Panko Breadcrumbs

Panko breadcrumbs are a Japanese version of dry bread crumbs. The recipe, which is very easy, I found out recently and fell in love with it. The white panko is made from white bread with the crust removed, and the tan panko uses both the bread and the crust, sometimes I use wholewheat bread.

Ingredients
4 white bread slices (to make 1 cup of fresh panko)

Directions
1) Trimm off the crusts of the bread slices.

2) With a food processor, push chunks of bread through the shredding disk to make coarse crumbs.

3) Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 300ºF/150ºC for 6 to 8 minutes.

The crumbs should be dry, not toasted and they should not be brown. Shake the sheet twice during baking.

You can flavor your dry or fresh bread crumbs with spices and herbs.

Panko can also be substituted for ordinary bread crumbs as coating food for frying, filling for meatloafs, meatballs and burgers, and as toppings for fish, salads, vegetables, and casserole dishes.

Recipes with Panko Breadcrumbs

1) Baked fish: On a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper add sliced onions, lay the fish skin down, season with salt, garlic, pepper, and lime juice. Top with panko breadcrumbs (you can season your breadcrumbs with olive oil, thyme and salt). Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with rice and vegetables of your choice.


2) Vegetables: Boil green beans for a few minutes. Drain. Sauté beans in a skillet with butter or olive oil, garlic, soy sauce and seasonings. Top with panko when serving.


3) Meat: use fake meat or real meat: cut into thin strips, stir-fry with oil, salt, onions, and pepper. Add panko before serving.


4) Crusted chicken: when roasting chicken pieces, add the panko breadcrumbs on top of chicken in the last 10 minutes.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese - World Pasta Day

Are you a pasta fan? October 25th is World Pasta Day, a day to celebrate the most globalized and beloved food in the world. Well, to be honest, my kids could have pasta every day, and we actually have it once or twice a week. I fixed this Baked mac & cheese on a Sunday as it is an easy one-dish meal and it takes you out of the kitchen fast, allowing you more quality time with the kids and family on such a lazy day.

The UNFPA is the organization responsible for the activities to promote Pasta in the world, you can learn more here.

If you would like to participate, Verena is hosting this year's event. To join the fun, fix a Pasta dish, take a picture and post it in your blog on Thursday, October 25th, 2007. Link back to her announcement in your post, and eventually to the roundup.

Send an email to worldpastaday(at)gmail(dot)com including:

- Your name
- Blog name and your blog’s URL
- Recipe name and the post’s URL
- Your location and country

Submissions can only be accepted until Thursday, October 25^th, 2007.

Ingredients for the Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound elbow pasta, cooked and drained (I used mini penne)
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (optional)
1 1/4 cups shredded (5 ounces) yellow cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded (5 ounces) white cheddar cheese (I used mozzarella)
8 ounces (250 g) ham, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces (250 g) bacon, diced and cooked to a light brown
2 slices white sandwich bread or 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 °F (180 °C) degrees. Cook pasta, and drain; reserve. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart (4.5 liters) heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in flour to coat onion. In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

2) Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne, if using, and 1 cup each yellow and white cheddar cheese. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3) Toss pasta with cheese mixture; fold in ham. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or individual dishes. Set aside.

3) In a food processor, pulse bread until large crumbs form. Toss together with remaining 1/4 cup each white and yellow cheddar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.

Note: You can make mini mac & cheese. This recipe makes enough to fill eight 12-to-16-ounce baking dishes or ramekins. Divide the macaroni and cheese evenly, sprinkle with topping, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.



Recipe from the book: Everyday Food: Great food fast - Martha Stewart

Ginger Vinaigrette

Ginger: a spice commomly used in Asian and Indian cuisines. It has a peppery, slightly sweet flavor, and it can also be used as medicine. I usually add ginger to seafood, oriental dishes, vegetables, and also cakes, cookies or use it combined with other spices, such as clover and cinnamon. This is an adapted recipe that I found in the March and April issues of Real Simple magazine.


Ginger Vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 dash salt (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk together the ginger, vinegar, salt, and oil. Use it to spice up salads, seafood salads and marinates, oriental dishes, etc.

Cucumber salad: Peel one cucumber. Working over a medium bowl, use a vegetable peeler to create long, thin strips of cucumber. Add radishes, scallions, the ginger vinaigrette and toss. Cover and refrigerate.

Quick salad: use a salad mix (or mix lettuce, grated carrots, cherry tomatoes, and watercress). Add panko and ginger vinaigrette.