Cheesesteaks

I'm from San Francisco - what do I know from cheesesteak?!?  First cheesesteak I ever had was May of 1978 when I was back here with a buddy of mine on a 2-week east coast vacation that included Labor day Weekend at a "Little Summer House" in Cape May. ("Whaddaya mean I can't buy wine on a Sunday?  How am I supposed to make the shrimp scampi without wine?!?")

It was the first time I had ever been east and actually set the gears in place for my move to Boston in 1980.  But I digress...

I had either a Pat's or a Geno's cheesesteak that trip.  I don't remember which it was, but I do remember being a bit underwhelmed.  I mean, it was okay, but living at Lake Tahoe, I was heavily into the avocado, tomato, and sprouts on nine-grain bread back in those days.

Fast-forward almost 31 years and I'm in the Philly suburbs making cheesesteaks at home.  I'm still heavily into the avocado and tomato and sprouts on nine-grain, but I also have a paninni maker and have learned to appreciate cheesesteaks a lot more.  (Still not crazy about either Pat's or Geno's.  Jim's on South Street is my personal favorite in the city...)

Tonight's sandwich did what it was supposed to do, but all of a sudden I am craving that avocado, tomato and sprout sandwich - with thick slices of bacon on thick hand-cut slices of homemade 9-grain bread.....

Maybe this weekend.....

by Tim Dineen

...and ended as soup

It's freakin' freezin' outside.  Cold.  Disgustingly cold.  I need soup cold.

Yesterday's chicken carcass went into a pot with 2 quarts of chicken broth.  I boiled it down a bit, pulled out the chicken and picked it off the bones.

Into the pot went a hanful of angelhair pasta - broken in half - a couple of chopped carrots, some celery, peas, Italian green beans, and spinach.  (It's great clean out the vegetable bin and freezer of those little bits and pieces stuff.)

Cooked it all down a bit more, ladled it into bowls, grated some fresh parmesan on top, and called it dinner!

by Tim Dineen

It started with a chicken...

I had a nice, whole, organic chicken.  There are a bazillion and one ways to prepare a chicken, but I thought roasting it would be the easiest - and quickest.

I rubbed it with olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper, put a halved lemon in the cavity, stuck a thermometer in it (set at 145°) and into a 350° oven it went.

Then I made a simple bread dressing. It's nigh on impossible to make a tiny amount of dressing, but I did try.  And while reaching for the potatoes for mashed potatoes, I saw a sweet potato that needed some love.  It got cubed and baked with some maple syrup, mace, and cinnamon.  And roasted chicken and mashed potatoes means gravy.  And one needs a vegetable...

Next thing I knew, we had dinner for a dozen people.  Okay.  I exaggerate a bit - but we definitely had more than I planned - or really needed.

It really was nice, though.  The kitchen was toasty warm, the house smelled of Thanksgiving, and the dog was just beside herself, knowing she was going to get some good table-scraps, tonight!

And she did.

Leftovers are wrapped and away.  Victor has lunch and I have the foundation for another meal - soup, stew, pot pies...  I dunno... But odds are pretty good I'll be posting it. :)

Oh - and my disclaimer:  The USDA recommends cooking poultry to an internal temperature of 165°. I tend to cook mine a bit less.   I usually pull it out at 145° and it goes up another 10 degrees while sitting.  That's me,  but I am also not feeding small children, the elderly, or other people at high risk or with compromised immune systems.  I also don't buy mega-factory chicken.  Once in a while the thigh is a bit underdone and I just nuke it for a minute or two.

Again, that's me.  Your miliage may vary.

by Tim Dineen

Pappardelle and Puff Pastry

I got to spend the day getting my Health Department recertification.  Oh joy.  I find classes like this painful because they really are geared towards the lowest common denominator.  That, and they really do try and cram too much stuff into 8 hours - which pretty much leaves most folks downright confused at the end.  The reality is - it's all common sense.  Sadly, that's the one attribute many people are lacking, today. What the heck.  I'm good for another five years...  maybe by then I'll either hit the lottery or be retired.....

