Wednesday nights are my serious cooking nights. Most other nights of the week are difficult with our schedule. Monday I have agility with The Dog. Tuesday nights The Spouse has indoor soccer. Thursday is a question-mark day. Friday is hard to say whether either of us wants to cook or not. And the weekends are usually filled with family events, soccer, etc.
Wednesday, however, The Dog has daycare, so he's not pesty in the kitchen, so we always try to make an effort to do a nice dinner.
Tonight I had taken out some chicken breasts but had no idea what to do with them. I searched online but couldn't find anything to inspire me. I called The Spouse and asked what he was in the mood for and got the Shrug over the phone. When pressed, he said "Something Mediterranean." Gee, that's specific, since "Mediterranean" can span anything from Spain to Greece to North Africa. Added to that, I REALLY did not want to have to run to the store to pick up one or two ingredients to make some recipe.
The resulting dinner was strictly from our pantry. And, best of all, could be adjusted to be suitable for grilling during the summer with a light salad.
Serve with Sauteed Spinach with Pine Nuts and Goat Cheese.
Chicken Provencal
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk (I mixed 1 cup skim milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice)
~1 cup whole wheat flour
~1/4 cup wheat germ
herbes de provence
sea salt
ground pepper
1 tbsp butter, divided
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large shallot, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup lemon juice
Mix together the wheat flour, wheat germ, herbes, salt and pepper and spread on a plate. Mix the wine, broth and lemon juice.
Pound chicken breasts flat with meat mallet. Dip in buttermilk, then dredge thru flour mixture. Set aside.
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add in 1/2 tbsp butter and 1/2 tbsp olive oil until butter is melted. Sautee 2 of the chicken breasts for 5 minutes, turning halfway thru. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add in remaining 1/2 tbsp butter and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Repeat with remaining 2 chicken breasts. Remove from heat and keep warm with the others.
Warm remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil in pan. Sautee shallots and garlic until lightly browned. Deglace pan with wine/broth mixture. Bring to a boil. Add chicken back to pan. Reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer until chicken is done.
Plating: Remove chicken from pan and plate. Plate spinach, sprinkle with goat cheese. Increase heat on sauce and reduce the sauce until slightly thickened (30 seconds). Pour sauce over chicken breasts. Serve immediately.
Wine pairing: I paired this with a Nobilo 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (from Marlborough valley in New Zealand)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Taco Night
Everyone loves tacos, right? Right.
I'm not sure where the idea to add red onion came from. I think it was The Spouse's, actually, but I don't remember why or what inspired it. Quite possibly we may have had half a large red onion in the fridge that needed to be used up. But it actually gives them a nice flavor. Nothing fancy, super tasty, and super easy.
Ground Turkey Tacos
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 lb extra-lean ground turkey breast
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 pkg taco seasoning, 1 regular, 1 hot
1 cup water
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray pan with cooking oil. Add in onion and sautee until translucent. Add in ground turkey, breaking it apart into bits with your spoon. Cook until turkey is browned. Add in black beans, stir. Add seasoning and water, mix well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced.
Serve immediately with warmed tortillas, cheese, salsa and other garnishes as desired.
I'm not sure where the idea to add red onion came from. I think it was The Spouse's, actually, but I don't remember why or what inspired it. Quite possibly we may have had half a large red onion in the fridge that needed to be used up. But it actually gives them a nice flavor. Nothing fancy, super tasty, and super easy.
Ground Turkey Tacos
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 lb extra-lean ground turkey breast
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 pkg taco seasoning, 1 regular, 1 hot
1 cup water
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray pan with cooking oil. Add in onion and sautee until translucent. Add in ground turkey, breaking it apart into bits with your spoon. Cook until turkey is browned. Add in black beans, stir. Add seasoning and water, mix well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced.
Serve immediately with warmed tortillas, cheese, salsa and other garnishes as desired.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Crab and Pea Risotto
The Spouse and I decided that one night this weekend we'd have a nice dinner together. We'd thought of just doing crab legs but opted instead to make risotto out of them. The peas were an "I'm SICK of Winter" addition, but added nice texture to the overall dish.
Crab and Pea Risotto
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
crab meat from 4 king crab legs (about 8 oz)
1/2 cup frozen peas
6 shitakee mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat thru. Add in onion and garlic, sautee until onion is lightly browned. Add in rice and sautee until translucent, stirring frequently. Add in wine, stirring constantly until absorbed.
Add in chicken broth, approximately 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and never letting mixture get completely dry, until broth is absorbed and rice is al dente. When adding in the last 1/2 cup, add in the crab, peas and mushrooms. When broth is almost completely absorbed and the crab is heated through, stir in parmesan cheese. Remove from heat, stirring constantly until cheese is fully incorporated into the risotto. Serve immediately.
