Udon with Tamarind~Teriyaki Chicken

 

Udon with Tamarind~Teriyaki Chicken

and scallions and eggs

These days families are super busy, especially if you have school age children involved in every sport possible under the sun, also including music lessons, dance, cheer (my awesome spouse is an award-winning cheer coach), drama (aren't they all at some point?) and then some.  I'm exhausted just writing that sentence!  My point is:  families sometimes require a dish that is easy to prep, easier to cook and everyone may be happy to devour it.  This is a dish that you can sub chicken with tofu, sub scallions with whatever veg you like.  The beauty of cooking is that you can make a recipe your own. 

My amazing previous spouse is Japanese-American, we had two sons together and so we were exposed to a lot of delicious Japanese food.  Her mother and father, both, were exceptional cooks. Grandpa's expert dish was curry chicken (look for that dish coming soon!). Grandma could do no wrong cooking Anything.  Udon quickly became a favorite when days were long and dinner needed to be fast, or it was going to be late.  A particular ramen noodle company was also a favorite back in the 80s and 90s but then the ramen boom happened.  Taking a drive to San Francisco's Japan Town and having udon for lunch was a real treat. I have never stopped enjoying ramen and udon noodles.

These are dried udon, or soba noodles, so you do not need a lot to boil. 

Let's get to it, shall we?

The recipe for My Tamarind-Teriyaki Chicken over Udon with scallions and eggs:

Ingredients

For two people:  2 packages of Udon noodles 

3 scallions:  half greens chopped for garnish/ half stalks halved and halved again (from root to half stalk)

2 - 4 eggs

1 package of 4 or 6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (four feeds two well, or three nicely)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil 

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped (or from a jar, 2 tablespoons)

1 rounded tablespoon Garam Masala

1 rounded tablespoon smoked Paprika

1 rounded teaspoon black pepper

*optional sauces, but I use these:

I use soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, vegetable oil, and this time, I used Tamarind-Teriyaki sauce from the store; it was awesome!  Hoisin sauce will do very well. For fun, I added Garam Masala spice blend and smoked Paprika and black pepper. All of those flavors, the spices, sauces, fresh scallions and garlic married and caramelized onto the chicken. The kitchen aroma was fantastic!

If you want to marinate the chicken, you can easily mix the garlic, the quartered scallion stalks, the spices, oils  and sauces in a large bowl.  I recommend marinating them two hours before cooking, even overnight would be great. I did not have that much time last night, so I added all of it a little at a time, one after the other, starting with the oils, spices over medium-high heat, adding the chicken when the oil began to ripple. I then added the sauces and stirred vigorously the coat all of the chicken which I had sliced into large bite-size chunks. I then reduced the heat to medium-low and let it all simmer, allowing the spices and sauces to caramelize on the chicken without burning.  Delicious!

I added the quartered scallion stalks continued simmering, about twenty minutes in all. 

I start boiling the water when I start cooking the meats I use when making udon/ramen dishes. I add a tablespoon or two of soy sauce and a crushed garlic clove to season the noodles. That's just me; I know there those out there who'd condemn me for it. You know what I say, though, right?  Make it your own!

As the noodles are boiling, add the eggs, separating them around the pot you are using. You can stir them to scramble the eggs throughout the noodles, but I like them whole; they are just poaching in the noodle water, absorbing the flavors. 

So after about thirty minutes in, the chicken is done, and the noodles are finishing.  Prep your serving bowls.  My spouse likes it when I add a few drops of toasted sesame oil to the bottom of the bowl. I had a surplus of scallion greens for garnish, so I threw a few extras into each bowl. The one with the hashi/chopsticks, is mine. 

I add the noodles first, as usual with noodle based dishes. I try to scoop out the eggs evenly between the number of people eating (two in this case) while scooping out the udon. I try to place the chicken in a semi-circular way but sometimes, it gets messy. There is no shame in messy.  I add the scallion garnish last.  You can add whatEver you want to the your bowls. Fish cake crescents, vegetables, sesame seeds, Nori (seaweed).  Add what You like!  That's the big idea, here. Now, time to enjoy!

