Monthly Archives: July 2011

No Seafood Paella

No Seafood Paella

No Seafood Paella

A few weeks ago I felt like making a paella, but one without seafood. I eat seafood but do not generally go for fishy soups and stews. Remembering a sort of paella that I had at a Portuguese restaurant about 15 years ago I set out to make a no seafood paella, with chicken and sausage instead. It took a bit longer to make than I had anticipated as the rice took a while to soak up the liquids, but the result was delicious. This seems to be a one dish meal. No sides are needed, nor can I think of a side that would go well with it, save perhaps a simple salad.

Ingredients
Served 5 people, with leftovers

4-5 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, roughly cut
1 Portuguese sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1-2 Green bell pepper, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley, chopped
2 1/2 cups arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 15 oz can whole tomatoes
1 pinch saffron threads
Olive oil

Wetting the base

Wetting the base

Preparation and Cooking

Preheat a wide paella pan (or widest frying pan you have) on medium-high. Add oil to pan and brown the Portuguese sausage on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Turn the heat own to medium. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, and parsley to pan. Add tomatoes, crushing them as you put them in the pan, and pour in the juices.

Making the base

Making the base

Add saffron and paprika. Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir it in well to coat the grains, about 3 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken stock. Simmer, occasionally stirring lightly for the first 10 minutes or so. Add chicken stock as the water is absorbed by the rice. When the liquid is nearly all absorbed taste the rice to see if it is done.  It should preferably be al dente at this point as the rice will cook a little longer.

Return the chicken and sausage to the pan and tuck it into the rice, being careful to keep the rice submerged under any stock in the pan. When the rice is ready and all the liquid has been absorbed add the remaining parsley and stir in lightly. Turn off the heat and serve at the table.

Soaking up the liquid

Soaking up the liquid

 Notes

If you like seafood and want to add some to this dish there are a couple of changes you can make:

– Use fish stock instead on chicken stock.
– Add a couple of 1/2″ to 1″ thick pieces of your preferred fish to the pan and tuck into the rice while you are soaking up the broth, about 20 minutes before done.
– Add some shrimp over the dish.
– In any case you might find it helpful to cover the pan for 5-10 minutes with a lid or foil to allow the added seafood to steam cook.

 

Fettine alla Pizzaiola

Growing up there were a few favorite meals which I always looked forward to. Granted I do not remember being the foodie that I am today – at least I don’t think I was – but this meal always generated excitement when I saw it at the dinner table. These days it is a favorite in our house. My mom would use a couple of cloves of garlic but I use as many as eight to ten cloves depending on the size of the cloves and how much meat I have. We are not shy with garlic in our household. I am unsure of the origin of this dish, but given the Sicilian heritage on one side of the family I always assumed that this is a Sicilian dish.

Beef alla Pizzaiola

Beef alla Pizzaiola


Ingredients
Serves two parents and two young ones

1 1/2 lb beef, thinly sliced – I use top sirloin
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
2 tsp dried oregano
6-8 cloves garlic, sliced
Olive oil, for frying
3-4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt
Pepper

Thin sliced beef

Thin sliced beef

Preparation and Cooking

Place a little olive oil in a wide frying pan for which you have a lid and quickly brown the meat for a minute on each side, adding salt and pepper to taste. Fry one or two slices at a time and move them to a plate when done.
Turn the heat down a little, and sweat the garlic for a minute or two, adding a little olive oil to the pan if needed. Do not let the garlic brown, but remove it from the pan to a small bowl before then.

Brown all the beef, then layer the garlic on top

Now in layers, return the beef slices to the pan covering as much as possible, spread a few slices of garlic so that each slice of meat has a few, then spoon some tomato sauce over it all. Sprinkle some oregano, then repeat the layers until all the meat is back in the pan. When you get to the last layer (usually second or third), sprinkle some oregano and Parmesan cheese over the top. Bring to a simmer then partially cover and turn the heat down so that the tomato sauce simmers lightly.

The pizzaiola, simmering away
Cook for about 20 minutes. The sauce will darken a little, the cheese will melt, and the flavors will all mix together. Serve with a salad and a few slices of crusty bread. The tomato sauce should be a little thick, not watery.

Notes:

  • Minus the bread for serving this this is gluten free, a consideration in our household.
  • Increase the meat to two pounds for four adults (or older children).

Asian Style Chicken Wings – gluten-free

Asian Style Chicken Wings

Asian Style Chicken Wings

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken wings, ends cut off
1/2 cup gluten-free shoyu (soy sauce)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup mirin
3 stalks green onion, sliced thin, a tsp reserved for garnish
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds, a pinch reserved for presentation
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 inch ginger, grated or minced very fine
4-5 cloves garlic, minced

Preparation

Add all the ingredients except the chicken and reserve ingredients to a large ziploc bag or container and mix well. Add the chicken and marinate for at least 2-4 hours. Reserve the marinade when done!

Cooking

Chicken can be cooked in a number of ways, grilled, baked or broiled.
Grilled: cook the chicken about 5 minutes per side.
Baked: middle oven rack, 425 degrees for about 30 minutes
Broiled: on high, about 4 inches from the top for about 5 minutes per side.

Asian style chicken wings on the grill

Asian style chicken wings on the grill

While the chicken is cooking put the reserve marinade in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue simmering until reduced by half. The sauce will thicken due to the sugars. When the chicken is done give it a quick dunk in the marinade then transfer to serving plate. Pour any remaining sauce over the chicken.

Dipping the cooked wings in the reduced marinade

Dipping the cooked wings in the reduced marinade

Sprinkle a few slivers of green onion and some toasted sesame seeds on top for presentation.

Notes:

For a fruitier and sweeter wing replace the water with a fruit juice such as orange juice or pineapple juice. Fresh squeezed oranges will likely brighten up the flavor, while a canned pineapple juice should impart a very sweet taste.

Gluten-free variation: simply replace the soy sauce with a gluten-free variation. If gluten is not an issue for you simply use any soy sauce.

Want spicier? Add fresh or dried red chili peppers, more garlic chili sauce, or sriracha (the rooster bottle).