Jack is Cooking Saag Paneer

Well Hello Internet!

Another dish i have been making quite a bit recently is Saag Paneer.  This is an Indian dish most commonly made with spinach, but can also be made with a variety of other Greens.   I have experimented with many of these greens, but have to say that my favorite is to make it with a mixture of Kale, and Spinach.

Here is what you will need:

1 Bunch of spinach - (at least 250-300 grams)  cut up into large pieces

1 bunch of Kale - (250-300 grams)  - cut up into medium sized pieces

150 Grams Paneer (Indian Cheese) cut into 1 inch cubes -  This will not really work with any other type of cheese, except maybe fresh Queso Blanco

2 tbspns Oil

1 tbspn Ghee

1/4 tspn cumin seeds

1/2 tspn mustard seeds

2 cloves garlic (grated)

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 inch Fresh Ginger - Grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tsp Garam Masala

100 ml milk (OPTION:  when i first started making this i used Heavy Cream.  but i don't always have it (and its very rich), so sometimes i will use milk, or Almond Milk)

So this dish is very easy once you get the hang of it, but it requires very good Mis-en-Place.  which means have everything ready and organized before you start cooking as it all happens very fast, and there are lots of spices!  it helps if you use some ramekins, or some other little bowls.

Here is how to best organize yourself:

1. In one bowl, put the cumin and mustard seeds, along with the grated garlic.

Mustard Seeds (L) & Cumin Seeds (R)

2.  In a second bowl, put the coriander powder, the ground ginger, and the nutmeg.

3.  In a third bowl, put the sugar, the salt, and the grated FRESH ginger.

ok so that's enough organizing.  

now for the cooking.  First! heat up the ghee in a pan, and add the paneer to it.  fry the paneer until it is nicely browned on all sides.  it can burn quickly so don't let that happen.  once its finished cooking, strain it and put it aside in a bowl.  sprinkle the Garam Masala over the paneer while it is nice and hot.

Garam Masala

Second!  with the leftover ghee that should still be in the pan from the paneer, cook the spinach and the kale, until it is just wilted.  this will not take very long.  put all of this into a colander and let it sit.

Now is time to cook the spices.  and where all our organizing comes into play.

put the 2 tbspns of oil into the pan and heat it up.  throw the first bowl in (the cumin and mustard seeds, with the garlic)  cook it for about 10 seconds, or until the seeds start sputtering.  Then!  throw the Second bowl in - the ground coriander, ginger and nutmeg.  and cook that for about 10 seconds also.  you will have a spice goop that is very hot now.

quickly throw the cooked greens back into the spices, and toss around until the spices are even spread around.  cook this for about 2 or 3 minutes.   Then add the cooked Paneer, along with the Third bowl - with the sugar, the salt, and the FRESH ginger.  cook all this for about 2 or 3 minutes, and Finally add in the milk (or Cream, or Almond milk, whichever route you choose to go)  cook for a further 2 minutes, and then its done!


Serve it with some rice, and if you want you can serve it with some other curry!  (soon i will put up more curries, as i've been on a bit of a Currinary adventure recently.....  (get it curry + culinary)  ;-)

YUM!

Jack is Cooking Pea Souffle

Well Hello Internet!

the other day (actually a couple of weeks ago... this post got lost somehow) i made a pea souffle with my newly learned knowledge of making souffle.  

apparently souffle's are very easy to make!

all you need is to make a bechamel, and egg whites, with whatever filling you want!

heres what you will need:

flour 1 tablespoon
butter 2 tablespoons
milk 3/4 cup
salt and pepper
a little nutmeg

frozen peas
garlic
an onion (chopped up)
salt and pepper
paprika
olive oil

6 egg whites
a pinch of salt

pepper jack cheese (grated)  you could use cheddar, or any other cheese of your own fancy.

preheat the oven to 450°

So First!  i sauteed the peas, garlic, and peas, in a little olive oil and flavored them with some salt and pepper and some paprika.  when they were all done i put them in my blender and blended it until it was a fine mush.  or one might say a purée...

