Dad in the Kitchen!!

Eggplant Parm!

2010-12-31T11:28:00.000-06:00

Sliced thin, lightly breaded and fried in olive oil, then dipped in red sauce and assembled like a lasagna!

Baked Clams!

2010-12-31T11:07:00.000-06:00

Old school baked little neck clams, delicious!

Famous Chicken Salad

2010-12-03T09:52:00.002-06:00

This is a really simple recipe for chicken salad that everyone seems to love, especially my wife and her friends. The first time I made it for friends was before going on a canoe trip. I packed it in some Tupperware, put some pita halves in a Ziploc bag and brought it along. After a few hours of rowing and drifting I simply filled the pita with some chicken salad and passed one to my wife. A couple of her friends wanted to try a bite and the next thing you know it was passed around and never made it back! No worries, I had plenty more and before long it was all gone, they gobbled it up and I knew I had a winner!

The first thing needed for the chicken salad is the chicken. I prefer to use bone in, skin on whole chicken breasts. I think it is just a little moister and more flavorful than the boneless skinless but as you can see from the pictures above, the boneless skinless are very often on sale and really are a little less work when it comes time to do the chopping. If you really want to take a great shortcut, buy a pre-roasted whole chicken at your local store, all you have to do is shred it off the bone(plus for those dark meat fans like me you will get some of that too!) you can skip the cooking step all together. Place the chicken breasts on a rimmed sheet pan (I like to put aluminum wrap on bottom for easy clean up), season generously with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

Place in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for about 25-35 minutes (depending on if they are still on the bone it would take longer) or until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking you can prepare your ingredients you are gonna put in the salad. This truly is a matter of personal taste. In my house after experimenting with many different combinations, we have settled on simply adding chopped celery, green onion, and sweat pickles. You can also add grapes, apple, capers, bell pepper, nuts, whatever you like. Chop and assemble the components of the salad so you are ready to mix it.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the oven and allow them to cool just till they are ready to handle. I really think it is important to make the salad while the chicken is still warm, just like when I make potato salad, it seams to soak up all the flavors that are added.

Chop the chicken or shred with your hands into bite size pieces. I like to keep the chicken pieces rather large about a half inch or so, it will break down a little after you mix it so I want it to have a little texture and bite!

Put the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and add equal parts mayonnaise (I prefer Hellman's, some people like Miracle Whip) and sour cream and a squirt of Dijon mustard. Start with a smaller amount of the mayo and sour cream you can always add more if it is too dry.

Add whatever chopped ingredients you have prepared and mix it all together. If it is too dry or you like it a little wetter and some more mayo and sour cream.

If you want to brighten it up a little you can add some chopped fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro and/or a little squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. Mix it all together well so all the ingredients meld and taste for salt and pepper, you will probably need a little more of both. Put in in the fridge and allow it to cool before serving. When you are ready to serve, mix it and taste again. You can put it on your favorite sandwich bread, place it in some lettuce leaves and eat like a lettuce wrap, put it in a sandwich wrap, or eat it in a bowl by itself. We like to put it in a pita with lettuce and tomato!! Enjoy!!

Tomato, Arthichoke, Black Olive and Fresh Mozzarella Bruschetta!!

2010-11-15T10:40:00.001-06:00

This is a really simple, fast and delicious appetizer to serve your family and friends. I recently made this for my wife and her friends as an appetizer before they went to the movies, they all loved it. There are only a few ingredients so it is important to use the best you can find. You will need some vine ripened tomatoes, marinated artichokes, black olives (or green if you prefer), fresh mozzarella, fresh parsley, garlic, good quality balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and a baguette!

Start by doing all your prep work. Chop the tomatoes (about 3/4 of a pound of the ripest you can get, to me the smaller tomatoes work best), marinated artichoke hearts (I used about 1 small jar and a half), black olives (about 1/2 a can), fresh mozzarella (I used about 3/4 of the container) all into about the same size pieces. I think it is important to take the time and cut everything the same size.

This is one of those recipes that when it comes to how much of each ingredient to add there really is no right or wrong, put in as much of each as you like. If you love artichokes, add more, if your not a huge fan of black olives, put in a little or none at all, it can be totally customized to your taste. For the fresh mozzarella, you can buy any type you want, but the smaller balls are easier because they require less chopping (I simply quartered the ones you see in the picture above). Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, now add some chopped parsley and chopped fresh garlic (I used 4 cloves chopped very small).

Finish with some balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and taste. I pretty much dress it with equal parts balsamic and olive oil but you can adjust to your taste.

Now you have to make the toast for the bruschetta topping. Take a baguette or any french bread and slice on an angle about 1/4 in slices. Place them on a sheet pan an brush them with a light coat of olive oil. Place them in the oven and toast them a few minutes until just golden. I like to put them under the broiler, only takes a few minutes so be careful, if you turn your back on them they will go from nicely toasted to burnt in a few seconds so stand by.

