Chicken Panang

I'm a sucker for good Asian food.  Chinese, Japanese, Thai and everything in between.  I love it all.  A few years ago, I tried curry for the first time.  It was an acquired taste for me, but once I discovered Panang, I knew I'd hit a home run.  It's spicy, a little sweet, and luscious, with a peanut butter finish.  Great with any meat or veggie (or whatever the hell you have in the fridge), this is a must-keep recipe to add to your repertoire for those often craved exotic evenings.  

Panang Curry 

Chicken Boobs
2 T. Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
3/4 Onion, diced
1 1/2 C. Carrots, chopped into small rings
1/2 Zucchini, chopped
3 T. Panang Curry (found in a pouch or a can in Asian grocery stores)
1 Heaping T. of Peanut Butter
1 14 oz. can of Lite Coconut Milk
1 T. Fish Sauce
1 T. Brown Sugar
Basil, nuts and lime juice, to garnish

Sprinkle your chicken with salt & pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until it glistens.  Add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes per side or until you get a nice, golden brown edge.  Make sure the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from the skillet and set aside.  When the chicken has had a chance to rest for 5 minutes, slice into pieces about 1" thick.

Add the onions to the skillet.  Cook until they are soft but not browned, about 6 minutes.  Add the carrots and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes.  Stir in the panang curry and peanut butter, allowing it to coat the veggies.  Pour in the coconut milk and stir to thoroughly combine.  Stir in the fish sauce and sugar.  Taste and add more sugar, peanut butter or fish sauce as needed.  Add the chicken back and stir gently to cover it in the sauce.

Serve over rice and garnish with fresh basil, nuts of your choice and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Empanadas

I've been on a huge latin food kick lately.  I just can't get enough tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, patacones, chimichurri, empanadas...and the list goes on.  Since I'm still searching for that perfect hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant here in Columbus that serves all of the above, I've been trying my hand at some of my favorite dishes in my own kitchen. Empanadas are definitely at the top of the list and what do you know, they're easy enough to make at home.  I first tried empanadas in Barcelona, near La Segrada Familia and I fell in love with their buttery, flaky crust and the powerhouse flavor packed inside.  My empanadas are dynamic, smoky and indulgent and repackaged a croissant-like crust.  They are best served hot, right out of the oven, but taste great at room temperature as well.  They can even be made in advance, frozen and cooked later on.  You gotta try these!

This recipe has many steps, but don't be intimidated.  They're all easy and the result is worth it.   

Empanadas Perfecto 
This recipe makes 8 empanadas.

For the marinade:

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1 lime

2 garlic cloves

1 t. Cumin

1 t. Smoked Paprika

1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo sauce (more if you like it spicy)

1 T. Cilantro

1/4 C. Oil

Salt & Pepper 

For the filling:

Flank Steak, cut into small cubes
1 Onion, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced

For the crust:
Puff Pastry (2 sheets)
1 Egg, beaten
Avocado, tomato & cilantro, for garnish

In a blender, pulse the citrus juice, garlic, spices, chipotle, cilantro, oil and salt & pepper.  Your mixture should be thin and a bright orange color.

Carefully pour this marinade into a big resealable bag.  Add the cubed steak and allow it to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, or at least for 30 minutes.

Heat a couple Tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet.  When it's hot, add the onions and peppers.  Cook over medium until they have caramelized.  When they are dark and golden, remove them from the skillet and set aside to cool.  Don't skimp on their cooking time - they're going to add great flavor to the empanadas.

Remove your puff pastry from the freezer and allow it to thaw.  Preheat the oven to 400.

Reheat that same skillet over medium heat.  Add your steak with the marinade and cook over medium heat until the steak is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.  When the meat is thoroughly cooked, but not overdone, remove the skillet from the heat.  Allow to cool slightly.

Open your puff pastry and lay it flat on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Working quickly, cut the puff pastry sheet into 4 equal squares.  To each square, add about 2 Tablespoons bit of the steak and onion mixture.  Brush the left side and bottom side of each square with a bit of beaten egg so the pastry seals when it's folded.  Take the top right corner of each square and fold it over to the bottom left corner.  Use a fork to crimp the edges, sealing in that great flavor.  Slice an X on the top so the steam can escape and brush the entire triangle with beaten egg.

Pop them in the oven for about 12 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Serve with fresh avocado, tomato and cilantro.

If you find that you have leftover filling, use it in some tortillas or simply with an egg on top.  

Mom's Meatloaf

I think every man has at least one dish that his mom makes that he can’t live without.  This one’s mine.  This was my favorite Sunday meal growing up.  I remember being a child, walking inside from a day of winter sledding, peeling off my layers of snow clothes, cheeks all rosy, and sitting down to a meal of my mom’s meatloaf and potatoes.  I don’t think there’s much left in this world as real, unpretentious and wonderfully abiding. 

