Spicy Honey Glazed Carrots

It's been a while since I've had a chance to make my family a nice meal. Usually it's just something super quick or some kind of takeout. This time I decided to take my time and roasted some chicken, glazed some Brussels sprouts, mashed some potatoes, then tried a new carrot recipe.

Since I had a bunch of carrots, I wanted to do something that was relatively easy that didn't  require a lot of prep. This recipe turned out pretty decent. I may cut back on the honey but overall it was pretty tasty! Definitely wouldn't mind trying this again!

                                     

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Spicy Honey Roasted Carrots

(from The Endless Meal)

1 tablespoon butter or oil

3 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon each: sea salt and pepper

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more if you like heat

2 lbs. carrots, about 12 medium, cut into 2-inch lengths

Minced chives, to garnish

Turn your oven on to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet (see notes) over medium-high heat. Add the honey, salt, pepper, and cayenne and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and toss to coat in the sauce.

Place the carrots in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. If you'd like some dark spots on your carrots, broil for the last 2-3 minutes. Be careful as they burn quickly.

Remove the pan from the oven and continue to cook the carrots for 2 minutes over medium-high heat on your stovetop to caramelize the honey. Once the sauce just barely starts to darken, remove the pan from the heat.

Sprinkle with some minced chives and serve.

tagine, without the pot.

I love buying kitchen gadgets . . . especially if it's something that I'll particularly find useful. Sometimes, I buy them because they're cute or pretty. My latest splurge was at World Market where I got myself a nice-sized tagine!

I've been itching to use it and finally found a couple of recipes that I wanted to try. So, I got everything that I needed and started to cook. Unfortunately, I never used the tagine. Turns out, before you use a tagine, the bottom portion needs to soak overnight or else it'll crack. Not only that, but apparently I also needed a "heat diffuser" so that it'll protect the clay pot from excess heat. Who knew that clay pots were so finicky??

Luckily for me, I had a heavy-bottomed pot to use as an alternative.

Despite not using the tagine, this dish actually turned out pretty well! I used this and this as guides and went from there. And since I didn't have some of the ingredients listed, I made do with what I did have in my fridge/pantry: Moroccan oil-cured olives, saffron water, giant golden raisins, and plain lemons.

For the side, I decided to make some roasted beets. It's a little weird since I've never come across any Moroccan dishes that uses beets as a side dish, but it was either use them or let them go bad. Thankfully, they paired surprisingly well with the lemony tagine. I also served this with some saffron rice since the hubby isn't too keen on couscous.

So, what's the verdict? Two thumbs up from the hubby! Yay!

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine
(adapted from Simply Recipes and My.Recipes)

For the Chicken:
3 to 4 pcs bone-in chicken thighs
3 tbsp Moroccan spice
2 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Tagine:
1 large or 2 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 carrots, chopped to 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup large golden raisins
1/4 cup pitted oil-cured olives
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 lemon rind, pulp removed and thinly sliced
1 tbsp saffron water (or a pinch of saffron)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
water, as needed
chopped parsley, for garnish

 
Marinate the chicken:
Combine chicken, spice, honey, garlic, and olive oil in a ziplock bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken to make sure it's evenly coated then marinate overnight (or up to 2 days) before making the tagine.

Make the tagine:
On cooking day, heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, along with marinade liquid. Cook the chicken until lightly browned then turn over and repeat with the other side. Once the chicken is lightly browned on both sides, add the remainder of the ingredients except for broth.

Cook mixture for about ten minutes. Add broth, scraping the bottom of the pan, then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and tender. If the dish is too dry, add water as needed and cook for a further few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as needed, then serve garnished with parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

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Honey Roasted Beets
(makes 4 servings)

5 small red beets, quartered
5 small golden beets, quartered
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, flavored or plain
2 tbsp chopped parsley

 
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Whisk together olive oil, honey, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss into beets then evenly spread onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until tender. Remove from oven then add vinegar and parsley. Toss to coat, then transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle pan juices over beets then serve.

fish with a face.

I remember the first time that I ever had a "faceless" fish. It was right after we got to America, back in the early '90's, and were were "fresh off the boat". My father wanted to treat us to a buffet and I had never seen so much food in my life! One thing that I found odd, though, was the fish they served. Sitting there, under the hot heat lamp of the buffet, were slivers of fish flesh floating in an oil-slick of "lemon butter" sauce.

Confused, all I could think to myself was "Where's the rest of the fish?".

Soon after, I learned that people on this side of the world didn't like to see the face of what they were eating. Scratch that, they didn't want to see discernible parts that told them what the animal was. No chicken feet, no pig's head, no fish heads.

