CARROT SALAD

Carrot Salad
So you want to begin with seven large carrots.
Peel and grate them in fine shreds using a hand grater or machine. I guess you could leave them unpeeled.
Then chop a half bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaving it coarse. You don’t want green powder, you want flakes of vibrant, earthy parsley. Make a dressing by mixing together the juice of two lemons, 2 to 3 soup spoons of olive oil, 1 to 2 coffee spoons of sugar (teaspoons), some salt, and freshly ground pepper.
Toss the dressing with the carrots really well, then taste. If you have a fork, great. If not, don’t be afraid to use your fingers. 

Adjust the seasonings at this point.
The carrots may need another hit of lemon or salt or olive oil. Don’t overdress the salad; the carrots should be moistened and glistening, not swimming in dressing.
Once mixed, serve the carrot salad shortly thereafter. This feeds six to eight people a side dish. If you want to make this advance, prepare the carrots and dressing separately, and mix together as close to serving time as possible.

FRENCH CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Chicken Lady Chicken (or Poulet Crapaudine Façon)

One thing I learned pretty quickly about the differences between French and American recipes is that in America, one chicken yields two servings, whereas in France, it yields four and sometimes six. However, in this case, one chicken yields one serving — mine. If you have an outdoor grill, by all means use it, weighing down the chicken with a brick until the skin side is nice and crispy, before flipping it over.

Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons harissa, Sriracha, or Asian chile paste

2 teaspoons Dijon or yellow mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1 (3-pound, 1 1/2 kg) chicken

Put the minced garlic and salt in a resealable plastic bag and crush it with the heel of your hand until it’s a paste. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine, soy sauce, harissa, mustard, and honey to the bag, combining the ingredients well.

Remove the backbone of the chicken by snipping down both sides of the spine with poultry shears, or taking a chef’s knife and cutting along both sides of it, and pulling it off. With the breast side down on the cutting board, take a knife and crack the bone between the breasts, then push the chicken down with your hands so it spreads out and lies flat. Flip the chicken over so it’s skin side up and press down with the heels of your hands on the chicken very firmly -- like you’re giving it a shiatsu massage -- to flatten it as much as you possibly can. Don’t go easy on it.

Loosen the skin from the breast and thigh meat and spoon some of the marinade under the skin. Put the chicken in the bag, close it securely, and use your hands to rub the ingredients into the chicken. Refrigerate it for 1 to 2 days, flipping the bag over a few times as it marinates.

To cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop and place the chicken in it, breast side down. Drape a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the top and set a heavy weight on top of it. A good option is a brick or a large saucepan filled with water. (I used a leftover weight from the boot camp I quit.)

Cook the chicken until the skin is a deep golden brown, which usually takes about 10 minutes or so -- check it often. Once it’s browned, flip the chicken over, replace the weight, and let it cook for about 5 more minutes.

Remove the weight and the foil and place the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes, until it’s cooked through. To serve it French-style, cut the chicken into six pieces: two legs, two thighs, and cut each breast in half crosswise, leaving the wings attached.

NEW ORLEANS CASSOULET

Andouille and White Bean Cassoulet

1 (1-pound) navy beans soaked overnight

5 bay leaves, in all

Creole seasoning

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (another smoked sausage or bacon may be substituted)

1 medium onion, diced

4 ribs celery, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 28-ounce can whole peeled Roma tomatoes

2 bay leaves

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1 bunch green onions, chopped

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

3 cups Panko breadcrumbs

1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan

1 tablespoon fresh oregano or thyme leaves (no stems)

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 pounds medium Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined

Hot French bread

Yield:8

Add the navy beans, three bay leaves, and Creole seasoning to taste to a large saucepot. Add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches. Bring to a boil and cook, adding additional water as necessary, until beans are soft, about 1 hour. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Add the Andouille and cook until brown, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, celery, garlic, oregano, and Creole seasoning to taste; cook until the vegetables are tender and translucent, about 7 minutes.

Crush the tomatoes with your hands over the contents of the Dutch oven before adding them to the pot. Add the 2 remaining bay leaves, Worcestershire, reserved navy beans, thyme, and green onions. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the beans have absorbed the broth, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile set a low broiler. Combine the Panko, Parmesan, oregano or thyme leaves, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Add the shrimp to the Dutch oven, and cook until they are thoroughly pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Top the contents of the Dutch oven with the Panko mixture. Place under the broiler and cook until the Panko is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Alternatively, the cassoulets may be broiled and served in individual ramekins.

