Tea For Two & Two For Tea Infused Rice… Asia Inspired Surf & Turf - Grilled Skirt Steak & Shrimp with Jasmine Tea Infused Sushi Rice…….

Grilled Skirt Steak & Prawns With Jasmine Tea Infused Rice

If you read the entry "A Few of My Favorite Things" then you know that I am a huge fan of plays and musicals. That being said it should be no surprise that I have dedicated yet another title to that of a popular musical, Tea for Two.    Tea For Two - Doris Day


Some may not be aware that this movie was actually based on the play "No, No Nannette" which made its' debut in 1925 while the Doris Day film "Tea For Two" came out 25 years later. The Movie got its' name from a song of the same title in the production that is essentially love song about the hopes and dreams of a woman and her potential man. Be sure to check listen to the words of the song and check out the movie. It's no "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" but it's a classic for sure, but I digress.

I decided to focus on Asian flavors for this post so of course rice came immediately to mind, but in my need to make it just a bit different I choose to use tea instead of water not only to cook the rice but to add flavor as well. As we all should know Tea is the one of the most consumed beverages in the world and extremely popular in Middle Eastern and Asian countries, so it only seemed natural to inject this into the menu for today.



On the menu today: Grilled Skirt Steak & Prawns with Jasmine Tea Infused Sushi Rice & Veggies.

Asia Inspired Surf & Turn 

The Jasmine tea adds a slightly floral note to the rice that has a subtle but noticeable flavor to this dish that seems to balance the sodium and spice already present with the other added ingredients.



For the Tea Infused Rice we will need:

• Jasmine Tea (1 bag)
• Sushi Rice (See Label) 
• Dried Seaweed (3 sheets)
• Water ( See Label)
• Kosher Salt (T T)
• Sugar (1 tsp)

Tea Infused Rice 

Take the water and make jasmine tea, allowing it to cool down use the tea to make the rice adding salt and sugar to the tea to taste (it should taste of salty tea not sweet tea).

Wok Sautéed Red Cabbage

Wok Sautéed Asparagus 

Wok Sautéed Corn 

For the Wok Fried Veggies we will need:

• Corn (4-5 Cups)
• Asparagus (3 #)
• Garlic (1 Tbs)
• Red Cabbage (.50 Head)
• Kosher Salt (TT)
• Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
• Butter (1 Tbs)
• Paprika (TT)
• Chili Flake (1 Tbs)
• White Wine (.25 Cups)

Start by cutting the cabbage into strips, the asparagus into 2 inch strips and cutting the corn off of the cob. Start with the cabbage, sauté by adding the cabbage to the wok first and removing once done. Add the minced garlic to the wok once the oil heats to allow it to brown then add the asparagus. Once the asparagus has cooked for 3 minutes add the white wind and cover for 1 minute and remove. Finally, add the corn to the heated wok with butter, paprika and chili flake until the corn is browned slightly.

Grilled Steak 

Resting before slicing

For the Skirt Steak we will need :

• Skirt Steak (1 feeds 2-3)
• Garlic (1 Tbs)
• Ginger (1 tsp)
• Green Onions (.50 cup)
• Olive Oil (3 Tbs)
• Soy Sauce (.25 cup)
• Dijon Mustard (1 Tbs)

Make the marinade by mincing the garlic, ginger and green onions and combining with the soy and mustard. Marinade the steak for 30 minutes to 3 hrs, you can marinade overnight but skirt steak is fairly thin and marinates quickly, keep in mind that marinating is to enhance both texture and taste but you still want your steak to taste like steak. Place on a heated grill for 4-5 minutes per side and remove. Allow the steak to sit for 3 minutes before carving or slicing.

Prawns 

For the Prawns we will need:

• Prawns (2-3 pp)
• Garlic (1 tsp)
• Soy Sauce (3 Tbs)
• Lemon / Lime Juice (1 tsp)
• Olive Oil (1 Tbs)
• Rice Vinegar (1 tsp)

Make the marinade by mincing the garlic and combining the ingredients with the peeled (to the tail) and deveined prawns for no longer than 45 minutes. Grill for 2 minutes per side or until done.

Plate as seen below or however you choose just be as creative as you care to.....

1st Plating 

Final Plating 

Shhh.. Silent Sundays 12 .....

Planning Ahead... Pasta Stuffed Airline Chicken Breast with Asparagus.....

Pasta, Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Airline Chicken Breast

A few weeks ago I mentioned the difficulties in everyday cooking as it pertains to cooking just enough food without having very many leftovers. Well, today I want to talk about making extra just to hold for a different menu later in the week. If you read the blog a few days ago you would have seen the vegetarian stuffed pasta, well in this case I had already planned to use this filling for the stuffed chicken later this week. The easiest and most economical way to shop is to get items that can have multiple uses so that you can have more options. One thing to consider is, how creative you can be when using the same things more than once so that you and the people you are cooking for stay interested in what you are providing.




