Monday 16 October 2017

Tin Foil Meal

Tin Foil Meal

Ingredients:

  • 1 Pound Ground Beef
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2-2/3 Cups Breadcrumbs
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Four servings potatoes, sliced very thin
  • Cooking Spray
  • 2 Tablespoon Butter, melted
  • Seasonings of choice ( I used a blend of onion flakes, garlic powder, basil, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper)
  • Cheese slices if desired can also be added

Instructions:

  1. Place four roughly 12 inch by 12 inch squares of tin foil. Heat oven, or charcoal, or BBQ to 450°F.
  2. In a medium bowl mix together the ground meat, egg, bread crumbs and seasonings of choice. Fold and mix together until it is well blended and combined.
  3. Thinly slice the onions and set aside.
  4. Lightly mist each square of tinfoil with cooking spray, arrange a few onion slices in the center of each square. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Divide meat mix into four, shape each portion into a rectangle and place on top of the onion slices, season with salt and pepper. Arrange a serve of slice potatoes on top of the meat, season with salt and pepper and pour a little of the melted butter over top of the potatoes.
  6. If desired a slice of cheese can be added between the meat and potatoes layer for extra flavour.
  7. Fold the tinfoil up into neat packages, doing your best to seal as completely as possible.
  8. Cook over high heat in oven or on a grill for roughly forty minutes, turning once.  Ensure meat is cooked through and potatoes are soft before removing from heat.


Enjoy!

Notes:

This is a meal we used to make on the last day of my summer camp in Cape Breaton. We would all have a chance to make our tin foil meal how we pleased and would write our names on the outside of the foil. Then the whole camp would walk down to the beach where a giant BBQ coal pit had been prepared. The tin foil meals would be roasted on the beach while the whole camp sang or played on the beach and when the food was ready we all grabbed a nice flat Rock so we could open our hot tin foil meals on our laps and dig in.

I had a big craving for this taste from my childhood a few weeks ago, surprisingly it lived up to my memories and was an actually enjoyable supper at home. My husband even enjoyed it and he had no nostalgia attached.

Monday 28 August 2017

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients:

  • 1 Pound simmering, or marinading, or quick fry steak
  • 1 Head Broccoli
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Bell Pepper, dealer's choice on what color
  • 1 1/2 Inch Ginger Root
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 1/3 Cup Oyster Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Sesame oil
  • 1/3 Cup Sherry
  • 2 Teaspoons Mirin
  • 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl stir together the oyster sauce, Sesame oil, sherry, mirin, corn starch, 1 minced clove of garlic and roughly a 1/2 Inch piece of ginger root, finely grated until blended.
  2. Slice the steak into roughly 1/2 Inch wide by 2 Inch long pieces. Add the cut steak to the oyster sauce mixture and stir to pay evenly. Allow beef to marinade in sauce for 30-60 minutes.
  3. Heat a large wok over medium heat.
  4. Slice the broccoli into small florets.
  5. Thinly slice the bell pepper into strips.
  6. Slice the onion.
  7. Add a small amount of cooking oil to the wok. Add the remaining inch section of ginger root, and garlic cloves, both roughly chopped to the oil. Stir fry cook the garlic and ginger root for 1-3 minutes to season the oil. Remove the ginger root and garlic from the oil and discard.
  8. Next stir fry cook the broccoli and bell pepper. Seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove broccoli and bell pepper from wok and transfer to a plate or bowl. Set aside.
  9. If required, add more oil to the wok. Allow wok to hear back up and add the onions, cooking until just starting to soften.
  10. Remove the beef from marinade with tongs or a slotted spoon and add to onions in the wok. Stir fry until beef is just cooked and no longer pink on the outside. Add the marinade to the wok and bring everything to a full boil for about 3&5 minutes, until sauce thickens.
  11. Return broccoli and bell pepper to the wok and toss to evenly blend all ingredients together.
  12. Serve over rice and if desired garnish with sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy!


Crispy Pork Belly

Crispy Pork Belly
Crispy pork belly in a bowl of ramen. Yum. 


Ingredients:

  • One slab of pork belly, skin on, roughly a pound
  • Mirin
  • Chinese Five Spice
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Rice Vinegar

Instructions:

  1. Remove pork belly from package and place in a shallow pan, skin side up. Using the top of a sharp knife, a fork, or other sharp instrument to prick as many holes in the skin only of the pork belly. Try to not go into the fat layer below the skin.
  2. Turn the pork belly upside down so that the skin side is now down. Lightly baste the pork belly with mirin, and season with Chinese five spice, salt and pepper, season only the flesh and not the skin.
  3. Turn the pork belly over once again in the tray so that the skin side is facing up again. Pat the skin dry with paper towels and season the skin with salt. Place the prepared pork belly uncovered into the fridge overnight.
  4. Remove the pork belly from the fridge, and wrap the flesh sides of the meat in tin foil snuggly, while leaving the skin exposed. Heat oven to 350°F. Place the foil wrapped pork belly in a roasting dish, skin side up, dry skin with paper towels, brush lightly with vinegar and season again with salt. Roast in preheated oven for 60 minutes.
  5. After roasting, switch oven to a medium high broil setting. Remove pork from oven, unwrap from foil and return to roasting dish. Place the pork belly on the lowest rack possible under the broiler and broil for between 15-25 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
  6. Allow pork to rest under a foil tent for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly to serve.


