SHRIMP WITH PICKLED JALAPEÑOS AND BROCCOLI

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

This super simple recipe is almost a full meal in itself, but of course rice is more than welcome on the same plate… Pickled jalapeños pack a ton of flavor and although slightly hot, they won’t overpower your senses. Great ingredient to keep in the fridge and add to stir-fries, omelettes, salads. In this recipe, you’ll use not only the peppers but also the pickling liquid.

SHRIMP WITH PICKLED JALAPEÑOS AND BROCCOLI
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 quarts water + 1/4 cup salt + 1/4 cup sugar, fully dissolved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons jarred pickled jalapeños, plus 2 tablespoons of the pickling liquid
salt and pepper to taste
1 small head broccoli, florets cut into bite-size pieces
½ cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 to 2 tsp cornstarch

Brine the shrimp by covering it with the salt-sugar water for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse briefly, set on paper towels to dry.

In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, honey and 1 to 2 tablespoons of pickling liquid. Add this mixture to the brined, dried shrimp and let it sit for half an hour in the fridge.

Place the broccoli florets in a dish with a moistened paper towel on top, and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove the paper towel and let it sit at room temperature until you use it in the stir-fry.

Heat a large non-stick skillet, add the shrimp with the marinade. Cook stirring every so often until the shrimp is almost cooked through. Add the broccoli, the pickled jalapeños, season with salt and pepper, and sautee everything together until the broccoli is tender and the shrimp fully cooked. Mix the soy, water and cornstarch to make a slurry. Add to the pan and cook until it thickens. Sprinkle the feta cheese and serve immediately over rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I was inspired by this recipe for chicken and changed things around to turn it into a seafood version. Without the added soy-cornstarch in the end, I thought it ended a bit too dry for our taste. We like to have some sauce to mingle with the rice. Play with the amount of pickled jalapeños and their pickling liquid to find the level that pleases you most. We like spicy food but not too much. A little lemon juice in the end is also a good move, keep that in mind.

SOMEONE TURNED ONE YEAR OLD YESTERDAY!

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THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies

10Jun2023

SESAME MISO YAKITORI

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

Totally in love with this recipe that was recently published on my friend Tara’s blog (Tara’s Multicultural Table). It will for sure be part of our regular rotation, as the husband already asked me “when will we have it again?”

SESAME MISO YAKITORI
(slightly modified from Tara’s Multicultural Table)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
3 tablespoons red miso
2 tablespoons sake (I used Brazilian cachaça)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, ground
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pound (450 grams) boneless chicken thighs

Soak the wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes prior to use.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, miso, sake (or cachaça), ground sesame seeds, and sugar. Place the saucepan over medium low heat and cook, whisking often, until thickened.
Remove from heat and pour 1/3rd of the mixture into a separate bowl and set aside with a clean pastry brush. This bowl of glaze and brush will be for the final coating over the cooked chicken skewers.

Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces. Arrange the chicken on the skewers. Grill the skewers, brushing with the glaze from the saucepan. Cook until golden, then turn and brush again with the miso glaze. Continue to cook until the chicken is fully cooked. Brush the cooked chicken skewers with the clean brush and bowl of miso glaze.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I normally do not have the patience to add meat to skewers. I know it sounds odd, as I can spend hours decorating a single cookie if needed, but such is life. However, this was so absolutely worth it, the texture is improved compared to grilling the boneless thighs as individual, large pieces. Plus, sesame miso sauce is divine. I used it on pork tenderloin and want to pair it with salmon in the near future. It is nutty, with just the right touch of sweetness. Please try this recipe and then thank Tara for it!

ONE YEAR AGO: Marinated Chickpeas with Slow-Roasted Red Peppers

TWO YEARS AGO: Mini-Pullman Sourdough Bread

THREE YEARS AGO: Gibassier

FOUR YEARS AGO: Sundried Tomato Twist Bread

FIVE YEAR AGO: And now for something completely different….

SIX YEARS AGO: Parsnip, Coconut, and Lemongrass Soup

SEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2016

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Paleo Moussaka

NINE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2014

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2013

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Crimson and Cream Turkey Chili

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Taking a break from the nano-kitchen

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies

6Jun2023

FRESH DILL AND FETA SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

A match made in heaven and materialized in the Bewitching Kitchen! We were lucky to get a huge bag of fresh dill from a departmental colleague and I had some feta cheese hanging in the fridge. One thing led to another and here we are!

FRESH DILL AND FETA SOURDOUGH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

475g white bread flour
25g whole-wheat flour
9g salt
350g water
65g sourdough starter at 100% hydration
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced (or amount to taste)
50-100g feta cheese, crumbled

Make the levain mixture about 6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be very bubbly and active.

When you are ready to make the final dough, place the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer and dissolve the starter in it, mixing with a spatula briefly, then add the two types of flour, and the salt. Turn the mixer on with the hook attachment and knead the dough for 3 minutes at low-speed all the time. Add the dill, knead for another minute to incorporate. If the dough is too sticky, add 1/4 cup flour, you want the dough to start clearing the sides of the bowl, but still be sticky at the bottom.

Remove from the machine, and transfer to a container lightly coated with oil, add the feta and gently mix it in. Don’t worry about incorporating it, it will all go into the dough as you fold it. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 4 hours, folding every 45 minutes or so. After four hours bulk fermentation, shape the dough as a ball, and place, seam side up, in a lightly floured banetton. Leave at room temperature one hour, and then place in the fridge overnight, from 8 to 12 hours.

