Sweet n’ Spicy Asian Chicken Wings

Yesterday I got the call!  My camera is back home, save and sound…..and working which is the best part of all.  I got the call late yesterday and my wonderful husband stopped by the camera store to pick it up.  It was music to my ears to hear the shutter click like it’s suppose to.  I missed my camera so much that when it got home I threw it a little welcome home party.  I made a welcome home banner , put up streamers and made cupcakes.  Ok maybe I didn’t do that in the true physical sense but I totally did it in my head.   The camera made it home a little to late to take pics of this post but she will be back to work soon.

Earlier this week I started the laboring project of scrubbing the baseboards around my house.  It really is a fun and thrilling project….really, really it is….at least that is what I tell myself.  I should make the dogs scrub the baseboards but since they have no opposable thumbs I am on my own.  Since I was a little tired from being on my hands and knees scrubbing baseboards I wanted to make something easy for dinner.  Obed had been asking for chicken wings and I though I would give them a try in the slow cooker.  Just another reminder that the slow cooker isn’t just for pot roast.

I decided that something sweet, spicy and Asian would do the trick.  A little bit of sweet and a little bit of spicy, is a combination that almost everyone can love an appreciate.

The great thing about these wings is that they come together in the slow cooker relatively quickly.  If you set it to LOW you will cook them for 2 1/2 hours and if you cook them on HIGH they should be done in just over an hour.  These are great to make for any party or get together.

When they were done I thought that the wings were just a little too wet.  I am not a huge fan of the wet wing but I have always thought that fried wings can be a little dry.  The slow cooker is a great alternative to the standard fried wing and the meat falls right of the bone.

I decided to bake the wings in the oven on a cooling grid for a few minutes to dry them up a bit and they came out perfect.  I love my baking sheet with the cooling grid, it is perfect for cooking bacon, french fries or….well wings in the oven.  If you don’t have a baking sheet with a cooling grid don’t work just spray the baking sheet with some non-stick spray.

I gave myself a pat on the back for these, they were extremely tender, a little sticky and deliciously spicy and sweet.   Then to make my life even simpler I called Obed to pick up some Chinese fried rice to accompany the wings.  Dinner was ready!

Print Recipe

Slowcooker Sweet n’ Spicy Asian Chicken Wings

• 4 lbs of chicken wings, cut into joints, discard bony wing tips or freeze to make stock
• 1 tbs sesame seed oil
• 3/4 cup apricot preserves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 Tbs sarachi sauce
• juice from 1 lime

Heat skillet at medium-high heat with sesame seed oil, brown chicken wings in batches for about 5 to 8 minutes.  Place into slow cooker.

Blend remaining ingredients together in electric blender. Pour mixture over chicken wings.  Cook wings in slow cooker on LOW for 2 1/2 hours.

Serve them wet straight out of the slow cooker or bake on baking sheet with cooling grid in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees, basting them with the sauce once.

Alcapurria

When I was a little girl my family was stationed in Georgia for several years and almost every year we would drive down to Florida to spend Christmas with my dad’s family.   My dad’s side of the family is a lively group and a lot of fun.  Every Christmas family and friends would pack into my Titi Denise’s house in preparation for the big Christmas Eve party.  She would spend hours in the kitchen preparing food for everyone.  One treat that I remember was alcapurria (Al-ka-poo-ree-ah), so warm and toasty.  I use to devour them when I was a kid.   Sadly though Titi Denise passed away unexpectedly about 6 years ago.   In remembrance of all the great Christmas Eve parties she hosted all those years I present you with the alcapurria.

Alcapurria is basically a fritter made of green bananas and yautia (taro root) and stuffed with meat.  I have also had them made with yucca (cassava root), which are extra tasty.  If you happen to find yourself in PuertoRico you can find them sold in the roadside kiosks and cuchifritos.  They are best enjoyed sitting on the beach drinking a nice cold malta.

Hold on this is a long post.

First you need 2 lbs of yautia (taro root) and 5 green bananas.  If the only green bananas you can find are very small, you may want to double up on the bananas.  I had to double up this time.

Make sure to give the yautia a good scrub, then peel with a potato peeler until you get to a clean white flesh.

Now peel your green bananas.  Peeling a green banana is much like peeling a plantain.  I recommend you wear some gloves though because they release a sticky sap when peeling them.

Grate the bananas and yautia using your food processor.  Mine was full up to the rim when I was done.

Change the blade on the food processor and puree mixture until dough like.  It may even turn into a ball in the food processor.

