You Don't Know Jack

Didn't Want to Pay for a Site so Here We Are
HomeRecipes

Recipes

You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food. Paul Prudhomme

A Play on Thai Curry

One of my favorite comfort foods to make on colder days. This recipe is influenced primarily by one of my best friend’s, KK, who made a rendition of it shortly after my Mom passed. I hope you can be comforted by it too and throw in your own personal touches.

View Recipe
Serves
4 - 6 People
Preperation Time
10 - 15 minutes
Cook Time
Under 1 Hour
Tool's You'll Need
Dutch Oven or Large Pot
Spatula
Kitchen Knife
Table Spoon for Measurement's
Serving Spoon/Ladel
(Optional) Blender

Ingredients

  • Red Thai Curry Paste (2 tablespoons, Panang is my Recommended Curry Paste)
  • Coconut Milk (Buy a Box, 33.8 oz or a few cans. Having Extra can help to Dilute the heat of the Curry if needed)
  • Rice or Noodles to serve the goodness on top of (1+ Cup of Rice, it's impossible to gauge the amount of Noodles so do what meets you and your guest needs)
  • 1 Yellow Onion (Diced)
  • Green Onion (2-3 stalks, Thinly Sliced including White and Green bits)
  • Garlic (Mince 2-3 or more Cloves, you can substitute with Garlic Powder)
    • If you are a Garlic lover like I am then put more in! I'm not the Garlic-Police
  • Soy Sauce (3 Tablespoons)
  • Fish Sauce (Couple of Dashes, this will smell to some noses a bit odd, but, adds some "Umami" to the mix which you'll love when you're eating)
  • Protein of Your Choice! Here are some suggestions (1 - 1.5 pounds cut into bite sized cubes):
    • Chicken Thighs (has the fat content to not dry out)
    • Pork
    • Beef
    • Tofu (Firm)
  • Bok Choy or Other Leafy Green (Roughly Chopped, Swiss Chard is a nutritional powerhouse and is available most places)
  • Bamboo Shoots and/or Shredded Carrots to provide some crunch
    • Note: Peanuts are also good to throw on this dish for added crunch and fat content.
  • Olive Oil/Any Cooking Oil you have on hand
  • Salt to taste
  • (Optional) Thai Eggplant (Cut into Quarters)
  • (Optional) Sesame Oil (Just a Dash or Two)
  • (Optional) Lime (Cut into Quarters)

Prep and Cook

  • Dice the Yellow Onion.
  • Heat up a Dutch Oven/Large Pot over medium-high heat with 1 - 2 Tablespoons of oil.
  • Add in the diced Yellow Onion with a pinch of salt.
    • Before you add the Onion! Later on if you choose to use a blender to make the Curry Base then set a quarter of the Onion aside to blend.
  • While the Yellow Onion begins to simmer prep the other ingredients:
    • Thinly slice the Green Onion
    • Mince your Garlic
    • Cut the Protein/Tofu into bite sized pieces.
    • Roughly cut the Bok Choy into 1/4 inch slices including the leaves.
    • Optional: If you grabbed some Thai Eggplant then cut them into quarters as well.
  • Add the chopped Bok Choy to the Pot after the Yellow Onion is starting to become fragrant.
  • Choose Your Path: Curry Base Options
    • Using the Blender
      • If you have a Blender handy add the Green Onion, Garlic, quarter of the Yellow Onion, 2 Tablespoons of Curry Paste, a splash of oil and about a half cup of Coconut Milk.
      • Throw in a couple dashes of Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce and optional Sesame Oil for a flavor boost.
      • Blend them together until it's a relatively smooth texture.
      • Pour the Blended mix into the Pot.
    • Just the Pot
      • If you do not want to use a blender then just add the Green Onion, Garlic and 2 Tablespoons of Curry Paste to your pot that is simmering the Yellow Onion.
      • Add in a half cup of Coconut Milk with a couple dashes of Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce and optional Sesame Oil.
  • Let the ingredients simmer for a few minutes then pour in any leftover Coconut Milk. Note: If you are using a blender you can add a little Coconut Milk to it and get all the little bits of missed ingredients. As a bonus it will aerate the milk.
  • Add in your Protein of Choice and optional Thai Eggplant to the Pot.
  • Stir and Cover the Pot to let the ingredients simmer and get to know each other without loosing much of the Coconut Milk due to evaporation.
  • Stir occasionally over the next 10 - 15 minutes.
  • Add in your Bamboo Shoots, Carrots or Both to give a little crunch to the dish.
  • Remove the lid from the Pot and let the Curry reduce, stirring occasionally, and try to scrape any bits on the bottom of the pan that may have formed. While it's reducing Prepare your Rice or Noodles.
  • Once the Rice/Noodles are cooking taste the Curry. If it's too spicy for you or the people you are serving just add in more Coconut Milk to dilute it.
    • Try putting a little bit of fresh Lime Juice into your samples. The citrus/acidity it adds can really make or break a dish for some pallets.
  • Once your Rice/Noodles are done check the Curry. If it has the consistency you're looking for then take it off direct heat, otherwise, let it reduce further stirring occasionally.
    • By leaving it on the heat source you will thicken the Curry just ensure you stir and scrape the bottom of the Pot for those tasty thangs that adhere to the bottom.

