Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma

Karma is one of my favorite indian dishes, well at least of the ones I have tried. The bold flavors and the creaminess makes me happy every time. And when you serve korma with my kryptonite bread, as naan bread and rice, it can't get any better in my world.

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 4 large chicken breasts (about 2¼ pounds/1kg)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons garam masala

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Sauce:

• 2 onions, peeled and quartered

• 6 garlic cloves, peeled

• 250 ml (1 cup) water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 teaspoons curry powder

• 2 teaspoons turmeric

• 2 teaspoons garam marsala

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 red dried chili, minced (use less if you don't like spicy food)

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 can peeled tomatoes, diced

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

• 85 g cashews, ground

• ⅔ can of coconut milk

• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

Topping:

• cilantro

Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a ziplock bag, and set aside.

Cut the chicken breasts up into bitesized cubes. Add the chicken to the marinade, massaging it, to cover it all with the spices. Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat some oil in a large pot, I used my dutch oven. Brown the marinated chicken. Remove the chicken, and set aside.

Blend onion and garlic with water, until you have a smooth puree. Heat the olive oil in the pot, Add the pureed onion mixture and cook for a few minutes, until it begins to darken in color. Add tomatoes, ginger, ground cashews, coconut milk, yogurt, red chili, and spices. Turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the chicken and yogurt to the sauce and let it simmer another 10-15 minutes, while you cook the rice, and the chicken gets cooked through. 

Serve with rice and naan bread.

Enjoy! 

How to Cook the Perfect Steak

The Perfect Steak

In my family we like a good steak. We have been trying to find the best technique to get the perfect prepared steak every time. We have been sous vide-ing steaks, the nerdy way to getting a  steak with the same color and temperature all the way trough the steak. But not all people have the equipment to cook sous vide, even though it's become more affordable the last couple of years.

I think it's a lot of work and effort, making a water bath and vacuuming the steak, for just ONE steak. The time aspect is another thing. Sous vide 2 hours at 131℉/55℃, or 8 minutes in a skillet at high heat. If we were having company, I would make it sous vide for making more than 3 steaks.

A few years ago we started to slice up the cooked steak, and sharing just one steak. Somehow I think a steak is more enjoyable thinly sliced. I know some people likes a large steak for themselves, go ahead and indulge. But I find less is more, when you get a good quality meat.

I alway buy grass-fed boneless ribeye steaks at Whole Foods Market. They are about an inch (3 cm) thick, with a good marbling. 

After a lot of trials, I perfected my steak-cooking-skills, and this is how I cook the perfect steak.

Serves 1-2.

Ingredients:

• 1 ribeye steak
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons butter, cold and salted
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1-2 sprigs of thyme

Directions:

Let the Steak get to room temperature. 

Pad the steak dry with a paper towel, and season it with a good amount of salt and some cracked pepper.

Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Sear the steak on both sides, and keep turning the steak every 20-30 second, still over high heat. This will cook the steak faster than just flipping the steak just once. 

By flipping just once, the steak won't cook faster or more evenly, it's just easier. Generally you can say, that the more you turn the steak, the faster and more uniformly it will cook. Of cause within limits. When you sear food the surface touching the skillet, will quickly get hot, dehydrate, caramelize and get well done and overcooked. The overcooked part will act as an insulation layer between the heat source and the rest of the food. Resulting in longer cooking time and sometimes even burn food. By flipping the steak more often, you get a cooling of the searing surface, helping to heat up the center of the steak, and getting less of an insulating layer. 

Keep cooking and turning until just under the preferred doneness. (Rare: 130℉/54℃, Medium-Rare: 135℉/57℃, Medium:  146℉/63℃, Well done:  155℉/68℃.)  Generally I cook the steak until it has a dark sear, and the steak has some give to it, about 8 minutes in total, this will result in a medium to medium rare steak.

Turn off the heat, add butter, thyme and garlic. Baste or turn the steak in the now seasoned butter, and let it rest for a few minutes.

Slice the steak in thin slices, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Baked Salmon with Sweet Mustard Sauce

Baked Salmon with Sweet Mustard Sauce

This is the best salmon ever. I know I've stated this before about a similar salmon recipe, but from now on, THIS is the way to cook salmon, no more adding any wine to the dish while baking!!

