The Little Chicken that Could

There is an amusing story about this next recipe.  If not amusing, it is, at the very least, educational. 

Just before Christmas vacation, we decided to try this whole chicken roast.  The recipe clearly states the amount of time necessary to cook but somewhere, somehow inbetween converting kilograms into pounds (time based on weight of chicken), I completely screwed up.  I underestimated how long we needed to cook it by about 1 hour.  (I did it for 55 minutes).  We undercooked the bird and ended up cutting off all the meat and then continued cooking in a skillet, thinking that would be faster.  I ended up spending my Christmas vacation with a terrible parasite.... and this cooking fiasco might be to blame. 

SO.  I knew the recipe had great potential and I finally got the nerve to try it again.  This time, I cooked it for just under 2 hours and it was perfect.  Well worth all the time spent marinating, letting the chicken rest at room temperature, the rub and seasonings, and the long amount of cooking time. 

Lesson learned:  make sure you cook the chicken long enough!  I had never cooked an entire bird before, so I didn't have knowledge of what a "normal" cooking time should have been.  Use the thermometer!

Peruvian Syle Roast Chicken

Buttermilk Soak
3 cups buttermilk
2 crushed garlic cloves
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons salt

Peruvian Style Rub
1 full head of garlic
1 teaspoon EVOO
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

3-4 limes
3-4 springs fresh thyme, destemmed and chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
3-3.5 pound whole chicken, rinsed and tidied up

1. Mix together all ingredients for the buttermilk soak.  Soak the chicken in the buttermilk brine for 3-4 hours.  I place the chicken in a large ziplock bag and then pour all the liquids over it.  Place in refrigerator and turn occasionally.

2. Roast the head of garlic. Slice off the top of the head, exposing all the cloves. Drizzle the oil in between all the cloves, and wrap the whole thing up in foil. Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees.  (I use my toaster oven).

3. Squeeze all the tasty roasted garlic out into a small mixing bowl.  Add the butter and spices, and the juice of one of the limes, and make a paste.

4. Remove the chicken & brine from the refrigerator.  Rinse the chicken and pat it dry.  Rub the paste under the skin of the breast and thighs and then over the entire chicken. Tuck one or two quartered limes in the cavity and truss the chicken loosely.

5. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature, and the paste to season the chicken, for about 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 with the rack in the bottom third of the oven.

7. Slip in the chicken, back side down, onto a roasting pan and then place in the oven.  (In the states, I will probably use my Dutch Oven, but for down here, I bought an aluminom roasting pan and placed it on a baking sheet.)

8. The chicken needs to cook for a long time.  The only reliable test is a thermometer reading of 160 degrees.  I started checking mine at the one hour mark.  Mine cooked for 1 hour and 55 minutes.

9. Remove the chicken and juices from the roasting pan and put it on the stove in a large skillet with deep sides.  Over high heat, add thyme and 1/2 c chicken broth, then spoon the broth over the chicken. Allow the bird to rest for 10 minutes, then quarter and serve.

Bon appetit!

Buttermilk soak

Peruvian style rub

Letting the chicken rest at room temperature

Out of the oven

In the pan with thyme and chicken stock

Lots of meat!

Mushrooms

Shea and I don't often enjoy snack foods or appetizers before big meals, but the other night I decided to fix up some stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer.  Shea arrived at my house just as I was putting the mushrooms into the oven.  He took a sample of the filling and raved about it.  As soon as the mushrooms were done cooking, we gobbled them up.  These are an excellent appetizer! 

Stuffed Mushrooms

12 fresh button mushrooms, stems reserved
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion (maybe less???)
1/2 package of philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less, if you don't want as much of a kick)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray mini muffin tray with PAM cooking spray.  If you don't have one, a baking sheet can be used.

2.  Clean mushrooms with a damp towel.  Break off stems and discard tough end of stem.  Place stems, onion, and minced garlic into a food processor and process into a very fine mixture.

3.  Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add EVOO and sautee stems, onion, and garlic mixture until all moisture has been drawn out.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.

