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[foodpsyche]

Juicy Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom sauce

Are you an offender in handling and treating your meat? Even worse, are you a self proclaimed “ruler of the roast”, “king of the bbq” but ignorantly disastrous? 

I am here to help: at your service... like the chest button on your ill-fitting shirt. Like the glue holding your worn out sole in place...,supportive! is all i’m trying to say. 

Here are some of the basic (but to some, also surprising) do’s and don’ts in prep handling and cooking meat:

1. Do not rinse or wash the meat if from a trusted source. Any harmful bacteria is killed off anyway in the cooking process.

2. Do take time to marinate your meat at least for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Do not re-use the marinating liquid as a sauce later.

3. Do incorporate acidity in your dish, whether its in the marinate, or dressing, or sauce. A pop of lemon, white wine vinegar, or apple cider are my go-to.

4. Do sear your meat on all sides on a hot pan before putting in an oven or slow-cooking, the caramelized surface adds depth of flavor to your meat.

5. Do not overcook meat, always research the length of time suitable for the cut of meat and technique you are using. 

6. Do let the meat rest off the fire or out of oven for at least 5 minutes before serving or chopping into.

So, here is my recipe for the delicious pork chops I made over the weekend:

Ingredients:

- Pork chops (marinated in Italian seasoning), rosemary thyme, ginger, whole garlic pods, dijon mustard

- For the sauce: cooking cream, mushrooms, vegetable stock, basil, chopped garlic

- For mash potatoes, extra butter and milk

Step One:

Pan sear the pork chops at medium heat for 7 minutes on each side to get that nice brown char using butter, with some rosemary thyme, garlic and ginger in same pan for added flavor.

Then put the pan in already heated oven for no more than 15 minutes to avoid overcooking. Allow time for meat to rest while you prepare the side dishes. 

Step two:

Make creamy mushroom sauce by first sauteing mushrooms and garlic in pan: add seasoning, vegetable stock, and chopped basil like below. 

When the stock reduces, add cooking cream and stir till thick.

Step three:

Make mash potatoes by simmering peeled potatoes till soft. Remove any residue water, and stir butter into potatoes with a hand mixer till soft, slowly add milk to get that restaurant-style texture.

Plate your dish with a vegetable and garnish of choice. Enjoy.

[foodpsyche]

Mexican Quesadilla Feast!

“The colors orange, yellow and especially red stir up a sensation of appeal and appetite”, according to medical researchers. Well, that explains a lot about why I am DTE (Down To Eat) Mexican quesadillas, fajitas, etc any time of day. 

As you will see in the recipe, we use an assortment of colorful bell peppers that take this meal up an notch.

On the contrary, dyeing food blue has proven to suppress peoples appetites, purple also comes in close, remember the blue Heinz Ketchup? Nope? Me neither!

Yuck!

So, food terrorists aside, here is my recipe:

Ingredients For The Tortillas

0.5 lbs (250g) of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, a pinch of sugar, 3/4-1 glass of water

Ingredients For The Filling

3 chicken fillet, 2 big sweet bell peppers (1 red and one yellow), 1 onion, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 can of sweet corn, garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste or chili sauce, Gouda or cheddar cheese, ground cumin, oregano, paprika, black pepper

Step 1:

To make tortillas: mix flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and vegetable oil. Gradually add water, knead soft, not sticky dough. Leave dough for 20 min. roll each piece into a tortilla. Fry each tortilla on a heated pan without butter or oil.

Step 2:

To make the filling: slice chicken fillet on thin slices, add all the spices (ground cumin, oregano, paprika, black pepper), salt, minced cilantro and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of oil olive, stir everything and put it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Chop onion, bell pepper, garlic, and fry them on a pan. In 20-30 min take out     marinated chicken fillet from the fridge and fry it. Mix fried vegetables with the fried meat. The filling is ready!

Step 3:

To make chicken quesadilla: put thinly sliced cheese on the tortilla, then put filling, then thinly sliced cheese once again, and another tortilla on top. And put it into the oven for 4 minutes.

 Cut chicken quesadilla into 4 parts and serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole, or whichever of these you prefer!

[foodpsyche]

Joanna’s Creamy Garlic Prawn Pasta

“Warning: Side effects may include explosive diarrhoea”, this is what my friends thought I should put at the table when I announced I was going to cook them some homemade prawns. 

Not being an unfounded criticism, because it is hard to imagine sea food is any good when living in a city more than 900km from any coast. But hear me out folks, there is no such thing as “fresh prawns” as all are immediately snap frozen and/even pre-cooked before being thawed at any market.

