Chef Anna's Blog
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Chef Anna: Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 12:42 PM
One of my most relied-upon resources for culinary inspiration
and, of course, recipes, is the internet. It seems that every other
week there are cool new cooking & food-oriented websites springing
up, offering recipes, blogs, and even online socializing with
like-minded foodies like you and me.
While I have many “food” sites that I visit regularly, I thought I
would take this rainy Washington day to share some of my favorite sites
with you:
Yummly is a great site for finding, well “every recipe in the
world”. Yummly is the world’s largest and most powerful recipe search
site. It searches the internet and retrieves recipes meeting your
criteria. It even allows you to enter certain dietary criteria such as
wheat-free, vegetarian, vegan, and even allergies such as lactose,
gluten, and nuts. As you develop your profile, it sends recipe
suggestions to you matching your specific tastes. Some of the recipes
that were recommended for me were Chicken Jalfrezi, Moroccan Beef Stew,
and Spicy Fish Soup.
It even has social media built-in, so you can network with
“TasteBuds” with whom you can swap favorite recipes. It even is
fully-integrated into Facebook, allowing you to post your favorite
recipes to your newsfeed.
Chef Hangout allows you to network with thousands of chefs from
all over the world via Google +. You can sign up for cooking classes
and learn great new recipes and techniques from the comfort of your own
home, using your computer and webcam. Getting started is as simple as
1-2-3:
1. Find a class and buy it using PayPal or your credit card
2. Once you pay for your class, you’ll see a list of ingredients
needed. You can also invite your family and friends to enjoy the
cooking class with you via Google +, Twitter & Facebook.
3. Attend your class! You’ll need to be prepared with your
ingredients and any pre-class preparations your chef suggests. Then,
simply sign into their website, go to your class page, and click “Join
Class”…
Class costs range from $10 for “Mini-Class: Learn to Make
Vinagrettes” to $49 for “Private Class with Chef Dennis” where Dennis
Littley, a Chef, Culinary Instructor, Photographer, Food Blogger and
owner of "A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis”, will instruct you in a
chosen area, such as entrée’s, desserts, or sauces.
FoodBuzz aggregates and curates over 6.6 Million posts from
24,171 food blogs to bring quality content into the spotlight. They
also partner exclusively with bloggers to provide content distribution
and create a community around a shared passion: food & dining. Once you create a profile, you can begin writing reviews, posting
photos and videos, sharing recipes & blogs. You can also start a
forum or create a poll.
The more content you submit, the more “Buzz” you get. The higher
your “Buzz”, the more views you will receive and the longer your
submission will stay at the top of the Buzz List.
The Kitchn is a blog devoted to home cooking and publishes daily
short articles that address the needs and desires of real home cooks.
While The Kitchn offers recipes — it goes far beyond them, too,
breaking down the cooking process to help you learn more about your
kitchen and your food. It is a great resource for cooking tips,
techniques, tutorials, and inspiring menus and meals. In addition, they
offer fantastic kitchen remodeling ideas and real photos of fantastic
home kitchens. This is a great site for people who like to get their hands dirty
while they cook and for those who care about the quality of their food.
The Gutsy Gourmet is a fantastic resource for ethnic foods of all
kinds. My most-often visited page is the “North African Cuisine” page,
where I have found some of the most delicious Moroccan, Algerian,
Libyan, and Egyptian recipes ever.
As a personal chef, I spend as much time, if not more, at my
computer researching and reading recipes, techniques, and ideas. I hope
you’ll take a minute to check out some of my favorite places on the
Interweb and I’d love to hear of some of your favorite foodie-related
websites as well!
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Chef Anna Wagner: Posted on Thursday, January 05, 2012 6:21 PM
I have been away for awhile enjoying the holiday season with my friends and family! But I am ready to get back into the groove of blogging by sharing one of my recipes for a hearty, delicious, healthy vegetable soup.
