One of my Favorite Cookbooks.

Chinese Cuisine: The Fabulous Flavors & Innovative Recipes of North America's Finest Chinese Cook by Susanna Foo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I bought this book about 20 years ago. I've never stopped using it. I've moved around the world quite a bit and the book has come with me everywhere. It is not 100% tradicional Chinese. There is a fantastic fusion that makes the dishes delicate and special. I wish so much there was a Kindle edition. Much easier to carry around. Highly recommend.Some of my favorite recipes are:Veal Dumplings in Ancho Chile Sauce,Salmon Congee, Pan Seared Tofu with Scallions and Ginger,Baked Creamy Napa Cabbage and Scallion Pancakes, just to name an few.


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These are the Veal Dumplings in Ancho Chile Sauce.

I honestly try a new recipe every day. There is no time to repeat recipes in my life. But this one...I've made it over and over again. The dumplings and the sauce are freezer friendly too. So when I make them, I make a lot!❤

Blue Ribbon Chicken Pasta With Prosciutto

I had the most delicious pasta the other day. I got the recipe from www.Recipezazz.com from a member called ForeverMama. I have tried several of her recipes and every single one of them was fantastic.
I hope you will enjoy this as much as we did.

1/2 to 1 teaspoon steak seasoning (McCormicks Montreal brand preferred)

Hot pepper sauce, to taste (of ground hot pepper, hot pepper sauce such as Pastene brand or sciracha)

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into strips, 4 chicken breasts)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup minced garlic

1 3/4 pounds tomatoes, chopped (seeded, 5 tomatoes)

4 ounces prosciutto ham (cut into small pieces)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced into small strips

3/4 to 1 pound dry linguine pasta

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (fresh, or Romano cheese)

5 chile peppers (roasted pasilla chiles, peeled, seeded and cut into strips or Italian banana peppers)

1 to 1 1/4 pounds red bell pepper (3 to 4 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded cut into strips)

Fresh basil, chopped for garnish

Season Chicken strips with the Montreal Seasoning mix and ground hot pepper. Let chicken meld flavor by letting it marinade for 30 min – 1 hour.

Heat a cast iron griddle grate pan (or use outdoor grill). Grease with Pam or with oil. Once pan is hot, place chicken strips in hot pan. Turn chicken strips over to cook evenly. Once chicken strips are just cooked with a little pink in the middle (do not overcook as the chicken will be tough because it's going to cook for a second time), remove from pan onto plate to rest a bit.

Once chicken has rested for at least 10 min., slice into bite size pieces diagonally; set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté garlic until soft and golden, being careful not to burn as it will impart a bitter taste. Add tomatoes, proscuitto, chicken and butter; sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add basil, and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a stockpot, bring salted water to boil and cook linguine until al dente.

Drain pasta and transfer to a bowl, add the chicken/tomato mixture, chilies, roasted peppers, and grated cheese; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

TO ROAST PEPPERS, place in a greased cookie sheet into a 500 degree oven to char. Once the skin of the peppers is charred and pulling away from the meat of the peppers, remove each pepper from oven with tongs and place immediately in a paper bag or bowl, sealing bag tightly in order for peppers to sweat (if using bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap).

Let peppers sit in sealed bag or bowl for a while (10 – 15 min). Once the skin has wilted away from meat of peppers, remove peppers from bag and peal skin off gently, discarding the skin and slicing the peppers into desirable sized strips.

Pasta with Cauliflower

400 grs(14 0z) spaghetti
700 grs (25 0z) cauliflower (just one normal size cauliflower)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic,chopped
1 hot pepper, chopped
4 anchovy fillets drained
2 Tbs parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Clean the cauliflower and cut it into florets; cook for 10 minutes in salted water.
After they are cooked, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and keep aside.In the same water cook the pasta, al dente.
Meanwhile, warm up oil in a large pan over medium to low heat; saute garlic and hot pepper.Add anchovies and shred with the back of a wooden spoon.
Add cauliflower florets and pasta. Toss to mix.
Cook for two minutes, add Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and season with salt, if necessary.
Stir and serve.