Next!  i made my béchamel.  that's pretty easy.  first you melt the butter.  then you add the flour to the butter, and mix it together.  then you add the milk stirring constantly.  when it comes to a boil it should be a pretty thick mixture.  yum yum!  this is an important base to lots of different recipes.  i like to add a little nutmeg for flavor.  after it was done i mixed the pea purée into the béchamel.

then i took my egg whites and whipped them up until they were nice and stiff.  after that i took the egg whites and folded the béchamel purée mixture together.  really really fold these!  no mixing!  you must keep the fluffiness of the egg whites or it won't work!

after that i filled some ramequins half way, then put a nice little bit of cheese into each one, and filled them up to the top with more of the mixture.  and then a nice coating of cheese on top!

into the oven, and cook them until they have puffed up and gone nice and golden brown on top!

mmmmm mmmmm delicious!

Jack is Cooking Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Tacos for Dinner

Well Hello Internet!

Here is a great easy recipe for some breakfast Taco's that I made one day.  i made this out of leftovers in my fridge.

here's what you will need:

corn tortillas (i got mine from Tortilleria Mexicano Tres Hermanos - they sell tortillas for $1 at their restaurant in Brooklyn.  also it is probably the best tacos and tortas i've ever had.  i am completely obsessed with this place and wish that it wasn't so far away from where i live in the city.  you can stuff yourself with real authentic mexican food for under $10, and then buy some tortillas to make more of your own!!!)  

eggs

for the salsa:

1 or half an onion

1 or half a tomato

half a red pepper

clove of garlic

a small can of sweet corn

some cumin

salt and pepper

some paprika.

first, i made the salsa.  i cooked this salsa so that all the flavours were really nice and melty.  (that's the best way i can describe it!)  

i sauteed the onions and garlic, until they were translucent.  mean while in the oven i turned on my broiler, and i roasted the tomato, the red pepper,  and the corn until they got a nice charring on the skin. then i chopped them all up finely and added them to the onions, and cooked for 5-10 minutes.  i added some salt and pepper, some cumin and some paprika for flavoring.  voila!  corn salsa!  

Next, i scrambled some eggs.  i hope that everybody knows at least how to scramble an egg.  its hard to screw that up.  but if you don't here are the instructions:  

crack 2-3 eggs in a bowl.  and salt and pepper.  stir well with a fork.

heat pan on med - low heat.  melt butter in a pan.  pour eggs in.  stir them while they cook, until they are almost done.  turn off the stove.  they will keep cooking, so turn off the stove right before they look done.  serve immediately!  now you know!!  

so anyways, heat up the tortillas.  if you put them in a paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds they will be nice and warm.  or else you can warm them in a pan.  

put some eggs on each tortilla:

next!  put some of that delicious Salsa on top of the eggs, and top with your favorite cheese.  at the time the only cheese i had was feta.  not exactly mexican but it was still delicious!

Serve up these soft tacos with a napkin!  they are a little messy!!

mmm mmmm delicious!

Jack is Cooking Pork Chops

Well Hello Internet!

So last night i somehow had the motivation to get up and make some dinner.  nothing fancy, but boy was it good!  i made breaded pork chops

heres what i used

2 pork chops ( from Herondale Farm of course!)

bread crumbs

paprika

parsley

one egg

also

some french cut beans

cheddar cheese

milk

a little bit of flour

garlic

So First i took the bread crumbs and mixed them with a little paprika and some parsley.

then i took the pork chops and dipped them in the egg, and then in the bread crumbs, and then because i like them extra breaded, i put them back in the egg, and then back in the bread crumbs.  that's easy right?

heres what they looked like

Then i took the chops, and i heated some olive oil in a pan.  i cooked them for like 1-2 minutes on each side.  then i put them in the oven at 350 for another 20 minutes.

In the meantime, i put a little butter in that pan (some of the oil had been soaked up by the chops)

i sauteed some garlic.  then i added the french cut beans.  i let those cook for a couple minutes over low/medium heat.  once they were cooked i put a little bit of flour in the pan to start a roux.  i added maybe half a cup of milk, and some grated cheddar cheese.

This made a nice side dish to the pork chops and added a little bit of green.

heres both together!  sorry for a lack of pictures this time.

mmm  mmm delicious

Jack is Cooking Pasta with Garlic and French Cut Beans

Well Hello Internet!

