Game On -Tandoori Sliders

I finally succumbed to making these cute and adorable sliders. Originally inspired by fast food joint White Castle now elevated to a cult like status of its own ( kobe sliders anyone?). You don't have to look for a White Castle to enjoy these. You can now make it at home with my spicy tandoori twist. I am sure some of you are gearing up for the big game this weekend and these sliders will fit right in. It is quick to make, just a bit of chopping and the patties can baked on a baking sheet in order to save your precious time if you wish. I just made a small batch so standing over a hot stove was no biggie, it took maybe half an hour to get these sliders to the table - assembled.

I has some leftover homemade whole wheat brioche dough in the freezer (result of a baking frenzy - thanks to Jaden) that I thawed and baked in a muffin pan for the buns. You could use dinner rolls too. Those pillowy soft potato rolls would be wonderful. I used Patak's tandoori paste here, except it is not called tandoori paste anymore. Instead it is called spicy ginger & garlic marinade . The topping was a mixture of yogurt, mayo and mint and green chilli spread that I found in an Indian grocery store ( the topping was unbelievable - creamy, tangy and spicy). I guess a favourite chutney could take the place of the chilli spread.

I used micro greens as part of the fixings. I was dismayed to find it going bad after just one day in the fridge. This is definitely not a buy ahead ingredient.

These mini hamburgers are perfect - one bite if you can ;) It was a three bite affair for me.

Tandoori Sliders
A note about the yogurt - I would not recommend low fat yogurt as it has higher water content than regular yogurt. It could make the patties soggy. I used Greek style yogurt because it is creamier and thicker. Regular yogurt would be fine in this recipe.

Patties
1 lb organic minced turkey
1 jalapeno chili
2 Tb finely minced cilantro
2 scallions -minced
2 1/2 tsp tandoori paste
1 tsp yogurt

Topping
3 Tb mayonnaise
1 Tb yogurt
1 Tb mint and green chilli spread or chutney of your choice

Finely chop jalapeno, scallions and cilantro. Place minced turkey in a bowl and add all chopped ingredients to it. Combine tandoori paste and yogurt in a separate bowl and add to the turkey. Mix well.

I preheated my cast iron skillet with four tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat. I made little patties and cooked them 5 minutes or so on each side. These patties were well browned anyways...

Mix all the ingredients for the topping and set aside.

To assemble:
I had micro greens, sliced English cucumber and Roma tomatoes as part of the fixings. Slather the topping on the halved buns and pile on the toppings. Enjoy!

Blondies

Brad and I were watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay a few weeks ago. It was a blondie throwdown. I can't even remember who won in the end but I was not able to get that blondie out of my mind! What a makes a blondie different from a brownie? Weellll.. for starters the isn't any melted chocolate in the batter. The batter is made up with brown sugar - so not really blond. Is it fair to call it a dirty blond? It has the potential to be boring if the batter is left plain without the company of seductive semisweet chocolate chips, tantalising toasted nuts or alluring sweetened coconut ...although blonds are touted to have more fun.

Coconut Blondies
I toasted the shredded coconut lightly. As it is sweetened, it has the potential to burn easily.
This recipe is from Gourmet magazine.

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup brown sugar - packed
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cup sweetened coconut - lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour or line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar till mixture is pale and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together and add this to the cream mixture. Stir until just combined.

Add semisweet chocolate chips, and toasted coconut. Spread batter on pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let pan cool completely on a rack before cutting into squares. Makes 16 large squares. You could cut it smaller if you wish.

Acorn Squash Ravioli With Walnuts

Here is the ravioli recipe as promised in the previous post. With the exception of gnocchi, I have never made pasta from scratch. Maybe someday...I find that wonton wrappers work well here. This is great dish to make anytime of the week. The only thing that takes time to cook is roasting of the squash and the good news is that it can be made a day or two ahead.

Make the sauce ( which is browned butter) first before you cook the ravioli. Keep the sauce warm while waiting for the water to boil. The stuffed ravioli will cook very quickly. I assembled the uncooked raviolis a few hours ahead of time. It is important to place uncooked ones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper – I have skipped this step before and it proved to be an unwise decision. Some of the raviolis got stuck to the unlined baking sheet and I could not get them off the sheet. I ended up with torn pieces of pasta which was meant to be dinner!!That was a good lesson.....

I made a salad from the wine marinated smoked salmon that was part of a Christmas care package that my friend Myrna sent from the frozen north!

