Use any recipe you want for the virtual dinner. I've already changed my mind several times. The recipe you just posted sounds really good, I may make that very soon and will sub maple syrup for the honey...

We are already getting a really nice collection of recipes here, which is what I hoped would happen.

Nancy

Ooh - I know you've done these virtual dinners before, but I've never participated. This sounds really fun and I love ginger, so I think I'm in.

We'll definitely start off with these Ginger Martinis, courtesy of the Food Network. DH is a master martini maker and these are really ginger-y and good. We usually don't use up all the pulp, so I freeze it ice cube trays and add it to baked goods.

Ginger Martini
Food Network Kitchens

Ice
3 ounces vodka, any flavor
1/2 to 1 ounce ginger syrup, recipe follows
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Twist of lemon or lime

Fill a cocktail shaker or small pitcher with ice. Add the vodka, ginger syrup, and lime juice. Cover and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, by the time the shaker mists up the drink is ready.) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add twist and serve.

Ginger Syrup:

1 lemon
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh ginger with peel, about 8 ounces
1 cup sugar
2 cups water

Remove the outer peel of the lemon with a vegetable peeler, taking care not to include too much of the bitter white pith. Finely chop the lemon peel and ginger in a food processor. Transfer the lemon-ginger mixture to a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Yield: 2 cups

OMG, there are ginger martinis?! I just got a huge bottle of vodka for Christmas, I didn't know what I was going to do with it . . .

Now I have a question. I'm starting to think about overall menus, have to pair ginger with something complimentary. Should we post here or should I start another thread?

I would like to participate. I'm not a huge fan of ginger but love it in Asian cooking. I'm not really sure if ginger is the "star" ingredient but I definetly can taste it.

trsinc posted the recipe that I was going to suggest. I have made that a couple of times and we have enjoyed it.

Laurie, I think that this is the right place to post about menus and complimentay dishes. That way we keep it all toghether in Cookalong #1.

I plan on keeping a file just for all these threads so then when I get in the mood to use one of the focus ingredients I'll have all kinds of inspiration...

Nancy

Great, here goes:

I'm going to have a dinner, but it will either just be me and my BF, or one other couple, so something small and informal. I definately want to try the citrus ginger cake for dessert. And the martinis as a start. Here's my dilemma (sp?). With a sweet drink and carby dessert I want to keep the dinner somewhat lower carb. I'd either like to do the carrot soup or the ginger green beans with the meal. At this point I can only think of two options.

Meal 1 - ginger martinis and ? (some appetizer to compliment, maybe little phyllo cups filled with mushroom tomato concoction) pork chop for meat eaters, veggie burger for me, roasted cauliflower with bread crumbs, ginger green beans, cake for dessert.

Meal 2 - ginger martinis and then salad of roasted beets and feta cheese over romaine, ginger carrot soup, roasted chicken drumsticks with maybe a hot pepper jelly coating at the end, and the cake. This meal leaves something to be desired. Like maybe the phyllo appetizer, then have coleslaw with the soup and . . .

I dunno, what's low carb that goes with a soup meal? The classic is soup and sandwich, but I have seen soup and two salads. Maybe a bean salad? It's just that a lot of people don't like beans, even though I love them. I guess I could do a chicken salad . . . or that pea and peanut and cheese salad. I don't have recipe for that. Or is it broccoli and cauliflower and cashews . . . I have a great version of the italian tuna and bean salad that uses tofu, but there you go again, so many people have tofu phobia.

I don't do beef and BF doesn't do fish. I'd be interested in appetizer ideas to go with the ginger martinis, and a salad with some protein to go with the ginger carrot soup. I can't do a lot of cheese either. I know, I know, all the fun foods are restricted . . .

The Indonesian Ginger Chicken sounds like something the whole family would like.These are not recipes per se, but...
To have with coffee after dinner:
Melt good quality dark chocolate and dip bit size pieces of patted dry candied ginger(the kind that comes in syrup.)I could eat a pound of this!
When I was a kid, my Dad would make Ginger Toast - just like cinnamon toast, but using powdered ginger in place of the cinnamon. Warmed you up on a cold morning.

