Curried Coconut Chicken Soup

First off, this recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks and the best slow cooker cookbook I have come across, Art of the Slow Cooker:  80 Exciting New Recipes by Andrew Schloss (p 42).   You can even  find this book on iTunes as an app... great if you are at the market and wondering how much lemongrass you need to pick up!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin slices (I usually put 2, and cut them on the diagonal)
1/2 red pepper, cut into 1/4-by-1-inch strips (I usually use a whole red pepper and 1/2 yellow pepper)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large stalks lemongrass, trimmed and cut into thin slices
1 can (about 14 ounces) coconut milk
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (I prefer chunky peanut butter)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (gluten-free of course)
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce, such as Sriracha
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat half the oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.  Saute the chicken in 2 batches until it is lightly browned, about 4 minutes per batch, trasfer to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

Add the remaining oil to the skillet and heat.  Add the onions, carrots, and bell peppers

and saute until almost tender, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook for a few seconds, until aromatic.  Add the broth, salt, and lemongrass and heat to boiling.  Pour into the slow cooker, cover, and cook for 3 to 5 hours on high, or 4 to 8 hours on low, until the broth is full-flavoured and the vegetables are all tender.  

Meanwhile, mix the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, and brown sugar to combine.  Pour into the cooked soup and cook on high for 15 minutes.  Stir in the cilantro and serve.  

Caldeirada com Mariscos

Caldeirada com Mariscos (Fish Stew with Shellfish)

Basically a Caldeirada does not contain shellfish, usually it contains more than one kind of fish--whatever fish was caught by the fishermen.  Here in the prairies, we like to be creative!  Feel free to use whatever kind of fish or seafood you like... just remember to assemble it in a large pot just like you would a lasagna.

1/2 cup olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced white onions
2 1/2 cups potatoes, scrubbed, skins intact, cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
8 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 cup sweet peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
24 small littleneck clams or mussels
2 pounds fish cut into 3 inch pieces (halibut, eel, red snapper, salmon--basically your choice)
1/2 pound medium shrimp or scallops or seafood mix
1 teaspoon saffron
1 cup white wine

In a bowl mix tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, sweet peppers, parsley, and crushed red pepper.  Set aside.  In a little bowl or plate mix together the sweet paprika, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Also set aside.

Pour the olive oil into a thick bottomed 10 quart pot.  Add the onion slices forming a thick single layer.  Then add a layer of potatoes, overlapping the slices.  Add 1/3 of the tomato-garlic-sweet pepper mixture followed by a sprinkling of the seasoning.

Add shellfish (clams or mussels) then fish pieces.  Top with 1/3 of the tomato-garlic-sweet pepper mixture followed by a sprinkling of the seasoning.

Add shrimps, scallops, or seafood mix and the remaining tomato-garlic-sweet pepper mixture.  sprinkle saffron, pour in the white wine, cover with a tight fitting lid and place over medium-high heat for about five minutes.  You should hear the wine start to boil.

Quickly reduce to medium-low and simmer gently, without uncovering.  I know, it will be difficult but in 30-45 minutes it will be all worth it.  If you need to keep your fingers busy you can occasionally give the pot a gentle shake back and forth.  Check the fish for doneness and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serve in soup bowls with a nice thick slice of Portuguese Water bread or Lorenzo's Triple Fibre bread is a nice alternative too.


 

New Year's Day Yummy-ness!

Starting the New Year off right...   

BONED LOIN OF P0RK STUFFED WITH GOODNESS


3 lb (1.5 kg) boned loin of pork
olive oil for brushing


STUFFED GOODNESS


2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups gluten-free bread crumbs
1/2 cup cranberries
4 tbsp apricot, peach, and passionfruit jam
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped fresh lemon thyme 
1 egg, beaten
freshly cracked black pepper
freshly cracked sea salt


Make the stuffed goodness:  melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and cook gently, until just soft but not browned.  


Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the jam, bread crumbs, cranberries parsley, and lemon juice.  Mix together, add the beaten egg and season with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt.  Leave the stuffing to cool completely.    


Open out the loin of pork and spread the stuffing over the meat.  Roll the pork around the stuffing and tie with fine string.  Place the pork loin in a roasting pan, brush with olive oil and season generously with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt.  Cook the pork in a 350 degree F oven for about 2 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 190 degrees F.  


Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover loosely with a sheet of foil and leave it to sit for about 10 minutes so that the juices are sealed into the pork.  


You can use the pan dripping if you like to make a gravy.  Just add 2/3 cup of chicken stock and white wine along with a tablespoon of gluten-free flour.  Whisk together and simmer for about 3 minutes.