Homemade Corn Chowder with Crab Meat

 

This delicious, hearty chowder was inspired by Paula Deen, from the Food Channel. I love corn and this is my version of it. Adding sweet, chunky blue crab lumps and a bit of slightly spicy paprika, this soup transforms into a fancy, gourmet addition that no one can stop eating!

Ingredients:

(6 servings)

- 4 Ears of Corn

- 1 Medium Sweet Onion

- 1 12oz Fresh Crab Lump Meat 

- Vegetable or Chicken Stock (3 cups)

- Corn Water (3 cups) reserved from boiling the corn)

- Heavy Cream (1 cup)

- Flour (2 tablespoons)

- Butter (1/2 stick)

- Olive Oil (2 tablespoons)

- Salt and Pepper (a few pinches for taste)

- Paprika Powder (a few sprinkles for taste and color)

Step 1: Boil corn in a tub of hot water until cooked. Keep some liquid.

 

Step 2: Remove corn kernels in a large bowl.

Step 3: Chop up the onion.

Step 4: In a large pot, saute onion with butter and olive oil. Let it sweat and brown up for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

 

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients. Over medium heat, sprinkle salt and pepper to add flavor. Then, add flour slowly as you stir. This will thicken up the mixture. Mix well. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Step 6: Add liquid to the pot. First, add corn liquid, then, chicken or vegetable stock, then crab meat. Add heavy cream last. Stir well. Let it come to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

 

 

Step 7:Serve with a few sprinkles of paprika powder. Yum! Enjoy!

Easy Mexican Vegetable Quesodilla

Howdy! I was first introduced to Quesodillas when I moved to Texas about 15 years ago. Growing up as an Asian, I'm not that big on cheese, but somehow, this little delightful appetizer really grew on me. I started making it for friends and family and it was such an easy fix for everybody. Obviously, the filling can be varied, depending on your liking. For this recipe, I just use what I have in my fridge: mushroom, olive, tomato and cheddar cheese. Simple but very tasty. What a treat!

Here's how I made it recently:

Ingredients:
(make 1 round quesodilla- about 2 servings)
- Fresh White Mushrooms (5 or 6 of them)
- 1/2 Medium Tomato
- 2 Large White Flour tortilla
- Olive Oil (a drizzle for the frying pan)
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese (1-1 1/2 cups)
- Pica de Gallo/Sour Cream/Guacomole (optional to your liking!)

Step 1: Prepare the filling. Wash and slice mushroom into very thin pieces. Chop tomato into small chunks. Set all aside in a bowl.

Step 2: Over medium heat, heat up some olive oil. Carefully put one flour tortilla flat on the pan.

Step 3: Evenly spread out mushroom slices, tomato and 1/2 of  the cheddar cheese to the heated tortilla (do not overload).

Step 4: Spread out the rest of the cheese on top.

Step 5: Cover with the second piece of flour tortilla. Turn heat to low, cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Step 6: And here's the "FUN" part, flip tortilla to the other side carefully with a large flat spatula. Add a drizzle more olive oil to give it a crispy crust. Turn heat back up to medium, cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Add 7: Cut the quesodilla with a pizza knife into even slices. Serve with pica de gallo, sour cream or guacamole immediately, enjoy!

Chinese Tomato , Almond, Pork Bone Soup with Figs

Figs are commonly used in Chinese soups. It's nutritious values and natural sweetness makes it a wonderful ingredient for everyday cooking. This is very simple to make, just prepare it before you leave for work in the morning in a slow cooker or Thermos thermal cooker, and enjoy it when you get home at night!

Ingredients:
Large tomatoes (about 2-3)
Dried Turkish Figs (about 6-8)
Pork Neck Bone (trimmed fat. 1/2 lb)
Chinese North and South Almonds (1 cup each-see picture below)
Water (1 L)
Sea Salt (a few pinches for taste)

Step 1: Boil a big pot of water. Add pork bone and boil for about 8-10 minutes).

 Step 2: Pour hot, cloudy liquid out, leaving the pork bone in the pot. Fill pot with water.

Step 3: While the pot is heating up, chop up the tomatoes (big chunks are okay).

Step 4: Add dried figs, tomatoes and Chinese almonds into the pot.

Step 5:  Transfer liquid mixture to a slow cooker or Thermos thermal cooker. Let it cook for at least 8 hours. Add a few pinches of salt to taste upon serving. Enjoy!!

IRON CHEF BASIL!!

I apologize for my delay of this posting. Once again, we had a neck-to-neck IRON CHEF battle at our department to celebrate our upcoming moving at our workplace. It was a delicious day for everyone!

1st place! Renee Biss
Renee went out of her way, selected the best ingredients and combination to come up the following creative dishes.

Strawberry Basil Mocktail - Sweet yet tangy with a great fragrance. I want more!

