Thai Curry Shrimp

Shelby recently asked about an old recipe I used to cook when we I was trying to cook healthier (I’m still working on that…kinda.) It was a Thai curry dish that was super easy and delicious. It’s been a while so I kinda mixed it up a bit and maout with something even better!

I’ll quit talking so you can get to the recipe. Give it a shot, feedback is always welcome.

Before you start:

I like slicing my green onion in long, diagonal pieces just because they look pretty and when people see it they think you know what you’re doing.

As for the shrimp when I say prepared I mean however you like them. De-veined is always a good idea because even though shrimp are small, poop is poop. I ain’t going to kill you but the vein can mess with texture because it can be gritty. I’ve eaten plenty of shrimp with the vein in and it wasn’t a deal breaker.

I like coconut milk with the cream in it. That stuff is good and adds to the dish. Use it if you have it.

Buy a wok if you don’t have one, every household should have a wok.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2-2 lbs Shrimp, prepared

• 3-4 Cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 Tsp Ginger, finely minced

• 1 Tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste

• 2 Tbsp Thai Green Curry Paste

• 4 Green Onion, chop/slice the whole stalk, separating the white and green parts

• 9 oz Coconut milk/cream (I’ll use the whole can sometimes - crazy life!)

• 2 Tsp Fish Sauce

• 1/4-1/2 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1 Tsp Oil

Instructions:

1. Mash the ginger and garlic into a rough paste, doesn't have to be worked all the way through, just blended well.

2. In a bowl or bag, toss in the Red Curry, the Garlic & Ginger paste, and the Shrimp, mix well and set in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

3. Prepare your Green Onion and Cilantro while waiting for the marinate to work. Go ahead and prep your the remaining ingredients too.

4. Heat the wok/pan on high with the oil. We want the to toss the Shrimp with all the marinate into the pan when it's really hot. You want to get a nice brown sear on the on outside of the shrimp WITHOUT cooking them all the way through. When the oil starts to smoke you're ready to go.

5. Add the Shrimp and white part of the onion. Remember, just get some color on the outside of the shrimp.

6. Add the Fish Sauce and Coconut Milk, let it bubble and thicken up a little bit (your preference and the shrimp will finish cooking at this time.)

7. Remove from heat, garnish with Cilantro and Green Onion and Done!

Serve with a nice fragrant Jasmine rice and you’re in business.

Oyster Stew

My recipe is wholly inspired by Chef Bobby Huber, a very popular chef in my region who has unfortunately passed. I only really remember eating oyster stew from cans previously, so experiencing his for the first time was a real eye opener. Afterwards I would order it whenever I saw it on a menu, but always compared it to Bobby’s.

I don’t serve mine with mashed potatoes as his was, but don’t let that stop you from adding them!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Butter

• 1 tsp Shallots, chopped

• 1 cup Corn (fresh or frozen)

• 1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped

• 1/8 tsp hot sauce (I use Speedy’s whenever I get a chance)

• 8 strips Bacon, chopped

• 1 cup Chicken Stock

• A couple splashes of White Vermouth

• 1/2 to 1 tsp of Salt

• 2 cups Heavy Cream

• 1 tbsp fresh chives or green onions, chopped

• 1/2 tbsp of Celery Leaves, chopped (optional)

• 24 large oysters, shucked; with liquor

Directions

Add the butter, shallots, celery, hot sauce, and bacon and cook med-high till the corn starts to pop.

Immediately add the chicken stock, vermouth, and salt; let mixture reduce by half.

Add cream and chives (or green onions) and bring to boil for approximately 1 minute.

Add oysters and reserved liquor, let it boil for another minute then remove from heat. Serve when ready!

Chicken Satay

• 4 lbs chicken

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 3 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

• 1/2 cup coconut milk

You'll want Peanut Satay sauce to serve with these, along with sticky Jasmine rice.

Cut chicken into thin slices that can be skewered. Add all the ingredients and then mix well with chicken. Marinate overnight.

Soak wooden skewers for 20 minutes before using sticks. Skewer, grill, serve :)

Beefteki!

Shelby and I left Virginia when we were young. I was 18, she was 19, and we had a baby. It's hard to remember but I'm pretty sure I thought I knew everything at that age. It was when we were on our own I started to play around with recipes from a Betty Crocker cook book my grandparents sent us. My grandfather was an employee of General Mills a long time ago and the plant he worked at closed down. The cool thing though, is that he received gift boxes from the company for years and years afterwards because of the closure. The cook book being of those things he received and my grandmother sent us when we were young and making our way into the world. It's something I cherish.

What's that have to do with beefteki? I guess not a whole lot but when I think about this recipe, I think about our young family starting out and learning we didn't know everything. We ended up in Germany while I was in the army, we say it was the best three years of our lives. We loved the culture, being centrally located in "The Continent", and Greek food! Yeah, we ended up eating a lot of Greek food and stuff similar to it. There were a lot of Greeks and Turks living in Germany and our time there allowed to enjoy things like beefteki, donner kebabs, etc... Ah, the memories of drinking downtown and grabbing a "gyros" (that's what we called the donner kebab over there for some reason) and having garlic, death breath makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

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Shelby picking poppies. Bavaria, Germany, 1994.

The Beefteki though, that was something Shelby fell in love with! We would always go to a gasthaus next to the Bahnhof in a small town called Parsberg. I'm pretty sure it is this place called Taverne Korfu, it's where Shelby discovered the Beefteki! The owner at the gasthaus was very kind, I always remember him smoking a cigarette near the bar. It was cozy, a place where you could nurse a beer all day and no one say a word about it. Our kids were still babies and he would give them treats. Sometimes he would take one of them into the kitchen for a piece of candy. I wish I knew his name...his daughter (I assume) worked as the runner and behind the bar. Sometimes other families would see the kids and then invite them to sit with them and buy them ice cream. It was our first experience with communal seating too. Here in the U.S. we're used to getting our own table, keeping separated from the other diners. We liked being part of the "economy" as it was called. One thing I learned is no matter where you go in the world, if you're cool, they'll be cool. Oh, one thing the taverna owner would do is correct my German. I remember once time having to say "81" (the menu item number I ordered a lot) in German what seemed like a million times before he would take my order.

Me: "Einundachtzig!
Him: "Nochmal"
Me: "Einundachtzig!
Him: "Nochmal"
Me: "Einundachtzig!
Him: (Laughing)

I still wonder if they're still there, I'd love to find out one day...

After coming back to the States in the 1990s we couldn't find a restaurant that served anything like the Beefteki we had in Germany. Searching online back then didn't net any hits, the huge boom in food sites hadn't arrived yet. I did manage to find enough Greek recipes that I was able to put together a basic recipe to build on. So over the years I tweaked my original recipe to what it is here. I originally started using a mixture of veal and lamb, then eventually phasing the veal and using just lamb. I mention that because beefteki is normally made from beef (I guess the name makes that obvious.) I think you can find a bunch of them now but there's no need for that. You have my once secret recipe to make and enjoy at home!

