Roasted veggie sandwiches

Roasted Veggie Sandwich

Yield 4~6 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium eggplant
• Mushroom
• 2 zucchini
• 3 red bell peppers
• olive oil
• Rye bread*
• condiments**

Directions

Slice the eggplant into ¾-inch lengths, the zucchini in ½-inch lengths, and the bell pepper into quarters.

Preheat oven to 450° F. Place Mushroom, zucchini, Eggplant, and Bell pepper slices in large, shallow (greased) pan in one layer or slightly overlapping as needed. Use a brush to rub oil in each slice. Sprinkle with the thyme, salt and black pepper. Roast until tender and lightly browned, about 40 ~ 50 minutes.

Toast the bread slices and spread Hummus and Light Mayo. Assemble the sandwiches and serve.

**Roasted veggie sandwiches are delicious with hummus or tapenade. You can also add grilled onions, lettuce, and/or cheese.

Shrimp in Tomato Sauce.

Shrimp in Tomato Sauce

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer
Preparation time 15-20 minutes
Cooking time 8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. peeled shrimp, uncooked
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 egg white, beaten
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch paste
• 2-3 firm tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 scallions
• About 10 oz. oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons white Vinegar* + pinch of sugar
• About 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz.) good stock
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• Fresh cilantro leaves to garnish

*Usually rice wine is used but, I will substitute Rice Wine with White Vinegar + pinch of sugar.(Rice wine refers to a sweet, golden wine derived from fermenting freshly steamed glutinous rice. The most well-known Japanese rice wines are sake and mirin. Though most rice wines are low in alcohol, they are categorised alongside alcoholic beverages, hence unsuitable for Muslim consumption (non-Halal). Source link)Tomato ketchup and tomato sauce (or paste) are not interchangeable in Chinese cooking.

1. Blend the shrimp with a pinch of the salt, the egg white, and about half the cornstarch paste.
2. Skin the tomatoes and cut each one into small wedges. Cut the scallions into short sections, separating the white and green parts.
3. Heat the oil in a preheated wok or pan. Stir-fry the shrimp for about 1-1/2 minutes, remove with a strainer and drain.
4. Pour off the excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the wok or pan. Stir-fry the garlic, the tomatoes and white parts of the scallions for about 30 seconds, then add the remaining salt together with the tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine and stock. Blend well and bring to the boil.
5. Add the shrimp with the green parts of the scallions. Blend well and thicken the sauce with the remaining cornstarch paste. Sprinkle the sesame oil and serve hot, garnished with cilantro leaves.

Original Recipe taken from Recipe Link

Rigatoni with Chicken and Peppers

Pasta Rigatoni

Ingredients :

• 1-lb rigatoni or penne (uncooked)
• 3-chicken breasts cut into thin strips
• 1/2-red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/2-yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1-medium onion, cut into thin strips
• 4oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced in half, or quartered if too big
• 700ml jar of spaghetti sauce (2-1/2 to 3 cups homemade)
• 2-cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 2-cloves minced garlic
• 1-tsp Italian seasoning (or home made)
• 1-tsp chili flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*
Cook pasta according to directions
Sauté chicken in 1-tbsp olive oil on medium heat until no pink remains
Sauté peppers & onions, adding more if needed, for 3-4 minutes
Add mushrooms & garlic
Sauté 3 minutes more
Add Italian seasoning & chili flakes
Remove from heat
Put rigatoni & chicken in 13x9 inch greased pan
Toss with vegetables, sauce and cheese
Bake in 350* oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly

Spicy Tuna Kofta (Cake)

Spicy Tuna Kofta (Cake)

Canned Tuna with potato and herbs fried in oil.
This dishes is usually prepared with ground beef. However substituting tuna is much more healthier.

Ingredients:
5 can of Tuna in oil.
2 potatoes
1 small onion
cilantro
1 egg white
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin (removes the fish smell)
1/2 tsp of coriander
1/2 tsp of garlic paste
1/2 tsp of salt (more or less to taste)
6 green chili quartered.

1. Boil potatoes until they are very tender.
2. Drain oil from canned tuna. Tuna should be as dry as possible.
3. chop the cilantro into small pieces.
4. On a mixing bowl add the boiled potato, tuna, salt, garlic, coriander, cumin, cilantro and create a "dough."
5. Taste for salt.
6. Add egg white.
7. Make small (2" diameter max) patties.
8. Heat up oil in a skillet and slow fry the patties in low heat until they are golden brown on both side. These tuna patties should only be half submerged in oil.
9. Remove them from skillet and place the patties on paper towel to remove as much oil possible.
10. When serving you may lightly sprinkle red Chile flake and Cilantro on top for decoration.

Japanese beef curry (Curry Rice)

Japanese Beef Curry

A English style stew with super thick curry (can be prepared both as sweet or spicy hot). So far this recipe didn't turn out well. I am looking into adjusting the recipe to see how to make it taste better and 100% authentic. Please don't try this recipe yet!

Not all curry powder are same. Do NOT use Indian curry powder in this dish due to the presence of large amount of Turmeric (strong smell and taste will make the curry uneatable). Japanese curry powder uses Mustard and very little Turmeric.