Jane

I dont like ginger but DH dose so I found a gingerbread cake mix that I use to make him gingerbread muffins. LOL Its kinda like coffee I like the smell but not the taste.

Claudia

My maternal grandmother always loved crystallized ginger so much that every Christmas she would receive a Chinese porcelain crock full of it from my aunts.
I like ginger as part of a sauce or dressing and in chutney.

But here's one recipe for which I buy fresh ginger root: Marilyn's Gourmet Sauce, Marilyn's (DanaIN) version of teriyaki sauce, which uses grated ginger.
I keep a wrapped piece of ginger in the deep freeze and just grate off what I need on my Microplane.

My baked salmon using Marilyn's sauce:

Marilyn's Gourmet Sauce

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 teaspoon ginger (fresh or dried)
1/4 cup red wine (or Mirin)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Allow to sit at least 1/2 hour to blend flavors. Use on salmon, chicken or pork.

***********************************

My note: I marinate the salmon in a shallow casserole and then put it into the toaster oven, still in the marinade, for about 30 minutes or until it flakes when pushed with a fork.

Always turns out well. If I am able to join in with the virtual dinner, I'll be using this sauce on fish or chicken as my entry.

SharonCb

I definitely need to add Ginger Martini's to the bartender (DH)'s repetoire!

Here's a creme brulee we like... and it uses 3 forms of ginger...

Ginger Creme Brulee
from www.gourmetsleuth.com
Source: Chef du Jour Cynthia Long Dj9217
Makes: 4 servings

5 egg yolks
2 1/2 ounces granulated sugar
1 pint heavy cream
2 TBSP ground ginger
1 TBSP fresh ginger - peeled and chopped
Sugar for brulee topping
Garnish: Sliced Strawberries, Candied Ginger

Preheat oven to 350. Place cream along with ground and fresh ginger in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix yolks and the sugar together. Temper the cream mixture with the yolk mixture.
Let the mixture cool, and strain. Divide mixture into individul shallow custard cups and place in larger pan. Place pan in oven and fill halfway up with hot water.
Bake until custard is firm about 25-30 minutes. Remove cups from pan and let cool. While custard is cooling preheat broiler
When cool, sprinkle a little sugar on each cup. Place under broiler to carmelize. Garnish with candied ginger and sliced strawberry. Custard cups may also be carmelized using a blow torch.
Source credits: MasterCook Series

If I can make it to the dinner, I'm thinking Ginger Martinis, one of the Salmon dishes, side salad, ginger creme brulee...

I'm still working on my 'Fred' recipe. Snort. heh heh.

Sharon, that salmon looks wonderful. Marilyn's recipe is very similar to Ina's but has wine added which I think sounds super! With it just being two of us in the house, I cut Ina's recipe down quite a bit.

I happened to catch a repeat of one of her shows today and I can't believe I forgot about this recipe because the salmon was very good - Eli's Asian Salmon. I have the recipe in her Cookbook BC at Home but the picture in the cookbook doesn't do justice IMO because the salmon looks white in the picture and that is not how it turned out for me or from what I saw her make on her show today.

She also made a good looking Asian Salad, but I have had a problem with adding peanut butter in dishes and not being happy with them (but it did look very good AND included ginger!).

And the Salmon recipe...

I've been so darn busy with mortgages (thank goodness) that I haven't had the time I want to even lurk here. However, I do have some ideas/thoughts I want to share about curry and ginger (especially after having made my first real life visit to Penzey's!). Hopefully I'll have about 15 minutes to check in tomorrow. Suffice it to say, though, I've been making freezer meals from a specific cookbook geared towards it. I made a creamy curry casserole the other night that my kids devoured, loaded with Jamaican curry and chopped fresh ginger. I didn't think they'd like it, and instead got accolades. Then I went to Penzey's yesterday, and smelled the 8 or so different curries they had. Amazing how different they all were. I bought the Sate and Garam Masala, plus maybe the sweet curry. I'll have to check before I check in tomorrow. But they smell nothing like what I've bought in the supermarket, nothing.
Missing you all!
Nance

There's a Good Eats episode on Ginger on my DVR right now. I'll check it out and see if there's anything good in there! I've not really cooked with ginger much, so I don't have a whole lot to bring to the table on this challenge. I'll see if I can come up with something and turn it into a T&T recipe.

