Thanksgiving Sides Cooking Class!

Chef Brad and I taught a fabulous cooking class at Williams-Sonoma. We cooked a variety of dishes focusing on Thanksgiving sides and everything turned out great! We also had a wonderful audience. Thank you to everyone that attended. We hope to see you at future classes. Check out the dishes we made! I will post the recipes as well.

Moroccan Couscous Salad

One morning, I woke up from a strange dream about going to Epcot Center in Disneyworld Orlando, FL. Whenever I think of Epcot, I always think of food because you get an opportunity "eat around the world" so to speak. Basically you can eat Japanese, Mexican, and German food in the same day. Who would have thought? I particularly remember how much I loved the food in "Moroccan world", especially their couscous salad. For those who do not know what couscous is, it is a Middle Eastern dish using a type of wheat called Semolina. Couscous is a staple food in Morroco and comes as tiny round, pasta-like granules. After the dream, I went searching for a recipe that was close to the one I had at Epcot, and was successful! I mean, I would drive to Orlando to get it, but its 2 hours away, I'd have to buy a ticket into the park, then pay for gas, and probably have to stop and ride the troll ride in Norway.... This is just easier lol. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this dish turned out to be so similar to the one at the park and was absolutely delicious. So without further adieu, here is the recipe!

The recipe:

Moroccan Couscous Salad

1/3 red onion

1 clove garlic

Some red bell pepper (about a half)

Some green bell pepper (about a half)

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cinnamon

1/2 cup Regular olive oil plus a little for sauteing

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/3 cup chickpeas

1/2 cup orange juice

Instant couscous ( I would suggest using about 1 cup)

Some fresh parsely

water

salt and pepper

The procedure:

Before you do anything, cook your instant couscous in a small pot with the directions on the back of the box. It is important to take the couscous off the heat after the water comes to a slight boil. Then you just let is sit with the couscous and after about 5 minutes, Baddabing! you have couscous ready to go .

1 Chop red onion, red pepper, green pepper, put into a bowl and set aside.

2. Chop garlic finely and set aside

3. Heat a little olive oil in your pan and saute onion and peppers until translucent on medium-high heat.

4. Add garlic and saute for a 1-2 minutes.

3. Add cinnamon and nutmeg. This is really to your own taste. I added just a pinch of each.

4. Lower heat to medium. Add the 1/2 cup of olive oil, the raisins, chickpeas, orange juice, salt and pepper. Let this cook through and reduce slightly to intensify the citrus flavor. If heat is too high, you may lower it to your desire.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the couscous with the pan mixture.

6. Chop the fresh parsely and add it to the bowl.

7. Mix thoroughly to coat the couscous.

8. Finally, refrigerate the couscous. To me, it's best eaten cold, but its still delicious warm.

9. Enjoy!

Notice how wonderful your kitchen smells from everything sauteing together? A little hint of cinnamon. A little hint of orange. I little hint of pepper. The unlikely combination of flavors creates a Middle Eastern masterpiece that is slightly sweet and fresh. Hope you all like it. Leave me some comments!

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

For people who enjoy "Asian American Food", fried rice is a must! We have all had it at one point, but I sat down and asked myself a very important question. How can I make fried rice at home and still make it taste like it came right out of Benihana's or the Chinese takeout place down the street? After a little research, I found multiple recipes that claimed to have the best recipe for fried rice. So, naturally, I combined them all to make my own version! Its amazingly simple to cook and has WOW results.

The Recipe:

Serves 3

2-3 Cups White Rice, *cook your rice beforehand and put it in the fridge for a half hour to chill. This is the SECRET to making good fried rice.

