Red Snapper is one of the most prized native fish to the Texas Gulf Coast region. It can be prepared in just about anyway. It’s my preferred fish for frying, baking, or broiling. I purchase the whole fish, then use the head to make a stock. The stock is later used for sauces or soups. The skin of a pan seared Red Snapper is well known as having very much the taste of bacon. Since Red Snapper is is delicious baked, I decided to make my version of  Pla Ped Pla with a Red Snapper that is first baked, then broiled. Note: This recipe calls for the use of krachai (a rhizome, similar to ginger, but sweeter and more aromatic). Krachai is critical to the development and taste of this dish. Ginger or galangal won’t quite get it. Try a local Thai supermarket or Asian market for krachai. If you don’t have a local market, check Thai Import Food. In this recipe is important to use a fresh fish otherwise the recipe comes off as an attempt to disguise a frozen fish with a great sauce.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut 3 diagonal slits on each side of the fish, lightly salt fish using kosher salt (do not use regular salt), and run a thin layer of vegetable oil on both sides. Then place into middle or lower rack of the oven for 20 minutes.

For the Sauce: Heat oil on medium, then cook krachai, garlic, onions, and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes. Add red curry and stir in, cook for 5 minutes for pre-packaged curry. Cook for 2 minutes for fresh curry. Add sugar, fish sauce and stir in. Let develop. Go by smell; you should smell the krachai. Maybe 3 minutes or so.

Lower heat, then add basil, chili, keffir lime, and peppercorns. cook for 5 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, turn broiler on at 450. Move fish to top rack and broil for 5-6 minutes.

Add coconut milk and water, then and change burner to lowest heat for 5 minute – add more water if too dry. Remove fish from oven, then pour the sauce over fish and serve with steamed rice.

I talk with a lot people who are unsure what to do with ground bison aka buffalo. Ground bison is well known as being a leaner and often an organic substitute for regular ground beef. Beyond this, bison does have a distinct taste that is different than it’s beef counterpart; it just needs to be coerced out a little bit. Here is a dish that does just that. The flavour of the bison blends well in this simple fusilli pasta dish.  I used fusilli pasta since it has the advantage of picking up more sauce in the skillet than other types of pastas.

8 oz uncooked large fusilli
3bsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 minced clove garlic
1 1lb. ground bison
1/2 cup water with 1/2 tsp beef bouillon
1 cup no salt tomato sauce
2 oz Parmesan reggiano
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
12 cherry tomatoes cut into halves
4 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
black pepper, crushed red pepper and salt to taste

Tip: For restaurant style pasta , work on the sauce while the pasta is boiling so that the pasta can be added soon after the sauce is ready.

Heat a pot of water with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Boil the tagliatelle for 8-9 minutes until al dente

Add 1/2 tsp beef bouillon to 1/2 cup hot water, stir, dissolve and set aside.

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil on medium in a large pan or skillet. Add onions, garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add ground bison and cook until meat is almost completely browned. Bring heat down 1 notch and add oregano, thyme, beef bouillon, then tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add drained pasta, and stir in. Then add Parmesan reggiano and stir in. Plate, then add cherry tomatoes and goat cheese crumbles.

Add black pepper, crushed red pepper and salt to taste

Zucchini is one my favourite plants to grow in the garden. It doesn’t require the best of soil and can take in the heat of the Texas summer . One of my zucchini plants grew about 4 feet wide this spring and was producing some great and sweet fruit. We only grow organic at home so the fruits are a little sweeter and have a creamier texture than store bought. With all this delicious zucchini we have been looking for a way to incorporate it into more daily meals. We added Smitten Kitchen’s lemon zucchini pasta to our menu and also started grilling zucchini with olive oil and salt more often.

