Dinner
07/13-07/19
Bacon Mustard Chicken w/ Mashed Potatoes & Broccoli Apple Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 strips bacon uncooked, chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lb chicken breasts , boneless, skinless
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Potatoes (mashed for serving)
Instructions
- Combine Dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl, to make a paste. Spread the paste evenly on both sides of chicken breasts. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook chopped bacon on medium-high heat just until it starts to brown. Remove to a plate, leaving bacon fat in a skillet. To the same skillet, add chopped onion and cook in bacon fat until softened. Remove to the same plate, with bacon.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same, now empty, hot skillet. Cook chicken breast (with mustard paste on it), on medium heat, about 1.5 minutes on each side. The chicken will not be done as you will continue cooking it in the next step. Remove chicken to a plate.
- To the same skillet, add 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth, bring to boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add back bacon and onions, mix well. Add back the chicken breast, reduce the heat to low-medium and cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning chicken once, until chicken breast is fully cooked and no longer pink in the center.
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 2 medium heads of broccoli chopped into small pieces
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1 apple cored and finely chopped
- 1/4 medium onion 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted on a skillet and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins or cranberries
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar or add to taste
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Toast walnuts over medium/ high heat, tossing them occasionally so they don't burn. Heat about 4-5 minutes. Chop walnuts coarsely.
- Combine chopped broccoli, grated carrot, chopped apple, chopped onion, chopped walnut and cranberries.
- To make the dressing, combine: mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar (to taste), salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Mix as much of the dressing as you want into the salad, then serve.
Tonkotsu Ramen
Ingredients
- 2½ lb ramen noodles, cooked according to package directions
- 5 oz pork fat
Broth
- 4 lb pig hocks and/or trotters, ask the butcher to cut into the smallest piece possible
- 2 lb chicken backs, cut into small pieces
- 1 lb chicken feet
- 1 large onion, peeled and slit around
- 1 whole garlic
- 2" ginger, sliced
- 1 leek, sliced
- 15 green onions, white parts only, cut them in half across
- 5 - 8 slices of white oyster mushrooms
- 1 (8-qt) heavy stock pot or an equivalent
Pork Belly (Chashu)
- 1½ lb slab boneless pork belly, rolled and secured with strings
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup white grape juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbs sugar
- 5 green onions, halved
- 1 whole garlic, bruised
- 2" ginger, sliced
- 2 whole shallots, halved
- ½ tsp whole black peppercorn
Eggs
- Sauce from chashu
- 3 eggs
Seasonings: Choose one or a combination of any below
- Chashu sauce
- Mayu (see notes below)
- Salt
- Soy Sauce
- Tahini
- Miso paste
- Garlic and shallot oil
- Sesame oil
Toppings and Garnish
- Enoki, blanched quickly in hot broth or hot water
- Black fungus mushroom, blanched in hot broth or hot water for a couple minutes
- 15 green onions (green parts from broth), thinly sliced
- Nori (Seaweed for sushi), squared 4" by 4"
- Garlic, sliced and fried until crispy
Instructions
Broth
- Place the chicken, pork bones and marrow in a stock pot. Add enough water to fully cover them. Cover with a lid. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Once boiled, drain the bones and wash/scrub any dark marrow or coagulated blood off from the pork with cold water (this is important as it will determine if your broth will become cream colored or remain brown).
- Rinse the pot, put the bones back in along with the rest of the ingredients for the broth. Add water to just barely cover the ingredients (things will shrink overtime so no worries there). Cover with a lid. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil. One boiled, uncover, remove and wipe off the scum that accumulates in the first 15-20 minutes.
- Simmer covered on low for 6-12 hours on the stove or 12-18 hours in a slow cooker. Check the first 10-15 minutes after turning down the heat to make sure it's just barely simmering.
- The last 2 hours before it's done, place the 5 oz pork fat on a sieve or strainer, put it in the broth, cover the pot and let the fat cook until soft and tender. Drain and finely mince the pork fat. Set aside.
- Skim half, all or none of the fat from the broth (easiest when after refrigerated). It's your choice.
Pork Belly (Chashu)
- Preheat the oven to 250 F. In a saucepan, place the pork belly. Add water to fully cover the pork and put the water to boil. Once boiled, drain and remove the scum.
- In the same saucepan, place the pork back in along with the remaining ingredients for chashu. Cover with a lid. Over high heat, put the sauce to boil. Once boiled, transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 5 hours.