Fast forward to the future. I remember the first time that my husband ever had fried fish at my parent's house. While he dutifully ate what was presented to him during dinner, it wasn't until when we got home that he remarked on the "faces" of the fish. He found it odd that we didn't simply fillet the fish then fried it separate from the bones. How different, he remarked.

How do I explain? Eating the entire fish was normal for me. If he wasn't there, I would've cracked the skull open, scooped up the stray bits of flesh and offal, and would of ate it with delicious relish over rice. I would've picked the fish clean until only it's bones were bare and no morsel were left. This was how I was raised . . . to eat everything, waste nothing. And the heads, oh, the heads were the best part. The essence of the fish were contained in those heads.

It was moments like these that reminded me of how truly different we were from each other: my husband, a white mid-western raised boy from a small town in North Dakota. Me, a Filipina with a mix of Philippine roots and big-city Southern California upbringing. Our worlds could not have been any more opposite.

But that's why we're together. He's the ying to my yang, the butter to my toast, the cherry on my sundae. I love the easy-going friendliness he brings to my busy hurried life. Who knew afternoon naps could be so refreshing? And to him, I bring fishes with a face.

My favorite fish would have to be the pompano. It's a relatively firm fish with a nice mild flavor. Wrapped in banana leaf and seasoned with lemon, ginger, garlic, and parsley, this fish turns divine! I served this with my father's daikon radish salad, a type of Filipino sawsawan. We typically have this sawsawn with fried fish, but I had a hankering for it today. It usually consists of grated daikon radish, chopped tomatoes and onion, fresh cilantro, a mix of white vinegar and fish sauce, then seasoned to perfection with salt and pepper.

And yes, I did pick this fish to its bare, bare bones.

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Baked Banana Leaf-Wrapped Whole Fish
(makes 2 servings)

1 whole pampano, scaled and cleaned
1 lemon, sliced
1/2-inch knob ginger, peeled and sliced
handful flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 large banana leaf, enough to wrap fish

 
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Score the fish diagonally, up to the bone, a few times on each side. Spread the minced garlic in the cavity of the fish. Stuff the cavity with parsley, lemon, and ginger. Drizzle fish generously with olive oil then season well with salt and pepper on each side. Rub oil and seasoning into the fish, making sure to get between the scored flesh.

Wrap the fish in the banana leaf and tie well with either leftover banana leaf or kitchen twine. Bake for 25 minutes of until flesh between the scored skin is opaque. Remove from oven then cut the banana leaf open to expose the fish. Increase oven heat to 450F degrees and continue cooking fish until skin is slightly bubbled and banana leaf has charred, about 2 to 5 minutes. To serve, peel skin from meat and then portion out fish.

easy moroccan.

Just a quick and easy dinner: Morrocan marinaded chicken with lots of garlic and a hint of honey then served with some boxed Parmesan couscous fancified with oil-cured olives, jumbo golden raisins, sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, and a good amount or peppery arugula. Dinner is served!

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Easy Moroccan Chicken
(makes 2 servings)

1 tbsp Moroccan spice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp honey
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
4 bone-in chicken legs and/or thighs

 
Combine spice, olive oil, honey, and garlic. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and add marinade. Massage marinade into the chicken then leave in the fridge overnight.

The following day, remove chicken from Ziploc bag and place skin-side down on a foil-lined baking pan. Set oven to broil and cook chicken for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken so that it's skin-side up and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until juices run clear.

pork, 'taters, and peas.

Just a quick-ish dinner today. Pork chops with apricot and sage sauce, some peas, and a potato gratin. The gratin probably took more time than the pork did as I had to reduce the recipe to about 1/4 of the serving. I saw the recipe from an episode of Cook's Country and decided I wanted to try and make it. No butter or cream? Yes, please! Fortunately, I found a recipe online for it and the rest is history. The pork chops were more an afterthought. After spending so much time on the potatoes, I just wanted to make something that I didn't have to think about. Luckily, the chops tasted great, lol.

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Pork Chops with Apricot-Sage Sauce
(slightly adapted from American Diabetes Association)

2 (4.oz) pork chops
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or onion
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 large fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp all-fruit apricot spread
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil

 
Season the pork on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just slightly pink in the center, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Put the shallot in the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour the broth into the skillet, stirring to dislodge any browned bits. Let boil for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about half (about 1/4 cup).

Meanwhile, chop the sage. Whisk the sage and apricot spread into the sauce. Spoon over the pork.