Serve

  • Add your cooked Rice or Noodles to a bowl and cover with your Curry.
  • Adorn with a quarter of Lime to add to the dish as needed.
  • Enjoy!

Red Wine Reduction Sauce

Perfect for gatherings with Family and Friends this sauce is a great addition to any Red Meat. In the past I’ve used this concoction when making dinner in an immersion circulator to sous vide the meat which allows for the flavors to dig in and get a perfect cook every time.

View Recipe
Use On
1 - 2 Pounds of Red Meat
Tool's You'll Need
Sauce Pan
Spatula
Kitchen Knife
Table Spoon for Measurement's
(Optional) Immersion Circulator (I use Anova's Base Model)

Ingredients

  • Butter (Dont be shy but 4 tablespoons if you want a number)
  • 3 Shallots (Cut into Quarters)
  • 3 Garlic Cloves or more if you like it Garlicy (Minced)
  • Rosemary (2 - 3 Sprigs)
  • Red Wine (1 Cup)
  • Demi-Glace (1.5 ounces, or a 2 tablespoons of Browning/Seasoning Sauce if you cant find Demi-Glace)
  • Salt and Pepper

Prep and Cook

  • Throw the Butter, Shallots and Rosemary into a Pan on Medium-High heat.
  • Stir the pan occasionally until the Shallot is looking like it's beginning to caramelize.
  • Toss in the Garlic and mix it together. Let it sit until you can smell the Garlic aroma.
  • Add in the Red Wine to deglaze the pan and scrape up any flavor nuggets that may be sitting at the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil.
  • Let the sauce reduce to burn off the alcohol twinge.
    • Give the sauce a taste every 5 - 10 minutes to see if it still has that alcohol bite.
  • Put the Demi-Glace/Browning Sauce into the same pan and mix it all up.
  • Taste and add Salt and Pepper to your liking.
  • Add on top of your meat before popping into the sous vide bath or as your cooking your meat.
  • Enjoy!

Send Noods

While working from Home during the Pandemic I had some time to experiment during my lunch break to try and make something quick that is still tasty. Prep these ingredients ahead of time for extra time savings!

View Recipe
Tool's You'll Need
Pan
Pot to Boil Noodles
Spatula
Kitchen Knife
Teaspoon and Tablespoon for Measurement's

Ingredients

  • Butter (1 Tablespoon, Substitute with Oil)
  • Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste which is awesome but feel free to substitute with other Chili Paste's/Hot Sauces, 1 Teaspoon - 1 Tablespoon, this really depends on how much spice you can handle)
  • Chinese 5 Spice (Just a Pinch and by Pinch I mean it this can overpower a lot of dishes)
  • Green Onion (1 Stalk Thinly Sliced, Substitute with Onion Powder ~1 - 2 Tablespoons)
  • Garlic (1 Clove Minced, Substitute with Garlic Powder ~1 - 2 Tablespoons)
  • Fish Oil (Just a Dash)
  • Sesame Oil (Just a Dash)
  • Hoisin (1 - 2 Tablespoons)
  • Any Noodle (Preferably something that lends to be Stir Fried)
  • Honey, Sugar or Brown Sugar (1 Tablespoon)
  • Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon, Supplies the Salt Content, Sub in Golden Mountain Sauce or other similar products if you'd like!)
  • (Optional) Soft Boiled or Fried Egg
  • (Optional) Lime to provide acidity

Prep and Cook

  • Bring a Pot to a Boil for your Noodles. While that's happening you can begin the other steps below.
  • In a Pan over medium heat add Butter, Garlic, and Green Onion then cook until fragrant.
  • Whisk together the Gochujang, Fish Oil, Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Hoisin in another bowl or if in a time crunch just pop it into the pan and mix it together thoroughly.
  • Add the Gochujang mixture to the Pan with the Butter, Garlic and Green Onion stirring occasionally.
  • Put your Noodles into the boiling water if you haven't already and let them cook per your packages instructions.
  • Let the sauce reduce as your noodles are cooking.
  • Once the Noodles are done add them to your sauce pan and mix together until they're coated head to toe.

