A Life, Lived

Panang Curry with Beef and Shiitakes

If Thai curry is your favourite curry, you’ll find yourself loving this creamy less spicy Panang curry. The creaminess of Panang curry and it’s distinct strong flavors is addictive. In fact, I've made three in the past few months. Mind you, some of that has to do with the fact that the only container of Panang curry paste I could find in the store was huge and I am trying to use it up.

This curry uses Chinese long beans. I imagine that the name is offensive to other Asian countries. These beans are also known as snake beans or long beans. They look like a super long green bean and have a similar taste. They add a delicious crunch to this beef and mushroom curry. If you can't find them you could always substitute in regular green beans.

The strange thing about this recipe was the lack of peanuts. Panang curry has peanuts in it, in either crushed form or peanut butter is added. Most recipes call for 1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts. Other recipes suggested adding a tablespoon of peanut butter. I added some peanut butter to this - in the step where you mix in the broth (another unusual ingredient but it worked and made the fat content less than if you were to use all coconut milk).

Another change I made was the add the Thai basil leaves to the actual curry and not leave them as a garnish. We LOVE the taste of Thai basil and most Thai curries have the leaves added in at the end just before serving so they wilt and another delicate layer of flavour to the dish. I added about 1/2 cup of leaves (NOTE: you can also use the flowers as well).

I think when I make this again I may use another more tender cut of beef. Flank steak tends to be a tougher cut of beef and it doesn't cook long in the sauce to tenderize it. It wasn't impossible to eat, just a bit more chewy than I would expect in a curry.

I served the curry with some coconut scented jasmine rice. It made for an amazing dinner.

Enjoy!

Panang Curry with Beef and Shiitakes

1 (13.5- to 14-oz.) can coconut milk
1/4 cup Panang curry paste
1 cup lower-salt chicken broth, or homemade chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbs. light brown sugar or light brown palm sugar; more as needed
1 tsp. fish sauce; more as needed
1-1/2 cups bite-size Chinese long bean pieces
3 stalks fresh lemongrass, trimmed, bruised, and cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces
1 lb. flank steak, cut into 1/4-inch-thick bite-size slices
1-1/2 cups stemmed, halved or quartered shiitake mushrooms
1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh or thawed frozen wild lime leaves
Thai basil leaves, for garnish

Shake the can of coconut milk or stir it well (this creates a consistent thickness, since the fat often solidifies at the top of the can).In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan or wok over medium heat, simmer 1/2 cup of the coconut milk, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, 3 to 5 minutes. It will get very thick and shiny and may or may not separate; either is fine.Add the curry paste, whisk well, and cook, continuing to whisk, for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, sugar, fish sauce, and remaining coconut milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Add the Chinese long beans and lemongrass pieces and continue to simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary. After 2 minutes, add the beef and shiitakes and continue to simmer until everything is tender and cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Remove the curry from the heat. Season to taste with more sugar and fish sauce, and stir in the lime leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl (or serve right out of the pot). Remove the lemongrass pieces or tell your guests to eat around them. Garnish with the basil.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Travel Tuesday - London

Some more shots from our last vacation pre-COVID to London.

The Day After . . .

Oh yes, I feel this today!

The Time Change

Here is a helpful Infographic to assist you with the time change.

The Windsor Knot; SJ Bennett

I haven't done a book review in ages. It isn't that I haven't been reading, I have . . . it is just I haven't had a lot of time to slow down and think. Today, with the attic being re-insulated, I have plenty of time to ponder.

A few months ago we were in St Mary's and I discovered a new book store had opened up. I make it a personal mission to support small, independent books stores. Paul reminds me that I do not need more books and I remind him of my mission. One of the books Betty (of Betty's Books) suggested was this mystery.

I finished it this morning after an enjoyable weekend spent lost in the pages.

The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett is one of the most original mysteries you will find on the market today. Imagine if Dame Agatha Christie had written a mystery novel with the Queen of England acting as the primary sleuth instead of Miss Marple, and you will have some idea of the fun and games that are about to ensue.

It is April 2016. The Queen's 90th birthday is approaching. She is at Windsor for a series of events tied to her birthday. Soon the Obama's will be visiting the castle on their last visit to the UK in an official capacity.

The life of a monarch is heavily regimented, and murders are, shall we say, inconvenient. The case of the Russian pianist found strangled at the castle proves vexing.

Unfortunately, the so-called professionals handling the case bungle it pretty badly and initially place suspicion in the wrong direction. Now that the Queen has lost faith in them, she must see that justice is served and is willing to do so at the expense of her own investigatory experts, especially if they are trying to cover up something or potentially create an international incident as an impetus for justifying political war games.

