![Thai Beef Curry]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Aug 30, 2014 | Asian, Beef, By Meal Type, Dinner, Stews & Curries, Thai
This recipe comes from Derya Singhsumalee, a former teacher colleague of mine who is such a fun and interesting person. She is very well-traveled, is of Turkish ethnicity and married to a man from a Thai Muslim family. In the school lunch room we used to talk quite a bit about cultural diversity and, of course, food. She was very familiar with Sicilian cuisine having lived in Sicily for a short time during her life. I found her background fascinating and our conversations a great bonding experience between us. Recently when I saw that she posted this recipe to her Facebook page, I immediately asked her to share it with all of you, and she graciously obliged. Here you go- thank you, Derya!
[yumprint-recipe id=’27’]
![Slow Cooker Beef Stew: My Family Recipe for the Ultimate Comfort Food]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Dec 17, 2012 | American, Beef, Dinner, Recipes, Red Meat Dishes, Slow Cook, Stews & Curries, Winter
I always crave comfort food in the winter time, but right now as a nation and a global community, it looks as though we could all use a lot of comforting, whether it’s through the gathering together of a community or our small family meals we need to be there for one another and offer support, a lending ear or a shoulder to lean on.
The smell and taste of my mom’s recipe for her Classic Beef Stew is one that has been with me since I was a child. Although she was a working mom, on her shorter days or days off she would often begin making it early in the morning and put it in the crock pot to cook all day long so it would be ready by the time I arrived home from school. I still remember all of the ingredients by heart and how they looked on the kitchen counter as she prepared it. I also remember being in a bit of awe as to how it would all fit so neatly into her round crock pot with the glass cover that eventually began to steam underneath. Later in the day she made white rice on the side, which indicated that it was almost time to eat since that was the last thing to do before getting ready to serve what to me was the ultimate comfort: knowing exactly what to expect in this meal and feeling cared for, loved and comforted through every bite. (more…)
![Slow Cooker Beef Stew: My Family Recipe for the Ultimate Comfort Food]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Dec 17, 2012 | American, Beef, Dinner, Recipes, Red Meat Dishes, Slow Cook, Stews & Curries, Winter
I always crave comfort food in the winter time, but right now as a nation and a global community, it looks as though we could all use a lot of comforting, whether it’s through the gathering together of a community or our small family meals we need to be there for one another and offer support, a lending ear or a shoulder to lean on.
The smell and taste of my mom’s recipe for her Classic Beef Stew is one that has been with me since I was a child. Although she was a working mom, on her shorter days or days off she would often begin making it early in the morning and put it in the crock pot to cook all day long so it would be ready by the time I arrived home from school. I still remember all of the ingredients by heart and how they looked on the kitchen counter as she prepared it. I also remember being in a bit of awe as to how it would all fit so neatly into her round crock pot with the glass cover that eventually began to steam underneath. Later in the day she made white rice on the side, which indicated that it was almost time to eat since that was the last thing to do before getting ready to serve what to me was the ultimate comfort: knowing exactly what to expect in this meal and feeling cared for, loved and comforted through every bite. (more…)
![Lamb Stew with Pumpkin, Plantain, Sweet Potato and Chickpeas]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 13, 2011 | Dinner, Fall, Lamb, Latin, North African, Recipes, Red Meat Dishes, Slow Cook, Stews & Curries
When we look through recipes online or in magazines, what really prompts us to go out of our way to make a list and head out to the store with the intention of buying all the ingredients specifically for that recipe we enjoyed looking at so much? 
I look at food for a living, literally, and am incredibly delighted by the vibrant colors and gorgeous photography that exists in the blogosphere and in the publishing world. I can’t, however, make everything that awakens my stomach or inspires me to fly off the couch and dig into my cabinets for every spice listed in a recipe so that I, too, can make a gorgeous Thai noodle dish.
There is one Libyan dish, however, that prompted me to set out to use up our Qurbani meat to make this dish called Tbeikhet ‘Eid which features pumpkin, chickpeas and raisins. I liked the idea of using seasonal produce like pumpkin so much that I decided to give it a try, though digressing a bit by using other ingredients that I had at home that were in much need of being used: (more…)
![Chicken Bouillabaisse]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Aug 22, 2009 | French, Poultry Dishes, Recipes, Stews & Curries
Those of you who know me well enough know that my favorite cooking mentor is Julia Child–and it’s not because of the book or movie, Julie & Julia (though I really enjoyed both).