Normally I would serve a hollandaise, avocado hollandaise or a cold creme fraiche dressing with fresh dill with baked salmon. But this sweet mustard sauce was really good and paired really well with the salmon and spinach.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

Salmon:

• 2-3 portion-sized salmon, bones and skin removed
• ½ lemon, the juice from
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper 
• ½ teaspoon olive oil, for greasing the baking dish

Sauce:

• 120 ml (½ cup) heavy whipping cream
• 120 ml (½ cup) Ravigotte sauce, or a sweet mustard sauce
• 40 g soft cream cheese, as a thickener 
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Salmon:

Pre-heat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Place the salmon in the greased baking dish, drizzle with lemon juice, and sprinkle with lemon pepper. 

Bake the salmon for 12-18 minutes, until the salmon flakes easy with a fork. 

Sauce:

Mix cream cheese with cream and ravigotte sauce in a sauce pan, while heating. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the salmon with boiled potatoes and a sautéed spinach and the mustard sauce.

Enjoy!

Lemon Marinated Skirt Steak

Lemon Marinated Skirt Steak

I love grilling skirt steak. You can marinate the meat to make it fit the cuisine you are aiming for. The beef flavors are pretty intense and the it is not as pricy as regular steaks. Here I marinated the skirt steak in a soy-lemon marinate, giving the meat a clean bright flavor. 

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 700 g (1 ½  pounds) skirt steak
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 lemon, for serving
• fresh coriander, for serving

Marinade:

• 60 ml (¼  cup) extra-virgin olive oil
• 60 ml (¼  cup) soy sauce 
• 2 lemons, the juice from 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

Directions:

Place the skirt steak in a ziplock bag, and add the ingredients for the marinade. Rub the marinade into the meat. Let the meat marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 6 hours in refrigerator.

Heat grill to medium-high. Remove meat from marinade and pat off excess juices with some paper towel. Grill the meat, just turning once, until  medium/medium rare about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the meat to a cutting board, cover with some aluminum foil and let stand to rest for about 5 minutes.

Thinly slice meat against the grain (muscle fibers) and serve it with some cilantro on top, and lemon slices on the side. I served the warm Asian-style slaw on the side, but you can easily serve the meat in tacos.

Enjoy!

Danish Meatballs

Classic Danish Meatballs with creamed green cabbage.

Danish meatballs or frikadeller as they are called, are a popular dish in Denmark. It might even be the national dish at one point. According my mom the traditional meatballs are made with half pork and half veal, but you can make them with most ground meats. I always use rolled oats in meatballs, even though my mom used all-purpose flour. I think the meatballs become more compact using flour. This recipe is the basic recipe for Danish meatballs, and the taste fantastic. But you can spice them up by adding different spices like garlic, rosemary, thyme or any other spice you like. 

There are many different ways of serving these simple meatballs. You can serve meatballs with:

• boiled potatoes, brown pan-gravy and pickled red cabbage.

• creamed green cabbage or pointed cabbage

• a cold potato salad

• or served on rye bread as a open-faced sandwich

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 750 g (about 1⅔ pounds) ground pork

• 750 g (about 1⅔ pounds) ground veal

• about 50 g (about ½ cup) rolled quick oats

• 2 eggs

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped or grated

• ⅓ cup milk

• 1½ teaspoons salt

• pepper

• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Mix the meat with salt.  Divide the meat in quarters, lift one quarter up unto the other quarters. Fill the missing quarter with rolled oats (about 50 g or ½ cup). Put in finely chopped or grated onions, the eggs, milk and pepper and mix until you have a cohesive meat mixture.  Place a skillet over medium-high heat. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in the skillet.

How to make the meatballs taken from my lamb meatball post.

Forming the meatballs dip a tablespoon in the oil and scoop up a good spoonful meat. Use the hand and the spoon to form the meatball.  The meatball should be oval an the size of a small egg. Placed the meatball in the skillet, repeat until you have a full skillet. Be careful not to let the meatballs touch each other.

Fry the meatball for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side until they are well-browned and no longer pink in the center. Depending how big the meatballs are and how hot your pan is the time may varies.  When done remove the meatballs and set aside.

If you have a more meat mixture in the bowl, clean the skillet with a kitchen towel and add new butter and fry another batch.

Serve the warm meatballs. 

Enjoy!