Author Archive
Homemade Pepperoni
Yep, I can already hear the Pepperoni Gods complaining about this recipe, but I have made this on 16 Jan 2017 and it is good. The end goal for this is to use on a pizza or three. This does not have the red color to it since no curing salt or nitrites were used, but the flavor is spot on. I will be making some pizzas later this week with this.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet with Rack
Ingredients
- 1 kilo ground beef, you want fatty beef, (2 lb)
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, or 2 teaspoons ground cumin if no liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika, or smoked paprika if you have it
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together with your hands. Divide the meat mixture into two portions and roll them into logs about 1½ inch diameter. Wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and refrigerate them overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 100° C (215° F). Place the rolls on a wire rack, without the foil and put the rack on a baking sheet. Bake the pepperoni rolls for 6 hours, turning them every hour. Remove the pepperoni from the oven and allow it to cool as the fat continues to drain. Store the pepperoni in the refrigerator and slice it as needed.
- Finished and cooling. There is no red color to this as there is no preservatives or curing salt used, bonus. Store in the fridge for about 3 days.
Notes
Ground beef, I am taking a good guess at 200 Baht/kilo. How much this makes for a pizza, I have no idea until I test this out.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Pizza Pasta Bake.
- Pizzadillas, made it.
- Thin Crust Pizza, made it, GO-TO recipe.
Scrapple
This is a an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe that in my opinion is very good, an acquired taste really. Recipe is based on making your pork sausage. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Loaf Pan (4x8 inch)
Ingredients
- 750 grams pork sausage, Shortcut
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and rinse in colander under cold water, breaking sausage into pea sized pieces. Return to skillet along with the condensed milk, and heat over medium until just bubbling. Immediately stir in the cornmeal and pepper and reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking, 5 minutes total; mush will be stiff.
- Remove from heat and pack into 8x4 loaf pan, cover and chill overnight, pack tightly. To serve, cut into ¼ to ½ inch slices and sauté until golden in nonstick skillet.
- Removed from the fridge the next morning, the end piece fell apart when I floured it, the other pieces, cut about ⅜ inch thick, held together well for the most part.
- I did the optional step and floured the slices and fried them in bacon fat.
- Browning in the pan.
- Served.
Notes
Minced pork is about 130 Baht/kilo, 750 grams would be about 98 Baht. For 8 servings minus sides (like eggs and hash browns), this is about 37 cents per serving.
Optional, slice about ¼ inch thick, roll in flour then fry, also, slice thin for crispy fried slices or slice a bit thicker for a softer less crispy variant.
Shortcut: Pork Sausage.
Canadian Oyster Soup
Not sure where the Canadian part comes from, but this is the second oyster recipe with carrot and celery. This sounds really good however, and easy!
Ingredients
- 4 cups small oysters, shucked and drained, non shell and drained weight
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 4 cups milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in saucepan and add the celery and carrot. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 20 minutes, without browning the vegetables. Add milk to the pan and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, heat the oysters in pan over medium heat with a splash of olive oil until cooked through, about 5 minutes; do not boil.
- Pour the cooked oysters into the soup and heat through, season to taste and serve.
Notes
I buy oysters, small, shucked, for about 50 Baht per 350 grams, probably 700 grams would be 4 cups, that is 100 Baht, everything else is minor cost. This is about 75 cents per serving for 4 servings, less for 6.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Easy Oven Fried Chicken
This is your basic oven friend chicken, without the oil soaked up by the chicken. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken, think legs and thighs
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix, OR make from a shortcut on this site
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2-3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 205 C. Wash and dry the chicken pieces, sprinkle the chicken with paprika.
- Combine the remaining spices in a small bowl, sprinkle half of the spices over the chicken, use your hands to coat the chicken.
- Add the flour to another bowl and add the other half of the spices and whisk to combine, set aside.
- In another bowl, add the egg and milk and whisk.
- First dip the chicken into the egg mixture let excess drip off. Then place the chicken in the flour and coat. Shake off the excess flour and place the chicken on a plate. Let chicken sit for 5 minutes. Recoat in flour if desired.
- Generously grease a grill pan rack with vegetable oil. Place the chicken on the grill rack. Mix butter and olive oil and drizzle over chicken. Bake for 40 minutes. Broil for the last 3-4 minutes to crisp up the skin more if desired. Let chicken rest before serving. Serve with a boiled potato and an ear of corn, complete meal.