3 Eggs

Few stalks of Green Onion

1 small Yellow Onion

1-2 Carrots

4 Cloves of Garlic (or more, depends upon how garlicy you like it!)

2 Chicken breasts (boiled, grilled, roasted, what have you)

Few Tablespoons of Butter

Soy Sauce

Sesame Seeds

Vegetable Oil

Cooking Spray

Salt

Pepper

The Procedure:

1. Cook rice ahead of time and chill in fridge for half hour. (steamed or boiled instant rice is fine)

2. Whisk eggs together in a bowl until blended

3. Spray cooking spray into a frying pan and set heat to medium/medium-high.

4. Add whisked eggs to pan. Let cook through and fold over to make an omelet. Flip a couple of times to ensure even cooking. Remove omelet to a plate and set aside.

5. Mince yellow and green onion, garlic, and carrots. Cut egg in very small pieces as well.

6. In large skillet over medium/ medium-high heat, pour in a couple Tablespoons of vegetable oil.

7.Saute yellow and green onions, carrots, and garlic until translucent and fragrant.

8. Add your cooked rice and eggs to the skillet and make sure to mix thoroughly.

9. Add as much soy sauce as you like. I put a fairly good amount in until rice looks light brown.

10. Add Butter and let melt through. I usually make a little hole in the center of the rice to help the melting process.

11. Add sesame seeds and mix.

10. Let rice cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. The best technique is to flatten the rice in the skillet, let saute for a few minutes, then mix, flatten rice again, and cook for a another few minutes until desired doneness.

11. Top with extra sesame seeds and green onions for a beautiful look and fresh tasting garnish.

12. Enjoy!

I tasted this, and I think the garlic and green onion really make the dish. To me, it tastes right of Benihana's, who are well known for their fried rice.

Hope you like it, and let me know your thoughts!

Spicy Caramelized Shrimp with Lemongrass, Ginger, and Chiles

Spicy Caramelized Shrimp with Lemongrass and Ginger

I made this fantastic recipe with Chef Brad for our latest Sous Chef Series Class at Williams-Sonoma. The original version comes from a recipe at the Slanted Door restaurant along San Francisco Bay in California, which serves gourmet Vietnamese fusion dishes. However, Brad and I put our own twist on it, as we do with most recipes.

We went to a few good Asian markets around town to get the ingredients, which was an adventure in itself! In one of the markets, the owner even had to go into her secret freezer in the back of the store to retrieve the Thai chiles that we needed. Those suckers are hot! For shrimp lovers, this dish is fragrant and flavorful. The lemongrass, ginger, and garlic soften in the pan and diffuse through the shrimp and caramelized sauce making your kitchen smell unbelievable.

For the ingredients in which you may have to go to an Asian market to buy, I've made a small list for you to make it easy.

1. Thai chiles- these are small and come in yellow, orange, green, or red. The recipe calls for only 2-3 of them, but they definitely give the dish a kick.

2. Lemongrass- long, firm, grassy-like stalk (green at top, white on bottom)

3. Palm Sugar- this comes in a small plastic jar or it can come solid (breaks apart).
4. Fish sauce- probably one of the worst concoctions you will ever smell. Trust me I know it is intimidating,but this ingredient is very common in Asian cooking and chances are, you have had it before! When all is said and done, it really helps the dish come together.


5. Ginger- I am pretty sure you can find ginger at any local grocery. However, just in case, Asian markets always have an abundance of it.

The Recipe:

Makes about 4 servings

20 Medium-Large Shrimp, peeled and devained
1 pound Palm Sugar
3/4 cup Fish Sauce
2-3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Shallots
2-3 Thai Chiles
1/4 cup Lemongrass
2-3 Garlic cloves
1 Hunk of Ginger (maybe 2-3 Tablespoons worth. You will cut julienne the ginger)
1/4 cup chicken stock

Steamed White Rice to serve on the side

The Procedure:

Before completing anything, cook your rice AND have it warmed and ready at the end for serving.

1. Whack lemongrass with something heavy like a rolling pin or large book to make it easy to chop. Then slice lemongrass into rings (as you would a green onion) starting from the white bottom portion. Discard the first few chops until you reach the fleshy part. The fleshy part is what you want. Set aside when you collect approx. 1/4 cup.

