Strawberry Glaze

I'm so thrilled to have Stefania join the blog!! I'm so excited to get some new authentic Italian recipes. It is definitely one of my favorite cuisine!


I have been meaning to post this recipe ever since strawberries came into season. I figured I had better do it quick before they are completely gone.

This glaze works well both as a topping for strawberry short cake or to make *fresh strawberry pie. And it's so simple!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp (30ml) strawberry jello powder (FYI: a small box contains about 6 tbsp so after you use it, you can put a clip on the bag and seal it up to use for the next time. This is the only ingredient that may be a bit hard to find but I've seen it at Carrefour and City shop so you shouldn't have too much trouble)
2 Tbsp (30ml) cornstarch
1/3 cup (80ml) sugar
1/2 cup (100g) cup water
pinch of salt
1 tsp(5ml) lemon juice


Directions:

In a small saucepan add the strawberry gelatine.

Add cornstarch,

Sugar

pinch of salt

water and lemon juice.

Stir to combine.

Heat on medium high until boiling. Boil for one minute, while stirring.

Cool slightly; about 5 minutes. Pour over cut strawberries.

Stir to combine.

 Serve over cake for strawberry short cake.



*If making fresh strawberry pie, double the amount of glaze. After combining the glaze with the starwberries, pour into a precooked pie shell or graham cracker shell. Chill until set and top with whipped cream.

Rucola Pesto.

My first post is about a very simple and scented sauce: Pesto.
With this recipe I'd like to thank Heather for inviting me to her blog and I virtually offer her my personal taste of italian cuisine.

With this mediterranean breeze on the Gourmet DIY Shanghai I hope you will be prepare for summer. Who lives here knows that spring is just so short and after the cold and rainy winter we had this year, summer will be soon at the door,  hot and humid.

What is better than an easy and fresh green thing that can be spread on a piece of bread or a ready to use sauce in the fridge for a pasta or rice?

The name "pesto" is the italian for pestle and it refers to the manual grinder made of stone that was used in the past. Here I've prepared a rucola pesto.

For a jar to store in fridge:

80-100 grams of basil or rucola leaves

50 grams of parmesan cheese

50 grams of pine nuts (I've used pine nuts and pecan)

olive oil (better if extra virgin) around 150 grams 

salt 

1 garlic clove

Wash the rucola leaves (or basil) and let it dry before using it. Put cheese, pine nuts and garlic (if you don't like garlic it can be omitted) in a grinder or food processor. If you don't have a food processor (in shanghai not all have) just use a manual grinder or a pestle. Add the leaves, salt and the olive oil and grind together till the sauce comes like a cream. Store in a glass container cover with more olive oil on top to prevent the pesto to change its vibrant color.

If covered with oil it will last one week in the fridge and of course ... if you don't have a piece of bread to dip in!

Pine nuts are expensive and sometimes difficult to find so any of the following works, just experiment: almonds, nuts, hazelnuts, pecan.

S'mores

So this might be kind of lame, but I thought I'd share since this is one of our favorite 'family night' treats here in Shanghai.

Ingredients:
Nutella
Marshmallows
Digestive biscuits

Directions:
Spread nutella on one half of a digestive biscuit. Toast marshmallows over a small flame. Place toasted marshmallows on chocolate covered biscuit and covered with another biscuit.

Instant Breadcrumbs

I can't tell you the number of times I've had the end of the baguette go stale before we finish it.
I bought a baguette last week and then my ayi ended up making dinner a whole bunch of nights in a row so there it sat on the counter until it became hard as a rock. The boys had been begging me to make them spaghetti and meatballs (I guess I've read them Olivia books a few too many times) so I figured that I would use the stale baguette to make breadcrumbs to go in the meatballs. Only problem is that I don't have a food processor and I didn't relish the idea of using a rolling pin to smash the baguette(such a mess, takes so long, and the pieces are large and uneven)
So I came up with the brilliant idea to use my cheese grater instead.
It worked great! The breadcrumbs were really fine- all the same size and perfect for using for meatballs.