Arrange the toasted baguette slices on a platter and top them with the bruschetta mix. Great before dinner or just stand alone with a nice glass of wine. Give it a try!! You could easily change this up to a Greek bruschetta by using calamata olives and feta, the combinations are endless!

Shells and Broccoli with Shrimp!!

2010-11-08T10:17:00.003-06:00

This is a really simple yet delicious dish that my mom used to make. You can make it with or without the shrimp. Since there are so few components, it's really important that you use fresh quality ingredients!

You will need 1 lb. of large pasta shells (not the size that you stuff and bake), 8-10 cloves of garlic chopped, some fresh broccoli, fresh wild caught shrimp, olive oil, butter, red chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley and fresh parmigiana reggiano cheese, and a few lemon wedges.
Start by doing all your prep work. Peel and devein the shrimp if they have not already been cleaned (the amount of shrimp to use if any is totally up to your taste and budget), cut the broccoli into bite sized florets (as far as how much broccoli, again it is up to you depending on how much you like a lot or a little), chop the garlic and the parsley. That's pretty much all the prep work!

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, one you normally use for pasta. Drop the broccoli florets into the boiling water. While the broccoli is cooking make an ice bath in a large bowl big enough to hold the broccoli by simply adding ice cubes and water. After about 4-5 minutes of cooking the broccoli remove it from the water with a slotted spoon and place it in the ice bath, this will stop the cooking process so the broccoli will remain crisp and keep the bright green color that we love.

Now bring the water that the broccoli was in back to a boil, it will probably be a little green from the broccoli, this will only add flavor to the pasta. If you need to add more water do so. Re salt the water and once it has returned to a boil add the shells and cook until al dente according to the package directions. You definitely want to keep the pasta al dente because it will continue to cook after it is removed from the water and for a few minutes in the pan with the broccoli.

Now turn your attention to the shrimp. Season them lightly with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. In a large non-stick pan bring some oil up to temperature. Place the shrimp gently into the pan being careful not to overcrowd the pan. What you see is 2 lbs. of shrimp, obviously you can use as much or as little as you like or your budget allows, if you like a lot of shrimp add them all, if you want just a little shrimp use less, if you don't want or like shrimp the dish is great without it too! Cook the shrimp for only a minute or two a side turning carefully, be sure not to over cook the shrimp, when the turn pink they are done. Work in batches and remove the cooked shrimp to a plate or bowl.

When the pasta is about cooked, using the same pan you cooked the shrimp in, add some olive oil and chopped garlic. Drain the broccoli florets and add them to the pan.

Season the broccoli with salt and pepper and toss in the oil and garlic for a few minutes. Now drain the pasta reserving a few cups of the cooking liquid. If your pan is large enough add the pasta to the broccoli, if not combine them both in a large serving bowl and toss together adding some of the pasta liquid as needed and a few tsp. of butter, it will create almost like a sauce.

Now in the same pan you have been cooking in add a little more olive oil and chopped garlic and crushed red pepper, as much as you like, a think the heat is great with this dish and like to add a good healthy pinch. After the garlic has cooked enough, add the shrimp and toss coating evenly with the garlic, red pepper and oil, add some chopped fresh parsley, remember the shrimp is already cooked so just keep in the pan long enough to reheat and coat evenly.

Add the shrimp to the bowl of broccoli and shells and mix it all together. Taste for salt and pepper and butter, if you like add more. Top with some fresh grated parmigiana reggiano, squeeze some fresh lemon over it and serve with some crusty bread!! Enjoy!!

Asian Spiced Pork Chops w/ Pan Fried Udon Noodles!!

2010-10-14T10:37:00.005-05:00

We love Asian food in our house, whether it is simple Chinese take out like fried rice or beef with broccoli, or going out to a nice Japanese steakhouse for hibachi steak or chicken and all that comes with it. After a recent visit to a new Japanese steakhouse in our neighborhood, we were introduced to grilled Udon noodles. They were brought precooked on a tray and slapped on the grill in front of us, seasoned with spices and soy sauce and heaped into bowls. Now we pretty much like any type of pasta in our house and this was no exception, everyone loved it! A few days later everyone was still talking about the noodles and wanted some more so I decided to try them myself. I watched the cook make them in front of us that night and it looked simple enough.......and it was! These noodles are a great alternative to rice and take less time to make. I pair them with beef, chicken, pork or fish which I marinade in a simple blend of Asian spices and grill or broil in the oven.

For the marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 tbs. Thai chili garlic sauce (more if you like spicy like me)
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
11/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
4-6 garlic cloves chopped
1 tbs. honey
2 tbs. rice wine vinegar
3 scallions chopped
2 tbs. chopped cilantro

As I've stated previously, when I cook I do not measure out the ingredients and these are just approximations. This marinade is very versatile and flexible and can be tailored to your particular tastes, if you like spicy add more chili sauce, if you don't like ginger or scallions leave them out, etc. For this recipe we had some pork chops in the fridge so that is what I used, it could just have easily been done with chicken, steak or even fish.