Since I didn't get home until an hour later than usual - and the lukewarm pizza we had for our 'working lunch' hadn't quite done it for me, I decided something quick was needed for dinner.  In the 'fridge, we had the leftover sauce from a couple of days ago.  I had some pretty big chunks of sausage and pork in it, so I hit it with the immersion blender and made a thick ragu.  (Naturally, I re-heated it to 165° for the required amount of time.)  I then cooked up a pack of egg pappardelle, grated a bit of cheese on top, made a few slices of garlic bread, and dinner was served in about 20 minutes.

And then I decided we needed dessert.

5 granny smith apples and a box of puff pastry...

I peeled and cored the apples and added the juice of a lemon.

Into a skillet, I added a tablespoon of butter, and then the apples.  Next, was a half cup of sugar, and some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, allspice, and ginger.  I thought, what the hell.  It was a bit of spice overkill, but they were all there.  (Besides, I didn't use a lot of a lot of any of them.)  I could have gotten by with any one, I'm sure.

When it was getting all hot and bubbly, I added about a half a cup of heavy cream and then thickened it with a teaspoon of cornstarch.

Into a puff pastry lined pan, another sheet on top.

I brushed it with egg, added the little leaves, and sprinkled the top with turbinado sugar.  Into a 425° oven for 20 minutes.

It was a definite winner.

And let's see...  I have 2 hours to bring the temperature down to 70° and then another 4 hours to have it at a maximum of 41°...

by Tim Dineen

Burgers, Dogs, and Soup

Yes, we're still eating.  I've even taken a few photos.  I just haven't made the time to come in and share.

Super Bowl luncheon was burgers.  Victor went pretty boring with his - assiago cheese, pickles, and screaming yellow mustard.

I was feeling a bit more adventurous...  Pickles, alfalfa sprouts, red onion, hot German mustard, mayonnaise, catsup, and assiago cheese.  And the last of mom's potato salad.

It was a classic stuff oozing out and running down the arms burger.  Perfection.

Saturday night, Victor made a great soup - roasted garlic, white bean and sweet potato.    I couldn't tell you all the things in it - there was also some bacon - but dayum, it was good.

And today for lunch I made hot dogs.  Dietz & Watson old-fashioned skin-on hot dogs, with hot and sweet mustard, diced red onion, and lots of Happy Hal's Jalapeno Relish.  On a whole wheat bun.

Yum.

by Tim Dineen

Chicken Cordon Bleu - Italian Style

I knew this morning that dinner was going to be chicken.  I didn't know until this afternoon how I was going to prepare it.

Somewhere along the line, stuffed chicken breast came into play - and then it was just a matter of figuring out what to stuff it with.  I did think of a cordon bleu at one point and then remembered that we had asiago cheese at home.  Prosciutto instead of ham, asiago instead of swiss or gruyère, and dinner was formulating!

The chicken was easy to prepare.  I pounded the chicken breasts and layed them flat.  I took 2 slices of prosciutto for each breast and wrapped them around a cube of asiago cheese. I then wrapped the chicken breast around it.

I floured, egg-dipped, and rolled the chicken packages in panko bread crumbs and baked them at 350° for about 45 minutes.

I mixed a half-cup each of wild rice and brown rice and cooked it in 2 cups of chicken broth and a tsp of butter for 45 minutes, and cooked up some frozen french-cut green beans.

I made a quick chicken cream sauce with a bit of chicken broth and heavy cream thickened with a bit of cornstarch.

Yum.

The asiago was perfect, because it doesn't run like swiss can, and wrapping the cheese in the prosciutto (or ham) helps to contain it, as well.    More than twice I've had all the cheese leak out  of the breast while it's baking.  Wrapping it really helps.

And there's gonna be homemade pudding for dessert!

Life is good!

