Spicy Shrimp Pasta

This dish is Italian-inspired, but I have no clue what its actual Italian name would be. It's creamy, spicy, and with a nice hint of wine. Basil also helps give it a wonderful aroma. Serve it with a side of homemade garlic bread, and you have a great meal.

Ingredients:
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and de-veined.
1 lb penne pasta.
1/3 c. white wine, or a shot of brandy.
1 1/2 c. heavy cream.
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper.
2 tblsp. flour.
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian style. You can also use fresh tomatoes and season with oregano, basil, and just a dash of fennel.
1 onion, chopped.
3 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 tblsp. olive oil.
3 tblsp. chopped fresh basil, or 1 1/2 tsp. dried.
salt, to taste.

Boil the pasta until al dente, drain and set aside. I cook the pasta while I'm making the sauce.

Heat a large, high-sided skillet or a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, crushed red pepper and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the flour is slightly browned, maybe 2 minutes. Put in the diced tomatoes and white wine, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the bite of the wine has softened.

Toss in the shrimp and heavy cream, and cook until the shrimp are pink and the sauce is bubbling. Season with salt and basil. When the sauce is ready, add the pasta. Stir, cover the skillet and turn off the heat. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes, for the pasta to absorb some of the sauce.

Pancit (Filipino Stir-Fried Noodles)

If there's one thing that I've learned about Filipino parties, its that the emphasis is placed almost entirely on the food. Nobody worries about "tablescapes", lighting, party games or music mixes (although Heaven help us if there's a karaoke machine in the vicinity!). Heck, even the guest list is completely fluid. Instead, the philosophy seem to be, "Serve large amounts of good food, and everything else will fall into place." And I have to admit, I have yet to see it go wrong.

This dish is the Filipino equivalent to Chinese lo mein, and...along with rice...is almost a requirement at every good gathering. Made with rice noodles instead of traditional flour noodles, this dish has a lighter feel to it than lo mein. Guests can devour copious amounts, too. I have literally never met anyone who doesn't love pancit, once introduced to its tummy-filling bliss. It's so popular that my mother has taken to firing up an outdoor butane burner on the patio and making entire cauldrons full at a time. But for practicality's sake, I've cut this down to a more manageable, stovetop size.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. rice noodles. They come in a wide range of sizes, but you want to use the almost hair-fine variety. It's often labeled as "rice sticks".
1 lb pork, diced into 1/2-inch pieces. You can also use chicken or shrimp.
2 tblsp. canola oil.
2 carrots, julienned.
1 onion, minced.
2 stalks celery, cut into thin slices.
5 cloves of garlic, minced.
3 cups cabbage, finely shredded.
3 tblsp. soy sauce.
1 tblsp. fish sauce.
water or broth, to add as needed.
1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper, depending on your taste.
salt (optional)

Start with the noodles. Unlike flour noodles, these fine rice noodles don't need boiling. Fill a large pot or bowl with hot water (straight from the tap is fine), submerge the noodles, and let them soak until tender. You actually want them just a bit al dente: soft and pliable, yet with the slightest bit of firmness when you bite into them. This can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. After soaking the noodles, drain them. Pancit requires the rice noodles to be in somewhat shorter pieces, generally 3-6 inches. The best way to do this is to take some cooking shears and make a few random snips into the mound of noodles. Once they're ready, set them aside.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil, onions, garlic and the meat, and stir-fry until the meat is completely cooked. Next, add the carrots and celery. Cook until the veggies are tender, but still have a bit of crispness to them. Season with the fish sauce, then add the rice noodles. Stirring almost constantly, drizzle in the soy sauce and toss until its well-absorbed. Next, add the cabbage. You don't want the cabbage to cook until completely limp and lifeless, you want it only to wilt a bit.

Be sure to taste the pancit during cooking, not only to adjust the seasonings, but to check the tenderness of the noodles. If your noodles are still a bit firm, add a bit of water or chicken broth (only a few tablespoons at a time!) and toss until its absorbed. Rice noodles should do this very quickly. Season with the pepper, and add some salt if necessary. This dish actually keeps very well in the fridge, and can be rewarmed if necessary.