On this day before the Feast that thanksgiving is, i have a quick pasta dish to share with you!

i'm sure this has a fancy name, but i don't know what it is.  its delicious though, and really easy to make!

Here's what you'll need:

Pasta (any kind will do)

Garlic (2 or 3 cloves)

French Cut Beans (or peas, or any green vegetable.  broccoli is good with this too!)

olive oil

salt and pepper

so i cooked the pasta, and i sauteed the beans with garlic olive oil and salt and pepper

when the pasta was done i tossed it in with the beans and garlic

then i put some cheese on top!

mmm mmm delicious!!

Jack is Cooking Pizza!!

Well Hello Internet!

So the other night, julie suggested we make pizza.  i thought that was just a FANtastic idea, so we did!   i used the a little dough i saved from making bread on monday night, and then also some other leftover ingredients i had in my fridge.

Making pizza is LOTs of fun!  you can put almost anything on it that your heart desires.  Also, if you can't make your own dough its easy to buy.  some supermarkets have ready made dough, but also most pizzerias (at least here in NYC) will sell the dough pretty cheaply.

heres what we used:

as you can see in the above pictures the ingredients are:

Mozzarella

Red and Green Peppers

Some Chopped up Ham

Some Gouda (grated)

Diced Tomatoes

and also we caramelized some onions to put on after the pizza was cooked:

Theres the dough rising a little in the upper left corner of that last picture!

So after the dough rose for like 1.5 hours we spread it out and put the diced tomatoes all over it:

Then i got some new lights in my kitchen, so i could take better pictures!  haha

anyways, after the tomatoes, we put on the sliced mozzarella, red and green peppers, ham, and gouda cheese.  plus a little salt and pepper.

We baked it in the oven for 20 minutes at 450°.  after we took it out of the oven, we put the caramelized onions on it, cut it up and ate it!

I was hoping for some leftovers for lunch today, but the thing was so damn delicious we ate the whole pizza!

Jack is Cooking Penne Alfredo with Sausage

Well Hello Internet!


For this recipe you will need:

Pasta
half an onion
two cloves of garlic
some sausage - i used Sweet Italian Sausage from Herondale Farm (www.herondalefarm.com)
Parmesan Cheese (3/4 cup)
Light Cream (half-3/4 cup)
Butter
Parsley (optional. i didn't have any, but its good if you have just a little)

Jack is Cooking Butternut Squash Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce

Well Hello internet!

Last night for dinner i went all out and made ravioli.  From scratch!  That's right i made the pasta dough, and the filling, and the sauce.
But i can't say that I did it all alone, i had help from my good friend Julie - who also took most of these pictures!
Not only was this extremely delicious, it was easy to make and also lots of fun!

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on a side note, if one were to peruse the archives, they would find that the first video i ever made for jackiscooking, way back in 2007 was butternut squash ravioli.  except when i made it then, it was pre-made frozen ravioli!  This is much better!  check out that post here.
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Heres what you will need:

For the Filling:

one butternut squash.
one leak (or an onion)
a couple of cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

For the Pasta Dough:
2 cups of flour
3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons of water + some extra

One egg for the making of the Raviolis

For the Alfredo Sauce
half a cup of butter
1 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup of cream
Garlic
Parsley
Pepper.

First, we cut the squash in half and took out the seeds.  Then we roasted it with the flesh side down for 30 minutes at 375° with a little olive oil.

While this was cooking I made the pasta dough.

I put 2 cups of white flour in a bowl, and made a well in the center.  In this well i put the 3 egg yolks, and the 4-5 tablespoons of water.  i slowly worked flour in from the sides until i had a dough.  (if necessary, you can add more water)

Knead this ball of dough for 10 minutes, and then coat it in oil and let it sit for another 10 minutes.  This will allow gluten to develop.

Heres my ball of dough:

While the dough is sitting, and the squash continues to roast, it is time to saute the leek and garlic.  so take your leek (that has been cleaned thoroughly and diced) and add it to some melted butter in a pan.  cook this for about 5 minutes and then add in the garlic (also diced).

If you've been counting my minutes, you will have figured out that about 30 minutes has elapsed now, and so the squash should be ready to come out of the oven.  Remove it from the oven and let it cool.