You need to serve this with my Tzatziki recipe linked here. Yes I said "need"! Let's start cooking, this is what you'll need.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground Lamb
• 1 Small Onion, finely minced
• 4-8 oz. of Goat or Feta Cheese
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbsp Mint
• 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 Tsp Dried Parsley
• 1 Tsp Minced Garlic 
• 1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme
• 1/4 Tsp Cumin
• 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Dress Beefteki with:

• 1 Lemon sliced in wedges
• Olive Oil

Before You Start:

• I always grill these. I guess you can try these in a skillet to get a nice crust on them, but the smoke and grill marks are part of the deal here.
  
  I don't need to tell you to heat the grill up first before using it right?
   
• I listed 4-8 ounces of goat or feta cheese, add as much as you like! I prefer soft goat cheese but feta is just as good.
• This recipe doubles-up well too, make a ton of it. I get about four beefteki per pound of lamb. You'll be happy you did.
• Some times the heat makes the cheese ooze out a bit, this is OK! It's kinda sexy actually...

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients - except for the cheese - into a large bowl and mix it well to incorporate all the spices and herbs.
2. Once mixed make a football shaped portion in your hand and then push your thumb int the center to create a space for the cheese.
3. Add a tablespoon or two of cheese to the center of the beefteki then fold or pinch it closed. Ensure it sealed so the cheese doesn't cook out.
4. Brush with olive oil before placing on the grill.
5. Cook for several minutes on each side till desired doneness.

I hope you enjoy my famous (famous in these parts at least) Beefteki recipe! It's something I never thought I'd share but it's something the world needs.

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We usually have a Greek salad when grill Beeteki

Hashi Food Truck Savory Bread Pudding

Check out Hashi Food Truck's Ross Riddle put together one of his favorite sides. You can do it too, watch how it's done.

This season of giving thanks, we're sharing a few delectable VB-inspired Thanksgiving dishes that will impress your family and friends -- or hopefully inspire a new menu item this year! Kicking off our Thanksgiving series is Hashi Food Truck with a savory bread pudding.

Go to Visit Virginia Beach's blog for the whole story. Love Ross and Hashi!

Spicy Tomato Sauce

The whole house smelled wonderful...

...I've had my spicy tomato sauce on the stove overnight.

Shelby said we need to go through the freezer and get rid of anything that's been hanging out in there too long. When it was around dinner time last night I thought I'd take a look and see what we had in there:

Bag of venison cut into stew meat.

Three clusters of snow crab legs.

Clam stock.

Two slices of pork loin (these will be marinating in some mojo this week.)

Bags of cheese rinds.

Frozen egg rolls that really need to be friend up soon.

Some prepared tomatoes from several months ago...

There is a bunch of other stuff in there but it would take up a couple of pages to list. There is even a bag of mystery meat labelled "Chayce". No worries, I can assure you our son Chayce is alive and well in Hawaii. He's even married now! Here's proof from a Facetime we did last month, he wanted instructions on how to cook steak and potatoes.

Ok, for dinner I didn't have time to thaw out much so the crabs legs are pretty much cooked already and will be easy to prep. I had a head of broccoli I wanted to try a recipe on so there's the green. Easy!

I figured while I was making dinner I might as well take out the frozen tomatoes get those simmering. Tomato sauce is easy to make and this bag of tomatoes, about 3 lbs. worth, have been neglected for so long.

Since I wasn't using the sauce last night I planned on letting it stew overnight. While I was awake I had it set on a low simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides. Shelby was out and when she walked in she said, "Mmm...what's that?" Told her what the deal was and unfortunately there would be no tomato sauce eating on this night. At bedtime I add some extra water and set it on low, barely a bubble here and there, covered the pot (to halt reduction), and then went to sleep.

Woke up and like the title of the post says, the whole house smelled wonderful. Checked on the sauce, stirred it, uncovered it, and turned it back up to a very low simmer. I'll check on it later at lunchtime when I'm on break. Reason I'm cooking it for so long is to let the tomato flesh breakdown on its own. I'm stirring it to keep it from sticking to the pot and to help break up the tomatoes that way too. If I'm here to tend to the sauce I'll keep it uncovered to concentrate and thicken. I'll probably store it in the fridge and have it Thursday night, we're going to my mother's house for dinner tonight.

Here's my recipe so you can make this spicy sauce at home. You'll notice I put onion down as optional, but I always add onion to everything! Love them. I had to adjust the recipe a tad bit since I didn't use the 4 lbs. of tomatoes I usually use.

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds tomatoes, prepared
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 1 small Onion, diced (optional)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• ½ cup of White Wine, Dry
• 1 tablespoon of Fennel Seed
• 2 tablespoons Dried Basil
• 1 tablespoon Dried Thyme
• 1 tablespoon Dried Dill
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Paprika
• 1  tablespoon Red Pepper Flake
• 2 teaspoons Cumin
• 2 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
• 2 medium Bay Leaves

Before you Start:

• Some people use whole tomatoes, pulp, skin, and all. I blanch and squeeze mine before I freeze them. The tomatoes used in this recipe were prepared this way.
• I used an 8 qt. pot to keep spatter from making a mess and keep the heat even.
• If you don't want to wait hours for sauce, just cook it all thoroughly then use a immersion blender to smooth it out.

Directions:

1. Add heat oil to a large sauce pan at low-med heat.
2. Add garlic, onions, salt, pepper. Cooke till translucent.
3. Add the wine and scrape any bits from the pan, cook for 3 minutes.
4. Now add the rest of the ingredients and turn stove down to a low simmer.
5. Let simmer for 4-6 hours, stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to help break up the tomatoes.
6. Mangia!

Baba Ganoush

Everyone has their garden game going on! I'm sure a lot of you that have tons of stuff you planted thinking, "Heck yeah! That'll be cool to have!", then end up with buckets of said item. Cucumbers is one, they grow like crazy and even if you love them you'll have to admit you can't use them all. How about eggplants? I mean you can only eat so much Eggplant Parm right?

I got another another idea - Baba Ganoush!

If you don't know what Baba Ganoush is, it's basically hummus made with eggplant instead of chickpeas. Yeah, yeah, I know that's super simplifying it but you get the idea. Speaking of simple, I'm going to tell you how to make it quickly and use up all those eggplants you have stacked up in the corner.

Here's what you'll need.

