Parmesan-tossed Chicken Wings

If these Chicken Wings auditioned for the easy-to-do recipe contest, I am sure they would emerge as a winner. And I want bachelors to second me on this. So boys, see if you can get them under your repertoire of quickies and impress someone. Maybe this time your Moms for a change.

Ingredients for Parmesan-tossed Chicken Wings are: 

500 grams chicken wings
Quarter cup grated parmesan cheese
Quarter teaspoon dried rosemary
Quarter teaspoon dried oregano
Quarter teaspoon black pepper, cracked
Freshly chopped basil
1 heaped tablespoon minced garlic
EVOO
Salt

Rub rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper on the chicken wings (skin on). Keep it aside for about 10-15 minutes. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake the chicken wings for about 25-30 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together extra virgin olive oil, chopped basil, parmesan cheese, minced garlic and cracked pepper. Whisk together. Let all the flavors infuse with each other.

When the chicken wings are baked ready. Toss everything in a bigger bowl and mix well. Serve the Parmesan-tossed Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese of the dip of your choice.

I served this quick meal with some crunchy green beans, which I blanched, tossed in butter with minced garlic and chili flakes and seasoned with a little salt.

See more photos on Facebook.

Thai-style Shrimps in Coconut Milk

A little pot of Basil can go a long way. Its rain-drenched leaves are there all ready for you to pluck when you need a little sprig for a Thai-inspired Shrimp curry.

Ingredients for Thai-style Shrimps in Coconut Milk are:

400 grams shrimps, cleaned, deveined
1 can of coconut milk
Handful each of vegetables which cook easy like green peas, snap peas, green bell pepper
2-3 green onions (just the green portions)
1 knob of ginger, very finely chopped
2-3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Few leaves of basil, torn
5-6 dry red chilies
Fish sauce (I use a Thai brand)
Sesame oil
Sugar
Salt

Heat sesame oil in a wok and toss in the snap peas and sliced bell peppers. Sauté for a couple of minutes and keep aside.

 

In the same oil, add the ginger, garlic and dry red chilies. Stir for a couple of minutes, reduce the heat to the lowest gas mark and add the coconut milk. Drizzle fish oil into the coconut milk, I added about two tablespoons.

Cook the coconut milk adding little water for about five minutes. Add the shrimps then.

When the shrimps start turning pink, add the already sautéed vegetables, handful of green peas, and season with sugar and salt. Cook for not more than 2-3 minutes.

Check on the seasoning. This curry should have a sweet balance to it because of the coconut milk. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and some torn basil leaves. Just before you serve, finish it with some chopped green onions.

Its best to serve it straight out of the wok and onto the dinner table. With a hot bowl of rice, some more torn basil leaves and lemon wedges. I had some Gondho Lebu (you could try Kaffir Lime) which I used to squirt over my rice and curry and honestly it just took my Shrimp Curry to another level.

Return of the Risotto

I like Jamie Oliver for two reasons. He is a Taurean like me, and he is the most non-hassle chef I have seen. Maybe that’s two good reasons to have two of his bestselling cookbooks in my collection. Though I bought neither.

Its on page 143 of this book, The Naked Chef Takes Off, that I saw this very easy Shrimp and Pea Risotto, with Basil and Mint, two of my favorite herbs. I knew this was my passport to Italy.

However, I did not copy Jamie’s recipe to the core. I admit I made minor adjustments to it to suit my very Indian palate. Instead of cooking the shrimp with the rice, I used a homemade Creole seasoning to marinade the shrimps just to add a little versatility to my Risotto.

Ingredients for the Shrimp and Pea Risotto with Basil and Mint are:

1 and a half cups medium grain rice, I used Arborio
1 liter chicken broth
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3-4 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 heaped cup of shelled green peas
500 grams shrimp, shelled and deveined
Few basil leaves, finely chopped
Few mint leaves, finely chopped
Juice of half lemon
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Olive oil
Butter
Salt

For the Creole seasoning:
Half tablespoon onion powder
Half tablespoon garlic powder
Half teaspoon paprika powder
Half teaspoon cayenne pepper
Half teaspoon black pepper powder
Half teaspoon dried thyme
Half teaspoon dried oregano
Quarter cup of cooking wine for cooking

Marinade the shrimps in the Creole seasoning and keep for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth.