4.  Mix together cream cheese, parmesan cheese, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Add in the sauteed mixture and stir until well blended.

5.  Place mixture into mushroom caps. 

6.  Bake 20 minutes, uncovered. 

Bon appetit!

Next time I make them (because Shea says there WILL be a next time), I am going to try adding breadcrumbs to the recipe.  I want a little crunch to go along with these.  I'm not sure whether I will mix the breadcrumbs into the filling or just sprinkle each filled mushroom before placing in the oven.  I will share my results when I make this next!

Another Shrimp Pasta Dish

Shea and I had some leftover alfredo sauce that we didn't want to spoil.  Alfredo sauce bought from the store is pretty expensive here and I haven't yet had the time to try a homemade alfredo sauce.  I did a quick search for recipes that weren't just the typical "alfredo pasta dishes" and found this one.  I ended up using rigatoni pasta and cremini mushrooms and omitted the parsley because I didn't have any on hand.  The cayenne pepper can definitely add some heat - watch out!  Next time I make this I'm going to try roasting my red pepper beforehand to add some more flavor.  Such a nice, simple dish! 

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo

short cut pasta of your choice (penne, rigatoni, farfalle, fusilli, etc)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 large cremini mushrooms or 1 large portobello mushroom, sliced
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 (15 oz) jar Alfredo sauce
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, optional

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add in onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushrooms.  Cook additonal 3 minutes.

3. Add shrimp to pan.  Cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, parmesan cheese, and cream.  Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until thickened, roughly 4 minutes.  Season with cayenne, salt (I didn't add salt), and pepper to taste.

4. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with fresh parsley (optional).

Bon appetit!

Fiesta Time!!

In the summer of 2009 I presented a horn recital in Kokomo.  It provided me with a challenge to work towards duing our vacation away from work in Mexico.  It was a wonderful experience to have played a successful recital, to catch up with old friends, and also to see the large amount of support from family and friends.  The recital went extremely well and I was pleased to have planned a reception immediately afterwards.  I provided a buffet of food and drinks for everybody to enjoy.  The following recipe is the homemade avocado salsa that I made for this event.  Everybody raved over it and the entire bowl of salsa was gone before I even had a chance to have some myself!  If you were at that recital and wanted the recipe for the salsa, here it is!!!

Avocado Salsa

1 can of corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
large handful of cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 avocados, diced

1. In a large bowl, combine corn, black beans, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro.

2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.  Pour into vegetable mixture.  Mix thoroughly.

3. Cover and chill until party (at least 3 hours).

4. Add diced avocado just before serving.

Bon appetit!

This recipe makes a lot of salsa.  It can easily be halved if you just want a healthy snack for around the house.  The salsa stays good in refrigerator for several days.

Summertime walks

Another summertime specialty in my house throughout childhood was fresh asparagus.  My mother was known for walking a two mile county road and picking the fresh asparagus that grew wild alongside the road, hidden between overgrown brush and next to corn fields.  As children, we always wanted to accompany her on these walks because it meant riding your bike outside the neighborhood -- such a treat!  As we grew older, we were allowed to go with her during some of the summertime walks and help her hunt for asparagus. 

In Mexico, the asparagus is usually a hit or miss.  Sometimes the crops are great and other times they are already turning bad by the time it gets stocked on shelves.  It's always a pleasure to see fresh asparagus and even more of a pleasure when prepared with this recipe.  Enjoy!

Baked Asparagus

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus
salt
pepper
PAM cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet in single layer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spray with PAM. 

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

4. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat.  Brown butter as much as you can before it starts to burn.  Remove from heat.  Add in balsamic vinegar and soy sauce.  Stir.  Pour over baked asparagus for a tasty sauce!

Bon appetit!

It's simple, healthy, and tastes great!  This is a winner!

Pizza, Pizza!!

I think I've finally created the perfect homemade pizza crust.  Yay!  The dough rises super easily, it bakes up so that it has just a touch of crunch, but complete dough-i-ness on the inside, and it tastes great with any of your favorite pizza toppings! 