Most important thing you need to know before cooking prawns in this type of dish, is that they need to be shelled and de-veined, and in cases when making a sauce, the shells can be used in it to add flavour. Also, always treat your seafood right by using loads of garlic & butter, they love it too

Ingredients:

PS: All these I managed to buy at Shoprite (Lugogo), except for the parmesan cheese and basil, which you can find at any Capital Shoppers instead

250g  Fettuccine pasta

2 tbsp  butter , separated

300 g small peeled prawns (these go better with pasta)

3 garlic cloves , minced

1/4 cup dry white wine 

1 cup heavy / thickened cream ( I used creamy pasta cheese sauce instead - refer to pic )

1/2 cup vegetable broth 

Parmesan cheese 

Finely chopped basil

Black pepper

Process:

Step one:

Chop up about 4 cloves of garlic, some basil, and add chilli peppers (to your taste). Shell, de-vein and wash your prawns, if not already done and season them with salt and black pepper after washing. Mix everything together in a bowl, and let them marinate for 2 - 8 hours

Step two:

Bring to boil a large pot of water. Add pasta and cook per packet MINUS 1 minute. Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add prawns and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until just cooked through. Remove prawns.

Step three:

In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp butter. Once melted, add garlic. Stir for 20 seconds until fragrant.Add wine and stir. Simmer for 2 minutes until wine mostly reduces, then add the creamy pasta sauce stirring for a consistent texture. Things will be thick at this point.

Add prawns, stir, then add pasta plus about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water. Toss pasta (still on stove) and the sauce will thicken in about 30 - 45 seconds and start clinging to the pasta.Take it off the stove before the sauce is as thick as you want - it will thicken more.

Sprinkle some black pepper if needed and serve immediately, garnished with remaining parsley and parmesan if desired.

[foodpsyche]

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce + Pomme Puree & Asparagus

Today, I’m delivering a ‘Top Chef’-esque recipe & photos of my successful attempt. Sometimes I come into these projects with very little expectation on how well it will turn out, but gotta tell you, I was pleased with the result (& so was my guest [wink wink]).

There have been more futile attempts than I would like to admit in the past, like the time I tried to make garlic naan......had a whole 8 dinner guest witness the catastrophe too. To think of it, a good pep talk from Gordon Ramsey could have probably done me some good.

“Aye aye, Captain! I’mma handle this kerfuffle matey, before it goes bonkers”. That’s how the Geordies/Brits talk,...it think.

Now that painfully unfunny introduction is over, lets get to the bizness with my lovely recipe.

Ingredients:

- Potatoes, peeled and quartered

- 4 Garlic Cloves

- Peeled ½ lb Fresh Asparagus, washed and trimmed 

- 4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- Divided 2 8 oz Filet Mignons, at room temperature Kosher Salt Fresh Cracked Pepper

- 1 Tablespoon Shallot, minced

- ½ Cup Red Wine

- ½ Cup Beef Stock 

- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

- Melted ¼ Cup Heavy Cream, warm

Step One (make Pomme puree):

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Heat a large pot of water over medium high heat.  When water comes to a boil, add potatoes and garlic cloves and cook 11-13 minutes, or until fork tender; remove from heat and set aside. When almost ready to serve, return on heat, pour some cream along with melted butter and mash to preferred level of smoothness.

 Next, lay out asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet; drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat each spear.  

Step Two (cook the fillet):

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and season filets with salt and pepper.  Add remaining oil and sear filets, undisturbed, for 2-3 minutes.  

Flip filets, and insert into the bottom rack of the oven until internal temperature is 135 degrees F for medium rare/medium, about 5-7 more minutes depending on the cut.  

Remove filets from oven and tent with foil to keep warm and rest.  

Meanwhile, place asparagus on the top rack of a 425 degree oven, roast for 8-10 minutes, shaking pan on occasion to ensure asparagus cooks evenly.  

Step Three (Make the red wine sauce):

Place the cast iron skillet used to cook steaks back on stovetop over medium high heat and sauté shallots for 1-2 minutes.  Deglaze pan with wine, and reduce mixture by half.  Add stock, and once again reduce mixture by half.  Remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter, and season the pan sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Serving: Plate a portion of potatoes on the centre of plate, top with asparagus, and finish with the filet.  Spoon the red wine pan sauce around the perimeter of the plate.  Enjoy!

[foodpsyche]

Paella

Dear Diet, things aren’t going to work out between us from hereon. It’s not me, it’s you. Usually I’m not so harsh when breaking up with anyone in my past, but this is one of the symptoms from our relationship. I am cranky, mean and irritable. And this only began when I let you in my life.......

