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Guys? Hey, guys? Anyone?? I'm finally back from an extended commercial break! I can't believe that I have been MIA for so long that Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone without a single holiday baking post from moi. (And I shockingly only made one batch of cookies over the entire holiday season.) Speaking of the holidays, after traveling for a majority of the time, coming home to an empty kitchen definitely provided enough temptation to order in, until I remembered that I had a delivery coming from Blue Apron. Sorry, Seamless.
Pre-packaged meal delivery is not necessarily something that I would seek out, but since I was getting my first delivery for free I figured that I might as well check it out. In my box I received the ingredients for three meals for two: pulled chicken tacos, beef bolognese and Thai coconut shrimp soup. The problem is, you have to be in the mood to cook and in the mood to eat specifically what is being delivered to you! Upon my delivery, I unpacked the entire box and then proceeded to eat pita chips and hummus because I really didn't feel like cooking.
Everything was very well planned and packaged, and all of the ingredients were fresh, but I still felt like there was something lacking. On day two I made the pulled chicken tacos, sort of. I froze one chicken breast, cooked the other according to directions, and then skipped the side salad and made guacamole instead. I used the leftover sauce to make black beans and rice two days later.
On day four I made the Thai shrimp soup. I followed the directions but added fish sauce because there was an overall lack of saltiness to balance out the hot/sour/sweet flavors. I also preferred to serve it more like a curry served over the rice versus a soup with a little bit of rice added in. It was also generously portioned and I ended up eating it for 3 meals.
On day seven I finally got around to making the beef bolognese. (Fear not! I kept checking the expiration dates so that nothing spoiled.) Again I followed the directions but having made bolognese from scratch before, I knew that it was going to be pretty basic. A little too basic for me. I added white wine and diced tomatoes at the point at which BA would have you serve it, and then proceded to simmer it for another 30 minutes. I think it added an acidity and sauciness that otherwise would have been lacking. This was also a very generous portion. The recipe was meant to serve two, but I have managed to extend it for 4 meals. Oh! I forgot to mention that you were supposed to stir brussels sprouts leaves into the sauce at the end. Umm…ok. Random!
I can see how this concept would work for people who have a problem planning and shopping for meals, but I guess I like to be a little more improvisational. There is very little waste, which as a person cooking for one, I do appreciate. Purchasing an entire bunch of cilantro or head of celery when you only need a tablespoon is super annoying since the unused portion often spoils in the fridge. And having someone else locate lemongrass and coconut palm sugar was pretty rad.
You are given the ability to skip deliveries and to make basic recipe requests (like meat preferences etc.) so I could see doing this once every month or so, but I think for the most part I'll stick to making my usuals and skip the blue apron.
Quick Beef Bolognese
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces ground beef
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
8 ounces fresh pappardelle pasta
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1. In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onion and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring occasionally, 2 - 4 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook stirring frequently, 2 - 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon for 4 - 6 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
3. Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir to combine, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Add the pasta and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add directly to the sauce. Toss to coat and add the reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Remove from the heat and add half of the cheese. Toss to coat and serve with remaining cheese on the side. Serves 2 - 4.
Coconut Red Curry Shrimp
1/2 cup jasmine rice
Vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
2 stalks lemongrass (tough outer layers removed; one stalk minced and one stalk cut in half and smashed)
1 scallion, sliced (separate the green and white parts and reserve)
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 (13.5 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar
1 lime, zested and quartered
1 tablespoon fish sauce
8 ounces shrimp
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1. In a small pot, heat the rice, 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to boiling on high. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12 - 14 minutes until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. In a medium pot, heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, ginger, minced lemongrass and the white parts of the scallion. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 - 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 - 2 minutes, or until softened.
3. Add the red curry paste, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 - 2 minutes or until fragrant.
4. Add the coconut milk, palm sugar, lime zest, fish sauce, reserved lemongrass pieces and 1 cup of water to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 - 4 minutes or until thoroughly combined.
5. Season the shrimp with salt and add to the soup. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 - 10 minutes or until opaque and cooked through. Turn off the heat and add half of the cilantro and the juice of two lime wedges. Discard the smashed lemongrass. Serve the curry with the rice and top with the remaining scallions and cilantro and lime wedges. Serves 2 - 4.
Every other day there's a new super food that we're supposed to be eating so that we can become more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Those aren't quite my life goals, but I figured that I'd give forbidden rice (black rice) a try anyway. This ancient grain was supposedly once eaten exclusively by the Emperors of China. I think I qualify! Forbidden rice is chock full o' good stuff like anthocyanins (an antioxidant also found in blueberries) iron, 18 amino acids and a bunch of other nutrients. It also tastes great and looks pretty cool too. Check out my before and after pictures below.
Forbidden Rice - Dry
Forbidden Rice - Cooked
Since summer is officially approaching with Memorial Day weekend bearing down on us, I thought a cold rice salad might be a good way to sample this super rice (and is an excellent grill-and-chill side dish). Sticking with my Emperors of China theme, I made a toasted sesame oil and tamari (soy sauce) dressing, added in some extra color with snow peas and mango and finished with cashews for crunch. Delish. I may not exactly feel like donning a cape, but I will be making this again.
