American Recipes

Creamy Potato Salad With Bacon

Ingredients
3 pounds small red new potatoes (about 24)
kosher salt and black pepper
8 slices bacon
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon

Method

• Place the potatoes in a large pot.
• Add enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Drain and run under cold water to cool. Cut into quarters.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool, then break into pieces.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
• Add the potatoes and celery and toss to coat.
• Fold in the parsley, tarragon, and bacon before serving.

Rosemary Corn Bread

Ingredients

2 8 1/2-ounce boxes corn-bread mix

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 8-ounce container plain yogurt

2 7-ounce cans whole-kernel corn, drained

1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves

Method

• Heat oven to 400º F. Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. 
• Stir all the ingredients together. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake 25 minutes or just until golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• When cool, cut lengthwise into 3 strips and then crosswise into quarters. Cut each square into 2 triangles. (The corn bread can be made ahead to this point. Remove from pan, wrap in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.) To serve, thaw and reheat in the foil in a 325º F oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Blackened Tuna

Ingredients

6 fresh tuna steaks

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, such as Schwartz or Bart Spices

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Method

• Generously coat tuna with Cajun seasoning.
• Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over high heat.
• When oil is nearly smoking, place steaks in pan.
• Cook on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until blackened.
• Turn steaks, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or to desired doneness.

Hamburgers With Oven Chips

Ingredients

1 pound new potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and pepper

1 pound ground beef

4 hamburger buns

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 pickle, sliced

1 small head butter lettuce

1 beefsteak tomato, sliced

Method

• Heat oven to 400° F.
• In a bowl, toss the potatoes and oil. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.
• Meanwhile, heat a grill or grill pan to medium.
• Shape the beef into four 1-inch-thick patties.
• Season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium.
• Transfer the patties to buns and top with the mayonnaise, pickle, lettuce, and tomato.
• Serve with the chips.

Classic Cioppino

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 (400g) tins chopped tomatoes

100ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine

handful chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 dessertspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 bay leaf

24 clams

500g (1 1/4 lb) scallops

675g (1 1/2 lb) king crab legs

500g (1 1/4 lb) unpeeled, large prawns

Method

• Heat olive oil in a very large, heavy pot over medium high heat.
• Add onion and garlic, and cook until soft, stirring frequently.
• Pour in tomatoes and white wine, then season with parsley, basil, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
• Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until liquid is reduced almost completely, about 1 hour.
• Add clams, scallops, crab legs and prawns to the pot.
• Cover, and cook over medium heat until clams open.
• Scoop portions into large bowls to serve.

Apple Crumb Pie

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, cold

3 to 6 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

1 pound Cortland, Empire, or McIntosh apples

2 pounds Granny Smith apples

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) walnuts, finely chopped

For the topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of kosher salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

Method

• Make the crust. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening and pulse to form a coarse crumble.
• While the motor is running, add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough just comes together.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just until smooth. Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about 14 inches in diameter and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Using your fingers, fold over any overhang and crimp the edge. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the filling. Heat oven to 375° F.
• Peel, core, and slice all the apples 1/4 inch thick. Gently toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon. Spoon into the crust and sprinkle the walnuts over the top.
• Make the topping. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse to form a medium crumble (with pieces about the size of peas).
• Sprinkle the topping over the apples and walnuts. Bake for 1 hour, or until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender.

Seafood Jambalaya

Ingredients

1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 celery sticks, sliced

1 green or red pepper, seeded and cut into strips

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp mild chilli powder

340 g (12 oz) basmati white rice

900 ml (1½ pints) hot vegetable stock

1 can chopped tomatoes, about 225 g

3 tbsp coarsely chopped parsley

100 g (3½ oz) peeled large raw prawns

200 g (7 oz) skinned salmon fillet, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) cubes

dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)

salt and pepper

Method

• Heat the oil in a large, wide pan over a moderately high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the celery, green or red pepper, garlic, ginger, cayenne, chilli powder and rice, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
• Pour in the hot stock and stir well, then reduce the heat so that the stock is simmering gently. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the chopped tomatoes with their juice and 2 tbsp of the parsley, then add the prawns and salmon. Cover again and simmer for 3–4 minutes or until the seafood is just cooked and the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender.
• Add the Tabasco sauce, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp parsley and serve hot.