Place the pork chops in a large bowl or Ziploc bag, add all the ingredients of the marinade. Allow the meat to marinade for at least 20 minutes to an hour to allow the flavors to penetrate and flavor the chops. While the meat is marinating, turn your attention to the Udon noodles. Chop or grate 3 cloves of garlic and 1 tsp. of fresh ginger, set aside. You will also need some sesame seeds, about 1-2 tsp. depending on how much you like them (again you can leave them out). Bring a pot of water to boil to cook the noodles, they only cook for about four minutes in the water so don't drop them yet.

After the meat is finished marinating bring it to the grill. Obviously you can also cook in the oven or under the broiler if you prefer. Place the chops on the grill and spoon some of the marinade on top, cook the chops for a few minutes turning a quarter turn halfway through to get nice grill marks. Turn the chops over and cook the same way with a little marinade on top turning a quarter turn halfway through on the other side. The total cooking time for these chops was about 6-8 minutes per side. When they are cooked through remove them to a plate to rest, be careful not to over cook the pork they will dry out.

Now get a non stick pan and add a few tbs. of sesame oil and olive oil. When it is hot enough add the garlic and ginger to the oil and drop the Udon noodles in the boiling water.

Be careful not to burn the garlic and ginger, after a couple minutes add the sesame seeds (if you like). They will burn easilyy so watch them carefully. The noodles are done in about 4 minutes, you just want them soft not cooked all the way. Immediately add them to the pan and toss with the garlic, ginger and sesame seeds. If it is too dry add some more sesame oil. After a minute or so add soy sauce to taste tossing to coat evenly.

Remove the noodles to a bowl, garnish with some chopped scallions and serve with the pork chops. Enjoy!

Pot Roast Soup

2010-10-12T13:17:00.004-05:00

This recipe is based on a soup my dad used to make. Yes, dad did a lot of cooking too, in fact he used to cook all the weekday meals since both my parents worked and he was the first one home. I don't think dad really enjoyed cooking that much, it was just something he had to do, even though he was pretty good and very often was quite creative (you never knew what you were gonna get that night). One thing was for sure though, dinner was at a certain time and you had better be home or else. Many a time I had to leave in the middle of a baseball, football, or basketball game to teasing chants of "I gotta go home and eat" from my friends!

When I make soups, I usually do so in 2 different pots. In the first pot, I have whatever meat will be in the soup and build a stock with it along with some veggie scraps, and spices. In the second pot, I have the vegetables that will be in the finished soup along with some spices and a container of store bought stock. Do all your prep work in advance, it makes things go much smoother and quicker, so I always start by doing all my chopping and cutting first. For this soup I like a lot of meat because it comes out so tender and delicious. I usually buy 1 large pot roast or 2 smaller ones. I prefer to buy the bone in pot roast because it adds flavor to the soup. For this particular batch of soup I made they had no bone in pot roast so I bought a large boneless one and added 2 beef shanks to help flavor the soup. You can even buy beef bones at the store and use them along with a boneless pot roast, entirely up to you.

I always put a light coating of flour on the meat before I brown it and season it generously with salt and pepper. Brown all the pieces of meat and bone in the olive oil on both sides, all those brown bits add up to flavor in the soup. You can do them in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan and steam them instead of browning them. After browning all the meat and/or bones, return them all to the pot and cover in beef broth and or water. I used 1 large carton of good beef broth and the rest water.

Now you build the flavor of the soup. Add a whole onion quartered, 8-10 whole garlic cloves, a couple of whole carrots quartered along with the tops of the celery that have been rinsed (use all the scraps left from prepping the veggies for the soup as well), add the leaves of the celery they are full of flavor don't throw them out! Add 2 bay leaves, some large sprigs of parsley stems and all, several whole peppercorns, and some good sea salt, bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer and let it go low and slow!

Now on to the other pot. In this pot I start to build a base for the soup. As I said earlier, I like to have all my prep work done before I start to cook so you will need to cut up 5-6 carrots, 5-6 stalks of celery, 1 large onion, and 6-8 cloves of garlic. If you like a lot of vegetables in the soup, use more, if not, use less, up to you. I like to cut them up in rather large pieces since they are gonna cook up in the soup, it makes the soup a little heartier and more rustic. Start by heating some olive oil in a medium soup pot, add the chopped onions and let them saute for about 6 minutes until they begin to get translucent. Next add the garlic for a few minutes followed by the celery and carrots. At this point I will add some sea salt and pepper and allow the veggies to cook together for about 6-8 minutes more stirring so they don't brown. Next add 1 large can of whole or chopped San Marzano tomatoes. Allow this to come to a good boil stirring frequently. Now add 1 large container of beef broth and 2 bay leafs, bring to a boil again and reduce to a simmer. Taste for salt and pepper adding if needed.

Allow both pots to cook low and slow. After the pot roast has cooked long enough for the meat to be tender (about 1 1/2 hours), remove the meat to a plate and check it for tenderness. It should fall apart rather easily when pulled with a couple of forks, if it does not return it to the pot to cook a little longer. If it is tender then allow it to cool enough that you can handle it and break it into the desired size pieces. I like to leave it in large bite size pieces.

