Lee's recipe corner

2009

Cranberry Bean Risotto

 

1 cup cranberry beans, shelled

1 cop chicken stock

2 cloves garlic

2 pcs pancetta, diced

1 medium onion

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ cup chopped parsley

 

Dice onion & garlic and sauté with pancetta in a wee bit of olive oil until transparent. Add cranberry beans, just enough stock, cover, & simmer for about 12-14 minutes or until beans are tender, but still slightly crisp. Don’t put too much stock in at first, just add more as needed. There should be little broth in the pan by the time you are done cooking.

 

Reserve the beans. Make a standard risotto. About 2 minutes before it is done, add the beans, and fold in the cheese and parsely. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Duck vindaloo

 

This dish is not a true vindaloo, but a cloned recipe, invented on the fly. Not for the faint of heart!

 

1 large duck

4 thick slices pancetta or bacon

1 large onion

12-14 fingerling potatoes

2-3 small zucchini or other small summer squash

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp. minced candied ginger

1 heaping tsp cayenne pepper/ use more or less, according to taste

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 large can italian plum tomatoes, chopped

2-3 cups chicken broth

 

Chop the entire duck into small pieces (2” or so) with a cleaver. Put aside in a bowl.

Dice the pancetta; sauté in a large stovetop casserole in 1 tbsp. olive oil for a few minutes, then add & brown the duck pieces on medium high.

 

Remove the duck and reserve. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat until transparent. Add the ginger, cayenne, turmeric, fennel, and stir until you have an even mixture. Cut the potatoes and squash  into 1” pieces and place in the casserole with the tomatoes. Add chicken broth until the liquid comes close to covering the ingredients.

 

Heat on high heat until boiling; cover, simmer on low for 1 hr.

 

Rabbit Ragout

 

This dish produces a delicious rich broth, with chunks of potato complimented by creamy eggplant. The piquant, aromatic basis would also be entirely suitable for a fish stew.

 

1 medium size whole rabbit

1 large onion

12-14 fingerling potatoes (assorted varities, if possible)

4 rather small round, white eggplant (var. listada de gandia, if possible)

6 cloves garlic

4 sprigs fresh (1 tsp. dried) rosemary

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon capers

1 large slice lemon rind

1 tbsp. chicken base (1 boullion cube)

1 large can crushed tomatoes

2-3 cups chicken broth

 

Cut the entire rabbit into small pieces (2” or so.) Put aside in a bowl.

Dice the onion and garlic; sauté in 1 tbsp. olive oil until transparent. Place in large Dutch oven or stovetop casserole. Add the rosemary, cayenne, capers, lemon rind, and chicken base, stir. Cut the potatoes and eggplant into 1” pieces and place in the casserole.

 

Saute the rabbit pieces until lightly browned in the same pan. Place in the casserole, add the tomato sauce, stir until the mixture is evenly blended. Add chicken broth until the liquid comes close to covering the ingredients.

 

Heat on high heat until boiling; cover, simmer  on low for 1 hr. Serve with salt & pepper to taste.

 

 

 

2008

November spicy chicken

A recipe by Lee van Laer, 2008

This very spicy dish-- not a stir-fried dish, but a sautéed chicken dish -- is an invention of mine based on a number of different Chinese dishes I’ve eaten over the years around Shanghai and in Zhejiang province. In particular, it was inspired by the many smoky flavored dishes that are cooked in pots with tons of spices, and the Szechuan dishes that literally smother small bits of chicken in a plate full of dried chilis.

This dish is a bit different. Szechuan peppercorns give it a peppery-numbing quality, the chilies add bite, and the anise and tangerine peel add a rich olfactory dimension.

The best way to cut up the chicken for this recipe is to chop it into sections with a chinese cleaver, which is a noisy and somewhat visceral process.

Leaving the bones in is quite typical in many Chinese dishes. It makes for a more intimate eating experience, and allows the bone marrow to enhance the flavor of the sauce.

 

Ingredients:

One whole roasting chicken, cut into 2 inch pieces, bones in.

Spices:

Eight to 10 dried chilies, cut into half inch lengths

Four whole star anise seeds

One heaping tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns

Three whole cloves garlic, mashed

Peel from one large tangerine, cut into ¼” pieces

Two tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce:

Two tablespoons sugar

three tablespoons soy sauce

one tablespoon sesame oil

one tablespoon Chinese cooking wine

Four fresh green pobleno chilies, halved, seeded, quartered, and then cut into 1 inch pieces

Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan.  When sizzling hot, throw in all the spices, and stir for about one minute.

Leaving the heat on high, add all the chicken. Turn and stir the chicken every minute or two, until all sides are seared.  Continue cooking for about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the sauce and the fresh chilies. Continue to cook for another five to ten minutes, until most of the liquid in the pan has boiled away.  By this time the chicken should have browned and achieved a glistening appearance.  The poblenos should be dark green, but not overcooked.

Serve hot with rice and a vegetable dish.

 

 

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