Ingredients:

• 3 Medium Eggplants
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 3 Tablespoons of Tahini
• 1/4 Cup of Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste

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There is a little bit a prep you'll have to do before you end up with the finished product. The eggplant needs to be roasted or grilled. I roasted mine the last time I did it for convenience. I do prefer grilling them though, adds a slight smoky flavor to the dish.

You'll notice in the photo above I'm sweating out the eggplant with salt. Adding salt will draw out bitterness and moisture from the eggplant, it takes about an hour. Is it totally necessary?

No.

So if you're in a pinch for time you don't have to sweat it (haha, get it?) Eggplants these days aren't that bitter so you can skip this step.

Before You Start:

If you want to sweat the eggplant thickly slice and then heavily salt both sides. Do not cut the eggplant too thin. If the the slices are too thin they'll be hard to work with and they will dry out quickly Place on a tray or rack and let sit for about 30-45 minutes. You'll see moisture bead up on the surface of the eggplant. When done, rinse the eggplant under cold water and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Place them loosely in a roasting pan.

When using the food processor, pulse for as long as needed to get the baba ganoush to the desired consistency. The shorter in the processor, the more chunky. The longer, the smoother it will be.

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Directions:

1. Move an oven rack up to the top notch and then pre-heat the oven to broil.
2. Place eggplant on top rack and roast about 15 minutes then flip and roast another 15 minutes. When the eggplant feels soft, they're done.
3. While the eggplant is in the oven, put all the other ingredients except the parsley in a food processor.
4. When the eggplant is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool down.
5. Add the eggplant to the food processor and run it through until it hits the desired smoothness.
6. Add the parsley and pulse until it is chopped and distributed evenly.
7. Scoop into a bowl, garnish with some olive oil and a little more parsley.
8. Eat.

Tom Kha

Tom Kha is something I've been around my whole life - that's not the same thing as saying I've been eating it my whole life mind you. If you keep up with me and have read stuff I've written in the past, I wasn't into Thai food much when I was a kid. I do remember how the house would smell when my mother, who is Thai, was using the mortar and pestle to crush Thai Chilis, garlic, and lemongrass.

Delicious!

Those peppers though...the heat could kill you! Seriously. My mom would grow them by the acre and you better believe she was using them too. My first experience eating her beautiful food made me gun shy for years. Then before you know it, Shelby and I were married and off on our own. Boxes of Potato Au Gratin, cheap cuts and that nice Army E-4 pay had us on a affordable diet for years. I'm not knocking it, seriously. I go to Ollie's and pass the rows of boxed spuds, pasta, and Hamburger Helper and think about the good ole lean years. I wouldn't trade a minute of them.

I was talking about soup right?

Anyway...Tom Kha is good. You'll like it and I'm going to show you how to do it. The photo up top has seafood in it obviously. You can do that if you like, the seafood version of this dish is called Tom Kha Talay. Tom Kha is usually made with chicken though, that version (below) is called Tom Kha Gai.

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Tom Kha Gai

The recipe I put together isn't so much different than most you'll find out there. It's primary components consist of this: Galangal, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Lemongrass and Coconut Milk.

Galangalangawhat?

Galangal has nothing to do with that M.I.A. song, it is a root known as the Thai ginger. You might see it sold in the stores as "Baby Thai Ginger" but please don't confuse it with ginger. Galangal and ginger taste totally different and if you make this soup without galangal it's not really Tom Kha (which translates into "galangal soup" basically.) That being said, you can make it with the ginger we're familiar with if you're in pinch, it just won't taste exactly as it should. It'll be still be good, but different. Galangal can be bought fresh or frozen in your local Asian market. Ask the someone behind the counter to help you out if you're having a hard time finding it.

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Galangal

Let's make some soup! Here's what you need to make Tom Kha at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of Coconut Milk
• 3 large Kaffir lime leaves
• 1 Lemongrass, large stalk, trimmed
• 2 Thai Chilis
• 1 Tsp Sugar
• 1/4 Yellow Onion, minced
• 1 Package of mushrooms shiitake/oyster preferred, approx 8 oz., chopped
• 2 Tbsp Galangal, slivered 
• 1 Lime, large
• 3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 3 Cups of Chicken Stock
• Cilantro to Garnish
• Optional: Thai Chili Powder

Before You Start:

• Important! Do not boil the coconut milk. If you boil the coconut milk at a high temperature, it will not remain emulsified and the fat will separate from the liquid. Just like what happens to butter when it is heated at high temperatures.
• You can use chicken or seafood (shrimp, mussels, squid, etc...) with this recipe. Eat what you like!
• Chop up everything you need to put in the soup. I like to cut my galangal up in small, thin slivers. I do this so it can stay in the soup and not be strained out. Most recipes will have you remove or strain the galangal after the first phase of their recipes, I like to keep it in the soup. Getting a little bite of the root, almost crunchy, almost nutty, is great. If you prefer not to have it in, just slice it in larger pieces then strain before you add your chicken or seafood.
• Trim the lemongrass taking off any rough or brown bits. It a lot of recipes you would only use the white, fleshy part of the lemongrass. The reason is because it it easier to eat, we're not eating the lemongrass it's being steeped in the broth essentially. I'll admit to finely cutting up some lemon grass and leaving it in the soup when the mood hits me.
• Crush the lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, and Thai chilis. Use your pestle, a muddler or back of a heavy spoon to open up them up to release flavor. Remove chili seeds if you don't want it too hot.
• I do not remove all of the aromatics from the stock pot before I add the meat, but I do before I add the coconut milk.
• Chili powder can be added for more flavor, this is optional.

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Directions:

1. Add the chicken stock, sugar, onion, Kaffir lime leaves, Thai chilis, lemongrass and galangal to a medium sized stock pot. Bring to a rolling boil for about 10 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms, continue to boil for about 8-10 minutes to cook mushrooms.
3. At this time if you wish to remove large pieces of aromatics (Kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, chili, galangal) do so after the mushrooms are done.
4. Add your chicken or seafood now, cook for about 10 minutes in the boiling broth. Remove any foam that might float to the top of the broth.
5. After the meat is cooked through, pour in the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice, lower heat to a light simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Serve with cilantro and lime wedges and maybe have a little more fish sauce on hand.

This is pretty easy to make and after a couple of tries it'll be a breeze. We use leftover chicken sometimes, if we do it doesn't need boiling as long. Just lower the heat to a simmer, cook for the same amount of time as you would the raw. Continue to follow the directions.

Enjoy!

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Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

I never ate Brussels sprouts until I started dating Shelby. Her mother would make them when we had dinner at her house and I grew to like them and then love them. They've become a staple in our special dinners. My daughter asked me the other day if I had my recipe available for the Brussels sprouts I make at home and I discovered I didn't. I'm writing it down now.