Basic Crepes

This past week was my son Miles' birthday, and when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he replied without hesitation, "Crepes!"
We had these with fresh strawberries and some sour cream sweetened with powdered sugar. We also surreptitiously put a little Nutella on a few of them(hey- it was his birthday after all). Bananas, peaches or raspberry jam are also favorite toppings.
You can also turn crepes into a meal by stuffing them with more savory things like ham, asparagus, and cheese.Although they take just a bit more finesse than pancakes, your patience will be well rewarded. They are delicious with both savory or sweet fillings.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp oil/butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
Desired fillings


Directions:

 Assemble ingredients:

 Add eggs to bowl.

 Beat until well combined, then add milk.

 Add oil and salt and beat until well combined.

 Slowly add flour, whisking to combine until all of the flour is incorporated.

Grease your frying pan and heat over a medium flame until hot.

Add about 1/4 cup (80ml) to the center of the pan. Rotate and swirl the pan until the batter forms a nice wide circle.


Cook 2 minutes or until the edges start to crisp a little.
Carefully turn and cook on the other side until done.

Add desired filling.








Roll up. Eat and enjoy.

Curried Egg Salad

Did you have hard boiled eggs kicking around after Easter like we did? This egg salad was the perfect way to use up a lot of those eggs that my kids had fun dying.

Ingredients:
8-10 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup green onions
1 tsp salt
1-1 1/2 tsp curry powder

Directions:

Remove eggs from shells.

For this recipe they don't have to look nice (like they do for deviled eggs) so I broke them in half and then used a spoon to scrape out the inside. Much easier than peeling the shell off of the egg.

Chop up the eggs into small pieces.

Place in a bowl and add mayonaisse.

Add celery and green onions.

Add curry powder and salt.

Stir together until well combined. Spread on bread for an egg salad sandwich.

DIY Sour Cream

My friend Tifanie let me in on this little secret! All I can say is this is awesome!! We had baked potatoes the other night with this and my husband was in heaven.

Ingredients:
1 liter cream
3 tbsp white vinegar

Directions:
Add the vinegar to the cream and stir. Leave out at room temperature overnight.
The cream will thicken within a few hours. Pour off some of the excess whey. Store in the refrigerator for two weeks.
If you want it thicker you can strain it in a fine mesh strainer or with cheesecloth. Personally I thought it was just fine after pouring off the excess liquid.



































 I thought I had a picture of the end product, but it looks like I forgot to take one so I'll have to update this post when I take one.

Chicken Fajitas

(I apologize for the low quality photos- camera has been dropped one to many times by kiddos and finally died, so I resorted to iPod photos)

I love this recipe. My mom has been making it since I was a teenager and it is easy and fabulous. I love food that is visually appealing and colorful.This is gorgeous. Most everything in this is a pantry/fridge staple. So you just have to pick up the veggies and you are set! If you don't have time to marinate for the full hour, don't worry! It will still taste great!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup(60ml) lime juice
1/4 cup(60ml) Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup(60ml) oil
1/4 cup(60ml) salsa (if you have it- I usually don't so I just add 1/4 cup of pico de gallo instead; tomatoes, cilantro, onions)
1 tsp(5ml) liquid smoke
2-3 tsp(10-15ml) garlic
1-2 chicken breasts ( I usually use 1 but you can use two if you like your fajitas meatier)
1 each yellow, red and green bell peppers, sliced
1/2-1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp(15ml) cornstarch
2 tbsp(30ml) water
salt to taste ( about 1 tsp/5 ml)

 Directions:

Add lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, oil, salsa(or Pico de gallo),liquid smoke  and garlic to a bowl.

Cut chicken into matchstick like strips.

Add to marinade.

Mix to combine. Let sit for 1-2 hours in the fridge.

Cut peppers and onions into thin strips.

Heat a wok over medium/high heat. Add marinade and chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add peppers and onions.

Stir to combine.

Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring every minute so that the vegetables cook evenly.

Turn off heat. Make a well in the middle of your chicken pepper mixture.

Add cornstarch mixed water. Stir to combine.

Turn heat back on and cook for an additional minute.

Serve in tortillas with cheese, salsa/pico de gallo, and/ or sour cream