Larb! (Laotian Ground Chicken & Rice)

Larb doesn't sound like the most appetizing name for a dish, but this dish is truly fantastic. It's easy, cheap, filling, endlessly customizable and tastes delicious. 

Larb is a traditional dish of Laos, in Southeast Asia.  This version isn't traditional, but it has the qualities of Larb and is so simple. 

All you really need is ground chicken and rice, and any additional veggies you like. The simple sauce is sweet and tart, made with easy-to-find Asian ingredients.  It's awesome. 

Pickled onions add some crunchy tang to the ground meat and rice. 

You can serve the larb over rice or along with rice in boston lettuce leaves.

Either way this dish is a winner.  You can adjust the spice level with more or less chilis, add mushrooms and/or greens, or any other veggies you like.  My favourite addition is water chestnuts - I love the crunchy texture. 

Here's what you need...

Ingredients:
1/2 a medium red onion
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb (around 500g) ground chicken (you can also use ground turkey, pork or beef)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small hot peppers, minced 
1 bunch green onions, sliced
4 tablespgroons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (chili garlic sauce)
Butter or Boston lettuce leaves for serving
Cilantro for serving
Lime wedges for serving

Optional additions:
Finely chopped mushrooms (cooked with the ground chicken)
Chopped greens such as bok choy, kale, or spinach (added with the sauce and wilted)
Chopped water chestnuts 

Directions: 
First steam some rice and make quick pickled onions by thinly slicing half a red onion and soaking it in rice vinegar while everything cooks.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the ground chicken, breaking it up and cooking until no longer pink.  Add the garlic chili peppers and white parts of the green onions and continue to cook until the liquid evaporates and the chicken starts to brown. 

Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and sambal oelek, stirring to combine.  Add the green parts of the green onions and any other additions (leafy greens, water chestnuts) and cook until liquid is mostly evaporated. 

Serve over rice, topped with pickled onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.  Even better, serve it all wrapped in lettuce leaves. 

Enjoy! 

Italian Chopped Salad

Sometimes you need a really hearty salad. Winter is an especially good time for this because all the ingredients are widely available all year long. 

This salad has everything: lettuce, cheese, meat, chickpeas, onions, peppers, and a dressing packed with oregano and garlic. It's a real treat. An excellent meal on its own or a great side dish with soup or a sandwich.  It will serve 4 as a meal or more as a side.

The recipe comes from Nancy's Chopped Salad in the Mozza cookbook, via Smitten Kitchen.

Here's what you need for this delicious salad.

To Do: Make Caesar Salad from Scratch

Around here, stores sell a very popular bottled Caesar salad dressing called "Renee's" that many people use exclusively.  I think there's a creamy version and a vinaigrette version. It tastes ok: parmesan and pepper flavour, mostly.  But have you ever made Caesar dressing from scratch?  It is a whole new world!

Of course it is a little more labour intensive than opening one jar, but it is so worth it! You'll need to get over any reservations you may have about raw eggs and anchovies. Just make sure your eggs are fresh. Anchovies are amazing flavour enhancers.  

Look at those anchovies!

And the egg yolk!

My inspiration is this recipe from Martha Stewart.  Here's what you need:

• 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 12 slices baguette (1/4 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped 

For the croutons, rub a garlic clove over the baguette slices and brush them with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile throw the rest of the ingredients (except oil and romaine) into a food processor or blender.  

Turn on the blender or processor and drizzle in the oil while it's running.  

Meanwhile toss the bacon with the romaine.  Drizzle the dressing over and toss to combine.  

I like to serve it with just a couple of whole toasted baguette slices, but you can break them up like traditional croutons if you prefer.  Or add a lemon slice and parmesan shavings.  Go crazy!

Not too difficult and so worth the effort!

Food lessons learned:

• Watch those croutons! They will brown too much on the bottom if you're not careful
• Crispy bacon is best. Feel free to cook extra at breakfast and save some for this

Photography lessons learned:

• I wouldn't say I learned much here.  I know I want to have better lighting in these photos, but haven't figured out the trick yet