 When the weather gets cold out, I LOVE my soups and stews. They are so quick and convenient to make and healthy as well. Because it is the New Year, and I have put on a few pounds, I have personally been focusing on eating a mostly vegetarian diet, which includes juicing regularly, in order to get valuable plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals, into my body. Phytochemicals are the cutting edge of nutritional research
because they hold the keys to preventing some of our most deadly diseases, such as cancer
and heart disease, as well as some of our most common, like asthma, arthritis, and
allergies.
If you would like more information on the benefits of juicing, and on phytochemicals I would recommend the documentary "Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead". It is available on Netflix, and I highly recommend checking it out.
In the meantime, and in the spirit of Health and the Love of Veggies, here is my Recipe for "Nine-Vegetable Curry Soup"!
Nine-Vegetable Curry
Soup Serves
6 - 8
Ingredients:
3 carrots, chopped 3
celery stalks, chopped 1
small onion, chopped 2
Tbsp. olive oil 2
Tbsp. butter 2
garlic cloves, diced 3
small red, yellow, or other waxy potato, peeled and chopped 1
14-oz. can lite coconut milk 3
Tbsp. Thai red or green curry paste 2
medium yellow squash, chopped 1
red bell pepper, chopped 10
mushrooms, sliced 2
large kale or chard leaves, diced into 1 inch strips 2
leeks, chopped (white and light-green parts only) 1
tsp. fresh ginger, diced 1
tsp. red pepper flakes 6
cups vegetable stock Salt
and pepper to taste Chopped
cilantro to garnish
Directions: In
a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté carrots, celery and onion in olive oil
for five minutes or until tender. Do not let them brown.
Create
a small space in the center of the pot by pushing the vegetables to the
side. In this space, melt the butter and
sauté the garlic and ginger. Do not
overcook or the garlic; it will turn bitter if browned.
Add
potatoes, sprinkling with salt, and sauté until tender. Add coconut milk and curry paste. Simmer over medium heat for five minutes,
stirring frequently.
Add
squash, bell pepper, mushrooms, kale and leeks, and simmer for five
minutes. Evenly sprinkle red pepper
flakes, stirring to coat.
Pour
the vegetable stock over the milk and vegetable mixture, and bring to a
boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20
minutes, covered.
Serve
immediately or refrigerate overnight to reheat the next day. Garnish with cilantro.
Download Recipe Here:
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Chef Anna: Posted on Saturday, October 08, 2011 3:37 PM
 Ginjinha or simply Ginja, is a liqueur
made by infusing ginja berries, (sour cherry) (Prunus cerasus austera, the Morello cherry) with
alcohol (aguardente) and sugar. Ginjinha is served as a shot with a a single cherry in the bottom of the cup. It is a
drink in Lisbon, Alcobaca, and Obidos, Portugal.
The Ginjinha of the Praça de São Domingos
in Lisbon was the first
establishment to commercialize the drink. A friar of the Church of
Santo António, Francisco Espinheira, had experimented by leaving ginja berries in aguardente (the Portuguese
brandy), and adding sugar, water and cinnamon. The success was immediate
and Ginginha became the typical drink of Lisbon.
 A Ginjinha do
Rossio is perhaps the most famous ginjinha establishment, where locals
queue up in a tiny bar carved into a wall just north of the Baixa
district in Lisbon. For €1, locals and tourists line up to sip this
sweet, sticky concoction. Older Portuguese men drink their shot in one
gulp, then suck on the cherry for awhile before spitting the pit into the street.
 While traveling to Lisbon to taste this
awesome liqueur may not be in your budget, there are several importers
where you may be able to find it. Try HGC Imports
Inc., (contact them and ask them where they distribute in your area -
they distribute in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, new Mexico,
Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.) There is also a very
good
chance The Spanish Table in Seattle, Santa Fe, Berkeley or Mill Valley,
CA may carry it. |
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Chef Anna: Posted on Friday, October 07, 2011 1:50 PM
What is a Tagine?
Tagines are shallow, round clay cooking pots with pointed, cone-shaped
lids in which Moroccan stews are traditionally made.
