The Recipe Thread... Let's Get Cooking!

[strawberryblonde]

Alrighty, now that I know that there are other foodies on this forum, and by "foodies" I mean anyone and everyone who enjoys whipping up a good meal in their kitchen. I do NOT mean people who make reservations at a fancy restaurant 9 months in advance and who want to sit at the chef's table to experience the 21 course tasting menu. Been there, done that, and none of it was ever as good as a nice home cooked meal with family and friends. =)

So for the true foodies that I know I've just offended, I apologize and heck, give me a couple of your favorite recipes and I'll even promise not to roll my eyes when you say "tasting menu".

I'll share first, since this was my idea. And I'm gonna share my latest obsession courtesy of Brasil.

I first tasted these thanks to my daughter in law. Well, actually it was her sister who is responsible for my recent 10 pound weight gain!

The Story:
Tim and I found ourselves childless for Thanksgiving back in 2005. It was the first time we'd ever been truly alone for a holiday, so we did what any self-respecting couple would do... we went on vacation! We headed down to Fort Meyers, Florida for 7 days of sun, kayaking, more sun, canoeing and more sun.

Ah, but being a sentimental Mom, I called my son, who lived in Sarasota, just to say hi on the day before Thanksgiving. And he being a dutiful son, promptly spread the word that "Poor Mom and Poor Tim were ALL ALONE for Thanksgiving". Enter the In-Laws. They graciously called us right up to invite us to drive up the next day for some turkey and trimmings. Tim and I looked at each other, rolled our eyes, sucked it up and drove north for Thanksgiving Dinner (ok ok ok, so for the entire drive he kept looking over at me and sighing, and each time he did it I promised him that I would never divulge our location, while on vacation, to our kids again..ever...ever...never!)

Enter the Pao de Queijo.

My daughter in law's sister spent quite a bit of time in Brasil before she met her husband. Her love of the country was so great that they ended up honeymooning there. I mean really, it's a serious addiction for her! LOL

They had just gotten back from their honeymoon, and had brought with them a cooler filled with dry ice and frozen Pao de Queijo. (There may have been other goodies in that cooler, after tasting the first bun I didn't care and didn't ask)

Lemme tell ya, the entire day beca,e rosier in hue and much MUCH happier for me the minute I tasted these soft airy little buns. Tim and I hogged a whole plateful to ourselves and refused to share. Yep, we were BAD dinner guests. LOL

So here's the recipe I like best so far. It's not quite the same as the ones we had in Sarasota, but it's close enough to brighten my day.

PaodeQueijo.jpg
Easy Pao de Queijo

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs at room temp
2/3 cup olive or vegetable oil (Olive Oil can give a strong taste, so I generally mix it half and half with the veggie oil)
1 1/3 cups milk
Scant 3 cups tapioca flour
1 cup grated cheese, your preference, but if you can find Queso Fresco you'll thank me for it.
2 teaspoons of salt (or more to taste)


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin tin. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well.
At this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week.


2. Fill the muffin cups half way. Any more than that and they'll puff up and run over the top.


3. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until all puffy and just lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes.


Eat while warm or save to reheat later.
Enough batter for 8-12 muffin sized cheese breads.


Brazilian cheese bread is very chewy in the middle, but melts in your mouth when it's hot from the oven.

[discuspaul]

Wonderful - sounds fantastic - and I'll definitely try it. (I'm thinking of a certain greek cheeese for the cheese ingredient.)
But now Toni, you've got me thinking real hard.
I will contribute something just as soon as I can - but it may take a bit of contemplating - bear with me.

[dpete9]

where could I find tapioca flour?

[Trier20]

I'll put contribute tomorrow when i get access to my recipes

[strawberryblonde]

where could I find tapioca flour?

You can find it at most good grocery stores. It'll be right next to the corn starch in the flour/sugar aisle. If you can't find it their, they might have it in the speciality/mexican food aisle. I shop at a commissary and they have it in both of those aisles.

Let me know if you can't find it and I'll get the substitutions for you... there's a mixture of corn starch and regular flour that works too.

[Skip]

toni.. search PC1 threads.. he like recipes.. and has post some in past..

