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What are the recipes that you find your self digging up after using them once, twice or years later? Which ones do you have in your normal rotation because they can be depended on and aren't too extravagant.

I'm doing this just as much for me. I spent 30 minutes scrounging the internet for this Red Thai Curry recipe that came out perfect before.


Thai Red Curry Chicken

This one really nails the rich flavor you find in restaurants and it's a pretty simple trick. A nearly 1:1:1 ratio of the curry paste, sugar, and fish sauce sauteed and then reduced with the coconut milk for long time. Don't be afraid to add a extra tablespoon of the red curry paste.

Get that curry all thick

Ingredients

Thai Red Curry Chicken Ingredients
1 1/2 lb chicken breast boned, skinned and cut into 1″ pieces

2 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth

2 1/2 cups coconut milk or 2 – 14 oz (400ml) cans (NOT Coco Lopez cream of coconut as used in piña coladas)

2 cups sweet or Thai basil, leaves and a few buds only – not stems

1 or 2 medium size red bell peppers (capsicum) cut into 1″ cubes

2 medium to large size jalapeños peppers, sliced very thin

1 / 8 or 10 oz can bamboo shoots

2 to 3 tbsp prepared Thai red curry paste – more is hotter!

2 1/2 tsp fish sauce

3 tbsp sugar

2 big lime tree leaves, torn or cut with a serrated knife into 1/4″ strips (Kaffir lime leaves are preferred, but since I can never find them we have our own lime tree – more like a bush – that we pilfer leaves from and they work just fine.) - I didn't use this.

Preparation

Combine curry paste, fish sauce, sugar and one cup of the coconut milk in a wok. (If you are lucky…the coconut milk has been on the shelf long enough to condense thick at one end of the can, and if so use that for this step! The thicker, the better).

Bring to a boil and reduce over a medium-high heat. Scrape sides and mash the curry so it mixed well into the rest of the ingredients. Don’t let it stick to the bottom of the pan. It should become a thick, darkened, pasty consistency after about 15 minutes. Pockets of reddish oil will begin to form, (see picture), but if this doesn’t happen after 15 minutes add a few tbsp of the reserved stock and reduce some more. Repeat if necessary.

Cook for 10 or so minutes at medium-high stirring and scraping so not to stick to the wok, and then add the remaining coconut milk and a 1/2 cup of the reserved stock.

Just before it boils again add the chicken and cook for a few minutes so chicken is cooked through. Next stir in the bell peppers and jalapeño and bamboo shoots, cooking for a just a few minutes longer so the peppers are no longer raw but a little al dente.

Remove the wok from heat and add lime leaves and basil.

http://www.adobenido.com/blog/2011/...thai-red-curry-chicken-recipe-the-real-thing/

That's the processes to make the fantastic curry. As for the chicken I cook it separately in a pan, when it is browned on both sides but not cooked though I pour the curry over and let it cook the rest of the way. Add the veggies and let them cook



Next is Cooks Illustrated Simple Marinara. These guys have a clear winner. You know how you will saute up some onions, peppers to touch up a jarred sauce? This is like 100x better than that.

Ingredients

2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium garlic cloves, mince
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti or Merlot
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1-2 teaspoons sugar, as needed

Preparation

Pour tomatoes and juice into strainer set over large bowl. Open tomatoes with hands and remove and discard cores, let tomatoes drain excess liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove 3/4 cup tomatoes from strainer and set aside. Reserve 2 1/2 cups tomato juice.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and golden around edges, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and oregano and cook, 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes from strainer and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring every minute, until liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to stick to bottom of pan, 10-12 minutes. Add wine and cook until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute. Add reserved tomato juice and bring to simmer;reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is thick, 8-10 minutes.

Transfer sauce to food processor and add reserved tomatoes, process until slightly chunky. Return sauce to skillet and add basil and extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper and sugar to taste.

http://frugalhausfrau.wordpress.com/rants/jarredcanned-spaghetti-sauce/1292-2/

You may find yourself asking why they do certain things, like use whole tomatoes or wait till the toms stick to the pan. If you go and buy a subscription to Cook's Illustrated they explain why they made each choice and not a hundred others.



