Happy New Year from Ken’s Country Kitchen.
I hope you have fun in the kitchen this year ahead, it makes cooking a whole lot easier.
I have not resolved to do more cooking this year, only better cooking.
Different recipes with creative tastes, and using a wild assortment of foods, that sort of what I want to do this year.
I would like to improve on my Chinese cooking, my Thai dishes and Italian.
From my perspective I like to learn all aspects of cooking, and although I have cooked many different kinds of dishes over the years, there is still lots to learn.
Just the other day I was making a sauce for a nice piece of beef or perhaps more like a gravy, and I put in some soy sauce with the butter and juices from the meat...pretty tasty.
That is the first time I can remember using a soy sauce in gravy. I certainly will be using that in gravies to come.
So, what is it you have resolved to do in the kitchen this year?
Are you going to try some bold new adventures in the culinary field or are you happy with learning a few more of the good old traditional recipes?
Perhaps try some new foods or that which you haven’t cooked for some time.
I watched a TV program about cooking a Christmas dinner and they cooked a lamb roast to go with the turkey and so now I want to try some lamb chops or a lamb roast.
I enjoy lamb with a mint sauce on the side, or a nice reduction sauce using dry wed wine and port mixed together.
Cooking is more than finding something filling for your stomach cause its supper time and you know you have to eat.
It is also about finding a good balance between the foods you eat throughout the day.
You can’t live on hamburgers and fries each day.
Cooking for me is also about expressing my creativity.
As a creative person I want to continually try something new...who says pickle juice wont taste good in gravy!
I just like keep trying to match and mismatch foods for different taste expression.
It doesn’t hurt to experiment...taste test the product before it goes to the next step in your cooking process...that gives you the option to leave it alone, or add something else to change the taste or turf it in the garbage can.
Here is a real easy Chinese recipe I have tried on a couple of occasions.
This comes from a cookbook I purchased in Taiwan.
Stir Fry Honey
Peas with Beef
200 grams of beef fillet
120 gram honey peas
carrot slices
20 gram fresh straw mushrooms
Marinade
½ tsp starch
½ tsp light soy sauce and 1 /3 tsp sugar
Thickening
½ tsp corn flour and 2 tbsp water
Seasoning
1 tsp soy sauce with ½ tsp sugar
Cut the beef into small slivers and marinate for 10 minutes. Clean peas, then scald the peas and mushrooms for ½ a minute.
Remove from wok or pan the fry the beef shreds in a little oil until they are about medium done, that should not take long.
Add in the honey peas, seasonings, and some thin carrot slices for colouring..you can make each slice into a neat shape for extra eye appeal.
Cook for about 3-5 minutes...don’t overcook.
Then add the thickening and serve.
Try a little creativity in your kitchen...you’ll like it.
Bye for now and Goood Cooking.