All time favorite - French Fries!

This is undoubtedly the all time favorite for any restaurant goer, at least for me, whenever I waltz in to any eatery, either around the corner from my house or the one along the busy glitzy street, this is the numero uno think that I look for on the menu.

So without further hoopla, here is my version of this all time favorite starter:

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes (large, even sized preferred), peeled
• 1 tablespoon refined flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Slice potatoes into French fry-shape, and place into cold water so they won't turn brown while you prepare the oil.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat alternately use a deep fryer if you have (in this case, you would need more oil). While the oil is heating, sift the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and paprika into a large bowl.
3. Take out the potatoes and allow the water to drain.
   
4. Sprinkle the mixed powder over the potatoes slices and shake well so as to get an even distribution.
   
5. Place the potatoes in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together.
   
6. Fry until cooked thoroughly and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

French Fry SPAM Casarole (courtesy www.recipesource.com)

Recipe courtesy http://www.recipesource.com
Original page: http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/meat/pork/spam/00/rec0004.html

FRENCH FRY SPAM CASSEROLE
Categories: Main dish
Yield: 8 servings

1 pk Frozen french fry potatoes, thawed (20 oz)
2 c Shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c Sour cream
1 cn Condensed cream of chicken soup (10 3/4 oz)
1 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed (12 oz)
1/2 c Chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c Chopped green onion
1/2 c Finely crushed corn flakes

• Heat oven to 350'F.
• In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cheese, sour cream, and soup.
• Stir in SPAM, bell pepper, and green onion.
• Spoon into 13x9″ baking dish.
• Sprinkle with crushed flakes.
• Bake 30-40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Chicken in hot garlic sauce

This dish has been one of my favourites for a long time. It is also one of the few that I started out with. A mixture of little bit of sweetness with the pungent garlic taste give this dish a superb taste!

Approximate preparation time: 30 minutes
Approximate cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Serves: 4
Serving suggestion: Steamed rice

Ingredients:

• 500 gm chicken breast and thighs, boneless and skinless, diced (2 inches)
  
• 2 medium sized Chinese cabbages (bok choy),
• 1 tblsp rice wine,
• 2 green onions, finely chopped,
• 2 tbsp corn starch,
• 150 ml chicken broth, lightly salted
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Oil, for frying
  
• Salt, to taste
• Water

Marinade:

1. Mix the cut chicken with the rice wine, green onions and about 1 tbsp cornstarch.
2. Set mixture aside for about half an hour and allow it to marinade.

Preparations:

1. Separate the cabbage leaves and stalk. Slice them lenght-wise.
2. Mix the chicken broth, white vinegar, about a fifth of a cup of water, garlic and a pinch of salt. Add about a teaspoon of cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Mix a cup of water with about a tablespoon of cornstarch.
   

Cooking:

1. Once the chicken is marinated: Heat a thick bottomed wok and add about 2 tbsp oil.
2. Once oil is sufficiently hot, stir fry chicken until it turns white or very lightly golden brown.
3. Remove chicken and allow its oil to drain on a paper towel.
4. Clean wok and add another 2 tbsp oil (take extra caution, earlier oil in the wok could be very hot and can cause burns), heat the oil.
5. Add the sliced cabbage and stir fry for a minute or so: at first add the stalks as this takes longer, then add the leaves.
6. Add the broth mixture to the wok. Allow to boil. Add in the water mixed with cornstarch. Keep stirring the sauce to thicken it.
7. Once the sauce has attained sufficient consistency, add in the chicken.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Chicken in Basil and Garlic Sauce

Here is a quick and easy recipe that not only tastes great but is also very healthy.

Approximate preparation time: 10 minutes
Approximate cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 4
Serving suggestion: Steamed rice, naan

Ingredients:

• 500 gm boneless chicken, preferably breast, diced.
• 400 ml chicken or vegetable stock, mildly salted
• 1 tblsp olive oil; can be substituted for 2 tblsp butter
  
• 1.5 tblsp Basil leaves, dried
• 1 tblsp Oregano
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 7-8 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 2-4 green chillies, finely sliced
• Salt, to taste
• 1-2 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Lemon rind, a pinch
• Fresh coriander, for garnishing
  

Directions:

1. In a large dish, season chicken with salt and pepper, allow to rest for 5 minutes.
2. In a skillet or wok, over medium heat, add in the olive oil (or butter), garlic and chicken, saute for 5-7 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown.
3. Once chicken gains the color, stir in about 100 ml stock and the herbs, allow to cook for another 10-14 minutes, until the chicken cooks and the stock is reduced.
4. Remove chicken from the skillet (or wok), keep it warm.
5. Add the remaining stock, chopped chillies and a pinch of salt to the skillet (or wok).
   
