Butter Chicken

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Serves four.

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
5 or 6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs)
4 ounces butter, cut into cubes, or ½ cup coconut oil
½ cup heavy (whipping) cream or full-fat coconut milk
¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In the inner cooking pot of the Instant Pot, add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, one teaspoon of garam masala, cumin, and salt. Mix thoroughly, then place the chicken pieces on top of the sauce.

2. Lock the lid into place. Select Manual or Pressure Cook, and adjust the pressure to High. Cook for ten minutes.

3. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Unlock the lid. Carefully remove the chicken and set it aside.

4. Using an immersion blender in the pot, blend together all the ingredients into a smooth sauce. Let the sauce cool for several minutes.

5. Add the butter cubes, cream, remaining teaspoon of garam masala, and cilantro. Stir until well incorporated. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon when you’re done.

6. Remove half of the sauce and freeze it for later, or refrigerate for as long as three days.

7. Add the chicken back to the sauce. Preheat the Instant Pot by selecting Sauté and adjust to Less for low heat. Let the chicken heat through. Break it up into smaller pieces, if you like, but don’t shred it.

8. Serve over rice or raw cucumber noodles.

Tieban Tofu

This dish’s a classic a nightmarkets in China – you’ll usually see the tofu slowly frying on a flat top, smothered in a type of Chinese BBQ spice mix, and then chopped into bite sized pieces to serve.

1. Firm tofu (老豆腐), 2 blocks, ~800g. Cut into larger ~2 cm pieces – four slices per block. This needs to be thicker because we can’t have bubbling oil muffing up and making our spice mix clump.
2. Oil. For brushing. Peanut oil or sunflower oil are nice.
3. Scallions. Sliced, for garnish.
4. Spice mix: 1 star anise (八角), ½ tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns (花椒), ½ tsp cumin seeds (孜然), ½ tbsp Perilla seeds (苏子) -or- up the cumin seed by 1 tsp, ¼ tsp white pepper powder (白胡椒粉), ¼ tsp ginger powder (姜粉), ¼ tsp garlic powder (大蒜粉), 2 tbsp chili powder (辣椒面), 1 tbsp salt, ½ tbsp MSG (味精), 1 tsp sugar. These’ll all get ground together. Perilla seeds are also used in Korean cuisine so you might be able to try your luck there. For the chili powder, you’ll want one that’s not overly fiery, so the bog standard cayenne pepper from the bottle should work great.

That spice mix above’s one of the classic spice mixes used in Chinese BBQ. Just add in a bit of anti-caking agents and you’ve basically got what the street vendors use.

Process: Street food style Tieban Tofu:

1. Grind together the spice powder. First grind together the star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and cumin seeds. Then add everything except the salt/sugar/MSG and grind again. Finally, add the salt/sugar/MSG and give it a final grind. The reason the salt/sugar/MSG is added at the end is so that it doesn’t cake.
2. Brush the widest skillet you have with a thin layer of oil. Less oil for this one because any oil bubbling over the top’ll muff up the layer of spice – this’s kinda mimicking Chinese BBQ dishes here.
3. Add the tofu to the pan, brush on a top layer of oil, and smother with the spice mix. I know ‘smother’ isn’t really a proper amount but… just use your own judgement. Take a look at a picture of how much we added if you need.
4. Fry the tofu for 5 minutes, then rearrange if needed. The street food vendors use a flat top so they can cook these nice and even. For us on a stove, rearranging halfway through’s a nice idea.
5. Fry for 5 minutes more, and with a minute to go top with sliced scallions.
6. Optionally chop into 2 cm cubes. This’s the way they’ll often do it on the street, then toss it in a bit of a plastic cup, then eat with disposable chopsticks.

Kale Salad

I made this for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful!  In fact, we made it again 2 days later for friends.

Tuscan kale, also known as dinosaur kale, lacinato kale and cavolo nero, is abundant at farmers’ markets in the fall and winter, making this pretty salad studded with bright red pomegranate seeds the perfect side dish for a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. Unlike most salads, it should be dressed about 30 minutes in advance, which allows the kale to soften slightly.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 2 bunches Tuscan kale, stems removed and discarded and
    leaves julienned
• 1/2 cup (3 oz./90 g) cooked and cooled quinoa
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) coarsely chopped pistachios
• 1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) pomegranate seeds

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, the 1/2 tsp. salt and the 1/4 tsp. pepper.

About 30 minutes before serving, in a large bowl, combine the kale and half of the vinaigrette. Toss to evenly coat the kale. Set aside.