Thai-Style Chicken with Basil
I spent years trying to reproduce the spicy thai basil with chicken that is ubiquitous in thai places across the land. Thank God Cooks Illustrated worked up their own version. I would have never gotten it right anyway. First of all, 2 cups of basil! And you start the cooking in cold oil to extract the flavor from the aromatics. I was just trying to repurpose a standard stir-fry into thai basil, it turns out that would never work.

Fantastic, just need veggies

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves (hot basil or Thai holy basil if you can find it)
3 medium garlic cloves , peeled
6 Thai green chili or 6 red Thai red chili peppers , stemmed
2 tablespoons fish sauce , plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar , plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon sugar , plus extra for serving
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast , cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium shallots , peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

Process 1 cup basil leaves, garlic and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 1-second pulses, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed (turn off processor first!).

Transfer 1 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.

Pulse chicken and 1 tablespoon fish sauce in food processor until meat is chopped into approximate 1/4-inch pieces, six to eight 1-second pulses. Transfer to medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. (Remember, you start with a cold pan) Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 1 1/2 minutes; if it doesn't, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5-8 minutes.

Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken with potato masher or rubber spatula, until only traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute.

Stir in remaining cup basil leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until basil is wilted, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar separately.

http://www.food.com/recipe/thai-style-chicken-with-basil-cooks-illustrated-403690

Don't be afraid to make extra sauce for this recipe. Also, you should not that this just produces the chopped up chicken and sauce. You will probably want to stir-fry up some veggies to mix in. Once again, this is Cook's Illustrated so if you want to learn why you make the choices they do you should look it up.


Don't be afraid to post just try to remember that there are thousands of recipes out there, what makes yours better than them? Also, please include a link to a place with the full recipe.

 

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Weber's Turkey Burgers with Scallions and Mushrooms

When my dad stopped eating red meat I figured we would never have a proper meatloaf in our family again. Well, 15 years later I'm out of the house and I found a recipe that actually makes turkey burgers and turkey loaf worth eating. The secret? A whole shit load of spices and ingredients to make sure it doesn't dry out and let it marinate over night.

Look at all that stuffed into the burger. It makes turkey taste good.

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, plus a little more for grilling the patties
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1-1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2-1/2 pounds ground turkey (93% lean)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
8 sesame seed buns
Dijon mustard, optional
Tabasco® sauce, optional

Preparation

1. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Twist out the stems from the caps and discard. Cut the mushrooms into 1/4-inch dice.

2. In a skillet large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer, heat the garlic in the oil over medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, swirl it for even cooking until it starts to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger and the scallions and continue to cook until the scallions start to wilt, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, move the ingredients to a baking sheet, keeping as much of the fragrant oil as possible in the pan. Add the mushrooms in an even layer to the pan and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to medium and cook until caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the mushrooms to the baking sheet, spreading them out to cool.

3. In a large bowl gently mix the turkey, cooked vegetables, thyme, soy sauce, sesame oil, mustard powder, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Divide the turkey mixture into 8 portions, about 6 ounces each. Gently shape into patties about 4 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

4. If you are using a charcoal grill, fill a Weber® RapidFire® chimney starter to the rim with charcoal and burn the charcoal until it is lightly covered with ash. Spread the charcoal in a tightly packed, single layer across one-half of the charcoal grate. Put the cooking grate in place, close the lid, and preheat the grill to high heat. Keep all the vents open.

If you are using a gas grill, preheat your grill on high until it reaches 500°F.

5. Lightly coat the burgers on both sides with olive oil. Brush the cooking grate(s) clean. Grill the patties over direct high heat (450°F to 550°F), with the lid closed as much as possible, until well browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once when the patties release easily from the grate and swapping their positions as needed for even cooking. Move the patties over indirect high heat and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, 4 to 6 minutes, swapping their positions as needed for even cooking.

6. Grill the buns, cut sides down, over direct heat, with the lid open, until lightly toasted, 20 to 30 seconds. Serve warm with mustard and Tabasco® sauce, if desired.

http://mb4872.multiply.com/journal/item/38?&show_interstitial=1&u=/journal/item

Can be use as great meatloaf recipe. Just remember there is no such thing as medium rare or medium well with turkey burgers. It's all cooked to 165F.

 

[Dany]

Cooking-GAF, Iron-GAF, Recipe-GAF

-_-

That turkey burger does look nice though