2. Chop ginger into matchsticks, mince garlic, and slice shallots thin. Set aside.

3. Spoon palm sugar into medium sauce pan and let melt until bubbling.

4. Add fish sauce and stir thoroughly until it comes to a boil.

5. Take off heat and set aside.

6. In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.

7. Add shallots and chiles and let saute for 1 minute

8. Add lemongrass, ginger, and garlic and cook for another minute or two

9. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, and as much caramelized sauce as you like (I used about 1/3 cup)

10. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and let cook through for about 5 minutes or until plump and pink.

11. Serve immediately over white rice

12. Enjoy!

Note: You will have quite a bit of the caramelized fish sauce/palm sugar mixture left over. If you want to cut down the fish sauce and palm sugar when cooking it, then feel free to do so.

Dumpling Day!

While working on my last entry in the blog, I received a phone call from one of the waitresses at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant that my family and I have attended for about 17 years. She had heard of my San Francisco Dim Sum adventure in Chinatown and how I was slightly disappointed in the dumplings I had tried. She claimed be a great cook with authentic Chinese recipes, particularly when making Dim Sum dumplings. So, she invited me over for a taste! Of course I was eager to drive over. Dumplings? Homemade? Heck yea!

The dumplings were fantastic and better than anything that I had in Chinatown. She had made pork and vegetable potstickers made with a Chinese leek that you can only purchase at Asian markets. She also made fluffy pork and mushroom buns using...surprisingly...Pillsbury biscuit dough! These were my favorite. Like biting into little clouds on the outside and savory Asian porkness on the inside. Everything was delicious. She also made her own dumpling dipping sauce, spicy chili sauce, and her own beef jerky (all fabulous).

So generous and kind, Cathy fed me dumplings until I was bursting at the seams! The foodie lesson learned that day? You don't always have to go far to get great, authentic cultural food.

Here are the pictures from that day:

Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Spring Green Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

This dish is a culinary explosion. Not only are the flavors incredibly vibrant, but the colors are as well. The Chimichurri sauce produces a beautiful emerald color great for your presentation. For those who are thinking that I just made up the name of this sauce (sounds more like a type of crazy latin dance), Chimichurri is a green or red sauce that can be commonly found in Argentinian cooking. Its incredibly fresh tasting and can range in spiciness. The garlic roasted potatoes are rich, tender and complimentary to the other items. This dish is guaranteed to result in zero leftovers and ain't your typical meat and potatoes. Enjoy!

The Recipes:

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Garlic Roasted Potatoes and Spring Greens with Cilantro dressing

For the Rub:

1 piece flank steak

1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

kosher salt

black pepper

* For two steaks, double recipe for the rub.

The Procedure:

1.Rub steak(s) with all rub ingredients

2. Grill to desired doneness.

3. Cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

4. Pour chimi churri sauce over steaks when serving

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

6 garlic cloves

1-2 cups cilantro

1-2 cups parsley

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like)

The Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Add more or less ingredients to own taste.

2. Pour over grilled steaks or use as a dipping sauce.

For the potatoes:

These are the most delicious potatoes I have ever tasted and they are also the easiest potatoes I have ever made. Get your microwave out for this one. This recipe is a potato cheat sheet.

Bunch of small red potatoes (6-9)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp seasoned salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

The Procedure:

1.Cut up potatoes into quarters.

2. Place potatoes in a microwave safe dish, preferably 2 qt. Set aside.

3. Place remaining ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk together

4. Pour whisked ingredients over potatoes and mix to coat evenly.

5. Microwave uncovered for 8-11 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

6. Serve

I know what you are thinking. How much simpler could this recipe get?!

For the Salad:

Spring greens ( bagged salad is perfectly fine)

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp honey

1/4 cup canola oil

juice of 1 lime

2-3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

The Procedure:

1.Rinse spring greens, dry and set aside.

2.Simply combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Refrigerate if desired.

3. Pour over spring greens.

* This salad tastes great with grape tomatoes and sliced pea pods.

California Trip!

