Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Chinese pronounced ‘gong-bao-ji-ding’, gong means royalty; and bao means pow or explosion so semi-literally translated, this dish is a royal explosion of chicken goodness.   The “real” version does not have big chucks of yellow onions, red and green peppers.  The primary ingredient is chicken!  The most important component of the dish is the Sichuan peppercorns. It is these peppercorns that give its distinctive tingling or numbing flavor. Use of dried red chilies along with the Sichuan peppercorn creates the hot and numbing goodness that makes this dish one-of – kind.

THE “REAL” KUNG PAO CHICKEN

2 boneless chicken thighs

Marinade:

1 tablespoon shaoshing wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 egg white

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Aromatics:

8 small dried red chilies, seeds removed, cut into small sections

1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

Sauce:

1 tablespoon shaoshing wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon granulated sugar (or agave nectar)

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1 scallion, cut into 1″ diagonal slices

1. Cut the chicken into cubes. Combine with marinade ingredients and set aside for ten minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok or large sauté pan. When oil is hot, add chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until aromatics release their fragrance and chilies are almost black. Remove the peppercorns and chilies from the oil with a slotted spoon and discard.
3. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry briefly until they become fragrant.
4. Add chicken and briefly stir-fry until chicken is almost cooked, ~ 3 minutes.
5. Add sauce ingredients. Stir until mixture thickens and chicken is cooked through.
6. Toss in the peanuts, scallions and a few dried red peppers to garnish; serve with rice and vegetables

It’s been fun over the past couple of weekends, visiting local farmers markets…my favorites right now are the Berkeley FM and the Temescal Market!  I do love the SF Ferry Building market but it’s just so hard to get to for those of us who are the “in-denial bridge and tunnel” crowd.

One of my latest favorite vegetables is the dinosaur kale, also known as cavolo nero (which you have to say it with a fake Italian accent).  My typical answer to kale or any bitter greens is bacon, pancetta or any other salted pork product.  However, with our continued focused on healthy eating and taking advantage of the winter harvests of local bounties, here’s something for you to try:

Dinosaur Kale and Caramelized Spring Shallots

1 bunch of dinosaur kale, roughly chopped

3 spring shallots (or spring red onions), thinly sliced diagonally

1 T olive oil

1 T garlic, finely minced

½ t red pepper flakes

½ t kosher salt

1. Blanch the kale in boiling salted water for 1 minute; remove and place on paper towels to soak up some of the water
2. Dry the pan and return to stove.  Add shallots and olive oil and sauté over medium until onions are lightly caramelized, add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is lightly browned as well
3. Add the kale, peppers and salt to the pan and sauté for another 1-2 minutes

 

Note: If you’re a bacon lover like us, add cooked/crumbled bacon or pancetta to make this dish even more delicious!

OK…it’s been rainy and cold everyday for the past 2 weeks in Northern California.  A hearty soup seems like an obvious choice for lunch.  However, Michael and I are on our “no-fun” diet so we can make weight for an upcoming J24 regatta in Mexico (see TMC Racing link for our sailing campaign).  I had to come up with a low fat/low caloric soup that’s tasty and satisfying.  Below is the delicious yet non-fattening result.

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

This is a very low fat, healthy version of this soup.  Since there are very few ingredients, the key is to caramelize the onions and toast the garlic before adding the tomatoes to give this soup some depth.  Also, using agave nectar, instead of sugar, is more natural and add to the health factor!  

1 med onion, diced

1 T olive oil

2 T garlic, finely minced

1 28 oz + 1 14 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes

¼ c basil, fined minced

1-2 t agave nectar (or sugar)

S&P

Herbed croutons to garnish

1. In a large Dutch oven, sauté the onions and olive oil w/ some salt & pepper on medium high
2. When onions are lightly caramelized, add the garlic and continue to cook until the garlic is lightly browned as well
3. Immediately add the tomatoes, basil and 1 teaspoon of agave nectar and bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 min
4. Use a hand blender and puree the soup; leave it slightly chunky if you like it more rustic
5. Adjust salt, pepper and agave to taste
6. It’s best to let soup rest overnight to let the flavors melt together but can be served right away, if you’re in a hurry
7. Top with herbed croutons  and a swirl of EVOO and serve