Add one envelope of very bright orange Sazon.  It is orange because it is Sazon con Achiote and the achiote is what makes it orange.

Add 1 tsp of table salt and 1 Tbs of melted cooled shortening.  I don’t have a picture because it was horribly blurry.  Like my 6 year old nephew took the picture.  That  is what happens when your lazy and don’t want to set up the tri-pod.

Finally add 1 Tbs of olive oil.

Mix everything together until well combined.  The dough should have an even orange tinge to it.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Now lets start on the filling.

Heat a large frying pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute sofrito and onions until tranlucent.

Add diced cooking ham and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 lb. of  ground meat to the pan.

Add the seasonings, 1/2 tps of dried oregano, 1/2 tps of Sazon with achiote, 1/2 tps of salt and 1/4 tps of black pepper.

Once the meat is nice and brown add 1/2 tsp of caper and;

8 chopped pimento stuffed olives.

Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the meat for seasoning, add more if it needs it.  Don’t worry it is a wee bit on the salty side it will balance out once you assemble the alcapurria.  Set filling aside.

We have now jumped into a time warp and it is now 3 hours later or the next day.

Take a piece of foil and brush it with oil. You can also use wax paper or if you want to be real hardcore, a banana leaf.

Spread a heaping 1/4 cup of dough onto the foil.  I kind of padded it down like a patty.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center.  Be careful not to put in too much filling or it won’t close properly.

Fold over one side of the foil and;

roll it and press it, kind of like your rolling a sushi roll.

When you peel away the foil, finish shaping it and pinch the ends to seal.

Gently slide the alcapurria into the hot oil and let them cook for 5 – 7 minutes, or until a deep golden brown and firm to the touch.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towel lined plate.

Eat to your hearts content but be careful it can be hot!

What I really love about these is that almost every bite is different.  The first bite is always crunchy but mostly all dough, when you get to the filling it really starts to sing and when you get a little bit of olive it’s like a tangy little surprise.

If 15 is too many for you all at one time, you can assemble them wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them.  Next time you want one just thaw out and toss in the fryer.

Print Recipe

Alcapurrias (makes about 15)

Masa (dough)

• 5 very green bananas (guineitos verdes)
• 2 lbs of yautia (taro root)
• 2 tsp of salt
• 1 packet of Sazon with achiote
• 1 Tbs of melted cooled shortening
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Using a fine grater blade run the guineitos and yautia through the  food processor and then run again using the standard puree/chopping blade, you may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your food processor.  Process until smooth and dough like.  Transfer dough to plastic bowl, add the salt, Sazon and shortening and mix until well combined. Refrigerate for 3 hours or for best results overnight.

Picadillo (meat filling)

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• 2 Tbs of sofrito
• 1 ounce of jamón de cocinar (cooking ham, I have substituted Oscar Mayer smoked turkey sausage before)
• 8 pimento stuffed olives (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp of alcaparras (capers)
• 1/2 lb ground beef or pork
• 1/2 tps of dried oregano
• 1/2 tps of Sazon with achiote
• 1/2 tps of salt
• 1/4.tps of black pepper

Heat a large pan over medium high heat with 2 tbs. of olive oil, saute onions and sofrito.  Stir in cooking ham, olives and capers, allow to cook for about 2 minutes.  Add ground meat and remaining ingredients. Once browned stir well then cook at low heat for 15 minutes. Taste the meat for seasoning, add more salt if needed to taste.

Assembling & Frying

Bacalaitos (Salted Cod Fritters)

Obed has been bugging me for months to make him some bacalaitos.   Ever since I made some zucchini fitters, which he apparently associated with bacalaitos, he has been asking me to make them.  I don’t know what took me so long because I love these fritters too.

Bacalaitos are a staple of roadside cuisine back home in Puerto Rico.  If you go driving around the island you will find kiosks and small whole in the wall joints with this delicious fritter in their window.

I remember my mom always love to just go for a drive.  No destination in mind, just wanted to go on a leisurely drive.  Sometimes it was the whole family, sometimes it was just Mami, my sister and I.  Those trips were the most interesting because I don’t think Mami would use a map or she didn’t know how to read one because we would end up lost on many occasions.  Mami would say, “We’re not lost, we just don’t know were we are.”  I think the thought behind that was that we are on an small island so we can’t “really” get lost, we will eventually find our way home.

If it hadn’t been for those kiosks and hole in the wall joints with their yummy fried treats and cold malta, we wouldn’t have survived those drives.

