food

How about some nice recipes?  coming soon

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Bread pudding

Bread pudding has many forms and recipes from different parts of the world. It is a very old dish that date back to 11th century. Like many modern day favorites, bread pudding or bread and butter pudding as the Brits call it, was the poor man’s pudding. (Every culture had its share of poor man’s dish; Pizza, Goulash, Shepherd’s pie, lobster, sushi,polenta, etc) The cooks hated to waste stale bread and they refurbished it in to bread pudding.

For me its basically a pudding so the consistency is important and should be that of a pudding, a custard pudding.

It is stale bread plus custard . When baked, it becomes a baked custard.

I like to flavor it with vanilla and nut meg/clove but not cinnamon.

Ingredients

Ingredients for pudding

1.1 lb day old bread. Classic bread pudding is made with french brioche which is some times hard to find. You can use Challah . I like the challah over Brioche as I like to place the curved golden brown tip of the bread to make the top of my pudding. Also the brioche is inherently rich. I prefer to add my own level of richness. If you can not find Challah you can use white or french . The idea is to get the kind of bread that is very dry and act as a sponge that soaks with the custard.

2. 5 cups milk and cream I use a combination of 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and 3 cups of whole milk.

3. 6 eggs

4. 1 cup white sugar

5. 1/2 to 1 cup raisins soaked in cognac/bourbon. (avoid the soaking part if you don’t want alcohol)

6. salt, vanilla extract(1-2 tsp), nut meg(a pinch) and head of cloves (2) to taste

7.butter to grease the pan

Directions

Drying bread Take a baking pan(s) and break up the bread into pieces. I like to keep the curved surfaces of the challah intact and place the curved side up. rest of the bread pieces can be placed any which way.We want the bread to be very dry. Heat the bread at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. cool it on the counter top.

Custard mix In a bowl beat eggs and sugar and add milk and cream and beat again.When the mixture is a nice golden yellow add the salt, vanilla extract,nutmeg, cloves.

Putting it together Take a 9×13 baking dish and generously(really generously) grease the inside with butter. spread the bread pieces. make sure the curved glazed pieces form the surface of the bread layer. Spread the soaked raisins pushing some in between the bread pieces. (don’t add the liquor) Pour the custard mix into the dish getting the custard into every nook and cranny and slightly lower than the curves of the bread surface.

Bake Bake at the center of your oven.(you can make a tent over the dish with foil to retain the moisture.) at 325 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes (temp of the pudding should reach 160 degrees). take it out and let it cool. The pudding should not be liquidy but more like jello and not like a brownie.)Some people like to eat the pudding warm.

Sauce

Though you can eat the pudding without a sauce, many sauces would make a great combination. For those who do not or can not have alcohol. Use a vanilla sauce or classic Creme Anglaise. (Though I love creme anglaise i avoid it with bread pudding because bread pudding is a similar custard that is baked) I like Bourbon (or cognac) cream sauce.

Ingredients for the sauce

1. 1-2 cup milk and cream (equal amounts)
2. 1/2 cup butter
3. 1/2-1 cup sugar
4. 1/4 cup bourbon or cognac
5. 1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract
6. a small pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.
7. change the measurement of milk& cream and sugar to change the quantity of the final product.
8. Some use 1 egg yolk I don’t
9. some make a slurry with corn starch and the liquor. I don’t like the flavor of the corn starch here.

Direction

Melt the butter in a pan under low heat. Add sugar and melt it into the butter.add the liquor. Let the alcohol evaporate. Add cream and milk and vanilla extract and salt. Slowly bring to boil while constantly steering take out of heat and cool.

Yankee pot roast

A pot roast is a quintessential favorite as meat dishes go. it is found in every culture that eat meat.It is a poor man’s and family dish. Various forms of pot roasts/tew are Sauerbraten (German) Goulash (Hungarian) Boeuf a la mode (french) Daube (Cajun) rostizado or guiso de carne asado (spanish) guisada (mexican)

The beef is braised and slow cooked. Use tough cuts like chuck, brisket, round that has lot of collagen and comes from the much exercised part of the animal.When slow cooked over time the collagen breaks down into gelatin that enrich the liquid and the dish.

