A Two Days Plan: Asian Poule-Au-Pot/ Mexican Tacos

When cooking for two people, it can be frustrating to always stick to chicken legs or chicken breasts as let's be honest, the results are never as tasty as when you cook a whole bird!
But why shy away from a whole chicken, you just need to make a plan, and you'll be able to fully enjoy the taste and tenderness of this meat... for two days!

On the first evening, I prepared an Asian style Poule-Au-Pot. The concept of this very traditional French dish is simple, slowly cook a chicken in vegetable broth so you end up having extremely tender and moist meat and a soup packed with flavours. The trick here was to use Asian ingredients to make the soup more punchy and add a tangy dimension.

-1 Whole Chicken
-2 Carrots
-1 Leek
-1 Celery Branch 
-1 Onion stuck with 4 Cloves
-2 Garlic Cloves
-1 thumb of Ginger
-3 Shiitake Mushrooms
-2 Limes
-1 tbsp of Yuzu Juice
-1 Keffir Lime Leaf
-Thyme
-Coriander 
-1 Bird's eye Chili
-Salt
-Pepper
-Szechuan Pepper


Rub your chicken with some salt and pepper and put it in a pot. Add some water and bring the pot to the boil (it's important to add room-temperature water as in the process of heating the water with the chicken, the chicken will release its tasty juices in the broth).

Chop the carrots, leek, celery in big pieces, grossly slice the ginger, quickly brush the mushrooms, and crush the Garlic Cloves. Half an hour in, add all the vegetables, herbs, spices, and juices in the broth (keep some coriander aside as it will be a nice last minute addition to the soup).
I thought of using some Yuzu juice because of its tangy and sweet qualities (it could be described as a hybrid between mandarin and lemon), but Lime will be almost as good.
You'll know only need to wait for an hour while the chicken simmers. 

I personally prefer not to season too much the broth at the beginning as the flavours will evolve a lot, and salt can never be removed, so you can taste the broth when close to the end and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

You can now take the chicken out on a board, detail it into piece, serve it with your wonderful broth and vegetables and sprinkle with coriander.

The chicken ends up being so tender it melts in your mouth, but you'll awaken quickly when getting a sip of the tart and spicy soup!


...

The morning after, I of course ended up with the dreaded leftovers, but instead of throwing away all the hard work done, I "recycled" it!
Going from Asia to Mexico I prepared some tacos, and this only took 20 minutes.

-Leftover chicken
-1 cup of Leftover stock
-3 tsp of ground Cayenne Pepper 
-1 tsp Cumin
-1 tsp Paprika
-1 tsp Thyme
-1 tsp Oregano
-1 clove of Garlic

-2 Tomatoes
-1 Red Onion
-Tabasco 
-1 Lime
-Coriander
-Refried Beans
-Grated Cheddar
-Tacos Shells
-Salt
-Pepper 

Warm your oven at 200°C.

Shred the chicken leftovers and put in a hot pan with the spices, garlic, baste with the leftover broth and season, put aside 10 minutes later.
Prepare the salsa by chopping the tomatoes, coriander and onion really finely. Mix them in a bowl with the juice of a lime, some tabasco, and season.

Spread your taco shells on a baking tray, and add layer by layer, the chicken, the refried beans and the grated cheddar. Put in the hot oven for 10 minutes.

Set the tacos on a plate, and sprinkle with tomato salsa.


None of these two recipes are very complicated, but I must say you do get a sentiment of accomplishment and satisfaction for having made two very different and succulent dishes from one good old chicken!

Grilled Lamb Chops and Cannellini Beans/Artichoke Salad

Making a BBQ when you live in an apartment can be a tricky mission, but there is luckily a very good alternative than can fit in anyone's cupboard: the griddle plan.

You'll get the same char taste that we all love, without the charcoal mess. 

This time, I've used my favourite tool to make grilled Irish spring lamb chops with herbs accompanied for a refreshing twist by an aromatic Cannellini beans and artichoke salad.

This was not a fussy meal, but sometimes simple really is better!

