The Obsessive Chef

Superbowl dinner without the Superbowl

2012-02-06T05:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, many (or most) of you actually watched the game. We didn't. Peter has no interest in sports and I had no interest in these teams. However, I did want to have a Superbowl-inspired dinner. The components, chicken wings, crispy potatoes and creamed greens are just what the doctor ordered. Nothing complicated about any of this. Tasty deliciousness was the goal. I consulted two blogger friends, Chris of nibblemethis and Jenn of jennsfoodjourney. Why? 'Cause I had a bunch of Indian dry spices in a jar that I wanted to use. I also intended to cook the wings in the oven – I don't have a grill. And I wanted something to smear on them at the end to make them succulent. By combining their suggestions with some on-hand stuff I came up with the idea of smearing them with a puree of yogurt and mango chutney (a gift from earlier in the week).

Superbowl wings, twice-cooked potatoes, and creamed mustard greens

Dust the wings with an Indian spice mix (make it up yourself) and let them rest for 30 minutes (refrigeration not necessary). Roast them at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Flip them and roast another 10. Smear them all over with the yogurt and chutney mixture and put them under the broiler (second level, not the top) for 5 minutes per side. Check for doneness.

Boil the potatoes in salted water 15 minutes or until fork tender (2 1/2 inch red potatoes are perfect for this). Let them cool and then smash them down. Season with salt and pepper and shallow fry on both sides until browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

Braise the greens until tender, about 20 minutes (with some garlic, salt and pepper). Add cream and paprika and a pinch of nutmeg and simmer until thickened slightly.

Wok-smoked turkey sausage

2012-02-02T17:26:00.004-05:00

This is remarkable easy to make. The hard part is waiting 3 days before you smoke or steam it. Nonetheless it is fun and can make a number of lunches or snacks.
Wok-smoked turkey sausage

1 lb. ground turkey (mixed white and dark meat is essential)*
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1 tsp dried tarragon or 1 Tbs chopped fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste (if using fine grain salt, be very judicious - the nuts have salt too)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
Put everything into a large bowl and mix it thoroughly with your hands. Form into a log and wrap in plastic. Put it in the fridge to let the ingredients blend their flavors together. This can be an hour or two or a day. Jacques advocated storing it in the fridge for 3 days before cooking. I don’t have that much patience. Roll up a 1” ball and microwave it for 20 seconds to check for seasonings.
Line your wok with 2 pieces of foil. Soak 2 handfuls of wood chips in water for 30 minutes, drain and put into the wok. Wrap the sausage in a single layer of cheesecloth and put in on a rack over the woodchips. Once the smoke commences, it will take just about exactly an hour for the turkey sausage to reach the target temp of 165. The reason I consider the mixture of white and dark meat essential is that white meat alone will be dry and chewy. The dark meat brings flavor and moisture to the party.

Asian chicken bravo

2012-01-31T08:18:00.000-05:00

Why the name? No reason, except that I didn't want to call them nuggets. And having spent 40 years conducting opera and ballet, I am used to the singers and dancers being greeted with “bravo” as they take their curtain calls. In this case what I had in the freezer was a package of 5 good-sized drumsticks. After thawing them, I put them into a brine with a Chinese overtone – Szechuan peppercorns. It isn't actually pepper, and it has a flavor that I find impossible to describe. So I won't try. Some sesame oil and chili/garlic paste in my egg wash continued the Asian theme. This was truly an experiment, as I was making up every aspect of this. I was pleased with the result.

Asian chicken bravo
5 chicken drumsticks
black bean/garlic paste
2 tsp sesame oil, divided
flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbs chili/garlic paste
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
breadcrumbs (as much as needed, but do not use flavored ones)
sesame seeds (as much as you wish)

Make a slit in the thick flesh on both sides of the drumsticks. Place them into a container and cover them with brine**. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or longer – I didn't have more time). Before proceeding, rinse and dry them. Remove the skin and then the meat from the bones and remove all cartilage and tendon-like material. Grind in the food processor to a very rough chop. Stir in about 1 Tbs black bean/garlic paste and 1 tsp sesame oil. Form the chicken into balls about 1 ½ times the size of a golf ball. (Best done with wet hands. Refrigerate the balls for a while if you have time. They will set up and be a little easier to handle.