Around this time last year I completely absorbed myself in The French Chef videos, those early years where Julia Child enlightened the American housewife about how to cook French food. I was enamored with her from the first moment–and it was literally the first time I’d ever really watched her instructional videos. She was serious about food but could also laugh at herself. She knew how to teach, how to encourage someone to attempt difficult and multi-step dishes, even those with funny French names.
For an entire month I watched every single video where Julia taught me how to make gateaus, wrap roasts properly with twine or perfectly blanch fresh green beans. Her scientific approach to cooking didn’t sound so scientific and those black and white videos of the food she prepared really made me want to jump right into the kitchen to satisfy my rumbling tummy. This show soon became my obsession as I couldn’t sleep until I saw every.single.episode.ever.
Fast forward to the present and my own copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 (which I bought just before hearing about the Julie/Julia Project) is my most prized possession in my library of cookbooks. I don’t even want to cook around it for fear of splattering it with the orange sauce from the Duck a’la Orange dish or all that heavy cream used in Gratine Dauphinoise. I may cook well, but I’m not so neat…
Mastering the Art of French Cooking isn’t the only good cookbook Julia ever wrote, although it is a culinary masterpiece, no doubt. My own bad timing in ‘finding’ Julia is that now because of the movie probably all her cookbooks will be expensive and unaffordable. This Spring I was lucky, however, to snatch away one book people probably just overlooked at a recent booksale: Julia Child & Company. It contains many recipes for whole menus of appetizers to salads to whole roasted meats. She explains how to buy certain cuts of meat and then how to prepare them for a crowd. From this book, I chose our first iftar (meal to break the fast) to be the Chicken Bouillabaisse.
I’ve made some changes to the original recipe. For example, it calls for enough ingredients to serve 6 people, but I halved it to serve 3. Some ingredients I didn’t have on hand so I chose my own substitutes. I also substituted white grape juice for the vermouth (alcohol). It also calls for serving this dish with Rouille, a type of sauce. For the sake of saving time I didn’t make this addition and the result was still absolutely delicious.
So, the recipe below is my own version, although you could find the original on pages 41-42 of Julia Child and Company by Julia Child. Published by Alfred A. Knopf. 1979. New York.
Chicken Bouillabaisse
Directions
2 Tb. olive oil
1 chicken fryer, about 3.5 pounds, cut up into 8-16 pieces
1 cup white onion, thinly sliced
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
2 bay leaves, crushed
4 large tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp. ground fennel
1 tsp. french tarragon 1/2 tsp. thyme
large pinch saffron threads, optional
2 two-inch strips dried orange peel, optional
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tb. tomato paste
2 Tb. water
1 cup white grape juice or apple juice (must be 100% juice of a high quality)
Directions
- Clean and pat dry all of the chicken pieces. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven.
Add chicken and sauté over medium heat, approximately 10 minutes. Turn pieces several times during this process so as not to allow the chicken to brown too much.
While the chicken is cooking, prep the onions. Once the chicken appears stiffened, remove it from pan. Add the onions to the heated oil and saute for about 5 minutes.
During this time, prep the tomatoes and garlic.
Add the tomatoes and garilic to the onions. Saute for about 1 minute.
Add fennel, tarragon, thyme and any other herbs or seasonings you want to add.
Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides and add back to the pan, covering with all of the vegetables. Add tomato paste and water and blend well. On medium heat, uncovered, cook the chicken on each side for 5 minutes.
*At this point you could allow the dish to cool, then cover and refrigerate if you would like to finish it off later on in the day or the following day. Just bring to a simmer again, covered, before proceeding.*
An hour before you’d like to serve the dish, add the grape juice. Mix well, then cover and allow to simmer for one hour.
Mixture should be a good consistency- not too thick, but thin enough to serve in a soup bowl. Top with chopped fresh parsely and serve with a rustic Italian, French or pita bread for dipping. Or, serve with a side of white rice or couscous.
Bismillah and Buon Appetito!