Acorn Squash Ravioli With Walnuts

I roasted the walnuts first before adding it to the butter. I find it brings out the wonderful nuttines of walnuts. You could roast in the oven or stove top . Most recipes that call for browned butter do not contain balsamic vinegar and I found it to be rather bland without it. The addition of balsamic vinegar really brightenes up this dish.

ravioli:

2 oz goat cheese

3 cloves roasted garlic

½ acorn squash

pinch of nutmeg

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

wonton wrappers

sauce :

½ cup roasted walnuts – chopped

1 stick butter

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sage leaves - chopped

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Cut acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds and roast it cut side down on a baking sheet for 45 minute to 50 minutes. Pierce flesh with a fork to test doneness. Set aside to cool.

When it is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh of the squash and discard skin. Mash squash, goat cheese, salt, pepper, roasted garlic and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix it well.

to assemble the ravioli:

I trimmed the wonton sheets to make perfect squares. I wanted to make mine petite so I put one teaspoon ( not heaped) of filling in the middle of wonton sheet. Moisten the edges and fold it in half to make a triangle. Set aside, covered .

Boil a large pot of salted water. Drop ravioli into boiling water. It is done when it floats to the top. This takes maybe 1 minute.

Brown butter in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat. Add chopped walnuts, sage and balsamic vinegar to sauce and take it off the heat.

This makes 4 servings.

Chocolate Pavlova

Yesterday was our friend Lloyd's birthday. I made this chocolate Pavlova instead of a traditional birthday cake. I also made home made ravioli stuffed with acorn squash and goat cheese filling and a wonderful wine smoked salmon that our dear friend Myrna sent us all the way from Winnipeg ( part of a scrumptious Christmas care package). More about the ravioli and what I did with the smoked salmon in another post. But dessert first.......

Pavlova is a clear winner in my books. It is easy to make, looks simply fabulous, it tastes great and you look like a star!! (I have also made mini cardamom pavlova here
It is also handy to have in your dessert repertoire this time of year when people are trying to be virtuous about what they eat...you know new year resolutions and all (but still there is a tonne of cream that makes the topping)

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer cookbook. It is really good - you will not regret it.



Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
I used balsamic vinegar as suggested by the recipe. You could substitute it with red wine vinegar. I added 1/4 teaspoon of instant coffee into the batter. You will not really taste it but it somehow intensifies the flavour of the chocolaty goodness. I used organic bittersweet chocolate for both the meringue and the topping - use the chocolate that you like to snack on.
Don't be alarmed when little cracks appear on the meringue.

meringue
6 egg whites
1 cup sugar
3 Tb cocoa powder
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 oz bittersweet chocolate - finely chopped
1/4 tsp instant coffee

topping
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 pint of raspberries
4 Tb chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.
Beat egg whites until stiff peak forms. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time until mixture gets shiny. Sprinkle sifted cocoa powder, vinegar, instant coffee and chopped chocolate. Fold mixture gently until well combined.

Pour stiff mixture onto the silicone mat or parchment paper around nine inches diameter. Smooth out meringue and place in the oven. Immediately reduce heat to 300 degrees. Bake for one hour and 15 minutes. Turn off oven. The book suggest you leave the oven door slightly ajar while the meringue cools completely in order to dry it. I skipped this step because I needed the oven space. And it turned out fine. Cool completely.

Make the topping when you are getting ready to serve the dessert course or you could do what I did. I completed pavlova an hour before we sat for dinner - so you could make this a bit ahead if you wish.

Whip cream till thick and spreadable. I added one tablespoon of amaretto that was sitting on the counter to the cream - I just could not resist! Pile it on the chocolate meringue base. Top with luscious raspberries and chopped bittersweet chocolate. The verdict - Lloyd had 3 servings!

Chicken Braised With Leeks

This is a delicious way to braise chicken. The leeks add sweetness to the tender chicken. The recipe is easy enough to do - a whole bunch of chopping and braising. Let the pot simmer and walk away from the stove.. Don't be alarmed with the amount of ginger in this recipe. It is minced fine and adds just a hint of heat in this dish.This is not a sexy dish or anything..I have a sick man in the house and this is what he requested for dinner.

A word of caution about leeks - wash carefully as they often have sand hiding in the leaves. I usually cut them in half and fan out the leaves and rinse. Nothing worse than eating sandy braised chicken!

Braised Chicken With Leeks

1 small chicken - around 2 lbs
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp rice wine or sherry
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp corn starch
2 leeks - washed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 Tb vegetable oil
3 green onions - chopped
2 Tb minced ginger
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups stock
1 Tb rice wine
1 Tb dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar


Wash and cut chicken into 8 pieces. To the chicken add sesame oil, rice wine, soy sauce, cornstarch and mix well. Marinate chicken for one hour in the fridge.