My letter is a work in progress, PS: I’m still torn about leaving Diet, can't make up my mind, we’ve always had a love-hate relationship. And then over the weekend, I met Paella, and...you know how it is. 

Paella is from Spain, the land from where there’s a lot we should be thankful for. For example, the Pasodoble is arguably the most exciting thing to watch on those dance competition shows like So You Think You Can Dance, tapas, bullfighting,....and have you looked at their National Football team???...

This Grandma gets it  :)

Any-who, back to Paella, its tasty, scrumptious and filling. And here is how you can make-up your own:

Ingredients:

(serving for 2)

- Two chicken cutlets

- 1 cup of rice

- Bottle of semi-sweet white wine

- Plain Olive oil (do not use Sunflower or vegetable oil)

- One diced onion, one chopped big green pepper and small red bell pepper

- Chopped tomatoes

- Chopped garlic cloves

- A pinch of saffron

- Paprika, oregano, some salt to taste

- Lemon (for zest and garnishing)

Method:

Step one: Making the Sofrito

Put some plain olive oil on the pan  Once the oil is hot, put the peppers and the garlic and keep the fire at half flow.

After 3 min, add the onions. And after another 3 min put the tomatoes, tossing in a little paprika and oregano seasoning.

Keep stirring and mixing for another 8-10 min, put off the fire and wait 5 min before blending, now your sofrito is ready!

Step two: cooking the sofrito with chicken

Add you sofrito to a clean pan and then the chicken, mix and let it cook for 5 minutes.

When the chicken is partly ready, add a pinch of saffron, half a glass of wine, and a glass of water. Add salt to taste.

Step three: Stirring

When the water is boiling evenly, add the rice.Take note of the time from this moment (it should take less than 20 min. to be ready)

Reduce the flow of the heat at put it at 3/4 of the maximum, still keeping a constant bubbling.

Keep stirring every 1 minute, making sure the rice does not stick at the bottom. After 8 min, taste a sample to check how salty it is and how hard the rice is. Add more salt if needed.

Keep checking the water level, adding a little bit of  water (be careful, better in little quantities and every 1-2 minutes if needed) in case the rice is still very hard.

In the late stages 12-17 min, keep stirring constantly to avoid the rice getting stuck at the bottom and get burnt. If so happens, DO NOT SCRUB the bottom layer, leave it as it is, otherwise you will ruin the flavor.

When desired texture of rice is acquired, let this rest for 10 minutes before serving with a lemon wedge (lemon juice to be squeezed on top before eating).

Enjoy

Meanwhile, live footage of me about to cheat on Diet

[foodpsyche]

Baked Italian Fish with Broccoli & Rice

We all hated veggies as kids. Right up there with the bogeyman and clown from the movie IT (the original one from 1960), next came vegetables on my list of Most Dreaded Things. 

Though many dismiss these noisy little puke-machine’s (aka children’ s) dislike for vegetables as simply being spoiled and picky, there are actual scientific reasons as to why vegetables are universally despised by kids.

- Kids need a lot of energy, and as such, they instinctively head towards food that provides them a lot of energy (especially in form of glucose, the body’s preferred fuel)

- Most greens and cruciferous vegetables have a bitter taste caused by the calcium content. Not only do kids taste this bitterness more strongly than adults, they have even more reasons to avoid it. It’s human nature to associate bitterness with poison and potential toxicity. Children, who mostly operate on instinct, will steer clear of this “poison” only later to be taught (or brainwashed, your pick) to understand that these elements are what make veggies so healthy.

Because I added a substantial amount of broccoli to my dish this week, you earned a 4 paragraph rant about vegetables (yeay me!). And I believe this is how vegans sound all the time:

Where were we, right, back to the recipe:

Ingredients:

- Condensed cream

- Italian seasoning (you can simply mix dried basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, red chilli flakes & garlic powder)

- Long grain white rice

- Fresh broccoli

- Fish fillets (I used tilapia fillets)

- Olive oil

- Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and in a prepared dish or in a separate bowl, whisk together condensed cream, water, ¼ teaspoon of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Stir in uncooked rice and broccoli. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

2. While the rice is in the oven, pat the fish dry and rub with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.After the rice has baked for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, stir, and place the fish fillets on top.Cover with foil and return to the oven for 20-25 more minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork and rice is tender.

3. For a crispy finish on the fish, during the final 3-5 minutes of baking time, I like to remove the foil and put the dish under the broiler. Enjoy!

