Roasted Fennel Chicken Wings

I love chicken wings! You can sometimes find good, free range chicken wings on the cheap. When I do, I buy the whole lot and chuck them into the freezer until I need them. Let them defrost/thaw in the fridge overnight and you are ready to go.

I like to leave the chicken wings out in a covered bowl for about 30-45 minutes or so. This lets them sit in their marinade and soak up flavor. It also lets the chicken come up to temperature, which allows for a more even cooking of the meat.

Ingredients

1 lbs chicken wings, preferably free range and organic

Coriander Seeds 1 tablespoon

Fennel Seed   1 tablespoon

Anise Seed    ¾ tablespoon

Roasted Sichuan peppercorns   1 tablespoon

Salt   ½ teaspoon             

Olive Oil 

Heat a wok or heavy cast iron skillet with no oil till it is very hot. Add fennel and anise seed, cover and give the wok a good shake. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the aroma is released. Give the wok a shake  every once in a while. 

Allow the mixture to cool. 

Add the roasted peppercorns to the mixture and grind in a spice mill.

Cover the chicken wings in olive oil. Sprinkle the wings generously with the mixture.  

Rub over chicken wings and roast in oven at 375 for 40-45 minutes.  Start checking the wings around 35 minutes. Prick the wings at their meatiest part with a fork. If the juices run pink, you need to cook them longer. If the juices run clear, they are done. As a final test, when you think they are done, cut into the flesh with a knife to see if the flesh is pink. If it is white, then they are done. 

These go well with curried Mayonnaise!

Roasted Cauliflower & Potato Puree

I got this recipe from Vig's Indian Cuisine. Vig has a restaurant in Vancouver. Now, I have been to Vancouver. Why my friendly Canadian brothers and sisters didn't tell me about Vig's Restaurant until AFTER I returned stateside is a mystery to me!

This is a rich delightful dish that I usually eat with Chapatti or Naan. It goes great with most grilled or seared meats. I usually make this dish with Thai Chicken Satay. I spread this puree on a cooked piece of Naan and then lay the chicken (sans skewers) on top. You can also add some fresh lettuce and chutney sauce to finish it off.

Ingredients
1.5 lbs cauliflower, washed, drained of excess water and cut into 10 large chunks
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes (preferably yukon gold)
1 tablespoon Garam Masala
1 tablespoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Harissa
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped cilantro


Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a large roasting pan, combine cauliflower, potatoes, garam masala, salt, cayenne pepper and Harissa. Stir well with your fingers, making sure the cauliflower and potatoes are well covered in the spice mixture.

























Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower and potatoes are completely soft and almost mushy. Cool completely for 1 hour.

Transfer the cauliflower, potatoes and spice to a food processor. Make sure to get all the spices-don't leave any in the roasting pan. Add cream in small batches and puree until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with some cilantro.

Tomato Salad

This was dead easy and quite delicious!

I had some nice yellow tomatoes from my garden and were ready for the picking!

I sliced them up and put a few crumbles of goat cheese. Topped it off with Olive Oil, freshly ground black pepper and Lemon Thyme.

Harissa Remoulade

I love Harissa. Its a delicious combination of flavors. This is a great sauce to have on the side of many meals. I made a quick quessadilla and had it with a generous dollop of this Harissa Remoulade. It also goes well with grilled fish and meats.

Ingredients
Harissa 2 teaspoons
Olive Oil 4 teaspoons
juice from 1/4 of a whole lemon


Mix the Harissa and olive oil together till it forms a smooth paste. Add the lemon juice and mix to incorporate fully. Delicious!

Kung Pao Sauce

This makes 2 cups sauce

Ingredients
2 tablespoon corn oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, sliced with a razor blade
1 teaspoon minced gingerroot
2 star anise
1/2 teaspoon roasted Sichuan peppercorns
2 dried ancho chili peppers, soaked and chopped
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups rich dark chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add onion, garlic, gingerroot, star anise and Sishuan peppercorns. Cook for 5 minutes on high heat, or until the onion is lightly browned.

