Feng Li Su - Taiwanese Pineapple Pastries

Filling:
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1/4 c of water

Simmer pineapple and water slowly until the liquid is gone - it will take several hours. Cool and refrigerate until use.  Makes about a cup -- you will use all of it for the pastry recipe below.


Crust:  
1 c butter
1/4 c confectioner's sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c cake flour
1/4 corn starch
1/4 t salt

Pre heat oven to 325.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix remaining ingredients together and add to butter mixture.  Chill the dough a 1/2 hour.  Pinch off 1" balls, roll each out and put a little spoonful of filling in each, pinch together to close the dough around the filling.  The traditional shape is a square.  Bake on parchment for 20-25 minutes, until the bottoms brown. 

Fried chicken two different ways

For 1 chicken.

Michelle Bernstein's marinade:  

3 cups of butter milk or 2 cups of milk +1 cup of yogurt
2 tablespoons thyme

1 tablespoon tarragon 

6 cloves of garlic 

2 shallots 

1 Tablespoon fennel seed

1 Tablespoon mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Add all ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth.

Lefty's cajun marinade:  

3 cups of buttermilk or 2 cups of milk +1 cup of yogurt

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne

Mix together 

Directions:

•  Place chicken in a Ziplock bag with marinade and
  refrigerate overnight.  1 tablespoon of kosher salt mixed with 3/4 cup of flour for dredging
• Heat oil to 350, dredge in flour, and fry until done. 

Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce

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This is a nice weeknight dinner dish because you can marinate the chicken in the morning and stick the bird in the fridge, or you can cook it the night before and then either warm it up in the oven or give it a little finish on the grill just before you serve it.  

For the chicken:  

1 chicken

3 garlic cloves, chopped (I put mine through a garlic press)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

1/4 cup olive oil

Set oven at 400 degrees F and spatchcock the chicken, laying it on a broiler pan or roasting pan.  (I usually put some whole garlic cloves or small halves of potatoes under the chicken to roast with it)  Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl and then rub it on the chicken, including under the skin.  Roast until done, 165 degrees.  

• The sauce:  
• 2-3 fresh jalapeños, stem removed and quartered -- remove the seeds as well if you don't like it too hot
• 1 tablespoon aji Amarillo paste
• 1 cup cilantro
• 2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese or Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 sour cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine except mayonnaise and sour cream in a blender and blend until smooth.  put it into a  small bowl and stir in the mayonnaise.  (Tip:  This makes a couple of cups of sauce -- if you won't need to use all of it, you can stop here and freeze some of it, and when you need it next thaw it  and then add the mayonnaise and sour cream .)  

I usually serve the sauce in the bowl or a little pitcher on the table and let people spoon what they want to over the chicken.    You can make the sauce a day or two ahead of time -- it will thicken up a little in the fridge.

Zhug

This is a Yemeni condiment that is delicious with many things -- I like to add a spoonful to falafel or to beans or salad or soup to pep things up a bit.  It's kind of a spicy version of pesto.  It would probably be great on steak or lamb chops, like chimichurri -- you could add a little lemon juice for some acid.

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 green cardamom pods, small internal seeds only
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 fresh Thai chilies, roughly chopped; or 4 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed, seeded, and torn into pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 ounces fresh parsley and cilantro leaves and fine stems (about 2 loosely packed cups of mixed herbs), roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine coriander seed, cumin, black pepper, and cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle and grind into a powder using a firm, circular motion. Add spices and rest of ingredients to blender and blend until everything is incorporated. Season to taste with more salt. Zhug can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.  I also have frozen it, as you might do with pesto, in an ice cube tray.  

White bean salad

This is good either warm or cold, great as a side dish for grilled meat.  White beans taste MUCH better if you cook them from dried beans, rather than using canned – I usually cook a whole pound and freeze whatever I don’t use immediately.   And save the broth from cooking them!  It’s delicious.

Ingredients

·        ½ lb small dry white beans, soaked and then cooked until tender with about a ½ tsp of salt (makes about 3-4 cups, when cooked)

·        5 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

·        ½ tsp salt

·        1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

·        1 large handful water cress or arugula

·        2 tablespoons grated parmesan

·        Additional salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a saute pan, slowly warm the garlic in the olive oil over low heat for a couple of  minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic. It should be very fragrant and just beginning to soften.

Immediately add the beans and fold in very gently. Heat the beans through, about 3 minutes, occasionally turning the beans gently as they heat through.  Add the greens and gently move them around in the pan until they are slightly wilted (30 to 60 seconds). Turn into a serving bowl and top with the parmesan and salt and pepper  to taste.

Options: You can add a little chopped rosemary if you like, or a gremolata, or some toasted panko, or small cubes of toasted bread.   If you have any leftovers, throw them in the blender with some lemon juice and some more olive oil and voila!  White bean dip!

Chewy dinner rolls

I wanted a dinner roll that was chewy and moist and had a little bit of flavor to it.  These turned out pretty well, so I thought I'd better write it down before I forgot what I did. I think next time I would add a little more parmesan.

1/2 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup scalded heavy cream
1/4 cup butter, melted, more for brushing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
bread flour

Let milk cool a little Combine milk, cream, butter, oil, eggs, and sugar.  Add the other ingredients, adding enough bread flour for a non-sticky dough.  Knead for a few minutes, until smooth.  Put it in an oiled bowl and cover, let rise until doubled.  Divide into 16 rolls.  I put them in a 9-inch oiled springform pan.  Cover and let rise again, about 1/2 hour.  Bake in a 350 oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.  Brush with more melted butter if desired. 

Pecan bars

These little butter bombs are adapted from the Just a Taste blog, they are less messy than the usual pecan bar and have a very nice caramel flavor. Very fast to make, and good for parties because they make a lot of cookies.  I have made both the crust and filling a little  butterier and thinner, to make it more of a shortbread cookie and less like a bar. I usually cut these into small squares, maybe 1-1 1/2 inches.  They keep quite well in a cookie tin.  

For crust:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For topping:

• 1.5 stick (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 10 oz. (about 2 cups) chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2 9x13-inch pans with foil, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
2. First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.
3. Divide the crust in halves and press into the foil-lined pans and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
4. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, sugars, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the chopped pecans.
5. Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour half of the pecan filling over each of the hot crusts, spreading it to cover the entire surface.
6. Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.
7. Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.
8. Use the foil overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the foil, slice into bars and serve.