Tag: main course
Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves
Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves
I’ve been obsessed with stuffed grape leaves for a while. Many countries have their own version them: Greece with dolmades, Turkey with dolmas, and Lebanon with warak enab. They all are fairly similar with slight variations in fillings and preparation. These particular stuffed grape leaves are of the Lebanese kind. The stuffing is simply ground beef seasoned with 7 spice, cinnamon, salt, fresh parsley, plus a short grain rice. You can also use ground lamb instead of beef. The leaves are then stuffed and rolled up. You should yield about 50 stuffed grape leaves from this recipe. To cook the stuffed grape leaves, layer the bottom of a wide pot with slices of potato and tomatoes. This will keep the grape leaves from sticking to the bottom while adding flavor. Layer the grape leaves on top of the tomatoes. Then layer the second layer facing the opposite direction. Place a heaving plate on top of the leaves. This will hold them in place while cooking. Pour enough boiling water in the pot to almost completely cover the plate. Place a cover on the pot and simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat. Take off the plate. Squeeze over lemon juice. Simmer on low for 45 minutes. Take off the heat and let sit for 30 more minutes.You can serve these stuffed grape leaves as an appetizer. But after trying one, you will change your mind and eat these as your main course. While I’ve always have eaten these cold, these are eaten warm. Both ways are right.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground lamb
- 2 tsp 7 spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups short grain rice
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 jar grape leaves
- 2 medium potatoes peeled; thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato thinly sliced
- boiling water
- 2 lemons juiced
Garnish
- lemon slices
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a sauté pan.
- Season with 7 spice, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix the ground beef with the rice, parsley, and olive oil.
Stuffing the Grape Leaves
- Rinse all of the grape leaves under water. Cut the stems from each of the grape leaves.
- Place a heaping tsp of the filling in the center of the leaf, with the pointy side facing up.
- Fold up each of the sides.
- Fold in the corners.
- Roll it up. You don’t want them to be too tight, since the rice will expand during cooking.
- Roll up until all of the stuffing is used. You should yield 40-50 stuffed grape leaves.
- Slice the potatoes and tomato on a mandolin. Layer the bottom of a wide pot with them. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
- Place a single layer of the grape leaves on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Place the next layer faving the opposite direction on top of the first layer. Drizzle with more olive oil.
- Place a wide plate on top of the grape leaves. Fill the pot with boiling water; enough to almost cover the plate.
- Place a cover on the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the plate. Squeeze the lemon juice over the grape leaves. Place the cover back on. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes. Take off the heat and let sit for another 30 minutes.
Mongolian Beef
Mongolian Beef
Mongolian beef is one of the more popular Chinese American dishes on any menu. It also happens to be one of the easiest dishes you can make. It only takes 5 minutes to cook. Yes, that’s right. 5 minutes. The beef gets marinated in shaoxing cooking wine. It’s then seared for a minute per side. Then garlic, ginger, and green onions are cooked for 30 seconds. The sauce is poured in. It thickens in just seconds. Then the beef is added back in and cooked for 1 more minute.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 lb top sirloin thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 5 green onions cut into 2” pieces; white and green parts separated
Sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Marinate the beef with shaoxing cooking wine and salt for 15 minutes. Then coat the beef in cornstarch. Set aside.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the beef in a single layer.
- Sear on one side for 1 minute without moving. Then flip on the other side and sea ffor another minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and the white part of the green onions. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the sauce ingredients. Immediately give it a stir. It will thicken very quickly.
- Add in the beef and the green part of the green onions. Cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
Chicken Mole
Chicken Mole
Chicken mole is one of the most popular dishes to represent the Mexican gastronomy. If you’ve never had mole before; what stands out in the sauce is the use of Mexican chocolate. The chocolate is sugary and contains cinnamon. When combined with a pasilla pepper sauce, it creates a rich, sweet and savory sauce. It is truly a dish that has its own flavor that tastes unlike anything else.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken legs drumstick cut from thigh
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 rib celery
- 3 sprigs parsley
Mole Sauce
- 4 dried pasilla peppers
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 1 large tomato
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tablet Mexican chocolate 3 1/4 oz
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken, onion, and garlic in a large pot. Fill it with water until the chicken is submerged.
- Bring to a boil. Skim off all of the scum that floats to the top. Add in the celery and parsley. Simmer for 45 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is completely cooked through. Drain the chicken, saving a cup of the stock you just created. Set aside.
- Dry toast the pasilla peppers in a skillet for 5 minutes on all sides. Place in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes. Remove the seeds and drain the water.
- Dry toast the tomato, onion, and garlic for 5 minutes until charred on all sides.
- Place the pasilla peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and the chicken stock in a blender.
- Purée until smooth.
- Heat up the cooking oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pour the sauce through a fine strainer to remove the seeds into the saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in the Mexican chocolate tab, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the tablet has completely dissolved.
- Place the chicken pieces back into the mole sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat; continuously basting the chicken with the sauce.
