Spice Mode - Chicken Tikka Masala

I've had Indian food only a few times during my life. If I am roughly counting, I probably had it less than 15? It's never been something on my list or to cook at home. I think a big part of that is how intimidating the spices are. It's not like the usual spices we are used to that we can gauge with our eyes. That's when I discovered Spice Mode.

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Spice Mode focuses on Indian spices by developing different mixtures for you to feel confident about making any Indian dish at home. What's also great about Spice Mode is how natural their products are. They locally source from midwestern farms, freshly chop the ingredients in-house where they eventually perfect the small-batch sauces without any preservatives added.

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With the spices I've received, I will be making Chicken Tikka Masala. The items came with recipes, but of course I made a few edits because I made this in bulk.

Recipe makes 10 portions

• 10 chicken thighs were used.
• 1 - 15oz can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 - 28oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 - 15oz can of Coconut milk
• 1 Jar of Spice Mode Masala Sauce
• 1 Package of Spice Mode Tikka Seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

I preheated the oven to 450 degrees because I want the chickens to get browned before creating the sauce. It was a hot day and I really didn't want to beat myself over the stove. I was in a 'set it and forget it' mood.

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I rubbed the seasonings (including salt and pepper) all over the thighs to coat. I'm looking for a beautiful tan on these babies after they come out of the oven. I know you see 8 thighs when recipe calls for 10. There's enough sauce and room to make 10.

After the chicken is browned, give it a quick wiggle then drop the beans, pour the crushed tomatoes and the 1 can of coconut milk. I topped the sauce with the remainder of the Tikka seasoning and added extra salt to season. I wrapped the dish with foil and stuck it back in the oven to bake for 40 minutes on 400. I took the foil off at 25 minutes and let it finish for another 10-15 minutes until it starts to brown and get bubble on top.

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The chicken is topped with cilantro, served with jasmine white rice, some naan bread, and sugar snap peas. Everything was perfect with this dish. It's super easy and pretty much effortless (if you make it so). I could've easily busted out some pans, got some chicken breast instead, and basically cut the cook time in half. I just didn't feel like cooking at a fast pace, and cooking it in the oven still worked out great so why the heck not. My stove is clean and I am a happy girl.

Most common store that I know carries this is Whole Foods. Learn more about Spice Mode here > http://www.spicemode.co/

Happy Cooking.

Slow Cooker - Beef Braised in Red Wine

I found a beautiful 4 pound chuck roast at the market the other day and immediately thought about cooking it low and slow. I have tons of red wine left from a party I had during summer so I might as well cook with it.

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4 pound chuck roast

Again, huge piece of steak. If you think about cooking something low and slow, might as well make a larger batch since this will take about 5 hours to cook. I seasoned generously with Lawry's garlic salt and cracked black pepper and seared it on high with a little olive oil.

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Make sure both sides are golden. While this is sizzling up, my slow cooker was preheating on low. I sliced up one whole white onion to set at the bottom of the slow cooker. After the beef is browned, you place it over the onion. Take one 6oz can of tomato paste and place it in the hot pan to heat up. I then poured 1 to 1 and a half cups of red wine to deglaze the pan and tomato paste. Transfer the sauce and pour it over the pot roast. I let it cook for 5 hours and turned it over only once during the process.

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For the mash, I had 2 potatoes, peeled and diced into a pot of cold water. 2 garlic cloves were peeled, thrown in with the potatoes and seasoned with salt. Bring the potatoes up to a boil and let it go on medium for about 10-15 minutes (until tender). Drain the water and place the potatoes and garlic back into the warm pot. Mash the potatoes, pour your choice of cream and season with salt and pepper until you are satisfied.

I also served this dish with some oven roasted kale.

Simple and it only takes a few ingredients. The only step you really need to take is browning the meat. Everything else just falls into place. With leftovers, you can buy some beautiful baguettes. Toasted slightly. Slather this beef (if next day make sure to reheat) and top off with some horseradish cream or Dijon mustard. Double thumbs up on that one.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Salad

I was, and still am, very into fennel. I didn't always appreciate the flavors though, but when I had it again somewhere that prepared it well, I fell in love almost instantly. 

I made a simple grilled chicken summer plate because I was trying to find simple party dishes where people could pick at. 

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It's really simple. I just seasoned the chicken with my favorite Lawry's garlic salt and cracked black pepper. I sliced the zucchini and salted them to draw out the water, dab it dry with a paper towel, then season lightly with salt and pepper. The fennel I just sliced and roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper at 450 till tender and brown. I also grilled some onions just because I had some. 

That's it! super simple, but tons of flavor. And if you like, grab your favorite caesar dressing and drizzle on top.. everywhere. I like the the super garlicky - anchovy flavored ones. With extra cracked black pepper on top. One of my favorite go tos and takes NO time.

Pork Chop Agrodolce

My memories of eating pork chops are always those crispy fat edges and the leftover bone everyone eyes on. Pork chops are pretty inexpensive, so my parents would purchase them quite often. Just sprinkle with Lawry's garlic parsley salt with a dash of white pepper and we are good to go.

