Indian Cuisine: Ground Meat Curry

For the main course, Minoo made a Ground Beef Curry for the Indian theme at the Caring Place Community Kitchen. I did not use beef on the title as most population in India are Hindus who do not eat beef. I do not want to be offensive. You can substitute the beef with other meat like chicken, turkey, lamb or pork.

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This Ground Beef Curry is loaded with spices like turmeric, cinnamon, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and dried red chili flakes. Vania, a volunteer for the family services did a research on the benefits of eating spicy food and here are what she found out:

  • spicy food helps to prevent degeneration of the brain and nervous system
  • helps with prevention of depression and migraine
  • helps increase metabolism which is an important factor in weight loss function
  • use for pain and inflammation management
  • good for blood circulation
  • lower blood pressure
  • cancer prevention (Capsaicin, an active component of chili peppers, attack and kill cancer cells
  • improve digestion
  • improve sleep pattern

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Peruvian Cuisine: Potatoes Huancaina Style (Papas a La Huancaina)

The second dish which Erika shared with us is called Potatoes Huancaina Style (Papas a La Huancaina).  It has a few similar ingredients as in the Chicken in Aji Sauce recipe. You can kill two birds with one stone for these dishes, i.e. prepare 2 dishes with common ingredients which helps to reduce preparation time.

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The Potatoes Huancaina Style is relatively salty because we use feta cheese.  You can reduce the saltiness by using a mixture of ricotta or cottage cheese with feta cheese.

Ingredients

  • 2 to 5 aji amarillo fresco or fresh yellow aji peppers
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 3/4 cups (400g) farmers cheese (ricotta, cottage, or feta)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 hardboiled eggs
  • 4 Spanish olives, pitted and cut in halves or quarters
  • 2.2 lbs (1 kg) yellow flesh potatoes, boiled, peeled and sliced (use white potatoes if not available)
  • lettuce for plating
  • salt and pepper to taste

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For this recipe, Erika used the Aji peppers in whole in a jar. Under normal circumstances, canned peppers tend to be hotter than fresh ones. Erika shared with us tips on how to reduce the heat of the peppers, especially if you are serving the dish for children. For those who cant find the aji peppers, you can replace it with sweet yellow peppers.

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Peruvian Cuisine: Chicken in Aji Sauce (Aji De Gallina)

Erika Pereyra is a relatively new member of the South Arm Community Kitchen.  We were glad that she’s sharing some of her favourite Peruvian dishes in the South Arm Community Kitchen.  Erika shared with us that Peruvian cuisine has lots of influences from Spanish cuisine.  One can also find a lot of Japanese and Chinese restaurants in Peru.

I bet you will never guess that Peruvian Cuisine has one of the most diverse in the world and is at the same level of cuisines of the Chinese, Indian, French and Spanish. Lima, the capital of Peru, is referred to as the “gastronomic capital of the Americas”.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBo6_0c1vcQ]

The video above on Peruvian Cuisine is a bit long but I find it interesting that the country of Peru is so rich in gastronomic heritage. Did you know too that Peru is home to about 2000 types of potatoes? Peru accounts for 40% of all potato varieties in the world.

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The first dish which Erika shared with us is called Chicken in Aji Sauce (Aji De Gallina).  Aji is a kind of pepper, also known as Peruvian hot pepper.

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The above are two types of Aji pepper which Erika introduced to us, one in the form of paste while another is whole.  Erika told us that we can find Peruvian groceries in Killarney Market at 49th Ave East Vancouver.  For the Chicken in Aji Sauce, we used Aji paste. (more…)

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Salade Nicoise

The South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors resumed for the fall season.  We are glad to see Paul and Frank back in the kitchen after they recovered from some health issues.  We also like to welcome Keiko and Chris who are new to the kitchen.

As usual, Charlene and Stella prepared a few delicious and healthy recipes for the seniors to participate in making and enjoying them for lunch.  The first recipe is called Salade Nicoise from Charlene.  This recipe serves 2 but we trippled it in the seniors’ kitchen.

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The Salade Nicoise is a wonderfully balanced meal, offering vegetables, starches, and proteins all on one plate.  This salad gets its name from a French seaside city of Nice where tuna is traditionally features in this salad.

Sydney and Frank made this Salade Nicoise.

Ingredients

  • 2 red potatoes
  • 6 oz. green beans (about two small fistfuls)
  • 2 eggs
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, slice into half
  • 6 black or green olives, slice into half
  • 7-oz. can top quality tuna

Dressing:

  • 4 anchovies (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

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P/S: missing ingredients in the photo include eggs, and dressing ingredients.

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Wrinkled Potatoes (Papas Arrugadas)

This is another potato recipe from the Culinaria Spain book.  I found the name quite interesting and decided to give it a try.  It is also the season of nugget potatoes and it’s just the right potato for this recipe.

