Archive for August, 2018

Who needs take-out? This recipe from Martha Stewart is fun to make and delicious. Cook chow mein noodles until tender (or use fresh), then press into a cast iron pan and cook until they are brown. Carefully flip the noodles and brown on the other side; then set aside. Quickly cook chicken, mushrooms, broccolini, carrots (I used red pepper instead), ginger and garlic, toss with a glossy sauce and serve over the crispy noodles.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use tamari instead of soy sauce and stock and rice wine with no additives; I used Imagine Organic brand chicken stock and Eden rice wine.

Assemble the ingredients before starting to cook

Press cooked noodles into an even layer in the hot pan

Cook noodles until brown and crispy on both sides

Cook chicken until done and remove from pan

Cook shiitakes

Then add broccolini and carrot - I used red pepper instead of carrot

Add ginger, garlic, chicken and sauce to pan and heat through

Serve chicken mixture over crispy noodles

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons (45 ml) plus 2 teaspoons (10 ml) soy sauce

5 teaspoons (25 ml) cornstarch

3 tablespoons (45 ml) Shaoxing rice wine

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar

1 cup (250 ml) low-sodium chicken broth

8 ounces (226 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½ -inch (1.27-cm) pieces

Kosher salt

½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil

6 ounces (170 g) chow mein noodles (either fresh or dried and cooked until tender)

6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps cut into ¼ -inch (0.64-cm) strips (or dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and cut into ¼ -inch/0.64-cm strips)

¾ cup (180 ml) julienned carrot

1 cup (250 ml) chopped broccolini

3 tablespoons (45 ml) julienned peeled ginger (from a 3-inch/7.6-cm piece)

2 large cloves garlic, minced (4 teaspoons/20 ml)

1 cup (250 ml) mung bean sprouts (optional)

1 teaspoon (5 ml) toasted sesame oil

Preparation:

Whisk 3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce into cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) wine, sugar, and broth. Season chicken with salt and remaining 2 teaspoons (10 ml) soy sauce and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) wine.

Heat a 10-inch (25-cm) cast-iron skillet over medium-high and add ¼ cup (60 ml) oil; heat until shimmering. Add noodles and flatten to an even layer. Reduce heat to medium and cook 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup (85 ml) water and cook, pushing edges in with a spatula to shape into a more compact disc, until golden brown and the entire thing holds together like a mat, 4 to 5 minutes more. Carefully slide a spatula underneath and flip over. Drizzle 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil around edges of pan. Cook until crisp on the second side, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to serving plate.

Return pan to medium high-heat, add chicken, and cook until golden brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss and cook until almost cooked through, about 1 minute more. Remove from pan. To the pan, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add carrots and broccolini. Toss 1 minute. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir sauce to recombine, then add to pan and bring to a boil. Add chicken and toss to combine. Stir in sprouts and sesame oil. Serve over crispy noodles. Serves 4.

From Martha Stewart

This delicious recipe from the New York Times takes advantage of in-season corn and tomatoes. Sear the shrimp and cook the bacon until it’s crisp (I actually cooked the bacon first and then seared the shrimp in the bacon fat). Cook corn niblets and scallions and then add cold, cooked rice. Press the rice into the pan and let it cook until a brown crust forms. Top the crispy rice with the shrimp, tomatoes and bacon and serve.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for frozen organic shrimp with only salt added (fresh shrimp is often treated with sulfites to remain white). Use bacon preserved with celery salt.

This recipe uses fresh corn and tomatoes

Cook corn and scallions after shrimp and bacon are cooked

Add rice, pat into an even layer and cook until the bottom becomes crispy

Scrape the crispy rice from the pan to serve

Crispy rice with shrimp, bacon and corn

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

1 pound (454 g) peeled and deveined shrimp, patted very dry

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 strips bacon

3 ears corn

6 scallions

1 cup (250 ml) grape tomatoes, or 1 large chopped juicy tomato

4 cups (1 L) cooked rice

Preparation:

Heat oil in large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add to the hot oil in a single layer and sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Turn heat down to medium-low and add the bacon in a single layer. Cook, turning to evenly brown, until crisp, about 10 minutes.