The Slow-Fast Food.

With just a few simple ingredients we can make a delicious, healthy and affordable meal.
Today I was inspired by 3 zucchini I had in my veggie bin. They needed to go!
So, I made Spaghetti with zucchini and chicken.

The ingredients are for 2
(Two hungry people)

4 0z linguine
1 Boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced
3 Tbs.olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 Small chili peppers, sliced
1/2 ts seasoned salt (or to taste)
1/4 ts freshly ground black pepper
3 Zucchini, sliced
1/2 Cup Shredded cheese
1/8 Cup fresh basil, julienned

In large saucepan with boiling salted water, cook pasta al dente.
Meanwhile,heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and chili pepper and cook for 2 minutes;
add chicken, saute 5 minutes or until lightly golden.
Season with seasoned salt (I use Lawry's) and pepper.
Add zucchini to same skillet and cook for 5 minutes until squash is crisp-tender.
Drain pasta,and toss with some olive oil; place on a oven proof platter,top with chicken,zucchini and sprinkle with the cheese.
Place under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
Sprinkle some fresh basil (VERY IMPORTANT) and...eat.

Daring cooks April Challenge

Our April 2012 Daring Cooks challenge, was quite interesting.


We had to create our own recipe using 1 ingredient out of each of the following lists.

List 1: Parsnips, Eggplant (aubergine), Cauliflower

List 2: Balsamic Vinegar, Goat Cheese, Chipotle peppers

List 3: Maple Syrup, Instant Coffee, Bananas

I have to admit I had a blank when I saw the ingredients. First of all I've never seen

parsnips in Argentina or Maple Syrup; two ingredients: GONE
 
 

It was a beautiful warm fall day perfect for a BBQ.
I looked at my fridge and pantry and I had : Chipotles and instant coffee from the lists.
I also had chicken. I run to the store and got cauliflower.
 

Started the grill and mixed and all purpose rub with the instant coffee and some olive oil;
brushed all the chicken and let it marinade while the coals were getting red.
I blanched the cauliflower, then brushed it with olive oil  and sprinkled it with dry chipotle peppers.
I had all my three ingredients. All on the grill,...laid on the sun and waited.
 

Simple, really simple and so, so flavourful.
 

Super easy Thai salad

We had a BBQ this weekend and I had just a little chicken and  little beef  leftovers. Not enough to make a sandwich, plus, where is the creativity on making a chicken sandwich?
So, looking around in the pantry a found a few rice noodles; a had some veggies and tofu in the fridge and my leftovers became a bright and flavourful Thai salad.

For the dressing I adapted a recipe from Taste.com.au :

1 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

For the tofu I adapted a recipe from Vegetarian.about.com

1/4 block firm or extra firm tofu
6 tbsp flour
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup oil

And for the rest of the salad I used

left over chicken
leftover beef
rice noodles
1/2 red pepper
2 green onions
1 zucchini
a small bunch of dandelions
a few garlic chives
black and white sesame seeds.

I cut up the tofu into small cubes, put them in a baggie with the flour, garlic salt and pepper, shacked them and the fried them in the oil.

I soaked up the noodles, sauteed the red peppers, green onions and zucchini in separate batches.

Mixed all the dressing ingredients.



Separately I soaked the noodles in the dressing, also the tofu, beef and chicken.

Toasted the sesame seeds and assembled the plates by placing dandelions on the bottom, noodles in the middle and the rest of the ingredients all around the noodles.
Sprinkled with sesame seeds, a little extra sesame oil and decorated with the garlic chives and pour the rest of the dressing on top.

Dessert in a flash.

No time for baking or even thinking what to do for dessert?
Get some dates, cut them in halve, get the pit out and stuffed them with a walnut.
You can't stop eating them.