Antipasto Pasta Salad

1 lb rotini
salt
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
12 oz jar marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1/2 lb mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 lb thinly sliced sweet soppressata, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 lb pitted Kalamata olives
1 1/2 cups flat leaf parsley leaves
black pepper

Cook rotini according to package directions in salted water.  Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.  Toss with the vinegar and oil. Mix with artichokes, peppers, cheese, meat, olives, and parsely.  Season with salt and pepper and serve chilled or at room temperature.

shredded barbecued beef

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, minced
2 onions, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1.5 cups ketchup
1.5 cups brewed coffee
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp brown mustard
1 5-lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and quartered
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp liquid smoke

Cook bacon in 12-inch skiller over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in onions, chili powder, and paprika and cook until onions are softened and lightly browned: 8-10 minutes.

Stir in ketchup, coffee, sugar, and 1 Tbsp mustard and simmer until mixture is thickened and measures 4 cups, about 10 minutes. Transfer 2 cups to slow cooker, reserve remaining separately.

Season beef with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9-11 hours on low or 5-7 on high.

Transfer beef to large bowl, shred into bite size pieces, discarding extra fat, cover to keep warm. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface. Strain liquid into saucepain and simmer until thickened and measures 1 cup (20-30 minutes).

Whisk in reserved ketchup mixture, hot sauce, vinegar, remaining Tbsp of mustard, and liquid smoke and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss shredded beef with 1.5 cups sauce, add more as needed.

slow cooker chicken and dumplings

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, minced
2 celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus extra as needed
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Dumplings: 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup milk, 3 Tbsp unsalted butter

Dry the chicken with papper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown half of chicken lightly on both sides, 5-8 minutes, transfer to bowl. Repeat with 1 Tbsp more oil and remaining chicken and transfer to a bowl.

Heat remaining Tbsp of oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add onions, celery, garlic, tomato paste, and thyme, and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Whisk in 1 cup broth, smoothing out any lumps and transfer to slow cooker.

Stir remaining 3.5 cups broth, carrots, and bay leaves into slow cooker. Nestle browned chicken with any accumulated juice into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4-6 hours on low.

Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite size pieces. Let stew settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface. Discard bay leaves. Stir shredded chicken, peas, parsley into stew and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on high until simmering or transfer stew to Dutch oven and bring to simmer over medium heat.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Microwave milk and butter together until warm, about 1 minute, then whisk to melt the butter. Stir into the flour mixture until just incorporated and smooth. Drop golf ball size dumplings on top of simmering stew. Cover and cook until dumplings have doubled in size, 25-35 minutes. Serve.

beef with broccoli

Ingredients:

1 lb flank steak, cut into 2 inch wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8 inch thick slices
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dry sherry
2 Tbsp chicken broth
5 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb broccoli florets cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 cup water
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3 medium scallions, sliced 1/2 inch thick on diagonal


Instructions

Combine beef and soy sauce in medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes to an hour. Whisk sherry, chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch in measuring cup. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1 1/2 tsp oil in small bowl.

Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add half the beef to the wok and break up clumps; cook, without stirring for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around the edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer beef to medium bowl. Heat another 1 1/2 tsp oil in wok and repeat with remaining beef.

Add 1 Tbsp oil to empty wok, heat until just smoking. Add broccoli and cook for 30 seconds, add water, and cover pan and reduce heat to medium. Steam broccoli under tender-crisp, about 2 minutes; transfer to paper towel lined plate. Add remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil to wok, increase heat to high and heat until just smoking. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, about 1.5 minutes. Clear center of wok, add garlic and ginger to clearing and cook until fragrant, about 15-20 seconds - then stir mixture into bell peppers. Return beef and broccoli to pan and toss to combine. Whisk sauce, then add to wok and cook, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Serve sprinkled with scallions over rice.

chicken korma

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 3/4 lb skinless chicken breast
2 medium onions
thumb size piece of fresh root ginger
1 bell pepper
small bunch of fresh cilantro
vegetable oil
pat of butter
1/2 cup korma or mild curry paste such as Patak's
14 oz can coconut milk
salt & pepper
natural yogurt
lime


Prep: cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Peel, halve and finely slice onions. Peel and finely chop ginger. Seed and chop bell pepper.

Put large pan on high heat and add some oil. Add the onions, ginger, and bell pepper with the butter. Cook for around 10 minutes. Add curry paste, coconut milk, and chicken. Half fill the empty can with water, pour into the pan and stir. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes with lid on. When finished, taste first and season if needed (I didn't feel it needed any salt).

Serve garnished with cilantro leaves, dollop of yogurt, lime wedges. Serve over fluffy rice.

Chicken and vegetable lo mein

Ingredients:

2 cups slices of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
6 Tbsp soy sauce, divided
2 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp chili garlic paste (I could only find chili garlic sauce so that's what I used)
4 Tbsp corn starch, divided
1 lb thin spaghetti, broken in half
6 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 carrots, cut into sticks
2 stalks celery, sliced on the bias
1 cup snow peas
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Marinade chicken with 3 Tbsp soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili garlic paste and 2 Tbsp cornstarch for 1 hour.

Boil pasta until al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with 2 Tbsp canola oil.

In a wok, heat 2 Tbsp canola oil to almost smoking point then add the chicken. Cook until browner and just cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 2 Tbsp canola oil to wok and heat to almost smoking point. Add vegetables and cook 3-5 minutes. Add chicken and spaghetti with hoisin sauce, 3 Tbsp soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss well and remove to serving bowl.

Mix 2 Tbsp cornstarch with chicken stock then deglaze hot wok with mixture and let reduce by a third. Pour over lo mein and toss everything together. Serve garnished with scallions.

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