Here is where I will put some rough recipes that I've created. Sorry about the lack of measurement! redface
======================================== I'm giving out the recipe for my famous jambalaya. I made it all up myself, and never measure anything, so you'll need someone who is a little experienced with cooking to help you with it.
Still, it's written so that you may make it even if you've really never cooked before.
It's a spicy rice and meat dish. You can add beans, but I prefer mine without so that's how the recipe is.
STEPH'S AWESOME JAMBALAYA:
Ingredients:
-Long grain white rice -Pasta Sauce (I use Prego Organic Mushroom) -Chicken Breast -Crab Meat (I prefer claw meat that comes shreaded) -Cajun Turkey (It's a Boar's Head meat brand that I get at the deli I work at, but I've used a salsa turkey before as well. As long as it's hot and spicy. I get them cut into quarter inch slabs.) -Shrimp (for those not experienced with shrimp, just get the pre-cooked frozen kind.) -Kielbasa sausage (A spicy sausage will also do, but I've tried a bunch and this has the best flavor in the dish.) -Oil (I use a seasoned wok oil, it's just to cook the meat in.)
Spices:
-Cayanne Pepper -Yellow Curry Powder -Cinnamon -Basil -Oregano -Onion Powder -Chili Pepper
Directions:
The rice is a huge part of this dish, so cook the rice according to the package for however many people you plan to serve. The rice is about 2/3rds to 1/5 of the dish, depending on how much meat you want in it. Rice gets much bigger when you cook it, so if you're not experienced with that, get someone who knows what they're doing to make the rice and you can work on the rest.
It's not a big deal if you make too much, since the jambalaya tastes just as good the next day. heart
The rice should be made in a bigger pot, since it is what you will be combining the ingredients in.
Cut the chicken into pieces the size of a soda bottle cap. Cut the tails off of the shrimp and slice them in half. Here's a picture so you don't slice it in half the wrong way:
Put a little flour on the chicken to help seal in the moisture while it cooks. The chicken and shrimp go in the same pan with a little wok oil on the bottom. Keep it at a lower heat. Just a minute or two before you add this all to the rice, sprinkle in the crab meat.
Slice up the sausage thinly, around a quarter inch. Then cut it in half so you have two half-moon shapes. Cut the turkey into strips as wide as you got it sliced thick. Any that are longer than 2 inches, just cut in half. These cook together in a pan with wok oil on the bottom.
In a mixing bowl, pour in the Pasta Sauce. Add the cayanne pepper and chili powder until it is as spicy as you want. Remember that the spice will increase while you eat it, but the other ingredients will dilute it a bit as well. Add curry powder and cinnamon until you can taste hints of them. Throw the other spices in as you wish. Be sure to taste it. I always go by taste and not measurement, sorry. sweatdrop I always check that it's not too spicy for everyone I'm cooking for.
When the rice is done, add all the cooked meats and the pasta sauce (don't forget the crab meat step!). You only need enough to coat the rice, it'll make a bit of a sticky paste noise when you stir. Mix it up!
Get something to drink like lemonaid or sode to take a bit of the edge off the spice and enjoy! It may not look like much, but it's yummy yummy yummy. wink
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STEPH'S TERRIFIC TURKEY TETRAZZINI: (You can also make it with chicken, but then the name doesn't work as well.)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup whipping cream 2 teaspoons of sherry 8 oz dumpling egg noodle (I use Creamette brand) 3 quantity 1/4 inch slices turkey 3 oz sliced mushrooms, drained 1/3 can cream of mushroom soup 1 chunk grated parmesan A handfull of fresh shopped parsley.
*a note about ingredients, do NOT use cooking Sherry. It has salt in it, always use the real stuff when it comes to cooking with alcohol (a good tip comonly given is to never cook with anything you wouldn't drink). If you're making it on a Sunday in the US, you gotta plan ahead for this because the liquor store will be closed. Also, get your meat sliced at the deli unless you happen to have a whole turkey lying around. XD You're going to want slices near the middle of the turkey. Anything but the very end or begining. The Parmesan I use is called Piave and it comes from Italy. It's very strong, has an aged but not nutty texture and is good for grating. You can really taste it in the dish so don't skimp and get a cheap parm. If you can't find Piave ask someone what would be like it.