-Lamb Chops

-1 Garlic Clove

-Herbes de Provence

-Salt

-Pepper

For the Salad:

-Cannellini Beans

-Artichoke Hearts

-Coriander 

-Basil

-Olive Oil
-Lime

-Salt 

-Pepper 

Marinate the Lamb with Garlic, Herbs, Pepper, and Olive Oil (which will serve as the medium to convey the flavours in the meat) for an hour.

During that time prepare your express salad by simply mixing Beans, Artichoke Hearts cut in 4, chopped coriander and basil. Season with Olive Oil, the juice of a Lime, salt and pepper.

In this case, I decided to quickly boil some new potatoes to make the meal for hearty, but this is optional.

When you're ready to eat, add salt on the chops at the last minute, and put on the hot griddle plan. A useful tip when using a griddle pan is to not set your hobs/gas too hot as the cast-iron will accumulate great amounts of heat very quickly, and excessive heat will burn your ingredients. There is also no need to add oil on the griddle plan itself, as the meat has already been oiled thanks to the marinade.

 Your meal is now ready to be eaten, Al Fresco if possible to enjoy a full Summer experience!

Happa Flavours: Duck Shiitake Gyozas

Hapa is a Hawaian term that denotes someone of mixed descents, hence the title of this blog that refers to my French and Japanese origins.

The following recipe is quite typical of this mix. Gyozas evoke home food to me, simple, comforting, and tasty, but I'm always disappointed when I go to a Japanese restaurant. I thus decided to take things into my own hands and made fresh Gyozas... with a French twist. Gyozas are traditionally either vegetarian or pork based, but my love for Duck being eternal, I went a slightly different route and combined the deep flavour of Duck with earthy Shiitake mushrooms and Chinese 5 spice, the result was more satisfying than I had ever dreamed.

 For 25 gyozas

-300 g of minced duck meat
-5 Shiitake Mushrooms
-6 Chinese Chives
-Half a Chinese Cabbage, finely shredded
-1 Thumb of Ginger
-1 Garlic clove
-3 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
-2 tbsp Soy Sauce
-2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar (non sweet)
-Gyoza Wrappers

For the Dipping Sauce:
-2 tbsp of Rice Wine Vinegar
-4 tbsp of Soy Sauce
-2 tsp of Sesame Oil 


Dice all the non liquid ingredients and combine in a mixing bowl.
Add the 5 spice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and mix with your hands to make sure the filling is evenly seasoned and let the filling marinate for 20 minutes.

Prepare the Dipping Sauce in the meantime by simply mixing the Rice Wine Vinegar, Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil.

Take 1 teaspoon of filling and place into the centre of a wrapper (quenelle shape).
Brush the edges of the wrapper with water and fold in half to make half circles. Now for the aesthetic part, crimp the edges of the semicircle about 5 times as shown bellow:

Cooking:

The actual cooking of gyozas is the hardest bit to control in the recipe, and the secret is actually to cook it using 2 different methods.
First, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a non stick pan. Place maximum 8 gyozas at a time with the crimped edges up. Allow to sear for 1 minute until they turn golden and crispy on the bottom. Then add a dash of water ( it should evaporate fully in 2 minutes) and cover immediately. This will allow the rest of the dough to be cooked with the steam.

Serve right away while still hot, and don't forget to dip the gyozas in the sharp and tangy sauce, it complements the deep flavour of the gyozas perfectly.

A whiff of Moroccan Spices: Apricots Lamb Shank Tagine

A heat wave (10 days of sun) has hit Ireland last week, and the Summery atmosphere inspired me to cook a spicy exotic dish... something with a kick.
I set my sight on a Tagine, and the story of the meal started defining itself better after I found some beautiful Irish lamb shanks and some gorgeous spices and vegetables from the Indian shop.
I don't own a proper Tagine dish, but any casserole will do the trick so you shouldn't be afraid to take the leap. The only catch is that you need time: first to let the meat marinate, and then to let the dish simmer gently.
To balance the richness of the Lamb, I also prepared a quick cold pomegranate couscous that added a fresh and aromatic dimension to the meal.


