Thai Chicken in Peanut Sauce on Linguine...

The Brainy Gourmet has never been about brainy ideas when it comes to dinner time. Its about being brainy with what you have and knowing what you like and what you can afford to do; that's frugality which never lacks in flavor!

Anything and everything is good on a bed of linguine. This pasta is not as wide as fettuccine or tagliatelle.  Its something in between.

For this dish, you will need linguine pasta, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sun dried tomatoes, hand stirred peanut butter and heavy cream or coconut milk if you have. To begin, saute chopped onion in olive oil and a pat of butter until brown on the edges.

Push aside and sear the thighs on all sides. Bring back the onion and simmer adding 1/4 cup of chicken stock. Next, add 1/3 cup of hand stirred peanut butter and 1/4 cup of heavy cream... tossing in several chopped/diced sun dried tomatoes and a handful of dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano.

While this simmers, boil the linguine and prepare any other side you want to serve.  Before you serve, drizzle in a squeeze of lemon juice and a shake of red pepper flakes along with a drop of soy sauce.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Apricots as a side dish... really!

Fresh and dried fruits are great flavor enhancers to any dish. We don't often think of dried apricots or fresh apricots as a side dish... let alone part of the main course.

Whatever main course you prepare, consider a side of apricots or even dried plums. They can be cooked on the side or in the same skillet/dish/pan.

Mark's Asian chicken with apricots and seared flank steak with apricots...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Woo Wee... Cajun Kitchen Tonight

Once in a while, the brainy gourmet likes to go Cajun crazy in a kinda crazy way...

Cajun craziness for me starts like this... taking a few left overs while adding something fresh and zesty. From this week's leftovers of: angel hair pasta with tomatoes, stir fry veggies and coconut chicken, I added fresh shrimp for a dish that turned out lip smacking good... topped with crushed jalapeno and lime chips not to mention some cayenne hot sauce.

It came together rather quickly. The pasta with tomatoes was microwaved while I stir fried the shrimp in red pepper infused olive oil, garlic powder and chili powder. To that, I added the left over stir fried veggies and diced up leftover coconut chicken breasts. Once, the pasta was done, all I had to do was wait for the shrimp, chicken and veggies to get a little black crispiness gathering around the edges.

The pasta was ladled onto a low lipped serving plate and topped with the Cajun 'ratatouille'. Lastly, the crushed chips were tossed on top and a good dash of hot sauce.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Thai Meatball Stir Fry with Rice...

Thai meatballs... why not. Its brainy good!

For this dish, you will need: ground veal (or turkey +1 egg), onion, carrots, asparagus, and green pepper along with wild rice, honey, soy sauce and a thick sweet and sour sauce if you have.

To begin, make your meatball the brainy way using: dried bread crumbs, heavy cream, soy sauce, garlic powder, a tiny pinch of salt and dried herbs. Mix and form into meatballs. Set aside while you saute chopped onion and green pepper to be sauteed in olive oil.

Once browned, toss in baby asparagus spears and julienne baby carrots. Stir fry along with the onion and green pepper adding a bit more olive oil with a dash of soy sauce and a splash of beef stock.

After about 2-3 min. remove from skillet (set aside) and in that same skillet flash fry the meatballs in a drizzle of olive oil. When browned on all sides, reintroduce the veggies. Add 2 tbs of honey, a 1/2 cup of sweet and sour sauce. Let this bubble into a near sticky consistency.

Boil the wild rice in beef stock until tender. Make sure that the rice has absorbed all the stock. Ladle onto a low lipped serving plate and top with the meatballs and vegetables.

Brainy Beef Stroganoff for You...

When Beef Stroganoff is served, you think: rich and creamy and romantically delicious! You can even imagine that you are at some far off tucked in European bistro...

For this dish you will need: quality cuts of beef (stew meat or thick sirloin cut into chunks), one medium onion, dark brown Bavarian mushrooms, beef stock, heavy cream and wide egg noodle pasta - Tagliatelle.

To begin, marinate the beef in balsamic vinegar and pink Himalayan salt for 30-40 min. When that time is nearly finished, in a large skillet saute the onion in olive oil until dark brown on the edges.

Remove from skillet and in the same skillet, brown the mushrooms, adding 3 tbs of butter. Once the mushrooms are darker and tender, remove from the skillet putting them aside with the onion and sear the beef in chunks (drained) in the same skillet, adding a drizzle of olive oil.

Bring back into the skillet the onion and mushrooms, pour in about 3 tbs of beef stock, a half shot of either white wine or vodka, stirring on high heat. Then turning down the heat, add the heavy cream about 1/2 cup, cover and let simmer while you prepare the pasta and a side of blackened asparagus.

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped plater. The asparagus should be flash stir fried in olive oil, then cover to simmer on medium high adding 1 tbs of beef stock.


 Serve all together, start the music and pour the wine...

~ Tutti a Tavola

Brainy Mashed Potatoes...

Few people think of potatoes as a 'gourmet' food. And, not too many people know that the French love a good 'mash' of potatoes besides their French fries...

The Ratte potato is famous for its 'mash or puree'. It is a small smooth fingerling potato with an amazing buttery nutty flavor and delicate texture. The nutty flavor is said to have come from rich French farm soils that the variety is grown in. 

The Ratte potato has an ovate shape, often with a slight curve and golden speckled skin. The flesh of this potato is a deep golden yellow and its delicate texture maintains even when cooking. Some say that the American Yukon Gold is similar.

For a gourmet mash potato dish, wash, peel, quarter and boil as many potatoes per person to be served of your favorite potato (not a baking potato) in lightly salted water. When they are tender, drain and rinse quickly with cold water. Return the potatoes to the pot they were boiled in. If you boiled about 8-10, once drained, immediately add 1/2 stick of creamy butter, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of whole milk...begin mashing. *Sour cream can be used instead of heavy cream.

 
Serve topped with dried herbs or grated cheese. Mash can be eaten alone or as a side with any meat. 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

The Brainy Gourmet ~ A Ministry of Food and Family!

The Brainy Gourmet is a ministry of food and family; which is about being frugal and brainy in the kitchen for your family. In this way, by serving your family, you serve God. You demonstrate His love with your actions... preparing a meal and gathering around the table.

You don't have to be a 5 star chef to be frugal and brainy in the kitchen. You just have to be in love with God, and your family. Why in love with God first? Because, He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen (COL 1:16). He holds all things together (COL 1:17). In Him, we live, breathe and have our being (Acts 17:28).

Being a brainy gourmet also means understanding your own God given talents (no matter how simple or extraordinary) and tastes (in terms of preferences for sweet and savory) and putting them to use. Don't bury your talents...(Matthew 25:18).

You don't have to be wealthy either to be a brainy gourmet. The most basic of foods can be made into a 'gourmet' meal. There is a basic pantry list on the right margin of this blog from which one can begin to be frugal and brainy.

Alongside of this blog is the Brainy Gourmet Webpage where you can find additional meal archives and Brainy Tips.

www.thebrainygourmet.com