Makes about 6 to 8 servings.

• 450-500g / about 1 lb stewing beef cubes (chuck works well; it should be a cut with a bit of fat in it and not too sinewy. Cubes about 2 cm / 1 inch square)
• 6 large onions, or about 6 cups sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• An adult thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
• 2 cups of crushed tomatoes (1 small can, or 400g)
• 1 cup of beef or vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise
• 2-3 Tbs. Garam Masala (see notes)
• 3-4 large carrots
• 1 medium eating-type apple
• 3-4 medium potatoes
• Oil or butter
• Optional: 1 cup frozen green peas
• Salt and pepper
• 5 cup of water

For the curry roux:

• 3 Tbs. butter, ghee, clarified butter or oil, or a mixture
• 4 Tbs. white flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 Tbs. Japanese curry powder, or more to taste (see notes)

To serve with:

• Plain white steamed Japanese rice, or plain brown rice

Special equipment recommended: a heavy-bottomed (enamelled) cast iron pot or stock pot.

Pat dry the meat with paper towels, and brown in a little oil on all sides in a frying pan. Set aside.

Slice the onions thinly. Grate the ginger and either grate or finely chop the garlic. Peel and cut the carrots into chunks. Don't peel the potatoes yet: this will come later.

Heat your heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, and heat up some butter, ghee or oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and lower the heat to medium-low. Now comes a period of long, slow cooking of the onions that can take up to an hour or so (the salt helps it along as it extracts the moisture in the onions). At the end you want to end up with a much reduced mass of onion that is a light caramel brown in color, as in the photo.

Once the onions have reached this stage, add the ginger and garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add the canned tomato and 5 cups of water, the browned beef, the stock cube, the bay leaf and the star anise. (If you are particular you can put these in a bit of cheese cloth or a tea ball for easy extraction later.)

Peel and grate the apple and stir in. (This is optional, but adds to the depth of flavor.)

Bring up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, or more if your meat is a bit tough.

About 30 minutes into the cooking process, dry-roast about a tablespoon of garam masala powder in a small frying pan until it starts to get very fragant, and ad to the stew pot. Add the carrots around then too.

In the meantime, make the curry roux. In a small frying pan, melt the butter or ghee or clarified butter (note that ghee is basically clarified butter) and heat until any foaming subsides.

Add the flour, and cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it becomes a light brown in color. (See these very detailed instructions for roux if you aren't sure.)

Take the pan off the heat, and add the Japanese curry powder (the more the hotter.) Stir until the whole kitchen and beyond smells like curry. Set aside.

When the meat is about as tender as you want, peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks and add to the curry. Continue simmering until the potatoes are tender.

Take the pot off the heat and fish out the bay leaf and star anise. Stir in the roux carefully until it's completely melted into the stew and the liquid is thick and very brown. Return to the heat and simmer a few more minutes.

At this stage you can dry roast another tablespoonful or so of garam masala and add it to the curry.

At the last minute, add the optional frozen green peas, and stir - they should cook almost instantaneously. Serve immediately.

Instead of, or in addition to, the grated apple, you can add some chutney, a tablespoon or so of honey, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and even a bit of soy sauce or miso.

*This is based on Recipe post by Maki.

Chicken Stock

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds chicken carcasses, including necks and backs
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
• 4 ribs celery, cut in 1/2
• 1 leek, white part only, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 to 10 peppercorns
• 2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 gallons cold water
• 1 Teaspoon Salt

Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.

Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.

Beef Stock

Beef Stock

Stock is the main ingredient in most European dishes and for any kind of soup. Here is the beef stock recipe I been using.

Ingredients: This "Rich, hearty beef stock." Yield: 8 cups

• 6 pounds beef soup bones
• 1 large onion
• 3 large carrots

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Slice onion. Chop scrubbed celery and carrots into 1-inch chunks. In a large shallow roasting pan place soup bones, onion, and carrots. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until the bones are well browned, turning occasionally.

While waiting for roasted bones prepares rest of the ingredients.

• 1/2 cups water
• 2 stalks celery, including some leaves
• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped parsnip
• 1/2 cup cubed potatoes
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 12 cups water

2. Once bones has been roasted, drain off fat. Place the browned bones, onion, and carrots in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and rinse. Pour this liquid into soup pot. Add celery, tomato, parsnips, potato parings, peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, salt, thyme, and garlic. Add the 12 cups water.

3. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 hours. Strain stock. Discard meat, vegetables, and seasonings.

4. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.

(OPTIONAL:To clarify stock for clear soup: In order to remove solid flecks that are too small to be strained out with cheesecloth, combine 1/4 cup cold water, 1 egg white, and 1 crushed eggshell. Add to strained stock. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Strain again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.)

Breakfast melt

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of Rye Bread
• 1 slice cheese (American Singles)
• 1 tbsp of light Mayonnaise

Toast both slice of bread in a Toaster. They should be medium brown.

Cut the slice cheese into 1/2 inch long strips (for faster melting).

Placed all the cut up cheese on one slice and spread 1 tbsp of Mayo in the other slice of bread and create a sandwich.

Heat up a skillet and place the sandwich and further brown the sandwich.

Serve with 1 glass of low acid Orange Juice.