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Olive Oil Potato Gratin
(from Cully's Kitchen)

1 cup shredded Romano cheese
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
2 onions (halved and sliced thin)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
½ teaspoon thyme
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds potatoes (peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick)

 
Preheat oven to 400F and lightly spray a 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and season with ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook stirring frequently until onions are browned. Add the minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon thyme and continue to cook until fragrant. Stir in ¼ chicken broth and continue cooking until broth is evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl while onions are cooking mix together the Romano cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, panko bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and toss them with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon thyme.

Spread ½ of the sliced potatoes in the casserole dish and distribute the onion mixture evenly over the top followed by the other half of the potatoes. Pour the remaining broth over the potatoes, tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle the Romano cheese mixture over the top. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 – 20 or until cheese mixture is browned.

striving for perfection.

So, ever since we got to Georgia, I've been adapting a more Southern-style of cooking. I think it's because I'm surrounded by that kind of food environment and it just seems to make sense to cook that way. Even my eating habits are turning Southern: The polenta that I used to cook all the time turned to grits, hummus makes a rare appearance in my fridge, and I seem to be buying a whole lot more butter. Because of this, I've switched to light butter to make myself feel better.

Speaking of grits . . . I was surprisingly having a hard time trying to make a decent pot of grits. I just assumed that using my favorite polenta recipe would be fine but it's surprisingly NOT. The texture is off, especially for shrimp and grits, and it's much stiffer than I wanted it to be. I've tried several different recipes, and each time I get closer and closer to my ideal pot of grits.

Today yielded success.

My perfect grits? Always savory that that specific mouth texture. These grits are exactly how I want them: soft and fluffy with just a bit of tightness and texture. While they aren't flavored with anything specific, per se, they're still flavorful and taste like grits. The best part? Even if you put it in the fridge, they stay the same consistency even when you reheat it the next day! Yay!!

For the shrimp, I decided to make it more in the Françias-style of cooking. So fancy, I know . . . but not really! Thanks to my recent binge-fest of an old series of Jacques Pépin: Fast Food, My Way, I've been taking some notes and renewing my love of French cooking. It's kind of like Southern cooking but with a more funny accent, lol.

I like how in one episode, Monsieur Pépin added some chopped mushrooms to his shrimp casserole so that it'll soak up the shrimp flavor. He also did a ragù with tomatoes and onions similar to this recipe, but much more reduced. And man, does that man use a lot of olive oil!!

So, taking ideas here and there, voilà ! Shrimp and grits, my way. :D I did forget to add some peas to the shrimp, though. I think that would've made it über-françias, along with some oil-cured olives as a garnish. Eh, c´est la vie ! No? :) Bon appétit!

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Creamy Garlic-Tomato Shrimp
(makes 4 servings)

24 pcs jumbo shrimp (peeled, deveined, and butterflied)
2 tbsp bottled garlic
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch (about 8 sprigs) fresh thyme
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped white button mushrooms
1 to 2 pcs thick sliced deli ham, finely chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1/4 cup low fat half and half
1/2 cup chopped parsley
low sodium chicken stock, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste

 
Marinate the shrimp:
Combine shrimp, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, onion powder, and paprika. Add olive oil to moisten the shrimp then season with ground pepper. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight.

Make the shrimp:
In a large pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil with the bunch of thyme. When the oil is fragrant and hot, add shrimp (reserve any leftover marinade) and cook until lightly browned on both sides (about 6 minutes). Remove shrimp from pan and set aside; discard the thyme.

In the same pan, add shallots, mushrooms, and ham. Season with salt and pepper. When vegetables start to brown and the ham becomes slightly crisp, add the tomatoes and any leftover marinade from the shrimp. Reduce heat and cook until tomatoes break down to a paste (about 10 minutes).

Return shrimp to the pan and toss to incorporate. Stir in half and half and parsley. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, then add chicken stock to thin as needed.

To serve, portion out 6 shrimps per person and top over grits or pasta with additional parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for garnish.

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My Perfect Grits
(makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 cup coarse ground grits or polenta (white or yellow)
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 to 2 tbsp light butter
1/4 tsp dried parsley
ground pepper, to taste

 
Bring water, half and half, and salt to boil. Slowly stir in grits/polenta, reduce heat to low, then cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and parsley, then season with pepper to taste.

For Savory Cheese Grits: Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1/4 tsp onion powder, a dash garlic powder, and a dash smoked paprika to cooked grits.

taste it and make it: bulgogi sandwich!

When the hubby and I were still in Guam, there were a few eateries we found that got into our usual meal rotation. Our top three were definitely Katre's Bistro, Pika's Cafe, and surprisingly, Dr. Kabob (a Greek fast food joint). Pika's Cafe, though, would probably be the best "farm-to-table" restaurant the island has. Their moto and menu revolved around the phrase, "Buy local, eat local, support local!".

