pretend it’s friday

I forgot to post a recipe yesterday so here is one of our favourites.

Green Curry Chicken
(based on recipe from http://101cookbooks.com)

Chili paste
1 tsp dried galangal
1 tbsp lemongrass (we buy it prechopped and frozen)
1 tbsp dried krachai
1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1/4 tsp roasted coriander seeds
1/2 tsp salt
2 kaffir lime leaves*
1 tsp finely grated lime rind
2 Thai chillies (whole)
1 tbsp chopped shallot
1 tbsp chopped garlic

The Goods
1 can coconut milk (not cream)
3 uncooked chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces**
1 cup water
1/3 cup sliced onion
1 cup green pepper chopped in large squares
1 small zucchini chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 cup small, whole mushrooms (optional)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp fish sauce
3 kaffir lime leaves finely sliced.
large handful of sweet basil leaves coarsely chopped

First of all:
Place first 6 ingredients in mortal and pestal and finely grind. Add lime leaf and rind and grind. Add last 3 ingredients. Pound and bash until it’s all mixed and ground. Now your kitchen will smell amazing!

Putting it all together:
Pour coconut milk into a wok on medium. Stir until it is warm and looks shiny on top. Add curry paste and stir well. Add the chicken (or meat of choice) and cook in liquid until it is almost done. Add onion, vegetables and water. Cook until veggies are al dente. Add sugar and fishsauce. Add more salt or sugar to taste. Add basil and lime leaves. Stir and let cook for about 2 minutes.

Serve over rice with chopsticks and spoons to sup up the last of the sauce!

*we buy a branch of frozen leaves from our local spice shop. Dried will do in a pinch.

**Can substitite chicken thighs, beef, shrimp, tofu etc

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Jambalaya

It’s food Friday. I thought I would offer an easy but good recipe. From my brain to your kitchen…

Crock Pot Jambayala

4 italian sausages
1lb chicken thighs or breast (whatever is in your freezer)
1lb shrimp (deveined and shelled)
1 medium onion-diced
4-5 cloves garlic- peeled and diced
28oz can whole tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
good shake of hot sauce/tobasco (or to taste)
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
3 whole all spice
3 whole cloves
salt and pepper to taste
1 red pepper- chopped into chunks
1 green pepper- chopped into chunks
3 large carrots- peeled and chopped
3 stalks of celery- chopped
1 zucchini- chopped

Cut sausage and chicken into bit sized pieces. Put chicken, sausage, onion and garlic into a frying pan and cook until well browned. In the mean time, cut up all of your veggies. Put tomatoes, paste, hot sauce, water and spices into crock pot and stir. Add browned meat mixture. Cook on low setting for about 3 hours. Add veggies and rice, stir well and then cook on low for another 3 hours. About 45 minutes before serving, turn crock pot up to high. Add thawed shrimp, stir and let cook.

Alternatively, brown the meat and then place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on low setting for about 5-6 hours. Follow directions for shrimp. This works just as well the only difference is that everything is softer.

You could prepare this the night before, let it cook while you sleep and then refrigerate it until you get home from work.

Lastly, you can do this on stove the top as well. Just brown the meat, onion and garlic then add all ingredients except rice and shrimp and let simmer for an hour or so. Stir rice in and let simmer for about and hour. Add shrimp 15 minutes before serving.

Done and done.

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food friday

On Friday’s I usually let the kids decide what we are going to have for supper. Make your own pizza’s is a big hit. Here is a recipe for my favourite pizza dough.

Traditional Pizza Dough
(adapted from a recipe from The Runnalls)

2 1/4 cups flour (either white, whole wheat or a combo)
1/3 cup cornmeal + more for pan
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
7 oz warm water (might need more or less depending on climate)
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for pan

Combine water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and let stand until foamy (about 10 minutes)*. In the bowl of a mixer (I use the Kitchen Aid professional model) combine all dry ingredients except about 1/2 cup of flour. Add olive oil and mix in. Once yeast mixture is proofed, add it in a slow, steady stream to the dry ingredients with mixer on low speed. You will have a fairly sticky mixture. Let mix for about 5 minutes to work the dough. Next add the reserved flour one tablespoon at a time to the dough until you have a smooth, elastic but soft dough. Let mix for a few minutes and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for 5 minutes longer. Place in a stainless bowl, cover with saran and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about one hour). When you can poke the dough with your finger and the dent stays, punch the dough down and kneed lightly for about one minute. Divide in two, cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes (this will make it easier to roll). Roll out dough with rolling pin and place on a pizza pan that has been oiled with olive oil and sprinkled with cornmeal. Dress your pizza as you desire. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned. For a crisper crust, remove pizza from pans when almost cooked and place right on the oven racks for about 2 minutes (watch they don’t burn).

This recipe can double or triple well. If you like a thicker crust just use this whole recipe for one pizza crust.

*If using quick rise yeast add sugar and yeast to bowl with dry ingredients and follow from there.

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