Giant ice cream from Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory
San Fran View from Coit Tower
A fat bear who shares my interests
Dim Sum at Great Eastern Restaurant in Chinatown
Dim Sum menu. Just point,write down the quantity you want, and bam! Lunch. :)
Chinatown. Beautiful lanterns
The freshest San Francisco crabs early in the morning at Fisherman's Warf
Chinatown takeout shop
Chicken foot dim sum! Very interesting. The taste wasn't bad at all but rubbery texture and little feet bones made this slightly unappetizing.
Napa Valley Hess Winery. Eat some fine cheeses and enjoy some wine under these beautiful vine canopies.
Chardonnay
Yosemite National Park

Sausage and Peppers with Beer and Cilantro

If there is one recipe that people ask me to cook again and again for them- its this one. Sausage and Peppers is a well known Italian dish. Who doesn't love it? However, this version kicks the ass of quintessential sausage and peppers recipes. The best part about this dish is the sauce. Soak it up with some nice french bread and you will see why. So tonight, mix up your grandmothers's traditional recipe with this one and see what you think. Enjoy!

The Recipe: serves 4-5

2 Tablespoons Regular Olive Oil

4-8 Italian Sausage links

2 Red Bell Peppers

2 Green Peppers

1 Large Red Onion

3 or more Garlic Cloves

1 1/2 Bottles of beer (no light beer)

1 6oz Can Tomato Paste (use more if you use more sausage)

Few Shakes Dried Oregano

3 or more Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro

2 or more Tablespoons Hot Sauce (Crystal, Franks)

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan cheese

1.Cut red and green peppers into thin strips

2.Cut red onion in half and cut into thin half rings

3.Chop garlic finely and set peppers, onion and garlic aside.

4.Heat the olive oil in a large pan/skillet and bring to medium heat

5. Add the sausages and brown on all sides.

6.Transfer sausages to a plate and cover with foil. Set aside.

7.Take pan off the heat and pour in 1 bottle of beer. Scrape up brown bits on bottom with a wooden spoon.

8.Place pan back onto heat (medium) and add red and green peppers, onion, and garlic

9.Add a tomato paste and coat everything with spoon

10.Add oregano, hot sauce, and cilantro (add as much as you like, all to your own taste)

11.Cover pan for 15 minutes, lower heat to medium-low and stir every few minutes until ingredients cook down.

12.Cut sausages into coin like slices

13.Add sausages and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

*Add more beer if sauce is too thick.

14.Serve immediately!

* Best served with Parmesan cheese on top

See, I told you it was good ;-)

The cilantro and beer really create a shockingly delicious combination with traditional Italian ingredients. The secret to this dish is to use good beer i.e leave Bud Light behind for this one. When you are drinking, be my guest. However, when you are cooking, it is a different ball game. I personally use beer that is a little more full-bodied such as a lager, but choose what you like. Remember, the amount of ingredients that you use should be to your own personal taste. If you like more garlic add more garlic. If you like it spicy add more hot sauce, use hot sausages, or add cayenne pepper.

Sauted Penne Pasta with Grape Tomatoes and Garlic

This recipe is one of my own and is a fantastic, quick pasta dish for lunch or dinner. It is rich in flavor, of course, yet relatively healthy. I make this dish just about every week, no joke. The great thing about it is that you can change the amounts of ingredients to your liking, and it will still come out delicious. Its definitely a "this and that" kind of dish.

Sauted Penne Pasta with Grape Tomatoes and Garlic:

The Recipe:

Penne pasta or any small pasta like fusilli, bowtie, wheels, rigatoni, etc.

1 1/2 Tbsp Regular Olive Oil

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

About a cup of grape tomatoes

1/2 yellow onion

3-5 garlic cloves

1/2 lemon

Block of cheese to shave. Romano or Parmesan.

1 tsp Balsamic vinegar

A few shakes of dried basil, or a few shreds of fresh basil

A pinch of cayenne pepper

Kosher Salt

Pepper

OPTIONAL- 1-2 Tbsp Butter

The Procedure:

1. Boil water in a medium pasta pot and cook pasta until al dente, then drain and set aside. Cook your pasta while completing the rest of the recipe. This will save time.

