Biscotti Love

*Ginger Biscotti*

recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom  
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger 
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together dry ingredients, stir in toasted almonds. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and egg yolks until a light lemon color. Stir in the vanilla. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, just until combined. Divide in half and shape each half into a 13x2 inch loaf. Bake about 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time, until just starting to crack on top. Cool for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 325 degrees. Cut each cooled loaf into 3/8 inch slices. Arrange on baking sheet and return to oven. Bake 15 minutes, turning cookies over halfway through baking time, until crisp and golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

March Spice Rack Challenge - Cardamom

This month Mother from Mother's Kitchen chose cardamom for the spice rack challenge. I love cardamom and thought of several things to make such as granola like this one from 64sqftkitchen that we all love. However, DD and I chose to make gingersnaps which is one of my all time favorite cookies.

Cardamom Gingersnaps

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

1 1/2 cup flour

sugar for topping cookies

Combine sugar, butter ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, baking soda, sale and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again until fluffy. Blend in molasses then add the flour a little at a time until well blended.

drop a teaspoon full of dough 2" apart onto lightly greased baking sheet and sprinkle sugar on top of each.

Bake in a 350 oven for 15 to 18 minutes until lightly browned on the edges, cool on wire rack.Here is DD making the cookies

Spice Rack Challenge for February - Orange Zest

I have grown to really enjoy polenta with braised short ribs. Simply by accident I discovered that polenta was great with a hint of orange.
One day as the short rids came out of the oven I was whipping up a batch of polenta when I realized that the orange zest I was going to add to the meat to add another layer of flavor while they braised in the oven was still setting on the counter in a little bowl. I figured if that could have been good in the braise maybe it would work in the polenta so I added it in. It came out really great and the kids just loved it and, truth be told, they are not really polenta fans so now orange polenta it is.

When it was announced that orange zest was the Spice Rack Challenge for February I was not so sure what to make for the challenge and then I had a craving for braised short ribs and remembered the orange polenta. At that moment I knew that I was going to do the polenta for the SRC. Visit Mother's Kitchen later this week to see the roundup

Orange Polenta

3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn meal or dry polenta
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
pepper
dash of nutmeg.

In a sauce pan add in water salt and orange zest and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once water is at a boil whisk in the corn meal/dry polenta. Be sure to whisk vigorously to avoid getting lumps. Cook over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Add in the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

2011 Spice Rack Challenge #1 - Rosemary

with only 3 days to get this posted I figure I better get a move on. My friend over at Mother's Kitchen just started this great new cooking blog challenge called The Spice Rack Challenge and for the first challenge she chose Rosemary.

After a visit to one of my favorite eateries (Marie Catrib's) I chose to make rosemary pita chips out of a naan recipe that I have been playing around with for the last month. I made the naan, rolled it out, covered it in herbs and fried it up into pita chips. they turned out nice, not like what we get at Marie's but good as their own entity.

Naan

1 packet yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1.5 cups flour
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pepper
salt
oil for frying

In a measuring cup add 3/4 cup water yeast and sugar, stir to mix and let set for a few moments to bloom.

in a bowl add the flour and salt and mix together. then add in the water/yeast mixture, butter and yogurt. I use my kitchen aid to mix it all but you can knead it on the counter top until it is elastic, about 5 minutes.

place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise for about an hour.

mix the herbs and seasoning on a plate

punch the dough down and divide into small rounds (I divide into 8ths). Roll the rounds out into little disks and pat into the herbs and fry in a some oiled cast iron pan until crisp.

General Tso's Chicken

My husband loved General Tso's Chicken. After about a year in Mexico he was really missing General Tso's chicken, we were just unable to find it in Mexico City so I thought it would be nice to make it for him. One of the issue with making it for him was I had never eaten General Tso's Chicken so I really had no idea what I was doing or what it should end up tasting like. I had however seen it on his plate many times and I had smelled it before so I set out to read up on the dish and what people (including my husband) said it tasted like and what the texture of the sauce was like and reading many online recipes on it I moved forward with the following.
3 eggs
1/2 cup cornstarch

minced garlic
minced ginger
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
6 to 10 hot peppers
1 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 to 2 pounds chicken cut into 1 inch pieces
oil for frying

heat the oil in a pan for deep frying. mix the 1/2 cup corn start with 3 beaten eggs. dip the chicken pieces into the batter and deep fry in batches, drain on a paper towel lined plate.

mix together the soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, honey, brown sugar, and rice vinegar.

add 1 tablespoon peanut oil with sesame oil to a hot wok with the chili peppers then add the garlic and ginger, mix into the oil then add the sauce. Cook the sauce until it is thick, then, and this is the tricky part you can add the chicken to the sauce and stir to coat or put the thickened sauce into dipping bowls and dip the chicken into it, that way the breading on the chicken does not get soggy.

My Hubby said that I got the sauce spot on for flavor but the chicken breading did get soggy.

Mother in Law Curry Chicken

This dish comes from my Mother-in-law and it is one of our family favorites, as a matter of fact this is what we had for dinner the night I brought my daughter home from the hospital. The dish can be spicy, as it was that night, and for the next day every time my daughter nursed she would scream and cry, I am guessing the milk was a little spicy but to this day she likes curry, just as long as it is not too spicy.

1 whole chicken cut into 9 pieces (2 breasts halved, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and the back)

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup flour

Salt, pepper, paprika, and curry

put flour and spices in a shallow bowl. Heat the oil in a deep pan. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and fry in oil until all sides are golden brown (add more oil if needed). Remove browned chicken and place on a platter and set aside.

1 onion, chopped

2 stalk celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 Tablespoons mild Curry

2 Tablespoons Paprika

cayenne pepper to taste.

salt and pepper

chicken stock or water

1 cup frozen Corn

in the oil that the chicken was fried in cook the spices to release the flavors. add in the onion, carrot and celery and cook for a few minutes. Add in the stock and the chicken that was set aside. cover and cook until the chicken is done and almost falling off the bone. Add in the corn and heat through. Serve on Rice.

Indian Relish for Dinner

This Dish is so easy, one of the few that is made with almost all canned items and I love it.

This is what you need...

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. Mild Curry
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 Jar Indian Relish from Trader Joe's
2 cups to a whole head of cauliflower florets
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
salt and pepper

(in the photo I also had added browned chicken thighs; however, I found that this dish does not need meat)

slowly Caramelize the the onion, with the oil, in a nonreactive skillet, it will take about 20 minutes.
Add the garlic and curry and cook for a few more minutes.
Add in the tomatoes and Indian Relish and cauliflower and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking until the the cauliflower in tender, about another 10 minutes.
Serve with rice.