Bri

Sigh, I am another person who is not fond of ginger. I'll peek back to see what everyone makes though, and to see what the next cookalong ingredient is. Interestingly enough, even though I don't like ginger, the only soft drink I like is gingerale. Does it count if I make something with that? My husband likes ginger, he also loves curry, and I've never tried a curry I like. I guess opposites do attract.

I love ginger, especially the pickled ginger served next to sushi. Yum.

One of my favorite ginger recipes came from my mother.

She won the chicken portion of a BBQ contest with this recipe. My kids and DH enjoy it, too.

GINGERED BARBEQUED CHICKEN BREASTS
from Mom

1/2 C. ketchup
3 T. worcestershire sauce
2 T. peanut oil
1 T. honey
1-1/2 t. grated fresh ginger
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. chili powder
3 chicken breasts, approximately 1 pound

She used the recipe as a BBQ sauce for chicken cooked on the grill.

If baking in an oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wisk all the ingredients together. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brush half the sauce on top of the chicken. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush remaining ingredients, bake for 20 more minutes.

I'm looking forward to trying some of the other recipes here, too. The first one I cut and pasted was the Japanese Chicken Noodle Bowl. Sounds like something I would love but only have had in a restaurant.

Kari

OK, I needed a simple recipe, and Sharon's pic of her Salmon with Marilyn's marinade really did it for me. I will definitely be making that marinade. However, I am going to use pork instead of salmon. I love salmon, but hubby is wishy washy. I can't get great salmon here. Therefore, I will make a marinated pork tenderloin. Still thinking about the salads.
And Sharon, a picture truly IS worth a thousand words.
Sher

Jcrowley you might try that gingerale marinated pork loin recipe I put a link to above. I mixed the gingerale with a bottled marinade and it was easy peasy and didn't taste overwhelmingly spicey, (or believe me, my dad would NOT have eaten it when I fixed it).

I am another person who prefers gingerale to all other soft drinks. People know when I'm around they need to get gingerale--it's what I mostly drink. Nowdays I have to do diet gingerale.

Here are two appetizer recipes I found while rummaging around my recipe box for something to serve. I am having so much trouble coming up with a dinner menu. Fish or any type of seafood is the logical choice to go with ginger carrot soup, but BF doesn't do fish. I may try Kari's mom's marinade on chicken drumsticks.

Gingered Crostini and Pepper Spread
(I got this out of some healthy living flyer from my health insurance company ages ago)

1/2 TBLSP olive oil (1.5 tsps.)
1 small jalepeno pepper, minced
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 oz. package dried tomatoes or 12 dried tomatoes halves chopped
1/2 cup water
2 roasted red bell peppers, chopped
3 TBLSP chopped fresh basil or 1.5 tsp. dried basil
2 TBLSP fresh parsley (I think cilantro would be fab with this)
Minced fresh ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Toast mustard seeds in oil until they pop. Add jalepeno, dried tomatoes and water. Cover and cook until tomatoes are plump. Remove from heat. In a food processor, process roasted pepper to rough puree. Add tomato mixture, process until smooth. Add seasonings.

Crostini: preheat oven to 375. Cut 24 slices rustic style bread or baguette. Sprinkle with minced ginger root and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil Bake 8-10 min.

Orange Hummus
(I think this comes from the cookbook "Enchanted Broccoli Forest" by Mollie Katzen)

3 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup tahini
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 tsp. salt (optional)
1-2 TBLSP cider vinegar
3 med. cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tsp. tamari sauce
1/4 tsp. each: cumin, corriander, ginger, dry mustard, tumeric, paprika

Combine all ingredients together in a food processor and process until smooth.

There's a brunch dish that I've wanted to try for years - "Indian Scrambled Eggs with Fragrant Rice and Minted Tomato Sauce" and I think this thread has inspired me to make it next weekend. There's onions and fresh ginger in the sauce, lentils and curry powder in the rice, and ginger and scallions in the eggs, plus many other spices. It will either be fantastic or disastrous so I'll wait to post the recipe in case it's the latter.

A ginger recipe I use often is one posted in 2001 by Linda in Tennessee for a Japanese steakhouse - type ginger salad dressing. I like ginger dressing and it's the best I've tried.