Homemade pizza crust

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (one .25 ounce package does the trick!)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups water, warmed to 110 degrees F (45 degrees C)  ****see note below****
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons EVOO, plus extra
3 1/3 cups flour

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water.  Let stand until creamy and frothy, about 10 minutes. 

2. Add in salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and 2 tablespoons EVOO.  Stir. 

3. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of flour.  Knead dough on a well floured flat surface.  It will be quite sticky at this point, but add in more flour (the remaining amount of flour) until it is smooth. 

4. Place dough in a well oiled large bowl.  Cover and let dough rise for one hour.  It should double in size. 

5. Punch down dough and let it form a tight ball.  Let rest for another 2 minutes. 

6. Roll out dough or hand roll directly onto baking pan (that has been sprayed with PAM cooking spray).  Let stand for another 10-15 minutes. 

7. Bake dough for 9 minutes without any toppings.  This will start to give it a crunchy, browned bottom.  Add toppings and cook another 15 minutes.  Adjust cooking times if you want a softer or crisper crust.

Bon appetit!

The absolute key to making any homemade dough is the water temperature.  The water temperature MUST be 110/45 degrees!!!!!  I made pizza crust several times without taking the temperature of the water -- just bringing water up to what I thought was the correct temperature.  Guess what?!  The dough didn't turn out well!  The first time that I accurately measured the temperature I got a COMPLETELY different result.  What I was making before tasted fine, but this was a MUCH better product.

You can use more or less of the garlic and onion powders.  I started to use them for extra flavours and have really enjoyed the addition.  I've found the best amounts for our tastebuds is the 1/4 teaspoon. 

This recipe makes a BIG pizza!

Up close of the crust

Side view of the crust.

Thai Curry

The longer I experiment in the kitchen, the more ethnic the recipes get.  I love the fact that I don't cook the same types of foods over and over and over.  When planning a weekly menu, I usually try for a few chicken recipes, some soups, a few seafood inspired dishes, some Italian pastas, and lately I've been trying out the Asian/Thai food group.  When I saw this Thai Curry dish with Shrimp, I knew I had to try it.

While shopping for ingredients, I ran into a few problems:  I could not find red curry paste (so I used green) and I could not find fish sauce (so I omitted it).  I'm sure the final result was pretty different from what was originally intended, but this came out pretty well.  I'm extremely curious to make it with the red curry paste in the future, as red curry and coconut milk are always a perfect match.  I left the ingredients in the recipe as written in the recipe, but you will notice in the pictures that I do not have a "red" curry sauce so I wanted to mention this upfront. 

The recipe stressed the importance of the fried shallots, but I could have gone without them.  They didn't make (or break) the dish for me.  This is a time consuming recipe, but well worth it if you are in the mood for some homemade Thai food!

Thai Curry Noodles with Shrimp

Ingredients

Lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
vegetable oil
1 cup shallots, sliced into rounds
salt
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons flour
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce, or more to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/3 cup scallions, sliced for garnish
1 lime, quartered for garnish

1. Season the shallots with salt.  Combine the flour and cornstarch and then add this to the shallots.  Toss the shallots so they become coated with the flour mixture.  Shake off excess flour.

2. Heat a medium sized pot over medium heat.  Add a half inch of oil to the pot.  When the temperature of the oil is 325 degrees, fry the shallots until they are crispy.  Don't let them brown too much to avoid a burnt taste.  Removed them from the pot to a paper towel.  Set aside.

3. Combine the garlic, curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, and cumin.  Heat a large pot of medium heat.  Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot.  Add the garlic and spices to the pot.  Sear the spices just until fragrant and then add the chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes.

4. While curry is simmering, cook noodles according to package directions.  Strain and keep warm.

5. After simmering, taste the curry to see if you want to add a touch more of the fish sauce. 

6. Add the shrimp to the curry.  Let them cook until almost done and then turn the heat to high.  Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice and bring the sauce back to a boil and then turn off the heat.

7. Place the noodles in individual bowls.  Pour curry sauce and shrimp.  Top with fried shallots and fresh green onions.  Serve with lime slices on the side. 

Bon appetit!

With the fried shallots