Jerk Braised Beef Neckbones and Shanks

Ingredients
2.5-3 lbs beef neck bones
2 beef Hind shanks
1 green peppers, sliced
1/2 white onion, sliced
5 tbsp wet jerk seasoning
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
3 cups water
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Thyme
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Tony's spicy Cajun seasoning
Curry powder
Salt, to taste
Olive oil

Instructions
In large pot, add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat. Liberally season meat with seasonings (onion powder thru curry powder), to taste.

In a single layer, add seasoned meat to pot, browning on each side over medium heat. Brown in multiple batches if necessary. Remove and set aside.

Add another tbsp of olive oil and add sliced onions and peppers to pot, still over medium heat. Sauté until caramelized and tender.

Add meat back to pot with vegetables. Pour in water, less if necessary. Water should not completely cover all the meat. Add in wet jerk seasoning and tomato paste. Bring to boil.

Add in bay leaves and salt, to taste. Cover put with heavy lid and turn heat down to low.

Cook on low for 2.5-3 hours or until meat is tender and falls off bones.

For a thicker gravy, mix 1.5 tbsp of cornstarch in 2 tbsp of water. Add to pot while stirring. Continue to simmer on low for 5 mins to let thicken. Adjust as desired.

Thai BBQ Chicken

Thai BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
- 10-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 12 cloves garlic, roughly crushed
- 2 tbsp lemongrass grated/paste
- 5 Thai chili peppers or 3 habanero peppers, chopped with seeds
- Generous handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- approx 1.5 inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 4 tbsp golden mountain seasoning sauce
- 1-12 ounce can of tamarind nectar, split into 1 cup and remaining 4 ounces, saved for glaze
- Onion power
- Garlic salt
- Cayenne

Glaze:
4 oz (1/2 cup) tamarind nectar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp honey

For the chicken:
Wash and pat dry chicken thighs and place in large glass bowl. Season meat liberally with onion powder, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper, to taste.

If using fresh lemongrass or grated lemon grass, add to a mortar along with the garlic and grind together to release the flavors. Once juices have been released, add to bowl with all remaining ingredients.

If using lemongrass paste, add paste and all remaining ingredients (excluding glaze ingredients) to bowl with chicken.

Mix well. Cover, refrigerate, and let marinate for at least 24 hours.

Prepare chicken by grilling on a charcoal or gas grill. When grill is heated, place chicken on grates in a single layer, leaving a little space between each piece. Let excess liquid drip off of chicken, but do not shake. Spoon herbs and vegetables from marinade on top of chicken, if desired.

Grill over indirect heat for about 7-10 minutes, turning once meat begins to brown. Then, place chicken over direct heat for the last 5 mins (approx) so that chicken becomes charred. This helps give it the flavor. Be sure to keep an eye on the chicken so that it does not dry out.

For the glaze:
Add all ingredients, except honey, to a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Let boil for approx. 2 mins. Turn heat down to medium and add in honey. Let cook for 3-4 additional mins. Add more honey if you desire a thicker glaze, but the glaze will thicken upon standing or after refrigerating. Pour glaze over chicken and top with more cilantro, to taste.

Stir Fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce

Stir fried clams in black bean sauce 

This is probably my favorite Cantonese dish and it was my first time making it. I used sesame oil, scallions, fresh ginger, long red pepper, fresh garlic, fresh little neck clams, and a chili black bean sauce. While the flavors were all there, I need to work on getting the consistency of the sauce right by balancing the black bean sauce with the clam juice that is released from the clams once they open.

Stay tuned!

Chili Shrimp with Pan Fried Egg Noodles

This dish was pretty simple and quick, ready in about 20 minutes from start to finish. I bought pan fried egg noodles from my local Asian market, along with fresh shrimp (they're the best- the frozen ones sometimes have a "packaged" taste).

Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs fresh shrimp
- 1 package of pan fried egg noodle
- 1 red long hot pepper or 4 thai peppers, diced with seeds
- 3 scallion stalks
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 10 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp. of sesame oil

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once rolling, add the noodles and let soak for about one minute or until desired tenderness. Drain and set aside,

In a wok, add about 2-3 tbsp. of sesame oil. Once hot, add the diced peppers, onion, and garlic and sautee until the onions slightly soften.  Then, add the shrimp and cook until nearly done. Once the shrimp begin to turn pink, add the noodles to the wok with about 4 tbsp. of dark, sweet (thick) soy sauce and about 1-2 tbsp. of regular soy sauce (more or less, depending on desired consistency of sauce). Remove from heat and top with sliced scallions.

Enjoy!

What You've Missed...

Just a few dishes I concocted during my absence... Enjoy!

Homemade red potato hash browns cooked in beef fat with garlic confit, thyme, and bay leaves

Shrimp fried rice. Tip: for best results, use old rice that has chilled in the fridge. Hot rice will be too sticky! Prep fried rice in a wok over very high heat with 2-3 eggs, white onion, scallion, bean sprouts, soy sauce, and meat of your choice

My Thanksgiving spread: filet medallions with rosemary butter, garlic shrimp, roasted asparagus, garlic butter lobster tails, creamed Parmesan spinach, seafood and sausage stuffing, sweet potato souffle, macaroni and cheese, and rosemary garlic roasted turkey with homemade turkey gravy

Deconstructed Tuna Roll

Deconstructed tuna roll with a Sriracha ginger soy.

No recipe. Just fresh and simple ingredients.

Thai Basil Black Pepper Chicken

Thai Basil Black Pepper Chicken

I have a problem with not finishing off ingredients that I buy to make specific dishes, so I challenged myself to create a dish using the ingredients that I already had in my kitchen. So, here's my take on a classic Thai street food dish- Basil Chicken! It's traditionally served with a fried egg, so that's the story behind that seemingly random pairing.

This dish includes about 8-10 crushed cloves of garlic, 4 hot peppers, and nearly a tablespoon of black pepper, so needless to say it's flavorful and SPICY. 

THAI BASIL BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN
(Makes about 3-4 servings)

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken breasts, sliced thinly across the grain, excess water dried off (IMPORTANT!)
• 8-10 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped
• 4 hot peppers
• 10 sprigs of Thai basil, leaves plucked
• 4 tbsp. of Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce* (or other dark soy sauce if unable to locate)
• 4 tbsp. of sweet soy sauce* (this is a thick, very sweet soy sauce)
• 3 tbsp. of oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp. of fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. of freshly ground pepper
• 4 tbsp. of oil, canola or peanut, separated
• 1/2 tsp. of white pepper salt
• 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
• Steamed jasmine rice for serving
• 1 egg for frying, served as a side