Citrus Basil Vinegarette with baby greens. Dried cranberry and grated cheese (top)

 Grilled Polenta Round with Smoked Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Sauce (bottom)

Best Presentation! Frances Wun
Frances successfully created a great looking, Italian/Thai infused plating at the table.

Eggplant with Italian Basil Stuffing Bacon Wrap

Thai Vinegarette Noodle with Peanuts 

Tasty and Refreshing! Bryan Capstick
Need not say more. This was very refreshing and had a strong limey taste. Perfect summer dessert.

Basil Lime (with a hint of mint) Sorbet Served in a Lime Cup with a Raspberry

Single Dish Winner! Juliette Carvalho
This dish might look simple to the eyes, but it's truly a genius idea of combining potatoes and creamy dipping. It was very delicious and all gone within the first hour of serving! "It's a much fancier version of the classic potato chip with dip. Haha." -Juliette

Basil Roasted Potatoes with Creamy Basil Dip

Stay tuned for more delicious cooking ideas!

Macanese style Portuguese chicken (葡國雞)

Ah, 葡國雞 (Po Kok Gai) , one of my favorite dishes from my grandma's kitchen. It's very popular and one of my very favorite dishes from Macau. Macau was a Portuguese colony for about 400 years and the Portuguese settlers had a huge influence on the city, including culture, buildings and of course food!

Macanese style Po Kok Gai is Chinese fusion, it is basically a mild, slightly sweet chicken curry with a rich, creamy coconut sauce. It goes very well with rice and is very tasty with every bite.

Here's how I made it last night.

Ingredients:
- 4 Chicken Legs (can be substitute with white meat, but dark meat will work better. Chop into smaller pieces, skin and keep in the bone in for more flavors)
- 2 medium Potatoes (chop into small chunks)
- 1 large Onion (chop into small chunks)
- 6 large Fried Tofu Pieces (available in Chinese supermarket, absorbs all the goodness from the sauce, very delicious in curry. Chop into smaller pieces)

- 2 cups of Cooked White Rice
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 cup of Evaporated Milk
- 2 cans of Coconut Milk

Chicken Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
- a few pinches of salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons of  turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon of paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil

Step 1: Marinade chicken for at least an hour. In a large pot, saute chicken over high heat until the meat starts to turn brown. Add potato and onion chunks. Mix well and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Step 2: Pour in evaporated milk and coconut milk. Add bay leaves. Turn heat down to medium for about 5 minutes. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Add fried tofu pieces. Mix well. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread rice in the bottom of a large cassarole dish. Transfer chicken mixture over the top. Sprinkle some paprika powder on top. Cover dish with foil and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!!!!

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CAFE WORLD comes to LIFE! Vegetable Lasagna!

Happy Memorial day everybody! I want to make something special today for my family and somehow, lasagna came to my mind and I thought it's going to be interesting to make one without meat for a change. I am going to use super thinly sliced  zuchinni, mushroom, fresh tomatoes and chopped olives for the filling. It's going to be delicious!

Here's how I made it today. (about 6 servings)

Ingredients:
Lasagna noodle (6-8 dried strips)
White mushrooms (about 8-10)
1 large or 2 small zucchini
1 Medium tomato
Marinara sauce (1 jar)
Black olives (3-4 teaspoons)
Ricotta mixture:
Ricotta cheese (can substitute with cottage cheese, about 16oz)
Parmesan cheese (shredded, 2 tablespoons)
Mozzarella cheese (shreddred, 2 tablespoons) 
Dried herbs (oregano, basil, and parsley, just a teaspoon of each)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 egg
Salt and pepper (just a few pinches)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Prepare lasagna noodles. Fill water to 3/4 full in a large pot, let it come to a boil and add lasagna noodles. Cook for about 10-15 minutes to el dente. Drain and let it chill in a large strainer.

Step 3: Prepare the vegetables. Wash and dry all vegetables. Thinly slice the zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes (be careful with your FINGERS!!). Chop up the whole olives roughly into big chunks (or small chunks - depending on your preference). Be more flavorful! (optional) Grill zucchini and mushrooms for a few minutes. Let cool in a bowl and we are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Step 4: Assemble the lasagna! In a medium carssarole dish, generously scoop and spread tomato pasta sauce in the bottom. Layer the lasagna noodles, then add tomato pasta sauce next and follow by zuchinni, mushroom, tomato slices and olives. Add a generous layer of the ricotta mixture. Repeat and do anther layer of lasagna noodles and the rest of the ingredients. Top with the rest of the ricotta mix and spinkle some Parmesan and mozzarella cheese and a little dried basil for garnish.

Step 5: Bake in oven with foil to cover for 30 minutes. Take out foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Step 6: Take it out and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!!!