2. Add ancho chiles and hot pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Add white wine, soy sauce and sugar, cook until the mixture starts to boil
4. Stir in the chicken stock and cornstarch mixture. When the liquid starts to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the cornstarch looses its raw taste
5. Strain the sauce.

You can keep it in the fridge for about a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Kung Pao Chicken

I got this recipe from Susanna Foo's Chinese Cuisine

I often used to make this Kung Pao dish when I was living in Nagano, and I I would eat it on top of  yakisoba. Its really good on a cold winter night!  Soba, or buckwheat noodles, are famous in Nagano, as it is a large farming and wheat producing area of Japan. I met a soba maker named Mr. Kashiwagi, who was a fantastic soba maker. I would also get my fair share of "old" soba noodles. A quick and dirty Japanese meal is to pan fry a bunch of the old soba noodles with vinegar and soy sauce and then have a seperate dish or sauce to go on top of them.

Ingredients
1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon gin or vodka (I prefer Kai Vodka)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 cup corn oil plus 2 tablespoons corn oil
1/3 cup raw blanched peanuts
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peeled, julienned gingerroot
1/3 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup small white button mushroom caps whole
3 scallions, white part only, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup Kung Pao Sauce


1. Place the chicken cubes in a bowl with the vodka or gin and mix well. Add the egg white and cornstarch, sprinkle with salt or soy sauce and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of corn oil, to help the chicken pieces seperate when they are cooking.

2. Heat 1 cup of oil in a wok. Add the raw peanuts and cook for 7 minutes, or until a light golden color. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain.

3. Gradually add all of the marinated chicken to the oil. When the chicken turns white, about 2 minutes, turn off the heat. The chicken will be half cooked at this time. The chicken will have some specks on it from the peanut. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. The chicken can be cooked to this point up to 4 hours in advance. Cover tightly and refrigerate.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok. Add the garlic, gingerroot and bell pepper and cook over high heat for 2 minutes, or until the garlic turns light brown.

5. Add mushroom and scallions. Stir in the Kung Pao Sauce. When it comes to a boil, add the chicken and stir to coat with the sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes until the flavors are well blended and developed.
Stir in the peanuts and serve!

I like serving it with either white rice or yaki soba.

Lebanese Bread Salad

This is a delicious salad of ground lamb with cumin and onion. I add pomegranate seeds for sweetness and pita chips for a salty texture! This is dish works really well before you are biking, scuba diving or exercising, for quick energy without feeling sluggish! You can have this salad as it is, or with some fresh romaine lettuce or fresh spinach. I also use it as a filling for naan or paratha with a roasted cauliflower and potato puree.

Ingredients

½ white or yellow onion, minced

1 large clove garlic, minced

¼ cup olive oil

½ tablespoon cumin

1 lbs ground lamb

1 cup uncooked Israeli couscous

2 cups boiling water

½ cup Kalamata olives

Slivered mint leaves from 2 mint sprigs (2 ½ tablespoon slivered mint leaves)

Feta cheese

Pita chips

Pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate

Cut pomegranate in half. Holding one half of the pomegranate cut side down in your hand over a large serving bowl. Take a spoon and hit the round side of the pomegranate half to remove the seeds. Remove and discard any of the white flesh from the pomegranate















Add slivered mint to the pomegranate seeds

1   Sauté raw couscous in a tablespoon olive oil, meanwhile boil the water.When couscous is brown, pour 2 cup boiling water over couscous

3Bring back to boil, reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until cooked to desired doneness, about 5     minutes. All the liquid should be evaporated. 

    Pour into large serving bowl with the pomegranate seeds and mint.

4.       Add remainder of olive oil to frying pan. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the lamb and cumin. Saute for a few minutes until the lamb is cooked and no longer pink. 

5.       Add garlic and cumin

. Done when lamb browed and aroma from cumin released.

7.        Transfer lamb, onion into serving bowl with couscous.






           Add feta cheese and slivered mint.

.   In a separate serving bowl, add pita chips and serve with lamb
   mixture. This is really wonderful to serve with paratha and roasted cauliflower and potato puree.