Kim is actually someone I credit with helping me learn to cook. Five years ago when I moved to New York I was sad to leave my friends, but one of the ways we kept in touch was through a food blog that Kim ran. You can check it out here. Five of us were contributors and in the about section it says “we can’t cook, but we are gonna damn well try.” All of us had talked about wanting to cook and learn more, and the blog was a way for us to do it together. Kim would choose a theme and we’d all cook to the theme, share some stories, the recipe, and photos. It pushed us to try new things in the kitchen, help each other learn, and for me stay involved with them even though I was states away. When that blog stopped, it pushed me to start Cooking is Messy. 

I like that good food can be a way to connect with people. This recipe in particular is really nice, but the first time I made it Ryan said, “smells good, tastes good, doesn’t look good.” I asked him why and it was because I made it with white rice. It was white chicken, on white rice, on a white place. He was right, it looked bland and not very inviting. Which brings me to something I’ve thought about a lot – what’s more important taste or appearance? I always want to say taste because if food doesn’t taste good then what is the point? However, if it looks bad you won’t even want to eat it so you won’t want to taste it. For example, one of the best things I’ve ever tasted is Jacques Pepin’s French onion soup but the photos I took of it are hideous. How will people know it’s amazing if it looks bad? What do you think – taste or appearance? Feel free to weigh in in the comments.

So to improve, the next time I made this I used red camargue and wild rice, which I had never tried before. The rice is chewier and nuttier than regular white rice. It also of course adds nice color and helps the green basil pop.

Overall this recipe is pretty easy to make, which just a few elements that might be unfamiliar. First, it includes oyster and fish sauces, which are ingredients I’ve never used before. However, if you like cooking Asian dishes it’s probably a worthwhile investment and they aren’t so expensive to buy. Also I really liked the flavors. Something I did final unusual is that this recipe asks you to blitz the chicken in a food processor. This is nice because it decreases cooking time, but it’s just not something I thought about doing before. If you could find ground chicken then you could probably skip this step. What’s best about this recipe is that the final dish ends up with all the flavors – sweet, bitter, spicy, umami. It’s really lovely and complex. Basically, the flavors are doing a ton but it doesn’t require a lot of work from you to get all that deliciousness.

Messy level: So much of the prep is done in the food processor that this makes the cooking part really easy and mess free. However, I hate cleaning all the parts of the food processor and since you’re pulsing raw chicken, you really are going to have to do some serious scrubbing in the end.

Basil Thai Chicken

 

Print

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup of rice (whatever kind you prefer)
• 2-3 cups water
• 1 cup fresh basil, divided
• 2 green or red Thai chiles, or 2 serrano chiles, or 1 jalapeno; stemmed and seeds removed
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1½ teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon white vinegar
• 8oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inches chunks
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Read package instructions for rice and follow those guidelines. White rice usually needs twice as much water as rice. Red rice needs about three times as much water as rice. So, in a medium saucepan add rice and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
2. In a food processor, pulse ½ cup basil with chiles and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped, about 10-12 pulses.
3. Transfer 1½ teaspoons of the basil mix into a small bowl. Scrape the rest of the basil into a large skillet. Set the skillet aside. (Don't put the food processor in the sink, you'll need it again!)
4. Return to the small bowl with the 1½ teaspoons of basil mixture. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Mix until well combined. Set the sauce aside.
5. Add the chicken pieces to the food processor. Pulse until meat is chopped into small pieces, about 6-10 pulses.
6. Take the food processor bowl with the chicken in it and put it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, add the shallot and oil to the skillet with the basil mixture. Stir until everything is well mixed. Turn the heat to medium and stir occasionally. You want the mixture to be sizzling. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the shallots are browning and soft.
8. Add the chicken to the skillet. Increase the heat if needed. Stir and break up the chicken with a wooden spoon. After 4-6 minutes, when there are only traces of pink, add the basil-fish sauce mixture.
9. Stir until all the chicken is coated with the sauce. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 2 more minutes
10. Turn off the heat, then add the last ½ cup of basil. Stir until the basil is wilted.
11. Serve chicken on top of the rice. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

3.3.2998

The post Basil Thai Chicken appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

My childhood memories of Easter holidays include fancy flower dresses that I was so excited to wear even though it was always still a bit cold, baskets filled with chocolates hidden among green plastic grass, and brunch with my family. When I was a little kid my family and I used to go to a hotel in downtown Baltimore to eat. In my memory, the place was huge with people and buffet lines on multiple floors. I remember it feeling like such a party and it was so exciting that I could eat all kinds of different foods at the same time.

