Cajun Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers

 

We stopped in Pittsburgh PA on our way back from Toronto.  This city is also known as The Iron City and is the country's largest inland port. There are many things that interested us to make the stop. Other than the historical side, this is also the city of three rivers, the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to form the Ohio River.

There are many fresh markets and restaurants there. You will also find many old shops selling souvenirs, kitchen utensils, Asian groceries, herbs and spices from many different nationalities. I was especially attracted to one Italian grocery shop. The minute we stepped into the store, the aroma from the spices really enticed me. They have many freshly ground spices, baked Italian bread, cheeses, cured meats like ham, salami, Porchetta... all kind of nuts, fresh meats, vegetables etc. Their spices are stored in big containers and it is sold by weight. I was busy at the sample section!


The taste of their freshly baked  bread goes with the olive oil, the cheeses and not to forget the cured meat, mmm mmmm mmm! It is unforgettable. The shop has been there for over a  hundred years  and this is my kind of shop.





That afternoon, we had Mediterranean food for lunch, the food was barbecued right in the front of the restaurant and it was delicious. Their dinning area is nicely air conditioned. 

Now back to cooking. One of the spices that we bought is Cajun. I have used it mostly on chicken and fish. Today I used it on chicken, mushrooms and rice and here is the recipe.




4 large Bell Peppers, cut off the top and remove the seeds

For the filling:

1 cup Fresh chicken meat, cut into cubes  
1 tbsp Cajun Spice
1/4 tsp salt, omit this if the Cajun Spice has salt 
1 tsp red Spanish Wine

1 medium size Onion, chopped
3 large Button Mushrooms, cut into big pieces
2 cups Cooked Rice
1/3 cup frozen Green Peas 
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup Shredded Cheese
1/4 cup water 

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Wash bell peppers with cold running water, cut off the top of the bell peppers, remove seeds and core. Dry with paper towel and set aside.

Marinate the chicken with cajun spice, salt, red wine and set aside. 

Heat a frying pan on medium high heat. Add in 1 tbsp oil and 1tbsp butter, stir in the chopped onion. Once it starts to get translucent add mushrooms, stir for about 2 minutes then add chicken and saute until it is fully cooked (no more pink), pour in the cooked rice and green peas, stir and cover with lid for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add salt and chopped cilantro, mix well and they are ready to stuff into the bell peppers. 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spoon the cooked chicken rice into the bell peppers, top with cheese and place into a baking pan/dish. Add 1/4 cup of water into

the pan and bake for 30 minutes. 

Serve warm with salad.

Keropok / Lekor my way (fried fish snack)

One of the snacks I miss very much from Malaysia is Lekor or Keropok (fried fish snack).  It takes a long time and a lot of work to make this the traditional way, plus I have never seen sago flour at the local Asian markets. This is fast and easy. Hope you like this.

1 cup All Purpose Flour (use a spoon and loosely sift the flour into the cup, do not press the flour into the cup, the measurement will be different)
1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 full tsp salt 
1 can (5 oz/142 gm) tuna in water/oil
3 tbsp water

Oil for deep frying 


In a medium bowl, add together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.

*Separate tuna from water/oil. Pour the tuna meat into a small bowl, use a fork to mash it into small pieces and add into the flour mixture. Use your hand or fork to mix them together, it will be crumbly and dry. Once it is done, pour in the tuna water/oil and water, mix until just combined. Over mixing will cause the dough to be chewy. The dough will appear sticky. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Heat oil to 375°F. Scoop dough into the oil 1 teaspoon at a time and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning from time to time. Once done, remove the keropok from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve warm. 

*Note: Adding the tuna with its' water/oil together into the flour mixture required longer time to get it combined and the end result will be the keropok becoming chewy.

Pan Fried Potatoes with Paprika and Cumin

There are many definitions of Tapas. Generally, people know them as snacks, finger food or a light meal and can be served at any time of the day.  Tapas can be made by many different ingredients: ham, cheese, sausages, anchovies, eggs, nuts, vegetables and more. In Spain almost all the bars serve these. Usually they are displayed on the bar, the waiter will serve your selections on small plates. Every region has their own version/taste of Tapas.  It is something you should not miss when you visit Spain. This is one of the hundreds of recipes of Tapas, hope you like it.