- At the 2 hour mark, shake the pan to ensure sauce coats the entire pork evenly. Thereafter, shake every 1 hour until the 5 hour mark. Insert a skewer into the pork. If there's no resistance, it's ready. If you like it even softer (and have the time), cook the pork belly longer.
- Let it cool. Once completely cool, chill the pork in the refrigerator (along with the eggs). This is to allow more flavor to be absorbed and makes it easier to slice as well.
- Whenyou want to consume, cut the strings, slice the pork and carefully place on a sieve or strainer. Briefly reheat the chashu in hot ramen soup.
Eggs
- In a saucepan, put enough water (to cover all the eggs) to boil. Once boiled, turn the heat to medium, gently place the eggs in the water and let it simmer on bare simmer for exactly 6 minutes.
- Drain the water and carefully peel the eggs under cold water. The eggs are very soft and delicate.
- Place the peeled eggs in the cooled chashu sauce. Soak paper towel with chashu sauce and put it over the eggs to cover them (this is to ensure the top of eggs are marinated too). Marinate for 4-12 hours in the refrigerator (along with the pork belly).
- When you want to consume, carefully slice the eggs in half (yolk is very soft and may be slightly runny). Place eggs on a sieve or strainer and reheat in hot ramen soup (do not over heat as it will harden the eggs).
Assembling
- Bring the broth to boil and add your choice of seasoning. Start with a little and add as you go. You can always increase seasoning but you can't undo over seasoned broth.
- Arrange the noodles in a bowl and place the chashu, egg, some minced pork fat, your favorite toppings and garnish. Serve immediately.
Jalapeño Cheddar Guacamole Burger
INGREDIENTS
- 2 jalapeños
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and pepper
- 4 slices smoked gouda or cheddar
- 4 burger buns, toasted
- 2 avocados lightly mashed
- juice from 1 lime
- chipotle mayo and fresh cilantro, for serving
CRISPY ONIONS
- 2 large white onions, halved and then sliced very thin
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups flour
- Kosher salt and pepper
- oil, for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the jalapeños on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until charred all over, about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool and then seed and chop the jalapeños.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the jalapeños, turkey, cheddar, panko, egg, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined and then shape the mix into 4 even size burger patties.
3. Preheat the outdoor grill or grill pan to high. Grill the burger for 5 minute per side or until cooked through. During the last minute of cooking add the cheese slices.
4. To assemble, spread the chipotle mayo on the bottom of each bun. Top with a burger, avocado, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Add the crispy onions (recipe follows) and cilantro. EAT
CRISPY ONIONS
1. Heat a large pot of oil until it reaches 375 degrees F. or until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled over the pot.
2. Add the sliced onions to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over top. Use your hand to submerge the onions in the buttermilk.
3. To a shallow bowl, add the flour and a pinch of salt. Remove a handful of onions from the buttermilk and place them into the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour mixture, and then tap them on the inside of the bowl to shake off the excess. Carefully drop the onions into the hot oil. With a spoon, fiddle with them a bit just to break them up. Watch the onions closely as they cook quick! After about 1 or 2 minutes, they should be golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
4. Repeat with the remaining onion slices. Onions are best served right away, but can be reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes. *Watch closely, making sure they do not burn.
Spicy Szechuan Noodles w/ Garlic Chili Oil
Ingredients
- 2 servings Flat or Wide Chinese wheat noodles can substitute with other wheat noodles
- 1 stalk scallion chopped
- handful cilantro chopped
- sesame seeds for garnish
Szechuan Chili Oil Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp or more depending on your spice level
- 1 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot chili oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your noodles according to the directions.
- Meanwhile, prepare the spicy Szechuan chili oil sauce. Saute the garlic with vegetable oil in a small pot until it becomes fragrant. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the sauce ingredients into the pot. Makes a little over 1/3 cup of sauce. Extra sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Once the noodles are cooked and drained, add as much of the Szechuan chili oil sauce according to your liking and spice level.
- Top with fresh cilantro, scallions, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Chorizo & Potato Tacos
Ingredients
For the avocado salsa verde:
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1/2 avocado
For the tacos:
- 1 tablespoon oil (or bacon grease!)
- 1 pound potatoes
- 1 pound fresh Mexican style chorizo sausage, casing removed
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 small corn tortillas, warmed
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup cilantro
Instructions
For the avocado salsa verde:
- Puree the salsa verde and avocado in a food processor.
For the tacos:
- Heat the the oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add the potato and cook until lightly golden brown on all sides, before adding the sausage and onion and cooking until the chorizo is cooked.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Serve the chorizo and potatoes in the tortillas along with fresh diced onions, cilantro and the avocado salsa verde.