EnnaEel Cooks

September 2nd, 2008

And they will tell you the things that you are not.

Posted by LA in Chicken, Recipes, Relationships


Chicken curry with potatoes and sticky rice. I promised curry, didn’t I? Perhaps not the most adventurous curry that was ever made, but I think it was pretty good for a first try.

3 T. curry powder
1/2 t. salt, or to taste
1 lb. cubed skinless chicken
2 T. vegetable oil
1 T. chopped shallot
2 t. minced garlic
2 t. dried chili flakes, or to taste
3 T. fish sauce
1 t. sugar
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces and bruised with the flat side of a knife
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled, cut into 3 slices and bruised with the flat side of a knife
1 1/2 c. fresh chicken stock
1 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 medium golden potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup Asian basil leaves, cut in half
2 scallions, chopped

  • Combine 2 T. of the curry powder and the salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat the meat evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes.
  • Heat the oil in a medium pot over moderate heat. Add the shallot, garlic, chili and the remaining 1 T. curry powder, and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until the edges of the pieces are golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add the fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add the coconut milk, onion and potato and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with Asian basil or scallions, and serve.

    • I think perhaps next time I’ll be a little less adventurous with the chili, and maybe let the curry cook down a little thicker. Otherwise, I look forward to having the leftovers in my bento tomorrow.

    Today, I found out that the first boy I told that I loved has gotten engaged. My chest feels simultaneously excited and flattened. (But mostly excited.)
    They live on two separate continents. And over the course of their relationship have spent 7 days together.
    My first thought is ‘How ridiculous is that? Of course that will never work.’ And immediately afterwards I am both shocked and saddened by how pessimistic I’ve grown lately. I’ve been so wrapped up in the opinions of others that I’ve forgotten most of my favorite parts of myself. Notably the doe-eyed idealism.
    So, rather than letting myself feel as though I’m eating the dust of nearly all of my peers, I think I’ll day-dream for a while about the kind of affection that could drive someone to propose to someone oceans away.

    And a ladybug just crawled across my ceiling.

    • Listening to:: Jon Brion - Get What It's About
    • Status:: - 25 grown-up pessimism
    May 31st, 2008

    Don’t second-guess your feelings. You were right from the start.

    Posted by LA in Chicken, Recipes


    Citrus chicken with spinach. Not very interesting-looking or interestingly named. But tasty. So there.

    1 T. olive oil
    1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
    herbes de Provence (I use basil, rosemary, marjoram, bay leaf, and a little lavender)
    rice flour
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 shallot, chopped
    1/4 c. dry white wine (I subbed Woodchuck Pear Cider, which is probably a big no-no, but my mind was in a million other places besides food-finding when I was going grocery shopping, and thus, no white wine)
    1/4 c. vegetable stock
    juice of 1/2 orange
    1 T. pineapple juice
    1/4 T. butter

  • Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence. Dust with just a little bit of flour.
  • Cook, meaty side down, 5 minutes. Turn over; cook 1 minute. Add garlic and shallot; stir 30 seconds.
  • Add wine (or Woodchuck); cook 1 minute. Add stock; cook 30 seconds. Add lemon juice. Transfer pan to oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 9 to 13 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board.

  • Place pan over medium heat; simmer sauce 1 minute. Add butter; swirl pan until butter incorporates and sauce thickens slightly.
  • Cut breast into 4 slices; transfer to a plate with spinach; top with sauce. Garnish with orange, if you want.

    I’m wearing my swimsuit under my clothes today.
    Just in case.

    • Listening to:: Jaymay - Gray or Blue
    • Hair:: Pretty short
    • Status:: Pretty much ridiculously hot (of the sweaty variety)
    May 19th, 2008

    The only steps that matter.

    Posted by LA in Chicken, Pasta, Recipes


    Fettuccine alla carbonara with garlic-roasted chicken and asparagus, and a tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad. Also, some broiled garlic sourdough. Lordy bgordy, how I missed cooking for two!