[discuspaul]

Okay, folks - let's start off with something relatively easy - a simple appetizer - but real good for a nice, gracious in-home dinner party, or for a raucous back yard BBQ.

First, a bit of my story:
I got real interested in cooking in my mid- 20's, and shortly thereafter was transferred to Singapore, about 30 years ago. I then got into Asian cooking so much that I began collecting recipes & cookbooks, and tried as many Asian foods as I could. I quickly progressed to begin cooking Singaporean, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Japanese & Vietnamese dishes, among others. And I think I got pretty good at it. (well, after a few years back home experimenting).

Here's a recipe for Thai chicken wings that I hope will knock your socks off - it did me:

The basting sauce:
- 3 -tbspns of Thai sweet Chili Sauce
- 3 " of Soy Sauce - your choice - thick, thin, Japanese, whatever.
- 2 " of chili garlic sauce (called Sriracha - get it in the Asian food section of your supermarket)
- 1 tspn. grated fresh ginger
- 1 " of your favorite bbq sauce - whatever that may be - Diane's - Tony Roma's, etc.
- 1 " of hoisin sauce
- 1 " of plum sauce
- 1 " of apricot jam (optional)
- 1 " of sesame oil

Mix these all together very well - heat the sauce to the boiling point for a bit, if you wish.

Prepare your chicken wings any way you like - I prefer to to remove as much of the excess skin as I can, and split them in two between the drumette and the outer wing portion - but discard the final wing tip portion. Sprinkle them with salt & pepper.

Roast/bake them in a lightly oiled/greased oven pan/sheet @ 350 degrees for about 35/40 minutes, then baste them with your sauce, both sides, turning them once during your basting. (Baste more than once each side if you wish).
Bake for another 10-15 minutes in total.
Finish them off by turning on the broiler element for just 2-3 minutes to bubble up the glaze & carmelize it on one side.

Remove to a serving dish & sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds.

Your guests SHOULD just love them - give it a go - imo they're the best chicken wings you're ever going to eat!
Bon Appetit !

[discuspaul]

P.S.
Oh... and just so you know ... I'm not just about Asian cooking - I do a fair job with Italian, French, Greek, Spanish, even middle-eastern/mediterranean - and my utmost favorite - Mexican !
So, if any of you have any particular likes as to food/cuisines, just name it, whether it's appies, main meals, or desserts, and I'll give it my best shot if I'm familiar with it.

[Poco]

Paul, I love wings and your recipe got me drooling all over. I will try it for sure. Thanks for sharing.

[nickfish39]

I lived in Brazil for almost three years. Loved it there and loved the Food! I can definitely understand how your daughter-in-law has become so obsessed with it I will think of a good recipe that I can share. I have been more into thai food lately myself. Great Idea for a post!

[discuspaul]

Paul, I love wings and you recipe got me drooling all over. I will try it for sure. Thanks for sharing.

I believe I can assure you that once you try it, you, and your family or guests, should be hooked.
And, by doing so, you will have made my day ! LOL

[strawberryblonde]

Oh my gosh the wings sound awesome! I just happen to have a great big bag of wings sitting in the freezer, so guess what Tim is going to be eating tomorrow? =)

I spent some time in China a few years ago and for awhile that was my obsession when I got back home so I'll find and post a few of my most favoritest recipes. The one recipe I could never get my hands on is for Golden Sand Buns. Man I miss those things.

[Second Hand Pat]

Paul, I can not help thinking that your wing recipe would be good on the grill also.

[Trier20]

Paul, I can not help thinking that your wing recipe would be good on the grill also.

Yup put em in a tinfoil pouch and render the fat off of them and cook then through. Don't forget to put some of the basting liquid in. After they are cooked through take them out and get a good char on them. Thicken the sauce with a slurry and toss with the wings.

[Second Hand Pat]

Anyone do fried lobster tail. Now I do this with Florida lobster and you only have the tail. Remove the meat from the shell and cut along the natural divisions in the meat. This will yield bite size pieces of meat. Lightly flour the meat and place in a hot skillet with 1/2 inch hot oil and fry until nicely brown all the way around and it forks tender.

Serve hot with fried grouper, hush puppies and a nice salad or corn on the cob.