In a pan, heat olive oil and fry the garlic and onion till they are pink. Add the rice and fry it for a few minutes on simmerish heat. The rice will start turning translucent. Add half the peas and mix well with the rice.

Add your first ladle of hot chicken broth and a generous pinch of salt at this time, stirring continuously.

Turn the heat down to low and cook the rice. Keep adding ladlefuls of the broth and stir continuously. Let each ladle of broth get absorbed by the rice before you add more.

At this point, you can also add a little dollop of butter.

It takes about 15 minutes for the rice to cook in the chicken broth. It will be soft but retain its al dente texture. Add the remaining peas and stir again. In the last stages of the risotto, you will notice a creamy texture to the rice because of all the starch it has released. Check the seasoning.
Turn the heat off and add the freshly chopped herbs and lemon juice. Mix again. You can add the grated parmesan if you want after you have stopped cooking the risotto.
The Shrimp with the Creole seasoning which essentially is the topping for this risotto has to be cooked simultaneously.  

Heat butter in a pan and add the marinated shrimps. Add a little cooking wine or dry white wine to add a whole lot of flavor to the shrimps.
Let the wine evaporate. Add salt to taste.

  Top the Risotto with the spicy shrimps and serve immediately. Its best to eat the Risotto as soon as possible to enjoy its perfect texture and creaminess.

General Tsao’s Chicken Wings & Spaghetti-Pistachio Salad

Its now official. Chinese and Italian can be mixed! And it takes an Indian to figure that out. How cool is that!

Today, the world shall see how I use the famous General Tsao’s Chicken recipe and make Chicken Wings sans the drawbacks of frying! Ingredients for General Tsao’s Chicken Wings are:

500 grams chicken wings (skin on)
One and half tablespoon of corn starch
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sambal or any chili-based sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Half cup finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon red chili/paprika powder
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt

Cut chicken wings into halves and discard the thin end. Wash thoroughly and drain the excess water. Add two tablespoons canola oil, spread the chicken wings on a baking sheet and bake at 375 °C for approximately 20 minutes on each side.
In a glass bowl, mix corn starch, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sambal, water, minced ginger and garlic, paprika and little salt. (Be careful since the soy sauce already has sodium content.) Whisk well to mix all the ingredients.
Now for glazing the chicken wings. In a thick pan, caramelize sugar. When the sugar starts turning brown, add the sauce mixture and mix well.
Add the baked chicken wings and coat them well with the sauce. Garnish with green onions. Serve hot!
 
That’s a classic Chinese recipe turned into an oasis of chicken serenity for you! Don’t you wish you had Wings to fly too…

My main to go along with the wings is a simple and very easy Spaghettini Salad with the goodness of crunchy Pistachios and the most trusted Italian herb, Basil.

Ingredients for the Pistachio Spaghettini Salad are:

Spaghetti (enough for 2-3 people)
Quarter cup green peas
Quarter cup pistachios, minced
Few sprigs of fresh basil
3-4 tablespoons EVOO
Half teaspoon black pepper powder
Juice of half lemon
Salt

Boil the spaghetti according to package instructions. Do not forget to salt the boiling water and add a few drops of oil. Yes, in this case mixing oil and water is necessary, unlike what BP is doing to the ecology.

Drain the spaghetti and cool.
In a bowl, add the green peas, minced pistachios, and EVOO. Season with lemon juice and salt and pepper. (If you are worried about the raw green peas, don’t fret. The heat from the spaghetti will soften and almost cook the peas without dehydrating them.)

Tear the basil leaves and add to the spaghetti and other ingredients. Toss everything together and serve warm. Now that’s a very healthy and colorful spaghetti salad. I expect you to show some respect and call it Miss Spaghetti, Ma’am, before you chow down on it!

I came up with this recipe with an Italian attitude of Que Sera Sera.

Hoping I can transfer this same zest in my everyday life too…