*secret: salt your pasta and add a little olive oil to prevent it from foaming over.

2. Slice onions and garlic thin and half the tomatoes. Set aside.

3. In a medium size nonstick frying pan, pour in the regular olive oil and heat to medium-high heat.

* secret: you can tell when the oil is hot enough if you see "waves" in the bottom of the pan or by testing a few drops of water in the pan to see if it sizzles.

4. Add the onions and tomatoes and season with Kosher Salt, then the reduce heat to medium-low.

5. Cover the pan for about 2-3 minutes and stir.

6. Once onions are translucent and tomatoes are soft and puckered, squish the back of the tomatoes with a large wooden spoon until the juices come out. This creates a sort of sauce.

7. OPTIONAL STEP- add butter

8. Add the garlic and stir to coat pieces

9. Cover the pan for about another 2 minutes and stir.

10. Take your half lemon, and drizzle the juices into the pan. Add as much as you like. I usually find 1 good, hard squeeze to be enough.

11. Add the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cooked pasta to the pan.

12. Add basil, cayenne pepper, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat everything.

13. Cover for 2 minutes and serve immediately.

Shave as much cheese as you like onto top of pasta and Enjoy!

Asian BBQ Ribs with Cool Asian Slaw

I'd like to start this blog with an excellent recipe with moderate difficulty. Asian BBQ Ribs over white rice with Cool Asian Coleslaw on the side. BUT DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! It has been one of the most delicious things I have ever made and well worth the time. My cooking buddy Chef Brad and I got the original recipe from Williams-Sonoma's Sous Chef Series and added our own twists.

The Recipe

For the ribs:

8 cups chicken stock

1⁄4 cup soy sauce

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 6-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 medium carrot, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 racks baby back pork ribs, about 4 pounds total (racks cut in half if using a Dutch oven)

For the glaze:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1⁄4 cup sliced scallions

1⁄4 cup soy sauce

1⁄2 cup hoisin sauce

1 cup dark corn syrup

1⁄4 cup ketchup

11⁄2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

11⁄2 teaspoons chile paste

The Procedure:

For the ribs:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large roasting pan, combine the

chicken stock, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, carrot, onion and celery and bring to a

boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and nestle the ribs in the braising

liquid. Get them nice and cozy!

2. Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and bake until

the meaty part of the ribs are tender when pierced with a knife, about 90

minutes.

3. While the ribs cook, prepare the glaze: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan.

Add the garlic, ginger and scallions and cook over medium heat, stirring

occasionally, until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, hoisin, corn

syrup, ketchup, five-spice powder and chile paste. Increase the heat to high and

bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the mixture

has thickened slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on the baking sheet. (We put foil over the rack and cut slits in it, but a bare wire rack is perfectly fine.)

5.Remove the ribs from the braising liquid and place them, meaty side up, on the

rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Brush a thick coating of glaze on the

top of the ribs. Bake for 45 minutes, brushing the ribs with additional glaze every

15 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, then cut

into one- or two-rib portions and serve immediately.

For the Coleslaw:

The Recipe:

1 bag Cole Slaw Mix

1 cup Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Hot Sesame Oil (Or regular if you don't like spicy)

3 Tablespoons Honey

The Procedure: (This is so quick and accompanies the ribs perfectly)

Place the mix in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sesame

oil, and honey in a small bowl. Toss dressing with mix until evenly coated. Chill before serving.

Yes, this recipe takes time, but those Asian flavors are so rich and savory. You also get that finger-licking effect, which everyone loves with BBQ. This would also be great on a grill, but who needs one when you can make this in your own kitchen. You will absolutely love this.

***Here's another secret that they don't mention in the original recipe. The braising liquid from the roasting pan that you baked for 90 minutes actually becomes a stock! It tastes just like a rich chicken soup with a hint of ginger. Absolutely delicious and even better if you add some noodles, some dumplings or even Matzo Balls!***