Anthony Bourdain's Beef - Boeuf Bourguignon

The first recipe was his popular Poulet Roti (French Style Roast Chicken), followed by the Whole Roasted Fish Basquaise (will post the recipe soon). I made his Beef Bourguignon last weekend.

Anthony Bourdain's Beef - Boeuf Bourguignon

I have to say his beef bourguignon does not contain any fancy factor. This recipe uses the basic ingredients beef, onion, carrot, red wine and bouquet garni and turned them into a fabulous French beef bourguignon. This is exactly how I like a classic to be.

Anthony Bourdain - "Traditionally, this dish is cooked entirely with red wine. And that's fine, just fine. But if you listened to me earlier, and keep a stash of good, strong demi-glace * (see note) kicking around in your freezer, a couple of spoonfuls give the sauce a nice flavour boost. This is one of the easier dishes in this book, and also one of the best."

Anthony Bourdain's Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe

(Adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs (900 g) paleron of beef, or "chicken steak" (* see note), or same amount of should or neck, cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm pieces)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup (56 ml) olive oil
• 4 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsps (28 g) all purpose flour
• 1 cup (225 ml) red Burgundy
• 6 carrots, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 bouquet garni (* see note)
• A little chopped flat parsley

* Paleron: A noble, flavorful, and relatively tender cut from the shoulder of beef or veal, inexplicably called the "chicken steak" by American meat-cutters.

* Bouquet Garni: 1 sprig of flat parsley, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, and 1 bay leaf, tied together with string and used for flavouring (usually stews or sauces). Tying the bundle in cheesecloth makes it easier to retrieve from the pot.

Method

1. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
2. In the Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat until it is almost smoking. Add the meat, in batches - NOT ALL AT ONCE! - and sear on all sides until it is well browned (not gray). You dump too much meat in the pot at the same time and you'll overcrowd it; cool the thing down and you won't get good color. Sear the meat a little at a time, removing it and setting it aside as it finishes.
3. When all the meat is a nice, dark brown color and has been set aside, add the onions to the pot. Lower the heat to medium high until the onions are soft and golden brown (about 10 minutes).
4. Sprinkle the flour over them. Continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the red wine. Naturally, you want to scrape up all that really good fond from the bottom of the pot with your wooden spoon. Bring the wine to a boil.
5. Return the meat to the pot and add the carrots, garlic, and bouquet garni. Add just enough water ( and two big spoons of demi-glace, if you have it) so that the liquid covers the meat by one third - meaning you want a ratio of 3 parts liquid to 2 parts meat. This is a stew, so you want plenty of liquid, even after it cooks down and reduces. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, and let cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender (break-apart-with-a-fork tender).
6. You should pay attention to the dish, meaning to check it every 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure the meat is not sticking or, God forbid, scorching. You should also skim off any foam or scum or oil collecting on the surface, using a large spoon or ladle. When done, remove and discard the bouquet garni, add the chopped parsley to the pot, and serve.

Chicken Marengo

Chicken Marengo

Chicken Marengo takes its name from the battle of Marengo in 1800, when Napoleon defeated the Austrians. The original version, improvised on the battlefield by Napoleon's chef, was made with a chicken, tomatoes, eggs, crayfish, garlic, and a splash of brandy from the General's flash.

Chicken Marengo Recipe (Serves 4)

(Adapted from Mary Berry's Complete Cook Book)

Ingredients

• 30 g (1 oz) butter
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1.5 kg (3 lb) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
• 6 shallots
• 30 g (1 oz) plain flour
• 300 ml (1/2 pint) dry white wine
• 150 ml (1/4 pint) chicken stock
• 1 x 400 g (13 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 250 g (8 oz) button mushrooms
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 parsley sprig
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and black pepper
• 250 g (8 oz) cooked peeled prawns
• chopped parsley to garnish

Method

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large flameproof casserole. when the butter is foaming, add the chicken pieces, and cook for 10-12 minutes until browned all over. Lift out and drain.
2. Add the shallots, and cook over a high heat for about 8 minutes until browned all over. Life out and drain on paper towels.
3. Spoon off all but 1 tbsp of the fat from the casserole. Add the flour, and cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned. Lower the heat, and blend in the wine and stock, stirring until well combined. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato puree, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Return the shallots and chicken to the casserole, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in a preheated oven at 180C (350F) for 1 hour or until the chicken is almost tender. Stir in the prawns, and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley and serve at once.

Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken

This is the sort of food I love in Greece, What Debbie Major, who works with me, calls 'a rustic, throw-it-together dish.' The more I watched cooks there, the more I was filled with an obvious thought.: that cooking shouldn't be difficult. They seem to cook just like breathing. Thrown-together such dishes may appear, but their ingredients are always perfectly balanced. This is a sweet and aromatic mix of sun-dried tomato, onion, oregano, cinnamon and chillies; best served with the rice-shaped pasta known to us by its Italian name, orzo.

Greek Style Pot-Roasted Chicken Recipe (Serves 4)

(Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)

Ingredients

• 1 x 2-kg free-range chicken
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 60 g sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
• 500 g vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 400-g can chopped tomatoes
• 7.5-cm piece cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• A generous pinch of crushed dried chillies
• 150 ml chicken stock
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Season the inside of the chicken. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole., add the chicken and brown it on all sides over a medium heat.
2. Remove the chicken to a plate, add the remaining oil and the onion to the casserole and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh or canned tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, dried chili flakes, chicken stock, 1 tsp of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, replace the chicken and cover the casserole with some foil and a tight-fitting lid.
3. Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is very tender.
4. When the chicken is cooked, and the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear, life it into a carving board, cover it tightly with foil and leave it to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes. Skim the excess fat from the surface of the sauce, place the casserole over a medium heat and leave to simmer vigorously until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the sauce, stir in the parsley and adjust the seasoning to taste. Carve the chicken. Spoon some of the sauce onto 4 warmed plates and place the chicken on top.
6. Serve with orzo, rice or crusty bread.

Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 packets Brahim's Rendang Paste
• 1.5 kg beef brisket (gravy beef)
• 2 cups dessicated / grated coconut
• 2 cups hot boiling water
• 6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tbsp oil

Method

1. To make kerisik: Fry the grated coconut in a non-stick frying pan (without oil) on low heat. Keep stirring so all the grated coconut are browned evenly. It will take about 10 minutes to turn it into deep golden brown and you can smell the aroma. You are ready to use it for your rendang. (Traditionally, the kerisik is then ground into a paste by using a mortar and pestle but I don't find it to be necessary.)
2. Cut the beef in 5 cm / 2" cubes.
3. Heat oil in a wok, add garlic and fry until slightly browned. Add beef and fry until all sides are browned.
4. Remove beef from wok.
5. Add rendang paste to the wok and cook until the paste is bubbling. Add the kerisik and hot boiling water.
6. Bring to a boil and add the beef and continue cooking until it's boiling.
7. Turn down the heat, cover with lid and let it simmer in low heat for 2 hours. Stir it occasionally.
8. After 2 hours of simmering, the sauce should be thickened and the should be very tender. Now turn back to medium-high heat, lid off and continue to stir-fry it until the sauce is completely thicken and dried.
9. Served with steamed rice, roti or nasi kunyit.

Chicken Osso-Buco Style

What's in a name? Osso Buco is the Italian name both for veal shanks and the classic Milanese method of cooking them: They are first braised with aromatic vegetables and tomatoes, then enlivened with a last minute sprinkling of lemon peel, parsley, and garlic. You can achieve the same delicious flavour - in much less time - with chicken.

Chicken Osso-Buco Style Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 chicken thigh fillets (skin, fat and bone removed)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large onion
• 4 medium carrots
• 1 large celery stalk
• 1 x 400g can diced Italian tomatoes
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Method:

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs; sprinkle with salt. Cook until golden on all sides. Transfer to bowl.
2. Meanwhile, on cutting board, coarsely chop onion. Dice carrots, and celery. To drippings on skillets, add onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes, or until vegetables are lightly browned.
3. Return chicken thighs to skillet; stir in stewed tomatoes. Heat to boiling over high heat.
4. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 25 minutes, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with tip of knife. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and grated lemon peel.