[foodpsyche]

Stuffed Pork Loin roast

Butterflying. Everyday we learn new terminologies in strange places, butterflying is what I learned when researching on this recipe.

Before this, I only knew 2 ways this term was used. First, of course the animal, and the other is the Butterfly Effect (only because I watched that Ashton Kutcher movie). Briefly, the Butterfly Effect is a theory about how extremely dependent initial conditions are to future events, meaning any change in one state, causes a largely significant change in results. This theory is mostly used in weather and quantum mechanics (do I sound extra smart yet? lol).

 Aaany-who, butterflying is a term used in cooking (not quantum stuff); when preparing a large chunk of meat but want a thinner more extended layer, you can neatly cut into two while still leaving it connected as one, or curving in a circular cut if you want it longer; imagine you have a rolled up sheet of paper, and using a knife to open it up to its full length, that’s the best I can explain this.

But also, look at the illustration below:

Ingredients

·         1 kg pork loin (you can get this at Quality Cuts in Kisementi or Forest Mall)

·         Olive oil

·         Red onion, garlic cloves, and lots of fresh coriander

·         4 links Italian chicken sausage, casings removed

·         Fresh thyme and salt

·         Bread crumbs

·         1/4 cup chicken stock

·         1/3 cup maple syrup

·         3 tablespoons whole grain mustard

Method:

Step one

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butterfly pork roast (see photos above) and marinate and salt to taste.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for three to four minutes until onions are translucent. Add sausage to onion mixture and break up with a spatula. Continue cooking until sausage is browning.

Add coriander, thyme, bread crumbs, one teaspoon salt, one half teaspoon pepper, and chicken stock. Remove from heat and mix well.

Step two

Spread butterflied loin on a cutting board. Spoon stuffing over roast and spread evenly, leaving one inch border on two opposite ends. Starting at one end of the roast, roll away from you pressing firmly to create a tight roll. Continue rolling and end with the seam on the bottom. Secure by tying six or seven strands of kitchen twine around the roast.

PS: if you don’t have kitchen twine, you can use rolled up saran wrap to tie your stuffed roll of meat.

Step three

Mix maple syrup, mustard, one half teaspoon salt, and one half teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Brush the mixture all over the roast. Place roast in a roasting pan and place in oven.

Cook roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

I served it to my very special guests with mash potatoes and coconut cream sauce.

[foodpsyche]

Cheesy Garlic Butter Mushroom stuffed Chicken

When you finally find all your food dreams and aspirations in one dish, it’s an experience you wish everyone to share with you. Back when I was 11, this would have probably been a recipe of how to combine Nutella with literally EVERYTHING, even bananas. If I was to re-write the ending of those fairytale stories I was into back then, this would have definitely been my ending of choice

Fortunately, I have sprouted into a lady of much better taste & broader choices of how to clog my arteries faster. This recipe is the Michael Jordan of meals, at least for me. Cheese, garlic, mushroom, chicken & basil all in one bite. Without further ado, lets get those taste buds jumping:

Ingredients: For the mushrooms: - Butter - Brown mushrooms, sliced - 4 cloves garlic, minced - 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped - Salt and black pepper, to taste For the chicken: - 2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless - Salt and pepper, to season - Onions, garlic & basil chopped - 8 slices mozzarella cheese - Grated parmesan cheese For the Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce: - Butter - 2 large cloves garlic minced or finely chopped - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard - 2 table spoons cream cheese - 1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese - Salt and pepper, to your tastes

Step One: Melt butter in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add in mushrooms, salt and pepper (to your tastes), and basil. Cook while stirring occasionally until soft. Set aside and allow to cool while preparing your chicken.

Pat breasts dry with a paper towel. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and dried basil. Rub each piece to evenly coat in seasoning. Horizontally slice a slit through the thickest part of each breast to form a pocket. Place 2 slices of mozzarella into each breast pocket.

Divide the mushroom mixture into two equal portions and fill each breast with the mushroom mixture (leave the juices in the pan for later. If there are any left over mushrooms, don't worry. You'll use them later). Top the mushroom mixture with 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese per breast. Seal with two or three toothpicks near the opening to keep the mushrooms inside while cooking.

Step two: Heat the same pan the mushrooms were in along with the pan juices (the garlic butter will start to brown and take on a 'nutty' flavour). Add the chicken and sear until golden. Flip and sear on the other side until golden. Cover pan and continue cooking in preheated oven for a further 20 minutes, or until completely cooked through the middle and no longer pink.

Step three: Fry the garlic in the leftover pan juices until fragrant (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to low heat and add the mustard and half and cream cheese.

Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and add in any remaining mushrooms and parmesan cheese. Allow the sauce to simmer until the parmesan cheese has melted slightly. Place your stuffed chicken in the sauce and let sit for about 3 minutes till everything looks cohesive.

Serve while hot and enjoy!

[foodpsyche]

Sticky Chicken Wings

Like many food lovers, I tend to have grudging qualms about people unknowingly murdering/offending certain food cultures. Finger foods for example, even in formal business settings, it is absolutely ok/ sometimes more respectable to eat your bacon or French fries or sushi with your hands, just check out this link for the detailed list.

The crown to the most mismanaged food however goes to pizza, people desecrate it with ketchup (oh Lord), even with mayo (yikes), eat it with a fork and knife, microwave it, & of course, the long term argument about whether/not pineapple is rightfully deserving of a place atop any pizza. I absolutely agree with the naysayers of this method of culinary debauchery.

Asides from pizza, another I indulge in a tad bit too much is chicken wings. Here’s the recipe I used to make some finger-lickin goodness recently:

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup tomato sauce

- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce

- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

- Paprika, garlic powder. black pepper (powder), jalapeno pepper (diced)

- Brown sugar & salt to taste

- Yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, onions, rosemary thyme & mushrooms

- Parsley (for garnishing)

- Butter

- Chicken wings

Step one:

Whisk tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, seasoning, salt and pepper, lemon juice & tiny diced onions (mix until the sugar dissolves).

Place chicken in a large, shallow ceramic dish. Pour over melted butter & marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

PS: save some of the marinade for later.

Step two:

Pre-heat your oven for at least 5 minutes,  butter up the foil before placing the chicken wings in single layer. Place in oven for at least 20 minutes turning occasionally.

When nicely brown, remove from oven, coat each wing with the leftover marinade for the 2nd time and place back on the sheet.

Step three:

Toss butter coated chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, rosemary, whole cherry tomatoes & onions on top and place in oven again for 10 minutes. Remove from oven & serve and you please (add parsley as a garnish).

[foodpsyche]

Sarmale

Most of what we discover & like is influenced by the people we meet, new friends, work, etc. One might wonder how the hell I’m venturing into Romanian food. Sarmale (a dish they borrowed and enhanced from Turkey) is known to be served at every available opportunity when in Romania, be it: a dinner party, a baptism, a funeral, a visit, name it.

While reading more on Romanian cuisine, I saw A LOT of pork….and other grilled meats too. Plus a dish called “Ciolan afumat cu fasole” aka The Army Dish, which looks like it might sucker punch you if you look away (I guess that name is befitting), and also because its motto is:

Ingredients: - Beef mince - Smoked lard - Fresh cabbages (the authentic dish is cooked with sour cabbage, but this can do as a substitute) - Butter - 1 cup of rice - Onions, bellpeppers - 1 egg - Sweet paprika, pepper - Fresh thyme - Fresh tomato sauce

Method:

Step one: Boil the cabbage leaves in water until the leaves on the outside soften. You will need thin leaves so remove any hard veined ones.

Dice your peppers & onions into little pieces to prepare for the cooking.

Step two: Melt butter in a pan and add the finely chopped onion and pepper. Stir until they get soft, then add the rice. Keep stirring until it gets trans lucid, then add the pepper and the paprika. Remove the pot from the stove and add the meat, the thyme and season with salt and pepper. After this mixture has cooled down, add the egg as well.

Step three: Place a layer of chopped cabbage rolls on the bottom of the pot, as well as some lard slices. When forming the rolls, place a cabbage leaf in the palm of your left hand, add a tablespoonful of the above mixture and roll. Tuck the ends by pressing them inwards. Put a layer of cabbage rolls into the pot, then the tomatoe sauce & thyme. Cover with a layer on cabbage and puor water with salt & pepper halfway the pan.

A clay oven is ultimately way better to have this done, but if using a regular pan & stove like mine, simply covering your pan and having the above arrangement boil for at least 2 hours will also do the trick.

Serve while hot with some sour cream.

[foodpsyche]

Chow Mein Chicken

When you see “Chow Mein” on your menu, this basically refers to stir-fry noodles. However, take heart that this is not actually authentic Chinese cuisine, this is more watered down/ modern version of what regular Chinese people love, the “chow mein” stuff is what you only find in Westernized Chinese restaurants that are modified to for the average, and uncultured laymen like myself.