Enjoy! 



Thursday 20 July 2017

Hoisin Garlic Slow Cooker Pork

Hoisin Garlic Slow Cooker Pork

Ingredients:

  • 1 Pork Tenderloin
  • 5 Cloves Garlic
  • 1/2 Cup Hoisin Sauce
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Soy sauce
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 Red Pepper
  • 4-5 Mushrooms
  • Soy Sauce
  • Mirin
  • Sesame Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Cooking oil
  • 1/2 Cup Sliced Green Onion
  • Sesame seeds
  • Rice

Instructions:

  1. Serves three generously, or four adequately.
  2. In the insert of the slow cooker stir together the hoisin sauce, Sesame oil and soy sauce. Finely minced the garlic and stir in as well.
  3. Slice the pork tenderloin into thin 1/4 inch wide strips and add to slow cooker insert. Stir to evenly coat the pork in the sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 4-6 hours.
  4. When pork is almost done, prepare enough rice for the number of people being served.
  5. Heat a skillet to medium heat.
  6. Cut the pepper into thin strips, carrot into match sticks and dice the mushrooms. Keeping each separate.
  7. Add about 1 Tablespoon cooking oil to heated skillet.
  8. Cook the carrots with about 2 Teaspoons of soy sauce in the heated skillet for about three minutes, remove and set aside.
  9. Cook the peppers with salt and pepper for about 5 minutes, set aside.
  10. Add the mushrooms to the skillet, season with about 1-2 teaspoons each of soy sauce and Nitin, cook for about 3 minutes. Season with about a teaspoon of Sesame oil and cook for one minute more.
  11. When ready to serve, spoon some rice into a bowl, top with some pork and sauce from the slow cooker and arrange some of the seasoned veg on top. Garnish with sliced green onion and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!!

Notes:

If your kitchen isn't stocked with mirin like mine you can substitute honey or maple syrup without affecting the taste too much. If things get too sweet you can balance things out with some vinegar or more soy sauce.


Monday 17 July 2017

Nova Scotian Donair Sauce

Nova Scotian Donair Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 1/3-1/2 Cup White Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Instructions:

  1. In a medium bowl whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, 1/3 cup of vinegar and the garlic powder until smooth and evenly blended.
  2. Allow sauce to chill in fridge covered for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust as needed. If it tastes too sweet, add more vinegar, if there isn't enough garlic add about 1/8 teaspoons more. Whisk again, chill in fridge again and taste again until it's perfect. Allow sauce to chill and rest in fridge for about a half hour before serving.
  3. Serve with kofta, or garlic fingers or pizza.

Enjoy!!

Notes:

This is a taste of my Homeland and a true Nova Scotian food, typically served with garlic fingers or a Donair.  I don't quite have a good recipe to replicate a Donair at home, but I am working on it. I recently bought myself a rotisserie for my new super sexy BBQ so maybe I will finally be able to make perfect Donair meat at home.

For those not in the know, Donair is kind of like a pita sandwich, made with spiced rotisserie meat, shaved off the spit, piled into a pita with tomato and onion and covered with Donair sauce.

Sunday 16 July 2017

Kofta

Kofta

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound Ground Beef, or Lamb, or combination of the two
  • 3 Clove Garlic
  • 1 Small Onion
  • 1 Tablespoon Ground Corriander Seed
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Cup Chopped Coriander or Parsley Leaves
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together by hand until evenly blended.
  2. You may need to add some extra breadcrumbs if the mixture feels too wet or too loose.  Texture of a mince meat is something you just need to learn by feel and trial and error.
  3. For best results, cover mixture and allow flavour to meld together for at least an hour or overnight.
  4. Heat a grill, or skillet to medium high heat when ready to cook. Shape into meat balls or free form sausages. Cook on each side until cooked through and centre is no longer pink.
  5. Enjoy with salad, or over rice and perhaps with a garlic or Nova Scotian style donair sauce.

Enjoy!!

Notes:

After several attempts and a few recipe tweaks this is the best kofta I have made. Nice rounded flavour, and not too spicy which serves me perfectly. Husband approved as well.


Sunday 4 June 2017

Bean Sprout Stir Fry

Bean Sprout Stir Fry

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Bean Sprouts
  • 1/4 Cup Sliced Green Onion
  • 2-3 Cloves Minced Garlic
  • 2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
  • 2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Sesame Seeds for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Rinse the bean sprouts under running water and then transfer to a bowl filled with cool water for at least five minutes. Strain the bean sprouts from the water and allow excess water to drain away.
  2. Heat the Sesame oil in a medium sized skillet over a low-medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the bean sprouts and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the sliced green onion and cook for one minute more.
  3. Just before serving, season with soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish top with Sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Notes:

This dish makes a great veggie side for almost any Asian meal, or inside the Korean wraps recipe I added just the other day.

