Eggplant with Ricotta Cheese and Scallions ( Involtini de Milanese)

Back to Italy, Buon Appetito!!!

Thai Style cucumber salad

Tofu Pad Thai

I prepared this popular Thai dish restaurant style. I used tomato sauce in stead of tamarind sauce because I wasn't able to find a tamarind to make Pad Thai sauce.

Pork with Thai Basil Sauce

I prepared the dish the way my mother used to make it for me back in Thailand. When i was eating it i felt like home with my mom, it might be a little bit spicy for somebody who doesn't like spicy food. For me, it is perfect summer dish.

Chicken with Thai Basil sauce (Pad Kraprao)

This is my favorite Thai dish; the main ingredients are garlic, fresh chili and Holy Thai Basil. The dish is very popular in Thailand, normally they serve the dish over rice and fried egg on top. You can prepare the dish with meat, seafood or vegetables. I prepared this dish Restaurant style. Explain, Krapow means Holy Thai Basil, it is widely known across South Asia as a medicinal plant. Holy Thai Basil should not be confused with Thai Basil (Horapha) which is used in Thai Restaurants. Holy Thai Basil leaves are strongly scented and spicy taste.

Make 3 servings

Ingredients


Spice Paste;

3 garlic cloves
1 cup red bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups onion chopped into 1-inch pieces
In the food processor, combine all the ingredientss and pulse it for 4-times, set aside in the small bowl.


Main Ingredients;

1 lb boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced ( marinade chicken with stir fry sauce in a zip log bag for 10 minutes), set aisde.
1 cup red bell pepper cut into 1-inch strip pieces
1 cup green bell pepper cut into 1-inch strip pieces
1 1/2 cup onion cut into wedge pieces


Seasoning;


 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (Olive oil is fine)
2 tablespoons stir fry sauce (find in Asian section in the grocery store)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup cooking wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Pepper flake in the amount you need
At the end of cooking process, you can add Thai Basil if you have it on hand.
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl but leaving out the oil and pepper flake and set aside.


Method

1) Heat the heavy pan on medium heat; add the oil and spice paste. Saute for 2 minutes.

2) Add chicken and stir fry for about 4 minutes.

3) Add the vegetables and the seasoning mix; stir fry for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables and chicken cook through but not over cook the vegetables. Add the pepper flake if you would like.

Coffee Banana Bread

(Make 1 loaf)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 medium size ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup hot espresso ( Brewed coffee is fine)
To make 2 loaves, double the ingredients

1) Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
2) Mixed flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

3) In a separate large bowl, mix sugar, softened butter, egg and vanilla extract and cream together with the mixer. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, slowly add hot coffee 1/4 cup at a time, mixing until combined. Add mashed bananas and blend thoroughly.

4) Pour into grease 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes for 1 loaf or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Thai Style Spring Rolls

Risottos

Risotto is a traditional Italian rice dish cooked with broth and flavored with Parmesan cheese and other ingredients, which can include meat, fish, or vegetables ( My favorite is Seafood Risotto, Northern Italian style). It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italian Cuisine. Risottos are made by using short-grain rice with stock being added gradually while the rice is stirred constantly. The rice is first cooked briefly in butter or Olive oil to coat each grain in a film of fat, it is very important to coat the rice well with the oil or butter because you don't want sticky risotto at the end. White wine is added and has to be absorbed by the grains. When its has evaporated, the heat is raised to medium high and hot stock is gradually added in a small amounts while stirring gently, almost constantly. The cooking technique leads the rice to release its starch, giving the finished dish a creamy texture. The cheese is usually omitted if the risotto contains fish or other seafood. Properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite: al dente, and with separate grains.

The first time that I made risotto, I didn't use the right amount of stock and at the end the risotto wasn't smooth and creamy. It took me two times to make a perfect risotto. I like to show you two different risottos that I made. The first is the vegetarian risotto and then i made a chicken risotto.