In Yankee pot roast the winter tubers are served on the side with hearty slices of bread.

Ingredients

1. Beef chuck road 6lbs
2. sat/pepper/flour to coat the roast for browning
3. oil for browning the meat
4. 2 cup low salt beef or chicken broth
5. 1 cup red wine
6. 4 stalks of celery cut
7. veggies tubers (below)Two sets of them 1 to make the sauce and others as side
8. 3 large carrots peeled 1 diced fine and 2 into 2 inches chunks
9. 2 large parsnip peeled diced fine and 1 cut into 2 inch chunks
10. 1 large turnip peeled 1/2 diced fine and the other cut in to chunks
11. 8 small red potatoes 2 peeled and diced fine 6 unpeeled whole
12. 2 red onions peeled 1 finally sliced and 1 cut into chunks
    butter for the veggies
13. 6 garlic cloves smashed
14. 1/2 inch fresh ginger grated (optional)
15. 1/2 tsp sweet paprika (optional)
16. 4 cloves
17. 1 tsp caraway seeds
18. Bouquet garne made of thyme rosemary and bay leaves

Directions

In a heavy bottom pan or dutch oven heat oil(high heat) Pat the meat dry and coat all sides with the mixture of salt/black pepper and flour. Brown all sides about 5 min each and put the meat aside. De glaze the pan with the red wine and save the de glaze. Add fresh oil and saute the 1 finally sliced onion and the chopped garlic and ginger. when they are golden, add the de glaze and the broth and reduce heat.Add all the finely diced part of the veggies and celery to the pan.Add boquet garne, cloves, paprika, caraway seeds Cover and cook for at least 2 hours.(meat should retain the shape of the chunk and not fall apart)

Remove the meat (save) and the discard bouquet garne. skim any fat off the top.With an immersion processor, puree the liquid and the veggies to a very fine consistency. You can remove the solids if you want by using a very coarse sieve. I like to leave the solids in.

Return the meat and the liquid back to the pan and simmer over low heat.

In another pan melt butter and saute all the chunks of veggie one type at a time and keep them aside Add the veggies sequentially, Potatoes and carrots first then 30 min later parsnip, onions and turnip. (The cooking time for the veggies depend on your taste of crispiness)

Take the veggies and the meat out. Leave all the veggies together on the serving platter. Rest the meat for a few minutes and then cut them in to reasonable chunks against the grain. return to the pan and cook until your meat melt in your mouth softness.The liquid should also reduce to a thick sauce. Add salt/pepper etc to your taste.

When ready add the meat/sauce to the platter, garnish with parsley.

Lomo Salrado

1. This is the quintessential Peruvian dish. I had done a post on Peru before so I am going to focus on just the dish. It is the ultimate gastronomic fusion food. The two cultures (Andean/Inca/Spanish marrying Chifa (Chinese presence in Peru from the 19th century) A combination of south American beef , yellow Peruvian chilies (Aji Amarillo), red onions, cilantro, potatoes (Peru and potatoes are almost synonymous) with Chinese soy sauce, vinegar and wok style of cooking.
2. The dish is best served hot. It has the kick from the chilies (hot and fruity) and salty and tangy from the soy/vinegar. The tender sauted steak is complimented by the crispy veggies.Like any traditional dish, there are a million versions , depending on the number of grandmas in the country.This is my version. I have made it more than once and the people have enjoyed it and that the end of the story.

Ingredients ( I always say you can experiment with the ingredients/measures)

1.Beef 2 lb cut in to strips 3 to 4 inch strips(medium thickness)

You need high grade cuts. Tenderloin or sirloin steaks. I use sirloin when making for a large group. If you are entertaining a handful or trying to impress your date, certainly go for tenderloin or fillet mignon. If you don’t want to use these expensive cuts ,you can cut any steak into strips and marinate them in the soy sauce ,salt, pepper and vinegar the night before and refrigerate.This would tenderize the meat

2. 3 RED onions cut in to wedges vertically ( out of the 3 onions fine chop 1/2 an onion) Do not use other types of onions

3. 1 red bell pepper cut in to strips

4. 3 roma tomatoes (firm and not too ripe) cut in to vertical slices and seeds removed. 
5. This is the star of this dish. 2 Aji Amarillo (Peruvian yellow hot pepper) chopped after de seeding and de veining . You can also use bottled Aji Amarillo paste 2 tsp or to taste according to heat tolerated. 
You can get them in Mexican/Latin/peruvian stores ONLY.