Fumi Salad

This refreshing, Asian-inspired salad is always a crowd pleaser. My family serves this often during parties and get-togethers, and its a big hit every time. Even people who swear their indifference to salads eagerly help themselves.

Fumi salad is a cabbage-based salad, like cole slaw, but the resemblance ends there. An Asian-style vinegarette dressing gives plenty of zest, and the surprising addition of crushed ramen noodles gives it a crisp, light crunch.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 small to medium-sized head of cabbage, shredded.
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro.
1/4 c. roasted sunflower seed kernels (no shells). Salted/seasoned is fine. You can find them at almost any gas station or rest stop.
1 1/2 packages of instant ramen noodles, crushed into small pieces. Be sure not to leave any big chunks, but don't crush them to powder.
1 bunch of green onions, sliced into thin rings.

For the dressing:
4 tblsp. sugar.
2 tsp. soy sauce.
1 tsp. black pepper
Flavor packets from 2 packages of instant ramen noodles. You can buy ramen noodles in any flavor under the sun, but for this recipe, keep to the basic flavors. I use either the chicken, shrimp or oriental flavors, alone or in combination.
6 tblsp. vinegar.
1 tsp. sesame oil.
1 c. vegetable oil.

In a large salad bowl, combine all the salad ingredients except the ramen noodles and toss to mix well. In a separate bowl or shaker, mix the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper and flavor packets, and wisk well to combine. Add the sesame oil, then slowly add the vegetable oil and mix well to make a vinegarette. At this point, both the salad and the dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to a day.

Just before serving, add the dressing (remix it if necessary) to the salad and toss to lightly coat. Depending on your tastes and how much cabbage you use, you may not need all the dressing, so don't dump it all in at once. Finally, add the crushed ramen noodles (like the dressing, you may not use it all) and give it a final mixing.

Shrimp Lo Mein

Asian food is some of my favorite. Who doesn't like some good lo mein noodles? Nowadays, you can find them made with a wide range of ingredients, from carrots to mushrooms. Traditionally, however, these noodles are very simple.

I prefer them in the traditional manner. Something about the simplicity seems to make the whole dish pop. They're also very easy to make at home.

Ingredients:
1 lb noodles. I buy the traditional semi-wide lo mein noodles, but you can also use linguini or even spaghetti.
1 lb green onions, sliced into 2-inch pieces.
1 slice of fresh ginger, about 1/4 inch thick.
2 cups shredded cabbage or bean sprouts.
1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined.
2 tblsp. vegetable or peanut oil.
1 tsp. sesame oil.
3 tblsp. soy sauce.
1 tsp. mushroom soy sauce (optional). Mushroom soy sauce has a richer taste and much darker color than regular soy sauce, which makes it a great way to get a deeper color without overdoing the soy sauce.
2 tblsp. oyster sauce

Start by boiling the noodles until they're tender. Drain and set aside. Add the sesame oil and toss to keep them from sticking while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add the vegetable oil, ginger and shrimp. Stir fry for a few minutes (until the shrimp is almost done), then add the green onions. Cook for another minute, than add the cabbage. You don't want the cabbage cooked to limpness, just enough to wilt. It takes maybe another minute. Add the noodles, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Cook until combined and the flavors are melded. Taste for seasonings, and serve.

Oven-Baked Buffalo Wings

Buffalo wings are one of the great party foods. No utensils needed, full festive flavors, and makes it perfectly acceptable to lick your fingers in public.

Most buffalo wings are prepared by frying. While I have nothing against fried wings, I'd rather not make them at home. Frying is a mess, and requires both standing over a stove and serving the food quickly. I'm not a fan of nursemaiding a pot of hot oil while a party is going on. So instead, these wings are baked. A bit of cornstarch gives a lightly crisp crunch on the outside. It cuts the workload way down, makes the wings a bit healthier, and still makes a great addition to the party.