From one of those occasions there’s a picture of me and my brother Eric standing next to the Easter Bunny giving him the side eye. We’re looking at him with a mixture of fear (because he’s a stranger and a giant rabbit) and respect (because earlier he had brought us a basket of candy). It’s a hilarious picture and one day if I find it I’ll post it here to show you. Anyway, I liked going to brunch with my family. And I like that brunch is a part of my Easter celebration memories. Most holidays are all about big roasted dinners and I like that breakfast gets its chance to be fancy.

One of the brunch foods I love is Eggs Benedict. Well, not Eggs Benedict because I don’t eat ham, but Eggs Royale. Eggs Royale substitutes smoked salmon for the ham and it is delicious. But, regardless of the meat there is just something about the presentation of fluffy poached eggs smothered in hollandaise sauce that feels special. It’s one of those dishes that  gives me a thrill when I can see a server coming over with my order and it’s a dish that I can’t wait to eat.

My mind was set on making standard Eggs Royale for Easter brunch – that is, until inspiration struck. Last last week Ryan and I went to a new place in our neighborhood called the Barn and I had an awesome breakfast. I had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with avocado and crushed red peppers. It was creamy with a little spice at the same time. It was an interesting combination of flavors, but using really familiar and easy to access ingredients. I decided I should turn this dish into our Easter Brunch. So here it is, a new twist on a recipe, Eggs Royale with avocado.

Part of what defines Eggs Royale (or Eggs Benedict) is the hollandaise sauce on top. Hollandaise is is an emulsion of butter and egg yolks. You can definitely buy hollandaise sauce from the super market, but it will be sweeter and tarter than if you make it on your own. Even so, I was feeling intimidated about making it by hand. And Julia Child even said I should learn to make it the traditional way. But, then I also found her recipe for making it quickly in a blender and I was less nervous. She literally says an 8 year-old could do it. Also, in a blind taste test Ryan preferred the homemade version over the store bought. So try making it for yourself because people will notice.

Messy level: This recipe is really all about the prep. There’s some amount of chopping, toasting, blending, and egg cracking – all of which leads to dishes or using some appliances. It’s not terrible and you shouldn’t have a horrible mess, but be warned you should be organized to keep your kitchen neat.

Inspiration from the Barn, hollandaise sauce recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1, and the poached egg method is from an earlier Cooking is Messy post.

Eggs Royale

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

A recipe for poached eggs, hollandaise, with avocado and an English muffin. This recipe is written to serve two people two eggs. However the recipe can easily be increased to serve more people. Additionally, the hollandaise recipewritten as is will serve more than two people.

Ingredients

Hollandaise Sauce

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper
• 4 oz butter

Poached Eggs

• water
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon vinegar

Other Sandwich Materials

• 2 English Muffins
• 8 slices smoked salmon (or to taste)
• 16 slices of avocado (or to taste)
• red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Start with the hollandaise sauce. Place the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper into a blender.
2. Cut the butter into small pieces and place into a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the butter is hot and foaming. Remove from heat.
3. Turn the blender on high and blend for two seconds.
4. While the blender is still on, open the top (if you don't have a small opening on your blender, use a towel to cover the top a little bit) and pour the hot butter into the egg mixture drop by drop. [Note: I wasn't coordinated enough to pour drop by drop but I could pour a tiny stream at a time. This made the sauce a bit runnier, but it was still tasty.]
5. Taste the sauce and blend in more seasoning if needed. Set aside.
6. Put about 2 inches of water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil.
7. Add the salt and vinegar to the water, then lower the heat so the water is just simmering.
8. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl. Bring the edge of the bowl to the top of the water and gently slide the eggs in. Cook for 3-5 minutes. The longer you cook the more solid the yolk.
9. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a low simmer then repeat the above step with the last two eggs.
10. While the eggs are cooking, cut the English muffins in half and toast them to your liking.
11. Take two plates and put both sides of one English muffin on each plate.
12. Put 2 slices of smoked salmon on top of each English muffin half.
13. Put 4 slices of avocado on top of the salmon.
14. Place one poached egg on top of the avocado.
15. Using a spoon, drizzle hollandaise sauce on top of the egg.
16. Sprinkle a generous pinch of red pepper flakes on top of the hollandaise.
17. Serve immediately so the eggs will still be warm.