Even though she is the Queen and head of the Royal Family, she is still a 90-year-old woman who easily can be underestimated in these matters. She relies heavily on her private secretary, Rozie Oshodi, to dig for clues or plant information at just the right time allowing the officials to 'solve' the case themselves without knowing that the Queen was there long before they were.

SJ Bennett gives Queen Elizabeth a voice that may not be recognizable at first. The story has enough twists, turns and red herrings to please any mystery buff and a list of potential suspects that rivals anything in the mystery or “cozy” genre. I cannot wait to see what our dear Queen will get involved with next!

 

Potato Leek Soup

This soup, cooked in the Instant Pot is a classic, elegant, yet simple soup. It has the delicate flavour of potatoes and leeks with nothing overwhelming the senses.

I'd been getting leeks in the CSA and was searching for a way to use them up and this recipe popped up.

You can use either Yukon gold or Russet potatoes for this soup. Yukon golds will result in a creamier texture, and for this reason I recommend them over Russets, but both will work. Red-skinned waxy potatoes aren't the best for a soup like this, because they tend to hold their shape, when in this soup you want a potato that will purée well.

Classic potato leek soup is often made with heavy cream and butter, but you don’t necessarily need to use them in this potato leek soup recipe.This recipes uses a small amount of butter, you could use all olive oil instead. It also calls for 3/4 cup of cream. I tasted the soup before adding the cream and thought it tasted pretty amazing as it was, then I added the cream and I have to say, I liked it better before. I'd suggest leaving it out.

Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Butter
4-5 large Leeks, about 5-6 cups chopped (cleaned and sliced into half-moon shapes. Cut off the dark green part, trimming to the part where the color is a pale green)
2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
2 Tbsp Flour
5 cups Chicken Broth
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper (or black)
1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, cubed
1/8 Nutmeg (optional)
3/4 cup Half and Half (or heavy cream, or for lower fat use milk)

Garnish
Chopped Chives (or parsley)
Sour Cream

Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot. When the display reads 'Hot', add the oil and butter.

Add the leeks and stir. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. It's fine if they brown a little.

Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, stirring frequently.

Sprinkle the flour over the leeks and stir. Cook for a minute to get the raw taste out of the flour.

Stir in the broth. Be sure to dissolve the flour and scrape the bottom of the pot so you don't get a "burn" issue.

Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, and the potatoes, nutmeg. Stir.

Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.

Press the Manual (or Pressure Cook) button, and the + or - button to choose 7 minutes.

When the cooking cycle has ended, let the pot naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes. Then manually release the remaining steam.

When the pin in the lid drops, open it and stir the soup. Remove the bay leaf. Then use an immersion blender to puree it. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a blender, pureeing the soup in small batches very carefully.

Stir in the half and half.

Taste and adjust salt, if needed.

Garnish with chopped chives and sour cream.

Serve hot or chilled. 

Travel Tuesday - London

Our last real trip was in March of 2019. We spent a week in London. Somehow that trip popped into out minds this weekend and we spent some time reliving the memories.

I'm doing the same for Travel Tuesday!

Peace for Ukraine

Chicken Manicotti

Manicotti isn't an Italian pasta shape - it is one of those American Italian inventions. The closest you'd find in Italy would be cannelloni. I like the way the frills of manicotti collect sauce so I prefer it to the simple pasta tubes of cannelloni. In a pinch you could just as easily make this recipe with cannelloni noodles.

Oddly, manicotti became impossible to buy in grocery stores during the pandemic. presumably an issue of limiting what can come across the border. I bought two boxes of manicotti noodles on my one trip across the border when the border was open and no testing was required for day trips. Last week I decided to cook them up.

Normally manicotti noodles are stuffed with a ricotta/spinach/cheeses or a beef/tomato sauce filling. I wanted to shake things up a bit so I searched for a chicken manicotti recipe. This was one of the ones that came up.

I followed the recipe as written. One extra hint - dump the filling in a ZipLoc bag and cut off one of the corners. Use this as a pastry bag to fill your manicotti. You'll save a lot of time and mess.

Enjoy!

Chicken Manicotti

14 pieces Manicotti, cooked according to package
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup shredded chicken
2 eggs
2 tsp oregano
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp italian seasoning
4-5 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl combined shredded chicken, Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined.

Stuff each Manicotti with ¼ cup chicken mixture and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Continue rolling manicotti until all filled and in the pan.

Add crushed tomatoes to a saucepan over low heat. Add Italian seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese and stir until heated and simmering.

Pour crushed tomato sauce over Manicotti and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.