevent the topping from breaking when removing the bread from the pan.)
  2. Prepare the batter: In a medium bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a sturdy whisk, beat together oil, eggs and honey until smooth. Stir in bananas and warm water. Add dry ingredients to egg-oil mixture and stir to blend. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  3. Make the topping: In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon, using your fingers to break up any lumps. Sprinkle evenly over batter.
  4. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, checking after 50 minutes. If topping shows signs of burning, reduce heat to 325 degrees.
  5. Remove to a rack and let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Use the edges of the paper to lift the cake up and out. Place on a rack (leave the paper on) and let cool before slicing and serving.

Toum (Garlic Whip)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup peeled garlic cloves (about 32 cloves, from 3 to 4 whole heads)
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
• 3 ½ cups canola oil or grapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons ice water

• PREPARATION

  1. Place peeled garlic and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the garlic for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then repeat three more times until garlic is finely chopped.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and continue processing until a smooth paste forms, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl every 45 seconds or so. You want the wet, finely chopped garlic mixture to end up with a texture similar to mashed potatoes. Pinch it between your fingertips, and it should no longer feel gritty. (If you don’t blend the garlic enough at this stage, it won’t become fluffy and emulsified later.)
  3. With the food processor running, start incorporating 1 cup oil, drizzling it in at a slow, steady stream. Once the oil is incorporated, slowly add another 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Repeat this step with another 1 cup oil, then another 2 tablespoons lemon juice. By the end, the mixture should have a fluffy consistency.
  4. With the food processor running, alternate adding 1/2 cup oil in a slow, steady stream, then 1 tablespoon lemon juice. This should happen twice. Next, with the food processor running, add the remaining 1/2 cup oil in a slow stream until totally incorporated, then do the same for the ice water.
  5. Once finished, transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Toum will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.