Easy Lamb & Rice Pierogi Pie

Marina shared with me a very simple meat pierogi recipe a couple of months ago and its about time I share it with you all.  We made this on the day we had a cooking spree for Russian themed dishes.  Peorigis are traditionally boiled, baked or fried dumplings of unleavened dough  stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit. Of central and eastern European provenance, they are usually semicircular, but are rectangular or triangular in some cuisines.  (Thanks Wikipedia)  This recipe was passed to Marina by her grandmother.  We decided to make a pie instead of dumplings since its much easier.  It's yummy and you can use any kind of ground meat. 

Ingredients:
-Two puff pastry dough (Marina likes to use the Indo-European ones from the Persian markets).  We need one for the bottom of the pie and one for the top.
-2 onion ( We liked the sweet onions.)
-1 lb of ground meat (pork, lamb, beef, chicken, turkey)
-1 cup of cooked rice (leftover rice comes in handy for this recipe)
1)  Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2)  Chop the onions, fry in oil (we used grapeseed which is healthier than any other oil) until nice and brown and caramelized.  Once done, take it out of the frying pan.
3)  In the same frying pan, brown the meat.  
4)  With a hand blender, blend the ground meat until it has a smooth consistency.
5)  Add onions and rice to the mix.
6)  Add salt and pepper to taste
7)  Roll out puff pastry on an over-safe 8 x 11 baking  pan and add meat, onion, and rice mixture.
8)  Put the other puff pastry on top of the mixture, pinch the ends together and poke holes on the top so it does not get too puffy.
9)  Bake until golden brown.
10)  Enjoy with friends!!!!!!!!!

Classic Napoleon

One of they key things that I think people fail to appreciate within an organization is their IT support team.  As a sales rep, I can appreciate their efforts keeping my customers happy and satisfied with our solution and our company.  I decided to make a classic napoleon for my company's IT support team to show our gratitude for all their hard work.  Guess who showed me this recipe?  Of course, it was Marina.  It is a very simple yet decadent recipe that can be used for simple events or fancy dinners to end a nice meal with.

Ingredients:

4 sheets of puff pastry  un-thawed ( we used Indo-Eurosian puff pastry but you can use the regular ones you find at the grocery store.
1 lbs of unsalted butter
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

For the puff pastry:
1)  Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or plain brown paper; set aside.
2)  Unfold puff pastry sheet and roll it out with a rolling pin.  Transfer to baking sheet
3)  Bake in a preheated oven for 18-23 minutes, or until golden. (Or bake according to package directions.)
4)  Carefully remove pastries from baking sheet. Cool on a rack.

For the filling:
1)  Whip butter and condensed milk until its similar to a melted yet fluffy marshmallow treat with a hand blender or a mixer.  

To assemble:
1) Trim off edges of puff pastry so all four layers are even.  For the trimming, leave those to be used as crumbled decorative toppings later.
2)  Layer one puff pastry, then add a layer of the filling - do this for all 4 sheets of puff pastry.  Make sure you leave enough filling to completely cover the whole napoleon.
3)  Add leftover puff pastry crumbles on top.
4)  Enjoy!

Russian Style Sweet & Sour Fried Catfish

Three weeks ago, I did a 9 day nutritional cleansing and rebalancing program that helped me loose 7 lbs in 9 days!  That Friday, the day right after my last cleanse day, Marina invited me over to her house to cook Russian dishes.  What luck!  We were up by 6 AM that Saturday  and by 12 PM, we made five Russian dishes for her international dinner with her girlfriends.  This is one of the recipes she taught me.  It was passed down to her from her grandmother.  It's very simple and you can basically pair it with any side dish.  I opted for roasted veggies since it's a nobrainer. 

 INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs catfish
1 large sweet onion
2 cups of shredded carrots
Grapeseed oil (it's healthier than olive and canola oil)
Sugar
Tomato paste
Vegetable broth


1)  Cut catfish into medium-sized pieces.  Keep in mind it will shrink when you pan fry it. 
2)  Salt and pepper fish on both sides.
3)  On medium-heated pan, fry both sides of fish until it's about 2/3 done with oil.
4)  Take fish out and set aside on plate.
5)  On another clean pan, caramelize sweet onions with oil until they are brown. (This is my favorite part for I love the smell of onions cooking).
6)  Add the shredded carrots and continue caramelizing them together. 
7)  Add tomato paste, sugar, a little broth and ketchup to taste.  Add a little at a time and taste it until you have the right consistency of sweet and sour.
8)  Add fish to the sauce and gently mix both making sure the fish is covered from top to bottom with the sauce.
9)  Let the flavors sit for another 5 minutes.
10)  ENJOY!