Lace the egg with sesame oil and chili/garlic paste and fish sauce (if using). Mix 2 parts breadcrumbs with 1 part sesame seeds in a wide bowl or on a plate. Dredge the chicken balls in flour, coat with egg and then with the bread and sesame mix.

Preheat the broiler and place an oven rack in the second position from the top. Remember that with most ovens you must leave the door ajar so that the heating element does not cycle on and off. Spray a baking sheet with Pam and place the balls on it. Now you may flatten them with a spatula or with your hand. Spray the tops with Pam. Broil for 3 minutes and turn. Broil for 3 minutes more until cooked through. You'll need to sample one to see if they are done. Serve these immediately.

**Brine:
3 cups water
2 ½ Tbs sea salt
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
½ tsp poultry seasoning

Put this into a bowl and stir until the salt is dissolved. Pour it over the chicken. Brine the chicken for 2-3 hours (more wouldn't hurt).

Po boy - the Spam and Velveeta version

2012-01-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

In anticipation of my forthcoming book (don't hold your breath – it will be at least a month), the title of which is expected to be “Back in the Day (when Spam was not a four-letter word and Velveeta was neeta), I share this imaginary recipe with you. It's imaginary in the sense that I did not make it. But I could, just as written below. My instructions are guaranteed to give you an old-fashioned frisson, something akin to the vapors. Before your nose in the air gives you a stiff neck, note the following: the blanching of the Spam changes it in fundamental ways. It removes much of the sodium and some of the fat. In the process it softens the texture of the “meat”. I hope you will view this as whimsy, even though I would eat it in a minute (if I hadn't just had lunch). Those of you of a certain age (that includes moi) may have been served Spam when you were young. No one I know has ever blanched it, and the flavor without that step can be a little aggressive. As for Velveeta, a person could do fondue with it, a person could make a hot compress to put on his/her chest to relieve cold symtoms, a person could probably use it as a depilatory. Nonetheless, it can be a “fun” food. Hey, it ain't much worse than what some folks put on their nachos already. But enough. Let's proceed with the proceedings.
Spam and Velveeta Po Boys (3-4 sandwiches)
12 oz can of Spam
mayonnaise
mustard
hot sauce
jalapeno, chopped with or without seeds (optional)
Hot dog buns or steak rolls
Velveeta (as needed)
chopped onion
chopped lettuce

Heat a large saute pan of water to boiling. Slice the Spam lengthwise into 6 pieces. Slip it into the water, remove from the heat and let stand 10 minutes. Dry on paper towels. Cut into suitable sizes and shapes to go into the sandwiches.

Mix together mayo, mustard, hot sauce, jalapeno (if using) to suit your taste. Spread this sauce on the buns.

In the pan you used to blanch the Spam, fry it lightly now, with or without some oil (if it's non-stick you won't need any). Just get it hot and a little color on it.

In the meantime microwave some Velveeta to a liquid consistency. (Careful, you can get pizza mouth from this.)

Assemble the po boys in whatever order you choose, although I would start with the Spam. After that you are on your own.Write to me about this and tell me you have the cojones to try it.

Otherwise, write to me anyways.

"Lost" and flounder

2012-01-25T19:21:00.001-05:00

Ok, that's a stupid title. I watched "Lost" once during its first season - then I conveniently lost it. We took a break from potatoes (going back to them in one day for choucroute made with homemade sauerkraut) and had some flounder, broccolini and rice. I never tried this before, but I wanted to kind of do the milanesa-style thing but with some delicate fish. Wasn't sure how it would turn out. A 12 oz. package of frozen flounder on sale gave me the opportunity.