Now you have to strain out the beef broth that you have created. Use a large slotted spoon or wire strainer to scoop out the large pieces of vegetables in the stock, throw them away, they have fulfilled their flavoring destiny.

Then pour the broth through a strainer into another pot or large bowl to catch all the peppercorns or any other small bits. Now pour the strained broth through the strainer a second time back into the large soup pot. Add the meat that has been broken up and if you like the bones can go back in. After cooling enough, mine usually end up going to the dogs however. Bring everything together by adding the pot with the veggies and broth to the pot with the meat and stock! Taste for salt and pepper.

Basically the soup is done, except I like to let it come together for a few minutes, then finish it by adding a bag of fresh spinach or a strained box of frozen spinach. The spinach melts in the soup and with the pot roast and tomatoes and other veggies it is terrific!

I like to serve the soup with orzo pasta, but it is very hearty and can stand up to any pasta or none at all. I even poured it over cheese tortellini one time and it was fantastic! Garnish it with chopped fresh parsley, thinly sliced lemons, fresh grated parmigiana and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with crusty bread or great with garlic bread! Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Apple Slices!

2010-10-04T11:37:00.009-05:00

It's fall and the stores and markets are full of apples, the holidays are right around the corner! If you don't count boxed cakes and brownies, we didn't do a lot of baking in my house growing up, maybe occasionally Toll House Cookies, but every year around Thanksgiving my mom would make apple slices. The smell and flavors of these delights just scream holidays! A few years back I started making them myself and was surprised at how easy they were, and my family just loves them.

The other day I was at the farmer's market in Chicago and was amazed to find an unbelievable assortment of apples. Normally I would use Granny Smith apples but with so many varieties I thought I would try something new. The man at the market recommended an apple called Spigold, which I had never heard of or seen, so I tried them on his recommendation, "Better than Honey Crisp" the sign said, and they were!

So, on to the apples. First you have to prep the apples by coring and peeling them all, for this recipe of one large jelly roll pan I used 11 medium to large apples. Next you slice the apples, I used a mandolin because it is fast and slices them all the same thickness, about 1/4 in., but you can slice them by hand like you would for apple pie. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and immediately squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over them. This prevents them from oxidizing as well as adding some tartness. Now season the apples. I must admit, I did not follow a recipe for this so these are approximate amounts, don't worry it will come out fine. If you are nervous baking this way and need a recipe for homemade dough and pie filling or if you are afraid to try without an exact recipe, I will provide this from Saveur Magazine. The recipe is for 1 apple pie so you will probably have to triple the dough but the apple looks right.

FOR THE PIE DOUGH:

3 cups flour
1 1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 1⁄4 cups vegetable shortening, preferably Crisco, cut into small pieces
1⁄2 cup cold milk

FOR THE FILLING:
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
3⁄4–1 cup cornstarch
1 1⁄2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
3⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)
12 golden delicious apples (or about 5 lbs.), peeled, cored, and sliced

This is how I did it. Start with the sugar. I used about a 1/2 cup of white sugar and a little more than a 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Now add the cinnamon, about 2 tsp, a little goes a long way and you can always add more. Grate in some fresh Nutmeg to taste. I used about 1/4 of a nutmeg ground on a micro plane, probably about 1/2 tsp. or so. Add a pinch of allspice, 1 tsp. of salt, and about 1/3 cup of flour and mix well to coat evenly.

At this point you have to taste the apple filling. If you don't like the taste now, you surely won't like it when they are done baking. Adjust to your taste, more cinnamon, more nutmeg, more sugar, more lemon, too runny add more flour or cornstarch. Depends on if you like it more sweet or more tart.

Now assemble the apple slices, as I said I used a large jellyroll pan. When it comes to the crust, you can use any recipe for pie crust that you like for example the one I provided above, and roll it out to fit in the pan, be sure to go up the sides as well. I took a shortcut and used store bought Pillsbury pie crusts and it came out fine, saved me some time and work. Each package has 2 pie crusts in it, and I used 3 pie crusts for the bottom and 3 for the top so I needed 3 packs of pie crust.

I started by placing one whole pie crust sheet in the middle of the pan, then I cut another in half and placed it on either end with the straight edge facing the side of the pan and the rounded half overlapping the middle. The third crust was used to fill in the holes, namely the four corners and the sides, don't worry about how it looks and let it overlap, press gently to seal any seams and be sure to go all the way up the sides and in the corners.

Now arrange your apples, take time to shingle them carefully so there are no holes or gaps. Try to get as even a layer as possible. The apples should come just to the height of the pan, maybe a little over as they will cook down a little. Use as many apple slices as will fit and pour the liquid in the bowl evenly over them. It's time to add the top crust now in the same manner as the bottom.

