Why Everyone Should Have a Slow Cooker!

I finally got a chance to use my crock pot that my sister got me for my birthday in August. I usually use Dutch ovens, but today I couldn’t be home to watch it. So it was the perfect reason to break in the slow cooker! There’s something SO comforting about anything slow cooked.. Brisket, short ribs, pork shoulder, arroz con pollo..

I’m loving brisket these days as we’ve just started our winter menu at work and brisket has been very popular. I usually buy brisket from Costco as it’s pretty affordable and good quality. But this time I was at trader joes so I bought a piece that was about 3lbs. It had some fat for flavor but didn’t require any trimming. As it was my first time using the crock pot, I had to play with times a bit. We had it with some creamy polenta, but you could have it with crispy bread, rice or potato purée. Here’s my recipe, hope you enjoy!

Serves 5 to 6

Ingredients

-3lbs brisket
-1 large yellow onion
-5-6 large fresh shiitake mushrooms
-2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
-3-4 sprigs thyme
-1 sprig rosemary
-1/2 cup whole garlic cloves
-3 bay leaves
-3-5 cups beef stock
-salt and pepper

Directions

Roughly chop the onions and layer on the bottom of the crockpot. Remove and discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms and roughly chop. Chop the cremini mushrooms as well. Add the shiitake to the onions. Cut several slits into the brisket and put whole peeled garlic cloves in. Add to the crockpot fat side up. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Arrange the cremini mushrooms, bay leaves and extra whole garlic cloves around the meat. If possible, bundle the thyme and rosemary with butchers twine. Otherwise tuck around the meat. I didn’t bother and it was just fine. It’ll be easy to pull out the stems. Finish with enough beef stock to just cover the meat. Cook on low for 7.5 hours.

The meat is done when it will shred easily with two forks. Once done, remove the meat to a baking dish. Shred with two forks and cover with a ladle of liquid to keep it moist. Lightly cover with foil.

Remove the thyme and rosemary sprigs from the broth. Also remove any bay leaves you can find. Skim as much fat as you can. You can use the sauce just as it is, but we quite like thicker gravy. Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. If you’d like it thicker, mix a couple tablespoons of corn starch and water in a small bowl. Add some of the puréed sauce to a pot and add a couple teaspoons of the corn starch mixture. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Plate your polenta or rice, top with shredded brisket and finish with the gravy. Top with some chopped parsley of you have it and enjoy!

Notes:

You don’t necessarily have to cover the meat with stock. You will have quite a bit of sauce/liquid left. The main reason I did was because I wouldn’t have time to turn the meat over. This way it was fully emerged and couldn’t dry out.

Leftover sauce would be a great soup. Add a bit of cream and more stock.

Leftover meat could be used over pasta or with a sandwich or quesadilla.

Carbonara in a Flash

It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to blog. I have been cooking lots but for now I thought I’d share a super fast dinner that will please any bacon lover in the family. Carbonara is a lot easier than you think!

1. Bring heavily salted water to a boil.
2. Chop several strips of bacon into small pieces. Place on a microwaveable plate between paper towels. Microwave for 2 minutes. Replace the paper and microwave another minute. Meanwhile chop a few sprigs of green onion and add spaghetti to the water.
3. Add the cooked bacon and onion to a large deep frying pan. Add about a half cup of cream, small handful of frozen peas and fresh black pepper. Heat on medium until it simmers. Keep on low heat.
4. When the pasta is finished, using tongs add it to the pan. Turn the heat off. Add a small handful of Parmesan cheese, more black pepper and two egg yolks. Save the whites for breakfast or make some meringue. Using the tongs stir everything together and serve immediately with a bit more Parmesan. Enjoy!!

Many Ways with Lean Ground Turkey

Recently I’ve been buying the large 4-pack of ground turkey at Costco. Each pack is about 1.5 lbs, so I’ve had to get creative for Chris and I to have a healthy dish without “tasting healthy” (aka bland). Of course, if I could I’d be eating ground beef or sausage instead! Here are a few of the ideas I came up. Hope you enjoy!