On the menu today: Stuffed Airline Chicken Breast with Asparagus

Crispy Skin

There are times when it is totally appropriate to make extra to hold for later use. The stuffing that I am making (as seen in the picture above) is great to eat the day of but for stuffing chicken, it's even better if you allow the stuffing to sit, refrigerated of course, for a few days to allow for the flavors to properly combine. The chicken will be marinated so it will be good on its' own but a great stuffing can take it to the next level. When you go to your grocer ask the butcher to cut the airline breast for you and leave the skin on, normally they will be happy to fill your request and even happier that you know what an airline breast is in the first place (the breast with the drumstick portion of the wing attached).



For the chicken we will need the following:

• Airline Chicken Breast 
• Garlic (2 Tbs)
• Lemon (.25 cup)
• Olive Oil (4 Tbs)
• Coarse Salt (1 Tbs)
• Filling (2 cups) see Pasta Vegetarian menu 

First cut a slit or pocket into the chicken by taking a small knife to the rounded part of the chicken breast and carefully creating a pocket (see below).

Chicken with Slit.....

Make the marinade by adding the garlic, lemon, olive oil (1 Tbs), adding it to the chicken and allowing it to sit refrigerated for 1-24 hours. Once marinated, pat dry the skin of the chicken with a paper towel and salt the skin liberally, adding to a heated skillet to brown for 5-7 minutes over medium-high to high heat. Remove from pan and allow to cool for stuffing. Once cooled add the filling by placing in a pastry bad or ziplock and piping into the slit created earlier. Place in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 25 to 40 minutes or until done. Once done allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and plate as seen below.

For the Asparagus we will need:

• Asparagus (1#)
• Garlic (1 Tbs)
• Soy Sauce (2 Tbs)
• Olive Oil (1 Tbs)
• White Wine (.5 cup)

Sautéed Asparagus with Garlic 

Cut the asparagus into 3 inch pieces and add to a heated sauté pan to cook for 3-5 minutes, add the garlic allowing it to brown, adding the soy sauce and finally the white wine and cover for 1 minute. After the minute is done take off the lid and allow to cook off all liquid. Plate as seen below.

For the cream sauce please refer to the Vegetarian Pasta Menu.

I Heard You!! Vegetarian Series....Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Paccheri Rigati

Stuffed Paccheri Rigati

I am a carnivore and have been all of my life and that I doubt it will ever change but as a chef it is imperative for me to be well versed on vegetarian and vegan cooking. With 3.2 % or 7.2 Million people in the world that are vegetarians it's not hard to see why.

My vegetarian and vegan friends have been asking me to make a dish with them in mind for quite sometime and this dish is sure to please the vegetarians, the vegans however will have to wait just a bit longer. Vegetarians have the option of food with or without dairy products but Vegans will eat no animal products whatsoever. The vegetarian dish that we are making today has heavy cream and Ricotta cheese so for now, move over Vegans, your turn is up next.

Cooking vegetarian meals should be much more than just boiling or sauteing vegetables and placing them on a plate. When I cook, taste is always my first born but ambition is not a close second , it's more of a twin that was born 2 minutes later. When I cook for vegetarians or vegans I want the meat eaters at the table envious of their plates.


On the menu today : Spinach, Ricotta and Mushroom Stuffed Paccheri Rigati

Plate Progression

Whenever possible and appropriate I love to add ingredients inside of each other (ie. the asparagus from a from a week ago),  so it's a no brainer that I am adding a different type of pasta to stuff the Paccheri. The addition of the ricotta adds taste and texture, while helping to marry the other elements to the dish to perfect harmony. Adding a cream sauce helps to give the dish a richness that is sultry and not over powering. I am sure to add the sauce mostly to the center of the plate so that you can drag each spoonful through the sauce in so that you alone determine how much richness you want added to each bite.




For this we will need the following:

• Paccheri Rigati Pasta (5-7 pp)
• Acini Di Pepe (1 cup)
• Spinach  (16 oz)
• Mushrooms (1 #)
• Onions (.5 ea)
• Ricotta (4 oz)
• Garlic (1 Tbs)
• Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
• White Wine (.5 cup)
• Heavy Cream (1 cup)

Spinach & Onion Breakers 

Start by slicing the onions and mushrooms and mincing the garlic. Next sauté the mushrooms and onions until they are slightly golden then adding the garlic and finally the spinach, cook until done. Place in a strainer to allow the liquid to drain. In a saucepan heat up the heavy cream and wine to allow to reduce by half and set aside for later use once done. 

Heat up 2 pans of salted water for the Paccheri and the Acini Di Pepe cook then drain and oil for later use. Add the  Acini Di Pepe to the spinach mixture with the ricotta and salt to taste.


Take the filling, place it in a ziplock bag and cut off the corner of the bag to use as a pastry bag to fill each Paccheri as shown below.  Plate by using the  spinach and onion as a plate breaker (shown above), add the stuffed paccheri, more spinach and onion and finally drizzling a small amount of the sauce on top of the paccheri (see below).

Plate Progression

Stuffed & Plated

Plated 

Sauce and Veggies as a Centerpiece 

Shhhh. Silent Sundays 11......

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