Easy Chicken Pot Pie

We had leftover rotisserie chicken from the weekend so I decided to make chicken pot pie. My fiance and I love a good chicken pot pie. I like to alternate between pie crust and puff pastry. This recipe is pretty simple. Since I use store bought pie crust/puff pastry it cuts down on prep time. If you love a good chicken pot pie like I do, stay tuned!

Ingredients: 

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium potato (I like to use gold), diced

4 oz mushrooms, diced (optional)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

2-3 cups of rotisserie chicken chunks

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (1 teaspoon is using fresh)

1 box of either pie crust or puff pastry (pie crusts come circular while puff pastry comes rectangular)

1 egg, whip with a fork to make your egg wash

*you may choose to dice your veggies larger than how I diced mine.

Step 1:

In a large pan or Dutch oven, melt 6 tablespoons of butter. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, mushrooms and onions. Season with salt and and pepper and cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes.

Step 2:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add flour to veggies and mix thoroughly and cook for 2 minutes. Then add chicken broth and mix again. Raise heat to medium high and add milk. Once the heat rises, you should notice the liquid thicken. If it is too thick add a bit more milk. Taste your filling, add salt if you like it saltier. Add chicken and thyme, mix, then add peas. I did not make mine with peas this time due to the mister's request.

Step 3:

Ladle in to ramekins for individual servings or a 9 by 13 baking pan. Do not fill all the way to the top, leave about 1/2 in to the top. If using ramekins cut circles that are slightly bigger than the ramekins so the dough hangs over the edge a bit. Brush a little but of egg wash around the edge of your ramekins or pan and place dough on top. Pinch lightly around the edges to make sure it sticks. Carefully cut a few small slits in the dough. Brush egg wash on top.

Step 4:

Place in oven, center rack or higher. Bake ramekins for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. If using baking pan, bake for 50-55 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Caldo de Res (Beef Soup)... Perfect for Cold Weather

Since the weather suddenly dropped 30 degrees, I thought why not make some soup. I've always liked the Caldo de Res at a taqueria we frequented, so I decided to make some at home. Stay tuned for the recipe. 

Ingredients: 

2 lbs beef (I used choice chuck roast, you can also use beef shank)

1 small onion, diced

2 medium carrots, peeled cut into 2 inch halves

3 medium gold potatoes, peeled and cut in half (you can use other variety, but I prefer less starchy potatoes)

1 large chayote, peeled and cut into big chunks (optional)

2 roma tomatoes, diced (you can use 1 can of diced tomatoes 14.5 oz)

Half of a small head of cabbage, washed, cored and cut into wedges

2 small ears of corn, cleaned and cut into thirds (I used frozen corn cobs)

1 medium Mexican squash, washed and cut into thick slices (I used zucchini) 

3 cups beef broth (if you don't have beef broth on hand you can use 1 cube of beef bouillon dissolved in 3 cups of hot water)

4 cups of water (add more of you like more soup)

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Tablespoon oil

Cilantro, chopped

1 small jalapeno, finely diced

1 lime, cut into small wedges 

*set aside a little bit of your diced onions and cilantro to top your soup

Step 1:

In a large Dutch oven or pot on high heat, add oil and sear all sides of your beef until thoroughly browned. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper over meat. Add diced onions and cook for a minute. Add diced tomatoes and saute for another minute. Then add 3 cups of beef broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer covered for 1 hour. If you want your meat more tender, simmer for additional 15 minutes.

Step 2:
Add water and carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Then add potatoes, corn and chayote and cook for another 10 minutes. If you like more soup, add more water.

Step 3:
Add sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper then taste. Add additional salt and pepper to your taste. Then add zucchini, cabbage and desired amount of cilantro and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Make sure cabbage is submerged under the broth.

Step 4:

Ladle soup into a bowl. Top with finely diced onions, jalapenos and cilantro. Squeeze in lime and enjoy! You can also prepare Spanish rice and warm some corn tortillas. Hope you enjoy this hearty beef soup on a cold day.

Shrimp Jicama Tacos with Mango Pico De Gallo

A couple of years ago we ate at Peska during Houston Restaurant Weeks. One of the appetizers featured was shrimp jicama tacos. I really enjoyed this dish so we decided to recreate it at home. It's super easy to make and cost efficient. If you would like to make some of these yummy tacos please continue reading.

Ingredients:
15 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium jicama, sliced into sheets like tortillas
***alternatively, you could buy the sliced jicama prepackaged (I saw some at HEB)
1 medium mango, diced (I prefer yellow Alphonso mango)
1 small Roma tomato, diced
1/4 yellow onion, diced
Cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime
Cumin
Salt
Black pepper
Cajun season or old bay
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of paprika
Salsa (optional)

Step 1:
Peel and devein the shrimp. I bought large ez peel shrimp for convenience. Marinate with 1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning like Tony Chachere's or old bay, black pepper, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of paprika. Set aside.

