Shrimp Stirfry

I miss Blake's presence the most when we cook, especially on Stirfry Days. This lil sweet tradition of ours was started a while back when for a couple Sundays in a row we'd cook dinner at his place and watch "Celebrity Apprentice". Once that show was over and he got me hooked onto "The Bachelorette", it became Stirfry Mondays. My job was to cut the veggies carefully without chopping his fingers off as he'd reach over to steal pieces of carrot and red peppers. Eventually, I learned it was just safer to feed him large pieces of veggies. Save us a trip to the emergency room... Blake was in charge of sautéing the shrimp and seasoning the final product. We would have a great time cooking together.  :)

Yesterday was the first time in a long time I cooked stirfry by myself. My friends who had never tasted our stirfry thought it was delicious, but I could taste the difference. I guess I never realized that his contribution made such a significance to the taste of the dish.

Sometimes the best kind of seasoning is Love.


Carrots
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Red bell peppers
Snow peas
Olive oil
1 lb raw shrimp (deveined)
Butter
Garlic
Stirfry Sauce
Salt & Pepper

1. Cut vegetables carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, and bell peppers into edible pieces. In a heated oiled wok, cook the veggies in descending order (about a minute each before adding the next veggie on the list). Keep stirring the veggies.
2. In a separate pan, melt the butter. Add garlic and shrimp. Remove the shrimp before it well done. Add to the veggies.
3. Add the stirfry sauce. And cook until veggies and shrimp are done to your own preference.
4. Season with salt and pepper (and love)

Note: If the sauce is to watery, you can add a couple teaspoon of cornstarch OR Blake's method is to cover the wok and steam the liquid off.

Eggplant & Mushroom Rigatoni

1 (16 ounce) package rigatoni pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 (8 ounce) package fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces ricotta cheese, cut into large chunks

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Stir in mushrooms, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the eggplant, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth and olives. Season with thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.
4.Toss with pasta and ricotta cheese.

Note: I usually like eggplants when they are absolutely tender. Even though the end product was delicious, I thought it took too long to tenderize the eggplants simmering in the sauce. Plus, by that time, the sauce had reduced too much. Suggestion for next time is to boil the eggplant to tender and then add to sauce.

Coq Au Vin with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

It's been a while since I post any recipes on this blog.

During my absence, I found a love within myself that grew to make room to love another. This was a huge accomplishment for me... Before I started soul searching I was unsure that I could fall in love the same way I had since my first love. He made it easy for me to fall in love with him and I accepted the vulnerability that coincided with love. It was an amazing experience which I believe will continue through a great friendship even after he leaves.

However, the thought of his absence does leave an aching and emptiness in my heart. Thoughts of him kept running through my head over and over again today. Those thoughts and feeling of emptiness was manifested by a loss of appetite. But I knew I needed to eat. And in order to eat, I needed to stop thinking and get distracted.

I ran across a cooking book at Barnes & Noble. Not only did it re-spark my passion for cooking but it is good way to be distracted. I chose Coq au Vin because it is a dish requiring a bit more attention. I found out it is a dish commonly served for the cold winter nights in France (which is a perfect metaphor for the way my soul was feeling).

Being that it is actually the middle of the summer, I substituted dry red wine for a crisp and light white wine.

Recipe for Coq au Vin:

3 chicken thighs skinless, boneless
flour
thyme, chopped
salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 cup pearl onions
3 garlic cloves, bruised
1/4 cup canadian bacon/pancetta, sliced into 1/4"
1/2 cup wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tbsp tomato paste
3 dried bay leaves
thyme

1. Add flour, thyme, and salt to ziploc bag. Add the chicken thighs, seal and mix until well coated. Remove chicken from bag and lightly tap off excess flour mixture.

2. Heat skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Add chickens. Lightly brown them by flipping over continuously. Remove chicken off heat and place them onto side, still pink inside.

3. As chicken is cooking, boil a pot of water. In a bowl pour the hot water on top of the pearl onions. Let it sit for a while. Peel the skin of the soaked onions by cutting the ends. Halve the onions and set aside.

4. Heat skillet with olive oil on medium-high heat. Saute garlic cloves for 1 minute. Add carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon to the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Add wine, chicken broth, and tomato paste to the mixture. Let it simmer briefly before adding the chicken.