Note: Don't throw out the bacon grease or clean the skillet you fried it in, you'll need it for this recipe. Get a pot of boiling water ready too, we'll be blanching the Brussels sprouts. We don't want to blanch or leave the sprouts in the pan too long. If they're mushy, they're ruined.

Enjoy!

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Preparations

• 1 pot of boiling water
• ice bath for blanched Brussels sprouts
• Saved grease from cooked bacon

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Ingredients

• 1 package or approx. or 1 1/2 lbs of Brussels Sprouts (cleaned and trimmed)
• 1/2 lb of Bacon
• 2 tbsp of Bacon Grease
• 3-4 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1/2 Red Onion, chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Start a pot of boiling water, enough to handle the Brussels sprouts.
2. Fry the bacon. We like ours a little chewy, but cook it your preferred doneness. 
3. Remove bacon from the pan but leave the bits and pieces.
4. Put the Brussels sprouts into the boiling water, blanch for approximately 5 minutes.
5. Scoop sprouts out of boiling water and place in ice bath. Take them out when cooled and place in a strainer to dry.
6. Once cooled, cut Brussels sprouts in half, lengthwise.
7. Heat up skillet to about medium heat.
8. Add bacon grease.
9. Toss in the garlic and onions, cook for 1 minute.
10. Add Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper.
11. Cook to desired doneness and browned on the outside.
12. Remove from heat, toss in bowl with chopped bacon then serve.

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How to Roast a Turkey

How do you roast a turkey? Easy! Follow the instructions on the bag! Seriously though, it is pretty simple. Here are a few things to consider:

First, you'll have to get a turkey. These days there are so many options - but you have to think ahead. If you're looking for a locally sourced turkey you might be out of luck waiting a few days beforehand. Most places want you to order them so they can make sure they have the stock and can prepare it for you in time. I would definitely check with your local farmers and butchers first before giving up on the Buy Fresh, Buy Local route if you feel like you're late though.

Of course, turkeys are pretty big and most of them will be frozen. We usually cook birds over 20 lbs. and turkeys that size could take about 5 days to thaw! Take into account thaw time. Oh! Save the neck and giblets for the stuffing and/or gravy!

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Clean off excess brine from the turkey after removing it from the bag

Second, if you're going to brine the turkey make sure you have everything you need ahead of time! If you're looking for a good brine recipe, use mine! I've been brining my turkey for a few years now and love how it turns out. There are some out there that think it is totally unnecessary or takes away from the natural flavor of the turkey. You'll have to determine that for yourself and do what you like.

Third, determine the the roasting time for the bird which is dependent on the size of the turkey, whether or not you've brined the bird and if you stuff the cavity. Check out Epicurious' page on roasting times here for some pointers.

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Breast-side down in the roasting pan

Fourth, cook the turkey breast-side down for the first two-third of the way then flip it over to brown the breast. Approximately an hour breast-side up. This will allow the breast to baste in its own juices and you'll have crispy skin all around!

Let's get started!

I always stuff my turkey with dressing, but I do it lightly. The cavity is usually stuffed with aromatics too - citrus and herbs. I also don't tie (truss) the legs together. I know it looks pretty and some people swear by it, but I've found that my turkey roasts fine without it. I want as much of the skin exposed as possible and I believe the turkey will cook more even in those spots not concealed by the trussed legs.

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Roasting pan about ready for the turkey

Of course we use the drippings for gravy. I add vegetables, a little white wine, stock and butter to the pan before I place the turkey in it. I also use a rack to keep the turkey from sitting directly in the drippings while it's roasting. After the turkey is done I save the braised vegetables from the roasting pan for the gravy too. There is a good amount of butter in the pan for basting, I love how the butter cooks into the skin. Here's what you need for the pan before you put the turkey in it:

Ingredients (Roasting Pan)

• 4 cloves of Garlic
• 2 medium Carrots
• 2 medium Yellow Onions
• 2 stalks of Celery
• Approx. 6 stalks/sprigs of Parsley
• Approx. 2 sprigs of Thyme
• Approx. 2 sprigs of Rosemary
• 2 large Bay Leaves
• 1/2 stick of Butter
• 1/2 cup Dry White Wine
• 1/2 Poultry Stock
• Optional: 1 Orange and some Parsley for cavity

Directions

1. Preheat oven.
2. Wash turkey (whether it it's straight from it's packaging or from the brine bag) and pat dry and set aside.
3. Roughly chop the carrots, onions, celery, garlic and butter and spread them evenly within the roasting pan.
4. Toss in your parsley, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, these will be picked out of the pan after the turkey is finished. Try not to break them up too much at the start. You can add more or less of these herbs according to your preference.
5. Pour in the wine and stock then place the rack on top of the vegetables and herbs.
6. Salt and pepper the turkey to taste. I like to add a quartered orange and parsley to cavity and before I stuff it - do so now if you like.
   Note: If you brined your turkey it will already have absorbed salt from the brining solution. Lightly salt if this is the case.
7. Place turkey in middle of the oven so it will evenly cook.
8. Feel free to baste the turkey every 40 minutes or so.
9. When the turkey is done roasting (165°F internal thickest part of the bird) pull it from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

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Coming up next is gravy!

Do not pour out the drippings from the pan or remove the braised vegetables in the pan. These will be used to make a delicious turkey gravy and a lot of it too! No need to list ingredients here because we have everything we need. If you saved giblets for the gravy or stuffing make sure they're available.

Note: In our house, I'll have the neck and giblets simmering on the stove the whole time the turkey is roasting. In the simmering pot I'll add the same mix of vegetables and herbs put in the roasting pan. Brown the giblets and vegetables before you pour in the liquids to simmers. This will make a flavorful broth, reduce it by half. When it's done, strain out the giblets and neck, keep these. Pick the neck for as much meat as you can get. Add this to the gravy later.

This takes anywhere for 15 to 30 minutes to complete. You can speed it up by adding a little bit of flour or a nice, dark roux.

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Make a broth with the giblets and turkey neck

Directions

1. After the turkey is taken out of the pan, start removing the turkey fat from the drippings. I usually tilt the pan so the grease collects in one spot, making it easier to collect. Skim using whatever technique you like: skimming spoon, baster (with the rubber bulb), or whatever fancy device you get to use once a year. If you don't remove the fat you'll end up with a really greasy plate and miss out the concentrated flavors of the turkey seasoned turkey juices left in the pan. 
2. After the fat has been removed from the pan, remove the herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley). You can leave them in but the rosemary might be a little overpowering if someone gets a good chunk of that.
3. Transfer all the contents of the roasting pan into a medium sized stockpot. If you made a broth stove top, add that to the stockpot too if you're not freezing it.
   