Trim the leeks and use the white part only. Heat oil on high heat . Saute sliced leeks, minced ginger and chicken for 7 minutes. Pour stock into the chicken and vegetable. Add rice wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer chicken for 40 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve with steamed rice.

Dried Squid In Spicy Sauce

I bought a packet of small dried squid when Brad and I were basking in the sun in the island of Langkawi, Malaysia last September. We were walking around little stalls that sold handicrafts, foodstuff and batik right by the Black Sand beach. All of a sudden it started to rain quite heavily and we ran for cover at a small bazaar nearby. We were greeted by a smiling makcik selling dried fish. We started chatting with her and she was giving us some tourist tips..you know ..where to go to have the best ikan bakar (grilled fish) and such.

One thing lead to another and she offered samples of various dried delicacies . She was beaming when Brad had a taste of everything - the various of ikan kering ( dried fish), fried and boiled tiny squids, and an assortment of keropoks (keropoks are fried chips, she had fish, yucca and taro chips). The rain stopped and we eventually headed back to our rented car laden with chips and an assortment of of dried fish and a packet of this dried squid.

I re-hydrated the squid by soaking it overnight (changed the water twice) before chopping it up to make sambal with some spicy dried chillies.


DRIED SQUID SAMBAL

This is a straight forward sambal recipe. Sambal is a spicy condiment that originates from South East Asia. It is made from chili and other ingredients. There are many versions to this and it also differs from one region to another.

12 dried chilies
1 stalk lemon grass - bruised
6 shallots-peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp belachan (shrimp paste)
1 tsp tamarind paste diluted in 1/4 cup of water
2 cups dried squid
2 Tb vegetable oil
salt to taste
1 Tb brown sugar

Soak squid overnight in cold water. Drain soaking liquid and wash it thoroughly. Cut squid pieces in half and set aside. Soak dried chilies in water for at least 3 hours or till the chilies soften.Puree softened chili, chopped shallots and belachan with 1/4 cup of water.

Heat oil over medium heat. Saute chili paste, bruised lemon grass till fragrant. Add tamarind juice, salt, sugar and drained squid. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer till the gravy thickens. This is quite spicy and that is the way I like it! Serve with steamed rice and vegetables. And don't forget to air out your house, that delicious and pungent belachan smell will linger for at least a day!

Broccoli And Stilton Soup

Christmas and New Year came and went and so much else went on at the same time. Life happens and things get put on hold for awhile. I am trying to get my groove back and hope to have more regular posts. This soup is NOT part of a New Year's resolution! I am not Ed Levine ( he is going on a diet... probably bilious with all that feasting)

I got two lovely cookbooks from Brad among other things for Christmas. Nigella's Nigella Express is one of it. Brad is a big fan of Nigella ;) My fridge has been full for what seemed like weeks. I vowed to use every bit of cheese, fruit and vegetable before I go out grocery shopping again. I was also eager to crack open the new cookbook. I had what I needed to make this soup and I got chopping.

I used fresh broccoli instead of frozen ones. It is just what I had on hand. I also cut down the amount of Stilton in the soup. Don't get me wrong, I love my blue cheese but I felt one cup and a half of Stilton would be over the top for my palate. The original recipe also called for fresh red chili pepper but I used freshly ground Sarawakian black pepper that I have been hoarding (things that come back in our luggage!). This quick soup is thick, creamy and comforting. I loved it!

Broccoli And Stilton Soup adapted from Nigella Express

2 Tb olive oil - vegetable oil is fine
1 1/2 Tb minced garlic
2 lbs fresh broccoli - chopped
1 medium onion - minced
2 tsp thyme - I used dried thyme
5 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup crumbled Stilton cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a stock pot on medium heat. Quickly saute minced garlic, add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Don't let the garlic burn as it will turn bitter. Add chopped broccoli and thyme to the pot. I peeled the tough broccoli stalk, chopped it up as well and added it to the pot. It cooks through and will not be stringy. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes or so and add vegetable stock and crumbled creamy Stilton cheese. Bring the soup to a bubble and boil with the lid on the pot for 7 minutes. The broccoli should be cooked by now. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn off heat.

The next step is crucial as you could end up scalding yourself if you are not careful. I am speaking from experience as I have been a victim of hot soup. Let the soup cool down a bit before you puree it in a blender or food processor. Immersion blender would work like a charm here because all the ingredients have been chopped up into small pieces.

Makes 9 cups.