cooking – Page 6 – Alice the Cook

March 29, 2010

Chinese Spicy Chicken Recipe

I must apologize to my fans. I’ve been remiss in entering stories and recipes on my blog. I’ve been busily preparing for new season, planning shows, doing further research, writing articles, etc. I hope you all will be able to forgive me.

I plan on not disappointing. Going off of the beaten track, I thought I would offer readers something different this time. Below is an Asian dish that has been 4291_90601597470_86152807470_2339105_7366297_n modernized for today’s kitchen. A fairly easy recipe that busy people can cook eat or save in bulk for future meals.

In the near future I hope to offer more of my traditional faire of cuisines.

Feeds 4:

Chilli chicken

10 small skinless chicken drumsticks
3/4 cup of dark soy sauce
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
4 green finger chillies
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Soak the chicken in the soy sauce. Chop the onion into large pieces, the chillies into little ones and slice the garlic.

In a wok or kadai, bring the oil to heat on high. When it’s hot, fry the garlic until golden then add all the other ingredients and stir every few minutes until the chicken is cooked. You’ll know because the chicken will separate from the bone. While it’s cooking make the noodles.

Hakka noodles

1/2 package of medium egg noodles
1 large tea mug shredded cabbage
1 large tea mug shredded carrot
1 green pepper
5 spring onions
1.5 tbsp chilli garlic sauce (any Chinese one will do nicely)
1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp flavourless white oil

Cook the noodles and set aside. Chop the garlic clove and mix it together with the sauces. Slice the green pepper finely and chop the spring onions.

Next, bring the oil to heat on high in a wok or kadai. When the oil starts sizzling, pour in the sauce mixture and in a few seconds the vegetables, bar one chopped spring onion. Cook for about two minutes until they soften, then mix in the cooked noodles, add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the noodles with the remaining chopped spring onion and eat straightaway.

October 12, 2009March 5, 2012

Dublin Coddle Recipe

Today, it was so cold it snowed where I live. The absence of the autumn reminds me of the importance of richly traditional soups. One of my favorites that my paternal grandfather used to make was the Dublin Coddle. It was served with crusty French or soad bread with fresh butter. Apologies to my vegetarian and vegan fans as this dish cannot be altered for the non-meat eaters.

Dublin Coddle Ingredients
8 1/4-inch thick slices of ham or bacon (I perfer bacon)
8 pork sausages or 1 lb of course ground sausage normal__mg_5592
1 quart of boiling water
4 large onions
2 lbs of potatoes (red potatoes perferred)
4 rounded TB of freshly chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4 generously or 8 normal portions

Cut the ham or bacon into large chunks and cook with the sausages in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain but reserve the liquid. Peel and thinly slice the onion and potatoes.

Put the meat into a large pot with the onion, potatoes and parsley. Season to tasted and add enough of the stock to barely cover.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of pot and then put on the lid and simmer gently for about an hour or until liquid is reduced by half and all the ingredients are cooked but not mushy.

September 24, 2009March 5, 2012

Spitted Beef

Before people get the wrong idea, spitted beef is cooked on a spit. Several weekends ago, the community kitchen aptly named the “Family Table” at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, prepard a beef shoulder and slow cooked it on a spit.

The meat was so well received, we are posting the recipe here: MRF090907014

Ingredients:
Beef shoulder or large rump roast (the one we used was 14 lbs)
2 TB olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 sprigs of rosemary, minced
spit or rotisserie

Cut up the beef so that its size is evenly distributed on the spit or rotisserie. Once on the spit, blend the olive oil, minced garlic, and minced rosemary to form a rough paste. Massage the paste liberally onto the beef. Sprinkle salt and pepper and begin cooking in on a medium heat. If you are blessed and own an automatic or electric rotisserie, follow the directions for cooking a beef roast. If you are cooking it over a fire, as we had, you will want to turn the beef a 1/3 to a half a turn every 15-20 minutes.

Depending on how well you would like the meat cooked will determine the length on the spit. We cooked our 14 lbs roast for 3 hours and had a medium to medium well roast. The ends will always be well done.

I personally like this dish served with grilled asparagus, but everyone has their own way of preparing and serving the meal.

July 27, 2009

Middle Eastern Pasta Recipe

Each year during the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, my assistant and I demonstrate pasta making. Many people may not realize that the modern Italian pasta evolved from the Arabs and not from Marco Polo’s visits to the Far East (Asia). Below is an adapted recipe from one of the original texts. This recipe was recreated out at the show. It has a very different taste than most pastas and I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:
2 cup flour
2 eggs
2 TB olive oil
2 TB water
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp of ground clove
1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg

Blend ingredients together to form slightly rubbery dough. Knead on floured board and store for at least least an hour in the fridge before using (an entire day is better).

If you can, use a pasta press to create spaghetti style pasta (normally this would be rolled out and hand cut). Heat water with 2 TB of salt to 2 TB of oil in the water. Bring to a high boil and drop pasta in until el dente (between 2-3 minutes). pull out of pot and let slightly cool out of bowl (clean cutting board works great).

Once slightly cool (warmer than room temp, but not hot), begin adding the pasta to a bowl and include a 1 tsp of honey to each layer. Blend the pasta well. This would normally be served with roast lamb or falafel.

July 22, 2009March 5, 2012

Braised Leeks with Carrots

Due to time and space, I could not include the side dish featured in the July issue of Renaissance Magazine. I offer readers and opportunity to find it here on the website in case they want to prepare it for themselves.

Ingredients:

5 TB butter

1 and a half lbs. of carrots, thickly sliced

1 tsp honey

2 fresh bay leaves

5 TB water

1 and a half lbs. leeks, cut into 2 inch lengths

1/2 cup white wine

2 TB chopped parsley

salt and ground black pepper

Melt 2 TB butter in a wide, heavy pan and cook the carrots without allowing them to brown, for about 5 minutes.Add the bay leaves, seasoning, honey, and the water and cook for 10 minutes or until the carrots are tender.Uncover the pan and boil until the juices have evaporated, leaving the carrots moist and glazed.Remove the carrots from the pan and set aside.

Melt 2 TB of remaining butter in the pan.Add the leeks and fry them over low heat for 4 -5 minutes without allowing them to brown.Add seasoning, a couple of drops of honey, the wine, and half of the chopped herbs.Heat until simmering, then cover and cook gently for 5 – 8 minutes, until the leeks are tender, but not collapsed.

Uncover the leeks and turn them in the buttery juices, increase the heat and then boil the liquid rapidly until reduced to a few tablespoons.Add the carrots to the leeks and reheat them gently, stirring occasionally, then add the remaining butter.Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.Transfer to a warmed serving dish and serve sprinkled with the remaining chopped herbs.