Monthly Archives: March 2013

March 18, 2013 · 9:25 am

Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

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Remember in this post when I said that my Spinach and Goat Cheese Dip was versatile?  Well, here is one example of that (and I have another great use for it coming soon!)

I had left-over smoked salmon after a bridesmaids brunch I hosted, so I was trying to figure out what to do with it.  Instead of simply serving it over bagels for dinner, I prepared a batch of thin-crust pizza dough, made a quick batch of the spinach and goat cheese dip and voila, an easy, quick and delicious dinner (not to mention quite healthy too!)

It’s a great way to use-up spinach that is nearing the end of its life, however it looks incredibly fancy and I would consider serving this as an appy at my next get-together.  The onions (and capers – which aren’t photographed here) are a great touch and finish it off just perfectly.

Enjoy!

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Smoked Salmon, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

Serving Size:  1 medium pizza
Prep Time:  20 minutes, excluding the pizza dough preparation
Cook Time:  10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 batch of your favourite thin-crust pizza dough, or store-bought crust
  • 1 batch of Spinach and Goat Cheese Dip
  • 10-15 slices of smoked salmon
  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced
  • 1/2 jar capers, drained and rinsed (optional – not shown)
  • Additional goat cheese for topping, if desired
  • Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees (and if you have a pizza stone, preheat that as well).  It is good to allow your pizza stone to pre-heat in a 500 degree oven for at least an additional 15 minutes.

If you have a pizza peel, lay that on the counter.  Otherwise, prepare a sheet of parchment paper (either square or cut to shape of your dough).

Prepare your dough. On top of your parchment paper or your pizza peel, roll out the dough into a round pizza shape.  Leave an edge around outside for the crust. Once you’ve achieved the shape you desire, pinch the outside of the dough to create a crust. Then pierce the crust with a fork all the way around (this will prevent large air bubbles from forming in your crust while it bakes!).

Brush the dough with a light coat of olive oil.

Bake the plain crust in the oven for about 7-9 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven, spread the spinach and goat cheese sauce onto your crust and place back in over for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Remove the crust from the oven, immediately top your pizza with the smoked salmon, onions and capers.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

JBean Cuisine original recipe

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March 12, 2013 · 1:46 pm

Indian Butter Chicken

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What brings people together better than food?  Nothing, in my opinion.  And nothing better than my Indian Butter Chicken recipe.  I can count a few friends that I swear only became good friends because of my butter chicken recipe.  It’s my arsenal for Indian food lovers and has many fans.  I remember making it for the first time – it was in our condo in Vancouver about 7 years ago.  I’ve made it for friends before the Rascal Flats concert, for non-Indian food lovers who now like it and many times beyond that.

Is this recipe healthy? Not exactly, but everything in moderation (unless you are CH and eat more than a regular serving of this!) Nonetheless, it is an easy to prepare.  As with a lot of Indian dishes, this gets better with time – so if you are aiming for high-praise, make this the night before you want to serve it and simply re-heat over low temperature the next day.  Trust me!

Feel free to add a bit of spice by increasing the green chili (some of our friends like it Indian “hot” which basically means 10 out of 10 hot).  You can also stir-in some sriracha (which is totally un-traditional, but it adds a great kick!)

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Indian Butter Chicken

Yield: 6 – 10 servings (depends on accompaniments)
Prep Time:  25 minutes (+2hrs marinating)
Cook Time:  1hr

Ingredients:

  • 1.5lbs chicken pieces (I use a mixture of thighs and breasts)
  • 1 tsp grated garlic
  • 1 ts grated ginger
  • 1 tsp grated green chilli
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp thana jeero (can be made using half cumin and half corriander)
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 small onion, diced finely
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 6 TBSP butter (or ghee)
  • 3/4 cup half and half cream
  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 tomato sauce
  • 1 cup of water (if needed)
  • cilantro for garnish

Directions:

In a large glass bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, green chili, garam masala, thana jeeroo, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt with 1 TBSP of olive oil to make a spice paste.

Add the chicken to the spice paste, mix well and cover the bowl with saran wrap.  Marinate in fridge for a minimum of 2hrs (I usually try to marinade over night).

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add-in the onions and saute until lightly browned.

Add the marinated chicken to the onions and stir.  Cover the pan and allow to cook on medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or till chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Stir frequently while cooking.

Add the cream to the pan, stir and cook on medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add yogurt and water (if you want a thicker sauce, do not add the water).  Stir well and allow to cook for a minute or two.

Add in the tomato sauce and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes over low-heat.

Keep warm until ready to serve*.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Enjoy.

*If you are making this ahead for the next day, simply allow the dish to cool, cover and keep in the fridge.  When ready to serve, place it back in a sauce pan and re-heat over low heat.  I sometimes add a bit of chicken stock to the pan while re-heating if the sauce becomes too thick.

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Daksha’s Gourmet Spices

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