Start with a whole crust in the middle and lay it on top, slice one crust in half and add to either side. The third crust is for everywhere else, it's patchwork. Gently seal all the edges by crimping dough together and lightly push on seams everywhere else. Again don't worry how it looks, as you will see it has icing on it and won't matter. If you are making your own crust you won't have any of this patchwork to do. Poke holes all around the pan of apple slices, I used a corn on the cob holder but of course a fork or knife work too, this will allow the steam to escape, make a simple egg wash and brush the entire top. Place into a preheated oven at the recommended temperature (450 for me) and bake until golden brown and bubbly. Mine took 35-40 minutes, be sure to put another sheet pan under the slices to catch any run over that might bubble over into your oven, it will save you quite a mess.

While the slices are baking or cooling you can make the icing. The only thing you need to do is combine powdered sugar, cream milk or water, and a little vanilla extract. Mix it all together in a bowl, you want it to be thick, like the consistency of honey, make a lot because you are gonna cover the whole top with it!

When your apple slices are browned remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely before adding the icing. If you put it on while they are still warm it will melt away. Be generous with the topping and spread it evenly over the top.

As you can see, the seams are all hidden by the icing. Slice into squares and enjoy!! Great on their own or with a little vanilla ice cream. Mangia!

Chicken Cacciatore!!

2010-09-30T10:22:00.006-05:00

     Chicken Cacciatore is one of those dishes that when you make it the whole house smells good, don't be surprised if the smell seeps out into the neighborhood and friends start ringing your doorbell with a knife and fork in hand! Growing up we didn't eat this a lot, but when we did I remember thinking "we should have this more often!" This is an old school Italian dish that you don't see a lot of in restaurants but is very good.
     Okay here is what you will need:
                                                    1 large chicken cut up in pieces
                                                    1 large onion sliced
                                                    8 cloves of garlic minced
                                                    2 peppers (any color) roughly chopped
                                                    1 lb. of mushroom sliced in large pieces
                                                    1 1/2 cups white wine
                                                    2 cans San Marzano tomatoes
                                                    2 bay leafs
                                                    Bundle of fresh thyme and oregano
                                                    Sea salt
                                                    Freshly ground black pepper
                                                    Red pepper flakes
                                                    Olive oil to coat pan
                                                    1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

Start with the chicken, you can buy the chicken already cut up or whole and cut it yourself. I prefer to cut the breasts in two pieces, one whole breast is just too big. If you prefer dark meat like me you can make this dish with all leg/thigh portions, the dark meat is so much more tender and juicy, but since the wife and kids like white meat I use the whole chicken. Get out your biggest pot and get it nice and hot, add some olive oil to the bottom of the pot. Now after seasoning your chicken with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, add it to the pot skin side down, don't over crowd the chicken, work in batches if you have to removing browned chicken to a plate, you want it to get a nice golden brown on both sides, if you over crowd the pan it will steam and never get brown!

At this point you are not cooking the chicken all the way through, just browning it. Remove it to a plate and set it aside.

After your chicken is all browned and removed, drain any excess fat from the pot, if you need to add a little more olive oil do so. Now add your onions, a pinch of red pepper depending on how much heat you want, and some sea salt. Sweat the onions until they start to become translucent, then add your chopped garlic, saute for about a minute or two. Now add your chopped peppers, I like to leave them a little big so they don't melt away, if you like olives now is the time to add them. After a couple more minutes add the mushrooms, also chopped in large pieces (white button mushrooms and cremini's work great) followed by the wine. You can use either red or white wine, whichever you prefer, don't use a cooking wine (if you wouldn't drink it why would you put it in your food?) and definitely don't use an expensive bottle of wine, just an average wine that you would drink.

Cook on high until the liquid reduces by about half, then add the canned tomatoes and snuggle the chicken back in the pot with any juices on the plate, add the fresh oregano and thyme bundle and taste for salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

I like to add a little brown sugar at this point, with all the acid from the tomatoes, wine and bitterness of the peppers it needs to be balanced out. Partially cover the pot and cook on low for 45 minutes to an hour. If you start to lose to much of the sauce, add a little chicken stock or water, you want the level of the liquid to be about equal to the chicken. When it is finished cooking, remove the chicken to a serving plate and cover with the sauce, be sure to get some mushrooms and peppers in there. My mom used to cook her's in the oven and roast some potatoes and add them right in with the chicken and the sauce, the potatoes would soak up some of the sauce, they would melt in your mouth and were just awesome. I made it this time with some angel hair, mostly because I didn't have time to do the potatoes but I do recommend you do them if you can. Enjoy!

2010 Chicago Gourmet at Millenium Park

2010-09-28T11:35:00.002-05:00

I had a chance to meet Cat Cora at the Food & Wine Fest, she was very nice and very short!!

Obviously I had quite a few samples of the 2005 Silver Oak Cab (among others)!!

Famous Breaded Steaks!

