Category Archives: recipes

Eating, recipes

Delicious homecoming

We came home from our trip to Chapel Hill to a great dinner. Genia made short ribs, broccoli and corn on the cob. I would’ve taken a picture of the ribs, but I was too busy eating. You should make them so you can see just how attractive they are. Oh, and how oh-my-stars incredibly delicious.

Genia’s Short Ribs
Boneless short ribs
Cooking spray
Oil
Salt, cayenne and black pepper
Genia’s Awesome Day Barbecue Sauce
Spray steel skillet with cooking spray, and add a little oil. Sear ribs on all sides over high heat, seasoning with salt , cayenne and pepper.

Put ribs in the pressure cooker; deglaze pan with a little water, and pour broth over ribs. Cook at 10 pounds pressure for about 15 minutes.

Arrange ribs in a baking dish and spoon sauce on top. Cover with foil; bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes. Uncover, resauce and cook another 15-20 minutes (don’t replace foil).

Genia’s Awesome Day Barbecue Sauce
2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Worstershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 cup beef broth (from pressure cooker after ribs are done)
Simmer until ribs are ready. Add 1 cup broth. Heat until bubbly.

You won’t be disappointed.

Eating, recipes

Hot hot hot

1 Comment

I’ve had “Cookwise” by Shirley Corriher on my Cookbooks I Want list for quite awhile. It’s as much cooking textbook as it is cookbook, but I’d been hesitant to buy it because of the price. Amazon has it now for $20, but I’m glad I held out. I found a copy at the flea market for $10.

Anyway, we tried a recipe out of it tonight: Hot Thai Curried Chicken with Coconut Milk and Avocados. Let me tell you, Shirley’s not kidding when she says this is hot. I cut the amount of curry paste by half, and holy Hannah it was warm. The taste was great, and I didn’t break a sweat eating it, but I think it would be a more pleasant experience with a little less heat. The following recipe cuts the amount of curry paste to what I’m guessing will be a manageable amount. I had to cook the chicken for longer than the recipe suggested, but I’ve left the suggested time in this version. Just check the chicken before you serve it up.

Hot Thai Chicken with Coconut and Avocado
Hot Thai Curried Chicken with Coconut Milk and Avocados
2 teaspoons oil
1-2 tablespoons curry paste
4 cans (13.5 ounces each) coconut milk
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 boneless chicken breast halves
2 avocados

  • Mash oil and curry paste together in a large wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons coconut milk and continue stirring to thin curry paste. Add more coconut milk and stir together well. When curry paste is well blended in, add the rest of the coconut milk and turn heat up to medium-high to bring to a boil. Add sugar and chicken broth. Boil vigorously for a minute, then turn down slightly to a gentle, steady boil to reduce. Boil gently, stirring frequently, and reduce to about 3 cups of noticeably thicker sauce. Even in a large wok, this reduction will take about 30 minutes — longer if you don’t keep it at a slow, steady boil.

  • Cut chicken breasts across the grain at a slight angle into 1/2-inch slices. When sauce is reduced, add chicken breast slices and bring back to a boil. Turn heat to medium, simmer 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Let stand uncovered in the hot wok about 4 minutes to finish cooking.

  • Meanwhile, peel and slice the avocados. Arrange the slices over the botton of a serving platter. Pour the chicken and sauce over the avocados. Serve hot over rice.
    • Eating, recipes

    Chicken kebabs

    These were a little messy to make, but they were well worth it. The grilled pineapple was so tasty.

    Spicy Jerk Chicken Kebabs with Bell Peppers and Pineapple
    The spice level of this dish is mild. For hotter taste, you can leave the seeds in the jalapeno pepper.

    1 teaspoon whole allspice
    1 teaspoon black peppercorns
    4 whole cloves
    1/4 cup packed brown sugar
    1/4 cup fresh lime juice
    1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
    2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    2 teaspoons paprika
    2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
    8 garlic cloves
    3 large shallots, peeled and cut in half
    1 (3-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
    1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
    2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
    2 cups (1-inch) cubed pineapple (about 1 medium)
    1 1/2 cups (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper (about 1 large)
    1 1/2 cups (1-inch) pieces green bell pepper (about 1 large)
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    Cooking spray

    Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add first 3 ingredients to pan; cook for 1 minute or until lightly toasted and fragrant.

    Place spices, brown sugar, and next 9 ingredients (through jalapeno) in a blender; process until smooth. Combine spice mixture and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning occasionally.

    Prepare grill.

    Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Thread chicken, pineapple, and bell peppers alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Brush reserved marinade onto pineapple and bell peppers. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

    Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 kebab)
    NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 170 (9% from fat); FAT 1.6g (sat 0.4g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 27.2g; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 34mg; SODIUM 527mg; FIBER 1.4g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.9g
    Jeanne Kelley,Cooking Light, JUNE 2006