BENIHANA GINGER SALAD DRESSING

1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 Tbs. minced celery
2 Tbs. ketchup
4 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 1 minute or until all of the ingredients are well pureed.

These beans from Mollie Katzen's "Vegetable Heaven" have the flavor of Jamaican spice mixtures and can be made with either dried or canned beans. We eat this as a main dish rather than a side dish.

FIRECRACKER RED BEANS (6-8 servings)

2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cups finely minced onions
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. fennel seeds
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. salt
1 cup dry sherry
2 Tbs. prepared mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. minced chipotle chiles
1 cup water
1/4 cup almond butter
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
About 6 cups cooked small red beans or kidney beans (3 or 4 15-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
Wedges of lime

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and fennel seeds, and saute for about 5-10 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium, add the garlic, allspice, thyme and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes.

Stir in sherry, mustard, ketchup, chipotles and 1 cup water. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Place the almond butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add the boiling water and mash with a spoon until it becomes a uniform mixture. Stir this into the sauce and cook uncovered over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the beans in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish or equivalent casseerole, and pour in all the sauce. Cover with tight-fitting lid or foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes, still tightly covered, so the beans can continue to absorb the liquid. Serve hot or warm, with squeezable wedges of lime on the side.

LOL!

I meant "2-3 pears."

Sorry!

Well, shoot! What am I going to do with all the pears I've peeled (thought I should get a head start on the peeling, paring, coring)?? LOL

lpinkmountain,

Thanks for bringing that pork loin recipe to my attention. I missed that when I was reading through the thread. Did you use the whole bottle of Soy Vej? Did you still use the chopped onion? I think I can do that recipe! Yeah. I do have problems with using the marinade as a sauce, but that was another thread!

Joanne

I mixed the marinade and the gingerale until I had enough to cover the pork loin halfway. I marinated it about 8 hours on one side and about 8 on the other. (I put it in before I went to bed and then turned it in the morning).

As for a cooked marinade, yeah, I know that is controversial, but I boiled it for a good half hour to reduce it, so I didn't have a problem with it. To me, it was yummy. And me being mostly vegetarian, if I felt any hesitation about a meat product I would not serve it. You could always throw out the marinade and make some more by mixing fresh gingerale and Soy Vey (or any other kind of bottled marinade, or even use the ingredients in the recipe, they sound fab to me), and then reducing it to a sauce.

Too many ginger recipes to try so I made the first one on Friday - Chinatown Soy Sauce Chicken from Molly O' Neill's New York Cookbook. I used a double sided fryer breast instead of the whole chicken. The only other change I made was to use 1/2 a star anise instead of a whole one. Even with a half, the anise flavor predominated so I would only use one pod next time.

The ginger and garlic permeated the meat and the broth was not overpowering, despite having so many strong flavors. Sides were plain white rice with toasted pecans and fresh spinach sauteed in sesame oil and dressed with rice wine, lemon juice, and light soy sauce (recipe from the same book).

It was a nice light ginger-accented meal and the taste was definitely better than my photography. LOL

CHINATOWN SOY SAUCE CHICKEN

1 star anise
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 Tbs. honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 slices fresh ginger, smashed
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 lbs.), well rinsed and patted dry

In a nonreactive pot large enough to hold the chicken snugly, gently boil 1 cup water and the star anise, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove and discard the star anise.

In a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except the chicken, and add the mixture to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil; then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, laying it on its side, and bring the liquid back to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer, basting frequently, for 15 minutes.

Turn the chicken to the other side and simmer, basting frequently, for another 15 minutes.

Turn once more, this time breast side up, and cook until golden brown, 15 minutes more. Remove the chicken and let cool to room temperature. Strain and reheat the cooking liquid and serve a drizzle over the carved chicken. Serves 4

The original recipe has you cooking a whole chicken for only 45 minutes?!

Yes, but I think the key word is "snugly" because the cooking liquid should cover the chicken about halfway up the sides.

It would have to be a scrawny little whole chicken to simmer for 45 minutes and be done. I think you were wise to go with the whole breast.