Flounder milanesa
12 oz. flounder filets, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water
unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Add the cheese, salt and pepper to the bread crumbs and place them on a wide plate.
Dry the fish thoroughly with paper towels. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Dredge in the egg, allowing excess to fall away. Coat with bread crumbs. Place the filets on a wire rack over a plate and refrigerate for at least an hour in order to set up the coating.
Using a large skillet or saute pan, heat 1/8" vegetable oil until very hot. Shallow fry the fish filet (in 2 batches if necessary) for 45 seconds per side. Serve at once.

Shrimp burgers

2012-01-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

Not a good photo, but the best I could find for free via Google (I've been camera-less for the last year). In any case, I've made combination shrimp and catfish burgers many times, but just decided to stick with the shrimp.
Start with 10 oz 21-25's. Peel and de-vein them and then slice them in half through where the vein was. Now chop them moderately fine. Shrimp are pretty sticky so it's not a problem for them to hold together while cooking.
Put them in a bowl and mix well with 2 Tbs mayonnaise and 2 Tbs bread crumbs, salt and pepper (and hot sauce if you're in the mood). Form into 2 burgers. Saute in butter for about 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Thai-style chayote salad

2012-01-14T10:49:00.001-05:00

When I went on hiatus over the start of the new year I promised a new green papaya salad when I returned. Well, here it is. I've said before that I haven't located a place to get green papaya here in DC. But I substitute chayote squash (pictured above) and it's pretty much exactly the same result.
The dressing for the salad pretty much consumed my fish sauce, my plain old canola oil, a large jalapeno (seeded and chopped, thank you very much), and lime juice. All in all it tastes darn good. This is really good, if you're of a mind to want it.

Thai-style chayote salad
2 chayote squash
½ small onion, very finely diced
1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 medium tomato, finely diced
3 Tbs fish sauce (nam pla)
2 Tbs canola oil (or other neutral oil)
1 ½ Tbs chili/garlic sauce
2 large cloves garlic (minced or pressed)
for garnish: chopped peanuts or roasted sunflower seeds
Peel the squash (there's some craggy part you'll need to deal with). Cut it in half and clean it up a bit more with your peeler. Use a grapefruit spoon to scrape out the center portion and then julienne them using your mandoline. Toss in a big bowl with the onion, jalapeno and tomato.
Mix the dressing in a separate bowl, then toss it all together. Top with the nuts when serving. It's good to let this steep in the fridge for a while.

Kimchi (don't even consider making this)

2012-01-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

Now why would I say "don't even consider making this"? Simple, most of you have never eaten kimchi. Start by going to an Asian market and buying a jar of it. Take it home. Open it. Eat some of it with chopsticks (it tastes different if you use chopsticks). LOL
I have a long history with this cured cabbage concoction. By the way, it's diet friendly (unless you're on a low salt regimen).
I've just decided not to provide a recipe today. There's no point. A person can make kimchi a million different ways. Just Google it. I think it would be safe to make it during Lent. I bought a jar of it yesterday at an Asian market here in DC. Know what? It's terrible. Even the worst kimchi I ever made was better than this.

Tilapia

2012-01-12T07:58:00.000-05:00

Here are a few fun photos of tilapia.

I did something radical yesterday. I bought and cooked tilapia. It tastes very good, but there are questions out there about its nutritional value (short on omega 3's e. g.). The same is apparently true of my beloved catfish. Oh well, a person's gotta eat. I did this in the simplest way possible. Butter and a bit of olive oil in a big skillet; paprika, salt and pepper, and then flour on the fish. About 3 minutes per side.

Turkey milanesa

2012-01-10T17:45:00.000-05:00

Technically speaking I am probably not using the term “milanesa” entirely properly. I won't try to define it. I just like the word and what I do with chicken, pork, and now turkey, does resemble milanesa. It also resembles Wienerschnitzel. It's a cooking technique that is exquisite in its result (if done the right way). I bought a 6 lb turkey breast a couple of weeks ago. We froze half of it and roasted the other half. It was delicious with a sage pesto Peter made. For this application I removed the skin and sliced it across at about ½ inch intervals. Pound, pound, pound – down to ¼ inch to 1/3 inch.

