Recipe #61 - Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

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Cook rice according to package directions. Cover to keep warm; set aside. 

Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce and cornstarch in a medium bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Mix in orange peel.

Heat oil in large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Stir-fry 30 seconds.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to wok and stir-fry until is crisp-tender and chicken is just cooked throughly, about 4 minutes. 

Add broccoli and juice mixture. Toss until sauce thickens and comes to boil and broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. 

Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice.

Rating: 8
Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice or long-grain white rice (10 to 11 ounces)
3/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon finely grated orange peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 head of broccoli

Recipe #36 - Baked Chicken Meatballs with Peperonata

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I was looking through a Self magazine and stumbled across a couple recipes that were featured on www.epicurious.com. So I headed over to the website to find that it has everything from quick & easy to gourmet type recipes. Unlike many other sites I've found, Epicurious seems to have taken the recipes a step further. Either by adding an extra ingredient for more flavor or by explaining the cooking process more clearly.

I enjoyed looking through the recipes. Inevitably, I found one that I wanted to try out: Baked Chicken Meatballs with Peperonata.

To make the peperonata: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Toss bell peppers with 1 tablespoon oil, then roast in a 4-sided sheet pan in lower third of oven, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 35 minutes.

Stir together capers, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a medium bowl and set aside.

To make meatballs:
While peppers roast, soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened, about 4 minutes.

Cook pancetta, onion, and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil with 1/2 tablespoon each of salt and pepper in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Cool slightly.

Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken pancetta mixture, bread and parsley. Form 12 meatballs and arrange in another 4-sided sheet pan.

Stir together tomato paste and remaining tablespoon oil and brush over meatballs, then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Toss bell peppers with caper mixture.

Serve meatballs with peperonata. A nice accompaniment is garlic bread made from the remainder of Italian loaf.

Though I was discouraged when I had a hard time stomaching the smell of the ground raw chicken (it smelt sooooo different than raw chicken legs or boneless chicken), these really did turn out well. I've never cooked with ground chicken before. Ground beef and turkey, yes, but this was an entirely new experience for me.

I'm slightly shocked that I even pulled this recipe off. It was labeled as a "gourmet recipe" and had a difficulty rating of 4 out of 5 for culinary skills. There is no way I would have been able to do this 4 months ago. It's just proof showcasing how much I've learned with this challenge already.

Rating: 7
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the peperonata:
3 red bell peppers, cut into strips
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

For the meatballs:
3 slices Italian bread, torn into pieces (1 cup)
1/3 cup milk
3 ounces sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 small onion,  finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg
1 pound ground chicken
3 tablespoons finely shopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Recipe #3 - Pork Lo Mein

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I woke up yesterday morning with a email from Teresa in my inbox titled "Your Next Recipe". It was surprisingly simple to make. The not so simple thing was getting the ingredients. Mom and I drove all the way out to Poplar to the Whole Food Market and they were closed due to the snow the night before. Which actually turned out fine because we got Jimmy Johns right next to it. I've been craving JJ since I left Knoxville last. I can sum up my college experience in one bite of the #10 Big John.  

I digress. Mom and I went out again the next day and spent over an hour picking out organic ingredients and staring at the Olive Bar. Lol. 

I started by cutting the tenderloin in half lengthwise. Then each widthwise into 1/4 inch slices. In a plastic ziplock bag, I combined the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes, then added the pork. Sealed bag, turned to coat, then refrigerated for 20 mins. 

Pork in soy sauce! Yum.

While waiting I began prep on the veggies. I julienned the red peppers. I had to Google what "julienned" meant. It means to cut longwise in very thin slices. I also minced garlic for the first time. I really hate trying to peel the thin layer off each clove. Super annoying. 

Note: After the 20 minutes, start boiling the water for the pasta and then put the meat on the skillet. By the time the meat is done, the water will be boiling and then the pasta is cooked the same time you add the noodles.

In a large non-sitck skillet, I added the sesame oil to coat the pan instead of the cooking spray which was suggested. I read an article saying that cooking spray is in the top ten cancer causing substances that can be easily cut out of our lives. 

So colorful!

Stir-fry pork and marinade for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Added the snow peas and red pepper; stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in spaghetti and chicken broth; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. And finished! 

Mom and I were the only ones home to eat it, but it was AMAZING. Mom wants to give a 10 out of 10 and I'm very tempted to agree with her. I really was good. The pork was perfectly tender and the soy mixed with the red pepper, just bursts in your mouth. It was just spicy enough to make my nose run, but didn't have running for for the sink

The End.

Rating: 10
Time: 40 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 - 1 pound pork tenderloin
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups fresh snow peas
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned 
3 cups cooked thin spaghetti 
1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons sesame oil