Asparagus Risotto

Make 4 servings

Ingredients

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Boiling chicken stock, 4 cups (prefer homemade chicken stock but store bought is fine)
Onion finely chopped, 2/3 cup
Arborio rice, 11/2 cups
Dry white wine, 2/3 cup
Asparagus cut into 1-inch length, 2 cups
Parsley finely chopped, 1 tablespoon
Garlic finely chopped, 1 tablespoon
Lemon Zest, 1 lemon
Butter diced, 3 tablespoons
Grated Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup
Juice of 1/2 lemons

Preparation

1) Prepare all the ingredients and set aside in a small bowls.

2) Heat chicken stock and hold warm over low heat. Heat the heavy skillet large enough to accommodate all of the ingredients on medium high. Add the olive oil and chopped onion, stirring frequently, until softened. Add chopped garlic and  saute for 1 minute.

3) Add 11/2 cups of rice and stir with the wooden spoon to toast the rice for 3 minutes. Add dry white wine and continue to stir until all of the wine is absorbed by the rice.

4) Add 1/3rd of chicken stock and continue to stir and add the next 1/3rd of stock when the previous 1/3rd is absorbed by the rice. Keep giving the rice a light stir, after 20-25 minutes the rice should be al dente.

5) When the last 1/3rd of stock is almost absorbed. Gently stir in the asparagus, chopped parsley and lemon zest. Continue cooking and stirring for 3 minutes or until the asparagus cooked through.

6) Remove the skillet from heat and gently stir in butter, lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese. Give the risotto a light stir last time before serving.

Chicken Risotto

Make 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
11/2 tablespoons shallot, finely chopped
11/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry White wine

4 cups boiling chicken stock

2 cups cooked skinless chicken breast, cubed (prefer rotisserie chicken, it gives a great flavor to the risotto)
11/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, diced
1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

1) Prepare all the ingredients and set aside in the small bowls.

2) Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan until foaming. Add chopped garlic and shallot, cook gently for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently until softened.

3) Add 11/2 cups of rice and stir with the wooden spoon to toast the rice for 2-3 minutes. Add dry white wine and continue to stir until all of the wine is absorbed by the rice.

4) Add 1/3rd of chicken stock and continue to stir and add the next 1/3rd of the stock when the previous 1/3rd is absorbed by the rice.

5) When the last 1/3rd of stock is almost absorbed, gently stir in cooked chicken, green peas, chopped scallion and chopped parsley. Give the risotto a light stir until the stock is absorbed by the rice. Remove skillet from heat; gently stir in diced butter and grated Parmesan cheese and give the risotto a last stir before serving.

6) Serve immediately, top with the remaining chopped scallion and chopped parsley for garnishing.

Stir-Fried Green Beans with Pork (Pad Moo sai Toor)

Make 2 servings

Stir-Fried which means "Pad" in Thai language. Stir-frying is a super way to prepare Thai food. Stir-frying requires big heat, and the best source for modern cooks is a gas stove. If you don't have a gas stove use a Heavy Dutch oven or a big cast-iron frying pan that has the mass to retain the heat you need. Preheat the pan before you add the oil so you have enough heat to get the job done, and when working with that kind of heat you need to stir often to prevent food from burning. In Thai cuisine, Stir-Fried is normally done by stir-frying the main protein with different kinds of vegetables. Stir-fried can be savory or spicy.

The first Stir-fried dish that I made is a non-spicy Stir-fried green beans with pork.

Ingredients

2 cups green bean (French bean) cut into 1-inch long
1 cup pork loin boneless thinly cut into 1-inch pieces (remove the fat before cutting the pork)
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tablespoon oil (prefer oilve oil but vegetable oil is fine)
1/4 cup chicken broth

Sauce

1/4 cup cooking wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Method

1. Preheat the pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the moment later adds garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic become a light brown color. Add Pork and stir-fry for a few minutes.

2. Add chicken broth, green beans and the sauce, stir-fry and cook for about 5-6 minutes or until the green beans cook through but are still crispy.