From here on it's the 3-step dredge. I like to use some paprika along with salt and pepper before dredging in flour, dipping in egg and coating with bread crumbs. 1/8 inch of veg oil in a large skillet must be gotten screaming hot. This is probably the single most important thing about this recipe. The oil should be so hot that you literally only shallow fry the meat for 1.25 minutes per side, drain on a paper towel and serve up immediately.

Have you noticed I did not mention brining? This turkey breast was on sale for about 25% of its original price. It had been injected with brine of a sort. A reasonable compromise I would say.

Fun food - rice stick noodles with Arctic char

2012-01-04T09:38:00.002-05:00

I'm doing a give-away. In this case everyone gets to be a winner. I have written a small document that includes 100 soups with no more than 5 ingredients. All you have to do to get a copy (via a Word document as an email attachment) is to write to me here: scrout1944@msn.com. This is whimsical and fun. Let me entertain you.

Yesterday I did not feel able to resume blogging. I was ill in the night and most of the day. However, today I was on the mend, back to eating and prepared an eclectic dish for dinner comprised of Asian rice stick noodles, Arctic char, broccoli, and some duck broth. Seasonings were Asian and this endeavor was original and delicious (as in yum yum). It falls under the heading of “make something with what you have.” This is what I call “fun food.” I haven't said this in a long time: all my recipes are for two people unless otherwise designated.

Noodles, vegetables and fish
2 filets of Arctic char, 4 oz each
sesame oil
salt
3 oz rice stick noodles, soaked in hot tap water for 10 minutes, drained and set aside
2 cups broth (chicken, duck or turkey)
frozen peas or edamame, or broccoli florets cut fine (I used a bit of each)
fish sauce to taste
soy sauce to taste
½ tsp miso paste
pinch red pepper flakes to taste
juice of ¼ lemon or ½ lime
2 Tbs finely chopped cilantro

Bring the char to room temperature, rub it lightly with sesame oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt, and then steam it for 8 minutes. Remove the skin, break into bite-size pieces and set it aside.

Soak the noodles in hot tap water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain.

While the noodles soak, heat the 2 cups broth to a simmer.

Add remaining ingredients to the broth (except juice and cilantro) plus the noodles and bring back to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add noodles.

Serve the noodles and vegetables in large, hot soup bowls with the pieces of char on top, and garnish with the lemon or lime juice and some cilantro.

Break time for Bonzo

2011-12-20T09:52:00.001-05:00

I don't have a lot of responsibilites over the next couple of weeks, but I'm stepping aside all the same. No particular reason. By the time I get back I'll have a few fun things to share. In the meantime I wish you all a very happy holiday season. So many of you have enriched my life this last year with your stories, your food, your successes and failures (who hasn't had them?).
I will be reading your blogs; that I can't resist. I will be exploring a few possibilities. Among them are ... stand back ... making menudo at home (and maybe including tendon); a version of green papaya salad (using chayote squash); and a way to make chicken nuggets that is both health-conscious and unfussy, and which will cause the entire world to beat a path to my door.
I will also be working on my next book, "Back in the Day," which is about what I was given to eat in the 1950's. When I get back I will have a give-away of a short tome I wrote over recent weeks with 100 recipes (no more than 5 ingredients each) for soups. I'll spend some time re-editing and cleaning it up. I'll be prepared to send it (free) to anyone who wants it (in PDF format).
So with that, once again, have as much joy (liquid as necessary) as you can stand (or until you can no longer stand), and hug all your loved ones.