With that, Thank You for your visit, your time and consideration.  I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and its variations. You can use leftover meats or veggies in these fast dishes.  You can make it vegetarian, adding or eliminating items to make it the way you would want it.  There is no exact right or wrong with this. It is meant to be a family fun favorite. Hopefully. 😀

Now!  Go cook for someone you love!

Itadakimas'!

Banjo napping with me.

Roasted Chicken Thighs on Cheesy Cannellini Bean Puree

 

Roasted Chicken Thighs on Cheesy Cannellini Puree

Plus marinated cucumber salad (see recipe at the end)!

Hello Friends!  It has been at least five months since I last blogged.  We moved from the city to a most beautiful property out in the country.  We are truly blessed to have been granted this lovely opportunity live, love and grow. The one thing that I let slide since moving to this extraordinarily beautiful piece of perfection is, my cooking fell into a true slump. I fell into a rut of cooking easy, bland, rather boring dinners.  My spouse likes pasta, chicken everything, rice and ramen with whatever, and potatoes that can be simply microwaved. There is and has been nothing too wrong with that, but I made the decision last week to "doctor up" these plain meals and change things up, challenge myself like I used to.  When I started this blog back in May 2012, I challenged myself to cook with the skills and knowledge I had learned each week to make something wonderful;  to celebrate the successes and include in my blog the lessons I learned in my "area of opportunity" (aka disasters) dishes. To me, both in cooking and in life, areas of opportunities are lessons to learn from and adjust.  That is what this dish is all about:  start with something old and "doctor it up" with something new and, hopefully, improved.  Tell me what you think!

This dish is very simple. Let's get started, shall we?

Ingredients

1 package 4 - 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (though bone-in skin-on works perfectly well)

3 scallions, chopped

2 cans Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons garlic + 2 tablespoons garlic, separated

1 1/4 cups balsamic vinaigrette (homemade or store bought)

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese or Pecorino-Romano cheese blend

4 + 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, separated

salt and pepper

This photo belongs with the cucumber marinated salad but I wanted you to see my homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Now, open the two cans of Cannellini beans and empty them into a colander 

Two or more hours before cooking, add the chicken to a large bowl along with one cup of the balsamic vinaigrette, submerging them or turning them repeatedly to coat them. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to marinate.  Take the bowl out thirty minutes before you start cooking the chicken.  

I'm bossy, I know!  Sorry. 😉

Now, add the rinsed beans to a blender or food processor.  To that, add the remaining olive oil (evoo), garlic, one coarsely chopped medium-large scallion or two small stalks, the 1/4 balsamic vinaigrette, 1/4 tablespoon salt and 1/2 tablespoon black pepper (more or less, as your prefer).  Blend or puree the beans until smooth but thick. You're looking for the consistency to be just softer than a mash. Leave the puree in the blender or processor. 

Time to cook the chicken!  Although the thighs have been marinating for a good bit, add a little salt and pepper to each side. In a skillet, drizzle evoo four times around the skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil begins to ripple, add the chicken cut side down (where the bone was removed).  Allow it to sear unmoved about four minutes.  The thigh should turn without sticking. If it sticks to the skillet, let it be for another minute or two until it releases from the skillet. Repeat on the other side.  Remove the thighs once done (165 degrees fahrenheit) and set aside.  Now, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cannellini bean puree.  Allow the mixture to warm up but low and slow and stir often. This will allow the mixture to absorb the chicken renderings, which is delicious, intense flavor! Beware! If it sits too long, the cheese may caramelize and become a patty, so stir often! The heat brings out the flavors in the mixture. Allow the bean puree to warm up about four or five minutes. 

To plate, add the puree as you wish, a lump, a swoop, however you wish, and then add the chicken stop that and add any vegetables you plan to serve, as well.  

This can be served in a bowl, as I have, here, but honestly, it looks better on a plain white plate. Garnish with remaining scallions.

