Jambalaya

A little bit of everything adds up to a whole lot of wonderful!



Ingredients:

• 1 garlic
  
• 1 large yellow onion
  
• 1 green bell pepper
  
• 1 red bell pepper
  
• freshly ground black pepper
  
• ground cayenne pepper
  
• ground oregano
  
• 375 g Cajun smoked sausage
  
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  
• 400 ml clam juice
  
• 1/2 pound shrimp
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Mince garlic.
Cut onion into eighths and separate layers.
Remove stems and seeds from bell peppers and cut into bit-sized chunks.
Toss onion, garlic and bell peppers together in a large bowl.
Season vegetables generously with black pepper, cayenne and oregano.


Fry chicken in olive oil until cooked through. At this point, the chicken should be soft enough to cut easily into small pieces with a plastic spatula.

Remove chicken from heat and set aside.

Slice sausage 1/4 inch thick and fry until browned.

Remove cooked sausage from pan, placing between sheets of paper towel to absorb excess fat.

Stir fry seasoned vegetables in olive oil until onion becomes soft and translucent.


Add cooked chicken & sausage to the pan with the vegetables.
Add clam juice and bring stew to a boil.


Continue cooking Jambalya until most of the liquid has evaporated/been absorbed.
Add shrimp during final 6 minutes of cooking.


Serve over hearty whole-grain rice with a side of Garlic & Hot Pepper Corn Bread.

Garlic & Hot Pepper Corn Bread

Garlic and chili peppers add extra zing to this delicious corn bread.



Ingredients:

• 3/8 cup unsalted butter
  
• 1 garlic, minced
  
• 3 chili peppers, seeded and minced
  
• 2 cups sweet corn kernels
  
• 2 cups stone ground cornmeal
  
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
  
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 2 cups buttermilk
  
• 3 large eggs, beaten
  
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Notes:

This bread is best baked in a Dutch oven. A large cast iron skillet with a lid can be used for the same purpose. I have also had success baking this recipe in a terra cotta roasting dish. If none of these options is available to you, try for other thick-walled ovenware with a tight-fitting lid.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Oil Dutch oven & place in oven to preheat.
Fry chilies and garlic in butter.
Combine dry ingredients and sift into a large bowl.
Combine buttermilk, eggs, olive oil, pepper mixture and corn kernels.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well.
Allow batter to rest for 15 minutes.
Stir batter again until well blended and pour into prepared pan.
Bake covered for 30 minutes.
Bread is finished when a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool bread in pan on wire rack, with the lid off, for 15 minutes.
Remove bread from pan.

This bread is best served fresh and warm, either straight up or spread with garlic butter. Any leftovers should be allowed to cool to room temperature, then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature and consume within 48 hours. Bread can be reheated for a few seconds in the microwave.

Firey Fajitas

A splash of hot sauce adds a spicy twist to my take on this favourite dish. These fajitas are simple to prepare and ready to eat in under ten minutes. Fast food can be flavourful!

Ingredients:

• 10 inch diameter whole grain tortillas
  
• yellow onion
  
• cooked chicken breasts, cut into strips
  
• red bell pepper
  
• avocado
  
• feta cheese
  
• Dan T's WhiteHot Inferno sauce
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet.
Slice onion lengthwise and stir-fry until soft and translucent.
Add strips of cooked chicken and continue cooking until chicken is heated through and onion begins to carmelize.
While the chicken and onions are cooking, slice pepper and avocado into thin strips and crumble feta.

Place onion, chicken, pepper, avocado, feta and hot sauce across the centre of a tortilla, leaving one edge bare.


Fold the bare side of the tortilla up over the fillings.


Fold the near edge of the tortilla up over the fillings and folded bottom edge.


Beginning with the side you have folded over, roll the fajita away from you until it is fully wrapped.


Enjoy!

Zucchini and Corn Enchiladas

Here's a vegetarian derivative of my popular chicken enchiladas recipe.

Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying and greasing pan
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 1 zucchini
  
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels
  
• 2 cups hot (spicy) tomato-based salsa
  
• 1/2 lb aged cheddar cheese, grated
  
• 10 seven-inch whole wheat tortillas
  
• sour cream (to garnish)
  
• guacamole (to garnish)

Directions:

Lightly grease a lasagna pan or other large casserole dish with olive oil.

Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or wok.

Stir fry garlic and onion until onion turns translucent and soft.

Add zucchini and corn and stir fry until cooked through.

Add one cup of salsa, mixing well.

Remove filling mixture from the heat.

Lay one tortilla flat on a large plate or other flat surface.

Spoon a row of filling across the tortilla, about 1/3 of the way in from the near edge.

Sprinkle a small amount of grated cheese on top of the filling.

Starting at the near edge, roll up the tortilla around the filling.

Place rolled enchilada into greased casserole dish, seam side down.

Continue filling and rolling enchiladas as above until all are lined up side by side in the casserole dish.

Spread remaining salsa over top of enchiladas.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of salsa.

Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Serve warm with sour cream and a side of guacamole.

Chicken Enchiladas

Last week my father was craving Mexican food and asked me to take him to Taco Bell.
I told him no. I'd make him Mexican cuisine with real food instead.
This was the result.

Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying and greasing pan
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips
  
• 2 cups hot (spicy) tomato-based salsa
  
• 1/2 lb aged cheddar cheese, grated
  
• 10 seven-inch whole wheat tortillas
  
• sour cream (to garnish)
  
• guacamole (to garnish)

Directions:

Lightly grease a lasagna pan or other large casserole dish with olive oil.

Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or wok.

Stir fry garlic and onion until onion turns translucent and soft.

Add chicken and stir fry until cooked through.

Continuing to stir fry, use the edge of a spatula to dice chicken strips into small pieces.

Add one cup of salsa, mixing well.

Remove chicken/salsa mixture from the heat.

Lay one tortilla flat on a large plate or other flat surface.

Spoon a row of chicken/salsa mixture across the tortilla, about 1/3 of the way in from the near edge.

Sprinkle a small amount of grated cheese on top of the chicken/salsa.

Starting at the near edge, roll up the tortilla around the filling.

Place rolled enchilada into greased casserole dish, seam side down.

Continue filling and rolling enchiladas as above until all are lined up side by side in the casserole dish.

Spread remaining salsa over top of enchiladas.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of salsa.

Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Serve warm with sour cream and a side of guacamole.

Sushi

Sushi takes some time to prepare but it's not difficult. Once you learn the process you can have fun experimenting with many different filling combinations. Some of my favourites are shown below.



Ingredients:
Basic ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grained Japanese-style white rice*
  
• 2 cups water, plus additional for rinsing
  
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  
• 4 tablespoons sugar
  
• 8 sheets nori (roasted, pressed seaweed)
  
• sesame seeds

Suggested fillings:

• cooked shrimp, tails & shells removed
  
• fresh mint leaves
  
• green onion
  
• cooked crab (or crab-flavoured pollack)
  
• avocado
  
• carrot
  
• smoked salmon
  
• cream cheese

Serve with:

• soya sauce
  
• sesame seeds
  
• wasabi
  
• pickled ginger

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* I have had good results with President's Choice brand Sticky Rice but any short-grained Japanese-style rice should work well.

Directions:

Prepare the sticky rice:

Rinse rice with water, scrunching the rice around with your hand, until the water coming off the rice runs clear.

Place cleaned rice in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Cover with an equal volume of water and allow rice to soak for 30 minutes.

While the rice is soaking, dissolve sugar into rice vinegar. You may need to heat the vinegar gently to help the sugar dissolve, but be careful not to boil your mixture. Once sugar is thoroughly mixed in, remove vinegar from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Bring rice to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep the lid on the rice throughout the cooking process -- the steam trapped inside the pan is crucial to cook the rice properly and give it the desired consistency.

