Thursday, February 3, 2011

Spain, Italy and Thailand - All in three days!

Ethnic Week continues, rather successfully if I do say so myself :)

We followed up our Sweet and Sour Chicken with a dish derived from the Spanish - chili. I realize this is somewhat of a stretch to be truly "ethnic" but cut me some slack. I use the recipe my mom shared with my from my dad's mom (who was Italian - go figure.) The best part of this recipe is its simplicity - when you've made it once, you don't need to reference the recipe again.


Brown some ground beef with green pepper and onion, add chili beans, chili powder or a package of chili seasoning, a small can of tomato sauce, a bean can-full of water and stir. The chili will thicken, and you can adjust the seasonings/spices to your liking. When it's thickened enough (or you're tired of looking at it and just want to eat it!) serve over elbow macaroni, top with shredded cheese and sour cream if you want to blow your diet out of the water and enjoy. Perfect for those nights that you're tired, not really in the mood to cook and just want something that's going to make you feel full and happy. Of course, top it off with a margarita or two and you night is complete!






Following our pseudo-Spanish meal, I went traditional Italian. I'm Italian, we both like Italian food, it's easy to make and, most of all, it is delicious when complemented with your favorite wine. I made a simple Pasta Carbonara with linguine, and the sauce is just eggs, parmasean cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and bacon. If you're feeling sassy, as I usually am, throw in some peas for color and a different texture. This dish took all of about 25 minutes to make, start-to-finish.

That is my kind of home-cooked meal - takes no time at all to make, but looks and tastes like you poured your whole evening into it. Plus, you basically let the sauce sit while the pasta cooks, so you can enjoy a glass a wine. I opted for my go-to favorite, sauvignon blanc, while the doc enjoyed his pinot noir. I'm no traditionalist when it comes to pairing wine with foods - let's be honest, I'd probably have wine with my waffles if it was socially acceptable. And, given that I don't like red wine (ever, trust me, I've tried most of them and haven't found a one that'll please my finicky palate) I tend to stick with what I like and that's it. Is it right to have a sauvignon blanc with pasta? I don't know what a wine "expert" will tell you, but I tell you "yes!" So, go ahead, pop a bottle, pour a glass and enjoy your pasta, or your hamburgers, or waffles (I won't judge you. Hell, I'll join you!)


So, for tonight, I was stumped. I've pretty much exhausted my very limited knowledge of ethnic foods over the past four days. So, what do I do? I know I have chicken in the freezer, so I turn to my handy-dandy cookbooks to see what kind of ethnic chicken dishes are out there, that also only call for the ingredients I already have on hand. Solution? Thai Chicken Stir-Fry! Easy, tasty, good for you, and I get to use my wok again. Oh the love affair that I have with that wok.


So, I don't know what technically makes this dish "Thai" and I'm pretty sure the version I made definitely doesn't qualify, but since it's got "Thai" in the title, I'm calling it ethnic and it counts!


I cooked up some gingered carrots, onion slices and garlic in the wok, tossed in my chicken pieces and coated everythign in a sauce of white wine vinegar (since I didn't have rice wine), soy sauce, corn starch, crushed red pepper and water. Let heat until everything is cooked and delicious-smelling, toss in some almond slices for crunch and serve over white rice. I had no idea if this would taste good, bad, boring, Thai-ish or what, and it actually turned out quite delicious!


The carrots give the dish a nice crunch, and the almonds have a very complementary flavor to the sauced chicken. Again, this took me about 30 minutes, which is just as long as the clean-up took! Definitely adding this recipe to my stack of go-to meals when I'm in a time or idea bind.


So, now, for the grand finale to Ethnic Week, I'm bringing the big guns. The truest, boldest, most traditional and patriotic dish I can think of - that's right, we're coming back to America with RIBS. And, I'm making them in the Crock-Pot. Nothing is more American than that. And it seems only fitting that we've traveled, culinarily speaking, across the globe this week only to find ourselved right back where we started - home. It's where the heart is, you know.

Cheers!
Maureen

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