2010-09-27T10:10:00.006-05:00

     We used to eat these all the time when I was a kid. La Milanese on 32nd and May in Bridgeport had the best! They were made by two old Italian ladies, fried to order, smothered in red sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoncini's and put Ricobene's and all others to shame!! Mine are just as good or better!!
     What you will need:       Thin cut sandwich steaks
                                        High quality bread crumbs
                                        Flour and eggs for breading
                                        Good crusty french bread or sandwich rolls
                                        Pot of red sauce for dipping and topping
                                        Grated Mozzarella cheese
                                        Your favorite peppers

I cut the steaks in equal size pieces before I pound them out, a little piece becomes much bigger!

Start with the steaks. Buy the thin cut sandwich steaks or ask your butcher to cut them for you, they are usually sirloin, rib eye work great too. Cut the steaks in equal size pieces. Next place them in a plastic bag or cover them with wax paper or wrap and pound them even thinner. I like to start in the center and work my way to the ends, try to get them even thickness.

Princapessa loves to work the breading station!

Flour, egg, bread crumb, egg, bread crumb.

Season the steaks with salt a pepper and bread them in the typical flour, egg, bread crumb manner. Obviously it is really important to use good quality bread crumbs. You can use Italian style seasoned or unseasoned and add your own spices, just use good, fresh bread crumbs. For these I made my own using day old French bread, cut it up, put in food processor then toasted them, came out great. You can add salt, pepper, grated parmigiana, onion and garlic powder, fresh parsley, what ever you want. I added salt, pepper and grated cheese. I watched the lady at La Milanese (the place I used to get them) make them one time and she did flour, egg, breadcrumb, egg, and breadcrumb again...she double dipped, so I did that with these as well, if you like a thinner crust skip the second dip!

Pan fried in olive oil or vegetable oil.

When they are golden brown they are done.

Next you have to fry them. Personally, I like to deep fry them in vegetable oil or olive oil. They go really quick this way and seam to get an even doneness. This time I was in a hurry and the deep fryer was in need of an oil change and cleaning so I just pan fried them in olive oil! Came out just as good, put enough oil in the pan so that it will at least partially cover the steaks when you add them. Be sure your oil is hot enough, you can drop in a few bread crumbs to test it, if they bubble, it is ready. If you add them to the pan and the oil is not hot enough they will just sit and soak up the oil, not good, too hot and they will burn, also not good. Cook them on both sides till they are golden brown, when they are brown, they are done. Remove them to a cookie sheet to drain a little oil and rest, salt them as soon as they come out!

Dip them all the way in!

Dip them in the tomato sauce. I usually make a quick simple marinara. If you are making a lot of steaks, you need to make a lot of sauce, they really soak it up! Completely submerge them in the sauce using a pair of tongs. After pulling the breaded steak out of the sauce, place it on a crispy french roll. I like to use the French loaves or Italian loaves and cut them to the desired size. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a good crusty piece of bread that will stand up to the sauce and steak. A soft roll will just melt!

Wow so good, add any peppers you like.

After you put the steak on the bun, add some mozzarella and some more sauce on top to melt the cheese. You can add any peppers you like, roasted green or red are great, giardinnara, or pepperoncini's. I always eat them with some pepperoncini's on the side because that is how I got them at La Milanese!! Enjoy!! Almost forgot, and this may sound strange, but I always ate them with a can of Fanta red creme soda, so if you can get your hands on one give it a try!!!

Breakfast Pizza!!!

2010-09-09T09:03:00.025-05:00

This recipe comes from an adaptation from Chow Magazine http://www.chow.com/recipes/28515-harissa-pancetta-breakfast-pizza. Obviously since this is a pizza, you can put any toppings on it you like, any cheese, meat, vegetables, sauce, that you choose. Myself and a group of friends recently cooked brunch at the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn, and we made this pizza with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, bacon, eggs, scallions and parsley. It was a huge hit, everyone loved it! Next time I make it I think I am gonna do an Eggs Benedict version, with Canadian bacon, hollandaise, eggs, and maybe spinach, or a Mexican version with chorizo and Mexican cheese, you can also use breakfast sausage if you like. You can use a little pizza sauce or tomato sauce if you like but it is not necessary, and I would only recommend using a small amount of sauce. You can also make individual pizzas 7-8 in. with one egg on them and let everyone choose their own toppings!
You can use any pizza dough you have access to, store bought, frozen, pre-made from your local pizza parlor, whatever you like. You can even make it the night before and refrigerate it, just remember to let it come to room temperature for an hour or so before starting so it is easy to work with. I am including a basic pizza dough recipe for those of you who want to make your own from scratch.

Ingredients For Basic Pizza Dough:

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup very warm water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups flour, plus more for dusting (00 is best but if you can't find it use all purpose or bread flour.

Those little bubble mean yeast is active, don't add salt yet or you will kill yeast, just some honey or sugar to feed it!

Form your dough into a round like this, cover with a little olive oil to keep it from drying out and return to warm place to rise.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, honey, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

     Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.
     Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic with the base of your palm. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 500 degrees F.
     Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough into a disc and divide into 2-3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.
     Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick.

