Creamy Chicken and Mashed Potatoes
I'm trying to rush fall, a bit. I'm ready for the fall foods. Grocery stores are all set up with butternut and acorn squash, gourds have appeared. Mother Nature is taking her time. It was sunny and 78° today. Actually, it was perfect weather. I'm not complaining. Really. I just want to make a pot of soup.
Yesterday, I boiled a whole chicken. I got a gallon of great broth for a few future projects and a full chicken for a few meals. Tonight, I took a bit of that chicken, a bit of that broth, a few mushrooms and some fried hot peppers and a dolop of mascarpone and made a creamy - and ever-so-slightly-spicy - chicken that I served atop mashed potatoes.
It was just the ultimate in comfort foods. Something my mother would have put together to feed the lot of us back in the day.
I hate to admit it, but I actually cleaned that plate.
It was really good.
Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa
Pasta Monday. I have died and gone to Gastronomic Heaven. How can so few ingredients pack such a wallop of flavor? It truly boggles the mind.
First off, I love broccoli rabe. It's a slightly bitter green with an earthy flavor that just works with anything. Sauteed with a bit of garlic and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, it makes a great side dish. Or - as in tonight's dinner - simply mixed with a couple of key ingredients and it really shows off.
Tonight's plate is one of those dishes where the picture just isn't going to do it justice. Visually, it's gorgeous - the most beautiful greens imaginable. Even the orecchiette takes on a slightly shimmering green tone. Contrasted with the white white of the ricotta salada and it's visual perfection.
And then you take that first bite...
The flavors and textures all work with one another perfectly. The bread crumbs add a really great contrast to the pasta and broccoli rabe. Perfect.
This is one of those instances where it's much better that Victor is in the kitchen. I tend to look at a recipe and then start adding things... I could easily see mushrooms and onions and garlic and peppers and lord knows what else being thrown into the pot. But the beauty of this dish is the simplicity. It's the lack of ingredients that makes it so good. And let's face it - restraint is not a word I know well.
I highly recommend it.
Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa – Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe
- 1 ¼ lbs broccoli rabe, trimmed
- Salt
- 3 oz guanciale or pancetta cut into ¼ inch cubes
- 6 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup coarse, plain breadcrumbs
- 1 lb Orecchiette
- 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese (3 oz)
Cook broccoli rabe in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes.
Reserving the water, transfer broccoli rabe to a colander, rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Squeeze out excess water and roughly chop.
In a large skillet, combine guanciale or pancetta and 4 tbls oil, heat over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally until it begins to crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes more. Transfer mixture to a large serving bowl (big enough to toss the pasta)
Return skillet to medium heat, add 2 tbls oil and breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring constantly, until breadcrumbs are golden, about 5 minutes then remove from heat.
Return pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and add to bowl with broccoli rabe. Add breadcrumb mixture and ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Toss to combine. Moisten with extra pasta cooking liquid, if desired. Serve immediately, sprinkled with cheese.
This is one that will be made over and over. And who knows... maybe I will play with it a bit. I think this would be good no matter what.
Salsicci con Finocchi e Olive
It was cold and damp today - a perfect excuse for me to sit in the office and work on a website for a fun new friend. And it was a perfect day for Victor to cook dinner!
It's a bit of self-defense on his part... he knows how I can get when I'm focused on a new site and if dinner is to be anything more than hot dogs, he probably needs to cook it.
Well... my clever ruse worked and did he ever create a great dish!
The concept comes from Lidia's Italy cook book. It's a really simple dish of sausage, fennel, and olives. The recipe calls for green olives, but we didn't have any in the house, so he substituted kalamatas. He also added some malloreddus that was left from Monday's dinner to make it a one-pot dish. And cut it for the two of us.
It worked on every level. The combination of flavors and textures was perfect. I broke away from the office long enough to bake a fresh loaf of bread and it was perfect for sopping up every drop of juice on the plate.
If you haven't cooked fennel in a while - or have never cooked fennel - this is definitely the recipe to try.
Sausages with Fennel and Olives (Salsicci con Finocchi e Olive)
from Lidia's Italy
Serves 6Fresh fennel is one of my favorite companions for good Italian sausage. Here meat and vegetables are skillet-cooked, separately and then together, until their flavors are merged and concentrated. It may seem that a lot of fennel is called for, but in cooking it diminishes greatly. Fennel prepared this way is also excellent with any grilled meats; it is even good with grilled fish.