4. Bring contents to a low boil, about medium.
5. Take an immersion blender (one of the handheld wands) and puree the vegetables in the stockpot. This will thicken the gravy and give it a ton of flavor.
6. Let gravy sit and roll till it's as thick as you like it. Taste test and add whatever seasoning you like.

Savory Oatmeal

A little while ago Shelby said we should eat more oatmeal. She's a fan of the steel cut oat variety and will make a batch ahead of time and eat portions over a couple of days. After making some one day she said we should try to make a dinner with it. I said, "Sure."

So we did.

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One version of the oatmeal I made was with some sauteed garlic, onion and thyme. I topped it with some green bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes and more onion. It's easy, toss it all in a pan. After a couple of minutes scoop in some oatmeal and mix it together.

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The finished product can look and include whatever you like. I'm a believer that if you put garlic and onion on something it'll taste good, no matter what it is!

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We still had some oatmeal so tried something else. This one included garlic, onions, and mushrooms again but also a dollop of yellow miso. I mixed it all together, topped it off with some more mushrooms chive, and a soft fried egg. This ended up being Shelby's favorite.

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The miso was perfect with the slightly sweet steel-cut oats. I've tried a few more recipes too, I think I'll get them written up. I recently made a couple with some shrimp too. Stay tuned!

Palourdes au beurre (thanks Need Supply Co.)

The title is the fancy name Need Supply Co. gave my clams recipe they posted on their site. My daughter, who is a graphic designer at Need, asked if I would be interested in cooking something for her to document on their blog.

(Edit: It is now also featured on Food & Wine too!!!)

Sure!

I'm was going to be cooking a lot that weekend anyways since it was Mother's Day and she said the clams would be good. The day before Mother's Day I went out to pick up all the groceries I would need for the clams dish and what I was making for Mother's Day - which was Beefteki if you wanted to know. So good! Anyways...

I want to mention that apparently clams are hard to come by these days, especially in the evening...when you really need them. I ran to four different stores before I found a standard, 50 count bag. It was at Whole Foods Virginia Beach and the bag was ripped open. The woman behind the counter was super nice and patient while I poured out the clams so I could count them. She re-bagged them for me and charged me by weight, excluding the iffy ones that had cracked open shells. She let me keep those too, I don't throw out clams with cracked shells if they're still alive.

How do I know if they're alive still? 

Easy, gently poke the clam in the shell through the crack or missing piece. If it's alive, it will move. I sniff everything too, you'll know if it's dead doing that.

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Shelby came out to check on us, Marleigh scared her away with the camera.

By the time I collected everything I needed to make the dish it was starting to get dark. We put off cooking till the next day so we would have have natural light for the photos. In the morning I got everything in order (mise en place!) and we took everything outside to cook (I cook outside on the grill side burner a lot.) While I cooked Marleigh took photos. I explained how they were made and went through the instructions with her. After they were done I made the Mother's Day meal and put everything out on the table. The secret bonus clams were a hit, they're always good and they're easy to make!

The next weekend Marleigh told me the post was up on Need Supply Co.'s page so I followed it and linked it on my social media blast. It's exciting to see the feedback and I wish I could see how it went for anyone who decided to try the recipe themselves. I always enjoy it when people send me a snap of their finished dish after using one of my recipes.

The recipe seemed popular on Instagram too, I have my own little thing going on here so seeing the number of "likes" there, more than I get on my feed at @ihearfoodvb.

Oh, thanks for the new name for my recipe too: Palourdes au beurre. I think I'll steal that.

The recipe was featured on Need's Instagram too!

Beer BBQ Sauce

One of the first recipes I ever used to make something was BBQ sauce. It was from a Betty Crocker cookbook my grandparents gave us in a care package while we were stationed in Ft. Bliss, TX. Being a young, enlisted couple we didn't get out much at all. Getting a box full of dry goods and a cookbook was great. My grandparents were once a young army family and they knew what would be useful for us, they were very practical. Oh, I gotta write about the time I was trying to use the book to make biscuits but I read the recipe wrong. We didn't eat biscuits that night.

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Fast-forward to the present time and we're still cooking! It's actually been a while since I made BBQ sauce but it's the first that popped into my head when I was asked to submit a recipe to the latest HR Growler. The theme was "Summertime", grilling! Who doesn't love to cookout over the summer. Fire-up the grill, open a good beer and take in the experience.

I wanted my sauce to have a little heat and, of course, beer! I made four different recipes before settling on a delicious, balanced sauce that goes great with chicken and pork. Just about any beer will work, I liked the Blue Mountain Brewery A Hopwork Orange and the Enjoy By 4.20 by Stone Brewing Co., stouts would work well too. Try it out, mix it up, add or remove what you like.

Go to HR Growler for the recipe, here's the link.

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Tuna and Spicy Couscous

I will usually make couscous with basil shrimp at home but it works well with the Genova tuna I was sent. The cool, refreshing tuna atop of the warm, paprika spiced couscous will be a crowd pleaser. We love Mediterranean and Anatolian food, give this a shot and you will not be disappointed. It's easy too! You'll need a few pots and two oiled ramekins to make what you see above. Do not overly oil the ramekins or else the couscous will stick! Approximately 2 servings.

Tuna

• 1 can Genova Tonno tuna
• ½ teaspoon fresh chopped Dill
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Red Onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Cucumber
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Red Bell Pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped Green Onion
• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Couscous

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Pine Nuts
• 2 large clove Garlic
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped Red Onion
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 cup Couscous
• 1 ½ cups Chicken Stock (heat in microwave before adding to couscous)
• Juice from 1 Lemon
• Grated rind of a Lemon
• 1 tablespoon minced Parsley
• Salt to taste

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Garnish

• Single parsley leaf and chopped tomato

Preparation

1. Prepare the tuna mixture and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour.
2. Heat olive oil in pot at medium heat for couscous.
3. Put pine nuts into oil and let toast for about 2 minutes, stir constantly to prevent burning.
4. Add garlic and red onion, sauté for 1 minutes till clear.
5. Pour in cumin, turmeric, brown sugar, pepper, paprika and toast seasoning for no more than 1 minute. Add a little salt to taste.
6. Add couscous and toast for 2 minutes.
7. Pour in lemon juice and let reduce. This will happen quickly.
8. Pour in chicken stock and cover pot. Remove from heat and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
9. After stock has been absorbed by couscous, fluff with fork.
10. Remove tuna from fridge and press half of the tuna into an lightly oiled ramekin.
11. Fill the rest of the ramekin with couscous, press firmly.
12. Flip ramekin onto plate and tap top until you hear a hollow sound. Gently remove ramekin.

Go back to Genova Tonno!