 

The Leeks should also be done at this point so those can be taken off the heat, and also allowed to cool.

Next up comes the mixing of the filling.  Scoop out the squash into a bowl and get rid of the skins.

Mush it up real nice with a fork, and then add in the leeks.  Mix these together until they are well incorporated.

Now its time to return to the dough!  So cut the ball in half and roll out they two halves until they are really thin.  If you have a fancy pasta roller, you can use that.  If you have a rolling pin, you can use that also.  But I have neither!  So i decided a wine bottle would work really nicely!

Now comes the time to make the raviolis!  Take maybe 1 or 2 tablespoons (depending how big you want the raviolis) of the squash mixture and put them in little balls over one layer of the dough.  (remember!  you want to get as mush use out of this dough as you can, so place the balls well.

Take the egg for the ravioli and mix that up.   brush it everywhere on the dough where there is not squash.  next take the other sheet of dough and place it on top.  press down in between all the balls.  now its starting to look a little like ravioli!

Cut between all the ravioli, and press down all the edges - sealing inside all that squashy goodness!

Next bring a pot of water to boil.

While the water is boiling, it is a good time to start making the Alfredo sauce.

Take the butter and melt it in a pan.  Add in the cream.  Stir and simmer.  Add in the cheese, and let it melt.  add in the garlic, salt and pepper.  if you have any parsley that is nice too.

ok put that to the side.

The water has now boiled!  so its time to cook our ravioli.  just a few at a time.  i made 10 ravioli, so 5 at a time, which is essentially a serving.  or a little more, these are pretty filling!

Fresh pasta, takes no time at all to cook.  maybe 2 or 3 minutes. Ravioli conveniently will let you know when they are done, because they float!  so when they float you can scoop them out and serve.  Put some of the delicious Alfredo sauce over it, and thats it!

So that's it!  and as always, (well normally always in my video blogs) the first bite on camera!

Special Thanks to Julie - who provided much help in the preparation, and also most of the photos!

Jack is (was) Cooking Pastrami - back in july

Well hello internet!

This post is a little unusual, because i am not actually cooking pastrami right now. But i did! this past summer! and man oh man was it delicious!

Heres what made me think about it:
today i decided to bite the bullet and spend 17 dollars on a Reuben Sandwich from Katz's Deli.

i eat maybe one of these a year.

but they are the most delicious thing probably ever.

so!

it made me remember, that i can actually make this myself! it just takes a month...

Heres how i did it.


Ingredients:
4 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons dried thyme
12 bay leaves, crumbled
4 teaspoons whole cloves
1/2 cup minced garlic
4 teaspoons whole juniper berries, plus 2/3 cup crushed juniper berries
32 cups (or 8 quarts) water
1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup kosher salt
1 (8 to 10 pound) beef brisket
1 1/3 cup coarsely ground black pepper

In a bowl mix the peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, cloves, garlic, and the whole juniper berries. in a giant pot - big enough to hold 32 cups of water! Mix the Water, the Sugar, and the Salt, until everything is dissolved. Remove from heat and add in the spice mixture from the bowl. let it steep like tea, for an hour (or until the water is no longer hot! if the water is hot when you put the brisket in, it will start cooking the brisket)

Place the brisket in a glass or plastic container - (like a 5 gallon bucket!) Pour the brine over the brisket until it is covered completely. Cover and refrigerate for 3 weeks (YES 3 WEEKS!), turning the brisket every couple of days.

Get your smoker going.  follow what ever instructions come with it.

Remove the brisket from the brine, and dry it.  At this point you can get rid of the brine!

Next Take 2/3 cup crushed juniper berries and 2/3 cup of ground black pepper and throw it in a bowl.  (i used a coffee grinder to grind both the juniper berries and pepper corns into a nice chunky mixture)
Take this mixture and start rubbing it into the brisket,  like your giving it a massage...  Really get it in there you know?!

anyways, make sure the whole thing is covered in the pepper mixture.

Place the brisket in the smoker and smoke for about 1 hour per pound. so 8 or 9 hours. Remove from the smoker and then place in a steamer, and steam it for another hour.