    Garlic-roasted chicken:
    3 large garlic cloves, crushed
    1 t. dried oregano
    1/2 t. dried hot red-pepper flakes
    2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
    2 chicken breast halves

  • Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack in upper third.
  • Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/4 t. salt, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in oregano, red-pepper flakes, and oil.
  • Cut a 2-inch-long pocket (about 1 1/2 inches deep) horizontally in side of each breast half and spread 1/2 teaspoon garlic mixture into each pocket. Coat chicken with remaining garlic mixture.
  • Roast chicken in a shallow foil-lined baking pan until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

    Fettuccine alla carbonara:
    fettuccine noodles
    asparagus, cut into 2 in. pieces, blanched
    4 large eggs
    1/4 c. finely grated parmesan
    1/4 c. finely grated pecorino romano
    1/3 c. heavy cream
    1 T. chopped fresh basil
    1/2 t. salt
    1/2 t. black pepper
    2 t. garlic, minced
    2 T. chopped scallions

  • Vigorously whisk together eggs, parmesan, cream, basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl until foamy.
  • Cook garlic over moderate heat, stirring, 1 min. (do not brown). Add scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add to egg mixture.
  • Cook pasta until tender, and drain.
  • Immediately add egg mixture and toss. When mixture is cooked, add blanched asparagus.

    I still can’t eat various meats, including but not limited to pancetta. Therefore, this slightly corrupted carbonara is instead protein-ified with roasted chicken.
    The mozzarella salads were about a portion too big, but the tomatoes I picked up were so incredibly lovely. I wanted to use more of them.
    Thank you to my boss who gave me a wonderfully healthy recipe that I went and slightly de-healthified.

    • Listening to:: The Weepies - Can't Go Back Now
    May 18th, 2008

    I’ll be the first one to ask where you were.

    Posted by LA in Chicken, Hawaiian, Recipes


    Huli Huli chicken with sticky rice, and spinach with a white miso dressing and deviled egg. I subbed the spinach and egg for the traditional macaroni salad. Never been a big macaroni salad girl, even when it comes to plate lunch.

    Miso dressing:
    3 T. white miso
    1 T. lemon juice
    1 t. sesame oil
    1 t. virgin olive oil
    1 small garlic clove, crushed
    cracked pepper

    Huli Huli chicken:
    1 split chicken breast
    1 c. shoyu
    1/2 c. fresh pineapple juice
    1/2 c. honey
    1/3 c. brown sugar
    2 T. sesame oil
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    3 T. tomato paste
    1 T. fresh ginger root, minced
    Ground black pepper to taste
    Hawaiian sea salt to taste

  • Mix shoyu, pineapple juice, honey, brown sugar, oil, garlic, ketchup, ginger, salt, and pepper. Marinate chicken for 20 minutes to 4 hours. Refrigerate.
  • Before grilling, let chicken sit until it is at room temperature. Grill on a barbecue rack over medium coals, turning often for about 45 minutes. Baste frequently.
  • Or, if you are lacking in the barbecue-having department, you can roast the chicken in an oven preheated to 325 degrees. Baste often, for an hour.

    Ok, so maybe not the most clever meal to prepare when you’re immediately craving it. I started marinating the chicken at 4:30, and my insides nearly ate themselves until it was done cooking at 9:00.

    So, is it obvious?
    LeeAnne is feeling homesick.
    I seriously considered making some malasadas as well after I saw I had some yeast in my pantry, but knowing that I’d either have to eat them all myself or throw away half of a batch nixed that idea.

    Making new friends, keeping busy with various photo-related projects, and exploring the areas in and around St. Louis for event photo jobs have been staving off this impending loneliness that has been trying to invade my brain. And for the very small amount of free time I’ve had lately, life has been rather pleasant. Considerably, actually.

    But even all I have to look forward to in the coming weeks isn’t enough to obviate the inevitable inward sigh when I hear of others’ time spent with family and old friends.

    Then I head to the kitchen to turn my yearning for something familiar into a tasty dish or two.
    And the brilliance of living and cooking in a studio means that I will get to come home to an apartment that smells like home for at least the next couple of days.

    • Watching:: Howl's Moving Castle
    • Listening to:: M. Ward - I'll Be Yr Bird