Fellow blogger,
StephenC

Cornish hen with attitude

2011-12-12T11:08:00.001-05:00

I have quite a bit of trouble reading the type in many posts. It's age, not the problem of the lovely bloggers I follow. However, if you hold down the Control key and press the key with the "=" and "plus" signs the type will get larger. I usually go two to three times with this. You can do less (or more if you are even more ancient than I am). I work on a laptop, so I don't know how this would work on a full keyboard with a separate "plus" key. Let me know if you discover anything about that.
The original version of this was to stuff a hen with prosciutto and layer the top of it with fatback. It was one of the earliest dinners Peter and I prepared together somewhere around 30 years ago. We were subletting an apartment in northwest DC. The oven smoked even more than we did in those days. But, by golly, that hen was good. I'm making a slightly more responsible version of it this time around. Some lemon, celery and onion inside seemed like a good idea. Bacon over the top. A 400 oven for about 30 minutes did the trick. Of course it is essential to brine the hen for a few hours, rinse and dry it well; after which you DO NOT add any more salt. All the pepper or other spices you want is great. It must also be at room temperature. Am I giving TMI? Maybe, but better thorough than sorry. Given my recent fixation with mortadella and/or bologna, maybe I should have used that as a stuffing. You want the stuffing to be somewhat loose. About ½ cup of each of the 3 ingredients should be plenty. I was out of tarragon, but made a special trip to Safeway to get some. I really like tarragon. Remove the bacon after the first 20 minutes. Use it to make some parsleyed potatoes to go along with the bird. Then you just need a green vegetable and you're golden.

Fried baloney and onions on mashed potatoes

2011-12-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I have never publicly discussed this retro dish. My mother made it. Often? I don't know. I do know we liked it. It is so unbelievably easy to make that it's almost embarrassing to publish it here. But you know me, that never stopped me before.

Get your potatoes going. One nice Idaho will make plenty for two people. When cooked, add milk and plenty of butter, salt and pepper and mash. Keep warm.

Slice a medium onion from pole to pole, trim it, peel it, and cut it into half moons. Saute in some olive oil and butter over medium heat (don't let it color) until limp and tender, 12-15 minutes. Toss in the “meat” and flip it around until it is heated through. Put some potatoes onto a hot plate and top them with the baloney and onion mixture. Send me a dollar to thank me for this spectacular idea!

We didn't do hot sauce when I was a kid. I probably would now however.

I cook Mexican at Leslie's

2011-12-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

Leslie is a long-time friend, former employee, and our hostess for a month while Peter and I were looking for a place to live when we came back to DC last January. I prepared a Mexican dinner (fajitas) to which Peter contributed a big pan of flan for dessert. All in all it was a swell spread, originally intended for six people, though in the end just five. (More food for all of us.) Schlepping food (and my wok) to someone else's house takes some organizational skills (we were also schlepping the dog, oy). But I have those skills. List after list of what to do to be prepared, ingredient list, mise en place plan, etc. I almost got a little intimidated, but in the end, no way Jose. We had a great time. Everybody ate like they were both hungry and really liked the food. I cheated slightly by not making my own salsa, but a boy can only do so much. Got a jar of some good quality salsa and a bag of chips for dipping. That was our app. Here's the main course. This seems very busy, but it's not if you prepare, chop, etc. everything ahead of time.

Beef fajitas

1 ½ lb skirt sliced in thin strips across the grain
Marinade:
juice of 2 limes
1 Tbs Mexican dry oregano
2 Tbs finely chopped cilantro
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper

2 large green bell peppers, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 large red bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch strips
2 medium onions, cut into ½ inch half moons
3 large garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
shredded lettuce
refried beans
guacamole
lime wedges
pickled jalapeno slices
2 or more flour tortillas per person, wrapped in foil (1 per person for pre-heating) and kept in the oven while the beef and veggies are cooking.
Marinate the beef for several hours. I used my wok to do the stir frying. First the beef, at room temp in a small amount of very hot oil. Toss with tongs for 2-3 minutes, remove and put into a dish in the oven at 250 degrees while you cook the vegetables.

Add a little more oil to the wok and toss in the veggies. Using the tongs keep them moving (over fairly high heat) until softened to your taste (5-8 minutes).

I placed lettuce, refritos and guacamole on each dinner plate and then let the guests assemble their own fajitas. Lime and jalapenos were in a separate bowl.