• Turkey, Tofu, Tomato Stew – a classic favorite my mom would make growing up, healthy and hearty!
• Turkey & Black Bean Chili – spices and a bit of beef broth help to add a burst of flavor
• Turkey Bolognese – tomato paste and loads of pureed vegetables “beef” up this dish
• Turkey Boscaiola – a woodsy Italian mushroom sauce, my take includes ground turkey, mushrooms, white wine, beef broth, fresh thyme and fennel seeds
• Turkey Asian Lettuce Wraps – a Chinese restaurant classic, make it simple with just soy sauce or jazz it up with hoisin or plum sauce
• Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps – you can easily cheat and use ready made taco seasoning and instead of tortillas or shells use iceberg lettuce

Most of these dishes I’ve recently made up and haven’t really measured. But as always, make sure you taste and season to your liking!

For the Turkey Black Bean Chili, finely chop a 1/2 yellow onion and a few cloves of garlic. Cook those for a couple of minutes and add the ground turkey. Crumble it as you brown and then add in some cumin, coriander and/or chipotle in Adobo if you have it. Add a beef stock cube for extra flavor. Cook for a few minutes then add the strained black beans and about 1 cup of beef broth depending on portions. Let simmer with a bay leaf or two for about a half hour. Taste and adjust salt/pepper/cumin accordingly. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro and/or sour cream. Easy and hearty.

For the Turkey Bolognese, I like to pack in as many vegetables as I can. Sometimes I’ll cheat and use my little Cuisinart chopper and I’ll blitz a couple raw carrots, couple raw celery and about a 1/2 yellow onion. Cook that with some olive oil for a couple minutes. Add the turkey, a good heap of tomato paste (a small tin if you have it), tomato sauce if you have, and a can of chopped tomatoes. For dried herbs, I use what I have in my cabinet so maybe Italian seasoning, some fennel seeds, extra oregano etc. Add a little beef broth if you have it and a good splash of red wine. Add some bay leaves and let this simmer for a good 30-40 minutes to let the flavors blend together. Taste and add salt/pepper/sugar as desired.

Perfect for Freezing

For the Bolognese, I used some defrosted roasted cherry tomato sauce I always have on hand instead of can tomatoes. It’s full of so much flavor and the big containers at Costco are much cheaper than the small ones at most grocery stores. Just lay the tomatoes on a baking sheet (with a rim, not a cookie sheet basically). Add several peeled garlic cloves. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, dusting of kosher salt, and lots of black pepper. Roast at 375F until the tomatoes have all popped (about 30 minutes). Let this cool and using a spoon smash up any remaining tomatoes that haven’t popped and smoosh the roasted garlic. You can then freeze this as is. When you’re ready, pop the ziplock in the microwave for a minute or two. You can then add it to the dish above, maybe add some sauteed onion or shallots and add some broth. But you could also pan fry some fish and serve right on top with some asparagus on the side.

The Turkey Boscaiola is inspired by one of my favorite little restaurants in London – La Porchetta. They make this dish with pork, so I thought it’d be an easy swap for ground turkey. Of course, they make it with delicious and rich cream. I actually made this dish without cream. However, I cheated and used some leftover beef stock/sauce from a Garlic Brisket I had made previously. So the beef stock I added had been reduced and slow cooked with onions and garlic (bursting with flavor!). I think it’ll be just as good with any beef broth. Let this dish simmer to get lots of flavor. If you don’t mind a little decadence then add cream of course! Otherwise, a bit of grated Parmesan on top is just as lovely.

Finally, for the Lettuce Wraps, both are extremely quick and very healthy. Serve it for lunch by putting the already peeled iceberg lettuce leaves into a small plastic bag. For the Asian style, cook some chopped onion and garlic. Add the turkey and cook a few minutes. Add any of the following – soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, plum sauce, chili garlic sauce. Remember you can always add more, so go easy, taste and add more if desired. Sesame oil is quite strong so you don’t need much. You can then add some crunch with water chestnuts or peanuts. Brighten it up with fresh chopped cilantro and/or green onion.

For the Taco Lettuce Wraps, simply make taco meat according to a package and serve with fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes and/or cheese with the iceberg lettuce wraps. If you want to make your own, add a bit of each – tomato paste, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic salt.

For the iceberg lettuce, I usually chop the core off. Then chop the lettuce in half. It usually makes it a little easier to get the leaves off. You can always thinly slice the center and make a taco salad!