I love these crispy, crunchy fritters and I promise you will too.   If you get them just right they are very crispy a long the edges and just a bit of chewy on the inside.  They are to die for!    I could eat 15,000 of these in one sitting if my anatomy allowed me too.    When ever I go home to visit I never leave the island without having my “fritura” fix.

Fair warning Puerto Rico is not a place to go on vacation if you are watching your weight, love handles or dimples on your posteriour.  I always come back carrying a little extra junk.

The one thing you have to keep an eye on when making these fritters is the temperature of the oil.  If the oil gets too hot the fritters will cook to quickly and become really puffy.  They almost look like a funnel cake.  The batter will start to cook as soon as it hits the oil, so you don’t get the nice spread you see in the picture.   It may take a few trys but they are so worth it.

If you get these down maybe you can open a roadside kiosk.  HA!

Print Recipe

Bacalaitos Fritos (Salted Cod Fritters)

• 1/2 lbs salted cod
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cup of water
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbs sofrito
• vegtable oil

Rinse cod under cold water to remove some of the salt.  Boil cod in a large pot for 15 minutes, change water and boil for another 15 minutes.  Drain the cod  and set aside until it is cool enought to handle. Shred the cod using your fingers make sure that there are no bones and remove any skin, set aside.

In a motar and pestal mash together garlic cloves and sofrito.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and garlic mash together in a bowl.   Add water a little at a time, whisking together until well combined and smooth, fold in shredded cod.

Heat oil in a deep skillet to 375 degrees.

Ladle batter into oil, be sure not to crowd the fritters or they may stick together.  Fry until they are a nice golden color, turning once.  Use a slotted spoon to remove any batter bits that are floating in the oil

Drain on plate lined with paper towel.

Build a kiosk on the side of the road and start selling.

Be a Slacker Make Shrimp Cakes

Shrimp Cakes

 I have been such a slacker!  Which has to be very apparent to you considering my lack of posting this week.  Not only have I been a slacker on posting but I have been a slacker in the kitchen.  It has been raining here all week and it just makes you tired and sleepy and all you want to do is veg out.  I have been also trying to catch up on Fringe since the season premier was yesterday and I was a little lost.  Regarless, tt has been almost impossible to get up out of bed in the morning lately.  It’s dark, cool and I can hear the rain outside my window. I have been hitting snooze on my alarm 5 times now instead of just 3.  The dogs don’t even want to get up.  I think rainy days should be automatic days off. Don’t you agree?

Well in staying with my current slacker state I made a slacker friendly dinner this week.  It really almost can’t get any easier then these shrimp cakes.  They come together in a matter of minutes and are ready to eat just in no time at all.   I hope that the sun comes out soon because if it doesn’t I see many sandwiches and bowls of cereal in my future. 

The shrimp cakes were very tasty.  I love it when food that requires such little effort and time comes out so delicious.  I made sure to chop the shrimp up  coarsly so the cakes would have shrimp chunks and not a shrimp mush.  They are flavorful, simple and so easy to make.  I served them as a sandwich on a soft roll with a garlic & green onion mayo.   They are also great to serve as an appetizer with a side of sweet chili sauce. 

Go ahead be a slacker tonight and have some of these for dinner.   Wait it is Friday, be a real slacker and go out to dinner, then makes these on Monday.

Print Recipe

Shrimp Cakes

• 1 lb of shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 large egg , lightly beaten
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1/2 Tbs ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon sarachi sauce
• 1 tsp sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tbs of peanut or vegetable oil

Coarsely chop shrimp. In a large bowl combine shrimp, egg, green onion, ginger, mustard, cilantro, hot pepper sauce, sweet chili sauce, salt, and pepper.  Add 1 cup panko to the bowl and combine using your hands.  Form mixture into twelve 3-inch-diameter cakes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil to skillet as needed, about 6 minutes.

Heirloom Tomato & Basil Bruschetta

Heirloom Tomato & Basil Bruschetta

Is everyone excited to be back at the office or school after your long weekend?  Probably no…no worries me neither. The one good thing is that since we had a long weekend, that means a short work/school week.   I decided to take advantage of my long weekend and do some Spring…..well Fall cleaning. I also did some cooking, baking of course and Obed and I went out for dinner and a movie.    I finally got to see Julie & Julia.  I know I am a little behind but I finally got around to it.  I did enjoy the movie, I found it very funny and charming although I did find the story of Julia Child more interesting and fun then the story of Julie Powers, but it is definitely a movie worth seeing.