Beef liver dumplings

2011-12-03T17:25:00.000-05:00

I know right up front that this will not be to the liking of many of my followers. All I can say is I bring you the stuff I do. Don't do as I say and don't do as I do. Just give this a read with an open mind and let me know what horror stories it brings back about liver experiences. Maybe we'll do a book!! LOL

1 lb beef liver, cleaned of all naughty bits and cut into 2 inch pieces
½ cup milk
2 Tbs hot sauce
3 slices bread
cream or half and half
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Soak the liver in the milk and hot sauce for a few hours. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Place in the food processor with the bread. Pulse and add cream or half and half, salt and pepper, and the egg to get a proper texture – not too wet, not too dry. Form a little patty and saute it for a couple of minutes so that you can taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Make a braising liquid by using chicken or beef broth and 2-3 Tbs tomato paste. Make enough liquid to come up about 2/3 of the way on the meatballs. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook very low and slow for 10-12 minutes until done all the way through. Serve over pasta or rice or Israeli couscous. Drizzle some of the tomato liquid over the top.

Turkey terrific and kraut with attitude

2011-11-27T08:49:00.000-05:00

I invited my sister-in-law to guest post today. She put such a startlingly good meal on the table this past Thursday that it seems it should be shared, if only to generate enthusiasm. The rest of this will be in her words. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that these two preparations came from "Joy of Cooking." Have a look, then look away until next November!!! LOL

Susan speaks:

For the turkey, I followed the Joy of Cooking recipe for Roasted Brined Turkey, although I didn’t brine it. I filled the cavity with one onion, one stalk celery, and one carrot, cut up, and eight sprigs of fresh thyme. Didn’t truss the turkey, because it was still on the cold side when it went in oven, and I wanted more surface to be exposed to heat. Turkey weighed 13.85 lbs. Placed turkey breast side down on v rack, brushed with melted butter and roasted in convection oven at 325 for 2 hours, then turned it breast side up and brushed with more butter. Put thermometer probe in thigh and roasted until internal temp reached 168, about 1 1/2 hours more, basting several times with pan juices. Then took it out and let it rest for about 20 min.
For the sauerkraut, I used Joy of Cooking’s recipe for Alsatian Sauerkraut:
Heat 2T butter, bacon fat, or veg oil in a large ovenproof skillet (I used butter).
Saute until translucent 1/2 cup sliced onions or shallots (I used onions).
Add and cook for about 5 min. 2 lbs. deli-case sauerkraut, drained.
Stir in one med. tart apple, peeled and grated (I used Granny Smith) and 1 to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds (I used one).
Cover with boiling beef or veg stock or water (I used Swanson beef broth) and 1/4 cup dry white wine (which I omitted).
Cook uncovered for 30 min.
Cover and bake in 325 degree oven for about 30 min.
If desired, season with 1 to 2 T. brown sugar (which I skipped).
I made this the day before, put it in a small Corning Ware casserole dish, and reheated it in the microwave for Thanksgiving dinner.

Ooh la lasagna

2011-11-25T11:04:00.004-05:00

I thought about lasagna all summer, but it's not really a warm weather dish. I've got news for you: this is lasagna weather here in DC. The “Super Committee” of our household (Peter and yours truly) determined that now was the time. I did not follow a recipe. If you know my cooking at all, you know I work by the seat of my pants (and it's hard to get that tomato sauce out of your jeans). Some folks like to use Italian sausage. I do too. But in this case I found a 1 lb package of 80/20 ground beef at Safeway on sale. An aside: I do not buy ground beef if I am making burgers; the ecoli problem is rare but real, and I like my burgers on the rare side. Here it comes.

Ooh la lasagna
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb ground beef (fat content is your choice)
1 medium onion chopped fairly fine
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
28 oz crushed tomatoes
15 oz tomato sauce
2 heaping Tbs tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 box no boil lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta (I used whole milk)
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan

Large saute pan. Olive oil. Start browning the beef. Add onion and garlic. When beef is brown, add tomatoes and paste, seasonings.

