Asian short ribs/ papaya salad

Southeast Asian inspired: beef short ribs, papaya salad, and vermicelli

Marinate short ribs in Mamacita brand bbq, oyster sauce, cilantro, sugar, salt, pepper. Cook over medium charcoal.

Papaya salad making station

Vermicelli, boil, drain and cool. 

Papaya salad: roughly julienne the green papaya. Mash/beat with garlic, fish sauce, crab paste, shrimp paste, sugar, lime juice, chili pepper, tomato. Garnish with cilantro.

 

Serve with toasted unsalted peanuts.

High Roast Chicken

What makes this recipe awesome and unique:

insanely hot oven: you won't find many recipes at this heat.

heat = speed; chicken roasted in 40 minutes

brined chicken = a chicken breast that isn't tough and stringy and dry

potatoes that soak up the flavor of the chicken while getting an amazing crust

unique chicken not found at any restaurant or store

broiling pan, chop russet potatoes, toss in olive oil and seasoning.

cover in broiling pan

 lay your butterflied, brined chicken flat

tuck in its legs so that they are between the thighs and the breasts. A trick I learned from Gordon Ramsay: slice the skin in a ring at the very end of the drumstick so that the skin can move as it crisps.

another view

bake at 500F for 20 min. rotate and continue for 20 min.

breast should be 160F

 

will be super juicy make sure your cutting board is on the meat side, have towels ready

first cut straight down the middle between two breasts. Then pull off the thigh by holding the drumstick and passing your knife down the path of least resistance.

Eat immediately for best results.

Roasted potatoes

Cut potatoes. Oil and season. Place flesh down and bake covered in foil @425F x 20min. Remove foil and bake 15 min. Flip and bake 10 min. Remove and toss in garlic puree and rosemary.

I used russet potatoes (pictured here) and red potatoes. With these timings, red was superior. The potato texture was creamy and dense. The russets were fluffy and the crust was slightly leathery, disconnected from the flesh of the potato.

But both tasted amazing and the russets were crispier and less expensive.

Naan sandwiches

Buy naan to go for 75c a piece. Fill it with cold cuts, cilantro, and their yogurt cilantro dipping sauce. Wrap in foil to go.

Monte Cristo

Monte Cristo

This was the special today in the cafeteria. I couldn't resist so I got it for dessert (this is a red herring).

Guess what it is! Powdered sugar and jam toppings, I thought it was a doughnut. Then I thought it was fried chicken.

The Monte Cristo, as ARMC serves it, is a deep fried ham and swiss sandwich. Amazing.

Disclaimer: ARMC is a health promoting organization.

Kale, Carrot, Onion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbO2Q-4Ql5w

Among a cafeteria of easily available deli meats and white bread, serving a patient population that demonstrates the consequences of poor eating, I am craving vegetables these days. 

I followed the above recipe with a few modifications:

1) I used a knife to julienne carrots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYtlIH-YZL4

2) No tahini sauce. Just salt.

3) Added a garlic clove.

So in order, add to a frying pan: onion, garlic, kale, carrots.

Omelet upgraded

Soy sauce on tomatoes makes a great side dish. The best omelette I've tasted in years. Look at how it glistens. The hint of cheese, the kick of cilantro and onion, starts the day with a bang.