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees f. - Cook pasta according to package. - Melt butter in large saucepan, add in broth and cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. - Stir in wine, flour, seasonings, mushrooms and lastly soup. - Once blended, add noodles and sliced strips of turkey. Stir. - Pour into ungreased casserole dish. Top with a layer of cheese and sprinkled parsley. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
You can also store this in the fridge and leave the baking until guests arrive. This makes it a great dish to prepare ahead of time. It serves about 5-6.
STEPH'S (SUPER FANCY BUT EASY) PORCINI MUSHROOM AND PARSLEY RISOTTO WITH (OR WITHOUT)CHICKEN
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms 4 cups chicken broth or 3 cups vegetable broth (depends if you're making it vegetarian) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 cup diced onion (about 1 whole small onion) 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt 1 cup Carnaroli or Arborio rice 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 cup firmly packed chopped itallian parsley. 1/3 cup grated parmesean cheese, plus additional for serving Your choice of wine. White is suggested but I use a sherry when I don't have any white. 4 boneless split chicken breasts.
*notes about cooking and ingredients: It is important that you use the kinds of rice mentioned. The rice for risotto needs to be short-grain and starchy, so that when you stir in the broth, the starch binds it into a creamy sauce. These are two of the most popular rices used in Italy and they're not that hard to find here in the USA. I found a good selection of the mushrooms, parmeseans and rices at my local "fancy" grocery store. The parmesean is not as central an ingredient but I still went for my favorite, which is Piave. You shouldn't need more than 1/3 a pound chunk. Also, if you're on a budget, the thyme can be skipped as very little of what you will buy (as it comes in bunches) will be used. You will need three pans for this meal. If you wish to make it vegetarian, use the vegetable broth listed above and skip the chicken.
Directions:
In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside intil soft, about 7 to 10 minutes. Rub mushrooms between your fingers to dislodge any grit, letting it fall to the bottom of the bowl. Be careful, as the water will still be hot. Remove the mushrooms from the liquid (do NOT discard it!) and chop them coarsely. You don't want to cut these too small- there should still be some texture you can bite into. About dime-sized is the way I go.
The water you cooked them in is now a mushroom tea. If you have a fine mesh strainer, use it to strain out the grit at the bottom, otherwise slowly pouring it from bowl to bowl works well too, but takes just a little longer. Pour this strained tea into a pot with 3 cups of your broth and add water until it makes 6 cups of liquid. Bring this to a simmer.
In a saute pan over medium heat, warm your oil. Add the onions and salt and saute for 2 minutes or until soft. It is important that your onion pieces aren't too big or too firm after you cook them, or the overpower the texture and flavor of the dish. After the onion is ready, raise the heat and add the uncooked rice, mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook this for one more minute, stirring.
Using a ladle, add the hot liquid from the pot a ladelful at a time, stirring constantly and letting the broth simmer and reduce almost completely before adding the next ladelful. It is very important that the liquid be warm and you never add it cold to the rice. Continue adding the liquid and stirring until the rice is just tender but still firm at the center. You may not need to add all of the broth. This should take around 25 minutes, but don't make that a steady rule. When it's done, it's done. Pick out the thyme brances and discard them.
In a new pan, add the last cup of your chicken broth if you're cooking it with meat. put it on medium heat and add your chicken plus a splash of oil and wine. Sprinkle in a handfull of chopped parsley and cook slowly with the lid on. Be sure to turn the chicken for even cooking. Once it's done, cube the chicken and add it into your rice, discarding the liquid it was cooked in. Vegetarians can just add a splash of the wine into the risotto if they so choose.
Add your 1/2 cup parsley and cook for 1 more minute. Then add in your cheese and stir it through. Serve immediatly with the additional grated parmesean sprinkled over the top.
Serves 4.
Grandma Sellman's Party Drink:
12 oz. frozen lemonade 12 oz. frozen orange juice 1 46 oz can pineapple juice
Freeze, scoop w/ ice cream scoop and add Sprite.
(2 quarts)
Nuire · Sat Jan 28, 2006 @ 05:36am · 1 Comments |