Category: Chile

No. 638Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Spaghetti with Marinated Artichokes

SPAGHETTI WIITH MARINATED ARTICHOKES | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spring is finally here! Artichokes are popping up everywhere from famers markets to the supers. This recipe is an example of a fresh, simple recipe that can be used to create many other recipes, No. 638 Marinated Artichokes with White Wine from the Collection Membership.

MARINATED ARTICHOKES

I love making this classic recipe at home. The very best option is to find small fresh artichokes, or frozen, but in this case I used canned artichoke hearts and made to make them due. They are small, so that was a win for this recipe.

SPAGHETTI WIITH MARINATED ARTICHOKES | Bijouxs Little Jewels

MAKE IT FRESH ALONG THE COAST

Living along the Central Coast brings and with it miles of farm fields, and some of the best produce in the Golden State.  Artichokes are a big crop along the coast. We had an Artichoke Festival for years, but the tough times caused them to fold. This recipe is quite simple with only artichokes, garlic, fresh thyme, Chili de Arbol and bay leaves for the marinade. The olive oil, garlic, lemons and white wine create a delicious sauce. After the sauté on the stovetop, drain the artichokes but reserve the cooking liquid. It will keep the artichokes full of flavor and can be the base for other recipes. Serve them with hummus dip and pita for an appetizer.

SPAGHETTI WITH MARINATED ARTICHOKES

I reheated the marinated artichokes gently on the stovetop and added some extra olive oil. Then I added some al dente spaghetti to the pan and created the pasta dish shown. I removed the herbs and bay leaves but the left the lemon peel in, it adds a fresh bright bite to the pasta.

SPAGHETTI WIITH MARINATED ARTICHOKES | Bijouxs Little Jewels

SPAGHETTI WIITH MARINATED ARTICHOKES | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Savor the Spring season.

No. 637Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Chicken Salad with Indian Spices

Chicken Salad with Indian Spices | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Being an L.A. native, this cookbook was on my to-get list, a collection of some of L.A.’s recipes from top restaurants. This delightfully spiced salad from Nancy Silverton, is a new take on the chicken salad, No. 637 Chicken Salad with Indian Spices-new in the Collection Membership.

THE COLLECTION MEMBERSHIP

Now with over 637 recipes with full access, the Collection Membership is great value for the home cook. Less than $3 a month for a one year subscription. It’s like having a vast cookbook right on your phone or tablet. You can easily access recipes anytime, especially while shopping. I created this Collection as a useful tool for home cooks, like me.

Chicken Salad with Indian Spices | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CHICKEN SALAD

This salad was on the menu at Osteria Mozza a while back when the cookbook was published, 2019. Nancy Silverton is a favorite chef of mine, and dating my self, I even took at bread baking class with her when La Brea Bakery was hot. So glad I did it, as well as dining at Osteria Mozza. I love this salad and I think this salad was a popular salad, so give it a try.

No. 619Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

LA Hippie Nachos

LA Hippie Nachos| Bijouxs Little Jewels

These nachos are special, they are LA Hippie Nachos. Lots of little nudges make regular nachos special, Hippie Nachos No 619 from Bijouxs Little Jewels Collection.

HIPPIE NACHOS

So, what are Hippie Nachos you say? I came across this recipe online here, and had to make them. They really are such a step-up from standard nachos, yet remain true to the classic.

THE RECIPE

Who does not love nachos?? I have made them many ways over the years but discovered Hippie Nachos a recipe from artist Louesa Robuck. I met Louesa right after I moved to Ventura, a chance encounter and a friend and I went out to view her Monotype paintings in her studio. That was how the connection began. Her beautiful book Foraged Flora had just come out and she gifted me a copy! So, over the years I have attended her work shops Punk Ikebana, it was great. She truly is a talent.

ALL ABOUT THE BEANS

I think the key to this recipe is the amping-up of seasoning of the refried beans that make these nachos so special. Do not skip this step in the recipe. It’s an easy fix and really makes a difference. Once you prepare the beans you can assemble the nachos and broil to cheesy brown delights. The Have’a Corn Chips are also special, available in many markets.  

LA Hippie Nachos | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

Serve the nachos right out of the skillet while still warm.

No. 591Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Chicken Pho Soup

Chicken Pho Soup| Litle Jewels from the Kitchen

Soup is comfort. The newest Little Jewel in the Collection is this light and fresh Chicken Pho Soup. A lovely take on classic Pho Soup, and it is made easy in the Instant Pot.
Enjoy recipe #591 in the Collection.

