Monthly Archives: April 2022

MASALA SHRIMP

Posted in Seafood by

Quick to prepare, super flavorful, leftovers would be great next day but you won’t have any. Sorry about that.

MASALA SHRIMP
(inspired by many sources)

1 pound shrimp, large or jumbo, peeled and deveined
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/3 cup water
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp chaat masala mix (optional, but nice)
fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat the oil over a large sauté over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, and cook them for at least 5 minutes, stirring every once in a while, until they turn into a paste. Add the ginger and cook for a couple of minutes longer. Add all the seasonings up to garam masala. Stir well, add water and let it reduce gently for 5 minutes or so.

Add the shrimp, season with salt and chaat masala (if using). Cook until the shrimp is opaque, moving them often. Turn the heat off, drizzle the lemon juice and serve sprinkled with cilantro leaves.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Traditionally, the masala shrimp would be less saucy, the tomato mixture is reduced longer. I took a slightly different route, so decide which way pleases you. If you want a shrimp more intensely flavored and almost dry, start with 3 tomatoes instead of 4, and reduce the masala further. Chaat masala is a nice spice mix to have in your pantry if you are fond of Indian cuisine.

You can use this masala sauce to serve with chicken, pork, I bet even scallops could be pretty nice too. And it is ready so quickly, perfect for a busy weeknight.

ONE YEAR AGO: Victoria Sponge Mini-Cakes

TWO YEARS AGO: Red Beet Sourdough

THREE YEARS AGO: A Modern Take on Tarte Tatin

FOUR YEARS AGO: Minnie-Macarons, a Fun Project with a Happy Ending

FIVE YEARS AGO: Nigella Lawson in the Bewitching Kitchen

SIX YEARS AGO: Walnut-Raisin Bran Muffins

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Gingersnaps with White Chocolate Chips

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Turkey Chili with Almond Butter

NINE YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Leek and Cheese Tart

TEN YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club; Triple Chocolate Brownies

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Shaved Asparagus Salad

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Indonesian Ginger Chicken

CARROTS AND ZUCCHINI STIR-FRY WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Posted in Veggies by

Five days without our faithful goofy companion. I want to thank for all the comments in my previous post. I read each one, but cannot bring myself to answer them. Please consider yourself hugged.

This key to this recipe is slicing the carrots in ribbons, which is a bit of a labor of love, but worth it. Couple that with spiralized zucchini, and you’ll hit a jackpot. If you do not have a spiralizer, slice the zucchini very thinly and that will do. It is surprisingly hearty, and would be a great vegetarian meal if you add perhaps some farro and a slice of bread.

CARROT AND ZUCCHINI STIR-FRY WITH PEANUT SAUCE
(inspired by many sources)

3 carrots, sliced in ribbons (with a large veggie peeler)
2 large zucchini, spiralized fine
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
grated ginger to taste
1 shallot, minced
salt and pepper

for the sauce:
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp or more Sriracha sauce
drizzle of agave nectar
juice of 1/2 lemon
water to adjust consistency

Heat the oil in a non-stick large wok. Sautee the ginger and the shallot until fragrant. Add the veggies, stir-fry for a couple of minutes in high heat. Drizzle the sauce, you might not need the full amount, so that the veggies are not drenched. Cook for a couple of minutes more, stirring constantly to distribute the thick sauce well into the veggies.

Add the peanuts, and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you want to make a bigger amount, you might have to stir-fry the veggies in two batches, then join them and finish with the sauce. As I mentioned, slicing the carrots is not the most enjoyable activity in the world, but it is a game changer. Just incorporate the Zen and go for it. The sauce is pretty delicious and would be awesome added on top of grilled pork tenderloin, which I intend to do soon.

ONE YEAR AGO: Cookie Therapy, Anyone?

TWO YEARS AGO: The Quasi-Vegan Quiche

THREE YEARS AGO: Not Quite Moqueca

FOUR YEARS AGO: Roasted Butternut Squash with Cashew Nuts

FIVE YEARS AGO: Mississippi Roast and the Open Mind

SIX YEARS AGO: Walnut-Raisin Bran Muffins

SEVEN YEARS AGO: A Star is Born!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Chestnut Flour Sourdough Bread

NINE YEARS AGO: Kinpira Gobo and Japanese Home Cooking

TEN YEARS AGO: Walnut Sourdough

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Thai Chicken Curry

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Zen and the art of risotto

A MOST PAINFUL GOODBYE

Posted in General by

There is no easy way to break the news. Our beloved Bogey left us, to cross the Rainbow Bridge and join the many beings that live in our memories. I cannot quite describe the pain, how broken we are inside, but at least he is not suffering anymore, and will stay with us forever. Wagging his tail. Being mischievous. Being Bogey. Bogey Quit That.

(note added after publication: I normally try to answer every single comment left on my blog. I just cannot bring myself to do it for this post. I love each comment left, but it’s just too hard to address them at the present time)

Bogey
January 4th, 2009 – April 20th, 2022

LOW-CARB SUPER FAST CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

Posted in Air-Frying, Poultry by

Air-fryer to the rescue again… I will give you pretty loose instructions, because how you make it will depend on your carb goals. If you want to do close to zero carbs, omit the bread crumbs. The texture will suffer a bit, but it will still work. If you want to do moderate carbs, use the mixture I did. I am quite surprised by how much I liked the texture of the meat, and the fact that frying the chicken breast on the stove top before baking was not needed at all. A leap of faith was needed for me to try it the first time. I’ve made it three times ever since.

LOW-CARB AIR-FRYED CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, lightly seasoned with salt
2 eggs, whisked with a teaspoon of water, salt and Herbes de Provence to taste
50:50 mixture of bread crumbs and almond flour
(lower carb alternative 50:50 mixture of almond flour + finely grated Parmigiano cheese)
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese

Dip the chicken breasts in the seasoned whisked egg mixture, coat both sides with your choice of “breading.” Spray the basket of the air-fryer with a little olive oil. Carefully place the pieces of meat side by side in the basket. Turn the air-fryer to 390F and cook for 10 minutes. If you are using very large breasts, cook for 12 minutes, but the recipe works best with smallish pieces of meat.

Gently flip the meat over, add tomato sauce and cheese. Air-fry for 6 additional minutes. Remove the meat and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: There are three little issues that might annoy you with this method. You know I never lie…

First: if you go real low in carbs, the coating is on the soft side. It will be very hard to flip the chicken piece without losing part of it to the basket. Even with the bread crumbs a little bit is lost. I am not sure if the flipping of the piece is necessary, and intend to try without doing it next time.

Second: it makes a bit of a mess in the basket once the cheese melts. I am a neat-freak and that means I spend quite a bit of time cleaning it up and inspecting every little corner. It still does not prevent me from making it, but keep that in mind and don’t get mad at me…

Third: if you have a smallish air-fryer like I do, you can only do two pieces of chicken at a time. It turns out that when I make this, I do the regular kind (stove-top, fried then baked) for the husband, and this lower-carb version for me. But if you are feeding a family of four, this is not a good option.

ONE YEAR AGO: Sundried Tomato Spelt Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: A Duet of Chocolate Bonbons

THREE YEARS AGO: Chocolate Tartlets with Honey-Caramel Filling

FOUR YEAR AGO: Zucchini Soup with Tahini

FIVE YEARS AGO: Black Sesame Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: Fine Tuning Thomas Keller

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Tortillas

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Majestic Sedona, Take Two

NINE YEARS AGO: Secret Ingredient Turkey Meatballs

TEN YEARS AGO: Swedish Meatballs and Egg Noodles

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Italian Easter Pie

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Black Olive Bialy