Since zucchini can be both sweet and savory, we had been looking for way to use it beyond zucchini bread in a dessert. I recently came across a recipe tucked in the back of Cooks Country magazine for chocolate zucchini cake. We adapted a little to make muffins. We prefer all our desserts less sweet so that they can be served with tea, coffee, and to a 3 year old. Thanks for Tamara Anderson of Road Island for the inspiration:

This recipe makes 8 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour.
1/4 cup non-sweet dark cocoa powder.
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
4 tbsp. softened unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter milk or (1/4 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp while vinegar)
1 medium zucchini shredded.
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnut pieces (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add cupcake paper to the muffin tins – no need to grease. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl. In a stainless steel bowl using a wooden spoon or using an electric mixer combine the butter, oil, and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and butter milk and mix until blended. Stir in dry ingredients, stir in shredded zucchini. Pour mixture into prepared tins.

Top batter with chocolate chips and walnuts if desired. Bake for 22-24 minutes. Use a toothpick as your indicator (poke and see if the toothpick comes out clean).

Thien Ahn is one of Houston’s best Vietnamese restaurants. I frequented this eatery often , since it was delicious, a great value, and only a trolley ride away from my office. How times have changed. The shuttle is no more and Thien Ahn has moved a few blocks away.
It was once located in the spot where Reef is currently. This was a run-down mini mall with a hair salon, several small eateries, and a Asian grocery store. The stores sold out a few years after the gentrification of the mid-town area begin. Thien Ahn was closed briefly during the move. When it reopened it like an event for the many loyal patrons who had been waiting for their favourite Vietnamese restaurant. Thiehn Ahn is the type of small Vietnamese
restaurant you take your friends to when you really want to show them how good authentic Vietnamese food can be. I prefer skipping the large scale palaces located in Houston’s Chinatown West.

Thien Ahn specializes in grilled items, Vietnamese pancakes, and sandwiches. The staff is prompt, but always friendly and the owners greet you with a genuine “Nice to see you again”. While there try their com ga nuong xa (lemon grass grilled chicken, banh xeo (Vietnamese crepes), or a bun dishes (rice vermicelli with grilled meat of your choice). Many Vietnamese grilled dishes require some marinating so be sure to plan ahead for the best flavour.

Recipe for Com Ga Nuong Xa (Vietnamese Lemongrass Grilled chicken)

1 lb. bonless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed off fat and cut into thirds.
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 stalk lemon grass chopped or 3 tbsp. lemon grass
1tbsp. molasses
2tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. good quality fish sauce
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1tbsp. lime juice

Place chiken into a medium bowl.
Mix all ingredients except chicken, then put over chicken and mix.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 12 hours.
Heat a grill to 400 and grill the chicken for 5 minutes per side. The sugars in the marinade will create a beautiful finish to the dish.

Serve with broken rice or a good quality short grain rice.

There’s not a person in the south who hasn’t had pecan pie. Pecan pie is an integral part of the culture of southern US and Texas . Pecan pies are made throughout in the south. They are especially made and served at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Growing up, everyone knew my mother for her pecan pies, as well as for her cakes. They were deliciously sweet with a velvety texture inside. During the height of the pecan season, the pecans on top were sweet and juicy on their own. I had to be careful not to eat too many of them so that the pie would have enough to go on top.

It is possible that pecan pie originated with the Acadian settlers who were migrated from French Canada to south-west Louisiana . In French Canada, there is a very similar pie called “tarte de sucre” or sugar pie. It is like pecan pie made with maple syrup, rather than sugar and corn syrup, and without pecans on top.

Pecan pie remains one of those foods that in usually better if homemade. Being from Texas , I would never, ever eat a store bought pecan pie. One sure sign of a quality pecan pie is the pecans on top. Great pecan pies should have a mixture of of whole and cut up pecan pieces. Generally frozen commercial pies and mass produced ones have only whole pieces on top.

Recipe for Pecan Pie

This is for a 9″ deep dish pie

3 eggs
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup light Karo corn syrup. Use cane syrup if cannot find corn syrup.
2 tbsp butter melted and cooled.
1 tsp. quality vanilla extract
2 cups pecans (mixture of whole and cut up pieces.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F
Blend all ingredients, except for pecans.
After all ingredients , blend in pecans.