Simmer sauce 30 minutes and then allow to cool. Layer in 13 by 9 inch casserole: sauce, noodles, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. Repeat til everything has been included. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 50 minutes (we have a convection oven – regular oven might be 60 minutes). Remove foil. Add parmesan. Bake another 10 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Beans and dogs

2011-11-23T09:30:00.001-05:00

This could probably not be easier. I am not known for “few” ingredient cooking. But, lookee here, even an old dog can learn a trick or two. This batch made for several lunches for Peter and me. It's tasty, especially with some Louisiana hot sauce (or another brand if that's your druthers). You might notice I do not call for salt. Use some if you wish.
Beans and dogs
½ medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans beans, rinsed
1 cup chicken broth, or more to taste
5 hotdogs cut into ½ inch pieces
hot sauce to taste (optional)
Saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the beans, hotdogs and the broth and simmer uncovered until desired thickness is achieved (it can be wet without any problem). Add the hotdogs. Season with hot sauce (if using). Serve over rice or couscous or orzo.

The art of artichokes

2011-11-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

My title implies that I'm offering a be-all-and-end-all recipe. It's not true. I just wanted a snappy phrase. I have made several versions of artichoke heart preparations. I do not use fresh artichokes. I cannot bear the thought of cleaning them up. Canned in oil are never an option. Canned in water are acceptable, but frozen are my choice. They are a good product. I made this in the hope of pleasing my sister-in-law and brother-in-law at Thanksgiving dinner. I've done several different versions of this and settled on something fairly new this time. This is my test version.

Braised artichoke hearts with lemon

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

½ medium lemon, sliced thin

1 lb. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

pinch each of salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes

2 Tbs chicken stock

Heat the oil and butter in a saute pan

Add the lemon slices and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened. Remove them to a bowl and set aside.

Add the artichokes and seasonings. Add the chicken stock. Let the broth simmer until it evaporates. Add a tiny bit more butter if it seems necessary. Saute the hearts until they begin to brown. Flip them over and get a little brown on the other side. Add the lemon back in and heat.

Bell peppered chicken

2011-11-18T14:03:00.000-05:00

Spatchcock a whole bird. Brine it for 3-4 hours. Rinse, dry, brown in butter and oil (skin side) for 8 minutes. Use pepper, ancho chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder, any or all of the above. Turn skin side up and season again. Layer wilted pieces of bell pepper (20 minutes in a 400 oven) over the top and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until juices run clear. You will not be sorry you did this.

Wish I had a better picture. It was quite beautiful with the red and green peppers on top.

Creamed smoked corn

2011-11-12T11:19:00.004-05:00

Here is an invention. It came to me early in the morning. I had been thinking off and on about smoking in my wok for the last week or so. Let's face it, we're no longer in fresh corn season. Peter sticks his nose up at corn on the cob from the supermarket in the fall or winter. But I was determined that I could fool him into liking something if he didn't know how it was made.
The best off-season corn is frozen kernels. For this, however, I decided that frozen corn on the cob was the way to go. The frozen corn kernels by themselves are pretty wet.

Here's a quick primer on my wok-smoking technique. Line the wok with two layers of foil. Soak a handful of wood chips in water for 30 minutes. I use a bamboo steamer basket. You'll have to use whatever you can figure out. Get the wood chips smoking and put the ears of corn into the basket. Cover and smoke for 20 minutes.
Creamed smoked corn
4 ears frozen corn on the cob
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Let the corn thaw and then smoke it in the wok for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and then slice the kernels from the cobs. Place in a sauce pan and add the cumin, salt and pepper, cream and butter. Heat on medium low stirring to blend the ingredients. Taste and determine both for seasoning and to be sure the corn is cooked through.

Oh my gosh, CHICKEN LIVERS two ways - run for the hills

2011-11-09T08:09:00.002-05:00

I am reorganizing this post to feature the chicken liver pate at the top. I want folks to see it because it is the finest version of this I have ever made.