Now assemble the pizza. Gather your ingredients together, cooked bacon cut in to 1 inch pieces (I prefer to cook mine on a rimmed sheet pan covered in foil, I shingle it and bake it in the oven at 400 until crisp. Makes for easy clean up and you can do a whole package at a time), mozzarella and cheddar cheese, eggs, a little sauce or fresh thin cut tomato slices, chopped green onion and parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. After your dough is rolled out, sprinkle with the cheese, mozzarella and a little cheddar mixed in.

Now add your crispy bacon spreading evenly around pizza. Next crack your eggs and nestle them in the cheese, don't worry they will stay in place. As I said earlier, you can add a little sauce if you choose or some slices of fresh tomato would be very good too. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and bake in the oven at 450-500 until the crust is golden, the cheese melts, and the eggs are set (around 8-12 minutes depending on your oven). Remove the pizzas, sprinkle them with some chopped green onion and parsley, a little more olive oil, slice and serve!! Yummy! Be adventurous, try different combinations of toppings, post any with comments!

Add some chopped scallions and parsley!

Max & Sophia's favorite "Football Soup"

2010-09-01T09:55:00.020-05:00

Big Papa and Chee Chee (my paternal grandparents) got me hooked on this soup as a kid, a simple chicken and pastina soup. Now Max and Sophia love it too (as does everyone else in the family) and they have added their own little twist, orzo pasta (shaped like footballs) instead of pastina's, and they like to call it Football Soup! Very simple to make, and only a few ingredients: 1 whole chicken, chicken stock, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper plus the orzo pasta and fresh parley and parmiggiano reggiano for topping

Start by placing the whole chicken in a large pot and cover it with cold water. If your chicken has the neck and innards add them as well. When I was younger, believe or not, we used to fight over who got to eat the chicken heart with their soup, it was a true delicacy. Now a days you rarely see it in the chicken. Someone told me they sell them in bulk in Chinatown at a very high price. Now add a few flavoring items, basically you are making a stock as you cook the chicken for the soup. I add the odds and ends left over from cutting the vegetables for the soup. The celery stems and leaves (great flavor from the leaves), the ends of the carrots (plus a few cut in large pieces), an onion quartered, whole garlic cloves, a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, some of the fresh parsley with stems and some salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, let cook for about an hour to hour and half, until the chicken is cooked, it will start to fall apart when done.

While the chicken and stock are cooking cut your veggies. I like to keep it rustic and not worry so much about everything being the same size. I usually use 1 onion diced, about 5-6 carrot and celery sticks cut up, and about 5 cloves of garlic minced. Chunky pieces will stay a little firmer while smaller pieces will melt in your mouth and the soup. If you like a lot of vegetables, add more, if not add less, totally up to your taste.

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in your largest soup pot in some good olive oil. After a few minutes add the celery, carrots, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until they just start to soften and release juices and add a carton of quality chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

When your chicken/stock is finished cooking in the other pot (hour and half maybe) remove it to a plate and let sit until cool enough to handle. The meat should fall right off the bone when the chicken is cooked and your should have a wonderful broth. Remove all the meat from the skin and bones and place it in a bowl, be careful of the smaller bones, sometimes they can slip by you and end of in the soup! Break chicken into bite size pieces, as big as you like. The gizzards, liver and neck meat make a great treat for your dog or cat if you have one. With a slotted spoon, remove any of the large veggies left in the stock keeping as much of the liquid as possible. Pour the liquid in the pot you cooked the chicken in through a strainer to remove any of the smaller pieces that are left in the stock (peppercorns, garlic, bone, etc.) and into the large soup pot with the vegetables and stock. If you want more soup you can add another container of store bought broth. Bring back to simmer and add the meat from the chicken. Sometimes I leave the meat out of the soup and let everyone add their own meat when they make their bowl of soup, this works good when some people don't like white or dark or not meat at all. I remember my dad would save the chicken butt and put it in one of the kids soup bowls, that joke never got old. Taste for salt and pepper adding if necessary. If your broth is too bland you may want to add a few bouillon cubes, I usually add at least 2-4. Let cook until the veggies are soft.

Make the orzo pasta, add some to large soup bowl and ladle soup over the top. I like to add fresh parsley and of course some fresh grated parmiggiano reggiano on top! Enjoy! It truly feeds the body and the soul. Whenever that flu bug makes it's way through the house, I make a big batch of this soup and it makes everyone feel better, liquid penicillin!

The gang enjoying their favorite soup!!

Julie's Favorite: Banana Bread French Toast!

2010-08-31T09:38:00.007-05:00

This is my wife Julie's favorite breakfast. I think she would eat it everyday if she could. The kids and I now make this every Mother's Day for her for breakfast. Start with your favorite Banana Bread recipe, there are many variations out there, I like to place toasted pecans and banana slices on the top before baking. Obviously, the banana bread should be made in advance, perhaps the night before?
One of my favorite Banana bread recipes (adapted from Tyler Florence):

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.
Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Now we need to get our toppings ready. First, make a simple compound butter with softened butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Return this mixture to the fridge to get cold again.

Now for the main topping. Toasted pecans with brown sugar, butter, and caramelized bananas!