Emperors of China Forbidden Rice Salad
1 cup Forbidden Rice®
1 3/4 cups water
Salt
8 ounces snow peas
1 mango, diced (see photos below)
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari
2 scallions, chopped
3/4 cup chopped roasted and salted cashews
1. Cook the rice: Bring the rice, water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Remove to a large bowl to cool to room temperature.
2. Prepare the snow peas: In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the snow peas and cook (blanch) for one minute. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water until the snow peas are cool. Remove to a cutting board and roughly chop.
3. Prepare the mango: Stand the mango on a cutting board stem end down. Cut through the mango just off center down one side of the pit. Repeat on the other side. Take one half and use a knife to make a cross hatch pattern, without cutting through the skin.
Turn the mango piece inside out and, using a pairing knife, run it along to skin to remove the pieces.
4. Make the salad: In a small bowl whisk together the sesame oil and tamari. Add to the rice followed by the snow peas, mango and scallions. Add the cashews only if serving immediately. Toss thoroughly. (For make ahead salads, do not add the cashews until just before serving to avoid softening.) Serves 4 as a side dish or appetizer. (Recipe can easily be doubled to serve more.)
There's almost no point to making Thai food at home when you live in NYC. There are no less 18 Thai restaurants within a 10 block radius of my apartment. I took a Thai cooking class at ICE years ago and it was awesome, but I have yet to EVER make the recipes ever again! So why make a green curry at home? Because I need another way to make shrimp! Haven't you noticed how many posts I have on shrimp? They cook quickly and are tasty but I can't keep making garlic shrimp over and over again (but I do). And this green curry is not made like it was in my Thai class where we made the curry paste from scratch. I just bought the little jar o' paste at the grocery store. I don't think the addition of peas is authentic, but I like the slight sweetness paired with the spicy sauce. And the extra green looks purdy.
Shrimp Curry with Coconut Rice
Cooked basmati rice
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small jalapeño pepper, minced
1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1 1/2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped basil leaves
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
Freshly ground pepper
1. In a medium skillet, toast the coconut over moderately low heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Sprinkle over the cooked rice.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the jalapeño and cook for one minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute per side. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onion and the ginger and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the coconut milk, stock, and curry paste and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, until thickened. Add the cooked shrimp, peas, 1/3 cup of the basil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro and simmer until heated through, 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of basil, 1 tablespoon of cilantro. Serve immediately with the coconut rice. Serves 4.
Most Indian dishes, like Thai, are best left to the professionals, especially when one lives in NYC where you can order anything for delivery. I have actually taken a Thai cooking class where I learned to make all sorts of things, including a homemade red curry paste, but I have yet to ever make anything from that class...EVER AGAIN. I think the long ingredient lists that are common for both cuisines tend to be a little off putting, even for the more adventurous cooks among us, that we are more than happy to let someone else handle the cooking.
But then I saw what appeared to be a quite abbreviated recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala and I shockingly had most everything in my pantry. It was a long weekend so I figured, why not? Amazingly all I had to buy was the chicken and the yogurt. The recipe is pretty straightforward but should come with a warning: The chicken has to marinate OVERNIGHT. So start this recipe the DAY BEFORE you hope to eat it. (One point for ordering in!) Oh, and regarding the chicken which is meant to be broiled: If you have a tiny stove with a tiny broiler which requires a tiny pan, try TJ Maxx. I stopped into Williams-Sonoma to buy a quarter sheet pan and then turned right around when I saw that they wanted $30 for it. I walked across the street to TJ Maxx where I found the perfect sized pan, though perhaps not as high quality, for $3.99! Yeah! So that's my shopping tip of the day. I also picked up a really good quality "spoonula" for another $3.99. Boom.
Now I don't know how traditional this recipe is because I didn't bother to compare it to any others, but it was pretty darn tasty. And it might not be on the same level as the chicken tikka masala at some of my favorite Indian restaurants, but it was my first time and I think I did pretty well! Next time I think I might pick up some naan to go along with it...but then I'd probably just lazily pick up the rest of the meal while I was at it.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Adapted from Food & Wine
Masala Marinade
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
Masala Sauce
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup heavy cream
Basmati rice or naan, if desired
1. Make the marinade: In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne, and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Prepare the chicken: Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, toss to coat and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and browned in spots, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground.
5. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce to desired consistency.
6. Stir in the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve. Serves about 6.
Make Ahead: The Chicken Tikka Masala can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.
Variation: The marinade and sauce can also be prepared with shrimp, lamb, or vegetables.
Here's a quick pantry meal if, like me, you haven't been shopping and have no fresh vegetables or meat or eggs so just keep going out for dinner or eat cereal on the couch. (Oh, just me?) And yes, I recognize that it's probably just me that has basmati rice and red lentils in "my pantry." But you could use regular lentils and plain white rice...or just order it in from your local Indian restaurant. And maybe throw in a few samosas and alu paratha and...
Red Lentil Dal
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup basmati rice, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, chopped (optional)
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add the water and lentils and bring to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Puree the dal partially with an immersion blender with a few quick pulses, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice and top with cilantro and chili, if desired.
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