Christine, I wouldn't have been worried even if I'd used a whole chicken. I've made many recipes from "The New York Cookbook" with good results following the directions as written. With a book which won both the Julia Child/IACP and James Beard awards and specifically stated in the preface that every recipe was made and tested by either the author or one of her four assistants, I'd try the recipe before criticizing it.

I think of this forum as place for the free flow of ideas about cooking. My comments were not meant personally, as I think is clear.

I do see that this thread is just for amassing recipes that use ginger, and not discussing each one. My original question actually was to find out if something was left out; it was for information. Then once we were discussing it I just said one more thing. I probably would not have said it about anything but chicken. It's so important for safety to cook chicken long enough. Most people here know to always check, and not go by the time in recipes, but not everyone is equally experienced.
Tone of voice is missing in posts, so what sounded good-natured in my mind may have struck others differently.
I know I sometimes think there's too much criticiam in some posts, and if I seemed to be doing that, I regret it.

With so many good recipes already posted, I'm still not sure what I'm going to make next Saturday.

But I got a new hunk of ginger....

By the way, what is a hunk of it called?

Nancy

I always call it a hand, but that's for the whole thing. You have part of a hand. That's my own personal vocabulary... lol, I don't know if that's accurate.

I cut mine up and freeze it so I always have some available. Lars gave me that tip. It's much easier to pound into a paste after it has been frozen and thawed. Thanks Lars!

This has been fun! I don't know what I'm going to make yet either but I'm getting there. I think two weeks is just the right amount of time to research, think, then shop and make. Kind of like looking forward to a holiday dinner. :)

Cloudy, I, for one, did not read your comment as a negative. I thought you brought up a valid point, and then complimented the posted for making a wise choice. Hmmmm. I did not read any unpleasant tone at all.

I'm ready. I picked Ina's Indonesian Ginger Chicken. It looks yummy. I also went out looking for the Gingerbread liqueur that I found over the holidays. It is seasonal but they still had a few bottles. I will be drinking gingerbread cookies for dessert.

Gingerbread cookie
1 part gingerbread liqueur
1 part vodka
2/3 part kahlua
1 part 1/2 & 1/2

Shake with ice and strain into a graham-cracker rimmed martini glass. Yum!!

I'm having to totally revamp my menu due to not being in the mood to entertain and having a ton of food to use up in the fridge. I made soup this past weekend so I'm afraid I am "souped out" this week, so the ginger carrot soup is out. Here's what I'm likely making.

Moroccan Vegetable Tagine from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." It has ginger in the spice mix, I'll post when I can. Then I have roasted eggplant/red pepper dip to use up which I will probably mix with leftover ricotta and feta and some chopped kalamatas and serve as baked pasta. Then a romaine salad with a ginger dressing. If I'm in the mood for wine I have leftover merlot, so no ginger drinks, darn it. But I may have to get some of that gingerbread liqueur for the future! No dessert either. Without company there is no sense in me making anything sweet, I can't eat it up on my diet. If I end up wanting something sweet I have store bought ginger cookies.

I keep changing my mind. I'm going to make this some day, at least, if not for the cook along. Although I'm not interested in the carrot and potato spaghetti at the end.

HERB CRUSTED CHICKEN PAILLARD WITH HONEY- LEMON GRASS GLAZE
Ming Tsai

6 (6-ounce) chicken breasts skin-on (2 for leftovers)
1/2 cup chopped flat parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
6 scallions, sliced 1/8-inch
Salt and black pepper to taste
Canola oil to cook

Wrap the chicken in plastic and pound very thin. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the herbs together on a plate and dredge the chicken with the herbs. In a hot skillet coated with oil, pan sear the chicken golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes a side.

HONEY-LEMON GRASS GLAZE:
Canola oil to cook
6 lemon grass stalks, finely minced, white part only
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 large shallot, minced
1/2 cup Riesling or Gewurztraminer wine
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons lychee honey
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and black pepper to taste

In a medium-hot, non-reactive sauce pan, lightly coat the pan and sautee the lemongrass, ginger and shallots until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with wine and reduce by 80 percent. Add the juice, stock and honey and reduce by 50 percent. Whisk in the butter and check for seasoning. Puree with a hand blender to a smooth consistency.