In fact, Chinese have gone so far in customizing their dishes to fit the culinary needs/ norms of other economic societies they wish to milk of such opportunity, that they have made-up ranges from American Chinese cuisine, Australian Chinese cuisine, to even Indian Chinese cuisine. Coz if you love Calvin Klein, the Chinese will be happy to bring you…..

Calvin’s more available, down-for-whatever, less-wealthy cousin.

Ingredients

Medium sized egg noodles. - Sesame oil (or butter) - Skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced into tiny strips - Corn flour - Light soy sauce - Paprika, black pepper - Chillies, garlic, onions, carrots, bell peppers & cabbage, all chopped into tiny strips - 1 spring onion, sliced lengthways

Method:

Step One: Starting with some useful information I found online about how best to chop your carrots into little strips that cook fast, below is an illustration...

Cut little diagonal pieces across the carrot, then lay those pieces out, and cut those into tiny strips. This works best with a thick azz carrot.

To cut the chicken into little strips, the trick is to freeze it first, the knife bites through neatly, giving more symmetrical cuts.

Chop up all your veggies into little strips and also set aside well, while boiling the egg noodles in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until al dente, drain and pour sesame oil over them to prevent from sticking.

Step Two: Put the chicken strips in the wok, with heated butter and season with a dash of light soy sauce, paprika, salt and black pepper, if using. Mix well, then lightly dust the chicken strips with the corn flour. Stir until the chicken is brown, then set aside.

Step Three: On a clean wok, heat some butter, add your strips of onions, garlic, & chillies followed by bell peppers, spring onions, carrots & cabbage. Stir fry till the raw veggie smell is gone. Add soy sauce & black pepper right before you toss in the cooked egg noodles and chicken to mix and coat everything well.

Pile the noodles onto a serving plate and serve immediately. You can garnish with more spring onions for that extra pizzaz!

[foodpsyche]

Beef Stroganoff with Rosemary potatoes

Russian inventions/ contributions all the way from military artillery, to infrastructure & even culinary dishes are tremendous.  For example, caterpillar trucks (Dmitry Zagryazhsky), radio (Alexander Popov), television (Vladimir Zworykin, who had to apply for the patents in the US), & of course, meme’s...

Lol, totally kidding. Following the above statement, Vladimir added, “You post a meme, you disappear”.

Strogonoff (or Stroganov) is a Russian dish (by the Russians). It dates back to the mid 19th century, and is named for a member of the Stroganov family. Just one of the many things we all need to be thankful for from the Russians (including vodka, of course).

Ingredients

For the sauce: - Salted butter - Worcestershire sauce - Button mushrooms, sliced - Onion & garlic, thinly diced - Sirloin steak, cut into thin pieces - All-purpose flour - Beef broth - Dijon  mustard - Sour cream - Salt, black pepper - Coriander & rosemary thyme For the Rosemary potatoes: - Olive oil, potatoes, black pepper, garlic powder & rosemary thyme PS: ALL these ingrediaents can be bought at any Capital Shoppers chain store near you.

Method:

Step One: In your skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of butter. Saute the mushrooms & some rosemary thyme in the butter over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

Step Two: Add 1 Tbsp butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add the onions & garlic to the butter and saute for 1-2 minutes. Toss the beef chunks with the flour and add them to the saute pan. Cook until browned, 2-3 minutes. Add the beef broth, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to the saute pan along with the cooked mushrooms, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any stuck bits.

Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until the beef is cooked to your liking. Place the sour cream into a small bowl and mix a little of the broth from the skillet with the sour cream to warm it. Pour the warmed sour cream mixture into the saucepan and mix to combine. Taste the stroganoff and add the salt and pepper, to taste.

Step Three: For the rosemary potatoes: Wash your potatoes thorough and but into half. In a bowl, mix olive oil, with black pepper, garlic powder and chopped up pieces of the thyme. Dip & coat each potatoes in this mixture while placing on a baking sheet. Put in pre-heated oven for at least thirty minutes/ until turning slightly brown.

Serve the potatoes alongside the stroganoff which you can garnish with coriander. I’d say “enjoy” in Russian, but that word doesn’t exist in their vocabulary.

[foodpsyche]

Steak & Garlic Parmesan Linguini

Grilled steak vs pan fried steak…..the opinions online are numerous and contradicting, so I will give my independent, small-time, pretend-chef opinion, pro et con.

First, pan fried steak always has a better crust due to the direct heat from the pan. While on the negative, this heat tends to destroy the spicy flavors one has indulged in slumping onto the steak.

Grilled steak on the other hand is really flavorful, if using a coal grill, even better. Problem with the grill is getting your steak to the desired “done-ness” without mishap and not being able to glaze you steak properly when while its cooking up, unlike with a pan.