- Sausages 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 sweet Italian sausages (about 2 pounds)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 plump garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- ¼ teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste
- 1 cup large green olives, squashed to open and pit them
- 3 large fennel bulbs (3½ to 4 pounds), trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Recommended Equipment
A 13- or 14-inch heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, with a coverPour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the big skillet, and set over medium-high heat. Lay in all the sausages; cook them for 5 minutes or more, rolling them over occasionally, until they're nicely browned on all sides. Pour in the wine, and boil until it is reduced by half. Remove the sausages to a platter, and pour over them the wine remaining in the pan.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the empty skillet, toss in the garlic cloves, and cook for a minute or so, over medium heat, until they're sizzling. Drop the peperoncino in a hot spot for a few seconds, then scatter the squashed olives in the pan; toss and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the fennel chunks, and stir them in with the garlic and olives. Season the vegetables with ½ teaspoon salt, cover the skillet, and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, tossing and stirring now and then, until the fennel softens, shrinks, and begins to color. Add a bit of water to the pan if the fennel remains hard and resistant to the bite.
When the fennel is cooked through, return the sausages and the wine to the skillet. Turn and tumble the meat and vegetables together, and cook uncovered another 5 minutes or so, until everything is deeply caramelized and glazed. Adjust the seasoning to taste; keep cooking and tumbling the sausages and fennel. Serve piping hot.
And fresh-baked bread...
Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, and Raisin Muffins
I decided we needed muffins. I generally don't eat breakfast before heading off to work, but know that if I get there with an empty stomach, I'm apt to eat whatever is lying about - not a healthy way to start the day. I've been getting better about bringing some fruit and yogurt with me, but if I could get a little something in me to jumpstart the morning...
Enter the muffin!
The recipe comes from Cooking Light. I changed a couple of ingredients around to reflect what I had in the cupboards, but otherwise made them as stated.
They are really good! And easy!
Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, and Raisin Muffins
With four whole grains and three dried fruits, these muffins are a great way to get a variety of antioxidants and fiber. Wheat germ is a good source of vitamin E. Look for untoasted wheat germ in the organic food section of the supermarket. Adding boiling water to the batter and allowing it to sit for 15 minutes before baking allows the hearty oats, wheat germ, and bran to soak up the liquid for a more tender muffin.
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons untoasted wheat germ (I used 2 tbsp ground spelt)
- 2 tablespoons wheat bran (I used 2 tbsp ground black barley)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1/3 cup chopped pitted dates (I used 1/3 cup chopped apricots)
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used 1/3 cup currants)
- (I added 1 cup chopped walnuts)
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- Cooking spray
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in oats, dates, raisins, and cranberries. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in boiling water. Let batter stand 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.
These really worked well. Moist, flavorful, and without a heavy whole wheat taste. I used buttermilk powder and it worked just fine.
I can see many variations on a theme...
Another Road to Morocco
Once upon a time I subscribed to a diet and nutrition magazine. I got the subscription because I read a copy in a Dr's office and it had a recipe for Pumpkin Polenta! (It was a hit. I've made it a couple of times.) But the magazine went totally digital and I lost interest - and kept a few of the printed recipes.
The recipe for the rice is a variation on a stuffed portobello mushroom recipe.
Moroccan Rice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup chickpeas
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups cooked rice
In skillet, heat 1 tsp oil. Add spices and cook about 1 minute to get rid of the raw taste. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well. Heat through.
The chicken was a variation on a recipe from an old Gourmet magazine.
Moroccan Lemon Chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 small onion, sliced thin
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch cayenne pepper
- grated lemon zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup sliced olives
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cup chick peas
Cook chicken in skillet until browned on both sides. Transfer chicken to a plate and reduce heat to moderate. Add onion to pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Add cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, and flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in broth, lemon juice and zest, olives, chickpeas, and honey.
Return chicken to pan and simmer, uncovered, until cooked through.
I think the locals would approve...
Steaks on the Barbie
Mushrooms. Gotta love 'em. And add a steak to the equation and you have the perfect meal.
I had a few different mushrooms in the 'fridge, so I cut them all up, sauteed them in a bit of olive oil and garlic, and added a cup of red wine. Cooked the wine down to nothing and that was that! They went perfect atop a nice, rare, filet.