Some more ideas:

Use brown rice instead of white. It will take 30–40 minutes to cook and will need about 150 ml (5 fl oz) more stock.

* For a pork and smoked sausage jambalaya, cut 200 g (7 oz) pork fillet (tenderloin) into thin strips and brown in 1 tbsp olive oil, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add 1 chopped red onion to the pan and cook for 5 more minutes, or until almost soft. Stir in the rice and cook for 2–3 minutes, then pour in 750 ml (1¼ pints) vegetable stock.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 can tomatoes with added peppers and basil, about 400 g, with the juice, and 200 g (7 oz) sliced courgettes. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Return the pork to the pan together with 115 g (4 oz) sliced smoked sausage and cook, covered, for 5 more minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Serve sprinkled with 2 tbsp chopped parsley.

Plus points

Prawns are low in fat and high in protein. They are also an excellent source of the antioxidant mineral selenium, which helps to protect the cardiovascular system.

* Salmon provides vitamins B6 and B12 and the minerals selenium and potassium.

* Of all types of rice, basmati has the lowest Glycaemic Index.

Griddled Chicken & Corn on the Cob Salad 

Ingredients
4 small skinles chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves , crushed
1 tbsp paprika
juice 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 corn cobs
4 Little Gem lettuces , quartered lengthways
½ cucumber , diced

Method

• Cut the chicken breasts in half length ways so you are left with 8 chicken strips.
• Mix the garlic, paprika, lemon juice and 1 tbsp oil with some seasoning and toss with the chicken. Leave to marinate for at least 15 mins.
• Heat a griddle pan and brush with half the remaining oil and cook the chicken for 3-4 mins each side until cooked through. Brush over the remaining oil and griddle the corn cobs, turning to cook evenly, for about 5 mins or until lightly charred. Remove and cut off the kernels.
• Mix the lettuce and cucumber, top with the corn and chicken, and drizzle over your choice of dressing.

Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken 

Ingredients

4 crispy chicken thighs , sliced 

Extras

125ml light mayonnaise

juice 1 lemon

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

50g Parmesan , grated, plus extra to serve (optional)

1 garlic clove , crushed

50g croutons

1 large Cos lettuce or 4 Little Gem, ripped into pieces

Method

• In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, grated Parmesan and garlic, then season.
• When ready to eat, add the chicken slices, croutons and lettuce.
• Mix well and sprinkle with extra Parmesan, if you like.

Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

250ml chilli sauce

250ml pineapple juice

125g crushed pineapple

4 tablespoons dark brown soft sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons mustard powder

1 pinch pepper

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chilli, seeded and chopped

125ml whisky

Method

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add onions, and saute until they are transparent.
• Stir in the garlic, wine vinegar, chilli sauce, pineapple juice, pineapple, brown sugar and lemon juice.
• Season with Worcestershire sauce, mustard, pepper, hot chilli sauce, and habanero chilli.
• Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Stir in the whisky, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

Home made Clarified Butter

Clarified Butter or also known as ghee is prepared by melting unsalted butter in low heat, filtering and discarding the milk solids. It is primarily used in Indian Cuisine as a substitute for Oil, It has high smoking point and stays for months without refrigeration, if stored in an air tight container.

Ghee is so flavourful and I love the way it fills every corner of the house with its divine aroma while making it or using it in cooking.
It also has excellent health benefits and it's widely used in Indian traditional medicines, along with herbs.