CONGEE or JOOK

Congee or Jook
Feel free to add more garnishes like soy sauce, fish sauce, fried shallots, or roasted salted peanuts to spice up this dish.

6 cups water
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken legs or thighs, skin removed and trimmed of excess fat
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, skin on and sliced into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
Pinch freshly ground white pepper, plus more as needed
Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Place all ingredients except the cilantro and scallions in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook at a lively simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice has completely broken down and the mixture is creamy, about 1 hour.

Turn off the heat and remove the chicken to a cutting board. When it’s cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding the cartilage and bones. Return the chicken shreds to the jook. Stir to combine, taste, and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro and scallions.

THAI RED CURRY CHICKEN

My Basic Thai Red Curry Chicken

This recipe is easy and fun to cook.  If you like onions, put in more. Like three kinds of peppers, add them. You get the idea. Just go with it. 

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

5 tablespoons Thai red curry paste ( I recommend Pantai or Mae Ploy brands)

3 (13 1/2 ounce) cans coconut milk 

3 tablespoons oil 

1 1/2 cups chicken stock 

1 tsp of hon dashi to strengthen the stock, optional

2 yellow onions

4 green bell peppers

2 carrots

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice or 1 tablespoon lime juice

3 Teaspoons Thai fish sauce 

1 teaspoon dried basil

8 -10 large cherry tomatoes

4 cups jasmine rice ( cooked)

Cut onion, bell pepper into bite size pieces and set aside. 

Shred carrots with a vegetable peeler and set aside.

Cut tomatoes in half and set aside.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.

Pour the oil into a five-quart pot and put over medium heat.

When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the Thai Red Curry Paste and stir, sautéing for about 2 minutes. (I like my Thai Red Curry the same as I ate it in Thailand, very spicy. Therefore, I use about 6 to 8 tablespoons of curry paste. Start with three and add more to taste.

Add the coconut milk and chicken stock, then throw the hon dashi in the pot and stir.

After the liquid begins to boil, add the vegetables, carrots, and tomatoes.

Add sugar, lemon juice, fish sauce and basil, then bring to a boil again. (I usually turn the heat down and allow the vegetables to cook for about five minutes or so before adding the chicken.).

Add the chicken and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for about five more minutes.

Serve with hot Jasmine rice.

Serves 8.

SWEET POTATO CATFISH CAKES

Catfish Sweet Potato Cakes

4 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets

Salt

3 sweet potatoes

1 russet potato

½ bulb roasted garlic, mashed

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon,

chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Fresh tarragon or cilantro

LIME MAYONNAISE:

2 tablespoons cilantro chopped

½ cup mayonnaise

1 lime, zested

1 tablespoon lime juice

PREHEAT oven to 350˚F.

SEASON catfish fillets with salt. Lightly spray a small baking dish with vegetable oil. Place fillets in dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until done. Let cool and flake.

PEEL and chop potatoes. In a medium boiler, cover potatoes with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Drain.

MASH potatoes in a large bowl and set aside to cool. When cool, add garlic, egg and tarragon; gently fold in catfish flakes.

SHAPE into 3-inch cakes. Dip in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs. Chill cakes in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes to firm them.

HEAT olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry cakes until golden brown. Place on paper towel to drain.

TOP with a teaspoon of lime mayonnaise and garnish with a sprig of fresh tarragon or cilantro.

TO MAKE LIME MAYONNAISE combine all ingredients and chill.

THAI GREEN CURRY

My Bare Bones Thai Green Curry Chicken
Too easy, but devastatingly good!

Sauté briefly in a little vegetable oil about a pound of boneless chicken thighs or breast, a knob of fresh ginger about the size of a ping pong ball, grated, four cloves of garlic, minced, 3 Tablespoons Thai Green Curry paste and the stems only (save the leaves) from one bunch of cilantro and the grated zest and the juice of two limes. Then add two cans coconut milk and 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 Tablespoons of fish sauce. Heat this mixture through and serve over jasmine rice or rice noodles garnished with the leaves from the afore-mentioned bunch of cilantro.