Tonno alla Arancini

Arancini is Italian street food and consists of breaded, balled risotto that is fried to perfection. I'm a sucker for anything fried and this is no exception! I mixed it up a little bit and added some extra cheese and seasoning to the risotto that is then wrapped around a chunk of Genova tuna fish before it's panned fried. Everyone loves these things, I've made a bunch of them and shared them with friends and co-workers. This recipe is tested and true. You're going to need parchment paper on hand to pour the risotto on after it's done. 20-30 arancini, depending on the size you form.

Tonno alla Arancini

• 1 can of Genova Tonno tuna
• 1½ cups arborio rice
• 6 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 medium shallot or ½ small onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
• 2 cloves of Garlic (finely minced)
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• ¾ cup bread crumbs
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan

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If you haven't made risotto before you'll realize the process is a little involved. It's high maintenance, but worth it in the end. Seriously, you'll see.

Risotto

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1. Pour the chicken stock into a saucepan and place on low heat. This needs to be hot when added to the rice.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pot then sauté the shallot and garlic. Approximately 2 minutes till clear.
3. Pour the arborio rice in the pot and stir briskly for about 1 minute. Do not brown the rice.
4. Add the wine and stir till reduced, you'll smell it and it'll smell good.
5. Start adding the stock to the pot a ladleful at a time. Constantly stir the rice and stock until the stock has been absorbed into the rice. Keep doing this until the stock is gone, the starch and mixing will create a nice creamy texture to the risotto.
6. When al dente remove risotto from heat.
7. Add cheese and mix in thoroughly. 
8. Pour risotto onto parchment paper and spread out as a thin a layer.
9. Let cool.
10. When cool, measure out squares of risotto, approximately 20-30.
11. Make sure the risotto easily separates from the parchment, if not, use a oiled spatula to separate from the risotto from the paper before adding the tuna.
12. Place a square of risotto in our palm with a piece of tuna in the center.
13. Fold the corners over the tuna and ball into your palm, roll till round.
14. Complete process till all the risotto or tuna is gone.
15. Rolled risotto balls into bread crumbs till lightly coated.
16. Heat frying pan with oil on medium heat and brown arancini, place on paper towels to remove excess oil.
17. Serve and enjoy!

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Go back to Genova Tonno!

Blood Orange Salad with Tuna

A traditional Sicilian winter dish is the Blood Orange Salad. The fruit primarily grown in Italy but is also grown in Spain and the United States among other places in the world. The blood orange has a dark red pulp that is sweet and has many health benefits. Blood orange salad is usually made with shaved fennel bulb but I went with ground fennel seed that is bright and highly compliments the tuna and citrus. Start with the tuna first and let the flavors blend, the orange salad is ready to go as soon as it is plated. Plating consists of arugula that has been used in Italy since the ancient times. This makes approximately two servings.

Tuna

• 1 can of Genova Tonno tuna
• 1/8 ground Fennel Seed
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1 ½ tablespoons finely minced Red Onion
• Pepper to taste

Orange Salad

• 4 Blood Oranges
• 2 Oranges
• 1 can of Solid Tuna in Olive Oil
• 1 small Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons Parsley, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Freshly Course Black Pepper
• Arugula and/or leafy spring vegetables

Garnish

• 3-4 Kalamata Olives sliced or chopped
• ¼ teaspoon Capers
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation

1. The tuna is lightly seasoned so it doesn't get lost in the mix. Use a fork to toss the tuna with the listed ingredients, wrap then let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour while you prep the oranges.
2. Place a layer or arugula on your serving plate. The rest of the ingredients will rest on top of the green.
3. You'll need a sharp knife to cut the skins and pith off the blood oranges then cut them in slices as seen in the photos. The regular oranges you'll slice the pulp out of the skins after skinning them them. You'll want to ensure the seeds are removed from both types of oranges before plating.
4. Lay down a layer of blood orange then a thin layer of red onion.
5. Place the regular orange on top of the blood orange and red onion, space evenly to allow room for the tuna.
6. Spoon the tuna mixture between the oranges and then garnish with olives and capers.
7. Drizzle with olive oil.

Serve chilled to room temperature. This would be good with a vinaigrette too!

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Go back to Genova Tonno!

Genova Tonno!

Genova Tonno!

I remember when I was a kid, tuna fish was always packed in oil – at least the stuff we ate my house. This was the 1970s everyone was eating tuna fish sandwiches, tuna casseroles, all of the that stuff. Eventually tuna was being shipped in water and marketed as a healthier alternative to the soybean oil it was usually in. My kids grew up eating tuna fish packed in water! We just kind of went along with it and never gave it a second thought.

Recently I was contacted by Genova Tonno (tonno translates to tuna in Italian) to review their canned tuna fish. Genova solid yellowfin tuna is packed in olive oil. If you don't know the difference between tuna fished marked as solid or chunk buy a can of each and check them out. I can tell you that solid tuna in a can looks like a sliced piece of fish nestled into a can whereas “chunk” tuna looks kind of mushy and shredded. They shipped me a nice gift basket to sample their product and inspire me to come up with some ideas on how their tuna can be prepared. It's a nice gift basket too!

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I checked out the contents of the basket and grabbed one of the cans of tuna. I liked the branding, kind of along the veins of traditional tuna packaging. If you're into that type of thing, search the web for other examples. The blurb on the side of the can states:

Genova Tonno© Premium Yellowfin Tuna. Wild caught from deep waters, Genova Select Yellowfin if all natural with no additives or preservatives. Packed in the Mediterranean tradition with olive oil, it has a delicious flavor and is a natural source of Omega-3.

When I opened the can it wasn't fishy like other cans of tuna I've had, which was normally the cheapest, store brand. The oil was pretty much clear when I poured it out and the fish inside the can looked solid. I could pull apart flakes with my fingers and when I tossed a piece in my mouth it wasn't mushy at all. Pretty tasty stuff.

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Of course the first thing that popped into my head was tuna salad, right? I love that stuff but I wouldn't be doing Genova justice if I just tossed it in a bowl with some relish and mayonnaise. I started to think about traditional Italian recipes and dishes that would compliment the solid, fresh tasting tuna they gave me. You'd probably like to hear a story of my Italian grandmother passing down tuna recipes from the Old Country being passed down from generation to generation but I can't do that. I was born in Bangkok and raised in Virginia Beach, VA – I had to do a little research.

One thing we like to do in our house – and Shelby is great at this – is experiment with food. She'll just take a mental inventory of what we have in the cabinets and figure out what goes well together and then make it. She hits the mark on the head too! I like to look up a few things, get an idea of where a recipe is trying to go and follow that path. After I get comfortable with it, I'll explore flavor profiles and ingredients to come up with something new; this is what I did for Genova. They gave me three cans of their premium tuna fish, so I came up with three recipes. Each one was a nod to regional Italian dishes, or so I hope, that incorporate Genova tuna fish. Find where Genova tuna is sold locally in your area and give these a shot. As always, feel free to modify the recipes to suit your own tastes and preferences.