Ingredients:

5 lbs of chicken wings, wingtips removed, and cut at the joint to separate the wing sections. You can buy them pre-sectioned, but I find it cheaper to buy them whole and do it myself.
2 tblsp. hot sauce.
2 tsp. garlic powder.
1 tblsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tblsp. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder
Half a shot of tequila or rum.
3 tblsp. corn starch
A bottle of your favorite buffalo wing sauce, or a homemade sauce. I don't make my own buffalo wing sauce anymore. I found a bottled version that I really like, and the cost is the same that I would spend to make it myself. So, I figure I'd just run with it.

The night before, mix together all the ingredients except the corn starch and wing sauce. Toss the wings well to coat, and marinate in the fridge overnight. It's best to do this in a large bowl or container, well-covered.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan (or a good-sized cookie sheet with sides) with nonstick cooking spray or cover the bottom with foil. Add the cornstarch to the wings and toss until they're well-coated. Spread the wings out in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Remove the wings from the pan (I use cooking tongs for this), and put in a large bowl. While still hot from the oven, add the desired amount of wing sauce and mix well to coat. Serve right away.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuit Crust

Chicken pot pie, at its core, is very simple. Chicken stew baked in a crust. However, that opens the door for a bazillion different variations. Not only can you change up the type of stew, you can change the type of crust.

My husband calls this particular variation, "the best chicken pot pie, ever." It's your traditional pot pie filling, but made with a cheddar biscuit crust. This is a good-sized recipe and should fill a 9x13 roasting pan. If you like, you can make the filling in advance.

Filling ingredients:
2 lbs boneless chicken, diced in 1/2 inch pieces. Either white or dark meat is fine.
2 tblsp. butter.
1 whole onion.
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced.
1 can cream-style corn.
2 carrots, diced.
2 celery stalks, diced.
1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen.
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste.

Gravy ingredients:
1 can chicken broth, or equivalent amount fresh.
2 tblsp. oil
2 tblsp. flour.
salt and pepper, to taste.

Crust ingredients:
4 c. flour
8 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 c. shortening
2 c. milk.
2 tblsp. white vinegar.

Start with the filling. First, the gravy. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and flour, and cook until the flour is lightly browned. It should take about 2 minutes. Then, whisk in the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for another 3-4 minutes, to thicken. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, carrots and celery, and cook until the onions are clear and the carrots are starting to tenderize. Turn up the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken, poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Add the creamed corn, green peas and gravy, and cook until the entire mixture is heated through. Once finished, pour the filling in a 9x13 baking pan.

Now, for the crust. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the milk and vinegar, and set it aside to sour and thicken. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, then cut in the shortening. Stir in the cheese. Add the milk mixture, a bit at a time, and stir after each addition. You want just enough liquid for the mixture to come together in a dough. If you need more liquid, you can just use plain milk.

When you have the dough, knead it very briefly on a well-floured surface. With a biscuit crust, the less you knead it, the better. You only want to work it just enough for the ingredients to come together and become elastic. It takes as little as 3-5 kneads for this to happen.

Roll out the crust on a floured surface. You want it about 1/3-1/2 inch thick. Then, place it over the filling. If you have any extra crust, you can just form it into biscuits and bake them on a cookie sheet.

Bake the pot pie in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Serve it when it's nice and hot.

Lamb Curry

I really enjoy curry, especially when it's cold outside. The combination of spices and flavors works so well to warm you up inside. And there are so many ways to make it! There are entire cookbooks dedicated to different types of curry.

As much as I would love to experiment with them all, I'm admittedly hampered by ingredient availability (and that can a problem anywhere there's no good spice or Indian store). Those wonderful spices, curry's trademark, can be difficult to find. Where I live, I'm more likely to find kryptonite than fenugreek. Still, you can usually find enough ingredients to make a good, basic curry....which is what this recipe is.