6. Keep it on the heat until the stock is reduced to about half.
7. Pour over the chicken, the reduced stock.
8. Add lemon juice, lemon rind and garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve hot with steamed rice or plain naan

Food Profile: Spinach

OK, we all have seen Popeye time and again gain super-human strength by downing a can of Spinach... Believe me, spinach is very good for you... In-fact I just downed some myself last night...

There is some great information from http://whfoods.org.

For detailed information, visit the web-page at http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43&utm_source=rss_reader&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_feed.

Food Profile: Spinach
Calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables like spinach with its delicate texture and jade green color provide more nutrients than any other food. Although spinach is available throughout the year, its season runs from March through May and from September through October when it is the freshest, has the best flavor and is most readily available.

Health Benefits
We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time.

Tips for Preparing Spinach:
Spinach, whether bunched or prepackaged, should be washed very well since the leaves and stems tend to collect sand and soil. Before washing, trim off the roots and separate the leaves. Place the spinach in a large bowl of tepid water and swish the leaves around with your hands as this will allow any dirt to become dislodged. Remove the leaves from the water, empty the bowl, refill with clean water and repeat this process until no dirt remains in the water (usually two to three times will do the trick). Cut away any overly thick stems to ensure for more even cooking. If you are going to use the spinach in a salad, you can dry it in either a salad spinner or by shaking it in a colander. If you are going to cook it, you do not need to worry about drying it well as the remaining water will serve to help it cook. Spinach is one of the few vegetables we suggest quick boiling (for one minute). That's because boiling will help to reduce the amount of oxalic acids found in spinach, resulting in a sweeter taste.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:
• Add layers of steamed spinach to your next lasagna recipe.
• Toss steamed spinach with pressed garlic, fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese.
• Pine nuts are a great addition to cooked spinach.
• Spinach salads are a classic easy and delicious meal or side dish.

Read the complete article athttp://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43&utm_source=rss_reader&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_feed.

Long Island Iced Tea

OK, the summers are here, the temperatures are rising fast and we need constant amount of fluid in our system... (and by fluid I mean - stuff which make us more fluid... mellow down man)...

So here's the first shot...


Type: Cocktail Drink, Alcoholic
Serving Dish: High Glass

Long Island Iced Tea...
(serving for 1)
(Picture for reference only, the picture has ice cubes instead of crushed ice)


Stuff you will need:

• 2 tea spoon vodka
• 2 tea spoon gin
• 2 tea spoon gold rum
• 2 tea spoon gold tequila
• 2 tea spoon triple sec (its an orange-flavoured liqeur)

• 20ml (freshly squeezed is good) lemon juice
• 20ml (freshly squeezed is good) orange juice
• 1 tea spoon sugar syrup
• crushed ice
• cola

Stuff to make it look good:

• lemon slice

Mixing the stuff together:
Actually here, all you do is mix it all together... best if you have a cocktail shaker:

• Pour the vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, lemon juice, orange juice, sugar syrup into a cocktail shaker.
• Add the crushed ice and shake well.
• Fill a highball glass half full with crushed ice. Strain over the mixture, then top up with the cola.
• To make it look good while serving it, just garnish the glass with a slice of lemon.

OK, I made the thing and downed it... I must tell you, holding the bottles of vodka, gin, rum and tequila in my hand, I was wondering - "what the heck, just have these instead - save the time..."

But after it was made, and after I sipped it down... This was infact quite nice... I would recommend it to all those who are sitting out in the sun on a lazy Saturday afternoon... Down this and get a little more lazy!!!

Additional Resources:
1. Highball Glass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highball_glass)
2. Triple Sec (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Sec)