Tag Archives: parmesan cheese

Peruvian Chicken Curry

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I am bias and literally love all curries. I love sopping up bread or rice in them, they are typically super flavorful and filling too. I am very down to try any sort of curry. Even if it means ordering some of the ingredients from Amazon because I am too lazy to find out where Aji Amarillo paste is sold locally. I will say, building off of my general theme of sloth, I did not roast my own chicken for this recipe, like the original calls for. That’s right kids, grab a good old Rotisserie chicken from your supermarket and make sure you adequately de-bone, de-skin, and de-fat that before throwing into the curry. So yum and a lot quicker than roasting a bird yourself.

  • 1 slice whole wheat sandwich bread, crust removed, cut or torn into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup half-and-half
  •  2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled queso fresco or mild feta cheese (that sounded like a lot so I did one cup but 2 is probably right).
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, plus 1/3 cup toasted
  • 1 tablespoon Aji Amarillo paste (this was my Amazon order, shit is sooo good, I actually did 2 tbsp. because I like the kick)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (Again I wanted a brighter color so I did 1 tsp.)
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used dried because I didn’t have fresh, whatever).

**Peruvians typically garnish with chopped olives (I did black and green to add pops of salty color) and boiled eggs. Also note the curry is best served over Latin Rice (rice boiled with saffron threads).

Place the bread and half-and-half in the bowl of food processor or a blender. Allow the bread to soak up the liquid, about 10 minutes. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Cool slightly and add to the food processor with the soaked bread. Add the broth, cheeses, 1/2 cup walnuts, Aji Amarillo paste, and turmeric. Blend until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt & add in the chicken to heat everything through together.

Happy Eating, XO.

PS that’s all that was left in the pot before I could even get to the stove to take a picture!

IMG_8287

 

Party Perfect

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You guys know my two besties: Cheese and Wine?! Well they haven’t hung out in a while and what kind of food blog would we be if we didn’t impart multiple ways for them to be paired together. Don’t pull a rookie move and think that sliced cheese and crackers is what to serve at a party. This is done just as quickly and looks, tastes, and impresses much more than that tired old look. Plus it’s obviously DELISH!

  • Polenta log from Trader Joe’s
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • 3 tbsp of half and half or cream
  • 2 tbsp basil, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pine nuts, pistachios, or really any nut would work (optional)

Grab the Trader Joe’s polenta log (it’s cheap and cuts down the work a ton)! Slice into 1/8 inch rounds then cut into half moons. Brush with olive oil and grate parmesan cheese over them before sticking in broiler to make into a chip. Remember to keep an eye on them as they shouldn’t take more than 5-10 min at the MAX. While those are toasting up, whip goat cheese with the half and half or cream, add in the chopped basil with some salt & pepper to taste. I also think a nice crunch element would be to add toasted pine nuts (a handful) or pistachios to the cheese mixture.

Dollop the mixture on the cooled chip, (if its still hot the mixture will start melting) and serve!

Party Perfect

Happy Eating (And Partying), XO.

Multi-tasker’s Meal

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Before you panic at the “long” ingredient list realize it is all things you most likely already have in your pantry & fridge. Its a quick week night meal that you can bake while you change, set the table, throw in some laundry… Or maybe that’s just my game plan for tonight. Anyway, you gotta eat so might as well bake this up and give your taste buds something different than grocery store rotisserie chicken. Although trust me I am not hating, only appreciating how much our age bracket eats that stuff.

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp of Dijon mustard (so very optional, I just like the tang)
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash, any flavor
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • pinch of cayenne pepper (more if you like heat, or even a tsp of sriracha would be good)
  • pinch of dried parsley flakes

Here is the picture of just dumping all those ingredients and combining. IMG_6073

Spoon each chicken breast with the mixture. Make a foil tent for each breast. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 min. For the last 5 minutes take out of foil, baste with juices and broil on low. (I did it on high and started charring the tops of the chicken-not a good look)

My friend made a great suggestion of serving the chicken with the pan juices although I thought the chicken was moist enough without making my plate messy with extra sauce. I am also nuts on plate presentation though so I’m probably wrong here on the taste scale.

Happy Eating, XO.

Mouth Party

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I had this at a new years eve party and its almost March and I am still thinking about it. I have problems I know. Anyway, I hit my buddy up and asked him how he made it and he turned me to this cool site. They have all sorts of recipe ideas so I went ahead and made these for a dinner party. Came out so yum, but two tips I have is to make sure the artichokes are properly dried (I had water squirt out when I bit into it, not cute and very hot!) My other tip is also in regards to moisture, make sure the chilies are dried from adobo sauce because the seeds have a lot of heat and you don’t want to over power the aioli, just give it a kick. Anyway, here is the party appetizer that will taste like a party in your mouth!

  • 2 (14 ounce) jar/can of whole artichoke hearts
  • 10 slices bacon, halved crosswise
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Dipping Sauce aka Chipotle Aioli

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or grated (I did 2 because I’m crazy and LOVE garlic)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 whole canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

2014-01-28-artichoke-bites-10-680x324
*photo from Tablespoon, where this recipe idea originated from.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Then set up the bacon strips on a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle the bacon with Parmesan. Place the artichoke heart in the center of each bacon strip. Wrap the bacon around the artichoke and, if you are clumsy and cant wrap then feel free to secure the bacon with a toothpick. Sprinkle the bites with a little Parmesan and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Meanwhile combine the mayo, garlic, honey, minced chipotle chiles and a pinch of pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Transfer to a dipping bowl and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Happy Eating, XO

My Taste Buds’ Soul Mate: Spinach Artichoke Pizza

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I wish I could describe to you the love I have for this pizza. I love it almost as much as truffle oil. Almost. And for any other pizza lover out there (or foodies, or even those who don’t really love food but you of course need to eat – aka EVERYONE) this pizza is for you.

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • ¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 pack of frozen spinach
  • 1 can of drained artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 tubes of pizza crust (I tend to use Pillsbury, but anything works)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and cook the crust according to the directions on the tube. Then in a medium saucepan on low heat add all of the creams – heavy cream, butter, and cream cheese.  Add in the parmesan and garlic powder and let simmer for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring. 

In the meantime, cook the frozen spinach. Once cooked and drained, add it to the simmering sauce. When it’s fully combined, spread on to the pizza crust, and top it with the artichokes and mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes/ until the cheese is golden brown. Last step – fall in love with the deliciousness.

Artichoke spinach pizza

Happy Eating, XO