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Blood Orange Salad with Tuna

A traditional Sicilian winter dish is the Blood Orange Salad. The fruit primarily grown in Italy but is also grown in Spain and the United States among other places in the world. The blood orange has a dark red pulp that is sweet and has many health benefits. Blood orange salad is usually made with shaved fennel bulb but I went with ground fennel seed that is bright and highly compliments the tuna and citrus. Click the this link for the recipe.

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Tonno alla Arancini

Arancini is Italian street food and consists of breaded, balled risotto that is fried to perfection. I'm a sucker for anything fried and this is no exception! I mixed it up a little bit and added some extra cheese and seasoning to the risotto that is then wrapped around a chunk of Genova tuna fish before it's panned fried. Everyone loves these things, I've made a bunch of them and shared them with friends and co-workers. This recipe is tested and true – click this link for the recipe.

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Tuna and Spicy Couscous

I'll admit that this one isn't truly Italian but it allows me to share my Golden Couscous recipe with the world. I will usually make couscous with basil shrimp at home but it works well with the Genova tuna. The cool, refreshing tuna atop of the warm, paprika spiced couscous will be a crowd pleaser. We love Mediterranean and Anatolian food, give this a shot and you will not be disappointed. It's easy too! Click here for the recipe.

I mentioned a gift basket earlier and I wanted to let everyone know that Genova has generously offered to allow me to give away one to my readers. Check out the olivewood cheeseboard that comes with it, it's amazing. Shelby feel in love with it as soon as she saw it. Go to I-Heart-Food's Facebook page to learn how you could win this for yourself.

Spicy Thai Basil Fried Rice

I love Thai style fried rice, Thai food in general. People would assume it's because my mother is Thai but that's not it. I grew up in Virginia, I ate a lot of fried chicken, pork chops and hamburger gravy (sounds gross but it's so good!) My mom would make the foods she thought we should eat since we were in the U.S. When she ate though, she liked to make the foods she grew up eating.

I remember watching my mother prepare Thai food. She would sit in the middle of the kitchen floor with a wooden mortar and pestle she brought over from Thailand. It was worn down in some spots from her pounding and mashing Thai chilies, garlic and any number of ingredients in it. Years of use had seasoned it so that when she brought it out you could smell the delicious aromas pouring from its smooth center. It smelled great and that seasoning would be infused anything crushed in it.

My mother's food was hot. Very hot. When I was very young, I tried to eat some of a meat salad she made (Yum Nua) because it looked delicious. As soon as I put it in my mouth it started to burn and I became very cautious about eating the food she made for herself. That didn't mean I wouldn't eat any Thai food, fried rice and the whole fish she made was something I enjoyed a lot. If I could see chopped or whole Thai chilies though...I was wary. It was years later, when my palate matured, I could properly appreciate Thai food. We eat it frequently now.

Being familiar with what I grew up with and eating out at countless Thai restaurants I came up with my own recipe for Thai Basil Fried Rice, known as Khao Pad Kraprow. If you search for it you'll see it is spelled many different ways. I've seen simpler recipes and I've seen more complex ones, this is how I like it. Give it a shot at home, start by reading the pointers I listed.

A few tips before you get started:

• Cook the rice the day before. Day old rice is better suited for fried rice. It's less sticky so it sholdn't attach itself to the wok. Fresh, moist rice tends to fall apart a bit too while its being tossed and scraped in the wok.

• Do not salt! Fish sauce is very salty, if you're familar with it you know this already.

• I prefer pork when I make this, I think it picks up the flavors the best but anything can be used (chicken, beef, tofu, people etc...)

• Most people cook with vegetable oil, I like sesame seed oil. It has a nice nutty flavor but it's a little more expensive

• Whisk the sauces and sugar together before you start. This will give the sugar a chance to disolve a little and you'll be using it as you go along.

• You can make this a vegetarian dish easily by substituting the meat for a viable options. If you're vegan the fish and oyster sauce can be substituted with a vegatarian "fish sauce" found at most Asian markets.

I've also included a photo walk-through at the bottom of the page. Click through each step for tips on how to cook this!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of protein of your choice (I prefer pork)
• 4-6 Garlic cloves, crushed or minced finely
• 2-4 Red chilies, Thai, crushed/ground
• 1-2 teaspoons White Sugar (to taste) 
• 1/2 to 1 large bunch Thai Basil, whole, chopped, julienne, however you want it, more is better!
• Several dashes of Golden Mountain sauce
• Several dashes of Fish sauce (maybe one or two extra)
• Several dashes of Oyster sauce
• Pepper to taste
• 2 cups jasmine rice (measured uncooked)
• 1 Red onion, chopped
• 1/2 large Green bell pepper
• 1/2 large Red bell pepper  (mainly for color, but they're a little sweeter than the green too)
• 2 handfuls - Green beans, trimmed
• 4 Green/Spring onion, chopped

Prep the vegetables and meat, this cooks fast, so you won't have time to chop up stuff once you start cooking. Cut it all to whatever size you like, personally I like the vegetables to be a little chunky and the meat sliced thin. I use a wok and I usually cook out back on my grill's side burner to reduce smoke in the house. One time I made this at a relatives house and when I started cooking the chili in the pan it was like a low level crowd control gas canister started leaking. I started hearing coughing in the next room.

1. Heat the wok up, once it's hot pour some of the oil in. I like to make sure the bottom is coated. When the oil starts to smoke, toss in the half of the garlic and red chili you prepped, remove from heat and swish it around the wok. You'll coat the sides of the wok when doing this.
    
2. When you can smell the garlic and pepper put it back on the heat and throw in the meat. (If the pepper hits your nose and it makes your eyes water, that's a good thing)
   
   Note: I just wanted to mention if you leave the garlic and chilies on the burner/heat after you can smell it, chances are good that you're going to burn it.
    
3. Add some of the seasoning mixture you prepped earlier, about 1/3. I also season it with some pepper and let it brown a little before tossing it, brown the other side.
    
4. Add about 1/3 of the basil.
    
5. Keep in wok until all of it is cooked. Obviously, the pork needs to be cooked all the way through. If you use shrimp or beef, the cooking time is a lot less.
    
6. A lot of recipes don't do this, but I like to remove the meat from the wok and place it aside. You'll add it back in again (juices and all) after you get the vegetables and rice cooked.
    
7. Add some more oil to the wok, then work the garlic and chili again, same drill as before.
    
8. Toss in the all the vegetables except the green onion, that tends to gets soggy pretty fast. I like a little char on some of the vegetables before I toss them but they should be firm and not over-cooked.
    