Step 2:
If you bought prepackaged sliced jicama, then skip to step 3. Peel jicama carefully. If you have a mandoline slicer this will be a breeze. If not, you will need to slice the jicama in thin, even sheets. Set aside.

Step 3:
Prepare the ingredients for the mango pico. Peel and dice the mango. Cut the tomato and throw away the seed/core and dice. Dice the onions and chop the cilantro. Put them in a bowl a d squeeze half a lime (if you like it more tangy, use a whole lime). Add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix and taste. Set aside.

Step 4:
You may either grill the shrimp or pan sear them. I seared them in a hot pan for about 2 minutes each side. Once you're done cooking the shrimp, you're ready to assemble. I used large shrimp and a medium sized jicama so 1 shrimp per jicama taco. If you use smaller shrimp, you will need to double (2 per taco). You can see in the picture below, one of my jicama tacos actually has 2 smaller shrimp.

Top your tacos with the mango pico, salsa or hot sauce of your choice and they're ready to devour. Good luck and enjoy!

Crawfish Fried Rice (Com Chien Crawfish)

Last week I boiled a BIG pot of crawfish for my family. My Cali fam couldn't finish 69 pounds of crawfish, so we peeled some of the plump crawfish tails. I suggested we make crawfish fried rice because it's easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked white rice (I make mine the day before so it doesn't get wet and soggy when you fry it)
12 oz to 1 lb crawfish tails, whatever size you can find in stores
1 stick of Chinese sausage (lap xuong), sliced
(If you can't find Chinese sausage, you can substitute with andouille sausage)
1/2 cup peas (frozen, but thawed out)
1/2 cup corn (can or frozen works)
*I like corn and peas, so I used a whole cup of each*
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
3 eggs, beaten, cooked and sliced julienne strips
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 Tbsp light soy sauce (lower sodium)
Black pepper
Cajun seasoning, Old Bay or Tony C's (1-2 tsp, to taste)
Optional: sliced green onions

Step 1:
Add oil to pan. Add onion, garlic and Chinese sausage and saute for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add rice to pan and 1 Tbsp butter. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring the rice to break it up. Sprinkle 1 tsp of cajun seasoning and stir to incorporate in rice.

Step 2:
Add crawfish, peas, corn, eggs, pepper (to taste) and the remaining Tbsp of butter and cook for 5 minutes. You need to stir the fried rice constantly so it doesn't burn. Add soy sauce and stir to incorporate. Taste, add more cajun seasoning or soy sauce if desired. Add green onion if desired.

Your crawfish fried rice is ready to serve. Add more black pepper if desired. Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!

Seafood Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

Another one of my favorite food is gumbo. I prefer seafood gumbo because I love shrimp and crab. My fiance and I were craving some gumbo, so I made us a big ole pot of seafood gumbo. We shared some with his sisters too. This freezes great and easy to reheat. If you love gumbo as much as I do, keep reading because I found a great recipe. I made some changes to suit my taste. If you don't like seafood, you can make this gumbo with chicken and andouille sausage.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bacon drippings (you can use butter, but bacon drippings is better)
1 cup chopped celery (I chopped about 4 stalks of celery)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced (I used 12 oz since that's what the package came in)
3 1/2 quarts water, add more if needed
4 cubes beef bouillon
1 tablespoon white sugar
salt to taste
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (I used Tabasco), or to taste
2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (I used Old Bay), or to taste
4 bay leaves
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons gumbo file powder plus 2 teaspoons gumbo file powder reserved for the end
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed and washed thoroughly to remove as much of the slimy texture as possible
1 pound lump crab meat (I used the one from Costco... trust me, the quality is so good)
1 1/2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
White rice, prepared in advance

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours

 

 

 

Step 1:
Cook  6 strips of bacon in a big pot. I cut mine in half so it would fit better in my dutch oven. Once bacon is cooked, remove from pot. Add flour and whisk 15-20 minutes to develop your roux. Make sure you constantly whisk your roux so it doesn't burn. When your roux is a mahogany color (see pic below), it's ready.

 

 

Step 2:
Add your holy trinity (onion, celery and bell pepper) and garlic to the roux. Stir it around for a few minutes then add your andouille sausage. Stir it for another 5 minutes. Remove the roux mixture from the pot and set aside.

 

Step 3:
In the pot, add 3 quarts of water and 4 cubes of beef buillon. Bring to a boil and add roux mixture. Add stewed tomato, tomato sauce, cajun seasoning, bay leaves, sugar and hot sauce. Simmer on low heat for 50 minutes.