-2 Lamb Shanks
-3 tbsp of Cinammon
-2 tbsp of Ginger Powder
-2 tbsp of Ras Al Hanout
-1 tsp of Turmeric
-1 tsp of Cumin powder
-2 Garlic cloves
-1 diced big Onion 
-10 white Baby Aubergines
-100g of Chickpeas
-1 tbsp of Tomato Puree
-1 tbsp of sunflower oil
-2 tsp of Salt
-1 optional tbsp of Honey
-200 g of Dried Apricots
-50g of flaked almonds

Preheat your oven at 180°C.

Prepare your spice mix, and marinate the lamb with the diced onion in half of the mix for minimum 2 hours (the longer the better of course).
Season the lamb with salt, heat up your casserole with some sunflower oil, and sear the lamb shanks until they are coloured.
Add the onions, garlic, tomato puree, baby aubergines, chickpeas, dried apricots, the rest of the spice mix, half of the flaked almonds, and cover with water. Put your casserole in the oven and let it simmer for about an hour. Taste the sauce, and if you find it too sharp, add a tablespoon of Honey.
15 minutes later, sprinkle the dish with some flaked almonds, this will make them crunchy and enhance their nuttiness, and let the Tagine in for another 15 minutes.

While the Tagine will be making its way to deliciousness, you'll have more than enough time to prepare the cold couscous.

You'll need:

-1 cup of Couscous
-1.5 cup of Chicken Stock
-1 tbsp of Olive Oil
-1 Pomegranate 
-Coriander
-2 Scallions
-1 Lemon 
-1 pinch of Sumac

Put one cup of couscous into a bowl, pour the chicken stock on top of it, and seal the bowl with foil, the couscous will be cooked in 2 minutes. Let it cool down for 20 minutes, you'll be able to prepare the rest of the ingredients during that time. Chop your coriander and scallions roughly, and take the grains out of your pomegranate. You can add all of the herbs and pomegranate to your couscous that will now be lukewarm. Stir everything, add the juice of a lemon, olive oil, and a pinch of Sumac.

Everything will now come together: Your Lamb will have confied, and the rest of the ingredients will have melted to form a rich sweet and spicy sauce. The almonds will offer a nice contrast in textures, and the couscous will add an aromatic note to break through the spices, while reminding you of the sweetness through the pomegranates.




 

Hong Kong Calling

I came back from Hong Kong a few weeks ago with suitcases full of wonderful food experiences, lovely spices, teas, and of course a craving for Chinese Cooking. 
My most prized treasure were some chili fermented black beans that unleashed a whirlwind of powerful aromas whenever I opened the pack: just like a kid with a new toy I had to try them!
We're lucky enough to have some great Chinese food shops in Dublin, so on the first occasion I headed to Oriental Emporium with my newly acquired knowledge of Chinese Products and decided to cook a classic Sichuan Cuisine dish, Mapo Tofu. This is a very spicy recipe, but the depth of the bean sauce and beans, the sweetness of the pork, the smoothness of silky tofu, together, make for an oh so savoury dish!


Once you've laid your hands on all the right ingredients, the recipe is actually quite simple, and here is how to goes:

-3 tbsp of Tobanjiang Bean Paste
-Fermented Black Beans
-250g Finely chopped Pork
-A tbsp of Flour
-1 chopped Onion
-A clove of Garlic
-2 tsp of Sichuan pepper 
-A dash of Shaoxing wine rice
-4 tbsp of Soy Sauce
-Hot water
-200 g of Silk Tofu diced in 2cm cubes
-2 chopped Scallions

Start by chopping all your ingredients as this will be a very quick recipe. Add some salt and pepper on your pork and flour it as this will help to thicken the sauce.
Heat up a frying pan, or a wok if you have one with some cooking oil. Once the pan is really hot, add in the onions, garlic, pork, Tobanjiang paste, Sichuan pepper and fermented black beans. Let them cook for a minute, add the Shaoxing wine rice that will quickly evaporate as well as the soy sauce, and cover with hot water.
Let the sauce reduce for about 5 minutes, and add the Tofu cubes. The tofu actually doesn't need to be cooked, so you just add it at the end to warm it up for another 2 minutes.
You can now serve the tofu, and sprinkle the dish with some scallions to make it pretty and fresh! A fresh salad or stir fried vegetables will complete the dish very well, here I used some garlic stir fried Chinese Chives.