9. While the veggies are cooking, toss in 1/3 of the basil, sugar. Pepper and add sauce mixture.
    
10. Keep vegetables in the wok, add the rice and the rest of the ingredients that are left. Add the green onion at this time too.
     
11. When you start to mix the rice add the meat and drippings in. Add the remainder of the sauce mixture; salt and pepper to taste and let it brown.
     
12. Optional - You can squeeze a little lime on it once you're done cooking it if you have any sitting around.

Seems a little involved, but it's really easy when you get the hang of it.

If you don't have a wok or Golden Mountain Sauce, go to the local Asian market. A good wok is about $12-20. You'll want to clean off all that funky stuff that's coated all over it from shipping. Scrub it real good, wash it, and then season it with some oil, burn it into it. I don't scrub my wok after I start seasoning it, it has a nice carbonized, black coating on it now. Nothing sticks to it.

As for the spices and ingredients, you can add or remove as much as you like. A lot of the time I'll use whatever I have in the fridge, it's great when I have a little bit of everything in the crisper. I don't use soy sauce in this dish. Thai basil and fish sauce are needed to make this the right way. Thai basil is in any Asian or international market you might have in your area (well, probably not the Russian one.) If you've never bought Thai basil, the leaves are smaller and the stalks are purple. It has a slight licorice flavor too, you'll be able to smell it through the packaging.

Good luck and send me feedback with your own experiences making this. I have my Mom's seal of approval with this stuff so it's gotta be alright.

Garlic, always have garlic on hand

Garlic breakdown

Use whatever method you like to peel it.

Shake it

I used that garlic peeling method that was all the rage the other year. It works better for my wife than it does for me.

Ready for the knife

Thai Chilies

Carefully slice lengthwise and scrape the seeds out.

Seeds = Heat

Removing seeds is optional.

Bell Pepper

This is how I remove the stems from my bell peppers most of the time. A quick push on the stem inward...

Bell Pepper

...and the seedy core and steam come right out. Might take a little practice.

Vegetables ready for the wok

Meat

I buy the cheapest cuts I can get. Most of the time this means I'm deboning it, no problem.

Slice thinly to cook fast

Heat up the wok

Make sure everything you are cooking has been prepped before you heat up the wok. It'll be very hot and you won't have time to chop up anything before the oil burns.

Cook the meat

You'll be adding a little garlic and red chili in the wok before you toss in the meat and vegetables. I add the sauce mix in about halfway through the fry of whatever is in the wok. Add a little towards the end for flavor.

Browned and done

I like to try to get a the meat on the hottest parts of the wok to get a little char on it. I believe it adds to the flavor.

Thai Basil

You can taste a little licorice in Thai basil. You need to use Thai basil if you want this dish to taste right. Chop it or pull it apart, I like my pieces to be a little big bigger and rough.

Stir fry the vegetables

Don't overcook! You don't want the vegetables to get soft. About 5 minutes max, season the same way you did the meat.

Rice time!

Again, I like to try to get a little char on the rice when I put it in the wok. Use your utensil to break down large clumps of rice. Season as we did earlier with the meat and vegetables.

Color

When you have it in the wok and all the herbs and seasoning has been added, you'll start seeing color.

All in

When the rice is about done, toss the meat and vegetables back in. Mix thoroughly, make sure to scrape the bottom of the wok to get any rice that might be sticking to it. Mix for about 8 minutes.

Eat!

Garnish with cilantro, green onion and lime.

Clams in Butter & Wine Sauce

After having something similar in an area restaurant I wanted to try my hand at a butter/wine sauce for clams. It came out great and the sauce is delicious with crusty bread. Here's what you need:

• 1 stick of Butter
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1 cup clam stock
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped Parsley
• 1 small Lemon
• Zest from the lemon
• 1/2 an medium onion
• 1/2 lb Bacon, cooked soft, roughly chopped
• 3-5 lbs of Little Neck Clams

Pepper to taste (the clam liquor will be salty enough)

To get the cup of clam liquor you need for this, you'll get from the clams you cook. It's easy:

1. Fill a stock pot with about half an inch of wine and then place the steamer and clams in. Turn to high and cover, steam for 15 minutes. You'll know they're done when they open. Discard any clams still closed after steaming.
2. You should have a couple of cups of clam stock in the bottom of the pot. Don't throw it out! Freeze what you don't use in the recipe for later.

To make the sauce:

1. Heat a large sauce pan to medium-high, place butter in pan.
2. Add garlic and onion and saute till translucent, about 4 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock, wine and clam stock. Switch heat to High until boiling, then reduce to medium. Simmer and reduce for approximately 20 minutes or until reduced to close half volume. (At this point you can serve it at whatever consistency you like, add a tiny bit of flour if you want it thicker.)
4. After reducing liquid add heavy cream, lemon zest and lemon juice. Simmer for 15 minutes, stir regularly.
5. Add parsley, stir and remove from heat.
6. Place clams in large bowl and sprinkle the bacon on top. Then pour the sauce all over the clams.
7. Serve and eat with bread!

Tip: To cut back on salt, use a bacon or ham that isn't as salty.

Turkey Brine

It's Thanksgiving! One of my favorite holidays of the year and I love to cook dinner for the family. The smells, picking at what's being made and the thought of everyone home just feels good. Bonus for us: Our son will be home for the weekend from his training! Can't wait to see him.

I've only recently started brining turkeys, this being my third. I've browsed a lot recipes out there and picked what I liked from them. This recipe will produce a nice aromatic mixture that will add flavor to your bird. Another thing I like to do too is roast mine upside down and them flip it the last hour to brown the top. I can write about that later.

The following brine recipe will be mixed with approximately 2 gallons of water. Brine the fully submerged turkey for about 24 hours (12 in a pinch!) If you don't have room in the refrigerator to hold it, you can use a large, ice-packed cooler. Half way through brining make sure to flip the turkey.

Ingredients:

4 cups Apple Cider

½ bottle White Wine

1 ½ cups Kosher salt

6 cloves of Garlic, crushed

5 medium Bay Leaves

2 cups Brown Sugar

2 medium Onions, sliced

2 Oranges Worth of Peels (just the peel! No pith. I put the peeled oranges inside the turkey while it's roasting)

2-3 tablespoons of Rosemary

2 tablespoons Black Pepper Corn

2 tablespoons Coriander

1 tablespoon Mustard Seed

1 tablespoon Fennel Seed

A few sprigs of Thyme

Mix all ingredients in a stockpot and bring to a roll. Lower heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes, until the salt has dissolved. Cool before pouring in brining container with turkey. From what I've read it could cause problems with bacteria if you pour hot or warm brine on the turkey. You can use ice to cool down the brine if need be, just make sure you don't add as much water when you mix it all together.

Happy Thanksgiving!