With that, Pika's Cafe also had a revolving seasonal special and a bunch of unique items on their standard menu. The hubby's favorite was definitely their Korean BBQ Sandwich. In the past month, I've heard the hubby lament several times on the loss of acess to that particular sandwich. Every time we passed the Asian isle on the grocery store, he would comment with "I miss Pika's" . . . which meant the sandwich, of course, lol.

I figured I'd give him a surprise!

Enter, my version of the Korean BBQ Sandwich! Since he was missing the sandwich so much, I thought that I would try and replicate the sandwich as close as I could. I knew that it had bulgogi marinated beef, with kimchi-style pickled vegetables, and cucumbers. It also had a chili mayonnaise.

Knowing was half the battle . . . It's the execution that was the problem. In mine, I decided to sub the beef with chicken. It was lighter than beef (I wanted to get away from heavy foods for the time being) and I thought it would be easier to marinate. Also, I didn't have any beef in the fridge anyway which was another big factor, lol.

For the marinade, I decided to go with this recipe but adapted it slightly to include minced apples and sliced onions. From what I read on the web, one of the traditional ingredients to add was either Korean pears or kiwi. Well, since I had neither, I subbed with Golden Delicious apples instead (since that was what I had in the pantry). After making the chicken, I ended up with quite a bit of marinade left. I decided to cook it down and made it into a sauce for the chicken afterwards.

The kimchi recipe was something that I was pleasantly surprised to find. I thought that I would have to put my ingenuity to the test, but apparently someone had already used theirs. I love that this uses regular cabbage and ingredients I already had on hand ("emergency kimchi" indeed!). In traditional kimchi, a coarse ground red pepper called gochugaru is commonly used. However, I've also seen a few recipes call for a fermented chili paste called gochujang to be used instead of the gochugaru. Well, I decided to go with the flavor notes of the gochujang since this would be quickly pickled to be used the next day. That way, I would have the taste of a long fermented kimchi without actually waiting. :)

During the taste testing, I found that this kimchi had a lot of heat to it. So, I nixed the chili mayo that I was originally going to make. Instead, I decided to use some of the leftover chimichurri, mixed with some ketchup and mayo, to make an aioli out of that (secret sauce, baby!). It has a lot of acidity so I thought it would help imitate the "pickled" part of the sandwich. With the ciabatta, kimchi, chicken bulgogi, aioli, and cucumbers all ready to go, my sandwich was ready to be assembled!

This turned out better than I hoped! It had the same savory, sweet, and spicy flavors the Pika's sandwich had. The only drawback was that the sandwich was messy to eat. The chicken made the whole thing a little bulky and the "take-and-bake" ciabatta bread I bought was a tad bit too chewy. The sauce made from the marinade also made this messy, but I think it wouldn't be the same without it. And the kimchi? Everywhere.

Next time, to reduce the messy factor, I'll get a softer ciabatta and cut the bread so it'll envelope the fillings more. Also, I'll toss the chicken in the sauce first and shake off any excess. That way, I'll still get some of the sauce on the chicken. But man, this was one of my favorite experiments!! Oh, by the way, the hubby LOVED the sandwich. Although it wasn't Pika's Cafe's Korean BBQ Sandwich, he thought it was a damn good substitute. :D Now, back to the drawing board . . .

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Korean Chicken Bulgogi
(slightly adapted from Meg's Everyday Indulgence)

2 to 3 pcs boneless chicken thighs

For the Marinade:
1/2 a Korean pear, apple, or kiwi, minced
1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine, mirin, or cream sherry
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper

 
Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight in the fridge.

To cook, preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, reserving the marinade. Cook until chicken is cooked through and slightly caramelized, taking care not to burn. If needed, add the reserved marinade by tablespoon when the pan gets dry. Garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with a side of kimchee.

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Quick Emergency Kimchi
(slightly adapted from Maangchi)

2 lbs green cabbage, cut into thin 2-inch strips
1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup hot pepper flakes
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/3 cup (3 to 4 stalks) chopped green onion
1/4 cup julienned carrots
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger

 
Place cabbage in a large bowl and add cold water and kosher salt. Mix well with hands to properly salt cabbage. Set aside for 10 minutes. Make a paste with the remaining ingredients.

After the cabbage has soaked, wash and rinse the salted cabbage in cold water a couple of times then drain well. Return the cabbage to the bowl and mix the paste into the cabbage thoroughly.

Put the finished kimchi into a container, jar, or plastic bag. Press the top of the kimchi down with your hands to protect from exposure to too much air.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving or eat right away like a salad. Alternately, keep at room temperature a few days to ferment if desired.