Stir-Fry with Chicken, Peppers and Broccoli

We enjoy eating stir-fry and we make it relatively frequently. This is one of the better and quicker stir-fry recipes.

Ingredients:
two skinless chicken breasts, cut up into bite size pieces

2 red or orange bell peppers
3 cups of broccoli florets

1-2 cloves of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of minced ginger
2 teaspoons of minced green onion bottoms
stir-fry mix of frozen veggies
peanut oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
3/4 cup of chicken stock
4 teaspoons of cornstarch slurry

Directions:

Prepare all ingredients ahead of time and put them into separate bowls: cut up the chicken, julienne peppers, mince garlic, ginger, and green onions. Also measure soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken stock, and cornstarch slurry.

Turn on the stove to high and let it heat up. In the meantime pour some peanut oil into the wok and ensure it is entirely coated with oil. Set the wok on the stove and once the oil starts to smoke, quickly add the garlic, ginger, green onions and chicken.

Stir continuously until the chicken in lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the peppers and stir for another minute. Add the broccoli and stir for another minute. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, and slurry. Cook at a boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve over steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Marinated Steelhead Trout with Baked Potatoes

Here is another recipe with the fresh steelhead trouts that my dad caught in Michigan.  This time, I marinated the fillets in olive oil, garlic and herbs, and baked it.  I served it with baked potatoes.  This is one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon and steelhead trout.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of salt (I used about 1/2 teaspoon this time)
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of parsley, chopped
• 2 (6 oz) fillets of steelhead trout (or salmon)
• your favorite baking potatoes (I used potato medley from Trader Joe's), sliced into wedges

Direction:

• In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley

• Place fish fillets in the bowl to marinate, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for about 1 hour, turning occasionally 
• In the meantime, prepare potatoes by adding olive oil and herbs and mixing well

• Preheat oven to 375 F 
• You can start baking potatoes in the meantime, or at the same time the fillets are baking
• After marinating the fillets, place them in aluminum foil, cover with marinade and seal well

• Place in a glass baking dish and bake 35-40 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork

• Bake potatoes until browned

• After everything is done, let cool and serve with your favorite wine

Prijatno!  Enjoy!

Fish "Brodet" (Croatian Fish Stew) with Polenta

Brodet reminds me of the time when I lived in Zadar, Croatia.  Zadar is a beautiful historical city on the Adriatic coast and the climate there is Mediterranean.  The cuisine uses fresh seafood and is very similar to Italian food.  Brodet is a fish stew that is very often made in Dalmatia (Croatian Adriatic coast) and it is often served with polenta.  Since I had some fresh Steelhead Trout fillets that my dad caught in Michigan, I decided to use it for this recipe and I was very happy with the results.


Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds of fish fillets (in this case Steelhead Trout)
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil or to taste
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 fresh tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups), chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup of dry wine
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
• celery leaf, chopped (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• rosemary (to taste)
• 1 squeezed lemon
• 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste
• polenta

Directions:

• Cook polenta according to instructions on the box and let cool when done

• Clean and wash fish fillets and slice into smaller pieces

Place fish pieces in a bowl, add salt, pepper, and lemon juice (or vinegar), mix and leave to marinate for a few minutes while preparing the rest

• Saute garlic in olive oil for about a minute 
• Add chopped onions and saute until fragrant

• Add chopped tomatoes and seasonings, chopped parsley, celery and bay leaf

• Add the marinated fish and saute for a few minutes

• Add wine, a little bit of water, wine vinegar, salt and pepper and keep cooking 
• The liquid should barely cover the fish slices 
• Cook for about 20 minutes covered on low/medium heat
• Do not mix, just shake the pot from time to time so that fish pieces do not stick

• The polenta should now be cool and hardened and can be sliced into pieces and served with Brodet

Prijatno!  Enjoy!

Tofu and Mushroom Pasta Sauce

This is a healthy, vegetarian recipe. It can be prepared quickly and it invites experimentation - you can try it with slightly different ingredients and way of preparing. This version is fairly spicy, so feel free to adjust the amount of hot pepper flakes.

Ingredients:

• One package of firm tofu, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 ounces assorted mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flake
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons chopped green olives

Directions:

• Drain tofu and cut up into small cubes.
• Fry tofu in olive oil until it starts turning brown.

• Take out tofu with a slotted spoon.

• Add a bit more oil if necessary and fry sliced mushrooms.

• After a few minutes add cut up onions, green pepper, and garlic. Fry until onion starts to brown and get translucent.

• Add tomato sauce and hot pepper flakes.
• Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

• Near the end throw in cut up olives. Here I've pitted green olives and cut them up. You can also use already pitted black olives.
• Separately boil water and add farfalle pasta to the pot. Boil for around 12 minutes so that the past is al dente.

• Serve with a green salad and a glass of wine. Enjoy :-).

Istrian Chicken "Žgvacet" (Stew)

Žgvacet comes from the northwest part of Croatia, a peninsula called Istria, that is next to the Adriatic coast. It is a type of stew similar to goulash, and can be served with pasta, gnocchi or homemade "fuzi" (type of homemade pasta).  It is very simple to make, and is very tasty.  I found this recipe in a recipe book when visiting my family in Croatia.  This is how the recipe goes:

Ingredients:

• 1 package of boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces (cubed)
• 3 tablespoons of oil (I prefer grapeseed oil)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1/2 cup of red wine
• chopped fresh basil (or dry basil) to taste
• Vegeta to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat up oil and saute onion until fragrant
• Add cubed chicken breast and garlic and saute for a few minutes
• Add flour and mix well

• Add wine, tomato sauce, basil, Vegeta, salt and pepper and mix well

• Cook until the meat is done (about 30-40 minutes)

• Serve with gnocchi, pasta or homemade "fuzi"

Prijatno!  Enjoy! :)

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

We both love stuffed peppers.  Usually our moms make them stuffed with ground beef and rice and cooked in sauce, or they can also be stuffed with potatoes and baked in the oven.  Since we have been making more vegetarian recipes, I decided to make peppers stuffed with mushrooms, tofu and potatoes and baked in the oven.  I was really happy with the result and will definitely make this recipe again.  This is how I made it:

Ingredients:

• 6 cubano peppers
• 5 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 package of tofu (I used firm tofu), cubed
• about 1 cup of cubed mushrooms
• 3 teaspoons of Ajvar (you can buy it in any international store - we buy it at City Fresh Market)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt, pepper and Vegeta (to taste)
• olive oil (to taste)

Directions:

• Heat the oven to about 400 F (200 C)
• Slice onion into very small cubes
• Slice potatoes (leave one potato for later) and mushrooms into small cubes
• Wash, clean and remove seeds from peppers and cut the top 'caps' off and save for later

• Heat up olive oil and saute onion until fragrant, about 5 minutes
• Add cubed potatoes, mushrooms and tofu and saute for a few more minutes

• Add Ajvar, salt, pepper, Vegeta and mix well
• Finally add garlic and parsley (optional) and mix well

• Fill the peppers with the potato/mushroom/tofu mix and cover with the mushroom 'caps'

• If there is any of the filling left, you can place it in a separate baking dish and bake and serve as a side to the peppers
• Place peppers in a baking pan 
• Cut the last potato into cubes, add a little bit of salt and place around the peppers in the baking pan
• Mix a little bit of olive oil, few teaspoons of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of water and pour into the baking pan around the peppers

• Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the peppers start to brown on top.
• Take out, let cool and serve with the left over potato/mushroom/tofu stuffing and sour cream on top.

Bon apetit!  Prijatno!  :-P