I found this recipe at Epicurious.com.  It sounded easy enough and I was sure I had all the ingredients.  How we managed to be out of peanut butter is beyond me - but I just happened to have a 6oz jar of an Almond Creme butter that came in a gift basket and was just waiting on the shelf to be needed.  I substituted that as well as dark chocolate for the milk chocolate.  And the lady fingers.  And the big bowl instead of individual bowls...  And I didn't top with whipped cream - it didn't need it...

Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Puddings Bon Appétit | January 2009

by Dede Wilson

Serve the puddings in clear dishes to show off the distinct layers.
Yield: Makes 6

Ingredients

Peanut butter pudding:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup creamy (smooth) natural peanut butter (made with only peanuts and salt)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate pudding:

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 ounces imported milk chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

• 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation

For Peanut butter pudding:

Whisk first 3 ingredients in large saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in milk, then cream. Whisk over medium heat until mixture comes to boil. Then boil until thick, whisking constantly, about 30 seconds. Whisk in peanut butter;  boil until thick again, whisking often, about 1 minute longer. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla.  Divide pudding among six 1-cup glasses or dishes (generous 1/3 cup each). Chill uncovered while preparing chocolate pudding.

For chocolate pudding:

Whisk first 4 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk, then cream. Whisk over medium heat until mixture comes to boil.  Boil until thick, whisking constantly, about 30 seconds. Add chopped chocolate. Boil until chocolate melts and pudding is thick again, whisking often, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla. Cool pudding 5 minutes. Spoon atop peanut butter pudding, dividing equally (about 1/3cup each). Chill puddings uncovered until cold, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

For topping:

Whisk cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl to soft peaks. Spoon topping onto puddings and serve.

by Tim Dineen

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Happy New Year!

If we were home in San Francisco, we would have had dim sum at Yank Sing, dinner at Andy's or the place around the corner from us whose name I forget.  All of them were great.  But we're not.  We're 3000 miles east, give or take a couple - so I thought I'd try my hand at a few things tonight.

I do stirfry's a lot, but I rarely coat the meat first or go to a lot of trouble with them - stir fry's are supposed to be no-brainer couple of minutes dinner.

Tonight, I decided I needed to get a bit fancier.  I did a few web searches for recipes and, while I found a few ideas, nothing was saying "this is it."  Sio I decided to take a few suggestions from various recipes and go for it.

One sad note is that I used the very last of our Black Japonica rice, tonight.  I love it and will now have to find someone who sells it at a reasonable price.  But I digress...

General Tim's Chicken

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup rice wine (or sherry)
• 2 tbsp Chinese barbecue sauce
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp chili paste
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced

The Vegetables

• 4 carrots, cut into thin strips
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 green pepper, sliced

Mix together egg whites and cornstarch. Cut chicken into cubes and coat chicken in cornstarch mixture.
Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
Heat wok. Fry chicken strips in oil until they turn white. Remove.
Add vegetables and stir-fry for a minute or two, and then add sauce.
When heated through, add chicken.
Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

I really liked coating the chicken in the egg white and cornstarch.  It came out almost tempura-like.  Light, with a bit of a crunch.  Oh - I added a bit of Jay's Guamanian Boonie Pepper to the egg/cornstarch mixture to jack up the flavor a bit.  It was a most excellent addition.

Vegetable lo mein

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces noodles, uncooked
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 5 cups chopped bok choy
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp chili paste
• 2 shredded carrots
• 4 chopped green onions
• 8 quartered mushrooms
• 1/2 ea red and green peppers
• 6 oz bean sprouts

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.
Heat wok with 1 tbsp sesame oil. Add garlic and Stir-fry for a minute.
Add bok choy and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add chicken broth, soy sauce and chili paste. Stir fry another minute.
Add rest of vegetables and stirfry until cooked to your liking.
Add cooked pasta and toss gently.
Thicken slightly with a bit of cornstarch, if desired.

It was a fun dinner.  It was definitely more food that two (or four) of us needed, so we're going to be having leftovers for a few days.  Actually - it looks like leftovers for most of the week!  There's still tamales from yesterday - and baked pasta!

I ain't complainin'!

by Tim Dineen