Notes
1 kilo of chicken (think quarters) will cost about 62 Baht/kilo. This comes to 46 cents per meal for 4 servings, and 31 cents per meal for 6 servings. Add sides, you are still under $1 per meal.
Shortcut: Cajun Spice Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Oven Baked Fajitas
This is a straight forward recipe to bake the chicken with everything else, then serve over rice, pasta, stuff into a flour tortilla, etc. Real possibilities with this recipe.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (9x13 inch)
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into strips, (1 lb)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4-6 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
- ½ green bell pepper, cut into strips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (390° F). Place chicken strips in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
- In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt. Drizzle the mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
- Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
- Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve over rice, pasta, in flour tortillas, etc.
Notes
500 grams of chicken breast would set you back a whole 41 Baht. Everything else is minor in cost. Well under $1 per serving for 4 servings.
Swiss Cheese Meatloaf
Looking through my freezer and fridge, I had minced pork, Swiss cheese, bread, pickles, and eggs, so I decided to make a meatloaf. This is a twist on the Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf in that no bacon was used, Swiss instead of Cheddar was used, this turned out excellent. When using pork for a meatloaf, you will want to use a meat thermometer to ensure the correct internal temp is reached. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo minced pork, OR ground beef
- 125 grams Swiss cheese, this is 1/2 block of real cheese
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 eggs
- 2 dill pickles, small, sliced, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- 3 slices bread, torn apart
- prepared yellow mustard, couple of squirts
- BBQ sauce, about 1/3 of a bottle, OR make from a shortcut
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Get out a couple of loaf pans.
- In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. I just use a large spoon, no need for hand mixing. I have seen recipes that call for pickle juice or pickle relish, I decided to use sliced pickles.
- Mixed, takes just a few minutes.
- Next, slice your cheese, use real cheese. This is Mainland brand cheese from New Zealand.
- I use two loaf pans when making meatloaf. Take the meat mixture and pat down and using your spoon, mark it into 4 sections, use 1/4 of the mixture in each loaf pan, then top with the cheese slices.
- Use the remaining meat mixture to to cover each loaf pan. Top with more BBQ sauce. Bake for for 40 minutes, and use a meat thermometer to check internal temp then continue to bake about 10 minutes more to ensure the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or boiled, or pasta, add a vegetable and you have a complete meal.
Notes
Minced pork is about 135 Baht/kilo. The half block of cheese will cost about 90 Baht. For 8 servings this would be about 85 cents each, even less for 10 servings.
A variant would be to layer in some sliced mushrooms over the cheese before adding the remaining meat mixture.
Shortcut: BBQ Sauce, Dill Pickles.
My own recipe.
Ranch Chicken Thighs
Easy and foolproof recipe. Season chicken, marinate, and grill. I am looking forward to making this but I will use a shortcut for the Ranch Dressing. Servings are up to you and not specified, figure 1-2 thighs per person with a side such as potato salad and fresh corn on the cob for a complete meal. Photo courtesy of Ed Crean. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs, amount is up to you
- seasoning, up to you, chicken rub, salt and pepper, etc.
- Ranch dressing, amount needed is up to the amount of chicken used, OR use a shortcut
Instructions
- For the chicken, use thighs then most of the pieces are uniform in size, if you use legs and thighs, you will need to check the grill more often. Go with quarters then separate the thighs, keep the legs for another recipe, this will give you bigger thighs.
- Season chicken as you desire, salt and pepper, with a rub, etc. Marinate in Ranch Dressing for 4-5 hours in the fridge.
- Light your grill, if using gas, go for about 180 C, if using charcoal, go for a medium hot burn but once the coals are hot, move the coals to one side of the grill. Prep your grill with some olive oil on the grill, place chicken on the grill on the indirect heat side, the side with no coals or flame under it, close the lid for 30-40 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and continue cooking if not done. Serve with a side such as potato salad and corn on the cob.
Notes
Chicken quarters run about 60 Baht/kilo, 6 to 8 quarters will be about a kilo. The Ranch Dressing can be pricey as in import item, go with a shortcut to reduce that cost to about 1/4 of what the import is, or less. Well under $1 per meal per person, including fresh corn on the cob and potato salad.
Shortcut: Ranch Dressing.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Ed Crean.
Unite States.
Unite States.
Cream Cheese Oyster Sauce
This is new territory for me, I normally eat large oysters on the half shell or grilled until they open. This recipe uses the small oysters. This recipe was touted as a casserole, which it is not, but makes a excellent pasta sauce. I made this on 3 Jun 2016, and this is really really good! On my Go-to list. My comments below.
