Tag: carrots

Matzoh Ball Soup With Dill

3-4 pounds whole chicken, the breast taken apart
1 large onion, cut into half
3 carrots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, with skin on
1 cup dill

In a large stockpot, add the chicken pieces, onion, carrots, garlic cloves and dill and cover it with about 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer removing the foam off the top periodically. Take the breast pieces out after about 15 minutes. Cook the rest on a simmer for 2 hours.
Cool the broth off and take the chicken pieces out. Shred the breast pieces including the rest and keep aside to add to the soup right before serving.

Strain the broth and smash all the vegetables with the back of a ladle and strain as well. Taste the broth and add salt if needed.

Matzoh Balls

1 packet Manischewitz Matzo Ball Mix

Follow the recipe to make the matzoh balls. Also add the following:

1 small shallot, grated
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons dill, chopped fine

Mix the shallot, garlic and dill into the matzoh ball mix and cook according to the directions.

Soup

2 carrots sliced in rounds
2 teaspoons dill, chopped
1 cup shredded chicken

Bring the broth to a boil and add the carrots and chicken.
Add the cooked matzoh balls to the broth and taste for seasonings. Add the dill right before serving.

Healthy Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Bisque

12 ounces jumbo shrimp, deveined and shelled
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Heat a large saucepan with the olive oil. Saute the shrimp on high heat for 30 seconds on each side. Sprinkle salt and take out onto a lined platter. Cut each shrimp into three and keep aside.

¼ cup pancetta, chopped
2 large shallots, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup carrots, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup white wine
1½ cups seafood or shrimp broth
1½ cups low-fat milk
Salt
¼ cup half and half
Juice of half a lemon

Add the pancetta into the same saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and carrots. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the thyme and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape off the brown bits from the bottom. Add the broth and milk. Whisk the liquid on high heat and bring to a boil making sure all the lumps are smoothed away. Lower the heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the shrimp pieces and cook for 2 to 3 minutes making sure the shrimp is cooked. Add the half and half and turn the heat off. Check for seasonings and add salt if necessary. Add the lemon juice and serve hot with crusty bread.

Bolognese Sauce with Spaghetti

I would highly recommend this recipe for bolognese sauce- it is easy to make and really delicious! The pancetta and sausage flavor it amazing.. definitely worth a try…

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
½ cup pancetta, chopped
1 pound ground beef
2 large Italian sausage links, meat taken out of the casings
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup beef or chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
Salt
Pepper
½ pound spaghetti, cooked al dente

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme. Stir and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add one teaspoon of salt. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium heat till the vegetables are soft and pancetta is crispy. Add the beef and sausage and separate vigorously with the back of a wooden spoon while stirring. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the white wine and scrape off all the golden brown bits from the bottom. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth and milk. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium low heat with lid on for 2 hours. Stir every 15 minutes or so to check the consistency. Once the consistency is according to taste, check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.

Braised Short Ribs with Citrus Gremolata

I would highly recommend this dish for the holidays. I served it with polenta and it was an amazing dinner. Oh, and don’t forget a copious amount of red wine…

4 pounds short ribs, excess fat removed
2 teaspoons salt
Pepper
1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Place the short ribs in a large glass dish and sprinkle the salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Refrigerate overnight. Take out an hour before cooking.

2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 fresh bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups red wine
Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil until smoking. Brown the ribs on both sides for 4 to 5 minutes each in two to three batches. Keep aside. Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for minute. Add the flour and sauté for another minute. Add the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Add the chicken broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Add the ribs back into the liquid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 hours or till the meat is falling off the bone.
Take out of oven and take the ribs out onto a platter. Strain the braising liquid and squeeze all the moisture out of the solids. Discard the solids and return the liquid to the saucepan. Reduce to desired consistency- there should be about a cup and a half to two cups of liquid remaining. Check for seasonings and return the ribs back into the liquid. Top with gremolata and serve.

Citrus Gremolata

1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Zest of one lemon
Zest of two clementines or half a navel orange

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl, cover and keep aside.

Shrimp and Mushroom Laksa

Popular in Singapore and Malaysia, this noodle dish is a labor of love. I have tried to make a bit easier but it is still a bit time consuming and requires quite a few ingredients- but it is so worth it. I would recommend this for a Sunday dinner!

1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned, deveined and shelled, shells reserved
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half
2 carrots, sliced in one inch pieces
Salt

In a large saucepan, add the reserved shells, onion, carrots and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer till reduced to about 5 cups, about 45 minutes. Strain and keep aside.

Marinate the shrimp in 1 to 2 teaspoons salt and keep aside.

Paste

2 large shallots, cut in quarters
3 green onions, trimmed and chopped
2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 large lemongrass stalks-bottom 7 inches only, outer layer removed, stalk cut into 1 inch length

Transfer all the ingredients to a food processor and puree until smooth. Keep aside.

2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
One 14 ½ ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 to 2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 pound Thai flat rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Juice of a lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 bunch Asian greens (I used yu choy, a leafy green), bok choy or spinach, about 4 cups

Heat a large saucepan with the peanut oil and add the puree and sauté on medium heat for 9 to 10 minutes, till the mixture is dark brown. Add the mushrooms and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the 5 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add the honey, fish sauce, lime juice and soy sauce. Check for seasonings as the broth is simmering and add more soy, lime juice or honey as needed. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or till the shrimp are cooked but not over done.

Divide the noodles and greens in 4 to 6 bowls and top with the shrimp and hot broth. Serve immediately.

Roast Chicken with Orange and Meyer Lemon

Chicken is one of the most popular proteins. There are tons of recipes in books, magazines and on the internet- but people are still always looking for new recipes to make their weeknight meals a bit more exciting.

One of the more classic ways of making chicken is roasting a whole bird. A lot of people are a bit intimidated to make this dish.

It is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken. I love how my house smells as the bird is roasting in the oven. I also love how I can create a one pot meal by adding tons of vegetables to the bottom of the roasting pan.

For this particular one, I used a lot of winter ingredients in season. I made a compound butter consisting of orange and meyer lemon zest. I filled the bottom of the pan with carrots and fennel.

The chicken was delicious….

One 4 to 5 pound whole chicken
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 2 Clementine or 1 Navel orange (save the oranges)
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon (save the lemon)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt
Pepper

Mix the butter, olive oil, zests, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In the meantime, place the chicken in a roasting pan on a roasting rack. Spread the butter mixture on top and under the skin. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper inside the cavity as well as outside.

2 cups chicken broth
Juice of the spare oranges and Meyer lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the chicken broth at the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the orange and lemon juice. Place the juiced oranges and lemon into the cavity. Tie the chicken legs together and tuck the wings in.

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound fennel, trimmed and sliced

Place the vegetables at the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast the chicken until the dark meat registers 160 degrees F. Take the chicken out and cover with aluminum foil. Take the vegetables out keep warm. Reduce the liquid by half and pour into a gravy boat. Take out excess fat and serve with the chicken and vegetables.

Yakisoba Noodles with Mushrooms and Cabbage

Make this today… obviously any vegetable in season will do… try your favorites… I served it with roast chicken on top but it is fabulous meatless dish…

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon honey

Mix the ingredients together and keep aside.

2 tablespoons peanut oil
Pack of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
3 green onions, chopped
½ cabbage, cut into 1 inch squares
1 package (8 ounces) of soba noodles (cooked according to package instructions)

Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the mushrooms and cook on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, green onions and cabbage. Saute for another 3 to 4 minutes and add the cooked noodles. Mix well and add the sauce. Mix well and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve.

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