3. Serve immediately with cooked rice.

The second Stir-fried dish is a "Toor Pad Nam Prik Pao Sai Moo" in Thai language. It is a spicy stir-fried green beans with pork.

Make 2 servings

Ingredients

1 cup green bean (French bean) cut into 1-inch long

1 cup pork loin boneless thinly cut into1-inch pieces (remove the fat before cutting the pork)

3 jalapeno seeded cut into small wedges

2 tablespoons roasted red chili paste (Find in Asian store or in grocery store)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 1/2tablespoons Thai fish sauce (Find in Asian store or in grocery store)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Method

1. Preheat the pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the moment later adds roasted red chili, Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and pork, Stir-fry for a few minutes.

2. Add the green beans, jalapeno, sugar and Thai fish sauce. Stir-fry and cook for about 5-6 minutes or until the green beans cook through but are still crispy.

3. Serve immediately with cooked rice.

4. Hot cooked rice ( Jasmine rice is the perfect rice to eat with Thai food).

Salad Nicoise

The term " A la Nicoise" refer to dishes typical of  Nice in France and its surrounding area that contain tomatoes, olives, anchovies, and garlic.
Make 2 servings as a main dish

Ingredients
2 red potatoes
1 can (10 1/2 oz) tuna in oil
2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into half or wedges
11/2 cups green beans
12 black olive, pitted
2 cups green leaf lettuce, torn
2 plum tomatoes cut into a coin shape
8 anchovies in oil

Vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until just tender, Drain and cut into bite size. Set aside on the serving platter.
2. Cook the green beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then drain under the cold water and set aside.
3. To make vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar and lemon juice. Add the oil on a thin steady stream whisking until smooth. Put the vinaigrette in a small serving bowl.
4. Drain the tuna and set aside. Cut the tomatoes in a coin shape, drain the anchovies and pat to dry on the paper towel, cut the boil eggs in half, set aside.
5. Arrange the green beans, tuna, tomatoes, anchovies, olive and eggs together with the potatoes on the serving platter. Set the bowl of vinaigrette on the middle of the platter.
6. To serve, arrange the lettuce on a serving plate and scatter the potatoes, green beans, tuna, anchovies, tomatoes, olive and eggs drizzle some vinaigrette over the vegetables.

I just prepared food for my family on Easter's Day and I like to share some of the pictures to you guys. I will update my recipe soon.

Deviled Eggs

My thought about writing this blog

        Food is the way to bring people together on holidays and on special occasions in life. In America, the commercial stores have created on going sale during the holidays to help the economy throughout the year, starting from New Year, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Passover, Easter Sunday, Mother's Day, Memorial  Day, Father's Day, Independence Day(4th of July), Labor Day, Halloween, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, Hanukah and Christmas. It is all about eating during the holidays in America.
        My challenge of writing this blog is to cook my way through the International Cookbook in a year; I love to experience a new flavor of the different cuisines around the world. When I read a book about cooking I found out that many cuisines have their own condiments and spices to flavor the food but for the most part the ideas are the same.

Eggplant Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

I made this simple eggplant salad with lemon vinaigrette for dinner. The salad had a great flavor from chopped fresh mint and feta cheese. The salad can be main dish or just a salad depend on the proportion.

2 Servings for main dish, 3 or 4 Servings as a starter.
Time: 45 minutes

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

A freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon plus 1 tablespoon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium eggplants, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon capers, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper diced into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup plum tomatoes diced into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leave

Preparation


Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit

1) Cut the eggplants into 3/4-inch chunks

2) Squeezed the lemon juice into a medium bowl add salt and pepper. Slowly adding olive oil and whisk the mixtures together until well combined.

3) Toss eggplant with 1/3 cup vinaigrette, reserving the rest.

4)Arrange eggplant on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Let eggplant cool ( It can be warm but not hot enough to melt feta or wilt the mint).

5) Whisk together feta, garlic and capers into reserved vinaigrette. Toss together eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and mint leave into the vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Joy of Cooking and Baking

What to begin?