Benefits are:

• Can help relieve ulcers
• Easy digestion
• Can be used as a topical treatment for blisters, burns and cuts
• Reduces inflammation, internally and externally
• Helps improve the texture of the hair

Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter - 1 pack (at room temperature)

Preparation:

• Heat the heavy bottom pan, add the butter and heat in low-medium heat. Don't cover the pan.Don't Stir it.
• Allow the butter to melt completely until it turns in to Golden liquid and stars boiling.
• While boiling, a layer of foam may appear and gradually decreases, the milk-solid particles will settle down in the bottom layer of the pot. Continue heating in the same heat or simmer it for 10 mins
• When the Ghee becomes transparent golden liquid with less foam on the surface, Its ready.
• Over heating the ghee will turn in to dark brown.
• Transfer the ghee while its hot or warm to clean jar using the cheese cloth or steel tea strainer.
• Discard the Milk-solid layer at the bottom of the pot.
• At room temperature it becomes semi-solid. When its cold, it becomes solid.

Health Benefits of Snake Gourd

The Snake Gourd is a tropical vegetable of Indian origin and is known as Chichinga in Bengali, potlakaaya in Telugu, pudalankaai in Tamil, dhunduli in Assamese, paduvalakaayi in Kannada and padavalanga in Malayalam. The botanical name of the snake gourd is Trichosanthes anguiana. It’s a highly nutritious vegetable and is widely used in South Indian cuisine.

Its health benefits are:

• Snake gourd is a natural antibiotic, expectorant, and laxative.
• It has anti-inflammatory properties and can disperse phlegm, remove pus, expel toxic matter from the body
• It creates a cooling effect in the body.
• It enhances the processing of nutrition in the body and restores the normal function of the system.
• Snake gourd helps stimulate the production of body fluids, relieving dryness.
• An intake of Snake gourd is useful in reducing bilious fever.
• Snake gourd is considered useful in treating diabetes especially by those with Type-II diabetics to reduce weight and also at the same time get adequate nourishment.
• The juice of the fresh leaves of snake gourd is useful in the disorders of the heart like palpitation and pain in the heart on physical exertion.
• An intake of the decoction of the leaves is beneficial in the treatment of jaundice.
• The juice of the snake gourd leaves when applied to the scalp treating Alopecia, a disease of the scalp resulting in complete or partial baldness.
• Since its high in fiber it also relieves constipation.

Garnishing Ideas For Soups

Soups usually fall into one of three categories:

• Smooth
• Chunky
• Clear Broths

Chunky soups and clear broths often don't need garnishing other than perhaps a scattering of herbs, as the ingredients within them are usually decorative enough.  The beauty of clear broths is that all the pieces of meat, seafood or vegetables within the soup are clearly visible. 

On the other hand, smooth soups are a blank, flat canvas. They have so little variety in texture, colour and shape that they need something to give them a lift.
One way to add some texture to a smooth soup is to turn it into a sort of deconstructed chunky soup. 

The 'chunks' in this case are pieces of roast pumpkin and spicy chorizo and they are simply piled into the centre of the soup.  It breaks up the monotony of the flat surface by creating some height in the centre of the bowl and adds contrasting shapes.  You could also choose contrasting colours too.  The different flavours and textures also make the soup more interesting to eat.

A simple idea for a garnish is a swirl of yoghurt or as in the above recipe, a dairy free courgette cream, just drizzled over the surface of the soup then it is just finished off with a sprig of mint for extra vibrancy. A contrasting colour works best for this technique.

Another way of creating height and adding texture is to garnish with mini dumplings which don't have to be unhealthy. These ones are made using grated pumpkin. They not only add height but contrasting colour, texture and flavour too. And of course you can't really go wrong with a sprig of fresh herbs to add that final touch.

Some other ideas for garnishes include:

• Chopped herbs
• Sprigs or leaves of fresh herbs
• Vegetable ribbons
• A medley of diced vegetables
• Chiffonade of greens - tightly roll spinach, cabbage, chard or kale leaves and slice across the roll to form thin strips
• Ground or cracked spices
• Savoury scones
• Mini meatballs
• Slices of sausage or crispy bacon
• Baked wholemeal bread croutons

The main thing to remember is to add something that will break up the surface of the soup, so a different color  texture or shape will all help to make your soup look more enticing.