I use premixed curry powder. I normally don't like pre-mixed seasonings, but finding curry powder in the stores here is much easier than finding each individual curry spice. If you use pre-mixed curry powder, be sure to check the ingredients in the spice mix. Look for a curry powder that at least has coriander, tumeric, fenugreek, cumin, nutmeg and cloves. If needed, you can always add the additional (and more common!) spices like black pepper and ginger separately.

Ingredients:
2 lbs lamb, cut into 1-inch pieces. I like lamb breast, cut conveniently into slices by the meat counter. It's inexpensive and makes for a very rich curry. However, lamb shoulder or lamb leg also works just fine.
1 whole onion, diced
2 hot green chiles, seeded and diced.
1 can diced tomatoes, or 3 medium tomatoes, diced.
1/4 c. vinegar
1 bay leaf
4 tsp. yellow curry powder.
Salt, to taste
2 tblsp. ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil.
Water (if needed)

Heat a 6-8 quart pot over medium/high heat. Add the ghee and onions, and cook until onions are translucent. Add the lamb, tomatoes, curry powder and vinegar and turn the heat down to medium/low. It should smell pretty sharp and vinegar-y at this point, but don't worry. The vinegar will mellow and loose some its sharpness while cooking. You can pour in a little water if needed, but don't overdo it. Curry shouldn't be soupy. Simmer over medium/low heat for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the meat is tender and the flavors are melded.

I've always heard that curry, like stew, tastes better the next day. Some people make it the day before, and reheat it on the day they actually plan to serve it. I personally can't do that. It smells so darned good while cooking that I can't wait. Serve it with a side of white rice or Indian flatbread (naan).

Filipino Chicken and Mung Beans (Balatung)

Once, out of sheer curiosity, I decided to try to find a recipe for this on the Internet. It was, I'm sad to say, an incredibly unfruitful search. The few recipes I saw were so far into left field as to bear no resemblance to the dish I grew up eating. I don't know if it's a sad butchery of a classic Filipino soul food, or just the dish as interpreted by another Filipino cooking style (highly possible, considering how many different islands and subcultures there are in the Phillippines).

Anyway, I found the situation saddening and decided I had to try and remedy it. Balatung is wonderful! Tender, slide-off-the-bone chicken, with mung beans cooked until they reach a gravy-like consistency that works perfectly with hot rice. The closest thing I can compare the flavor to is cream gravy, with a more exotic feel. Except, unlike regular cream gravy, this stuff is good for you.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, or a combination of 8-10 legs and thighs. Do NOT use boneless or all-white-meat chicken! That's a sure-fire way to kill the flavor.
1 14-ounce package of dried split mung beans, peeled. You can find these in many grocery store nowadays. Can't find them peeled? No problem. Just buy them with the skins on, put them in a bowl of water, and scrub them between your hands. The skins will come off and sit on top, and you can pour them off with the water.
3 cans of chicken broth, or an equivalent amount of water or homemade chicken broth.
1 onion, chopped.
6 cloves of garlic, minced.
2 tblsp. vegetable or canola oil.
3 tblsp. fish sauce.
1/4 tsp. black pepper.
2 tsp. salt.

Start on the mung beans first. Rinse the mung beans well, and put them in a 6-8 quart pot. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let it simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Be sure to stir on occasion to prevent sticking. Add more water or broth, if needed, if the pot becomes to dry. As the beans cook, they will break down to a consistency that's similar to pea soup or cream gravy. Once it's tender, remove from heat and cover it to keep warm.

Once the beans are tender, you can start on the chicken. Heat a 6-8 quart pot over medium/high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are tender. Add the chicken, salt and pepper, and cook until it's nice and browned. At that point, the chicken has probably generated enough liquid to stew itself. If not, add enough chicken broth or water to make about 1" of liquid in the pot. Add the fish sauce, turn the heat down to medium/low, and cover the pot. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. You want the chicken to be tender enough that the meat comes off the bone easily. If you poke a piece with your stirring spoon and the meat slides off easily, it's ready.

Add the mung beans, and taste for seasonings. Simmer for another 5 minutes to combine the flavors. Serve hot over white rice.