Remove rice pan from the heat and allow it to stand -- with the lid on -- for 15 minutes.

Turn rice out into a shallow, wide-bottomed, non-metallic bowl. (The shape of the bowl is important to ensure that the rice cools down quickly and evenly.)

Pour vinegar/sugar mixture over the rice and mix in using a non-metallic spatula or large spoon. Continue mixing vinegar into rice until it is thoroughly incorporated and rice has cooled to room temperature. You can use a hand-held fan to fan the rice while you are mixing and encourage the cooling process.

Once rice is thoroughly mixed and cooled to room temperature, it is best to work with it immediately. If you are not ready to work with the rice yet, leave it in the bowl at room temperature and cover with a damp cloth. Do not refrigerate the rice or allow it to dry out.

Assemble the sushi:

Place one sheet of nori onto a bamboo sushi rolling mat.
Spread a thin layer of rice over the nori, leaving the far edge of the nori bare.
Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice.


Arrange your desired fillings in a thin line on top of the rice, approximately 1/3 of the way in from the near edge. Many wonderful combinations of seafood and vegetables are commonly used to prepare sushi. Here are some of my favourites:

Shrimp, fresh mint, and green onion:


Smoked salmon and cream cheese:


Crab and avocado:


Avocado and carrot:


Starting at the edge closest to you, use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi. Apply gentle pressure with your hands to the outside of the rolled mat to ensure a nice, tight sushi roll.


Remove the bamboo mat from the outside of your sushi roll and slice roll into bite-sized pieces with a sharp knife.

Arrange sushi pieces on a platter, with the fillings displayed.
Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi, soya sauce and sesame seeds on the side.

Shrimp Curry

A wonderful succulent and savoury shrimp curry, great as a crêpe filling or served over rice.



Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying
  
• 1 garlic, peeled and diced
  
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  
• 2 inches ginger root, peeled and diced
  
• 2 tablespoons hot curry paste*
  
• 250 g carrots, julienned
  
• 250 g snow peas, sliced on the diagonal
  
• 2 cups coconut milk
  
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
  
• fresh cilantro leaves
  
• freshly squeezed juice of one lime
  
• 500 g shrimp**

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* I favour Patak's Madras curry paste, but there is a wide variety of excellent prepared curry pastes available for those of us without the time to prepare our own.

** If you are preparing the curry for use in crêpes or will be serving it to people who are squeamish about handling their food with their fingers, peel the shrimp and remove their tails before adding them to the curry.

Directions:

Stir fry onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil.


Add curry paste and mix well.

Add carrots and snow peas, continuing to stir fry until carrots soften slightly.


Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.


Reduce heat and simmer.

Add mango, chopped cilantro leaves and freshly squeezed lime juice.


Continue to simmer curry until flavours are well blended and the sauce has thickened.

Add shrimp during final few minutes of cooking and heat through.

This dish is best served fresh!

Coconut Milk

Tinned coconut milk is available in most grocery stores these days, but it's best prepared fresh. (Plus, if you make your own, you can enjoy the added thrill of playing with power tools in your kitchen!)

Ingredients:

• 1 coconut
  
• water

Directions:

Pierce the eyes in the coconut. (Some people struggle with a skewer for this task, but I go straight for the power drill with a quarter inch drill bit.)
Drain and reserve water from coconut, passing it through a fine sieve to extract any bits of shell.
Bake coconut at 400°F for 15 minutes.
Break coconut open (a solid whack with a hammer works well) and pry flesh away from shell.
Peel brown skin off coconut flesh.
Purée coconut flesh in blender or food processor with reserved coconut water and enough additional water to make liquid up to 1.5 cups.
Allow puréed coconut mixture to stand for 15 minutes.
Press coconut mixture through a fine sieve to extract milk.