Chicken Biryani

This is a classic Indian rice dish, core to Indian cuisine as Paella is to Spanish and Portugese cuisine. Just like Paella, there are endless varieties of Biryani - other of the more popular being lamb or chick pea Biryani. Just substitute the chicken for other meats of vegetarian fare.
1 recipe basmati rice pilau, omitting turmeric
3 onions, thinly sliced
½ red pepper cut into matchsticks
½ yellow pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 medium zucchini, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ inch fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ cup canola oil
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ lbs), cut into 4-6 pieces each
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tsp turmeric

Prepare the rice. Meanwhile, fry the onions in the oil over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the peppers, zucchini, garlic, ginger, cumin and mustard seeds and cook another five minutes. Preheat oven to 350F.

Tip the pan and allow the oil to drain from the vegetables. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and add the chicken to the pan. Cook over high heat for about five minutes, allowing the chicken to brown on the outside. Add the garam masala and tomatoes and cook another five minutes over high heat. Salt and pepper (include red chili pepper flakes if you like) to taste.

Fluff the rice and transfer half to a bowl. Toss with the turmeric. Transfer half the chicken to a large oiled casserole. Top with the rice mixed with the turmeric and half the vegetable mixture. Top with the remaining chicken, remaining rice and vegetables. Bake for 15 minutes covered and 5 minutes uncovered.

Serves 6-8.

Light Chicken Stock

Under construction

Deviled Eggs Pascal

Of course the key to this dish is "le vrai mayonnaise" - real home-made mayonnaise. But also, fresh eggs. Our cousins from Toulouse, France were amazed that the eggs they saw in America were white. But I assured them we can get eggs of many colors, even the deep brown typical in France - the kids didn't believe that eggs could be green and blue - here you go! These are organic eggs we bought in Vermont - no Easter food coloring here.
Pascal taught us how to make the most distinguished presentation of Deviled Eggs I have seen yet - working together (always answering "Bien, Chef! Bien, Chef!" - read "Yes Chef! Yes Chef" from Hell's Kitchen) we put together a most fine "entree" for dinner.

Under construction

Le Vrai Mayonnaise

My cousin Brigitte's husband Pascal is a Gourmand from Toulouse, France. When visiting us during the Iceland volcanic eruption, he taught me how to make "le vrai mayonnaise" from scratch - real mayonnaise! In many recipes I posted here I indicate "real mayonnaise' to refer to good store-bought mayonnaise, at least at good as Hellman's brand. But making mayonnaise with the excellent French Dijon, which Brigitte and Pascal brought us as a gift, and with fresh lemon - that's real. Now I know "real mayonnaise" and may never turn back!

It was a pleasure to learn from such a pro, but especially rewarding as I whisked too quickly and started to curdle the mayonnaise... Pascal immediately took control, whisked more gently, and without any hot water or more egg yolk, rescued the mayonnaise. So not only did I learn how to make mayonnaise from scratch - I watched a pro rescue my botch job. As with Bearnaise sauce - this is an important lesson to learn!

Deep in our hearts we hoped the volcanic ash would keep them from leaving so we could visit and cook another week - alas they were just able to escape under the ash through Madrid, Spain - Bon Voyage!

I have to practice his recipe - so stay tuned!

Indian Mango Pickle Chicken Kebobs

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
1 onion, cut into 1 square-inch sections

Marinade:
¼ cup pale dry sherry
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Indian Mango Pickle (mild), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
palmful cilantro, minced
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (or your favorite)

Stir together the marinade ingredients in a shallow, wide container. Cut chicken into ¾-inch cubes and stir into marinade. Marinate at least an hour, stirring every so often.Interleave chicken on skewers with onion, and grill on hot barbecue until just cooked through, about 15 minutes total. Serve on couscous or rice.

Serves 4.

Chili Salsa Pinto Black Bean Burgers

Be careful - they lie like a rug! Random bean recipes, that is - at least some of them. I have tried dozens in my quest to perfect the bean burger. Some are tasteless. Some just don't hold together like a burger - and warning - I never met a bean burger that grilled well on a BBQ without falling through. A grill basket might work, though.

Here is a bit of a work in progress. These tasted GREAT! But they were still a bit soft... I'm thinking more Panko, less salsa and cheese - I'll keep you informed. Letting them sit for five minutes after cooking let them pull together and firm up, well enough to be eaten on a bun. Everyone enjoyed them, but they were still very tricky to flip.

6 baby carrots, minced
1 shallot, mined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can pinto or red beans, rinsed and drained, 1 cup separated
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup fresh salsa
1 tsp salt
palmful fresh cilantro leaves (or parsley, if desired)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
3 oz Monterrey Jack or other cheese, grated

In a small pan, sauté the carrot and shallot in 2 Tbsp olive oil, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes.

Set 1 cup pinto beans aside. Toss remaining beans, salsa, salt, cilantro, chili and cumin into a food processor. Pulse several times until coarse, not pureed. Tip into a bowl and mix in the reserved beans, Panko crumbs, cheese, and sautéed carrot mixture. Stir together well, and chill for at least 30 minutes [I left mine overnight]. Form into 6 patties.
Cook burgers on medium-high heat on a flat non-stick skillet [I find the ridged grill pans are not convenient for flipping and shaking/sliding the burgers as you cook], until browned on each side, about 5 minutes – watch carefully, and flip carefully. Transfer carefully to a cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes to firm-up.