Place mixture into a uncooked 9″ deep dish pie shell.
Bake on flat sheet or cookie sheet for 50 to 55 minutes until a knife can
be stuck into the mix and come out clean.

Let cool before serving.

Enjoy!

While visiting Tokyo and Kyoto I made every attempt possible to only eat Japanese food. After a week or so this can become a daunting task. I was very happy to find “Japanese spaghetti”. Usually it is made with a cheesy marinara. The meat is often pork or tuna. I like to make this dish at home since it reminds of my visits to Japan and mostly because it’s a quick cook dish that is very nutritious and delicious to both adults and kids. It has a subtlety sophisticated enough, yet simple enough to appeal to a wide range of taste buds.

8 oz uncooked spinach tagliatelle
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 minced clove garlic
1-2 chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp. capers
12 oz. canned tuna drained or 8 oz cooked tuna (broken up)
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
4 oz. grated sharp cheddar
black pepper and salt to taste

Heat a pot of water with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tbsp. olive oil. Boil the tagliatelle for 8-9 minutes until al dente

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium in a large pan. Add onions, garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, marinara – cook for 1 minute, then add capers and stir. Stir in tuna and bring heat down 1 notch. Add pasta to pan and toss.

Add grated cheddar and stir in. Serve

These cheddar and tarragon biscuits have a anglo-french flavour. I prefer to use 2 year aged sharp cheddar as it combines well with tarragon’s flowery sweetness.

2 ounces non-salted butter
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. dried chopped tarragon
1/2 tsp. salt

Pre-heat an oven to 350°F
Soften the butter, then stir until creamy. Add the shredded cheese and combine
Add the flour, salt, and tarragon and stir for 1 minute
Remove the mixture and place unto a flat surface and roll into a log. Move to a refrigerator 1 hour.

Line a cookie pan with parchment paper.

Cut the log into 1/4″ or 1/8″ slices and layout onto pan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, then allow to cool.

Ideas: top with prosciutto and cantaloupe for a delicious appetizer.

Milkfish is a popular fish in the Philippines. It can be fried, baked, or is often used in clear and sour soups. Stuffed meats are one of the many preparation methods brought over by the Spanish. This is a delicious Filipino dish well worth the work and wait. It is usually made for special occasions  – likes Fiestas or when special guests are coming to your home. This is the dish which welcome me to the Philippines on my first visit. Again it was served to my family and friends the year of my wedding, as a welcome. I had the luck of having my wife’s relatives here several times. And guess what?  – several occasions they made this fish for dinner. No special occasion. My mother-in-law even made several for us before she left, so we free packed them. We ate them a month later and they were absolutely delicious!

1 whole milkfish, cleaned
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion diced
black pepper
2 tbsp. pickled relish
1 medium carrot, diced
1/4 cup black raisins
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 oz. edam cheese
catsup
vegetable oil
3 tbsp. calamansi juice
2 tbsp light soy sauce

For the dip:
3tbsp toyomasi or 1 tbsp. calamansi juice and 2 tbsp light soy sauce

The fish should be cleaned and cut along the belly so that it can be stuffed. The cut should  not include the head and tail. They must remain en-tact, so that when the fish is stuffed the filling does not fall out. Make an incision along the back of the fish – just after the head to the end of the fish’s backbone. Remove the backbone and remove the meat from the fish’s inside using a fork; set aside.

Marinate the skin in a mixture of 3 tbsp. calamansi juice, 2 tbsp light soy sauce and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper for 20 minutes. Poach the fish meat for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and cool. Have a seat and begin removing the small bones contained in the poached fish meat.

In a large sauce pan, sauté garlic, onion for 3 minutes on medium. Add the fish meat and 2 tbsp light soy sauce, cook 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low. Add the carrots and raisins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add the edam cheese, cook 1 minute. Add the catsup and pickled relish, cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer meat mixture to a bowl to let cool.

Remove skin from marinade, drain, and lay on cooking sheet.