A key step in this recipe is letting the bean sprouts soak in the cool water. This allows the bean sprouts to drink up some fresh water so they get that nice crisp veggie texture. Otherwise they might be a bit soft and not as delicious.

Monday 22 May 2017

Korean BBQ Wraps

Slow Cooked Korean BBQ Wraps

Ingredients:

Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Beef:

  • 1 Pound Beef Steak, like flank, sirloin, strip loin or 'quick fry'
  • 1 Asian Pear
  • 2 Inch Piece Ginger Root
  • 4-5 Clove Garlic
  • 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

Wraps:

  • 4-6 Flour Tortillas
  • Cooked Rice (1-2 cups)
  • 1 Cup Bean Sprouts
  • 1 bunch green onion
  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • Salt
  • 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
  • Other toppings could include more veggies or mushrooms, seaweed strips, Sesame seeds etc.

Special Equipment:

  • Slow Cooker
  • Food Processor with blade attachment, recommended


Instructions:

  1. Slice the steak into one centimeter slices and add to slow cooker insert. In the bowl of a food processor add the ginger root, garlic and peeled, cored and roughly chopped Asian pear. Pulse several times into a rough paste. Add to slow cooker insert. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar and Sesame oil. Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
  2. To prepare wraps, cook rice set aside. Thinly slice green onions set aside. In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise and Sriracha Sauce, set aside.
  3. To prepare bean sprouts, bring a small pot of well salted water to a boil, blanch bean sprouts for twenty minutes. Drain and season with salt and stir in 1 Tablespoon of Sesame oil, set aside.
  4. When beef s cooked, place a tortilla on a plate, and arrange beef, rice, green onions, bean sprouts and spicy mayo to your liking. Fold and roll the wrap how you like.

Enjoy!

Notes:

If you aren't into Asian wraps you could also serve this as a rice bowl, just omit the tortillas, spoon cooked rice into a bowl and arrange the filling ingredients on top.

For a more authentic Korean BBQ, place all the individual fillings in small serving bowls, and serve with large pieces of lettuce, fill lettuce leaves with the ingredients and use the lettuce like a tortilla.

My husband spent a year in Korea and he was quite happy with the flavours in this meal.

Crispy Ginger Beef

Crispy Ginger Beef

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound beef steak, like flank, strip, sirloin or one labeled 'quick fry'

Batter

  • 1/2 Cup Corn Starch
  • 1/4 Cup Cold Water
  • 1 Egg

Sauce

  • 2-3 Inches(1/4 Cup) Ginger Root, Grated
  • 5 Cloves Minced Garlic
  • 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
  • 4 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 Cup White Sugar
  • Red Pepper Flakes to taste
  • Vegetable Oil

Special Tools:

Deep fryer is recommended

Instructions:



  1. Heat deep fryer or a deep skillet with at least 1 inch of vegetable oil to about 375°F.
  2. In a medium size bowl measure out the corn starch, and add the water and egg. Whisk together until smooth. 
  3. Thinly slice the steak, roughly 1 centimeter wide strips. Transfer the sliced steak to the batter and stir to coat evenly.  Set aside.
  4. In a medium size sauce pan heat roughly one table spoon of vegetable oil over medium heat until hot but not scorching, roughly 5 minutes. 
  5. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger root, and stir fry for about three minutes. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sesame oil and sugar and stir to combine. If some extra spicy flavor is desired, add red pepper flakes, starting with about one teaspoon. Reduce heat to low, simmer for a few minutes, taste and adjust sauce to your liking.
  6. Once oil in fryer is heated, storage beef strips in the batter again to separate, carefully lower strips into the hot oil, being careful to not over crowd the oil. Fry beef strips for about 2-3 minutes in batches. Transfer cooked beef strips to a plate lined with paper towel. Once all beef has been fried, toss with the prepared ginger sauce.
  7. Serve over rice or noodles.


Enjoy!

Notes:


Terribly sorry for the long break in posts, I got a promotion at work which took up a lot more of my time and then I got pregnant! Which caused me to seek out comforting, familiar foods for most of the past year so I wasn't doing a lot of new recipe testing.


I became a mommy in April 2017, and now that I am getting the hang of parenthood I thought I should catch up on my recipe cataloging.


Now back to the blog, I have made this recipe several times now and I would really recommend using a deep fryer to cook the beef, I have tried heating oil in my cast iron skillet but I just can't seem to get the oil temperature​ hot or steady enough to crisp up this batter unless I use my deep fryer. But if you have a candy thermometer to check your oil temperature you might have better luck.


Also sorry if the formatting is off on this post, I used to do all my blogging on my laptop, but I am trying to do it on my phone now. I am not known for my ability to use a smart phone well... I should eventually get the hang of things though.