Hope these mini recipes have given you some inspiration to be healthy. Remember you can always substitute pasta for brown rice or wholewheat pasta or even farro or couscous.

Happy Easter!

Sunday Special: Steak for Two

Today was a rare Sunday for me as I didn’t have any class to teach. So my hubby and I got to sleep in and have a nice relaxing day. He was craving steak, so we decided to buy a grill finally. We ended up with a portable Weber (200 series) from Home Depot and boneless rib eye steaks from Costco.

Now if you’ve read my blog you’ll know I come from a family of meat lovers, particularly steak. Consequently I’ve grown up with some pretty high standards set out by my dad and his ridiculously hot grill. Chris and I didn’t do too shabby tonight but somehow there’s nothing quite like Dad’s steak.

I feel there are some basics to making a great steak.

* Good quality fresh meat
* Time to marinate and time to bring the meat to room temperature
* A really hot grill

Of course, having some really nice side dishes always helps. But if the steak is good it’ll speak for itself! I season steaks really simply. My steps to preparing the meat are:

1. If you cant’t find good quality meat then I recommend using a fork and poking the meat all over on both sides. This helps to tenderize tougher cuts of meat. Some people believe you should never do this as it can let the juices out while others argue it lets the marinade in. Try it and see what you think!
2. Do a dusting (single layer) of garlic salt. It’s all in the wrist. And add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle all over with olive oil. You could do this a day in advance.
3. Bring the meat to room temperature about 20-30 minutes before cooking.

The key to a really good steak is a very hot grill. We put ours (gas grill) on high and let it heat for about 15 minutes. For a 1-inch thick steak, Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side for medium rare, 4-5 for medium. If you have to cook inside, use a cast iron stovetop grill for the marks. Pre-heat the oven to broil for at least 15 minutes. Get the grill screaming hot and grill for 30 seconds per side. Then pop it in the oven (preferably on the cast iron grill) for 2 minutes. Take it out and flip the steak. Put it back in the oven for 2 more minutes. It will be medium rare. Be sure to let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Now for the sides! My favorite vegetable side with steak is asparagus, but we chose to use up some leftover spinach, mushrooms and baguette today.

First up Creamy Garlic Mushrooms:

* Finely chop onion and garlic. Heat a large spoonful of butter and drizzle of olive oil (~tsp) in a medium pot on medium heat. Add the onion first.
* Meanwhile chop the mushrooms into quarters (smaller if your mushrooms are really big). Once the onions start to soften, add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the mushrooms and drizzle more olive oil. Stir for a few minutes. When they’ve softened and started to change color, add a half cup of dry white wine. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Add heavy cream to your liking. Simmer for another couple minutes. Season with kosher salt and fresh black pepper.
* If you’d like the sauce to be a little thicker, mix a teaspoon of corn starch with a teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Then add to the pot and let simmer a minute. This is a great appetizer with toasted bread any day!

For the Parmesan croutons you see in the photo, I used up some leftover baguette. Chop into bite size pieces. Coat with extra virgin olive oil. Dust with garlic salt and black pepper. Arrange onto a baking sheet and sprinkle Parmesan all over. Bake at 400F until toasted (~15 min).

The spinach is super quick as well. It’s optional to add some chopped onion. But basically heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Cut a large clove of peeled garlic in half. Stab it with a fork but be sure you haven’t poked all the way through. Add the spinach to the pan and stir with the garlic fork. The heat will release the garlic oil to add a subtle flavor and avoid any burnt garlic pieces!

Enjoy all of this with a nice Malbec or Zinfandel! Happy eating everyone!

PS Leftover steak is great with a fried egg on top!

Quick Dinner: Chicken Tamale Pie

Funnily enough, I had all of the cupboard staples for this recipe. I also had some leftover rotisserie chicken and this recipe was a perfect use for it all. This is a great, hearty and healthy dinner that’s good for any fan of Mexican food. If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, use any cooked shredded chicken you want. This is a great dish for leftovers as well. If you have vegetarians, simply replace the chicken with some sautéed bell peppers. And if you can’t find creamed corn, you can always use a can of regular corn but be sure to add some milk to replace the moisture. Enjoy!

