Tag Archives: basil

one pot thai chicken curry {turn up the heat!}

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{thai chicken curry}

{thai chicken curry}

Recipe via bonappetit.com (Although I found this in the actual handheld paper version of the magazine. I can’t be the ONLY one left who still subscribes to print magazines, right??)

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 4-ounce can or jar yellow curry paste
3/4 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 13.5-ounce or 15-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
Chopped fresh basil and cilantro

Preparation
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, onion, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add potatoes, chicken, coconut milk, and 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Divide curry among bowls and top with herbs.

——————————

After searching a few different stores, I finally found actual curry paste at Whole Foods. Don’t use pre-made curry sauces! You’re making your own sauce in this recipe.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have yellow paste which the recipe calls for. With my smart phone in hand, I googled “yellow vs. green curry paste” and in short, the spice level of the green curry (which Whole Foods DID have) was higher.

I’m a huge chicken when it comes to heat so I only used 3/4 of the curry paste AND added a dollop half a cup of Greek yogurt in the dish to tone down the spice. What I ended up with was a not-spicy-at-all curry dish, which was fine for me, but did nothing to help build my tolerance.

I think next time I make this (and I WILL be making this again, since I found YELLOW curry at a restaurant supply store!), I won’t chicken out and I’ll use the entire 4 oz. of curry paste and I won’t add yogurt. I’ll just be sure to keep a glass of milk on the side when I eat it.

Muffaletta. Gesundheit. {summer picnics}

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Summer in LA means warm days (or face-melting, oven-like heat if you’re in the valley), longer hours of sunlight and outdoor evening events, namely watching classic movies…in a cemetery.

{hollywood forever cemetery}

I recently got to relive the terror of the T-Rex staring right into that Explorer while enjoying a picnic with our dearly departed at Cinespia’s screening of Jurassic Park. For about $10, you get a spot on the lawn to watch the movie and break bread with your friends, or in our case, muffalettas.

{eeeek! dinosaurs!}

NB: To truly get into the spirit, one should always wear a themed t-shirt to an event like this. Also, LOOK HOW ADORABLE THE OMNOMNOMNIVORE IS! (yes, I own this and yes, I wore it to JP).

{omnomnomnivore!}

A constant struggle I have with picnics is finding foods with longevity or or transport-friendly (aka will this keep after sitting in a picnic basket for hours?). The best answer in sandwich form: the Muffaletta.

{muffaletta sandwich}

Since the idea behind the muffaletta is to let everything soak into the bread, it’s perfect to pack hours (or even the day) before your picnic and will last the long trek from your car to the cemetery.

The “recipe” for this sandwich is hardly set in stone, but I took a few more culinary liberties and came up with this:

Olive Salad

1 small can seeded and sliced black olives
1 jar artichoke hearts
red pepper flakes
a bit of dried oregano and dried basil
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add spicesred pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Cover in refrigerator for a few hours (the longer, the better so the flavors can soak into each other).

{olive salad}

 The Sandwich

olive salad
mortadella
salame
sliced mozzarella
sliced provolone
loaf of ciabatta bread

Slice bread in half and layer mozzarella on one side and provolone on the other. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted. Add olive salad to one side and layer the mortadella and salame on the other. Combine both sides and slice into individual sandwiches. Wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready for your picnic!

{muffaletta layers}

 

Basil Ice Cream {frozen goodness}

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Basil? In ice cream form? Why not?

Saveur.com once again delivers a stunning recipe.

 

{basil ice cream}

MAKES 1 QUART

INGREDIENTS

2 cups basil leaves
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp. lemon zest
¼ tsp. salt
6 egg yolks

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine basil, milk, cream, sugar, zest, salt, and yolks in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a 2-qt. saucepan and heat gently until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer; chill in the refrigerator. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.

{ready to be blended}

How to Make (and Pronounce) Insalata Caprese

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Ah, Italy.  I miss you like a fat bambino misses a heaping serving of tiramisu.  Back in college, I was lucky enough to spend a semester in Florence, where I was able to take touristy pictures like this one (what? posed? nahhh):

and pick up a few basics about the Italian language and culture, including:

  • “Ciao bella” is a cat call.  Not a compliment.
  • “Bruschetta” is pronounced “broo-sket-ta.”  (Seriously.  The “ch” is a hard c sound in Italian).
  • “Affari Tuoi” is simultaneously the greatest and crappiest television show in the world.
  • There is no need to buy bus tickets in Florence (if you’ve even spent but a day in this city, you know what I’m talking about).
  • One’s stomach can surprisingly quickly adapt to eating a 4 course meal on a nightly basis…every night (primi (usually a LOT of pasta), secondi (usually the meat), l’insalata (a salad-yes, as the 3rd course) and dolci (sugar!!)).
  • The key to determining the authenticity (and in effect, taste) of a gelateria based on its’ pistachio gelato.  If it’s neon or mint green, stay away.  You want it to look almost gross brownish-green.  That means they use real pistachios and not artificial flavors.
  • And finally, caprese salad is pronounced “ca-preh-zseh,” not “ca-preese.”

I grabbed a few fresh ripe tomatoes on the vine and some basil from the farmer’s market.  A caprese salad was the obvious thing to make.  I simply sliced up one small-medium tomato and some skim mozzarella.  I neatly laid these down on a plate, placed a few leaves of basil over the cheese and topped with a generous drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and my twist: toasted pine nuts:

Because this salad is so simple, it’s all about the quality of your ingredients (read: don’t scrimp here!)  User the freshest produce you can find and the best EVOO and mozzarella you can afford.  The flavors are incredible.  I am loving this salad, and it’s so perfect for summer!

On the flipside, if you’re going to make a caprese panini, by all means don’t splurge on everything.  It’s all being smushed into a sandwich anyway.  I bet a caprese panini in rosemary bread would be divine…I’ll let you all know how this is once I track down a panini maker:)