The veggies were yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes, sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and fresh basil and oregano from the garden.
A baked sweet potato finished the plate.
Summer has not quite decided to wind down, yet. Weather is still hot and the grill is still in operation. Fall produce is hitting the stores and I'm starting to think about stews and casseroles.
Soon.....
Alaskan Cod with Asparagus Mashed Potatoes
Thursday Seafood was Alaskan Cod with a Mushroom Ragout and Asparagus Mashed Potatoes. It was really quite simple and would have been totally excellent instead of merely good had I not overcooked it a bit. I got busy and didn't hear the timer go off so it sat in the oven for 10 minutes longer than it should have.
But overcooked or not, it was an easy meal to prepare and serve.
Alaskan Cod with Mushroom Ragout
- 2 6oz cod fillets
- 8 oz assorted mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 cup white wine
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
Season cod with a bit of salt and pepper and lay out on oven-proof baking pan. Saute onion until wilted. Add garlic and lightly cook. Add mushrooms and cook well.
Add wine and cook until wine has pretty much evaporated. Add S&P, to taste.
Top fish fillets with mushrooms, grate a bit of cheese on top and place in a 350° oven about 15 minutes.
The asparagus mashed potatoes idea came from Saveur magazine. It calls for white asparagus, heavy cream... I made it with green asparagus and non-fat milk. Came out great. I virtually never peel potatoes for mashing - I like lumps and peel - but did mash them for this. next time I probably wouldn't.
Asparagus Mashed Potatoes
- Russet potatoes
- Asparagus
- butter
- milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
Peel potatoes, cut in cubes, and place in pot with salted water. Chop 1/2-bunch of asparagus and add to potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender.
Drain and mash together, adding butter, milk, salt and pepper.
I roasted a few asparagus to go along with the meal.
All-in-all, it was a success.
Pork Chops and Plums
I love the summer fruits. Peaches, plums, apricots... they can be used sweet or savory, in desserts, in salads, sliced into a bowl, eaten out-of-hand, or simmered in the oven with... oh... I dunno... let's say... pork chops!
Pork and apples or applesauce has been a traditional pairing for years. Like chicken, pork just lends itself to the sweetness of fresh fruit, especially if a bit of heat is applied.
I did a bit of an Asian twist on dinner tonight. I marinated the pork chops in rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a bit of sambal oelek. Into the skillet went 1 onion, chopped, 1 green pepper, chopped, and three plums, sliced.
I browned them just a bit and then added the marinade from the pork and brought it to a boil. Meanwhile, I grilled the pork briefly to get a bit of grill flavor.
I put the partially-cooked chops into the skillet and into a 350° oven for about 20 minutes.
I served it with some whole-grain black rice.
Yum.
Beef and Onions
Grilled onions go with anything - but they go especially well with grilled beef. It's a classic pairing.
The beef tonight was a round steak, marinated in Moore's marinade and simply grilled. Moore's hails from Birmingham, Alabama. I would have never heard of it if Mike and Barbara hadn't brought up a huge southern care package for us when they stayed with us a couple of years ago. One of the things they brought us was a bottle of Dale's Seasoning. They told us there are two rival marinades down their way in South Carolina - Moore's and Dale's. After trying the Dale's, I sent away for the Moore's.
Taste-wise, they both work for me, but Dale's only sells by the case online and the odds of me going through 12 bottles in this lifetime are slim. I mean... I don't even buy green bananas.
But, as usual, I digress...
I boiled a couple of red potatoes and added a bit of sour cream, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
The vegetables were even more fun... A bit of clean-out-the-vegetable-bin... mushrooms, broccoli, and arugula, sauteed in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Nothing fancy. There was enough flavor in the veggies that I didn't need anything else. Cooked arugula is one of my most favorite vegetables. Most folks know it as a salad green, but it can be cooked up the same way as spinach and used wherever spinach is called for.
It's good!
A quick-and-easy 20-minute meal.
Malloreddus con Salsiccia
It is so good to be me.
I know, I know... It's just not right to brag or gloat or any of that sort of stuff, but damn! it's good to be me! My stomach is smiling from here to the moon and back!
