CHEF RON'S PAELLA VALENCIANA

SEAFOOD PAELLA VALENCIANA

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Yields: 12 as main course

¼ cup olive oil
1 ¼ pound boneless skinless chicken breast diced large
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
3 large Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons saffron
2 teaspoons Spanish Paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ quarts to 2 quarts chicken stock
3 cups of medium grain rice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound squid or calamari, cleaned, bodies cut into rings
1 pound medium size raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
25 pieces mussels, beard removed and washed off sand and dirt with cold water
½ pound bay scallops
¼ cup dry white wine like vermouth
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

In a large sauté pan, heat oil for about 1 minute over medium to high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for another minute. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside. This mixture will give you a lot of liquid when it is cooled. Separate the liquid and set aside. You will need this later.

Meanwhile, dissolve saffron and paprika in a small bowl with about ¼ cup water. Set aside. Combine stock and the liquid residual produced from cooking the tomatoes and bell pepper. This is about 2 cups. Pour about 1 quart of stock into a large stock pot. Bring to boil @ 3 minutes. Add dissolved saffron and paprika and stir. Add rice and keep stirring for 30 minutes using a wooden spatula. If rice dries out before it’s cooked, add more stock. Adding liquid gradually to the rice while cooking will prevent the rice from being too runny or mushy when it’s cooked. You may require to cook the rice longer than 30 minutes before it’s cooked. Taste and check if it’s soft. Season with salt and pepper and set aside for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large non stick skillet using medium to high heat @ 1 minute. Add calamari and shrimp. Stir and cook for about 1 ½ minutes until squid is cooked and shrimp turned opaque. Add scallops and mussels. Keep stirring and cook for another minute. Discard unopened mussels. Add white wine and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in chopped parsley and red bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper.

In a VERY LARGE mixing bowl, place seafood with tomatoes and bell pepper. Gradually add rice until well combined. Transfer into a large platter. Serve with lemon wedges on the side. Serve hot.

CHEF RON BILARO'S RECIPE 1

MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOM

by: Chef RON BILARO
Prep time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 1 hour
Yields: 12 servings
 

6 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/3 cup honey
½ cup butter, melted
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 packages of chicken sausages (8 pieces), diced
2 packages shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
 
Pre heat oven to 375 F.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray and bake for an hour until tender stirring once in a while. Remove from the oven and set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium pan for about a minute. Add sausage and cook for about 8 minutes until brown stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add mushrooms to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until brown and liquid evaporates. Combine sweet potatoes, honey and butter and mash. Stir in sausage and mushrooms. Serve right away.

LECHON CHICKEN PECHO IN SOUR CREAM PICATTA SAUCE

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 4 servings

2 tablespoons thyme leaves
3 cloves garlic
½ cup lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken breasts, bone in and skin intact (these are large pieces I bought from Whole Foods)

Pre set the oven to roast at 400 F.

Using a food processor, puree 2 tablespoons thyme leaves, 3 cloves garlic, juice of 1 lemon or (1/2 cup lemon juice), 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper with 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Rub the chicken breasts with the mixture, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or longer.

Place in half a sheet baking pan and roast for 30 minutes until the skin is browned and chicken are completely cooked through.

Remove from the oven and cool chicken down before serving with the sauce.

SOUR CREAM PICATTA SAUCE

Note: if you want the sauce to be thicker, you can temper 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with half cup of the sauce and then whisk it in the remaining sauce as you continue to cook it until desired texture is reached (usually takes 30 seconds to 1 minute)

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 7 minutes
Yields: 2 cups sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons light butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons capers, mashed
½ cup white wine
¼ cup lemon juice or juice of ½ lemon
1 cup fat free sour cream
½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped (optional)
½ teaspoon salt and pepper

Heat a medium non stick pan in medium to high heat; 1 minute.
Add oil and butter and allow it to cook and melt the butter, 30 seconds.
Add garlic and capers and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute.
Add wine and cook for another minute to boil off the alcohol.
Add lemon juice, and whisk in the sour cream. Continue to whisk until the cream combines with the rest of the liquid completely.
Add sundried tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Turn off the stove. Transfer sauce into a small gravy boat.
Serve on the side with the lechon manok. 

BEEF COOKING TIPS

Grades of Beef

Although there are many grades of beef,  only 3 are generally used by grocery stores and restaurants: Prime, Choice and Select. These grades differ in texture, age and marbling, among other factors. Marbling is what gives the meat its flavor and tenderness. In order of tenderness and flavor (and price) Prime grade is the top grade, then Choice, then Select.

The label "lean" is used very loosely on beef and can apply to very different quality meat. It is probably better to ignore "lean" and look for "round" or "loin" on labels if you want what most people consider "lean".

Storage and Safety of Beef

Beef may be stored in the refrigerator set at 35 to 40 degreed F. or in the freezer at 0 degrees or colder. Steaks may be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days and in the freezer 6 to 12 months.

Ground beef may be kept in the refrigerator 1 to 2 days and in the freezer 3 to 4 months.

Cooked beef may be kept in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days and in the freezer 2 to 3 months.

If all the meat in a purchased package has turned gray or brown, it may be beginning to spoil. It is probably best to discard it.

Never leave ground beef or any perishable food out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

You should fully defrost beef before cooking to prevent the exterior becoming overdone before the interior is cooked. It is best to thaw frozen beef in the refrigerator. You can also defrost in the microwave oven or in cold water. If using the microwave, cook the ground beef immediately because some areas may begin to cook during the defrosting. To defrost in cold water, put the meat in a watertight plastic bag and submerge. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately. Do not refreeze ground meat thawed in cold water or in the microwave oven.