When ready to serve, add the quinoa, red onion, pistachios and pomegranate seeds to the kale and toss to combine. Taste and add more vinaigrette if desired, tossing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen

Carrot Layer Cake

 

 

Carrot Layer Cake

Serves 10-12

Shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Do not substitute liquid buttermilk for the buttermilk powder. To ensure the proper spreading consistency for the frosting, use cold cream cheese. If your baked cake is of an uneven thickness, adjust the orientation of the layers as they are stacked to produce a level cake. Assembling this cake on a cardboard cake round trimmed to a 6 by 8-inch rectangle makes it easy to press the pecans onto the sides of the frosted cake.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 3/4cups (8 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2teaspoons baking powder
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/4cups (8 3/4 ounces) light brown sugar
• 3/4cup vegetable oil
• 3large eggs
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3cups shredded carrots (4 carrots)
• 2/3cups dried currants

Frosting

• 16tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3cups (12 ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 1/3cup buttermilk powder
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4teaspoon salt
• 12ounces cream cheese, chilled and cut into 12 equal pieces
• 2cups (8 ounces) pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

Instructions

• 1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves together in large bowl.
• 2. Whisk sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla together until mixture is smooth. Stir in carrots and currants. Add flour mixture and fold with rubber spatula until mixture is just combined.
• 3. Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet and smooth surface with offset spatula. Bake until center of cake is firm to touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack (do not remove parchment) and then reinvert onto second wire rack. Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes.
• 4. FOR THE FROSTING: Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, sugar, buttermilk powder, vanilla, and salt on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Increase speed to medium-low; add cream cheese, 1 piece at a time; and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• 5. Transfer cooled cake to cutting board, parchment side down. Using sharp chef’s knife, cut cake and parchment in half crosswise and then lengthwise to make 4 equal rectangles, about 6 by 8 inches each.
• 6. Place 6 by 8-inch cardboard rectangle on cake turntable or plate. Place 1 cake rectangle, parchment side up, on cardboard and carefully remove parchment. Using offset spatula, spread 2/3 cup frosting evenly over cake layer. Repeat with two more layers of cake, frosting each layer with 2/3 cup frosting and pressing gently on each layer to level. Place last rectangle of cake on top and frost top of cake with 1 cup frosting. Use remaining frosting to coat sides of cake. (It’s fine if some crumbs show through frosting on sides, but if you go back to smooth top of cake, be sure that spatula is free of crumbs.)
• 7. Hold cake with 1 hand and gently press chopped pecans onto sides with other hand. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
• To Make Ahead: The cake may be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving.

Spicy Beef Kabobs

We tried this camping a few weeks ago and it's a keeper.  

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Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless beef sirloin
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Special equipment: 4 (12-inch) metal skewers

Directions
Cut the beef into 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inch cubes and place into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the garlic, paprika, turmeric, cumin, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. With the processor running drizzle in the olive oil.

Pour the marinade over the meat and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a sealable plastic bag and allow to marinate for 2 to 4 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Thread the meat onto the skewers leaving about 1/2-inch in between the pieces of meat. Place on the grill and cook, with lid lowered, 2 to 3 minutes per side, 8 to 12 minutes in all (8 minutes for rare and 12 for medium). Remove from the heat to aluminum foil, wrap and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes prior to serving.



Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/spicy-beef-kebabs-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Metho Valley Salad

PCC Methow Valley Salad

These ingredients are:
Vegetarian Vegan Corn-free Dairy-free Egg-free Peanut-free Soy-free Tree nut-free

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup farro
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup basil oil
• 1/4 pound roma tomatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut at an angle into 1/2-inch, half-moon chunks
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1/3 pound chard and kale mix (equal parts green kale, red kale and red chard, stems removed, cut into 1-inch pieces)

Preparation

Soak farro in water overnight. Bring water, pre-soaked farro and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool slowly at room temperature. Do not rinse. When cooled, place in a large bowl and refrigerate.
Mix together lemon juice, garlic, dill, basil, remaining salt, pepper, and both oils until dressing is blended. Toss dressing with grain, tomatoes, cucumber and carrots.
To serve, toss equal parts farro-vegetable mixture and loosely packed greens in a bowl.

Each serving: 231 cal, 10.1g fat (1.3g sat), 0mg chol, 63mg sodium, 31.9g carb, 5.1g fiber, 6.8g protein

Tuscan-Style Spareribs with Balsamic Glaze

I forgot the balsamic glaze and it was still amazing.  I will remember next time!

 

From: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tuscan-style-spareribs-with-balsamic-glaze

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves
1  tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped sage
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
6 pounds pork spareribs
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, preferably one aged for at least 5 years

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, rosemary, kosher salt, fennel, black pepper, sage, thyme, paprika, crushed red pepper, coriander and allspice. Rub the spice paste all over the spareribs and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°. Arrange the ribs on a large, rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, meaty side up. Roast the ribs for 2 hours, or until tender.
3. Preheat the broiler. Brush the meaty side of the ribs with the balsamic vinegar and broil 6 inches from the heat until browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then cut between the ribs and serve.