6. Oil to cook

7. marinade

a) salt and pepper to taste (be mindful that you are using soy sauce that has salt

b) 1/4 to 1/2 cup soy sauce low salt adjust the measure to taste

c) 1/4 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar adjust the measure to taste

8. 2 table spoon butter 

9 1-2 lb Yellow/Gold Potatoes to fry/bake/airfry

10. 2 cup white rice

11. 4 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of fresh ginger chopped up.

12 1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Directions

1. Marinate the beef for 15 minutes. remove from marinade and pat the meat dry. Save the marinade. Heat the Chinese wok to high heat and heat the oil. When very hot, saute the beef in batches( wok should not cool down) so that it really get seared (browned and not grey and minimize the juices coming out). take it out. (Keep it rare to medium rare do not over cook ).set aside to rest.
2. Bottom line about meat to keep them juicy, quick short searing at high heat is all you need.DO NOT OVER COOK.
3. Repeat the sauteing for the onion wedges, tomato slices and red pepper. Keep them crisp and don’t over cook. take out and keep aside.
4. In the wok at medium heat, melt 1 table spoon butter and saute 1/2 finally chopped onion, garlic, ginger. add the yellow chilies or the paste. Add only the amount of the marinade to your taste. when reduced add the meat and the veggies toss for a couple of minutes only just to get all of it mixed up. and take it out.
5. Potato fries Use yellow/golden potatoes. After that I will leave it to you, the method of cooking it. Depending on the time of cooking it, you will have to do it simultaneously with making the meat. You can use fresh potatoes or be fast and use frozen. The taste depends (you know)
6. Rice Heat 1 table spoon of butter and lightly fry the rice. Do not let it burn. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. cover, shut of the heat and in 20 minutes the rice will be done. Fluff the rice . You can add more butter and some chopped cilantro.

Serving

On the platter layer the beef alternating with fries. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with a side of rice. It is best served right away.

Beef salad. (Salata de Bouf)

It is a Romanian festive dish

To compliment the hot steak I made a cold dish. You make it the day before and chill in the refrigerator to serve it cold. It is similar in the French BOEUF salad and Russian Salad Oliver.

Ingredients

1. 1 to 2 pounds beef (Can use turkey or chicken as well) Boiled with salt and pepper until the meat is very tender (can use pressure cooker to cut the time. Take it out rest and fine chop.
2. Muratui in Romanian cuisine, is one or a collection of pickled veggies that include cucumber, green tomato, carrot, beet , cauliflower turnips (you name it) I have used pickles and beet as pickled. and potatoes and carrots as fresh boiled as noted below. You can choose any combination of the veggies.
3. 1 lb potatoes unpeeled
4. 1 lb carrots unpeeled
5. 2 cups frozen peas
6. 2 cups pickles (cucumber in brine) finely chopped and pat dry
7. 1 cup pickled beet cut for dish and also garnish pat dry with no oozing red juice.
8. 1 cup black olives cut for dish and also garnish
9. 4 boiled eggs chopped up
10. 1/4 to 1/2 cup mustard
11. 2 cups Mayo
12. salt/peeper to taste
13. 1 tbp sweet paprika to garnish(optional)
14. 1/4 cup capers for garnish (optional)
15. parsley for garnish

Directions

1 Get meat ready as above and put it in a mixing bowl

2. Boil the potatoes and carrots , peel and chop into small pieces.cook the peas and add to the meat.

3.Add finely chopped pickle, boiled eggs,some chopped olives and beet to the bowl.

4. Add mustard, a dash of paprika,salt& pepper and 3/4 of the mayo and mix well.

Transfer it into a 9×13 glass/ceramic pan . Level it out and top it of with a thin smooth icing of the mayo. Garnish with Olives,beet, capers, paprika and parsley. Cover with wrap/foil and refrigerate over night.

Serve cold.

More to come……

Chili con carne

lamb vindaloo

hawaiian pineapple chicken

sweet pepper soup

Goulash hungarian

and more