****

Now for the balsamic vinaigrette marinated salad! I know that just about Every grandma and Mom have their own family versions of this, but this one is my own.  Here's what I use, but you make it your own way:

1/2 or 1 whole red onion, sliced into slivers

1 cucumber, sliced into discs as thin as you can slice them

small mozzarella balls, halved

scallions for garnish

1+ cup balsamic vinaigrette (depends on how many servings; 1.5 cups is good for 2 servings)

I wish I'd had banana peppers, aka pepperoncini, to add to this!  Next time!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this recipe. It was fun and satisfying to prepare. If you make it, make it your way and have fun!

With that, Thank You for your visit, time and consideration!  Now, go cook for someone you love!  

  

  

Asian Inspired Hoisin Pork Belly Sandwich

 

Asian Inspired Hoisin Pork Belly Sandwich

I like to get take out for either breakfast or lunch. That has not been good for me, so I decided to start making lunch at home.  In my retirement, and with my chronic insomnia, I oftentimes do not fall asleep till dawn and wake up about 11:00 am.  I have gotten very tired of the usual lunch sandwich:  pb&j or processed lunch meat extravaganza.  Don't get me wrong, I love blackberry, strawberry and raspberry jam with peanut butter and honey, and I love a slammin salami sandwich, but not every day for the rest of my life. I  have rice with scrambled egg and leftover chicken or whatever protein we'd had with dinner the night before, and the same with ramen.  Even that gets boring.  So I have decided to put my foodie knowledge to work to make lunch proteins (not necessarily meats) to spruce up lunchtime. Shall we start with Hoisin Pork Belly? 

Let's get to it, shall we?

Hello Gentle Readers!  Farther down this recipe, I wrote that I had no photos to show the finished pork belly slabs, but I made it again today, a little differently, and I will share the photos a bit down below.  Thank You for looking for them!

Ingredients

1 package of pork belly (about 1.5 pounds)

salt and pepper

1/3 cup Hoisin sauce

1/4 shoyu (Soy sauce)

2 rounded tablespoons minced garlic

2 rounded tablespoons minced onion

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Lime or Lemon Juice - a splash

Pork Belly Spice Rub

2 rounded tablespoons smoked Paprikia

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon thyme

1 rounded tablespoons cumin seed or, ground cumin

1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

Due to the smaller size of my skillets, I halve my pork belly.  I score both sides, as shown above and in further photos. 

I always start with the black pepper rub first.  I do not know why, I just do.  Don't mind me. Carry on. Just be sure to get the spice blend into every cut and crevice, the sides, top and bottom, front and back. 

Sear each side about seven minutes.  

Once the rub has been finished, set it aside for about thirty minutes; longer if you need to or can. The longer, the better. 

BTW:  Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. 

Add the oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Have the minced garlic and onion on hand in a smallish bowl. As the pork belly sears, the seasoning rub and the pork will become quite aromatic!

Add a splash of lime or lemon juice, soy sauce, and the Hoisin sauce to the aromatics bowl and stir the onion and garlic into the sauces thoroughly.  Let it sit for several minutes so the flavors can marry. 

Add a good splash of shoyu after the pork belly halves have been flipped.  Flip again in about three minutes. The top and bottom crust will begin to darken due to the sauce caramelizing. This is a very good thing!

Sear the pork belly with the shoyu about five-to-seven minutes per side again. 

I truly apologize, but there are no more photos after this part-way through cooking photo.  I had cleaning tasks to do, dishes to do, laundry and dogs to walk and wrangle. Forgive me, because the last part makes the entire dish insanely delectable and so aromatic you will smell it in your dreams.  

Remove the pork belly or halves. 

Use a spoon or a spatula and slather the hoisin and aromatics paste over the top and bottom.  Return the pork belly or the halves to the skillet over no heat. IF your skillet is oven safe, place the skillet into the oven for 40-minutes. IF not, spray the bottom of a pan to finish off the cooking. 

20 minutes in to the 40 minute oven time, flip the pork belly.  Let it finish untouched now, till the timer goes off. You will see how the sauce has caramelized and crusted the pork.  This is perfect, although it might be difficult cleaning the pan or skillet later on!