In this recipe, I grill my steaks in an oven, note, I sorta over-shot the done-ness I’d hoped for, still, no complaints from those who consumed my hard-labored meal.

Ingredients:

( I bought ALL of these at Capital Shoppers - Garden City Mall)

For the steak • Fresh steaks (beef or pork) • Italian dressing • Chopped rosemary For the Balsamic glaze • Balsamic vinegar • Brown sugar For the Alfredo sauce • Butter • Garlic cloves, minced • All-purpose flour • Ground black pepper • Milk • Cream Cheese • Grated parmesan cheese For garnishing • Green onions, chopped Others: Linguine pasta & salt (to taste)

Method:

STEAK: Combine Italian dressing, & fresh chopped rosemary. Marinade steaks in mixture overnight in a Ziploc bag. Remove steaks from marinade & grill according to desired doneness, on day when making the meal. Pasta: Meanwhile, your pasta according to pack instructions.

BALSAMIC GLAZE: In a small saucepan heat balsamic vinegar & brown sugar until boiling. Once balsamic mixture is boiling add slurry, whisk until it's thick & glossy. The glaze must be thick enough to properly stick to the back of a spoon.

ALFREDO: Make Alfredo sauce by melting butter & sautéing garlic for about 30 seconds. Add flour, salt & pepper, to make a roux. Gradually whisk in milk. Let heat until boiling & thickens slightly. Remove from heat & add cream cheese & grated parmesan. Stir until cheese melts & let stand. Will thicken as it cools slightly.

ASSEMBLE: Place desired amount of pasta with sauce on the center of a plate. Slice steak & fan over the top of the pasta. Drizzle balsamic glaze on top & sprinkle with extra shredded parmesan. Top with extra chopped green onions.

Enjoy with a bubbly drink :)

[foodpsyche]

Chicken Tikka Masala

For the haughty-taughty (or as the Americans say….”hoity-toity”) cuisine lovers out there, this Indian curry will make you gag. Chefs from world renowned fine-dining capitals will always frown upon certain ingredients/ combinations, some of which are a major component of this dish.

Cilantro (groan)……dairy with meat (choke)…..tomato paste (barf)! Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, unless you’re Jewish, …..or this guy……

From Ratatoullie….’memba him?

So anyways, until my taste buds start to appreciate fancier dress and taste, chicken tikka masala will remain on my list of favorites. All the ingredients you need to know about, in order to pull off an authentic Indian dish are listed right here on this link, & can all be found at Checkers supermarket in Kisementi….only…..because I’m too lazy to look further for reference.

Ingredients:

- Garlic cloves, grated - Green cardamom pods, crushed - Ginger, peeled & grated - Onions & garlic (diced) - Turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin - Heavy cream - Whole-milk yogurt (not Greek) - Salt & chilli pepper (to taste) - Skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise - Unsalted butter - 1 small onion, thinly sliced - Tomato paste - Tomatoes, peeled and chopped - Fresh cilantro sprigs

Method:

Step 1: Combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl. Whisk yogurt, salt, and half of spice mixture in a medium bowl; add sliced chicken and turn to coat. Cover mixture and allow to marinate in fridge for 4-6 hours.

Step 2: Preheat oven, line a rimmed baking sheet on baking pan and arrange chicken on rack in a single layer. Broil until chicken starts to darken in spots (it will not be cooked through), about 10 minutes. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, add to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

Step 3: Heat butter in pan over medium heat. Add onion, tomato paste, cardamom, and chiles and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining half of spice mixture and cook, stirring often, until bottom of pot begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, crushing them with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until sauce thickens, 8-10 minutes.

Add cream and chopped cilantro. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 20-30 minutes.

Add bite-size chicken pieces to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

Best served with rice or naan. Enjoy!

[foodpsyche]

Traditional Lasagna

As I grow older and more seasoned, my taste in food (and drink, ahem!) has taken a rather dangerously delightful or simply call it, unhealthy turn. This recipe had me throwing more than 250grams of cheese (of a mixed variety) into one pan. A few more months of this, and I’ll be a squishy human ball of Alfredo sauce, and female rage.

All jokes aside, lasagna is one of those meals you’ve got to painfully invest in prepping for, if you’re not readily equipped. Had to look for lasagna noodles (a rather exhausting search if you live in Kampala), a lasagna baking pan, 3 types of cheese, and of course you need an oven.