While the bacon browns, shuck the corn and cut off the kernels. You should end up with about 3 ½ cups (875 ml). Thinly slice the scallions and set aside some greens for garnish. Cut the tomatoes in half. (If the bacon is done cooking before you’re finished slicing, remove the pan from the heat for a moment.)

Drain the bacon on paper towels, leaving as much liquid as possible in the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the corn, scallions, and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the scallions just wilt, about 1 minute.

Add the rice and stir until well-mixed and heated through, about 3 minutes. Press the rice evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Let cook, without stirring, as the rice and corn begin to crackle, until you smell a toasty scent and the rice browns, about 5 minutes. You can lift up a section of rice to peek and see if a golden-brown crust has developed.

Remove from the heat and divide the rice mixture among four bowls, scattering the tomatoes, shrimp and accumulated juices on top of each. (Alternatively, serve rice directly from the pan, with tomatoes and shrimp on top.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon all over and garnish with the reserved scallions. Serves 4.

From the New York Times

This recipe from Canadian Living cooks everything – chicken thighs, potatoes and greens – on a baking sheet. It’s quick, tasty and clean-up is a snap.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the seasoning to make sure it doesn’t contain additives or anti-caking ingredients. I made my own, mixing 2 tsp (10 ml) oregano, ½ tsp (2.5 ml) thyme, 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) onion power, 2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder, 1 tsp (5 ml) rosemary, pepper and salt.

Place ingredients on a baking sheet

Toss cooked chicken and potatoes with watercress or arugula

Sheet pan Greek chicken and lemony potatoes

Ingredients:

8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2.4 lbs/1.1 kg)

4 yellow-fleshed potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 1-inch (2.54-cm) thick rounds

3 cloves garlic, smashed

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) Greek seasoning

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) each salt and pepper

1 lemon, halved

4 cups (1 L) watercress or arugula

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. On pan, toss together chicken, potatoes, garlic and oil to coat; sprinkle with Greek seasoning, salt and pepper. Arrange in single layer with chicken skin side up. Add lemon, cut side up. Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced and potatoes are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

Add watercress; toss to combine (if substituting arugula for the watercress, there’s no need to return the pan to the oven. Just toss and serve). Return to oven; roast just until watercress is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze lemon over top; discard lemon halves. Divide chicken, potatoes and watercress among plates. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

Our dear friends Lisa and Gary invited us to their beautiful cottage for the long weekend and, aside from the great company and gorgeous lake, this clambake was a real highlight. You can cook it on top of the stove, but Lisa cooked it on the barbecue, in great pot she inherited from her mother-in-law. Lisa grilled the potatoes and corn before adding to the pot. The recipe is adapted from Canadian chef Stefano Faita. Make sure you have lots of crusty bread to sop up the delicious broth!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Lisa used Steam Whistle beer, Imagine organic chicken stock and salt instead of Old Bay Seasoning. Chorizo sausages often contain preservatives, so she used additive-free sausages, grilled in advance of being added to the pot.

Mix stock ingredients together

This recipe uses shrimp, clams and mussels

Serve with lots of crusty bread to mop up the broth

Stovetop (or in this case, barbecue) clambake

Ingredients:

1 bottle beer, such as pale ale or pilsner
1 to 2 cups (125 to 250 ml) chicken stock
6 shallots, cut in half
6 garlic cloves, crushed or left whole
3 sprigs thyme
2 large bay leaves
1 to 2 tbsp. (15 to 30 ml) Old Bay Seasoning (or salt)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound (454 g) mini potatoes
2 smoked chorizo sausages or kielbasa, cut into thirds
4 corn on the cob, cut into thirds
1 pound (454 g) little necks or manilla clams
½ pound (227 g) mussels
1 pound (454 g) large shrimp, peeled, tail on, deveined
2 lemons cut in half
Parsley, chopped for serving
Lemon wedges and hot sauce, for serving

Preparation:

Add to large pot or stock pot: beer, chicken stock, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and old bay seasoning. Bring to a boil.

When mixture starts to boil, add potatoes and sausages. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes start to soften slightly, about 10 minutes.

Add corn, clams, mussels, shrimp and lemon halves. Cover and let steam until clams and mussels have opened and shrimp start to curl, turn pink and are just cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes.

With slotted spoon or spider, remove seafood, sausage and veggies to large serving dish or platter. Finish with chopped parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce. Serves 4-6.

Adapted from Chef Stefano Faita