It’s light and dense at the same time, filled with concentrated tomato and smothered in caramel ketchup, bacon and bruléed onions.  Serve this on a cold day with roasted vegetables and horseradish potatoes for some hands-down, hug me hard, wrapped in a blanket, delicious comfort food.

Mom's Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef

¾ Onion, finely diced

¼ Onion, in rings

1 Egg

½ C. bread crumbs

2 Cloves of garlic, minced

1 Can tomato soup

¼ C. Ketchup

2 T. Brown sugar

Bacon

Preheat the oven to 350.  Combine the beef, diced onions, egg, bread crumbs, garlic and tomato soup in a large bowl, mixing with your hands until it is thoroughly combined.   Form the mixture into a large loaf and place in a large baking dish. 

In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup and the brown sugar.  Smear this sauce on top of the meatloaf.  Add the onion rings and top with a single layer of uncooked bacon.  Bake until the meatloaf is cooked through, about 1 hour.  Serve with roasted veggies, your favorite potatoes and extra ketchup. 

*Thank you to Morgan Webb who suggested meatloaf sandwiches.  Each time I make mom’s meatloaf, I’m sure to reserve a few slices for the next day.  Come back to Natural Sugar tomorrow for a killer meatloaf sandwich.  

BONUS Recipe:  Oven Roasted Veggies

You can't go wrong with this side dish.  It's classic, rustic and it seriously couldn't be easier!  Use your favorite veggies or whatever you have in the fridge.

Your favorite veggies, roughly chopped (I use potatoes, onion, carrots & something green)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Your favorite dried herbs (I like thyme or herbs de provence)

Preheat the oven to 375.  

Add all of the chopped veggies to a big bowl.  Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs.  Toss them so they are all evenly covered in flavor.  Dump them onto a baking sheet and spread them into an even layer.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, turning once or twice, until they are beautifully roasted.  

Potato Bitterballen

I first tried Bitterballen in Holland, with my friend Larry.  We shared a couple appetizers over wine, bitterballen included, and watched as almost-frozen Dutch passersby hurried home along the streets of Breda.  I fell in love with these tasty morsels and vowed to recreate them back home on the other side of the world.

Bitterballen is a classic Dutch appetizer normally served with an aperitif like Jenever.  It's a finger food comprised of beef, flour, butter, nutmeg and broth formed into a ragout, chilled, then breaded and deep fried.  And it's always served with good mustard.  My version is slightly different:  turkey meatballs, consumed by leftover mashed potatoes, and 'crunched' up by panko.  Serve these hearty, comforting bites with whole grain mustard and a gin cocktail for a winning Dutch escape.

8 Precooked turkey or beef meatballs, halved

2 C. leftover mashed potatoes (make sure your potatoes are not soupy – they should be malleable, but firm)

½ t. Nutmeg
1/2 t. Thyme (optional)

Salt & Pepper

1 Egg

Panko

Oil, for frying. 

Whole grain mustard, for dunking

In a medium sized bowl, mix the leftover mashed potatoes with the nutmeg.  Season it with salt and pepper to taste.  If you would like to add other fresh herbs, this is the time to do it.  When the mixture is thoroughly combined, take 1 halved meatball and cover it with a large spoonful of the mashed potatoes.  Roll it into a tight ball, making sure that none of the meatball is showing.  Form the rest of the balls using the same process and set them in the refrigerator to chill.  Chill about 30 minutes or more. 

In a medium saucepan, add about 2” of oil.  You want the oil to cover the top of the bitterballen so they fry evenly.  Heat the oil to about 360 degrees. 

In a small bowl, wisk the egg.  Set aside.  Put about 1-1½ C. of panko in another small bowl.    Set aside. 

Retrieve the bitterballen from the fridge and forming an assembly.  Dunk each ball into the egg mixture and then the panko, making sure that each ball is coated evenly.  *I recommend doing all of the balls before you start frying or you’ll be running back and forth from the oil to the balls to the sink to wash your hands. 

Carefully drop about 4 or 5 balls into the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, turning them once.  ATTN:  they will cook quickly!  Remove from the oil and let drain on a paper towel.  Repeat the process until all bitterballen are cooked.  Serve with good, whole grain mustard and an aperitif, if your audience allows. 

*If you are not going to eat the bitterballen immediately, put them on a sheet pan and place in an oven set to 350 to keep them warm. 

**Next time, I’ll add a bouquet of herbs to the potatoes for extra flavor