Benefits of Bitter Gourd

Bitter Melon/Gourd is the most bitter of all vegetables. It’s a tropical vegetable and is widely grown in South,Southeast Asia, China, Africa, and the Caribbean. The Bitter Gourd might be almost detested by most but it’s a panacea for many ailments. It’s also used in cuisines across
the world. It cures ailments such as:

Blood Impurities:  Bitter gourd juice cures blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to toxemia.  Its regular intake also cures psoriasis and other fungal infections like ring-worm and athletes feet.

Cholera:  Its juice is known to cure Cholera if taken in the early
Immunity and energy:  Regular consumption of bitter gourd juice improves energy and stamina level and increases resistance against diseases and infections.

Insomnia: It cures insomnia and also sleeping patterns have been shown to be stabilized.

Eye problems:  The high beta-carotene in bitter gourd makes eases eye problems and improves eyesight.

Hangover:  It is an antidote for alcohol intoxication. It is also nourishes and repairs the liver damage caused due to alcoholism.

Piles:  The juice of bitter gourd taken in the morning with buttermilk on an empty stomach cures piles and constipation.

Respiratory Disorders:  Its regular intake improves asthma, bronchitis and pharyngitis.

Diabetes Mellitus:  Bitter Gourd is highly beneficial in lowering sugar levels in blood and urine without increasing blood insulin levels. It contains a hypoglycemic or insulin-like component, which lowers the blood and urine sugar levels. Its juice taken on an empty stomach works wonders in Diabetics.

Benefits of Ash Gourd/ Winter Melon

The Ash Gourd also called white gourd or Winter melon is a native of South East Asia.  An uncut ash gourd has a shelf life for as long as 1 year. In North India and Pakistan, the vegetable is used to prepare a sweet called Petha. In South India it is used to make curries and lentil preparations. Its medicinal properties are eulogized in Ayurveda.

Obesity: Being extremely low in calories, the ash gourd is used to treat obesity since it increases metabolism and prevents sugar from converting into fat

Stomach ailments: It’s used to expel tapeworms. Because of its alkaline properties it’s beneficial in reducing acidity. It eases constipation and boosts digestive health.

Respiratory ailments: Its intake relieves conditions like Cough, common cold, fever, influenza, bronchitis, sinusitis and even asthma

Oral health: It’s believed to cure mouth cancer and keeps the teeth and gums healthy. It also cures bleeding gums.

Urinary infection: It cures urinary dysfunction and infection, removes presence of blood cells in the urine and washes out waste products from the body.

Healthy Hair: The peel and seeds of ash gourd, boiled in coconut oil and applied to the scalp are useful for hair growth, dandruff and dryness of the scalp.

Dosai/Idli Useful Tips

• When you grind the idly batter, the rice should be ground to a fine sooji rava consistency and not to a fine paste- gives a grainy texture hence prevents the idli from hardening. Urad dal batter should be really smooth and fluffy- it helps the idlis puff up.
• Fermentation is an important factor. A perfectly fermented batter yields softer the idlis and tastier the dosas.
• Use a well seasoned griddle for dosas to prevent sticking.
• If you are going to eat dosas hot and fresh, make thin crisp dosas. Be liberal with oil.If you are going to take it in your lunch box, make soft white dosas. Do not allow it to be crisp. Use less oil. Remember, for soft dosas, it is best to use only raw rice. Add parboiled rice or idly rice spoils the texture.
• Always remember, idly batter is thick, dosa batter is a little thin and oothapam batter is thinner. If you dilute your idly batter too much, you have hard idlis which are not fluffy. Even if you use a common batter, change the consistency accordingly by adding water and mixing it well.
• To aid fermentation in cold countries, preheat your oven to 200F and put it off. Place the vessel containing the batter on a plate (to collect the overflown batter in case it pours out) and keep oven closed overnight.
• You can add a ladleful of old dosa/idli batter to the fresh batter to aid quick fermentation.
• In countries/states where you don't get idli rice or boiled rice, here is a useful tip to convert your raw rice (any variety) into idli rice.
• You can use idli rava instead of grinding rice. Just grind the urad batter and mix with idli rava! However, the idlis will be like the udupi style ones, not like the smooth chettinadu style idlis.