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As the name suggests, the potatoes turned out looking wrinkled.  It has a slightly salty taste on the skin and creamy soft inside.  Arkensen enjoyed this and asked me to make it again for him.  This is an easy and fast side dish to make, ready in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 lbs/1 kg small quick-cooking potatoes
  • 1-2 tbsp coarse sea salt

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Potato Omelet (Tortilla De Patatas)

Potato Omelet (Tortilla De Patatas) is a common savoury breakfast in Spain. It is usually eaten as a second breakfast around 10 to 11 am. We had this in BraCafe while we were in Barcelona.

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I made this Potato Omelet for Ben’s lunch as he is a light eater while he is at work.  This is great as it can be eaten warm or cold.  This will be a great lunch box item when the kids are back to school next week.

I got this recipe from the Culinaria Spain book as mentioned in this post.

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup/150 ml olive oil
  • 2 1/4 lbs/1 kg large potatoes (about 4 large russet potatoes), peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp salt (I used 1.5 tsp only)
  • 6 eggs

The hardest part in this recipe is to turn over the omelet.  Chick on more for the instructions. (more…)

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Old Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe for Slow Cooker

For those of you of follow chowtimes, I’m sure you’ll know me well enough that I try not to use the oven in summer.  It’s hot enough already and we do not need the extra heat from the oven.  I made this Old Fashioned Beef Stew using the slow cooker.

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I find that this beef stew is slightly on the tangy side.  We are not so fond of tangy meat but I’m ok with tangy dessert.  The next time I’m going to make this again, I will omit the lemon juice.  This is a very hearty meal.

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The main reason I made this beef stew is I found a great deal for eye of round roast at Save-On-Foods.  This 2.6kg piece of meat only cost $11.42.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 pounds lean stew beef
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 cups beef broth or bouillon
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I think I will omit this next time)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 carrots, cut in pieces
  • 6 medium potatoes, cut into pieces
  • 1/3 cup cold water blended with 3 tablespoons flour for thickening (I find it not necessary)

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Salmon and Potato Chowder

Minoo shared this Salmon and Potato Chowder recipe in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. She also shared the following soup tips.

  • homemade stock can be freeze in small batches for convenient use later
  • look for low sodium stock if you are on a low salt diet
  • use vegetable spray on non-stick pan to saute vegetable with minimum fat
  • always simmer soup covered, on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent evaporation
  • when pureeing soup, process in small batches to achieve even smooth texture
  • if soup appears too thick after reheating, add more stock.
  • for more fiber, use unpeeled vegetables, just scrub the skin to clean them
  • leftover vegetables are ideals for making soups
  • to ensure vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus or zucchini to retain good color, add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking
  • chop hard vegetables like carrot finely so that they take lesser time to become tender
  • when a recipe calls for canned crushed tomatoes, you can use whole canned tomatoes and pureed in a food processor with the juice, or use fresh pureed tomatoes
  • for a tasty and sophisticated garnish, add a dollop of light sour cream or yogurt to each bowl of soup
  • most soups can be frozen for up to 2 months; reheat gently

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This Salmon and Potato Chowder is sweet, creamy and cheesy. The sweetness comes from the onion, carrot and creamed corn. A great soup for brunch and lazy days.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 2 cups diced potatoes
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 2 cans salmon
  • 1 (12 fl oz) can evaporated milk
  • 1 (15oz) can creamed corn
  • 1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded

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Tomato Soup Chowder

This Tomato Soup Chowder recipe is from Joyce Gerein. Lorna and Carol made this chowder in the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors. Tomatoes is rich in lycopene, an antioxidant and the storage and temperature affects the amount of lycopene in the fruit. Below is an extract of a hand out from Stella which explains the best way to harvest lycopene.

Lycopene is an antioxidant that gives tomatoes, watermelon, and red fleshed grapefruits their rich red color. Temperature is an important factor in the development and availability of lycopene in the above said fruits. According to Penelope Perkins-Veazie, Ph.D, a plant physiologist who conducted the watermelon study; the normal biological processes in watermelon that produce lycopene are strong at room temperature, while cooler temperatures slow them down. Perkins-Veazie recommends letting a whole melon sit on the counter for up to five days to fully ripen and develop lycopene. Then place it in the fridge to chill before enjoying (unless the melon has been cut, in which case it should be refrigerated immediately). It will taste sweeter and crisper if it’s cold and if stored for two days or less you will not lose any of the lycopene gained wihole the melon sat out.

In the case of tomato, the benefits are actually better when they’re processed. Lycopene in tomato is located inside cells. when the cell walls are broken during processing, lycopene is released and can be absorbed. According to Steven J. Schwartz, Ph.D;, professor of food science at Ohio State University in Columbus; heat alters lycopene’s molecular structure, making it two to three times easier for our bodies to absorb than raw.

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This Tomato Soup Chowder is a hearty soup and it’s very filing too, with the potatoes in it. You can have this for brunch with some biscuits for dipping.

Ingredients

For Soup:

  • 2 cups potatoes, cubed
  • 3/4 cup onions, diced
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 28-oz, can diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups boiling water

For Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon dry parsley

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