Ingredients

~2 cups cooked leftover chicken, shredded

1 package/can of ready Enchilada sauce

1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 can creamed style corn

~1/2 cup sour cream or milk

1 large egg

~1 cup shredded cheese

1 small can 4.5oz can Green Chilies

~1 tsp ground coriander

~1 tsp ground cumin

~1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 can black beans

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

~2 tbsp garlic, chopped

~1 tsp ground cumin

bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the corn muffin mix, creamed corn, chilies, sour cream, egg, cumin/coriander and half the cheese. Spray a large casserole dish and add the mixture. Bake about 15 minutes until it starts to set. Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic and heat with oil in a small saucepan. Add the cumin and can of black beans (do not drain). Simmer for about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken. Shred the chicken and heat through with the enchilada sauce.

Once the corn mix has set, remove the dish from the oven. Using a fork, poke several holes all over. Spread the beans all over, leaving a border. Next layer with the chicken mixture. Finish by topping it off with the remaining cheese (enough to sprinkle all over). Bake for another 15-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole is puffed up. Finish with some fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!

You’ll Never Guess the Trick to Crispy Bacon

So my husband has always tried to convince me that his trick to crispy bacon is the best. Part of me still can’t get my head around it, but I’ve had to accept it does do a darn good job. The surprise is … The microwave!

So his not-so-secret-anymore method is..

1) Pan fry strips of streaky bacon until it’s starting to turn pink and curling up.
2) Put a couple layers of paper towel on a large microwaveable plate and place the bacon in a single layer. Place another couple paper towels on top. Microwave for 2 minutes.
3) Take it out and replace the paper towels. Wipe off any excess juices. Microwave for another 1 to 2 minutes until crispy.

You’ll be so surprised – I tell you! I was super spoiled today with my hubby making me a breakfast of super crispy bacon, caramelized onions, leftover steak, toast and fried sunny side up eggs. Yum! Hope you all had a lovely Sunday!

Lasagna For Friends

Lasagna is one of those great dishes that anyone can make their own. There are so many options for ingredients from spinach to sausage to butternut squash. You can either spend hours making it by reducing a fresh tomato sauce, or you can easily resort to delicious short cuts.

When I don’t have access to ripe tomatoes, I love to fall back on grape or cherry tomatoes. Get the oven heated to about 375/400F. Line a baking tray with foil, arrange the tomatoes, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper and let them roast until they’re all popped. If you’d like, you can add a couple cloves of garlic and/or a bay leaf. They’ll take about 20 minutes depending on how fast your oven is.

Meanwhile, sauté some chopped onion and brown Italian sausage (which should be well seasoned already) in a large frying pan. Mix whole milk ricotta with a handful of Parmesan, black pepper and defrosted (or fresh) chopped spinach. Add a bit of tomato paste if you have it to the sausage meat and stir through. Then add the roasted tomatoes and all their juices. Season generously with salt and some red pepper flakes. If you’d like, add some chopped mushrooms now and let it all simmer.

While the sauce is going, heat a couple large tablespoons of butter in a saucepan on medium heat. When it’s bubbling, add the same amount of flour and stir about 1 minute until it’s turning golden. Using a whisk, slowly add about a 1/4 cup of milk at a time. Be sure to whisk out any lumps before adding more. You’ll use about 2-3 cups of milk depending on how much flour/butter mixture (roux) you have. Take off the heat and add a handful of shredded mozzarella.

In a large baking dish, drizzle olive oil so the lasagna sheets won’t stick. Add a layer of your sauce then a layer of pasta. Next add a layer of the spinach ricotta mixture (use all of it) and the rest of the sauce. Next add a layer of pasta and top with the white béchamel sauce. Finish with another handful of mozzarella and Parmesan! Bake for about 30-35 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover with foil. ** The trick is to put the dish on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over!

Serve with buttery, cheesy garlic bread and dig in with family and friends for a truly comforting meal!

A Rainy Weekend Needs a Good Brunch

So it’s storming here in Northern California. It’s windy and we’ve got flood warnings. Although I managed to do a “speed walk” with my sister during a break in the rain, it is definitely a perfect day to stay in.

Earlier this week we had Turkey Enchiladas to use up the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers. Since it was just the two of us, I didn’t end up using all of the corn tortillas, salsa or cheese. And what better to make with all of these ingredients on a rainy Saturday morning?? Huevos Rancheros!