5. Cover the pan and let the sauce reduce to half.

6. Add the bay leaves and thyme at the very end.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

Chicken Breast Stuffed w/ Goat Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Pictures can only say so much. This photograph may not be the most appetizing but in reality this is probably one of the best chicken dishes I've cooked.

1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (with or without oil)
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
2 oz crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp chopped basil
3/4 tsp salt, divided
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/8 black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp water

1. Combine 1 cup boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes o until soft. Drain and finely chop.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, sugar, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Spoon into a bowl; stir in 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar.
3. Combine chopped tomatoes, shallot mixture, cheese, basil, and 1/4 tsp salt, stirring well.
4. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of chicken breast to form a pocket. Stuff 2 tbsp cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and black pepper.
5. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm. Add broth and 2 tbsp vinegar; bring to boil. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken.

Skirt Steak Salad

One of the many places I call home is in New Jersey. When I first moved there I thought it was really "the armpit of the US". For 14 months, the people who knew exactly what kind of stress I was going through from shared experience showed me the real beauty of Jersey. I miss my girls...

Of the many wonderful things about living in Jersey and near NYC, the highlight for me was of course... FOOD. :P The one particular food that sticks out in my mind was actually cooked by my friend, Jamie. I asked her for the recipe and now I feel like it's my duty to share it.

Marinating Skirt Steak
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp dark brown sugar or Mexican brown sugar
2 lb inside skirt steak, cut into 3 equal pieces

1.In a blender, put oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, cumin, and sugar. Puree. In a large heavy duty, zip lock bag, put pieces of skirt steak and pour in marinade. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible. Allow steak to marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Remove Steak from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Cook on grill to desired done-ness. Once finished cooking, place meat in aluminum foil, wrap, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
3. Cut along the grain of meat. Place it on a salad of your choice.

Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1/4 cup balsamic wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, oil and salt and pepper
2. Serve with a salad. Add minced fresh herbs as desired.

*Note: Jamie added grilled corn to the salad. Really, it tastes so good on any type of salad. I still think it tastes better when Jamie cooked it rather than when I did.

Spicy Coconut Shrimp Soup

I've been cooking but haven't been posting the recipes because my camera died. "Yay" for my camera coming back to life so that I can share more of my cooking with you. Anyways, I've found this recipe on my favorite cooking magazine: CookingLight. I add some udon noodles to this soup and still find that it require no extra seasoning. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :D

3 1/2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup light coconut milk
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Stir in coconut milk; cook 2 minutes or until hot.
3. Add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done.
4. Remove from heat; stir in green onions, basil, and juice.

Yield: 4 servings

Baby Back Ribs

Usually I'm not big on BBQ's but the weather has been so nice and I've been having MAD cravings for baby back ribs. YUM! I did some research and found out that you may need to dedicate good amount of time in order for great tasting baby back ribs. Today was my day off from work, so I had a considerable amount of time to spend cooking. So the trick to having the meat fall clean off the bone is to slowly cook the ribs. Some people suggest bowling the ribs and others suggest baking them. I don't own a large pot so I stuck to baking them. Since I had a lot of time to cook today, instead of marinating the ribs with store bought barbecue sauce, I made everything from scratch. I found the recipe on www.allrecipes.com (I love this site. I highly recommend you visit it the next time you want to look for a recipe). Ok. So enough babbling... Here's the recipe:

Ribs
2 lb baby back ribs
salt
ground black pepper
1 tbsp ground chili pepper (optional)
vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 300 degree F.
2. Cut the racks to total 4 half racks. Rub in salt and pepper, and if desired chili pepper, onto the meat. Wrap each half rack in aluminum foil (shiny down) coated lightly with vegetable oil. Bake for 2 hours.

Barbecue Sauce
Vegetable oil
1yellow onion, minced
1 1/2 cups water
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 teaspoons whiskey
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (may substitute paprika instead)
1/2 tablespoon ground red chile pepper

1. While the ribs are baking in the oven, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions in the oil for 5 minutes. Stir in water, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, black pepper, liquid smoke, whiskey, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and red chili pepper. Bring the mixture to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 1 hour, uncovered, or until sauce thickens. Remove heat and set aside.

Grilling
1. Preheat the outdoor grill for high heat.

2. Remove the ribs from the oven. Remove the racks from the foil and place on grill. Grill the ribs for 3-4 minutes on each side. Brush sauce on the ribs while grilling. Tip: Brush the sauce on a minute or two before you remove them off the grill. If you add the sauce too early, it may burn.

ENJOY!!!