Nutella Lava Cookies

Ok, so everyone already knows I LOVE CHOCOLATE. But Nutella and chocolate in combo?  System overload right?  When I heard about these cookies, I couldn't wait to make them.  Though I'm in the midst of nutritional cleansing program (no coffee or sugars or alcohol or processed foods),  I still  made these the other night and was quite proud of myself for not eating all 10 cookies. Rather, I hand-delivered them to a few of my friends.  Enjoy!

Yields:  8 large cookies

Ingredients:
2 oz (56 grams) chopped hazelnuts plus about 1 tablespoon unsalted butter**
3 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, divided use
1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 scant teaspoon (a little less than 2 ml) salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (63 grams) lightly spooned and leveled flour
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) baking powder
8 teaspoons Nutella

1)  Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add chopped hazelnuts and sauté, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until aromatic.

2)  Remove nuts from skillet and lay on a piece of foil to cool and crisp.

3)  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat.

4) Reduce heat to low and stir in chocolate chips. Stir until melted; remove from heat and let cool slightly.

5)  Beat the egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes using high speed of an electric hand-held mixer. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture.

6)  Thoroughly stir together the flour and baking powder, then stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture and nuts. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for an hour or more.

 7)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

8)  Working one at a time, scoop up generous heaping tablespoons of dough and shape into a mounds a little larger than a golf ball.

9)  Press a hole into the mound and stuff it with a teaspoon of chilled Nutella. Seal the whole with some more dough.

10)  Place dough balls about 3 inches apart on lined baking sheet.

11)  Bake cookies one sheet at a time for exactly 12 minutes. Cool 3 to 5 minutes.


P-S- Thanks Marinas for forwarding the link to the Nutella cookies.

Brazilian Chicken & Shrimp in Tomato-Coconut Sauce

I finally made time to make myself homemade dinner.  Sometimes, I get so caught up with work, working out and running around that lately I found myself buying lunch/dinner  from my usual spots.  I missed how cooking made me feel calm.  I usually take my time in the kitchen and if anyone has ever cooked with me, you know I take F-O-R-E-V-E-R.   Better late than never though right?

I love coconut milk.  When I think of coconut milk, I remember my Grandmother's soups and dishes swimming in coconut milk and this immediately brings a warm feeling in my heart.  Not to mention the unstoppable watering & drooling that commences when I smell coconut milk.  Ok, you get the point, I love coconut milk.  It's raining outside and I wanted some comfort food.

This recipe came from Cuisine at Home Issue N. 67 Feb 2008

Yields:  2 servings
Total Time: 35 minutes



Cook:
1/2 cup of long grain white rice ( I opted for brown and of course it's going to take F-O-R-E-V-E-R)

Saute in 2 T. Olive Oil; Add:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt & pepper (5 -6 oz. each)
1 cup of onion
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 T. garlic, minced
1. T. red pepper flakes

Stir In; Add:
2 cups of tomatoes, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
6 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, halved lengthwise (3 oz.)
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. fresh lime juice
Salt to taste

Garnish With:
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Cook rice according to package directions; keep warm.

Saute seasoned chicken in oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes.  Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, and pepper flakes.

Cover and cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and coconut milk; cover and cook until tomatoes begin to break down, about 5-6 minutes.

Add shrimp, scallions, cilantro and lime juice; cover and simmer until shrimp are cooked, 2-3 minutes.

Season with salt.

Spoon rice onto 2 serving plates, then divide chicken and sauce between them.

Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Chocolate Glazed Raspberry Cream Puffs

I made these with my best friend, Celina, last week for my coworkers.  You wouldn't expect for cream puffs to be so simple to make, but it really is.  Granted, it might be time consumning pipping each single puff out and then filling it with flavored-whipped cream goodness, the wait is worth the while.   You can stuff the puffs with almost anything you like, just change the jelly/preserve/jam to whatever flavor your hearts' desire. These are crowd pleasures, sure to disappear within two hours at a party or a gathering.  It is best to chill the cream puff before you serve them. 

