Commander in Chef

President Obama gave an interview the other day and the conversation turned to Pakistan and…cooking.

Interviewer: ‘What can you cook?’  

President Obama:  ‘Oh, keema … dal … You name it, I can cook it….’

Sure, but can he make a mean Tortilla Soup?  How about authentic Pasta Sauces?

So, exactly what are Kheema and Dal?  Kheema can be thought of as an Indian Chili.  Ground meat is mixed with traditional Indian spices and other ingredients:  coriander, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, tomatoes, onions.  Variations  include one or more of the following: yogurt, coconut milk,  peas, Serrano chilies.  Dals are dried legumes, such as lentils, peas or beans, seasoned in ways to compliment a main course.   Sometimes they are heavily spiced to be the main course.

A variety of recipes abound for both of these dishes, or head out to the nearest Indian restaurant to sample a broader array of taste treats.  I am no expert on any Indian dishes, but I may have to start testing some recipes, just in case I am suddenly inundated with requests. 

Now if you will excuse me I have to brush up on my Urdu poetry.

Amazing Chicken Marinade

This is a marinade that was given to me years ago.  I haven’t changed it much.  It’s best grilled over an open flame.  Serve with rice or grilled potatoes and fresh vegetables.

Fruit Juice Marinated Chicken Breasts:                            

• 4 chicken boneless breasts            
• ½ cup grape or cranberry juice       
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup wine (non-alcoholic is ok)
• 1 tsp crushed garlic

zip lock bag             

 

Add all ingredients into zip lock bag, thoroughly coat & let marinate overnight.  Grill or broil, 10 to 15 minutes each side, 185° internal temp. 

When grilling, to avoid drying chicken out, sear for 5 minutes each side, cook additional 10 minutes, then move away from high heat for the remainder of cooking time.

Portuguese Beef & Pasta and Green Beans & Bacon

They’re predicting another cold, dreary weekend here, so time for some warm comfort food.  I do some grilling recipes later in the weekend.  Until then…

 Portuguese Beef & Pasta:

• 1 lb round steak, cut into thin strips, remove excess fat
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (reserve ¼ for beans)
• 1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2-14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1 bay leaf (remove before serving)
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper
• 8 oz dry macaroni**

Slow-Cooker

saucepan

serving bowl

 Add beef, salt, pepper, onion, green pepper, garlic, paste, diced tomatoes, water, bay leaf & red pepper to Slow-Cooker.  Cook according to manufacturer’s directions (usually 8-10 hours on low) until beef tears easily with a fork.  In saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions.  Drain well (you don’t want any water in your beef mixture) and mix beef and pasta in serving bowl.

 **the smaller the macaroni the better for this recipe. Recommendations are tiny elbow, Ditalini, or tiny shells.

 Seasoned Green Beans w/Bacon:

• 16 oz green beans*
• 2 strips bacon
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• ½ celery stalk, chopped
• ¼ tsp basil, crushed
• ¼ tsp rosemary, crushed
• salt & pepper to taste

skillet

saucepan & steamer

 In saucepan, steam green beans until crisp tender.  Meanwhile, in skillet, cook bacon until crisp, remove to cool.  Discard all but 1 tbsp bacon drippings, add onion, celery basil & rosemary and sauté until onions & celery are soft.  Add cooked green beans, bacon, salt & pepper and toss well.

 *fresh works best for this recipe, wash, snip off ends and cut any large beans in half.

Each recipes serves 4.

Rhapsodic about Rice

I’m not going to convince many of you, I’m sure,  about the savoriness of brown rice, but I thought I’d give it a try.  I first became enamored of its nutty goodness while researching varieties of rice for my column, Ask TaMara.  Now I use it almost exclusively. 

The flavor is nutty and a bit sweet.  It’s a great compliment with any fish, beef, poultry or pork.  The only addition it needs is a touch of butter and salt.  I also mix it with scrambled eggs for a healthy and satisfying breakfast. 

Besides being full of flavor, brown rice is packed with nutrients.  Per cup it has 5 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and niacin, as well as other vitamins and minerals.  It’s a great side that adds flavor to many dishes.

You’ll still want to use a variety of white rice for several types of dishes, though.   White rices absorb flavors and are necessary for many Asian dishes, as well as Risotto, where you want the rice to take on the flavor of the sauces.  Brown rice’s rich flavor would overpower the balance of flavors in these dishes.

Brown rice cooks like regular rice in a 2:1 ratio of water to rice.  But it takes longer to cook.  About 45 minutes at a low simmer.  I use my pressure cooker and it reduces the cooking time to 20 minutes.  Brown rice, like white varieties, can be cooked in a large batch and stored for a week in the refrigerator.  I reheat mine in a touch of water and butter in a saucepan.  Microwaving rice can make it a bit mushy.  Never freeze leftover rice, it destroys the texture and makes it rubbery.

So go ahead, try some brown rice as a side for your next grilled chicken or steak dinner.

Strawberries Everywhere!

Strawberries are everywhere.  They are best when sliced, tossed with just a touch of sugar, to bring out the juices, and served with some whipped cream.  You can serve them over angel food cake, ice cream, or stir them into some lemonade.   I love them in my morning cereal and I’ve used them in a tangy salad (especially with fresh spinach).

 A terrific treat is to get two slices of whole wheat bread, spread both slices with crunchy peanut butter and then slice lots of fresh strawberries onto the peanut butter (the peanut butter keeps the bread from getting soggy).  Press the bread together and you have a wonderful peanut butter and fruit sandwich.  You may never use jam again.

 Buy all the strawberries you want, because they’re great fresh, and use them liberally.  And don’t worry about those that become overripe (as always seems to happen before you can use them all), because the following recipe is great for those.  This bread will be gone before you know it, it’s that good.

 Strawberry Bread:

• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup butter
• 12 oz strawberries, chopped or mashed
• ½ cup chopped pecans

loaf pan, greased

 Combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil, strawberries and pecans. Stir just until all ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes then run knife around edges & remove to cool on wire rack.

This recipe is from What’s 4 Dinner Solutions weekly menus.