Cooking in a clay
tagine, very gently over a brazier (kanoun) of constantly
replenished embers, diffuses the heat all around the pot and produces,
at the end, a reduced sauce sizzling in it's own fat. However, many
modern Moroccan households, and most American households, find it more
convenient to cook the tagine on the stove top or ideally, in the oven. Remember that the tagine is very delicate and can crack if exposed to
direct heat, so if you use a gas stove, be sure to use a diffuser before
placing your tagine on the burner.
Tagines are distinguished by their cooking fats and spices, although the distinctions have become blurred these days. M'qualli are tagines cooked in oil with saffron and ginger, producing a yellow sauce. M'hammer refers to tagines cooked with olive oil or butter, and spiced with cumin and paprika, where the sauce is red.
Where Can I Buy a Tagine?
Many
kitchen supply shops or gourmet shops oftentimes will carry tagines,
but they still may be difficult to locate within the USA. I received my
tagine as a gift from my friend's mother, and carried it all the way
from Agadir, Morocco back to Tacoma, WA.
Tagines are available made from a variety of materials, including
clay and other ceramics, stainless steel, cast iron and silicone. Price
and versatility can vary greatly by material.
Simple clay tagines are widely available online and in ethnic
markets for as little as $20 to $30. However, many of these cannot
tolerate high heat on the stove, which means meat cannot be browned in
them. These tagines are best for foods cooked in the oven. Foods must be
browned in another skillet before being added to the tagine. Many of
these tagines also must be seasoned with oil before first use. Most clay tagines also cannot go in the dishwasher. Some clay tagines
have decorative glazing. Be careful with these, as some glazes contain
lead.
Here are a few suggestions on where to buy a tagine:
The Spanish Table
The
Spanish Table has locations in Seattle, WA, Santa Fe, NM, Berkeley,
CA, and Mill Valley, CA. You can also order online and have your
tagine shipped to you. These are traditional clay tagines, and cost
between $40 - $90.
Tagines.com
Tagines.com offers a selection of both cooking and serving tagines, and has reasonable prices to boot.
SiliconeZone
SiliconeZone makes a silicone tagine lid that fits over any skillet, and at $20, it may be the most economical choice.
Emile Henry
Emile
Henry offers a line of beautiful, modern, and durable tagines. They
can tolerate high-heat cooking on the stove, in the oven and in the
microwave. They also can go in the freezer and dishwasher.
All -Clad
All-Clad
offers a stainless steel version of the tagine. It is extremely
durable and the stainless steel bottom offers even heat distribution. It also has handles! The All-Clad tagine costs about $200.
Le Creuset
Le Creuset takes a similar approach to All-Clad with its tagine, which combines a
ceramic top with an enameled cast-iron base. These cost about $150 and
have superb heat retention and they also come in a variety of cool colors...
Now you've got your tagine... what next? Here is an interesting video about traditional Berber tagine cooking:
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Posted on Thursday, October 06, 2011 5:54 PM
I tried out this recipe with my good friend over a glass of wine last Tuesday. It was delicious and the meat just fell off the bones! It goes great with couscous and one of my favorite recipes from Claudia Roden from her cookbook "Arabesque" - Carrot Salad with Cumin and Garlic.
Braised Moroccan Chicken Serves 6
 Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil 6 Chicken Legs, Thighs Attached, skin removed Salt and Pepper 1 Large Onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 tsp. Turmeric 1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, finely minced 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 1/4 C. Dry Sherry 2 C. Chicken Broth
1 1/2 C. Pitted, Dried Prunes
1/2 C. minced Cilantro, plus more for garnish
Directions:
In a large 5-quart heavy pot or dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Place 3 chicken legs at a time in the pot, cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken and oil.
Add onion, cook stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze pot with 1/4 cup sherry, cook, stirring to loosen browned bits on bottom of pot. Add turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute more. Return chicken to pot, add 2 cups chicken broth and half of the prunes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 45 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a platter; cover tightly with foil to keep warm. Add remaining prunes to pot; raise heat to high. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes more. Divide chicken amount plates, top with sauce and minced cilantro.
Download Recipe Here:
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