Thai Green Curry Chicken

                                                                                                  © Paul Cisneros 2010

    Another one of my culinary passions is Asian food. Especially the cuisines of Southeast Asia. I really love all the plethora of flavors. Sweet, salty, sour and spicy. There is something about it that I can't put my finger on. Asian food was actually the impetus for me to start learning to cook, but I'd strayed for awhile. Perhaps it was intimidation, but recently I've started to learn a few dishes. After spending a month backpacking in Thailand, I came back wanting to recreate all the amazing things I tasted there.

    One of my favorite all-time favorite Thai dishes is Green Curry Chicken. It is really a staple dish all over Thailand. I had it many, many times while I was there and was always delicious. This particular curry is spicy. If you don't like spicy food the only way to not make it spicy is make the curry from scratch without the chilies. For this recipe, however, we will be using the curry paste that you can get at your local Asian market. Most people, even Thai's, make it this way. So let's get started!

Thai Green Curry Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1 Chicken Breast
1/3 cup Thai Green Curry Paste

1 can Coconut Milk

1 Carrot

1/2 Onion

1/2 cup Eggplant 

1/2 cup Bamboo shoots

1/2 Green or Red Bell Pepper

2 cups Water

1 TBSP Sugar

1 TSP Salt

1/2 cup Asian Basil

DIRECTIONS:

Cut all vegetables and chicken into bite size portions ( about 1") and set aside separately. 

***Remember to wash hands after handling raw poultry***

Pour 1/2 can of coconut milk and the curry paste into a large pot and turn the heat to medium low. Stir the mixture until the curry has mixed well into the coconut milk. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the chicken. Reduce heat to gentle boil and cook the chicken through. Add vegetables. Stir for about 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add sugar,salt and remaining coconut milk and stir for another minute. 

Take off the heat and add the basil. Stir for another minute or until the basil has wilted. Serve immediately with Jasmine rice.

This post and 50¢ will get you a Cappuccino (No, Really)

I’m a HUGE coffee aficionado. And that’s an understatement. Like many people these days, the day doesn’t really begin without picking up a nice ‘cup of Joe’ from Starbucks. But with the economy the way it is many people are looking for ways to cut back. Including myself. So, I decided to cut the Seattle giant out and learn how to make my own favorite barista concoction: Cappuccino. And to my surprise it was not so difficult to do!

Here is what you’ll need:

• Bialetti Moka Express or Stovetop espresso maker

• Milk Frother

• Espresso (my favorite is Lavazza)

• Milk

Here is where you can get what you’ll need:

• Bialetti Moka Express: http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Express-1-Cup-Stovetop-Percolator/dp/B002GWKVA4

• Milk Frother: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10076320

• Espresso: http://www.amazon.com/Lavazza-Cafe-Espresso-Coffee-Ground/dp/B0001GNEQA/ref=sr_1_17?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1284955070&sr=1-17

Directions:

First, you need to fill up the bottom part of the espresso maker with cold water. There should be a line on the inside of it to show you where you should stop filling it. **WARNING** Don’t fill past this line or you risk the possibility of the espresso maker bursting while it is percolating***

Next, scoop the espresso into the filter. It can be heaping over the top but just make sure that you don’t pack the espresso. There needs to room for the steam to flow through.

Then screw the top part of the espresso maker back on and place it on the stove over medium-low heat. In 4-5 minutes the espresso should be ready. Listen for the percolating sound and take off the heat immediately.

Get a standard 6oz coffee cup and fill with milk 1/3 of the way. Put into the microwave for 40 seconds. Then take the milk frother and froth the milk until desired consistency.

Pour espresso into the center of the cup and you are done!

Love at first bite (Classic Italian Panini)

                                                                 © Paul Cisneros 2010

      The first time I ever tried this incredibly simple sandwich was the first night I was in Paris. I had decided to venture out in the area close to my hotel after some of the jet lag started to wear off. Although I didn’t know at the time, I was close to the historic Bastille area, an area known for it’s nightlife with many bars and restaurants. I was quite hungry as I had just taken a nap and the aroma coming from one street vendor was intoxicating. I saw a sign painted in huge red letters that said ‘PANINI’. So, I decided to give it a whirl and I’m by no means exaggerating by saying that it was love at first bite! I still have them quite regularly and have tried experimenting with different types of ingredients and bread.

     The classic Italian Panini is with a good rustic Italian white bread sliced, fresh basil leaves, mozzarella and sliced tomato. Many Italians also use ciabatta bread and often add prosciutto to the sandwich. I prefer it this way as well. What I really like is that they are very easy to make and are pretty much impossible to mess up. 

Basil Pesto Pizza

                                                                                                   © Paul Cisneros 2010

Italian food. I LOVE Italian food! So I'll start this blog with one of my favorite things to make...Basil Pesto Pizza!! I don't even know if it's origin is really in Italy. Frankly speaking, I don't think I really care cause it's so delicious. I used to be intimidated by making pestos because I had tried to make it in the past and failed. Luckily, for me, I'm not one to give up so easily. This summer I've grown my own basil plant and had so much basil that I decided to give it another go. And I'm glad I did! If you've ever made your own pesto, you know that the stuff you buy in a jar just doesn't compare with one freshly made. Intimidated? Don't be. If you can throw about 5 ingredients into a food processor and turn it on, you're good to go. 

This time I decided to add artichoke hearts. For me this is the ultimate Mediterranean pizza. The only thing missing for me would be a sprinkle of Feta cheese on top. Feel free to make this recipe your own. I did.


Basil Pesto Pizza


INGREDIENTS:


1 Flatbread (or you could make your own dough)
2 Tbsp  Basil Pesto
1/4 cup Fresh Mozzarella cheese 
1/4 cup Chicken sliced
2 Artichoke hearts quartered
6-8 Black Olives sliced


Basil Pesto:


• 2 cups fresh Basil leaves (packed)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup Pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano 
• 2/3 cup Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
**Optional: Sprinkle a few leftover Pine Nuts over the top


Add all ingredients (except Pecorino Romano) into a food processor and pulse until smooth slowly incorporating the olive oil. You can either mix the cheese in at the end by hand or in the food processor. 


DIRECTIONS:


Pre-heat oven to 350º. Place pre-packaged flatbread on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. Flip the flatbread over on the baking sheet. Put about 2 Tbsp of the Basil Pesto in the center of the flatbread and spread in a circular motion from the center covering the whole flatbread and leaving about a 1/2 crust. Next, add the mozzarella cheese as evenly possible over the pesto. Then place the rest of ingredients over the cheese as you'd like. Place pizza back into the oven at 350º for another 10 minutes. Remember, the more ingredients you have on the pizza the longer the cooking time! You will have to experiment with your oven. Add some good Parmigiano Reggiano over the top. Buono Appetito!!