3.2.2925

The post Eggs Royale with Avocado appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

In addition to learning more myself, I’d like to help other people learn how to cook. To me, that means not just sharing recipes, but giving the tools that help with the basics. At the beginning learning to cook can be overwhelming. Where do you start? There are so many tools, techniques, and vocabulary. So, I wanted to provide some tools to help beginner cooks.

To me a beginner recipe is a combination of three things:

1. Has familiar and inexpensive ingredients
2. Doesn’t require complex techniques or tools
3. Doesn’t take all day to make

A beginner recipe may not have all three of those thing, but some elements of those makes a great starter meal. Now in addition to recipes, you have to have the right tools and seasonings. You can go wild in a kitchen store (and believe me I love to do that), but you can do a lot with just a few basics. Here’s what I think you need to get your kitchen started. Below are 10 kitchen essentials for beginners. Five are recommendations for tools and five are recommendations for herbs. Enjoy!

1. A medium sauce pan – The one in the photo is a 2.5 quart Calphalon non-stick Sauce Pan. This size is a good one because you can use it to make pasta, sauces, or heat up a can of soup. Bump up to a 5 quart if you want to make lots of pasta or chili. There are lots of types of pots: non-stick, cast-iron, stainless steel, and beyond. I think non-stick is a good low maintenance, easy to use pot – but go to the store and see what feel right to you. Lastly, you don’t have to spend a ton of money, but don’t buy the cheapest thinnest pan either. If you do that your food will burn before really being cooked through. And finally, having a lid is important too!

2. A medium frying pan – This is a Calphalon Nonstick 10-Inch pan. I think between 10 and 12 inches is perfect for doing just about everything you need – for stir fries to pancake you can do everything. The same advice above applies here. Go to the store, price compare, see what material you like best, but don’t by the cheapest thing.

3. A cutting board – You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a nice one. I like this plastic one because you can throw it in the dishwasher. Also it has grippy feet at the bottom, so it won’t slide around and you won’t cut your finger off. Again, you can get board from all kinds of materials but plastic is an inexpensive starter option. Just make sure you don’t get one that bends or slides too much.

4. A wooden spoon – Perfect for stirring and won’t scratch you pans. You really only need one, but I like these two. The regular spoon is good for serving and the flat one can be used in place of a spatula is you need it.

5. A large knife – Mine is a Zwilling J.A. Henckels 10-Inch Chef’s Knife. This is something you should spend a bit of money on because you’ll only need one and if you take care of it, it will last a long time. A big knife is important because you can use it to do tough jobs like cut butternut squash or tiny jobs like mince garlic. There are lots of types of knives, go to the store, ask questions, hold them, see what you like. Just make sure the metal goes all the way into the handle – it will make it much sturdier. Ryan and I used to cut everything with a steak knife whose blade bent backwards if you cut something too firm. It’s dangerous – so get a good knife.

It’s easy to stock you cabinet full of spices, and some of them you might only use a few times. I do think there’s something to be said for diversifying your spice rack, but why by turmeric or ginger if you don’t know if you like them? You can do a lot with a few spices, and then expand you collection as your confidence and ability grows.

6&7. Salt and Pepper – You will use these for practically everything. When in doubt, season with salt and pepper and you will make your food more tasty. You need salt for pasta water, for eggs, for chicken, for everything. Pepper is just as important too. I recommend buying a pepper grinder with a whole pepper corns because it makes for a better flavor and texture. You can buy this kind of pepper mill already stocked with pepper in your spice aisle.

8. Garlic powder – For a little flair, add garlic powder. Once you have salt and pepper, garlic will take you to the next level. Add it to a roasted chicken or to fish and you’ve got a better depth of flavor.

9. Chili flakes – I think a little heat can add a lot to a dish. Sprinkle it on plain pasta with butter, or in tomato sauce, or on your pizza and you’ve got some more complex and exciting flavor.

10. Wild card – The wild card seasoning is one seasoning that you really like. For me, it’s Old Bay. It’s the seasoning that I put on everything (potatoes, pop corn, broccoli) and I think it makes everything better. So what do you like? Curry? Cajun spices? Taco seasoning? Think about your favorite foods. What flavor do they have? That’s the seasoning you should buy for your personal wild card, and you can make it your signature.

Ok, so I hope that helps you stock you kitchen. Later this week I’ll post a simple and delicious beginner salmon recipe using many of the tools and seasonings from this post. Stay tuned!

The post 10 Kitchen Essentials for Beginners appeared first on Cooking is Messy.