Ingredients: • 1 pound ground beef • pork sausage • Tomatoes & tomato paste • 2 garlic cloves, 1 onion (diced into tiny pieces) • 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning  ( I used basil & oregano spices) • Worcestershire sauce • 3 large eggs • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup grated mozzarella • 9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained • 6 slices provolone cheese (about 6 ounces)

Step 1: Remove casings from the sausages, mix with the ground beef, and in a large skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble beef and sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add garlic, onion, sugar, salt, tomatos & paste, & Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. When almost ready, add some minced parsley & Worcestershire sauce.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add parsley; stir in Parmesan cheese.

Step 2:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spread 1 cup meat sauce in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, three noodles, 2 cups meat sauce, remaining cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full).

Cover; bake 50 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through, 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

[foodpsyche]

Stromboli

In this era where every study and/or article has a contradicting version, like when one realist says “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” & in strolls another impeccably informed researcher saying “an apple a day literally erodes your teeth to zilch”.......it is at these enlightening moments that some us throw in the towel & conclude that the number of (word rhyming with tuck)’s I give about what enters my body ultimately sum up to a fine total of ZERO.

But in both researchers defense, some societies don’t identify dentists as doctors, hence there’s no contradiction here to gaff over....either way, no one cares/ should.

Moral of this brief and lackluster story is that no one should be afraid to indulge every now and then, because the only lesson many of us get from these “ground breaking” discoveries is that everything that is very good for you can at the same time feature on “1000 ways to die- the culinary spinoff.”

This recipe in particular only gets better if you're more generous with the quantities ie the cheese, pizze sauce and salami (if you dare). I used almost a whole 200g of mozzarella in mine and it was the bomb (to my arteries, lol). Anyway, please try it and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough {mix flour, yeast, honey, oil, and warm water} • 1/2 cup pizza sauce (you can buy a jar at Capital Shoppers/ any other large supermarkets) • Grated mozzarella cheese • Garlic salami • 1 egg, beaten • Dried parsley (optional) • extra pizza sauce for dipping (optional)

Step 1:

Roll up the pizza dough and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Step 2:

Spread three quarters of the pizza dough with pizza sauce, topped with cheese, salami, and some more cheese. Rub the egg on the uncovered end of the dough.

Step 3:

If your dough is placed like mine in the picture above, make one fold at the top and bottom, then make a continuous fold from right to left using the sticky end with egg solution to seal it.

Rub more egg solution all over your rolled up Stromboli and lay it on top of foil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some dried parsley before carefully slipping into the oven.

Step 5:

Once its lightly browned, remove and serve while its hot. Buon appetito!

[foodpsyche]

Scallopine Al Limone

Just like their style, Italian food is simple but rich. Flavor without a fuss. Basically, the opposite of American EVERYTHING. It’s like America took what Italy had invented, and sent it to the kitchen version of Pimp my Ride.

Yep, feast your eyes on this monstrosity called deep fried pizza.

Lemon in food is one of those things I normally frown upon (with the exception of fish ofcourse), because the tangy taste is very overpowering in such simple dishes. But with a generous amount of butter and flour, I’m thinking we can pull this off.

However in drinks…….lemon is my haven. Limon Barcardi for example, cannot do any wrong in my books. And next time, I’m taking my love for Italian culture and lemon drinks to a whole other height and making Antimo’s famous Limoncello from scratch.

But back to our today’s trial, here’s your recipe:

Ingredients:

- Veal or chicken cutlets (pounded thin) - Salt, pepper and flour - 2 tbsp. butter - 3 tbsp. olive oil - beef or chicken stock - 6 paper - thin slices of lemon - 1 tbsp. lemon juice - 2 tbsp. butter - Basil (optional)

Step 1: Pre-cooking preps:

- Marinate your veal/ cutlets with salt, garlic powder and black pepper for a couple of hours. 

- Chop up your basil leaves into tiny pieces

- Squeeze juice from your fresh lemons and zest the peelings. What does it mean to zest lemons? Google. Otherwise that will be a whole other blog post within a blog post.

Step 2:

Dip your veal/cutlets in flour, shaking off the extra. In skillet, melt butter with oil over moderate heat. When foam subsides, add veal/cutlets and saute about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer veal/cutlets to a plate.

Step 3:

In a fresh skillet, melt some butter, and add some flour, mixing constantly to blend well. Add stock before this begins to burn, and the lemon juice as well. Add your veal/cutlets plus the basil and cover skillet, leaving it to simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Add some cream to make it thicker if you like, and let it continue for 3 more minutes.

Step 4:

To serve, transfer veal/cutlets to platter and surround with lemon slices. Or like me, just serve with a carb of your choice. Buon appetito!