Friday’s Last Spoonful: Food Surf

Pot Pie Madness

Food Surfing will feature fun food links from around the Blogosphere, including leads to hardcover helpers. These recommended links may give you other interesting ideas for making your life taste better. The Mixed Stew crew likes hunting through cookbooks for a good recipe or three.

Cooking Light provides 10 lovely potpies to savor.  The Chicken & Root Vegetable Potpie is especially unique but they also have a virtually “Instant” Potpie but you’ll scroll through to learn its trick.

Meanwhile, The Huffington Post provides over 25 generous helpings of this comfort food favorite. 

Vegetarian Potpies?  Yes, vegetarian times offers several versions of this “no meat” potpie.  

Thursday’s SideDish: Wang Kimchi Base

New Kid on the Block

The Mixed Stew crew did a “double-take” on this product, which caught our eyes for the first time at HMart.  We’re used to Momoya brand kimchi base, which comes in some really small bottles but Wang provides a 14 oz. jar.  There’s real anchovy sauce, ginger, and red pepper in their recipe so it’s very promising.  What makes this kimchi base unique?  Wang also includes pureed pears in their sauce.  We think the product may have extra tangy zing or sweetness.  Look for jars at H-Mart at the fair price of $3.99 and up.   If you try this product, let us know if you like it.

Wednesday’s Helping: Variations on this Bake

Canned Corned Beef Pie…well sorta

If you wanna get really decadent with this recipe, we recommend adding one portion of canned soup, such as cream of mushroom, cream of potato, or even cream of celery.  This addition will make for a richer and denser casserole.  We also suggest experimenting with different veggie combinations.  Try zucchini, yellow squash, or even green beans instead.  Need to spice things up?  Add red bell pepper or two for more zing and nutrition.  Note that corned beef is notorious for its high salt content.

Tuesday’s Cupful: Background on Corned Beef Bake

A comfort food casserole

The Mixed Stew crew suggests trying this dish as a more austere spin on potpie or Shepherd’s pie.  The bread crumbs work to seal in the flavors of the cured meat.  We recommend using Palm or Ox & Palm brand corned beef for this recipe.  Look for these specific brand names since their premium product comes packed in natural juices instead of just water or brine.  Palm and Ox & Palm products are imported from New Zealand and Australia.    

Monday’s Bread Bowl: Corned Beef Bake

A swerve on pot pie

We found ourselves with a huge can of corned beef and some veggies that go well with it.  Here’s the recipe:

What you need:

1 large spoon

1 baking dish

½ cup breadcrumbs

Cooking oil spray

1 (11 oz) can corned beef

2 large carrots, chopped small

1 large potato, chopped small

½ small onion, minced small

2/3 cup mushrooms, chopped small

1/ 4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pinch of pepper

Cooking & Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.  Combine beef, carrots, potato, onion, and cheese in bowl.  Mix thoroughly. Season with pepper and mix again.  Spray baking dish with cooking oil.  Pour beef mixture into baking dish.  Press ingredients into dish to make a flat layer.  Pour bread crumbs, evenly, over ingredients.  Place dish in oven.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove dish from oven.  Let loaf rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.   

Thursday’s Side Dish: Crispy Lechon Roll

A twist on a Filipino mainstay

Yes, the Mixed Stew crew was able to get its hands on an actual lechon roll.  Look at the breath taking image!  The folks at Mama Rosa Rotisserie & Grill have really outdone themselves with this crispy-fried pork roast, which is made from a slab of pork belly.  It’s also fairly and moderately priced at $ 35.00.  You will hear the crispy pork skin cracking under the pressure as you cut slices of this yummy Filipino specialty.  The meat and skin is lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon grass.  Mama Rosa Rotisserie & Grill also provides a generous serving of traditional Filipino Lechon Sauce aka Sarsa para Litson. 

Mama Rosa Rotisserie & Grill

836 Middle River Rd, Middle River, MD 21220
     

Wednesday’s Helping: Where is this cut from?

Not quite the rack or the crown

This rustic cut of lamb consists of some ribs but also the whole breast plate.  It’s taken from the upper underbelly of the body.  The Mixed Stew recommends this cut for making soups, stews, and even Irish Lamb Stew.  Meanwhile, you can also roast or grill the breast.  Look for a more inexpensive price compared to more popular cuts of lamb.  The meat content of this cut is smaller compared to the fat content so grill this cut with due care.       

Tuesday’s Helping: Background on Mediterranean Braised Lamb Breast

Whilst away to the Middle East

What’s not to like about our braised lamb breast?  The meat absorbs all the warm spices, such as cumin and coriander, which evoke flavors from the Orient.  The keys—for this recipe--are a slow cooking process and for the cook to use equal amounts of each spice so that not one specific seasoning overpowers the rest.  It’s okay to leave out the saffron if you cannot find this pricey spice.  Remember that lamb meat, in general, has more gamey gusto compared to beef and chicken.   