CHICKEN SOUP

This classic bowl chicken soup of comfort is elevated with traditional Vietnamese ingredients you enjoy in Pho Soup, only this is a lighter and fresher version. The broth is clear, with pieces of white meat chicken and tender rice noodles all in a spiced broth. Fresh herbs of cilantro, mint and basil are helped along with slices of fresh jalapeño.

Chicken Pho Soup | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CLASSIC PHO

Classic Vietnamese Pho Soup is traditionally made with beef, yet making it with chicken is also a great option. I became acquainted with the soup via a wonderful family restaurant near my home. I was beginning my career as a Personal Chef and asked the chef if he could share a little about the recipe. I did learn that the key is the broth. This recipe is a simplified version perfect for the home cook, and even better the chicken and broth are cooked in the Instant Pot! As we all know the Instant Pot shaves cooking time off of many long cooking dishes. The chicken is placed in the pot whole for 15 minutes of cooking and emerges falling off the bone tender. The herbs and spices that were sautéed in the pot prior, now come to bloom in full flavor.

INSTANT POT PHO

After the chicken cooks allow the Instant Pot sealing to lower and natural pressure to release. Carefully lift the chicken out of the broth, using the rack helps to lift the chicken carefully to a shallow pan to cool, then the skin is removed and the chicken meat is shredded for the soup. Now it’s time strain the broth and return to a medium pot on the stove. The salt pepper and fish sauce are added, then the shredded chicken, about 3 cups of meat.

BOWLS OF PHO

Now the fun begins, building the bowls of soup. Prepare the noodles per the package instructions, drain and set aside. First I fill each bowl with the hot broth and shredded chicken. Next to each bowl I add tons of fresh herbs, jalapeño, and green onions. Crispy fresh beans sprouts top each bowl. Soup it up! Sign up for my recipe newsletter to never miss the newest Collection recipe.

 

 

No. 570Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Sri Lankan dishes are fresh, vibrant, distinct and a perfect recipe to sample this cuisine is Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry Recipe from Kolamba, Soho NYC. The newest Little Jewel recipe added to the Membership Collection.

LONDON CALLING

Sri Lankan dishes are starting to become known in their own right thanks to a group of restaurants in London. First was Hoppers, which introduced people to the Sri Lankan savory pancake of the same name. Kolamba, is a modern restaurant in the heart of Soho with a more focused approach to authenticity and the dishes cooked and eaten in homes across the island. But when it comes to the food of Sri Lanka, a beautiful island nation just 17 miles off the coast of southern India, a lot of us assume it’s no different to what’s found on the subcontinent. Nothing could be further from the truth. This recipe is adapted from Kolamba in Soho.

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry |Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

SRI LANKAN CUISINE

But what makes Sri Lankan flavors stand out against those found in India? A lot of it comes down to one ingredient: coconut. Despite being a small island it’s the world’s fourth-largest exporter of coconuts, and they are a part of almost every aspect of the national cuisine. ‘We’re always compared to India when it comes to our food, but there are real differences between what we cook and eat compared to the rest of the subcontinent,’ says Eroshan, Kolamba;’s owner, ‘We don’t use any animal fats in our cooking – no ghee, butter, cream or yoghurt – because coconut adds all the rich creaminess we need instead. We go through a couple of hundred coconuts a week here at the restaurant, so it’s the single most important ingredient.’

Sri Lankan food is NOT for the timid eater. Fiery curries, sweet caramelized onion as seen sambal (onion relish), and sour lime pickle are all dominant, powerful flavors that awake the senses dulled by the thick, hot island air. The building blocks of Sri Lankan cuisine are rice, coconut, and native tropical fruits and vegetables. The island grows some 15 varieties of rice (down from 280 just 50 years ago, and 400 in times before that), some of which are used for various types of rice flour pancakes (called hoppers) and rice noodles (called string hoppers).

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

GREEN BEAN CURRY

This simple but flavor forward curry demonstrates the cuisine of Sri Lanka. A simple curry with most ingredients easily found in the supermarket. Curry leaves are the one ingredient that is found in International markets. I am lucky to have a small Indian market by my home where I can get my cooking ingredients, including fresh curry leaves stored in the refrigerated section.  The leaves are used both in the curry and to create the curry oil for garnish. I also can’t leave the market without  Kesar Pista Kufi (Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream) heavenly.

Join Bijouxs and explore the foods of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

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