Great with Cole Slaw.

Potato and Apple Salad

4-5 fist-sized waxy white or red-skinned potatoes, about 2 lbs.
1 Granny Smith apple
½ cup real mayonnaise
¼ cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp sundried tomato pesto (optional)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 carrot, very finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
Palmful parsley, minced
1 Tbsp finely diced Bermuda onion
½ tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Cut potatoes in half width-wise and cover with cold water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, add a dash of salt, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are only just knife-tender. Drain in a colander and let cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and dice to about ½ inch.

Meanwhile, peel, core and dice the apple about ¼ inch. Mix well with the remaining ingredients except the potatoes. Gently fold in the potatoes. Allow to marinate at least half an hour.

Barley and Quinoa Salad with Peas

Spring is here - celebrate with great refreshing salads!1 cup barley
2 Tbsp. organic brown quinoa
1 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
2 Tbsp. red onion
¼ cup red pepper, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh mint

Dressing:
Juice of ½ lime
Jest of ½ lime
½ tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil

Cook barley and quinoa in 6 cups water with 2 teaspoons salt for about 15-20 minutes until barley is just al dente. Drain and briefly rinse with cold water. Mix with dressing and remaining ingredients and cool for at least half an hour.

Beet & Corn Salad

This is a pantry salad - everything is normally on hand either in the pantry or in the fridge - a great last-minute salad any time of the year.
1 15-oz can diced beets, drained
1 11-oz can niblet corn, drained
2 Tbsp red Bermuda onion, finely diced
1 tsp dried dill weed
palmfull fresh parsley, minced
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
dash salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and let marinate for half an hour, stirring occasionally.

Easter Lamb

For us, Easter means visiting cousins, Easter egg hunts, roasted leg of lamb and long walks.

I can help with one of these. My brother in law, Tommy, and I, are lamb aficionados and whenever we can on holidays, we get a lamb roasting. Here is one we did together that is a winner.

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Vegetables
1 leg of lamb roast
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp rosemary, crushed
2 sweet potatoes, sliced ¼-inch
1 lb baby carrots
2 onions, thickly sliced

Preheat oven to 450F. Slice garlic into spikes to look like slivered almonds. Place roast with fat side up on cutting board. With a small sharp paring knife, pointed at a shallow angle to the roast, poke holes just under the skin, just deep enough to slip a garlic sliver just under the skin. Place garlic implants evenly about the surface of the roast. Sprinkle roast with rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Place roast in a large oiled roasting pan. Toss the vegetables distributed evenly around the roast. Insert a digital probe thermometer into the center of the meat, well away from any bone.

Roast in oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and cook just until thermometer reads 130F. Remove roast from oven, leaving thermometer in roast. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes as internal temperature rises. It should rise about 10 degrees. Carve lamb and serve vegetables on the side.

Roasted lamb pairs very will with couscous.

Couscous with Apple, Eggplant and Mint

1 cup couscous
1 cup water
1 eggplant diced to ½-inch
1 onion, finely diced
½ red pepper, finely diced
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
2 cloves garlic,
½-inch piece fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh minced mint, or 1 tsp dried mint

Bring the water and about a tablespoon of olive oil to boil in a small pot. Stir in the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Meanwhile, sauté the eggplant in a non-stick skillet without oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the eggplant begins to sizzle. Then add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, tossing quickly to distribute evenly. Heating the eggplant dry seems to keep the eggplant form absorbing too much oil before browning. Sauté the eggplant until nicely browned and softened. Set aside in a bowl.

In the same skillet, sauté the onion, pepper, apple, garlic and ginger, with a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet, until the vegetables soften and begin to brown. Fluff the couscous and toss into the skillet with the vegetables. Fold in the mint and eggplant.

Great Grains

I keep a lot of different varieties of grains on hand at home and I love to mix them together. All grains take about 2x the amount of water to dried grain volume. And although some grains take a bit longer to cook, if you mix them together and cook long enough for the longest, you'll get a very nice resulting mixture, I'm sure.

Barley, Wheat Berry and Rice Pilaf
1 large carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
½ cup brown Basmati rice
½ cup white Basmati rice
¼ cup pearl barley
¼ cup wheat berries
2 Tbsp red quinoa
3 cups water or broth
½ tsp salt

Sauté the carrot and onion in a bit of canola oil in a pot for 5 minutes. Add the grains and sauté until the white rice turns from translucent to white and the grains give off a nutty fragrance, about another 5 minutes. Add the broth and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook about 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.

Sweet Potato and Rice Pilaf
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced ½ inch
1 onion, diced
2 cups cooked rice, fluffed
palmful of parsley, minced

Sauté the potato in a bit of olive oil in a large skillet for about 10 minutes. Add the onions and continue cooking another 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes soften, brown a bit, and the onion is beginning to turn golden. Add the rice and heat through for another 5 minutes or so. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley and stir.

Dilled Brown Rice and Celery1½ cup short grain brown rice
3 stalks celery, diced
½ tsp salt
3 cups water or broth
½ tsp dried dill weed

Sauté the celery in a medium pot until the celery is fragrant and begins to soften, or better yet, brown. Add the rice and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the water or broth and bring to a boil. Add salt and dill, stir and turn heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.