CARROT AND POTATO SPAGHETTI:
2 large carrots, peeled, cut into spirals with a turning slicer
1 large potato, peeled, cut into spirals with a turning slicer
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste

In a large non-stick skillet, add butter and melt on medium-low heat. Add carrots and potato and sautee. Season with cumin and salt. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Keep heat on medium-low or the potatoes could burn.

PLATING Place a small pile of the 'spaghetti'. Hide with chicken paillard and glaze the top with the sauce. Garnish with lemon zest.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

I've just had a change of ideas because I bought some lovely spring onion at the farmers' market the other day and have some little chicken tenders in the freezer. I think I'll make my version of Teriyaki Chicken and stir fried vegetables, using Marilyn's Gourmet Sauce with fresh ginger for the teriyaki. It's a really delicious dish.

I had it once in Canada at a restaurant and had to make a copycat recipe so this is it:

Teriyaki Chicken & Stir Fried Vegetables over Rice

For 3 servings.....
Ingredients:....quantities are variable

1 lb chicken breast cut into bite-sized strips
3/4 cup green bell pepper - finely chopped
3/4 cup red bell pepper - finely chopped
1/2 cup white part of spring onion bulb - sliced finely
1/2 cup grated carrot (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen heads of broccoli sliced & chopped
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce for marinade plus more for
drizzle over when serving
basmati rice - 3 cups cooked (200 grams raw)
or 1 cup cooked rice per person
3/4 cup sliced green stalk rings of spring onion - for garnish only
olive oil for cooking
salt & pepper

1. Put 1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce in a small glass bowl and
put in chicken pieces to marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.
Turn pieces and spoon over sauce from time to time.

2. Chop and prepare vegetables, putting all except green onion rings
into a bowl. Put 2 TBS olive oil into a large non-stick frying pan or wok over
medium heat and when hot, add the vegetables from the bowl.
Stir constantly with wooden spoon until they are cooked enough
but not overdone....10 to 12 minutes. Add more oil as needed.
Turn off heat and put lid on pan to keep warm.

3. Put water on for cooking the rice.

4. When chicken has marinated, drain and reserve half the marinade,
putting the other half of it together with the chicken into a second
non-stick frying pan and cook, reducing the liquid and browning chicken
pieces, about 10 minutes. Then add the reserved marinade, cooking for a couple
minutes more until it has formed a reduced syrup around the chicken.

Drain cooked rice, add butter or oil, season to taste with salt & pepper.

5. Spoon chicken and sauce over vegetables, stir and season with S & P.
Serve over rice, drizzle with more Teriyaki sauce and garnish with green spring onion rings.

SharonCb

PS Nancy....I forgot to add this....that a hunk of it is usually called ginger root, or a piece of ginger root. It grows well here in our garden but I usually buy it in the market.

S.

I haven't made up my mind yet on what I am going to make but I guess I better make a decision soon huh? LOL! We are going to a concert with friends on Sat. night so we will have dinner at our house first and then go to the show so I probably won't post a picture until Sunday morning.

Everything that has been posted so far sounds good and Sharon that dish looks wonderful!

I think a gingerbread cookie would be a lovely nightcap.
And yes, Cloudy....45 minutes will cook a 3 1/2 pound chicken perfectly....I find most people waaaaay over cook chicken, thereby the frequent plaint "I don't care for white meat, it's so dry."
Try it....you might be surprised.
Linda C

Some great lookin' recipes and ideas here for sure! I don't have any to add to the list as the one or two I had in my files have already been posted. I'll admit that I never used Ginger much until finding this forum but the recipes I have used have been great. I'll have to pass on this first cookalong due to a Birthday Party Saturday night and the SB on Sunday. Saving these recipes for sure....might do something on Friday or the following week and share it with y'all....depending on my crazy work/life in general schedule...

David

Here's the tagine recipe (which I will probably make either in my crockpot of roast in the oven)

Pearl Couscous Tagine (from Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" cookbook)

2 TBLSP extra virgin olive oil
1 onion chopped (I'll probably use red for color)
2 cloves garlic minced
One 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground tumeric
Two three inch cinnamon sticks
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, dates or raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped ripe tomato (about 1 pound whole, preferably peeled and seeded, or drained canned ones)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup cooked canned chickpeas
2 med. carrots, peeled and cut into bit sized chunks
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized chunks
2 zuchinni, cut into bite sized chunks (I'll probably use yellow summer squash, for the color)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup pearl couscous

Note: I'm also probably going to add peeled and diced butternut squash.

