Ingredients
1 lb of chicken breasts (or chicken on the bone)
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 whole onion, diced
1/2 cup of green olives
1/4 c olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp ras el hanout
the juice and peel of one lemon
12 oz of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil, adding a tbsp of ras el hanout for about 4 minutes until browned.

Peel the lemons, slice the peels into thin strips. Throw in pot with chickpeas, stir.

Add the tomato sauce and half a cup of green olives, sliced.

Let the chickpea stew cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes before adding the chicken breasts. Season the chicken breasts in 1 tbsp of ras el hanout, salt and pepper.

After about 30 more minutes on the stove (low heat), dinner is served!

Ingredients:
2 cup chicken stock
2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1/2 breadcrumbs
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
6 oz can tomato paste
oil for sauteing
salt
pepper
cumin
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
instant chicken soup powder (secret ingredient)

In a pan, saute onion and garlic until caramelized.

In a bowl, mix beef, spices, egg, 1/2 the can of tomato paste, and breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands.

Add half of the sauteed onions and garlic into the meat mixture. Set aside the rest of them.

Mixing the onions into the mixture, shape the meat into a loaf shape. Place in a baking dish.

Pour chicken stock over the loaf and on the sides of the pan. Add the remainder of the onions and tomato paste to the stock, and on top of the loaf. This will become an awesome jus. Bake, covered with tin foil on 375 F for an hour in a half. This is how it should look when ready!

YUMAZING.

First I put the potatoes on to boil, since they take at least 20 minutes to soften. I kept the peel on, because once cooked, the peels just slide right off. Side note, never put cold potatoes in already boiled water because the skin will crack; cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil together.

Once the potatoes were in, I started on my sauce. I sliced up a package of button mushrooms and sauteed them in about 3 tablespoons or so of butter. Let them get nice and brown, about 5-7 minutes.

Next comes the white wine (I had Pinot Grigio). One cup for the pan, one cup for me. Make that two cups for me. (Yes, I measured it out in my lovely new Sur La Tabla red measuring cup).

The one needs to reduce down to about half the amount, give or take another five minutes. After that, I added half and half (whole cream probably works better but I didn’t have).

While the shroom sauce was cooking down, the potatoes got soft enough, so I drained, peeled, and started mashing them up for the gnocchi.

Make sure you mash up the potatoes really well so there are no lumps – remember, this will be a dough. I added to the potatoes about a cup of flour (which I realized later was not nearly enough), an egg, a bunch of grated Parmesan, salt & pepper, some thyme (had it) and about half a tsp of nutmeg. It was lots of fun grating the whole nutmeg; I love the smell of fresh nutmeg (I keep my nutmeg in the freezer and they keep for a loooooong time).

The next step – and here’s the huge pain in my arse, which took a lot of time, used a lot of flour, and made a huge mess: knead the potato “dough”, roll them between your hands, and cut them up into bite size pieces.

Next, you gotta cook those little suckers in boiling water for a couple minutes – you will know they are done because they will float. And I promise you they WILL float (I was nervous that they would all stick together to the bottom of the pot, but alas).

And last but not least, I removed them from the water and added them to my mushroom sauce.

And an hour and half later….

They were very delicious, I have to say. Don’t let my sloppy gloopy presentation fool you; these came out very tasty and the gnocchi were surprisingly light.  However, the moral of the story kids: next time Chef Monsta tells you that cooking something is not worth the time, and to buy it pre-made, you LISTEN. Do not be stubborn like me. 1.5 hours cooking + .5 hours cleaning + 10 minutes eating = NOT WORTH IT.

Hence, my blog post, dear sister, so I don’t feel like I completely wasted my time tonight. Love you. All hail the great Chef Monsta.

]]> http://www.chefmonsta.com/2010/02/home-made-gnocchi-with-mushroom-cream-sauce/feed/ 3 http://www.chefmonsta.com/2010/02/steak-and-arugula-salad/ http://www.chefmonsta.com/2010/02/steak-and-arugula-salad/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:32:06 +0000 admin http://www.chefmonsta.com/?p=1591 This steak salad is so easy to prepare and is a great for any meal and any season.

Steak Marinade:
1/2 c soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
fresh black pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Salad:
1/2 lb mushrooms
2 scallions, chopped
2 c arugula
1 Israeli cucumber, chopped
1 Roma tomato, chopped
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

In a bowl, marinade the steak in the soy sauce, oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Set aside for half hour to absorb flavors.

Chop the tomato, cuke, and toss into bowl of arugula.

In a pan, saute scallion and mushrooms for about 4 minutes (until mushrooms become golden). Add minute steak and sautee about 3 minutes each side. Set aside.

While the steak sits, add the sauteed mushrooms, scallions, and toasted pine nuts.

Chop the steak into thin slices.

Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (Yields 2)
1/2 lb salmon
salt and pepper
1/2 c raw spinach
handful of dill
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c pine nuts
phyllo dough
1 egg (for eggwash)
Sesame seeds (optional)

Firstly, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. When you buy phyllo dough, make sure to defrost it so that it doesn't rip. Slice your portion of salmon in half, and place in the lower left corner of your phyllo. I use about 4 sheets for each triangle.

src="http://www.chefmonsta.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_2089.JPG" alt="salmon phyllo dough" width="400" height="300" />

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Top with herbs, spinach, pine nuts, and 1 tbsp of butter for each triangle.

Fold dough in triangles, covering your salmon portion. Keep folding until all corners of the surface are closed.

Place triangles in baking sheets. Whisk one egg and with a brush, coat the triangles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for added crunch and texture.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until triangles are golden brown. They will puff up!

I made a quick salad of arugula, lemon juice, parmesan and salt and pepper as a side dish.

YUMMMM. The inside is flaky and tender! Enjoy.