Next morning, heat the oven to 450F. Invert the dough over parchment paper, rub gently tapioca flour on the surface. Score with the pattern of your choice and bake at 450F for 45 minutes, preferably covered for the first 30 minutes to retain steam. Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: For the scoring of the surface I used a combination of razor blade and scissors. The bread had impressive oven spring, but I liked the way the design ended up. As to the flavor, I noticed that the dill came through stronger on the second day of the loaf sitting at room temperature. Usually in the evening of day #2 we slice what is left and freeze for later, so that’s what we did.

Really nice to bite into a little piece of feta cheese…..

ONE YEAR AGO: Marinated Chickpeas with Slow-Roasted Red Peppers

TWO YEARS AGO: Passionfruit Millionaire’s Shortbread

THREE YEARS AGO: Chai-Mango Rosette Macarons

FOUR YEARS AGO: Common Table, Something New in My Life

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SIX YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin, Braciole Style

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Raspberry Buckle

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Seafood Gratin for a Special Dinner

NINE YEARS AGO: Cooking Sous-Vide: Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Loin

TEN YEARS AGO: Farewell to a Bewitching Kitchen

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen. June 2012

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Goodbye L.A.

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2Jun2023

OREO BALLS, FUN AND EASY

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

For those who are not into complicated baking recipes but want to impress friends, here is a great idea: Oreo balls. All you need is a food processor, Oreo cookies and cream cheese. The real step that takes them to a higher level is covering them with chocolate, and yes you can use compound chocolate without feeling guilty and inadequate. Nothing wrong with making life a little easier. Decorating them with a fondant bit is optional, you can add sprinkles, or paint with a brush of gold luster mixed with vodka. Or leave them plain. Keep them in the fridge and enjoy them either still pretty cold or after allowing to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so.

OREO BALLS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

24 Oreo cookies, any flavor
90g cream cheese, at room temperature or slightly cold
200g compound chocolate or regular chocolate with 30g vegetable oil
fondant to decorate (optional)

Coarsely chop the Oreos and place them in a food processor. Add the cream cheese and process it all until a kind of sticky dough forms. Make little balls, each with 20g of the mixture. It they got too warm in the food processor, place in the fridge for a few minutes before forming the balls. Transfer the balls to the freezer for a full hour, that will make the coating set faster.

Melt the compound chocolate and dip each ball using a stick to help it get fully coated. Stick on a base of styrofoam until full set. Make fondant decorations if so desired, paint with gold and stick to the top once the chocolate is set. Keep in the fridge, they stay good for a week or so.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: You need some type of a stick to help coat the balls with melted chocolate and to stand them up to set. I used a little styrofoam board to keep them upright. You can of course re-use the sticks, just clean them up after removing from the little balls.

To glue the fondant I used some royal icing I had hanging around, but you can also use melted chocolate. Consider using white chocolate plain or dyed with different colors, and different kinds of Oreo cookies to make the balls. Really a super fun project that you can definitely do with kids.

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TWO YEARS AGO: Honeyed-Jalapenos on Spelt Pizza

THREE YEARS AGO: Bulgur and Chickpea Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

FOUR YEARS AGO: Purple Star Macarons

FIVE YEARS AGO: Smoked Salmon, Fait Maison

SIX YEARS AGO: Kouign-Amann, Fighting Fire with Fire

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EIGHT YEARS AGO: Chocolate Toffee Banana Bread

NINE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2014

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30May2023

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEANS

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

No need to run away, I promise you this is a very flavorful way to cook butternut squash. Simple, fast, and perfect to go with roast chicken or grilled salmon. The black beans provide a salty, sharp flavor that complements well the squash. I have made it with the beans as they come from the package, and a second time I minced them. I prefer them minced, the flavor will be more pronounced in the final dish, but if it is your first time trying this ingredient, use them whole and see how you like it.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEANS
(adapted from The Vegan Chinese Kitchen)

1 pound butternut squash, cut in big chunks
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon Rose Harissa (or any pepper mix you like)
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
1 cup water
drizzle of sesame seed oil
cilantro leaves

Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the harissa, the fermented beans, and leet them sizzle for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the butternut squash pieces, stir them well to coat with the oil, sprinkle the sugar on top. Pour the water and season with a little salt. Cover, reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes until tender.

If there is still water, you can drain it a bit or reduce by boiling, as long as the squash is not too tender. Add the cilantro and sesame oil right before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I normally roast or air-fry butternut squash, but it was really easy and fast to braise it. Leftovers were even better, the flavor intensified a bit, and it never got mushy, even after a brief encounter with microwaves. This will go into our rotation for sure. If you don’t have and won’t be getting fermented black beans to play with, maybe a drizzle with sweet soy sauce and a tiny bit of fish sauce will be a nice move.

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TWO YEARS AGO: Bulgur-Pork Tomatillo Platter

THREE YEARS AGO: Baking through the blogosphere

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FIVE YEARS AGO: Macarons with Ganache Noisette

SIX YEARS AGO: Quiche with Asparagus and Fennel

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Fakebouleh

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Yellow Squash Soup

NINE YEARS AGO: Grilled Chicken with Tamarind and Coconut Glaze

TEN YEARS AGO: Chicken-Apricot Skewers

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