Ingredients
- 500 grams oysters, shucked and drained
- 250 grams Cream cheese, room temperature, (8 oz)
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup spring onions, chopped, green and white parts
- ¾ cup milk, more as needed
- ¼ cup Thai celery, chopped, NOT western celery, use leaves as well
- salt and pepper, to taste
- splash olive oil
- hot cooked pasta, of your choice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of olive oil, when hot, add the drained oysters, cook for a few minutes, this is quick, shucked oysters are typically small. When they are cooked through, edges curling, remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
- While the oysters are cooking, put a small pot on low heat, add the other 2 tablespoons of butter and the block of softened Cream cheese. Move from the heat to a counter and back to the heat several times to prevent burning. The photo shows perfect consistency.
- Once the cheese is melted stir in the milk, chopped spring onion, and celery and put back on the heat, stir in the cooked oysters and bring to a near boil, stirring constantly or it will burn, to ensure the oysters are heated through. Add more milk, a few tablespoons at a time to get the sauce consistency you desire.
- Once hot, serve over pasta of your choice. A vegetable on the side would make this a complete meal.
Notes
I bought fresh harvested oysters for 50 Baht for 350 grams, but I was not thinking, that weight includes the brine the oysters are in, so make sure the non shell and drained weight is 500 grams, no one will complain. Figure about 75 Baht for 500 grams, for fresh local harvested oysters, DO NOT USE oysters from Phuket! Cream cheese, Caroline brand which is made in Thailand will run about 110 Baht for 250 gram block. This comes to about $1.40 per serving for 4 servings. Serve with a vegetable and some Italian bread, you could stretch this to 5-6 servings for more savings.
Fisherman's Pie II
I was recently in Phuket and had a very nice lunch at a restaurant near the Ao Por Marina, Fisherman's Pie. This was very good, salmon chunks, white fish and shrimp in a cheese sauce topped with more cheese. This is a filling meal. Make sure you remove the tails of the shrimp, unlike the restaurant I visited. This was baked in a bowl and served, I used a glass pie dish, my comments below, recipe slightly modified on my findings. When I prepare this again, I will use individual serving baking dishes.
Equipment
- Pie Dish
- Oven
Ingredients
- 800 grams salmon, boneless, skinless, cut into chunks, (14 oz)
- 400 grams white fish, boneless, skinless, pangasius or barramundi, cut into chunks, (14 oz)
- 250 grams fresh shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, (8 oz)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2½ tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1½ cups milk, warmed, more as needed
- 4 cups white Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided, or Edam cheese
- 1½ cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190° C (375° F). Pat the fish pieces and shrimp dry with paper towels, toss the fish and shrimp together and in a pie dish, set aside. I used a pyrex pie dish.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in flour, and stir until the mixture becomes paste like and light golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Gradually whisk warm milk into the flour mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup of white Cheddar cheese, then mix onion, salt and pepper, and garlic into the sauce. If sauce is too thick, stir in more warm milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Pour sauce over the fish and shrimp in the baking dish. Top with the onion.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Then sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups cheese. Continue baking until fish is easily flaked with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes more and the cheese should be a nice golden brown. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with a green salad for a great meal.
Notes
For starters, this is not a $1 dollar meal. The salmon and cheese are the pricy items in this. When I make this again, I will narrow the price per serving down. For now this is a High cost per serving dish.
Variants: 1. Add oyster meat - cooked first. 2. Add green mussel meat - cooked first. 3. Use all white fish or all salmon.
Seasoned Citrus Fillets II (Slow Cooker)
Another variant to the Citrus Fillets. Very easy to make, I am looking forward to this one. Fish fillets can be any white fish, boneless and skinless, think Pangasius, Barramundi, Tilapia, or even Red Snapper.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 750 grams white fish fillets, (1½ lb)
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Butter slow cooker, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and pepper to your liking, place fish in slow cooker. Put onion, parsley, grated orange and lemon rind, and oil over fish. Cover and cook on Low setting for 1½ hours.
- Serve garnished with slices of orange and lemon slices. Boiled buttered potatoes and a tomato salad on the side would work well for sides.
Notes
About 90 Baht for Pangasius fillets, everything else minimal. Cost per serving for 6 servings is about 44 cents each, excellent value, even with the sides.