There's no clear story to the origins of cream puffs.  Some claim its from the French and others claim its from the Brits.  Either way, give thanks for these delicate & wondrous pastries.

This recipe came from Food Everyday September 2010 Issue.

PASTRY PUFF RECIPE
Yields:  110 small puffs (1 teaspoon batter each) or
             60 medium (1 1/2 teaspoons each) or
             40 large (2 teaspoons each)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick of UNSALTED butter)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 4 large eggs

1)  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
2)  In a small saucepan, bring water, butter, and sugar to a boil over high.
3)  Immediately remove from heat.
4)  With a wooden spoon, stir in flour.  Continue to stir until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 2       minutes. 
5)  Let cool for 2 minutes.
6)  Add eggs, ONE AT A TIME, mixing after each addition until batter comes together.
7)  Transfer batter to a large zip-top bag; twist and squeeze bag so batter is in one corner.  With scissors, snip a 1/2 inch opening in corner (or use a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round plain tip).
8)  Pipe batter into desired size mounds, 1 inch apart, onto sheets.
9)  With a wet finger, smooth pointy tops.
10) Bake for 10 minutes. 
11) Reduce Oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until puffs are golden brown and feel light and hallow inside, 20-30 minutes.
12) Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE RECIPE RASPBERRY FILLING RECIPE:
Yields:  40 
 

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of raspberry jam
- 1 tablespoon of brandy (optional)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped


1)  Use a toothpick or skewer to make a 1/4 inch wide hole in bottom of each puff.
2)  In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream to firm peaks.  (This might take a while depending on how powerful your mixer is but the key is FIRM PEAKS)
3)  Fold in raspberry jam and brandy.
4) Transfer mix to a large zip-top bag and snip a 1/4 inch opening in one corner.
5)  Place cut corner of bag in hole in puff and squeeze to fill puff with cream mixture.
6)  Place filled puffs, hole down, on a rimmed baking sheet.
7)  Refrigerate puffs while you are making the glaze.
8)  In a medium heatproof bowl, combine chocolate and light corn syrup.
9)  In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to just a boil.
10) Immediately pour over chocolate and let sit 2 minutes.
11) Stir until mixture is smooth.
12) Dip top half of each puff into chocolate glaze (or pour on top).
13) Place puff glazed side up on baking sheet.
14)  Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
15)  EAT ALL NOW - just kidding.

Crazy for Coconut Cream Pies

I love coconut.  I've known coconut all my life.  I can remember summer days in Lawis and having my cousins and friends challenging each other  to see who can climb up the coconut tree the fastest, the winner cutting down a fresh coconut fruit to drink and snack on.  We would run around with coconuts drilled with straws for easier consumption, it was like our Sunny Delight or Kool Aid.  Coconut is definitely known for its sweet usage.  I found this coconut cream pie recipe that called for fried pie dough.  I decided to just bake it on a regular  store-bought  pie crust to save time. Enjoy!

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home: Issue No 70 August 2008

Total Time:  30 minutes + chilling time

Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge.
1 cup of whole milk
1 cup of coconut milk
Remove pan from burner


Whisk together in a bowl:
1/2 cup of cream of coconut
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 t. kosher salt





Add 2 eggs, whisk until smooth, then gradually whisk in 1/2 of the hot milk.

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the milk remaining in the pan and cook over medium heat until thick, whisking often.

Boiling filling for 1 minute to thicken and eliminate the starchy taste.

Off heat, stir in:
1 1/2 cups of shredded & toasted coconut
2 T. salted butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract


.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it onto the surface to prevent a skim from forming; chill filling until cold.

Take store bought pie crust and cut into half.

Place 5 T. cold filling in the center of each dough pieces.

Dab water around the edge of the dough, then fold dough over the filling and press edges together to seal tightly.

Crimp edges of the pies with a fork to reinforce the seal, then trim off ragged edges with a pizza cutter.

Transfer pies to parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze until dough is firm, 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and arrange formed pies on parchment-lined baking sheets,

Brush them with an egg beaten with 1 T. milk, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
 
Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes.


Drizzle pies with coconut and melted chocolate before serving.

