Thai Basil Chicken

This dish is served at many Thai restaurants. Here's my version. The quantity and heat of the peppers can take this from mild to wild.

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

Canola Oil

4 Scallions Sliced

2 Serrano Peppers Diced

2 Cloves Crushed Garlic

equal amount crushed ginger

1Bunch Fresh Basil, (Thai or Holy Basil if you can find it) Chopped and coarse stems removed

Sauce

1/4C Soy Sauce

1/4C Dry Sherry

4 dashes Thai Fish Sauce

1t Corn Starch

Heat the oil and add half of the pepper, garlic and ginger. Saute the chicken for 15 minutes and then remove draining excess fat. Let cool then chop into 1/2" pieces. Return to the pan and add the remaining pepper, garlic and ginger, then the scallions. Scrape up any browned bits (or deglaze the pan with a little water) then fold in the basil. Stir the sauce and add it to the pan. Turn the heat off and stir until it thickens, Serve over rice.

love and bacon,

pops

Chicken Capellini Picante 4 Britts

This is my rendition of a dish served at the Trattoria across the street from our old office in Saratoga. We often enjoyed it for lunch.

1/2 lb Capellini or Angel Hair Pasta
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Half-Breasts

Italian Seasoning

Olive Oil

Pepper Flakes

Coarse Sea Salt

3 Cloves Crushed Garlic

1 Bag Fresh Spinach

Parmesan Cheese

Sprinkle the Chicken with Italian Seasoning and grill over medium heat 10-12mins Do Not Overcook. Set the chicken on a cutting board and while it's cooling. Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and drizzle with Olive Oil.

Now comes the main event. Heat 2-3 Tbsp (yes you need a lot) of Olive Oil in a pan on medium. Add the red pepper and coarse salt then the garlic (if the pan is too hot the garlic will burn). Now chop the chicken and add it to the pan. Saute a couple of minutes until the chicken is cooked thru, then toss in the pasta and then the spinach. Use a lot of spinach, when it wilts it really cooks down. Don't be afraid to add Olive Oil if necessary.

I know it's italian but serve it in rice bowls with chopsticks. Garnish with Parmesan and enjoy.

The blending technique is tricky, you have to have the heat just right. Too low and it will be soggy, too high and the pasta wil stick. Adding the spinach creates steam which also cools the pan down.

love and bacon,

pops

Ribs 4 KJ

OK, here goes. This is a variation on an article in Fine Cooking some years ago. Read it here:

FineCookingRibs

What you are doing is referred to as Memphis Style, which means a dry rub and sauce served as a condiment after the ribs come off the grill.

First, baby back ribs are best. They have just the right amount of fat.

Next, remove the membrane on the back of the ribs by sliding a knife underneath and use the BACK of the knife to separate the membrane then strip it off like peeling a label. Start at the skinny end of the rack. This will go badly the first time you try it, but eventually you'll figure it out.

The Rub: No magic here, you're basically making BBQ sauce on the meat using sugar fat and spices. If you just had the first 2 ingredients it would still make tasty ribs, so feel free to individualize/adjust after that. Also note that I don't measure anything when I cook, I just proportion from greatest to least so these are approximate.

For 1-2 racks
1/4c Paprika (the regular sweet paprika)
1/4c Brown Sugar
1T Chili Powder
1t Granulated Garlic
1t Celery Seed My special ingredient as I think this flavor goes particularly well with ribs
cayenne to taste unless Ray or Darla are there

Stir the rub with a fork to get all the lumps out of the brown sugar then sprinkle over the meat liberally on the meat side and pat down. Sprinkle lightly on the back.

A word about salt...
I don't use salt in my rubs as people's taste and tolerance vary widely. I do give a nice grind of coarse sea salt over the ribs after they're done cooking.

Cooking

It's low and slow meaning 2-4Hrs at 250-275 degrees. Pork won't get fall off the bone tender until it hits about 190.

You can do this in a BBQ or a smoker or in the oven. I think the best ribs are on a rotisserie because they self baste as the fat is rendered. A pan of water in any of these prevents overheating and drying out.

Where there's smoke...
... there's flavor. This is where the oven loses out. A handful of soaked chips on your q gives a taste that makes all the difference. Oak, Hickory, Mesquite are my first choice for ribs. Apple also works well.

love and bacon,
pops

Spinach me!

Trying to find a tasty new way to get those  leafy greens in?

Well, we have just the solution!

Spinach Hummus.

Spinach Hummus that Kids Will Eat from Simply Daily Recipes

Chef notes:
At the time of making this recipe,
we had a mixed green salad mix
(which included spinach) which we threw in.
This made our hummus have more flavor tones;
as well as including a variety of greens.
The only thing I might try differently in the future,
is the amount of lemon juice that was added.

Brett added a whole lemon, somewhat overwhelming the flavor
of the garbanzo beans and spinach- the primary flavors.

We paired our hummus with
Way Better Snacks Simply Beyond Black Bean
Gluten-Free Tortilla Chips,
which we found at our local grocery store.
Good eatin'!

An Unusual Turkey Day Dessert

This Turkey Day holiday,

our resident chef decided to make an unusual dessert

as a thank you for a hardworking coworker friend.

The results were amazing!

The dessert you ask?

Alton Brown's Tres Leches Cake

If you are into delicious Mexican style desserts

and have a definite sweet tooth to boot- this is the dessert for you!

Chef's notes:
This dessert, although delicious, is extremely sweet.

If we were to do this recipe again,
we would cut the sugar down
AT LEAST by 1/4 of what it recommends.
The topping is also very delicious and is basically
homemade whip cream rather than traditional frosting.
No other additions are necessary with this decadent treat.

Chipotle Meatballs

I was looking for a recipe for German Potato Salad, doing the Octoberfest thing Saturday, when I came across this recipe. I've never used chipotle chilis in adobo sauce before but I had some leftover hamburger and cooked rice that I needed to use up so I gave it a whirl.

Here's the link, and I stole the picture as well.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chipotle_meatballs/

I used 1/4lb sauteed bacon in the sauce instead of in the meatballs. The chilis looked so innocent in the can that I went against my better judgement and placed 4 whole chilis in the sauce. I then used my immersion blender to puree the chilis along with the tomatos and onions then added the reserved bacon back in.

Dani said she could smell it from the driveway before she even got to the house. I had her taste it first in case it was too hot for me. She said it was pretty warm which usually means you can light a fire with it, but when I tasted it there was a deep smoky hot, not a burning hot like cayenne. A little sour cream cooled it a bit and it was awesome.

love and bacon,

pops

Not Another Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup

Tired of the old Warhol-esque canned soup??

Well, no more!

Introducing
Cooking Light's Bean and Bacon Soup

Make sure to crisp the bacon.

The crunchy texture is an excellent contrast to the beans.

 The dark molasses adds a unique sweetness to the mix.

And Voila! A delicious soup that pairs perfectly

with a hot grilled cheese made with homemade pita bread.

Cheers!