Put oil in a deep skillet with a lid over med. high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 min. Add the garlic, ginger, and other spices; cook, stirring often until fragrant, about 2 min.

Add the dried fruit, tomato, stock, chickpeas, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, etc., and a large pinch of salt and a good amount of pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are just tender. (The dish can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring it to a simmer before proceeding.)

Add the couscous and cook until al dente about 10 min. It should have a stewy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot or store, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and then reheat.

Notes: sounds like this is like most pasta dishes--tastes best the next day. Since I'm serving this with pasta, I am not going to add the couscous and all that broth--I'll do mine in the crockpot or roast in the oven.

Ginger Vinagrette (from the same cookbook)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped in a blender
1 TBLSP sherry vinegar (I will use rice wine vinegar)
1 TBLSP freshly squeezed lime juice
1 TBLSP water (I might use more sherry vinegar, as it is mild)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(Optional) 1 large shallot, minced (I might use some scallions I have languishing in the fridge)

Note: with this vinagrette, I might add just a drop of honey for my taste.

I haven't had much time for the forum, lately, but the time I've spent here I've missed this thread until today. We're going out of town Sunday, so I don't know if I'll have time to participate completely. I'd like to do the dinner Saturday night, but the follow up on Sunday I'll miss, and that's at least half the fun. Oh, well.

The Firecracker Red Beans that Ruthanna posted looks good. I may try that. So does the couscous recipe. They all sound good, actually.

I'll have to research and see, but I don't really have a T&T recipe featuring ginger that hasn't already been mentioned, like the carrot ginger soup and the gingerbread recipes. I might try to do something with tofu. Do y'all think one of the marinades posted above would work with tofu and grilled? I'm thinking of trying something like that.

Sally

This is a favorite of my DS.

Gingered Spaghetti Squash

Cut a spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and place face down in baking dish with a few tablespoons of water. Bake in 375 oven till strands are "al dente" (~45 minutes).

Spoon strands out carefully and toss the hot squash with 2 TB butter, 1 TB honey and 1/2 TB minced ginger. Salt and pepper to taste.

I have a question about that red bean recipe, Ruthanna, or anybody. Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the dry Sherry? I don't have more than a couple of tablespoons left, and don't want to go buy some at this time.

I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks I just might try tonight, as I won't have time to do it on Saturday. It's from Vegetariana, by Nava Atlas. I'll let y'all know if it's a winner or not.

Gingered Rice and Apple Stuffed Squash

2 medium acorn or butternut squashes
3/4 cup raw brown rice
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and slicd
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans
1/2 cup light cream or milk
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, more or less to taste
1 teaspoon good curry powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup grated mild white cheese, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C)

Cut the squashes in half, place them cut side up on flat baking sheets, and cover them with aluminum foil. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until tender.

In the meantime, cook the rice with the soy sauce added to the cooking water. (The cookbook doesn't indicate how much water, but it's usually 2 1/2 times the amount of rice, so this would be somewhere around 1 2/3 cups water for 3/4 cup rice???? I'd just follow the directions on the rice package.)

When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp, leaving about a 1/2 inch (1 1/2 cm) shell of pulp all around. Chop the pulp and set aside.

Heat the butter in a large skillet until it foams. Add the onion and saute over moderately low heat until it is translucent. Add the apple and saute until it softens, then add the squash pulp, cooked rice, and the remaining ingredients. Stir together and remove from the heat.

Stuff teh squash halves with the rice mixture, arrange in lightly oiled baking dishes, and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Sally

Sally if it is good it might end up on my family's Thanksgiving menu!

I haven't looked into this thread in a while...with all the recipes here..you could definately have ginger in every course of the meal!

Sally, I have only used the sherry when I've made it but if I didn't have any on hand, I'd probably substitute 1/4 cup of dark rum and 3/4 cup of water for the sherry instead of a different variety of wine.

This thread continues on the link below