For the melted chocolate, I melted 1 cup of milk chocolate chips with 1/2 cup of cream of coconut over medium-low heat in a small sauce pan.

Simple, Healthy & Delicious: Ancho Chili Chicken with Black Beans

As a single gal on my own, I find that I can save money and save my figure (since I like to eat my sweets and anything decadent) by buying lean chicken breasts in bulk.  I usually get a bulk pack and wrap each chicken breasts in saran wrapped to be frozen till its required usage on a one-off basis for my meals.   With that said, I looked in my freezer the other night and found two chicken breasts laying around so I decided to make something with them.  I decided on this recipe because, its tasty,  fast and a healthy alternative to pork/beef meals.  It also has black beans which is a great source for fiber and antioxidants.  Lean chicken is a good source of lean protein and B vitamins as well.  You can pair this meal with yellow rice.

This recipe is from Cuisine for Two: Simple, Healthy & Delicious.


Makes 2 servings
Total time: 30 minutes


Season; Saute in 1 T. Olive Oil:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5 oz. each)
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. black pepper
Use a large saute pan and high heat until brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to plate


Toast in 1 T. Olive Oil; Stir In; Puree:
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and broken into pieces
1 1/2 cups of tomatoes, chopped
12 cup onion, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 corn tortilla (6")
1 cup chicken broth
Salt to taste
Two minutes to toasts the chiles over medium heat.  Then add tomatoes, 1/2 cup onion, garlic cloves, and tortilla; simmer for 3 minutes.  Stir in broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, return chicken to pan.   Cover and cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 5 minutes.  Remove breasts; puree tomato mixture in food processor, then season with salt.

Saute in 2 teaspoons Olive Oil;
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 t. garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed (14 oz.)
Saute onion and garlic in a small sauce pan over medium-high. Stir in beans to heat through, then season with salt to taste.

Garnish with:
Cilantro sprigs
lime wedges
crumbled queso fresco








Please note:  I forgot the lime.  Oops.

For Queen B & Stony Kurtis: Seafood Linguine

People come and go in your life; some are temporary acquintances and others become lifelong friends.  I have known Bee and Craig (Stony Kurtis is his record label name) for a few years now.  It is refreshing to see that true love and true friendship still exists.  They are a bit of a drive for me but I try to find time to drop in from time to time to touch base.

It's been a couple months since I made my way to their home but I managed to pay them a visit last weekend.  Usually Bee cooks for me and I bring over flowers or plants.  This time I wanted to cook for them and decided it would be fun to be in the kitchen with Bee.  Craig is good old Italian boy and Bee is from the land of smiles, Thailand  I would say its a good match.   Most of the time, we have Bee's concoctions and I thought it would be a good change of pace if I helped cook a traditional Italian dish.  Bee and I decided on SEAFOOD LINGUINE, a tried and true yummy Italian pasta goodness.

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home Perfect Pasta. Issue.

Makes 4 servings
Total time:  about 45 minutes

SIMMER and REDUCE
Shells from 8 large shrimp
1 cup of water
20-30 minutes. Strained & reserved broth


COOK:
1/2 lb. dry linguine
Drain and set aside


SAUTE in 2 T. OLIVE OIL; ADD:
1 t. garlic, minced
1 t. red pepper flakes - medium high heat for 30 seconds then add
1 cup dry white wine
8 medium-sized fresh clams cleaned (cherrystones or littlenecks)
Shrimp broth
Cover and simmer until clam shells open, about 5 minutes


STIR IN; ADD
8 mussels, cleaned
8 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, until mussels open, about 2-3 minutes
Discard any clams or mussels that haven't opened at this point then add
Cooked linguine
1/4 lb. calamari rings
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley; toss with tongs for 2-3 minutes, or just until calamari is cooked
Salt to taste


FINISH WITH:
 Olive Oil

CLEANING CLAMS:  
No one likes to taste sand in their mouth, especially in food.  For hardshell clams, scrub the shells with a stiff brush, then rinse in cold water.  Softshell clams (razors & steamers) must be soaked for about 3 hours in heavily salted water until they purge out the sand.

For the Gotlieb Family: Curried Potatoes & Peas Samosas

Samosas date back to the 10th century as a popular snack in  South Asia,  Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Arabian peninsula, the Mediterrenean (Turkey), Southwest Asia, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa.  It is usually shaped like a perfect triangular-cone and either baked or fried.   