3 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper, optional if you don't like spicy
1/2 tsp Salt

I lb Yukon Gold potatoes

Oil for frying

In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and set aside.

Peel, wash the potatoes and cut into wedges. Heat oil, add the potatoes in single layer and cook for about 10 minutes, turning from time to time until golden brown. Remove and drain the oil on paper towels. While the potatoes are still hot sprinkle with the spices and gently toss it until all sides are coated. Serve warm.

Fried Kow Choy 九菜 (Chinese Garlic Chives) with Shrimp

This is one of the afternoon snacks my mother made for us when we where young. It is also one of our favorites. You can replace the dried shrimp with shrimp or chicken bouillon. I bought the shrimp bouillon in a Mexican supermarket, the dried shrimps can be found there too. I bought mine in an Asian market. As for Chinese Garlic Chives most Asian supermarkets have it. I cannot cook this as often as I would like, as it will stink up the whole house, besides that it is not a health food.

2 cups all purpose flour
2/4 tsp baking power
2 tbsp dried shrimp, chopped
1/2 Ib Chinese Garlic Chives
1 small red onion, chopped
2 tsp salt, omit if using shrimp or chicken bouillon
1 cube shrimp or chicken bouillon, add more salt if not using this 

3/4 cups water

Oil for deep frying

Wash the Chinese Garlic Chives carefully, especially towards the white part of the leaves, to remove dirt. Cut into 1/2" length and set aside.

If you are using chicken or shrimp bouillon either melt it with warm water or use a knife to chop it into small pieces. I used a chef knife to chop.

In a big mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients except water and oil: all purpose flour, baking powder, shrimp or chicken bouillon/salt and mix well. Then add water and stir until just combined. Do not over stir or the dough will become hard. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Heat oil to 375°F, scoop the batter one table spoon at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Serve warm. 

Meat Loaf stuffed with Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese

This is a "less-meat" meat loaf. Most meat loaf recipes that I read have no filling and are too meaty for me. So I had mine stuffed with vegetables and cheese, to reduce the amount of meat. We enjoyed this very much.

8 oz Pork, grounded
7 oz Beef, grounded
3 pieces Garlic, finely chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 tsp Poultry Spice
1 tbsp Paprika
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp Salt and pepper (do not add too much salt, as the cheese is salty)

1/4 cup Bread crumbs
3 tbsp Milk
 
1 cup Cheese, shredded (any cheese you like. I used Colby Jack)
1 cup fresh Spinach, chopped
1/2 cup fresh Parsley, coarsely chopped
1 can Mushroom, sliced 

I medium Cauliflower, cut into chunks
1 cup Baby carrots

Plastic food wrap

9" x 13" Baking pan 



In a small bowl mix together milk and bread crumbs and set aside. 

In a big bowl add the first group of the ingredients: pork, beef, garlic, onion, poultry spice, paprika, beaten egg and add the bread crumbs. Mix until just combined. Over mixing will make the meat hard.



Wet the counter top with a damp cloth, and place the plastic food wrap on it.This is to prevent the plastic from moving around. Spread the meat mixture into a rectangular shape.

Arrange the filling (please chop the spinach smaller, I made a mistake by not chopping smaller, it was difficult to cut when it is cooked). There are no rules on which ingredient comes first.

Once all the fillings are in, carefully use some of the plastic wrap to fold half of the meat over the other half, carefully seal all the filling inside the meat. Then pull the other side of the plastic up and wrap up the whole meat. See picture on the left.

Refrigerate for an hour or more to firm up and maintain the shape of the meat.

 

Preheat Oven to 350°F and bake for an hour or  until the kitchen meat thermometer reaches 170°F. It does not require more time to bake as fillings are vegetables and the meat is not thick. 1/2 hour before it is done add baby carrots and cauliflower.

Let cool for 5 minutes, cut and serve.