Allow the pork to rest, about ten minutes or more.  Slice the pork thinly so you can make sandwiches out of it!  The thinner the slices, the more sandwiches you can make, including leftovers! The flavor on the crust, the tender center of the pork will make you want more and more! 

Again, I am sorry for not having any finished up photos. Forgive me.  BUT!  Make this recipe and share YOUR finished up and/or sandwiches photos with me!!! That'd be so AWEsome!

****

Hello Gentle Readers!  I made another slab or pork belly today.  I will share my bbq sauce recipe another time, but it was AWEsome!  I also have two photos of the finished product. Here ya go!

Oven roasted for 25 minutes with the new bbq sauce. 

I flipped the slabs over and added new bbq sauce.  The aroma was insane.  So good!

As usual, friends, I am truly grateful for your visit and your time and consideration.  Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love! ❤

~Martin

In-House Cook

Thank You, again!

Great Garlicky Goodness Pasta!

 

Great Garlicky Goodness Pasta!!!

I love garlic. I love pasta. I think bacon should be a food group (I'm almost not kidding). I love fresh herbs.  Let's put them all together with some pasta, shall we? 

Technically, this pasta dish may take about twenty or so minutes of prep work. Longer if you peel the garlic yourself.  I bought the garlic pre-peeled, along with a bunch of small scallions - not the thick ones - and chopped them easily. You could buy scallions and red onions pre-chopped at your local grocer if you choose to. Just thought I'd throw in some tips for time savers. 

This is a fun pasta to make and the flavors will drive your senses mad with happiness. If you know someone who does not like garlic, this is not the dish for them! Well, unless you really do not like them.  Vampires might not enjoy it, either. But everyone else on the Earth-shaped planet will love it! Let's get on with it. 😋

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped bacon or, pancetta

6-oz+ peeled garlic cloves

1 box pasta (your choice)

1/4 cup finely chopped Flat Leaf Italian Parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped thin scallions, whites and greens

4 tablespoons+ extra virgin olive oil + 1/4 cup

1 cup of butter (your favorite)*

3 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped red onions

2/3 cup grated Parmesan 

6 leaves fresh basil (for garnish)

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, if you like)

*Pinches of dry spices:  thyme, oregano, basil

Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F

In a small pan or glass baking/roasting dish, add 6+ ounces of peeled garlic cloves.  Add a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil (or a little less, if you choose), a good pinch of red pepper flakes, a pinch of dry thyme, oregano and basil to the garlic. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula or, your best kitchen tools, your hands, to coat the garlic and mix the spices thoroughly.  Place in the oven for 25 - 35 minutes. Check 20 minutes in and use the spatula to turn the garlic as the bottom will be turning golden.  Golden is perfect. When the timer goes off, remove the container and allow to it to cool. 

As you can see, I let my garlic sit inside the oven a little too long. Still, the flavor was incredible!

*You can buy garlic butter at the grocery store if you do not want to roast the garlic cloves. I have had it and without the roasted garlic and I have to say, I love the roasted garlic. IF time is a problem, though, the store bought garlic butter is an option.

Now, in a blender/food processor, add the garlic, half of the scallions, half of the flat leaf Italian parsley, a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and 1/3 cup of Parmesan, and the cup of butter, process until smooth. Place the "compound butter" in a bowl and cool until it is time to toss it with the pasta. 

This is a good time to get on with your day.  Certainly, this part of the dish can be done even a day or two ahead of time! It can be frozen and used whenever you want to use it again (if you make enough). Just thought I'd throw that in there. 😉        

If you are going to continue on and finish the dish, bring four quarts of water to a roiling boil over high heat in a pot.  Liberally salt the water. Add just enough pasta to feed the number of hungry eaters you will be serving. This recipe can easily feed four. Boil the pasta for about 12 minutes.  Note, however, Angel Hair pasta does not take that long!  Smaller pasta, such as bowtie (farfalle), penne and rigatoni and the like, take a full 12 (twelve) minutes. Do the taste test after eight minutes. 

Bacon and Garlic and Herb butter is under the pasta, melting. 