 One of the most influential persons in my life is my old boss from Barracuda Networks, Daniel Gotlieb.  An outstanding human being with a family that is vegetarian, he challenged me to put up a vegetarian recipe.  I decided to make this since I really like samosas (if you work with me, you'll see me munching on frozen samosas from Trader Joe's for breakfast sometimes.)  Enjoy!

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home Issue N0. 68 April 2008

Makes 4 samosas
Total time:  45 minutes

1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, diced
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 T garlic, minced
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. curry powder  (recipe below courtesy of my coworker, Sumita)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt to taste
1 pkg. purchased pie dough (15 oz)
Chutney (see previous post)

1)  Preheat oven to 450 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment.

2)  Cook potatoes in salted water in a large sauce pan, covered, over medium heat until tender, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, set aside, and return to pan to burner.

3)  Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium heat until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.  Stir in curry powder and cook 30 seconds.

4)  Deglaze with broth. then add peas and reserved potatoes; bring to a boil.  Cook 1 minute, then add lime juice, season with salt; cool slightly.

5)  To assemble, unroll pie dough rounds and cut each into quarters.  Spoon 1/2 cup curry mixter in the center of 4 quarters; top each with remaining dough quarters.  Seal samosas with fingers, crimp with a fork, and carefully transfer to prepared baking sheet.  Bake until golden, 15 minutes.

6)  Serve with chutney.

CURRY POWDER mix courtesy of SUMITA, the only gal in the TAM team @ Post-Sales Qualys (which is super cool in my book):
Mix:  turmeric, red chilli, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt, garlic and ginger

Breaking in the Food Processor with Chutney

Chutney is term used for a mix of spices simmered to accompany Indian main dishes.  It also serves well as a spread on crackers and served with warm Brie.  You can find chutney in the world spices section in most grocery stores but the recipe is simple and quick so I decided to make it from scratch.  This is an American/European style chutney which are usually with fruits, vinegar and sugar, cooked down to a reduction. Flavorings are always added to the mix. These may include sugar, salt, tamarind, onion, or ginger.

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home Issue N0. 68 April 2008

Makes 1 cup 
Total time: 30 minutes

 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
 1/4 cup red onion, minced
 3 T. golden raisins (I used the regular kind since I had some in the pantry - they might be sweeter I think)
2 T. sugar
2 T. apple cider (I had pear apple cider laying around so I used that)
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1/2  t. red pepper flakes
1/8  t. ground coriander
1/8  t. ground allspice

1)  Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until tomatoes are broken down @ 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
2)  Off heat, puree half of the chutney in a food processor, then fold into remaining chutney.

Of course, I forgot to puree only half of the chutney with all the excitement of breaking in my food processor.  Pureeing only half of the chutney creates a thick sauce that still maintains texture. Oh well.... Trial & error in kitchen, as in life.

Chocolate Marshmallow Fingers

I love Ross, especially ever since I discovered their book section.  I found a great recipe book for brownies for $3.99 there and very excited to experiment.  

I chose this recipe since I had most of the ingredients again in the pantry.  I did have to jet over to Safeway for a late night run of graham crackers and mini marshmallows.  Though it is very simple, you do have to pay attention to not cool the chocolate for too long, otherwise it will not help bind the brownie together. See my pics to see how it looks when you let the chocolate cool for too long.  Oops.

Chocolate Marshmallow Fingers

Makes 18
12 oz. graham crackers
4 1/2 oz semi sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
8 oz butter
1/8 cup superfine sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp honey
2/3 cup marshmallows
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1)  Put the graham crackers in a polythene bag, and using a rolling pin, crush into small pieces.

2)  Put the chocolate, butter, sugar, cocoa, and honey in a pan and heat gently until melted

3)  Remove from heat and let cool, slightly.

4)  Stir the crushed crackers into the chocolate mixture until well mixed.
5)  Add the marshmallows, mix well.

6)  Then finally stir in the chocolate chips

7)  Turn the mixture into an 8 inch cake pan and lighty smooth the top.

8)  Put in the refrigerator and let chill for 2-3 hours, until set.

9)  Cut into fingers before serving.