A Flight of Zins Recipes

Chicken Do-Piaza

Ingredients
3 lb. roasting chicken cut into bite size
6 medium onions
4 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
3 tablespoons ghee
3 tablespoons oil
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
3 teaspoons salt

Directions
Thinly slice half the onions and set aside.  Roughly chop the rest of the onions and put into electric blender with the chilies, garlic and ginger.  Blend to a puree.   Mix in the ground spices.  Heat the ghee and oil in a large saucepan and fry the sliced onions, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown.  Remove onions from pan with slotted spoon.  Add the blended mixture to oil remaining in fry pan stirring until color darkens and oil appears around the edges.  Add tomatoes, stir and cook until liquid from tomatoes is almost evaporated.  Add the chicken pieces and stir well.  Add water and salt, cover and cook for 35 minutes or until chicken is tender.  Add reserved fried onions, cover and simmer 5 minutes longer.  Serve with rice or parathas.

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 slice finely chopped onions
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 dash pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups spaghetti sauce
40 large mushroom caps
Oil
Grated mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cook Italian sausage, onion, green pepper, garlic powder, and a handful of mushroom stems, finely chopped, in a skillet, then drain fat.  (It's best if you put meat mixture into a food processor with steel blade at this point to give meat a finer texture.  Just process for about 5 seconds or less)  Then add bread crumbs, pepper, salt, and spaghetti sauce.  Coat mushroom caps with oil  Fill mushroom caps with meat mixture.  Cover with fo il and bake about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then broil until cheese is melted and mushrooms are tender.

Shredded Pork with Red Mole Sauce over Ciabatta Bread

Oven BBQ Pork

Ingredients
1 pork shoulder or pork butt roast
1/4 c. liquid smoke
Salt and pepper
1 sliced onion
1 sliced green pepper
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1/4 c. liquid smoke

Directions
Season roast with liquid smoke, salt, and pepper. Wrap well in foil. Bake 6 hours at 275 degrees or boil for 2 hours.
Cool roast, strip meat off beans, discard fat. Place in baking dish and add salt and pepper, sliced onion, green pepper and liquid smoke. Bake 1 hour at 300 degrees.

Mole sauce

Ingredients
1 entire chicken breast, with bones but without skin
1/4 medium white onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp of salt
5 Guajillo chiles
10 red Ancho chiles
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 rolls of bread
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tbsp mix thyme, majoran, oregano
1/2 cup of chocolate, cut in pieces
4 tbsp lard
10 almonds
10 raisins
3 cloves of garlic
1/8 medium white onion
3 medium tomatoes, cooked
2 cups of chicken broth
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt

Directions
Chicken Broth:
Cook the chicken in 4 cups of water, with garlic, onion and salt on medium heat for 45 minutes.  Reserve chicken for another dish.

Wash the chiles with a damp cloth, remove the stems of the chiles, slit open with a knife and remove the seeds and veins. Toast the chiles on both sides in large frying pan over high heat, making sure that they do not burn.
Soak the chiles in boiling water to soften them for about 10 min. Meanwhile, fry the almonds in the lard at medium heat for 5 min., or until they are a golden color.
Take them out and set aside.
Next fry the raisins until they puff up and the skin browns a bit, then remove and strain in a sieve. Turn the heat down a bit, and fry the sesame seeds in the same oil, adding salt to prevent them from jumping from pan.
Once golden, remove and store on an absorbent paper towel. Still in the same oil, fry the slices of bread, until they are golden. Remove and put on an absorbent paper towel. On a dry pan or skittle roast the garlic, onion and tomato until they are nicely toasted with black spots.
In a blender, grind the chiles with a half cup of water. Once the mixture is smooth, pour into a saucepan and fry with one tbsp of the lard for 10 min. on medium heat. Stirring occasionally to ensure that it does not stick to the pan.
Next, blend both the roasted and fried ingredients together, until smooth. Blend the tomatoes and strain through a colander and add into the chile mixture. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the chicken broth, salt, sugar and chocolate. Cool for 15 min. on medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Pour over shredded pork mixture.  Simmer to blend flavors.

Ciabatta Bread
makes (2) 5x10 inch loaves
Flat and flour dusted, this classic Italian "slipper shaped" bread is characterized by its large irregularly sized and shaped holes. It begins with biga, Italian for "starter," a fermented-yeast mixture that lends superior flavor and texture to bread. Make the biga the day before you plan to bake this bread.

Ingredients:
For the Biga: (the starter)
1 cup bread flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant active dry yeast
2/3 cup spring water, warmed to 100 degrees F (38 degrees C)

For the Dough:
3 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon instant active dry yeast
2 teaspoons instant dry nonfat milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups warm spring water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C)

Directions
Make the Biga:
(Make the biga the day before baking the bread)
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and water and stir until smooth. Cover bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let ferment in a warm, draft-free place overnight. The resulting mixture will be bubbly and light.
Make the Dough:
In a large bowl or food processor fitted with metal blade, stir together flour, yeast, dry milk, and salt. Add the biga and water. Use a wooden spoon to mix or process until a wet, sticky dough is formed. Beat 5 more minutes by hand, or process for 45 more seconds. The dough will be springy and wet. Scrape dough from sides of bowl and cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until trebled in size -- about 3 hours.
Shape the Loaves:
Liberally sprinkle a work surface with flour and, without punching down, turn the dough out onto it. Sprinkle the dough and your hands with flour and press to flatten the dough into a 6- by 6-inch rectangle. Divide the dough into two equal halves, cover with the damp kitchen towel, and let it rise for 30 minutes. Using well-floured hands, stretch each rectangle of dough to measure 5 by 10 inches. Gently turn the edges under about 1/2 inch to plump up the dough. Spread your fingers wide and, using your whole hand, lightly press the dough to flatten it to its characteristic slipper-like shape. Generously coat a baker's peel or a baking sheet with cornmeal and flip the dough over onto the peel. Rub flour over the dough surfaces, cover with a damp towel, and let rise for 30 more minutes.
Bake the Loaves:
Place a baking stone in the lower third of the oven and preheat for at least 30 minutes (to thoroughly heat the stone) at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Use a quick shoveling motion to slide each loaf from the peel or baking sheet onto the hot stone. Mist the inside of the oven with 3 or 4 sprays of water and bake until loaves are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container. 


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