Note: The secret to these full-bodied dishes is cooking the chicken in two-steps. First sear it in hot oil to seal in juices and create a rich, browned flavour. Next simmer it, covered, in liquid until tender and cooked through. Pair these saucy dishes with vegetable purees, polenta, or risotto, to soak up all the delicious juices.

Source: The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook.

Mediterranean Flavour Turkey Casserole

I love the flavour of turkey but I do find that a good turkey recipe can be hard to come by (besides the classic roast turkey). Many people complain of hard and bland turkey meat, particularly the white meat. It has more of a tendency to be dry and tough if not properly prepared.

I saw this casserole recipe that was meant for veal chops. I substituted the veal chops with turkey breast steaks and the dish turned out to be fabulous. All of the flavours blend very well together and the turkey is moist and tender after it has been slow cooked in oven for an hour.

Give this new recipe a try to enjoy the flavour of fresh tomatoes, onion, olives, oregano leaves and turkey meat.

Mediterranean Flavour Turkey Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Turkey Breast Steaks
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 small chicken stock cube, crumbled
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 black olives

Methods

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
2. Place steaks in flour in bowl, press flour on lightly, shake off excess flour.
3. Reserve 1 tbsp of the flour.
4. Heat oil in medium frying pan, add steaks, cook over high heat until browned on both sides.
5. Place steaks in single layer in ovenproof dish.
6. Add onion to pan, stir constantly over medium heat until flour mixture is lightly browned.
7. Gradually stir in combined wine, water, stock cube and sugar; stir constantly over high heat until mixture boils and thickens.
8. Stir in tomatoes and oregano.
9. Pour into dish, cover with lid, bake in oven for about 1 hour or until chops are tender.
10. Add olives just before serving.

Kapitan Chicken Curry

Kapitan Chicken Curry, commonly known as Curry Kapitan is a popular Malaysian Nyonya dish originated from the state of Malacca.

Nonya cuisine was developed by the Peranakan - the descendants of early Chinese immigrants to Malaysia, and as a result is a fusion of Chinese and Malay culinary traditions, but has a flavour all its own.

Kapitans were appointed chiefs or headmen of the various ethnic communities during the Portuguese and Dutch colonial rule in what are now present-day Indonesia and Malaysia. Kapitan China was originally a Malay title for the representative of a Chinese enclave. The fifteenth century rulers of Southeast Asia, chose to deal with a single individual from each ethnic group under their rule.

Chicken kapitan is a thick spicy chicken curry dish which conjures up some of the cosmopolitan atmosphere of old Malacca and recalls the traditional role of the 'Kapitan China' as the functionary who stood between the Malay Rulers and the Chinese communities.

In addition to coconut milk and lemongrass, the dish makes liberal use of "belacan", a shrimp paste that is the hallmark of Nonya cuisine. While belacan has a sharp odor by itself, when used in cooking it acts as a flavour enhancer, adding texture and boldness to the dish's other ingredients, rather than drawing attention to itself.

Although this curry dish is originated from Malacca, I have used a Nyonya recipe developed by Penang chef Philip Yoong. The ingredients and cooking steps may be slightly different from the original Malacca version but nonetheless it's a wonderful curry dish worth trying.

Kapitan Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken thigh fillets
• 5 tbsp oil
• 100 ml thick coconut milk

Marinade:

• Juice from 1 lime
• 100 g grated coconut, stir-fried (without oil) on low-heat for 10 minutes until golden brown and fragrant
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

Lemongrass Stock:

• 500 ml water
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 8 kaffir line leaves, sliced

Spice Paste (ground all ingredients into a paste with a food processor):

• 250 g shallots, peeled
• 100 g garlic, peeled
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 10 dried chillies, soaked in warm water to soften
• 6 red fresh chillies

Seasonings:

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted belacan powder

Method:

1. Mix chicken with marinade in a bowl. Cover with cling film and marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. Put ingredients for lemongrass stock into a pot and bring to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Heat up the oil in a wok and saute spice paste until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in lemongrass stock and seasonings. Continue cooking until the sauce has has thickened and chicken is cooked.
4. Pour in coconut milk and bring to boil. Dish up and serve with rice.