Stuff the marinated fish skin from the belly side. Be careful not to overfill since you will sew up the bottom.
Sew the milkfish up using everyday sewing string.. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Spay a cooking sheet with flour cooking spray. Also spray the fish with the floured cooking spray. Bake the fish for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Most non-Koreans’ first introduction into Korean includes some type of Korean barbeque – the best known of which is bulgogi. Bulgogi or Korean barbeque is sirloin marinated in a sweet, and salty mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and ginger, then quickly grilled. It is often served with rice, kimchi, and other vegetables.

I decided to try my hand at my own bulgogi marinade. I wanted to create something delicious but with a less sodium and no MSG. I wanted to create something that I would feel perfectly safe serving to my 3 year old.

1 lb. bulgogi meat or very thin slices of ribeye
2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
4 tbsp. mirin
2 tbsp cooking sake
6 cloves garlic (quartered)
1 quarter size piece of ginger (chopped)
2 tbsp. sesame oil
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/8 tsp crushed black pepper
1 bunch of green onions (chopped into 2″ long pieces)

Tip: allow 2 hours for the meat to marinade.

Spread out meat on large plate or platter or place in a large bowl.

Prepare the marinade by mixing all wet ingredients in bowl. then add black pepper, garlic, and ginger, and green onions.

Pour marinade over beef and move to refrigerator to marinate.

Purchase bulgogi meat, or very thin slices of sirloin or prime beef. Bulgogi meat should be available in your local Korean market or Asian grocer.

Start by marinating the meat in the bulgogi marinade for 2 hours. Keep the marinated meat in a refrigerator.

Heat an iron skillet on medium or heat a grill to 400F. Cook each slice of meat for 1 minute on each side.

Serve with rice, kimchi, lettuce or fresh raw vegetables.

Kaldereta, also spelled Caldereta is a hearty Filipino dish originating out of Spain. The name Caldereta comes from the the spanish “caldera”, meaning cooking pot. In most of Spain caldereta is made with lamb, beef, or goat. In the Balearic Islands and Minorca it is commonly made with lobsters. Caldereta is similar to the cooking style of guisado (stewed) commonly found in Mexico and Texas – think carne guisado with the Filipino touches of soy sauce and a sweeter taste. This is one of my favourite mainstay dishes. We have it in some form several times a month. It fuses flavours of tomatoes, olives, peppers, and sherry or red wine. This dish can be cooked with a number of meats including lamb, chicken, beef , or goat. My favourite preparation is with goat.

2 lbs. chicken (preferably a mixture of chicken breasts and boneless, skinless, chicken thighs)
1/2 cup cooking sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup onions
1 cup sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
20 slivers of red bell pepper, sliced.
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
2 bay leaves (preferably Turkish)
1 tsp paprika
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup uncooked chicken livers
1/2 cup green olives, pitted
2 oz. Edam cheese (can also use Gouda)
3 tbsp. olive oil for chicken + 2 tbsp. (kalamata works very well)
2 Thai chilies (optional) if you want spicier.

Cut the chicken into pieces (not to small). Remove the excess fat.

Heat the olive oil in pan on medium, then braise each piece of chicken until light brown. This method will help keep the chicken from falling apart as it simmers. Remove each piece as it is browned. Then add 2 tbsp additional olive oil to the pan. Cook the garlic and onion for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, diced bell peppers, and chili peppers (if wanted) and cook for 3 minutes.

In order add the chicken and stir in, then bay leaves, paprika, tomato sauce, soy sauce. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook on simmer low for 1.5 hours.

Bring mixture to low, add sherry, cheese, the 20 slivers of red bell pepper, sliced, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. Cook liver in a separate pan in a small amount of oil until done, then chop up and add to kalderera. Add olives and cook for 2 minutes.

In small bowl, cut up thai chiles and add 1 tbsp of fish sauce. Sprinkle this over kaldereta.  Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

If you are new to Filipino cooking also checkout my recipe for Adobo Chicken