Serve

  • Put the coated Noodles into a Bowl and adorn with an Egg if you'd like for extra protein.
  • Squeeze on some Lime Juice to cut through the fattiness of the dish if that fits your palette.
  • Enjoy!

Sudo Sumo Salmon

This recipe combines some of my favorite Asian inspired flavors with more traditional Salmon ingredients that makes for a tasty meal that can be served hot or cold.

View Recipe
Serves
4 - 6 People
Preperation Time
15 - 30 minutes
Cook Time
Under 1 Hour
Tool's You'll Need
(Optional) Blender
(Optional) Sous Vide/Immersion Circulator
Pan (Cast Iron Preferred)
Spatula
Kitchen Knife
Measuring Cup, Tablespoon and Teaspoon

Ingredients

  • Salmon (2 Pounds or More)
  • Olive Oil (1/4 Cup)
  • 1 Shallot (Minced or Roughly Cut and Blended)
  • Yellow Onion (1/4 Onion Mined or Blended)
  • Garlic (2 - 3 Cloves Minced or Blended)
  • Dill (Fresh is Preferred, De-stemmed 2 - 3 Tablespoons)
  • Smoked Paprika (1 Tablespoon, Substitute with Normal Paprika)
  • Green Onion (2 - 3 Stalks Cut Thinly or Blended)
  • Ginger (1 Tablespoon)
  • Lemon (Cut in Half for Marinade, Slice other Half Thinly)
  • Hoisin (1/4 Cup)
  • Soy Sauce (1/2 Cup)
  • Honey (2 Tablespoons, Can Substitute with Sugar)
  • Gochujang (Korean Chili Paste which is awesome but feel free to substitute with other Chili Paste's/Hot Sauces, 1 Teaspoon - 1 Tablespoon, this really depends on how much spice you can handle)
  • (Optional) Teriyaki Sauce (1/4 Cup)
  • (Optional) Fish Sauce (Just a Dash)
  • (Optional) Liquid Smoke (1 Teaspoon)

Prep and Cook

  • Pull out Salmon and Sprinkle with a little bit of Salt (not a lot of Salt! this is already a salty dish with the other sauces), Pepper and Smoked Paprika. After you're done cover and place in your fridge.
  • Make the Marinade:Combine all other ingredients (everything but the Salmon) in a Blender if you're using one until it's a smooth texture. This includes the the Olive Oil, juice from half of the Lemon and other ingredients outlined above.
  • Once blended or stirred together nicely pour Marinade into a Bag that is Safe to Sous Vide if you're going that route or into a container of your choosing. You can also save some of the marinade to put on rice, noodles or vegetables it pretty much works on anything!
  • Place Salmon in Marinade and coat entirely.
  • (Optional) If you would like some more Lemon flavor cut the other half into thin slices and place on top of the Salmon. Or, add more Lemon juice to the marinade.
  • Set Sous Vide to 111 Degrees and Drop Salmon in a water tight bag into the bath. Let for a maximum time of 45 minutes. If you're not using a Souse Vide then let your Salmon sit in the marinade for a few minutes and set your oven to a low temperature (150 - 200 degrees). Place the Salmon in the oven on a greased baking sheet or wood plank that has been soaked in water (around a half hour or so).
  • Once the Salmon is done in it's initial cook remove from the heat source and put a Cast Iron pan with a Tablespoon of oil onto your stove at Medium-High heat. Oils with a high smoke point are preferred so you're not smoking out your kitchen such as Vegetable Oil.
  • Once the pan is hot place the Salmon skin side down on the pan and let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes to get the skin nice and crispy.
  • Remove the pan from the heat source and move your Salmon to a serving tray.

Serve

  • If enjoying hot serve immediately over rice, noodles or vegetables. Otherwise, let it cool off and add it into a salad for a healthier meal.
  • If you have some marinade leftover use it as a sauce for other sides on the plate or mix with a little more Olive Oil to use as a salad dressing.
  • Enjoy!