The steaming is the secret step to make it deliciously juicy.


heres the finished sandwich
on rye bread
with sour kraut,
and swiss cheese
and mustard

Jack is Cooking Macaroni and Cheese from a Box - and making it better!

Hello Internet!

For This concoction you will need any kind of macaroni and cheese that comes in a box. it usually will cost anywhere from 49¢ to $2.00

then whatever you want to put in it!

here are some things i reccomend
sausage
peas
garlic
onions
broccoli
peppers
bacon

and pretty much anything else you can imagine that you think would be delicious!

so this is a pretty lazy one, but one day i will make a real macaroni and cheese video.

www.jackiscooking.com

Jack is Cooking a Sandwich and an Omelette (part 2)

And heres the Omelette!

Jack is Cooking a Sandwich and an Omelette (part 1)

Well hello internet!

Tonight (and most nights actually...) i am making my lunch for tomorrow and dinner tonight. i've perfected a method of doing both at the same time by making a sandwich, and then an omelette out of the same materials.

you can use any different ingredients, but heres the essentials

some kind of bread
some kind of meat
some kind of cheese
lettuce
mayo
butter
other assorted condiments
and eggs for the omelette

Jack is Cooking Buffalo Wings with Spinach in Cheese Sauce

these are the best wings ever.

you will need
1 - 1&1/2 lb chicken wings
1/3 cup butter (or garlic butter)
1/2 cup Hot Sauce (i like Franks)
salt and pepper

for spinach

1 pack frozen spinach
2 tbspn flour
2 tbspn butter
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
s + P

Jack is Cooking Corn Bread

so this is the first time i have ever made corn bread. this recipe is a mixture of a bunch of recipes i was looking at, basically so i could use the ingredients i had. i am going to be experimenting in the future with different recipes until i find the perfect cornbread. i encourage anybody to join me in my quest to find the perfect cornbread, so if you have any tips they would be greatly apreciated, or you can take my recipe and try to improve upon it.

what i used:

2 cups corn meal
3 tspns baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk (if you have buttermilk that is way better)
1 tspn salt
1 can sweet corn (or creamed corn)
1-2 cups cheese
2 tbspns bacon drippings, or vegetable oil

Jack is Cooking Pig in a Blanket

this is a cheap easy thing to make and it tastes good

you'll need
hot dogs (i used hebrew national foot longs in this video)
crescent rolls (these come premade by pillsbury and also you can get generic crescent rolls in whatever store you are at)
cheese

Jack is Cooking Shepherds Pie

today i am cooking shepherds pie. this is an old english dish which is very easy and very cheap to make. you can also make it with leftovers, so like if you have a bolognaise sauce left over you can use that.

the way i made it from scratch, it cost me less than 10 dollars to make

(even using all organic ingredients)

, and can feed like 3 people (more if they are children)

a note: shepherds pie actually contains ground lamb. thus the name shepherds pie. but since lamb these days is expensive it can be made with beef. which is technically cottage pie, but whatever i call it shepherds pie.

ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (or lamb)
3-4 potatoes
milk
butter
salt and pepper
some carrots,
some sliced onion
chedder cheese

also, if you are interested in purchasing any organic meat, and you live in the US, go to

www.herondalefarm.com

and you can buy any of the meat that you see me cooking with. it is all USDA organic freerange happy animals, and it tastes damn good

Jack is Cooking Ham Steaks and Cauliflower Cheese

country style ham steaks with potatoes and cauliflower cheese.

for ham:
1 2lb ham steak
3 potatoes (sliced thin)
1 onion (sliced)
2 cups milk
salt and pepper
thyme

for Cauliflower Cheese
cauliflower
2 cups milk
3 tbspns butter
3 tbspns flour
1 cup cheese
1 cup bread crumbs (or crushed up potato chips)

these were recipes that i knew before, but the ingedients are from some random websites i found by googling the names of the food.

filmed by roland

this meal fed three people, with some leftovers, by the way.

Jack is Cooking Fettucini Alfredo

tonight i am cooking fettuccini alfredo. here is an approximate list of ingredients in case you want to make it to. for instructions, watch the video

2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 cup half n half (or heavy cream)
1 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
3/4 cup frozen peas