by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Sauces
My husband has always loved a tangy Chinese-American Orange Chicken. I found some great recipes online, and made some slight modifications. I’m mainly adding this one to the blog, so I have quick access to it, but beware, it does take a few steps so it might not be for everyone. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the chicken:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- About 2 cups canola oil for frying
For the orange sauce:
- 2-3 oranges
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger (from 1-inch piece)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)
- 2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Chinese Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar (not seasoned) or cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 scallion/green onions (thinly sliced for garnish)
- Cooked rice for serving
PREPARATION
Prep the chicken:
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the wine and soy sauce together. Toss the chicken pieces with the sauce and let stand while you make the sauce.
Make the orange sauce:
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 1 orange and finely chop it.
- Squeeze 2 oranges to make at least 1 cup of juice (use additional orange if necessary). In a small bowl, whisk together the juice and 2 teaspoons cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat, add the garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and orange zest and stir-fry until golden, about 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 5 seconds. Stir the orange juice–cornstarch mixture then add it to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside while you fry the chicken.
Fry the chicken:
- Once the chicken is fried, place the skillet of reserved orange sauce over moderately low heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring and thinning the sauce with a little water if necessary. Add the chicken, and stir until thoroughly coated in sauce.
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil until a thermometer registers 365°F. Or you can use a deep fryer if you have one, which is easier to program the temperature. Meanwhile, coat half of the chicken, a couple pieces at a time, in cornstarch, making sure they are well coated and gently knocking off any excess, then transfer to a plate. Carefully add the coated chicken to the hot oil, making sure to space the pieces apart from each other, otherwise they clump together. Fry the chicken, turning it once or twice, until deep golden, about 5 minutes. While frying, adjust the heat as necessary to keep the oil at 365°F. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Continue to coat and fry the remaining chicken in the same manner, returning the oil to 365°F between batches.
- Once the chicken is fried, place the skillet of reserved orange sauce over moderately low heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring and thinning the sauce with a little orange juice if necessary. Add the chicken, and toss until thoroughly coated in sauce.
To serve:
- Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and garnish with the scallions. Serve immediately with rice.
Another photo: (added some sesame seeds to the recipe)
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Fish, Vegetables
Cod is another one of my favorite types of fish, flaky and dense, with a mild flavor. If cod is not available, (as some stocks are severely overfished), you could swap out with some more sustainable fish: i.e. cobia, pollack, hake or whiting. I like a crunchy texture to my fish, so I used some Panko breadcrumbs to create a nice crust. I paired this fish with some crispy mushroom, pea/parsley puree and some crispy shoestring sweet potatoes. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
- 3 tbsp oil
- 10-12 ounces mushrooms (cremini, shiitake), cleaned and coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
FOR THE FISH
- 1 ½ pounds of cod, cobia or pollack (4 pieces)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup of panko crust, enough to cover each piece
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice, to taste
FOR THE PEA PUREE
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup of cooked frozen peas
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots
- ⅛ cup EVOO (olive oil)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 oz. Crème Fraîshe
PREPARATION
- Make the pea puree. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add parsley leaves. Blanch for 20 seconds only and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and press leaves against strainer to squeeze out water. Using a food processor, add the cooked peas, shallots, parsley and salt. Slowly add in the oil so that all ingredients become a smooth puree. Place the puree into a bowl, and slowly stir in the Crème Fraîshe. Be sure to stir gently with a spoon so it does not separate or turn to butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place oil into sauté pan and heat on medium-high heat. Salt the fish. Press the panko bread crumbs onto all sides of each piece of fish. Cook the fish on each side (2-3 minutes per side), or until outside crust is golden brown. Place fish into baking dish. Drizzle lemon over the fish and bake 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets), until fish is opaque and pulls apart when a fork is inserted.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until just beginning to smoke. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until bottom side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, toss mushrooms, and continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes more.
Reduce heat to medium and add butter and garlic to skillet. Tip skillet toward you so butter pools at bottom edge. Spoon butter over mushrooms until butter smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet with a slotted spoon.
- Place a piece of fish on each of 4 plates. Spoon pea sauce onto plate, next to fish. Place mushrooms on pea sauce and serve.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Sauces
After reviewing numerous Béarnaise recipes, and being extremely intimidated by the complexity of it, I thought I would give it a try. I made this sauce for filet mignon, (Click here for the different cuts of beef) of that I marinated in garlic, olive oil, salt and rosemary overnight. Searing it on all sides and cooking it medium rare. I served it with an arugula salad (from our garden) with olive oil, a balsamic reduction and goat cheese.
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup white-wine vinegar
- 1 small shallot, peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon leaves
- 2 egg yolks
- 12 tablespoons ghee (or clarified butter)
- salt, to taste
Put the vinegar, shallots, black pepper and 1 tablespoon of tarragon leaves into a small saucepan, and set over a medium flame. Bring just to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer until there are only a couple of tablespoons of liquid left, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
Fill a small saucepan with an inch or two of water, and set over medium-high heat to boil.
In a metal mixing bowl, whisk the egg yokes with a tablespoon of cold water. Add in the cooled shallot-and-tarragon then whisk to combine.
Turn the heat under the saucepan of water down to its lowest setting, and put the bowl on top of the pan, making sure that it does not touch the water directly. Continue to whisk the yolks until they thicken, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. You should just about double the volume of the yolks.
Slowly beat in the butter, a tablespoon or two at a time, whisking slowly to combine and emulsify. Remove the bowl from the pan occasionally, so as not to overcook the eggs, and taste the sauce. Season with salt. If the flavor is not sharp enough, add a splash of lemon juice. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a splash of water. Add the remaining teaspoon of tarragon leaves, and serve.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Gluten Free, Sauces, TOP Five, Vegetables
Wow, how time flies! Sorry for not posting any new recipes these past several months. I have been busy with kid activities and overall… just trying to be a “good parent” to my two teenagers! The ups and downs of being a full-time mom can definitely take it’s toll on a person. But all in all, I am grateful for this new chapter in my life. I am still cooking a ton, but haven’t posted anything, so I thought I would spend some of my summer sharing some of my favorites.
I have tried this recipe several times, and both my husband and son agree this is one of their “top 5” faves! This is a recipe I found on the NY Times website, but made some minor modifications to it. I hope you enjoy! Serves 8-10
FOR THE POLENTA
- 3 cups milk
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups polenta (I love Bob’s Organic Red Mill Polenta)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 cup of home-made chicken broth (or store bought)
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pats, divided
- 3 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
In a large deep pan over high heat, bring the milk and water to a boil; add salt, and gradually stir in polenta. Reduce heat and summer gently, stirring frequently to prevent clumping and sticking, until mixture is very thick (approximately 30-45 minutes). If the polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep the polenta soft enough to stir. Stir in butter and the parmesan cheese.
Meanwhile, boil the chicken broth; add in the dried porcini mushroom. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, and pat dry, then chop roughly. Reserve the mushroom/chicken stock.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan set over high heat until it has melted. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic brown.
Add the fresh and reconstituted porcini mushrooms and thyme to the pan, and sauté 8 minutes, turning until browned. Add about 1/4 cup of the mushroom stock to deglaze the surface, using a wooden spoon to scrape at the browned bits. Allow the stock to reduce by half, then turn the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, whisking to combine, followed by the soy sauce, cream and olive oil. Allow mixture to cook until it thickens a little, then remove from heat. Taste for seasoning, adding black pepper, salt or more parmesan cheese, if desired.
Place the polenta into warmed bowls, then top with mushrooms and the sauce. Serve immediately.