There are two ways you can finish this dish.  Use a separate skillet or pot, or, strain the pasta and us

e the same pot. That is up to you.  I chose to use a separate pot (a wok, actually, as it is easier for me to toss pasta and coat it all with whatever sauce I have made). In this case, as you can see, above, I used my wok. 

I added a two tablespoons of evoo and the finely chopped bacon to the wok over medium-high heat. I added a pinch of dried thyme, oregano and basil. When the fat had rendered and the bacon broken up into little bits, I added a couple of hefty large spoon fulls of the garlic and herb butter.  I allowed the butter to melt, stirring to incorporate the bacon rendering and the bacon itself before adding the pasta.  

Add all of the remaining ingredients: red onion, the remainder of the parsley and scallions either on top of the pasta, or under it. Add another hefty spoon full of the garlic herb butter and use tongs to toss the pasta and coat all it with the butter. This may take a few minutes and an arm workout. It'll be well worth it in the end.  The aroma right now has to be making you want to eat it all by yourself of out the wok or pan, its That delicious!!!

Here's the pasta plated in bowls and garnished with fresh, finely chopped basil.  I think a couple of thinly sliced French or Sourdough bread would be well worth it to sop up any buttery sauce left over.  

With that, my gentle readers, this is my Great Garlicky Goodness Pasta.  I hope you have enjoyed this recipe.  Let me know what you think of it!

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love and know that I am grateful for your visit and your time. 

~Martin

In-House Cook

The moon in the clouds last evening was truly beautiful. Not captured (though I really tried) was a bat circling the area. 

Sofrito Chicken and Potatoes

 

Sofrito Chicken and Potatoes

Happy rainy Sunday.  I know some places in the world and the US are sunny and warm and some places are still frozen, and here, in NC, we are getting a peaceful, lovely steady rain.  On a day like this a few weeks back, I was not feeling my best, but I wanted a dinner that was packed with striking flavors and as simple to make as breathing.  This seasoned chicken thighs roasted over potatoes turned out fantastic; a true comfort meal.  Let's get to it, shall we?  And honestly, this is not a long recipe.  It's mostly photos to make you want to make something, if not this, for yourself.  😊

Ingredients

1 package of 4 - 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

*You could certainly use bone-in/skin on! I love that!

1 bag baby red or baby Yukon gold potatoes, washed and halved

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons grated garlic

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

3 rounded tablespoons Sofrito seasoning

*There are recipes for fresh sofrito and homemade dried sofrito online

4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or your favorite) halved

olive oil non-stick spray

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. 

In a roasting pan (large or small, depending on how many chicken thighs you will be roasting), spray a good layer of non-stick spray, even up the sides. Drizzle two tablespoons of the oil and place the pan (glass or otherwise) into the oven at 400-degrees, for ten minutes. Set a timer. When timer goes off, take out the pan and add a tablespoon of grated garlic. It may sizzle, which is great, and stir it around with a wooden spoon or spatula. The aroma will be awesome!

Add the potatoes to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for fifteen (15) minutes. Set a timer,

Meanwhile, remove the chicken from its packaging. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.  

Remove the potatoes and place the pan on the stove top or heat resistant surface. Sprinkle a good rounded tablespoon of sofrito seasoning over the potatoes. Place the cut side of the chicken thighs down.  Drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of oil atop the chicken thighs and generously add the onion, the remaining garlic and the remaining sofrito seasoning atop the chicken. Not to worry, the underside will pick up the seasoning on top of the potatoes.  I got you, not to worry. 

Place the roasting pan into the oven, reduce the heat to 375-degrees and let it be for 50 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165-degrees. 

You may notice that some of the garlic and onion and sofrito may have charred while roasting.  You can either discard it or add it to the potatoes. 

The following is a photo essay of my chicken and potatoes. 

Plate with a vegetable or salad. I like to serve it with marinated tomatoes and red onion. Enjoy!

What are your favorite chicken seasonings?

That's it for now, gentle readers.  Thank You so much for your visit, time and consideration!

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love!  Could be just yourself!  ❤

I truly appreciate your visit. 

~ Martin

In-House Cook