         

Monday's Bread Bowl: Mediterranean Braised Lamb Breast

A gamey braised lamb cut

The Mixed Stew crew recommends this braised dish for anyone who loves the taste of lamb.  Here’s the recipe:

What you will need:

1 medium-sized Tupperware w/ lid

1 medium-sized bowl

1 large sautee pan w/ lid

1 large wooden spoon

1 metal spoon

2 ½ - 3 lbs lamb breast, bone-in

1 yellow onion, chopped small

3 garlic toes, minced

1/3 cup cooking oil

½ cup water

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon saffron

 Coarse salt to taste

Cooking & Directions:

Combine salt and dried spices together in medium-sized bowl.  Add garlic, onion, water and oil.  Mix well.  Place lamb breast in Tupperware.  Pour all of marinade over lamb breast.  Cover container.  Let lamb breast marinade for at least 3 hours.  Flip breast meat at least once in the time period.

Heat pan on medium-high heat.  Throw down lamb breast meat and brown on both sides.  Reduce heat and add all the onion, garlic, and marinade.  Let lamb braise for at least 1 hour to 1 ½ hours on medium-low heat.  Remove pan from stove top once desired meat tenderness has been reached.  Serve with mashed potatoes or steamed rice.    

Friday's Last Spoonful: Food Surf

Sweet and Sour Dynasty

Food Surfing will feature fun food links from around the Blogosphere, including leads to hardcover helpers. These recommended links may give you other interesting ideas for making your life taste better. The Mixed Stew crew likes hunting through cookbooks for a good recipe or three.

The Mixed Stew crew recommends Sweet and Sour: Life in Chinese Family Restaurants by John Jung for a peek into the kitchen of an Asian gastronomical phenomenon.

As Sweet and Sour recipes go, this “Old School” one by Viet World Kitchen just may take you back a bit with its inclusion of pineapple and large veggie tidbits.  Yum!

Finally, this informative site is about the National Museum of American History’s efforts to preserve and curate Chinese-American history in the U.S.A.  You may learn a thing or two.

Thursday's Side Dish: Sweet -N- Salty Snack

Salty Asian Prunes

These treats are simply known as “sweet –n- sour” to The Mixed Stew crew.  The snack consist of dried plums aka prunes that have been well-seasoned and salted.  Expect to get your hands dirty while enjoying these prunes, which are prevalent throughout Asia and Asian- Pacific areas of the globe.  Look for dark brown, tan, and reddish varieties.  The varying colors depend on the different salty spice rubs.  Meanwhile, some specific plums are sweeter while others may come in specific flavors: licorice, extra hot, or even ginger.  Dried salty plums can substitute for potato chips, pretzels, or processed cheese puffs.  The strong tasty flavor will satisfy anyone’s snack cravings.  Look out for this food item in cities, such as San Francisco and Las Vegas, with larger Asian populations.

Wednesday's Helping: Healthier Jerk Chicken Directions

The Mixed Stew crew has several suggestions to make our EZ Jerk Chicken recipe lighter in calories.  Try grilling jerk chicken skewers or kabobs using chicken breast medallions.  Also, remember that if you use leg meat, you can remove the chicken legs’ skin to reduce your fat-intake.   If you really wanna go meatless, the Mixed Stew crew recommends making grilled veggies (such as asparagus and eggplant) that have been generously rubbed with jerk seasonings.

Tuesday’s Cupful: Busha Browne’s Jerk Seasoning Rub

A lifesaver of spice in a flash

Authentic Jamaican Jerk flavorings are packed into this little (4 oz.) jar.  Scallions, hot peppers, and sea salt make up the main ingredients of this seasoning product that’s actually made in Jamaica. Busha Browne's Traditional Jerk Seasoning Rub is a real time saver.   We enhanced the rub by adding fresh ingredients, such as garlic and soy sauce.  A little amount of this rub goes a long way – especially with the additional ingredients.  The Mixed Stew crew picked up a jar for $4.95 at Whole Foods but do shop around for the best price.  Expect the pungent jerk seasonings to permeate once you open this product.

Monday’s Bread Bowl: EZ Jerk Chicken Legs

Slather on the seasonings

This tasty jerk Chicken recipe packs a lot of punch that we think you'll wanna try.  Here's the recipe:

What you will need:

1 wooden spoon

1 wire rack

1 metal baking pan

1 large bowl w/ lid

1 small mixing bowl

6 – 8 chicken leg quarters

½ (4 oz.) jar Busha Browne’s Traditional Jerk Seasoning Rub  

2 tablespoons green onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Cooking & Directions:

Combine onion, garlic, soy sauce, and cooking oil in mixing bowl.  Add portion of Busha Browne’s Traditional Jerk Seasoning Rub and mix well.  This should form a paste-like rub.  Place chicken in large bowl and apply Jerk Seasoning paste to the chicken’s surface areas.  Cover chicken with lid and let marinade for at least 3 hours. 

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.  Place seasoned chicken on wire rack in metal baking pan.  Position pan inside the oven for roasting.  Let chicken roast for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes (depending on chicken legs’ mass).  Once legs have roasted, pull the cooked chicken out of the oven.  Jerk Chicken should rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.