This is such a comforting brunch meal and will surely send you into a food coma afterwards! Steps for this:

* Heat refried pinto beans in a small pot with some chopped onion.
* Fry some bacon and / or sausages.
* Toast the tortillas straight on a gas stove or in a frying pan.
* Fry eggs on high heat with a lid just until the top of the yolks turn white.
* While the eggs cook, plate the tortilla, beans, shredded cheese and meat.
* Place eggs on top and finish with fresh salsa, sour cream and cilantro/coriander leaves. Extra hot sauce is optional!

Highly recommend you pair this meal with a glass of orange juice and a nap! Enjoy 🙂

Sunday Dinner Assortment

Today was a perfect lazy Sunday. One of those now very rare days for my husband and I when we stay in pajamas all day and watch movies. It was even better that the last two James Bond movies were on. The good thing was that I had done enough grocery shopping earlier in the week, so we weren’t short on supplies. But it was a sort of mix and match for dinner this evening with a bit of improvising.

* Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto
* Crostini with Homemade Pear and Apricot Chutney and Blue Cheese
* Pan Seared Chicken with Dijon Wine Sauce, Roast Yukon Gold Potatoes and Roasted Mix Vegetables
* Some extra Asparagus Soup too for lunch tomorrow

As you might’ve guessed I bought a lot of asparagus this week as it was on sale this week. One of my favorite ways to eat asparagus is to roast it in the oven with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. If I happen to have prosciutto, then it’s even better! Just remember to skip the salt as prosciutto is so salty already. Just roast at around 400F for about 15 min or until the prosciutto is crispy.

For crostini, slice a baguette thinly and drizzle olive oil. Toast in the oven around 400F for about 10 minutes or until starting to color. Be careful as they can get crispy without coloring too much. Top with some fruit chutney like pear or mango and top with a sharp cheese like blue or mature cheddar (I like Trader Joe’s English cheddar).

For the chicken, if it’s really thick butterfly it. Sprinkle with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan on low/medium heat. Cook the chicken about 4-5 minutes on each side depending on thickness. You’re going to add it back to the sauce to finish so if it’s slightly pink it’s ok. When done, set aside to let rest. Add a heaping tbsp of Dijon mustard, patty (tbsp) of butter and about a 1/2 cup white wine. Sprinkle black pepper and let simmer for about a minute. Meanwhile slice the chicken into bite size pieces. Turn the sauce to low heat and add the chicken back in. Heat through another two minutes roughly. Serve on top of roasted potatoes and vegetables. Simple and delicious!

PS: I only like roast potatoes if they’re crispy. So today I chopped some Yukon Gold’s into small 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400F until crispy. Same goes for mixed vegetables which tonight included red onion, zucchini and cherry tomatoes.

Hope you enjoyed your Sunday as much as I did. Have a great week!

Quick Dinner: Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

For a quick (and relatively healthy) dinner, I love to use my always ready stock of frozen shrimp. If you ever see them on sale, definitely stock up.

To defrost, either toss them into the fridge before you go to work or submerge the bag in a bowl of cold water for an hour or so. For this dish, I like to remove all of the shell.

Toss the shrimp with a dusting of Cajun seasoning and garlic salt. If you don’t have Cajun spice, just add a bit of paprika, oregano, thyme and onion powder.

Mince a few cloves of garlic. Then in a separate bowl, zest and juice one lemon and add a half cup of white wine. Chop a couple green onions and set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Next combine about 3/4 cup breadcrumbs with a bit of garlic salt and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Drizzle some olive oil in a small frying pan. Heat the breadcrumbs on low heat until golden. But keep an eye on them! Meanwhile heat some butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the shrimp and garlic to the butter and also add about half a packet of angel hair pasta to the boiling water.

Turn the shrimp after a minute and add the wine and lemon juice. Let simmer on low heat. Make sure the breadcrumbs are off the heat. Once the pasta is al dente (remember angel hair cooks very fast!), add it directly to the shrimp and turn the heat off. Add the green onion and toss well. Get your plates out. (I prefer flat soup bowls) Add half the breadcrumbs to the pasta. Toss again. Plate and sprinkle more breadcrumbs on top. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and enjoy!