Start by toasting the pecans, walnuts are also a good choice if you prefer. Then add summer butter to the pan and melt it. Now add brown sugar and let it caramelize for a few minutes, finally adding some sliced bananas.

You are now ready to make the toast. Slice the banana bread into nice thick slices, about 3/4 of an inch to an inch. Just like making regular french toast. Dip each piece into an egg and milk batter and fry in a pan with a little oil, browning on one side, then flipping and browning on the other. After frying all the pieces you are now ready to assemble the dish. Stack the banana bread on a plate, pour over the toppings, and a scoop of the cinnamon butter! Serve with crispy bacon, and a chocolate covered strawberry, the best mothers day breakfast in bed ever!

The Meatballs.........

2010-08-17T14:27:00.004-05:00

I love meatballs more than anything, and I think I have them mastered! The key is not to mix the meat to much with your hands. I like to use beef and pork for mine, in a 2 part beef 1 part pork ratio. First I saute some onions and garlic, usually I will double what I need for the sauce and remove half to a bowl to cool before adding my paste and making my red sauce, then use the other half for the meatballs. In a large bowl, add your ground meat, the cooled onions and garlic, 1egg mixed for every pound of meat, salt and pepper to taste, some chopped parsley and grated parmigiana reggiano cheese. I also like to soak a few pieces of quality Italian bread in milk, chop it in to cubes and add it to the mix. Now gently fold the ingredients together only as much as you need to incorporate them. I will layer mine when mixing by adding half the beef, eggs, parsley, etc. then the pork, then the other half of the ingredients, then rest of the beef so I don't have to mix as much ( over mixing makes them hard and tough). Now refrigerate for a while to allow mix to get cold again and come together. Then roll the meatballs in the size you want them and brown in a skillet with olive oil, rotating them to get even brownness on all sides. A good trick to test the seasoning is to take a small amount of the mix and cook it and taste it to see if it needs salt, more cheese whatever.

I really think that browning the meatballs in a pan in olive oil is the only way to go. It may take longer than putting them on a sheet pan and baking but you just can't duplicate that crust that the pan method gives. Cook in batches not overcrowding the pan, and removing cook meatballs to a plate. I always add my meatball to my red sauce after resting for a while, but still like to sneak 1 or 2 before they go in the sauce. The meatballs finish in the sauce making each other taste better!!!

Where it all began............Red Sauce!

2010-08-17T14:06:00.005-05:00

When I was thinking about what my first post would be, it became obvious, the first thing I learned to cook, and to this day still my favorite......mom's spaghetti and meatballs! No good Italian would be without a great simple recipe for this basic home dish. I have great memories of being in the kitchen with my mom, helping in any way I could. Usually, I would get to mix the meatball meat, and taste it raw before anyone else (knowing what we know today about eating raw meat and eggs probably wasn't the best thing for me but I loved it and never had a problem, I survived without a child seat as well!). Start the sauce with a few simple fresh ingredients. A yellow onion chopped, some fresh chopped garlic, a good quality olive oil ( I prefer Colavita) and some good quality canned whole tomatoes (preferable San Marzano, they are more $ but definitely worth it). Put the tomatoes in a large bowl and remove any skin or stems. Crush them with your fingers when you are through so you know you got them all. I then use an immersion blender to smooth any large chunks into a nice blended sauce. Saute the chopped onion and garlic until onion begins to become translucent, add a tablespoon of tomato paste, and some salt and saute for a few more minutes. Then add the crushed tomatoes and stir. Let it come to boil and reduce to a low simmer. Now add basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. I prefer fresh herbs for my sauce but dry is okay, be careful with dried oregano, it can be overpowering. Next, add some brown sugar. For a fairly large batch of sauce, I would use 1 large onion, 10 cloves of garlic, maybe 2 tbs. of brown sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, basil to taste (throw in a bunch of fresh) to 6 large cans of tomatoes. Let it cook low and slow stirring and tasting for spice for a few hours!

Notice the orange bubbles that form on top of the sauce, that is a good good thing!

Introduction: Food is an expression of love!

2010-08-17T12:59:00.001-05:00

People always tell me after eating my food that I have to give them the recipe for this dish or that dish. Well, for the most part, I really have no written recipes and amounts for most of my cooking, other than baking, which I'm not really crazy about. Even when I am using someone else's recipe, I just read it and see what is in it, then recreate the dish the way I like to cook. I cook more by sight, smell, and memory.....and the food always seams to come out the same. I will now try however, to start writing down how much of what I use when I cook the dishes I will be putting on my blog, for my family to have as well as to share with others!! I guess that is one of the main reasons why I have decided to start this blog! These recipes are a mix of my own, my family's, as well as adaptations from other recipes I like to cook. For me cooking is more than just feeding people, it is an expression of love and passion. That is the way I learned it and remember it, and that is the way I want to pass it down to my children. I want them to experience the same love of food and eating, it brings families and friends together and creates great memories that last a lifetime.

Sophia loves my Ribs!!!!

2009-11-24T18:24:00.001-06:00