New York Monday

January 31, 2010 | Filed Under New York Monday | 8 Comments

One of the many food markets on the West side.

Have a good week, everyone!

Paz

Orzo Paella

January 27, 2010 | Filed Under Orzo, Paella, Pasta, Poultry | 8 Comments

Orzo! I love this rice-shaped pasta and jumped at the opportunity to make Orzo Paella when I saw the recipe on Haalo’s blog, Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once. Orzo Paella? Never heard of it before. Gotta try it, I thought to myself. Try it I did. And did I like it? Did everyone else at home like it? Yup. Like it we did.

One of the things I liked about this recipe was that it’s quick and easy to make. The ingredients are very simple. I didn’t have to go to Timbuktu in search of anything special or exotic. I had almost all the ingredients right there in my kitchen. The only ingredient I didn’t have was the chorizo. I could only get it in a store a couple of blocks away. But I was feeling too lazy to walk down there. So I called another store closer to me (about a block away) and had them deliver Italian sausage since they didn’t carry chorizos.

Haalo suggests topping the orzo paella with shards of manchego or grated Mizithra/Myzithra. I didn’t have that either, so good ole Parmesan cheese substituted. I’ve never tasted Manchego or Mizithra cheese. I’ll have to go buy some one of these days because I’ll definitely make Orzo Paella again. Thanks, Haalo!

Paz

Orzo Paella
Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once

2 red onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced thickly

4 skinless chicken thighs, sliced thickly

1 chorizo, diced

green peas

chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)

Heat a little oil and butter in a large pan and saute the chicken in batches until browned. Set to one side and in the same pan, saute the onions and garlic until softened.

Add the diced chorizo and cook until golden. Add the sliced capsicum and continue to saute for 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes, peas and chicken. Stir through and add enough water or stock to just cover the mixture. Simmer until reduced.

The orzo will only take about 5 minutes to cook so make sure that this chicken mixture is cooked and seasoned to your liking.

Over a very low flame, stir in the orzo and top with enough water to just cover the mixture. Place a lid on the pot and let it cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes.

After this, stir the mixture and taste — check that the orzo is cooked through and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve at once. Top with shards of manchego or grated Mizithra/Myzithra.

New York Monday

January 24, 2010 | Filed Under New York Monday | 11 Comments

This is the Peace Fountain at St. John’s Cathedral.

Happy New York Monday, All!

Paz

Helin’s Chicken Soup Honduran Style

January 19, 2010 | Filed Under Honduran recipes, Soups | 10 Comments

Family friend, Helin, made some chicken soup for us. Originally from Honduras, she made her chicken soup the way she would make it in her country. We loved her soup, which contained chicken (of course) squash, yams (yucca), green bananas, corn, cabbage, carrots, green bell pepper, onions, cilantro, and culantro.

The seasonings included a Maggi cube, coriander and annatto Goya Sazón, and Adobe Seasoning. The soup was left to simmer for about 45 minutes.

Helin said that sometimes she adds angel hair pasta in the soup but this time, she left it out. The soup is served with a side dish of rice for those who want even more substance with their soup. We skipped the rice, too. Everyone enjoyed the soup and it hit the spot. Just right for a cold day January day.

By the way, Helin said you can substitute the chicken with beef. Thanks, Helin! This was really good and tasty.

Paz

ShelterBox

January 17, 2010 | Filed Under Announcements, Disaster Relief Organizations, ShelterBox | 8 Comments

Contents of a ShelterBox

I’d already made a donation to help with the disaster relief efforts in Haiti. Then I read about ShelterBox USA on Jai and Bee’s blog, Jugalbandi. ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that helps people, worldwide, when a disaster strikes. They provide boxes that contain a tent and other necessities, like thermal blankets, waterproof ponchos, stove, pans, utensils, water containers, tool kits, children school supplies and more. They’ve helped in several several countries, ranging from Afghanistan, Angola, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Louisiana, Mississippi to Zambia and more. I liked what they do, so I made a donation to them.

There are many charitable organizations collecting funds to help victims of the Haitian earthquake but I thought I’d share the information about ShelterBox with you. If you would like to help those affected by the disaster in Haiti and haven’t done so yet, you may want to consider making a donation to ShelterBox. Even if you have already made a donation elsewhere, you may want to consider making a second donation to ShelterBox. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, helps them help others in their time of need.

If you’re interested in learning more about Shelterbox USA and would like to make a donation, go here. The main headquarters is based in the United Kingdom. In addition to the United States, there are also chapters in Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, New Zealand and Denmark. You can find the web sites for these countries at this link.

The contents of the ShelterBox provides a roof, basic supplies and six months of clean drinking water for ten people in Haiti. They need shelter and help now. So, let’s help them now (In the comments section on the donation page, state that you want your donation to go to Haiti.).

Thanks,

Paz