This weekend I planned and cooked for my mom's surprise 60th birthday and helped plan and cook for my little brother's going-away-to-college party. Several people asked for various recipes, so here they are. Please keep in mind all measurements are approximate because I fling, mix, taste, and fling some more until I like it.
SPICY ASIAN BEEF
This was for close to 10 lbs. of steak, so if you're preparing for just your family, adjust accordingly.
1 bottle soy sauce
1 bottle burgundy cooking wine (I'm almost always opposed to using cooking wine instead of real wine as an ingredient, but for marinades it's ok to fudge. This would be great with a cup or so of a substantial red, like your favorite cab.)
1 small jar Thai chili sauce or 1/3 or half of a larger jar (I used about 3 and a half ounces in this recipe).
1/4 cup loosely scooped brown sugar
3 to 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
(I think I used a splash of sesame oil as well but I can't remember.)
Pour everything into a bowl and stir well. I really like bold spice, so if you don't, go easy on the Thai chili sauce, or just use a sprinkle of red pepper flake or a dash of siracha instead. Taste a bit to see if you like it, keeping in mind that as the meat marinates, the flavors will mellow. If it's slightly over the top in the bowl, it will be perfect for the final product. If it's too salty or bitter for your taste, add another tablespoon of brown sugar, stir, and re-taste. If it's too spicy, you can dilute it with more of any of the wet ingredients or a neutral oil. Put meat in a flat baking dish or a ziploc bag, pour marinade over the top, refrigerate for as long as you can (all day or overnight, preferably.) Bring meat to room temperature before grilling or you can cook it in a fry pan to the desired doneness. Slice thinly across the grain and enjoy.
CHICKEN SATAY
Again, this was for almost 10 pounds of chicken tenderloins. Take the concept and apply it to your cooking needs.
Marinade:
4 cans coconut milk
1 jar green curry paste (Thai Kitchens makes a great paste.)
Whisk paste into milk in a large bowl until well-mixed. Pour over chicken in ziploc bags or a baking dish, refrigerate for as long as you can.
Peanut-cilantro glaze/dipping sauce:
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
scant 1/4 lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 TB+ fish sauce
1 TB+ toasted sesame oil (the secret to amazing homemade Asian food)
1 TB+ brown sugar
Put all ingredients into a bowl, stir with a fork til smooth, taste to see if you like it. If the fish sauce is overpowering, add a little more PB and brown sugar. Just a word of warning, fish sauce smells awful in the bottle but it will make the food taste incredible. Cover finished peanut sauce or put in container with a lid, refrigerate until ready to cook the chicken. Bring chicken to room temperature before grilling (set out on counter while you're heating the coals; that's about enough time.) Set out the sauce as well and give it another stir.
Grill chicken until it's cooked through, remove from heat, then generously slather on the peanut sauce, or serve separately for dipping.
SPICY VEGETARIAN TACO FILLING
This was also made for the masses. I tried to shrink this recipe down, since for the others, the sauce can be saved for later use. This doesn't keep very well for very long.
2 cans black beans, or an equivalent made from dried beans.
(I always drain and rinse my canned beans.)
2 portabella mushroom caps (large), cut into small pieces
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
cumin
smoked paprika (the secret ingredient)
cocoa chili powder
regular chili powder
smattering of cilantro (optional)
sploosh of lime juice
Oil for cooking (I prefer olive oil.)
Pour oil in a pan over medium-high heat til bottom is just covered. Add minced garlic. As the oil and garlic heat together, the garlic flavor will permeate the oil. Once the oil and garlic starts to sizzle, toss in mushroom pieces and saute til browned. You may need to keep drizzling oil. Once the mushrooms start to brown, give a light sprinkling of cumin, a heavier sprinkling of smoked paprika (mushrooms should be coated), and a dusting of cocoa chili powder and regular chili powder. This recipe is fine with just regular chili powder, but the cocoa chili powder enhances the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. Stir it all together well, add black beans, stir, add sploosh of lime juice and cilantro if using, stir, turn to low heat and leave it alone. Every several minutes, give it a stir. The mushrooms will cook down a lot. The longer this sits over low heat, the better it gets. Taste occasionally and adjust spices as needed.
BBQ PORTABELLA SLIDERS
Baby portabella mushrooms
2 large cloves garlic minced.
1 large sweet onion, sliced as thin as possible.
Oil for cooking
mini-rolls (such as King's Hawaiian)
Bbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is my favorite and is what I used on these.)
Allow 1 to 2 baby bellas and an equal amount of miniature rolls per person. I made 60 of these for the birthday party.
Brush dirt off mushrooms and trim stems so the bellas will sit flat on the rolls.
Halve and brush inside of each roll with bbq sauce.
In a large enough pan so that mushrooms will be in one layer, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add garlic, saute, add onions, saute til onions soften. Add a little more oil, add the baby bellas. Keep it all moving until mushrooms begin to brown/soften a little. With tongs, carefully place a bed of onion on the roll. Top with a bella, squeeze roll closed so the bella doesn't escape. Repeat til done.