I'm going to share with you a recipe that's extremely simple, but will be a crowd pleaser (always important) at any dinner event. Pork Chop Agrodolce is just, pork chop for one, covered in a sweet and sour sauce. I feel like every cuisine has their own versions of a sweet and sour dish. This Italian version is one of my favorites at the moment. I am excited for it and hope you will be able to enjoy this in the near future.

Ingredients

• 3 Pork Chops - mine were around 1 inch.
• Lawry's garlic parsley salt for seasoning
• black pepper
• olive oil

Algrodolce Sauce

• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of honey (adjust to 2 if preferred)
• 2 smashed garlic cloves

Heat your pan to medium high with olive oil. Season the pork on both sides with Lawry's garlic salt and fresh cracked black pepper as you would season your meat. I am a little generous with the garlic salt.. it's my favorite.

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Let it be for a good 4-5 minutes or so to let it get crusty. Again, this really depends on how thick your chops are.

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Let it go for another 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed, you want to make sure both sides have browned beautifully. Removed your chops and set it to the side.

Grab a towel to dab the fat off your pan. Pour in the vinegar, honey and garlic and deglaze the pan with a wooden spatula. Make sure to get all the bits! When it starts to simmer, I added my pork chops back in and flipped them around until coated.

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There are many ways to make this. I made this with the ingredients I had at home and it still worked out (tasted) wonderfully. Some parts of the pork may appear "pink" but pork has natural tints in some sections, and no matter how you cook it the tint will always be there. If unsure before you eat them, just stick a thermometer. USDA guidelines says cook till 145 with a 3 minute rest.

Enjoy!

Summer Brunch - Italy Inspired

I've been thinking about prosciutto lately. And when I say lately, I mean almost everyday, a few times a day. I recently hung out with a good friend of mine, Frances, who's also a total foodie freak like me. Trust me, there's a few out there that can really get down in a kitchen as well as knowing what types of food to order in restaurants. We were just hanging out the other day at a farmers market, drinking wine out of an emptied out Kern's pear juice can (don't ask) before starting our conversations about different food in different countries. One of them, was Italy.

I decided to make this brunch item after talking about my dreams of going. Who wouldn't want to go?

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The recipe is simple though it may cost a little more than just your eggs and bacon.... toast.

Ingredients (Feeds 3):

• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry. The package normally comes with 2, save the other one for other uses. Thaw puff pastry for about 20 minutes.
• 4-5 tablespoons of unsalted butter (optional)
• 3 eggs cooked sunny side - or however you want your eggs. I use Happy Eggs.
• 1 container of Belgioioso Burrata cheese - The container I got includes one large burrata almost the size of a softball. I got mines from Vons.
• 1/4 pound of Prosciutto Di Parma - Got mine from Marcel Gourmet Market at the Grove in West Hollywood/Fairfax
• 1 cup+ of baby arugula - feel free to add more.
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

HELL YES (OPTIONAL) - ADDING EXTRA BUTTER TO YOUR PASTRY.

1.  When the puff pastry is pliable, you will notice 3 folds on the dough. Hope them up so it's one sheet. In the middle fold, place about 1/2 a tablespoon interchangeably like checkers. Fold one sheet over to cover the butter, then place the remainder of the butter on the surface that doesn't have butter underneath, interchangeably as well. So if the sheet was transparent, it will kind of look like the butter is spread out evenly. Take the other flap and close it on top of the butter. Now it should look like how it was when you first took it out to thaw. 
2. Get a rolling pin or a emptied out wine bottle like me and start rolling out your dough. I made a few folds as I rolled just like if you are to make puff pastry from scratch. I got about 10 folds or so before I started to roll it out into a rectangle (like a 12x10). I stuck this in the freezer while my oven heats up to 350 (I used my Breville Pro).
3. When your oven is ready, line a baking pan with nonstick parchment paper. Lay out your chilled puff pastry and then sprinkle a light drizzle of salt.
4. Bake for 30 minutes on 350. I ranked up to 400 degrees for an additional 3 minutes.
5. If you don't add the additional butter, just follow the box instructions to cook. I would just roll it out, and make one fold to make my rectangle shape.

Always keep an eye on your oven. Try not to open your oven. Every oven is different so just make sure you check in at the 20-25 minute mark.

Plating

1. I grabbed a wooded cutting board
2. Spread 1/2 of the burrata onto the pastry
3. Top with arugula, drizzle with a little olive oil. salt lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Top with the rest of the burrata with dollops interchangeably.
5. Top with your eggs the opposite way, interchangeably.
6. Layer your Prosciutto

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With a sharp knife, cut through in a rocking motion so you won't tear the pastry. You want to make clean cuts. Enjoy this with your beverage of choice. Had this with my legs kicked back, a cup of coffee, and just watched the birds chipper.

Enjoy!