Chicken liver pate

10 oz cooked (as below) chicken livers, chopped

1/4 cup half-and-half

generous pinch of red pepper flakes

2 generous Tbs mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

Put all this into the food processor and puree. Serve on various vehicles such as crackers, toast, or freshly baked biscuits.

Above are two different views of these magical little bits of wonder. It's been quite a while since I've made them. Maybe as much as several years. There's no explaining it, especially because Peter and I love them so much. My technique is about as simple as anything could be. I've struggled lately with learning to simplify recipes – fewer ingredients, fewer steps involved, etc. In this case I am entirely successful. The container I bought contained 1 ¼ lb of livers, more than we would eat at one sitting. However, I cooked them all up and made pate out of the leftovers. I am such a star!
Chicken livers in flour and paprika
12 oz chicken livers
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dredging
paprika
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
Take a pair of kitchen shears and trim the funky bits from the livers. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Dredge them in equal amounts of flour and paprika. Shaking them up in a paper bag works well.

Heat the oil and butter until very hot (the butter should be ready to start turning brown). Drop in the livers. 2 minutes later flip them over for another 2 minutes. You are done.

Chicken and biscuits

2011-11-08T07:55:00.000-05:00

Here's something I thought about off and on for quite some time. It's not a summer recipe, so I had to table it until nice fall weather came along. Well, it's here.
Chicken and biscuits
1 package refrigerated biscuits
12 oz. cooked chicken in bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Celery salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs half-and-half
1 cup frozen edamame
1 cup frozen small whole onions

Bake the biscuits according to their directions.
Whisk the flour into some water to avoid lumps. Heat broth to a simmer. Add onions and edamame and simmer 5 minutes. Add celery salt and pepper. Add flour slurry. Add butter. Add chicken and heat through. Serve over the biscuits in heated bowls.

Beautiful baked bird bits (roasted chicken parts)

2011-11-05T10:43:00.006-04:00

That roast chicken is a thing o' beauty. I went to Trader Joe's yesterday afternoon. Do you know that in DC a whole broiler (or fryer) chicken costs about $11. That is nearly two times what we paid in Denver. I found a roaster chicken for about $6. What's the diff? The roaster needs slower and longer cooking. My strategy was to brine the bird for several hours and then roast it, in parts, in the oven. I preach brining from time to time. I'll repeat the specifics below in case you haven't accepted the brine as your personal savior yet.
I would have roasted the chicken whole except for the fact that, in order to brine it, that would have taken a whole lot more brining liquid. No matter, the chicken tastes just as good in parts, and I got to put the backbone, wing tips, and giblets in a pot for stock.

Roasted chicken parts
1 roasting chicken, about 5 lbs, brined for 3-4 hours
brining liquid (see below)
dried tarragon
smoked paprika
black pepper
Remove the backbone and the wingtips from the chicken and cut it into parts (legs, thighs, wings and breasts). Put the backbone and giblets into a pot and cover with water. Simmer for one hour. Let cool and discard the solids. Put the chicken parts into a large bowl and cover with this brining liquid:

Brining liquid:
4 cups water
4 Tbs kosher salt (or 2 ½ Tbs regular salt)
1 Tbs whole peppercorns
1 Tbs dried oregano

Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse it and dry it well with paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the chicken skin side up on a baking sheet which has been covered with a sheet of foil and sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with pepper, paprika and tarragon to taste. Place the chicken in the oven for 50 minutes. Rotate the pan and increase the heat to 400 degrees. Roast until well-browned and an internal temperature for the breasts of 165 and 170 for the thighs. If the breasts get way ahead of the thighs and legs, remove them from the oven. This will probably take about another 10 - 14 minutes. When done, remove from the oven, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes while you finish up the rest of your dinner. In my case I was using a convection oven. Everything happens faster in there. If you do not have a thermometer you will need to make a slit in the chicken to make sure there is no red or pink inside.