 

 

Step 4:
After 50 minutes have passed, add gumbo file powder and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. After the additional 30 minutes, add okra, shrimp and crab meat. Stir gently to mix. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir in additional gumbo file powder. Taste and make any adjustments. Discard bay leaves and serve with white rice.

 

 

I store my gumbo in to go soup containers (see pic below). This recipe makes about 5 quarts. Easy to store and easy to give to family and friends. Good luck and enjoy!

Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Ca Ri Ga)

Vietnamese Chicken Curry aka Ca Ri Ga is a dish that I loved to eat when I was still living with my parents. Once in a while, Chau and I will have a craving for curry and whip up a pot. If you like curry like I do, stay tuned to see how I made this curry.

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken thighs (I used skinless, boneless), cut into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut (see pic) - I used 4 since we like potatoes
2 carrots, peeled and cut (see pic)
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks of lemongrass, smashed and cut (see pic)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
2 cans of chicken broth, 14 oz each
2 can of water, use chicken broth can
1 red chili pepper, sliced (omit if you do not like spicy)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 Tablespoon Madras curry powder, can add more to suit your taste (can be found at most Oriental food market in the spices aisle)
2 teaspoon sugar
1 can coconut milk or cream, we like to use coconut cream, the cans come in 14 or 17 oz, we like it coconutty so we use 17 oz.
Oil

Chicken marinade:
2 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fish sauce or 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder or black pepper

 

Step 1:
Cut your chicken thighs into 1-2 inch pieces. Marinate with fish sauce or salt, pepper, curry, onion and garlic powder. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Step 2:
In a pot, lightly oil and saute garlic, onion and lemongrass for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add bay leaves, chicken broth, water, fish sauce or salt, chicken bouillon powder, and 1 Tablespoon of curry powder. Mix well. Taste, you may add more curry powder to your taste. Be careful not to add too much. Turn heat on high.

Step 3:
In a large pan, lightly oil and sear your chicken then add to broth. In the same pan, lightly oil and saute carrots and potatoes. You want to lightly brown the carrots and potatoes on all sides before adding to the broth. This helps the carrots and potatoes stay intact after adding them to the broth.

Step 4:
Once the broth boils, turn down to medium low heat and simmer for additional 20 minutes. Add your coconut milk or cream. I prefer to use coconut cream instead of coconut milk. Stir gently to incorporate the coconut cream. Taste your broth, if you need more salt, add extra fish sauce or salt. Discard bay leaves and lemongrass before serving.

Traditionally, we eat Ca Ri Ga with french bread. Alternatively, you can serve with white rice or even vermicelli rice noddles. Good luck and enjoy!

Crawfish Etouffee

Who loves crawfish... this girl! Every start of crawfish season, we boil up a big pot to satisfy our cravings. We had extra, so I peeled the crawfish tails, vacuum sealed those suckers and threw them in the freezer.

It just occurred to me the other day that I had these delectable crawfish tails in the freezer. So crawfish etouffee it is. If you are a crawfish lover like me, keep reading to see how I made this delicious dish. If you are not a crawfish fan, you can use shrimp instead.

Ingredients:

1 lb of frozen crawfish tails (or fresh if you have access to it)

1 bell pepper, diced (I used half of a green and half of a red)

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of shrimp stock (all I had on hand was chicken broth and it worked perfectly)

1 cup of water (reserve to thin out if too thick)

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 sticks of butter

3 Tablespoons of flour

Old bay seasoning or any other Cajun seasoning (start with 1-2 teaspoons, add more to taste)

Black pepper

*Optional to add a kick: 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and a few splashes of your favorite hot sauce (I used cayenne and Tabasco) 

*parsley for garnish

*you may want to prepare white rice in advance

Tip: I like to use a small container to collect all of my scraps and trash during prep. Just dump out the container afterwards and rinse. 

Step 1:

Add butter to pot and wait for it to melt. Then add flour. Using a whisk, blend the flour and butter (see picture below). You will need to whisk or stir the roux so it doesn't burn. I didn't spend too much time on my roux since this is not gumbo and you don't need it to be dark. About 7-8 minutes should be good. Mine was a little bit lighter than the color of peanut butter.

Step 2:

Add garlic, bell pepper, celery, onion and bay leaves to roux and sautee for another 7-8 minutes until tender. Add crawfish, stock/broth. Once you add the stock, it will thicken. If it is too thick for your liking, add water until the broth is to your liking. Bring to a boil.

Step 3:

Add old bay or cajun seasoning and pepper to taste . Remember to add as you go. You can always add more seasoning, but you can't take it away! Simmer uncovered on medium low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cayenne pepper and Tabasco. Make any last minute seasoning adjustments as this is the final stretch. Discard bay leaves. You want a good flavor, but don't want to overpower it since the crawfish is the star of the dish. Plate up, garnish with parsley flakes and you're ready to devour. 

Good luck and enjoy!