Victor was in the kitchen once again, working his way through the Pasta Issue of La Cucina Italiana. This weeks gastronomic celebration was Malloreddus con Salsiccia, or Malloreddus with Sausage.
Malloreddus is a semolina pasta from Sardinia. Sardinia, was occupied for several centuries by the Arabs after the fall of the Roman Empire, and one of the fun culinary differences from other parts of Italy is the locals acquired a taste for saffron. It is often used both in the dough and in the accompanying sauce.
Malloreddus in not gnocchi, although they share a similar shape. They have very different ingredients, textures, and flavors.
Malloreddus
- Sea Salt
- 1 ¼ cups semolina flour
- ¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- Extra virgin olive oil
Gnocchi board or a table fork
Dissolve 1 tsp salt in ¾ cup warm water. In a large bowl whisk together semolina and all purpose flour; mound and form a well in the center.
Add water mixture and 2 tsp olive oil to the well. Using your hand or a fork, slowly incorporate flour from inside the rim of the well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead in bowl until dough forms a complete mass (dough will be slightly sticky).
Transfer dough to a well floured work surface and knead, dusting with a bit more flour as needed just to keep dough from sticking to your hands, for 5 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
Break off about 1/8 of the dough; tightly rewrap remaining dough. Roll dough into ½ inch cylinder, and cut into ¼ inch thick pieces. Pressing with your thumb, roll each piece on a gnocchi board (or down the back of a fork) to give it the characteristic ridges, and put on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To cook fresh Malloreddus, bring a large pot of salted water to a bill. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 6 minutes after water returns to a boil. Drain, transfer to a large serving bowl and immediately toss with sauce and serve.
This is less than half of the pasta. The rest went into the freezer!
Malloreddus con salsiccia – Malloreddus with sausage.
- 1 lbs sweet or hot Italian sausage
- Heaping 1/8 tsp crushed saffron threads
- 3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 1 (28 oz. can) whole peeled tomatoes with juices.
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Sea Salt
- 1 lbs fresh Malloreddus or dried from the store
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus more for serving
Remove sausage from casing, break meat apart a bit. Combine saffron and ¼ cup water in a small bowl
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat, add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. 5 to 6 minutes. Add sausage, and cook, breaking meat apart with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, add wine, cook, breaking up tomatoes for 5 minutes. (Sometimes dump the tomatoes and juice in a large bowl and roughly break them up with my hands)
Add saffron mixture and ¼ tsp salt. Gently simmer sauce until thickened and flavorful, 45 to 50, minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (about 6 minutes for fresh Malloreddus). Meanwhile, gently warm sauce. When pasta is al dente, drain, transfer to a large bowl, immediately add sauce and toss to combine. Add cheese and toss once more. Serve immediately with extra cheese.
I made a loaf of Pane Pugliese from dough I had frozen a couple of weeks ago. It was the perfect accompanyment to the perfect pasta dish.
While there are still lots of recipes in the magazine, we just received a copy of the latest Wegmans magazine - full of Italian Pasta Meals!
The Monday Pasta Extravaganza is going to going on for many many many more weeks to come!
It is so good to be me!
Ribs
It's a perfect day. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. We did a few chores around the house - I fixed some fence rails and Victor is painting the back deck - but it's been a slow and easy day.
Even dinner.
BBQ ribs, fries, peas and corn. It really doesn't get any easier.
I baked the ribs with Gate's BBQ sauce for about 2 hours at 225° and then finished them off on the grill.
Fries and peas & corn.
Simplicity.
I'm saving myself for tomorrow's Pasta Feast.
Sunday Frittata
Ah... Sunday Breakfast!
Breakfast is one of my most favorite meals. I love the bazillion-and-one flavor combinations that one can come up with. Sweet stuff and savory stuff and everything in-between.
In my restaurant-cooking days, it was probably the most difficult meal to cook. Folks have some really serious issues about how they want their bacon cooked and how they want their eggs cooked - to the point of being completely and totally overly-neurotic about it. Really overly-neurotic.
But I digress...
This was a really simple throw-together using leftovers in the 'fridge.
I cut up about a cup of cooked teeny potatoes from the other night and cooked them with 3 green onions and 1 stalk of broccoli. I mixed up 4 eggs, poured them in, topped it with some buffalo mozzarella and a sliced tomato from the garden. Salt and pepper.
I stuck the pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes, and breakfast was served.