Bacteria on food will rapidly multiply when left at a temperature between 45 and 140 degrees F. Beef should be cooked as soon as possible after it is defrosted.

It is advised to use a meat thermometer when cooking ground beef and cook to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F.

Tips on Cooking Beef

To slice meat thin, as in many Chinese dishes, place in the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes first and it will be much easier to slice.

When cooking over an open flame, as in barbecuing, do not place the meat directly over the flame. Place to one side, over glowing coals. An open flame will discolor the meat and impart undesirable flavors.

Be aware that meat with a bone in it will take longer to cook than without a bone.

When cooking hamburgers, handle the beef gently. Do not press down on the meat with a spatula while cooking. This makes tough hamburgers.

Cheaper cuts of meat can be very tough. However, meat may be tenderized by beating it thin with a mallet, marinading or cooking in liquid for extended times. One of the best ways to cook a tough cut of meat is to cook it in a crock pot (slow cooker). Five or six hours in a crock pot will make practically any meat tender.

TERMS I CAME ACROSS

Simmer:

Simmering means that you are heating a liquid to a temperature that is close to a boil, but not hot enough to create bubbles. I simmer foods on a 3 or 4 temperature setting on an electric stove. You still need to stir occassionally when simmering as food may still stick to the bottom.

Saute:

To saute is to cook in oil over heat. An example of sauteing would be to saute an onion in olive oil.

Marinate:

To marinate is to take food and soak it in a mixture of spices, oil, and possibly vinegar to make it more tender and flavorful. You can generally marinate food for a half hour to days depending on the dish.

Mince:

You may hear the word mince a lot with garlic. Mincing is chopping something into very tiny pieces. Think onions on McDonals's hamburgers.

Julienne:

Julienne is such a fancy word for a simple cut. Julienne means to cut something into long strips. This can be done with many vegetables like carrots. Make it easy on yourself and buy a julienne peeler, a little gadget that makes perfect julienne strips.

Chop:

This is a very basic cooking technique. To chop is to cut into small pieces. The pieces don't have to be uniform or exactly the same.

Dice:

To dice is like to chop, but the pieces are smaller.

Slice:

Slicing is when you cut completely through an object. Think of slicing cheese, or bread. Same principle goes for veggies, meat and fruit.

Brown:

To brown a meat means to cook until brown. You may brown the sides of a roast on the stovetop before cooking in a crockpot or oven.

So, you have learned how to boil water and make rice...:

These very basic cooking terms will take you to the next level of cooking. Knowing the basics can really make a difference in your kitchen creations.

TIPS FOR BEGINNERS, LIKE ME

Measurements

Many experienced home cooks seldom measure their ingredients. They use a pinch of this and a pinch of that, relying on look and feel to know what's right. The key word here is "experienced". For the beginner, it is best to always measure your ingredients. A vital part of your kitchen should be a set of measuring cups and measuring spoons.

When measuring you should comply with the recipe in using "heaping" or "level" measurements. A "heaping" spoonful is just what it says; you heap the ingredient on the spoon. However, a "level" spoonful should be leveled by raking a knife or your finger across the top edge of the spoon.

Seasoning
Proper use of seasoning is one of the secrets to cooking. Good cooks season "to taste". In other words, when possible use a little less seasoning than the recipe calls for and taste the dish when nearly finished cooking. Then add more seasoning to achieve the flavor you prefer.

Baking
Oven temperatures vary. Because the dial says 400 degrees does not necessarily mean your individual oven will be 400 degrees. The trick is to always use a timer when baking and check the dish a few minutes before the prescribed baking time expires. Then adjust the baking time as needed for your oven

Always pre-heat your oven to the required baking temperature. Never start your baking in a cold oven.

Tools of the Trade
A good set of pots and pans, while not essential, will certainly make the job easier and more pleasant. With some dishes the wrong cooking utensil may even ruin your dish. You should not use reactive pots and pans when cooking acidic foods. Reactive materials impart a metallic taste and can discolor your food. Two common acidic foods are tomato or vinegar based dishes. Reactive metals include aluminum, copper and cast iron. Non-reactive materials are enamel, glass and stainless steel.

Timing
A common problem beginners have is in timing their cooking so that everything gets to the table hot. This is not rocket science, just a matter of planning ahead. Here's how. Before putting anything on the stove, take a minute to think about the cooking time required for each food item. For example, you are preparing hamburgers and french fries. The french fries will take considerable longer to cook that the hamburgers, therefore, you want to start the fries first. Simple, huh?

You should also be aware of certain foods that are difficult to keep hot or do not lend themselves to re-heating, such as mashed potatoes. They should always be the last dish cooked since they do not stay hot long and are really not very good cold.

General Tips
* Lay out all your ingredients before you begin to cook. Measure out ingredients and complete all chopping and sizing. If baking, preheat oven.
* Buy a good timer and use it. They are fairly inexpensive. Also, invest in a meat thermometer.
* Place a damp paper towel under mixing bowls to prevent from sliding around while mixing.
* The secret to boiled corn on the cob that explodes in your mouth is to bring a pot of water to a boil first. Then put the corn in and wait to come back to a boil. Then cook for 3 minutes. No more!
* To make lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes, add a pinch or two of baking powder to the potatoes before whipping.