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Bang Bang Shrimp Throwdown

That is right it is a throwdown.  Me vs. The Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp.   I dedicate this throwdown to my sister-in-law, who I saw scarf down and entire order of Bang Bang Shrimp in 2.5 seconds, with my own eyes.    Yes, she was run over with beads of hot sweat, ate half a loaf of bread to sooth her mouth and developed a bit of a runny nose….if you know what I mean.  But she did not care, she concured that mound of spicy crunch goodness and then happily patted her belly and said she could eat more.  Mind you the chick is like a size 2, I don’t know where she puts the stuff.  Punk! Yes, I know….it’s ok….I will kick her for you next time I see her.

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Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki Sauce

Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki

Summer is here and so is the incredible edible zucchini.  There are so many different ways to eat a zucchini.  I have had it grilled, had it as a bread and I even made noodles with it, which was a lot of fun.  Last week I decided I will try them out as a fritter.  This is a very simple recipe that comes together quickly.  I served it as a side to some Greek seasoned grilled chicken.  They had a great crispy edge with a softer center.  The mint gave it a refreshing touch in contrast with the feta.  Even if you are not a feta fan, I would encourage that you try it in this dish.  The strong taste that feta is known for becomes much more mild once cooked and gives the fritter a wonderful flavor.

Zucchini Fritters (About 8 fritters) Print Recipe

• 1 lb of zucchini, grated (abt. 2 medium zucchini)
• 1 large egg
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 Tbs panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
• Kosher salt
• ground black pepper

Place grated zucchini in a tea town and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid.

In a large mixing bowl wisk egg.  Add zucchini, garlic, onion, flour, panko, mint and feta cheese.  Mix until well combined.  Season with a dash of salt and pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan.  Scoop 2 tbs of batter, flatten slightly and drop into the hot oil.  Cook on each side for about 4-5 minutes, until browned.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.

Serve immediatly with Tzatziki Sauce.

The tzatziki I think is a must have with these fritters.  It has a little bite to it because of the garlic and red wine vinegar, yet still refreshing because of the yogurt and mint.  If you cannot find Greek yogurt you can substitute it for drained regular plain yogurt.  Line a colander with paper towel and pour in the yogurt.  Let it drain for 30 mins, until thick.

Tzatziki Sauce (Alton Brown)

• 16 ounces plain Greek yogurt
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• Pinch kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Southwest Eggrolls with Avocado Creme Dip

Southwest Eggrolls with Avocado Creme

I would have had this post up earlier but Hubby and I decided to go for a ride on his bike.  It was a beautiful night and perfect to go for a ride.  I wish I could get a photo of us riding on the bike but it is hard to be in two places at the same time.

Well this evening I thought I would convert a previous recipe of Spicy Lime Chicken with Black Bean and Corn Salsa into some Southwest Eggrolls.  One of my favorite dishes from Chili’s is their Southwest Eggrolls.  I was craving these suckers but I didn’t want to go out.  I had some eggroll wrappers sitting in my refrigerator for forever now and I figured it was time to get some use out of them.

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Grilled Stone Fruit Antipasto Plate

I saw this recipe a long time ago and had it in the back of my recipe box, just in case.  I was very curious about this combination and just the idea of it was very different.  Today I happenned to have some stone fruit and I needed a quick lunch, something light.

Surprisingly enought this was very yum-E.  The dressing heightened the sweetness of the fruit and I like the contrast of the tang that came from the vinegar.  I was plesantly surprised.  This dish is a great appetizer option for a special event. 

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Pineapple Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers

Pineapple Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers

I am so proud of this dish, I made it all by my lonesome, no recipe or cookbook used. If you like the flavors of coconut, pineapple and curry this is definitely a dish for you.   These delicious little morsels turned out even better than I thought they would.  I swear they were like meaty candied morsels….LOL.  They are savory and sweet with just a bit of heat, soooo yummy.  I will admit though I was inspired to use pineapple from Kayotic Kitchen’s twitter feed, she mentioned a pineapple version of her Peachy Chicken.   

Of course the best part about this dish was that it was easy to make.  Hubby said that this had to be one of the top five, although I am not really sure which ones the other four would be.   I would definitely use this glaze again, Hubby said to be sure to write it down so we can use it on the grill this summer.

I served these skewers over a bed of jasmine rice that I cooked with equal parts water and coconut milk.  Yum!

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