Wine Pairing: We had this dinner with a bottle of Ayler Kupp 2003 Riesling Auslese.
Crab and Pea Risotto
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
crab meat from 4 king crab legs (about 8 oz)
1/2 cup frozen peas
6 shitakee mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat thru. Add in onion and garlic, sautee until onion is lightly browned. Add in rice and sautee until translucent, stirring frequently. Add in wine, stirring constantly until absorbed.
Add in chicken broth, approximately 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and never letting mixture get completely dry, until broth is absorbed and rice is al dente. When adding in the last 1/2 cup, add in the crab, peas and mushrooms. When broth is almost completely absorbed and the crab is heated through, stir in parmesan cheese. Remove from heat, stirring constantly until cheese is fully incorporated into the risotto. Serve immediately.
Wine Pairing: We had this dinner with a bottle of Ayler Kupp 2003 Riesling Auslese.
Five-Spice Almond Cookies
I was scared these cookies wouldn't turn out. I only had half the butter required, so I subbed in olive oil (no canola oil. eep), left out half a cup of flour, and added in just a dash of milk when it seemed the dough was too crumbly..... kinda scary for what should have been a basic sugar cookie recipe.
But they're absolutely fantastic. More appropriate companions to a hot cup of tea than milk.
Five-Spice Almond Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup oil
1 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 handful roasted almonds, processed until crumbs
Combine dry ingredients and sift together. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients and process until well combined. Freeze dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Slice dough into 1/4" sections and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until done. Cool completely on wire rack.
But they're absolutely fantastic. More appropriate companions to a hot cup of tea than milk.
Five-Spice Almond Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup oil
1 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 handful roasted almonds, processed until crumbs
Combine dry ingredients and sift together. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients and process until well combined. Freeze dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Slice dough into 1/4" sections and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until done. Cool completely on wire rack.
Aloo Gobi
In early December The Spouse spent 2 weeks in Pune, India. He wasn't a huge fan of Indian food, so after he got back he put a hiatus on all things curry.
Thursday past he turned to me and said "Know what would be great for dinner tomorrow? Aloo Gobi." After almost a three month break, I was more than happy to oblige. We were unfortunately out of garam masala, so I was planning on making my own, but The Spouse apparently knew this and picked up another bottle from The Spice House.
Aloo Gobi
1 large onion, chopped
2 1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ginger powder
1 28oz. can + 1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tsp tumeric
2-3 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1 large cauliflower, cut into pieces
4 medium russet potatoes
1 14oz. can chickpeas
2 tbsp garam masala
5 tbsp oil
1-2 cups water
salt to taste
In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the cumin, garlic, ginger and onion. Sautee for 3 minutes or until onion is golden brown. Add the tomato, tumeric and chili powder. Sautee for another 5 minutes. Add in cauliflower, chickpeas and potato and sautee for 7-8 minutes. Add 1 cup water, cover, and let simmer for 6-10 minutes. Add in the garam masala, stir well, and continue to let simmer until the potato is cooked thru, adding water as necessary so the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Thursday past he turned to me and said "Know what would be great for dinner tomorrow? Aloo Gobi." After almost a three month break, I was more than happy to oblige. We were unfortunately out of garam masala, so I was planning on making my own, but The Spouse apparently knew this and picked up another bottle from The Spice House.
Aloo Gobi
1 large onion, chopped
2 1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ginger powder
1 28oz. can + 1 14oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tsp tumeric
2-3 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1 large cauliflower, cut into pieces
4 medium russet potatoes
1 14oz. can chickpeas
2 tbsp garam masala
5 tbsp oil
1-2 cups water
salt to taste
In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the cumin, garlic, ginger and onion. Sautee for 3 minutes or until onion is golden brown. Add the tomato, tumeric and chili powder. Sautee for another 5 minutes. Add in cauliflower, chickpeas and potato and sautee for 7-8 minutes. Add 1 cup water, cover, and let simmer for 6-10 minutes. Add in the garam masala, stir well, and continue to let simmer until the potato is cooked thru, adding water as necessary so the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Dinner for 16 - Jerk Chicken, Harissa-Spiced Shrimp & Chorizo Skewers, Flank Steak
We had my family over for a dinner a few weekends back. We handled the main meal, plus some appetizers. We had probably 10 lbs of food for 16 people - all but about maybe 1 lb of chicken was devoured. Now that's the sign of good food!
Jerk Chicken
1 bunch green onion, white parts only, coarsely chopped
2 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded, coarsely chopped
6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp like juice
2 tbsp minced garlic
4 tsp dried thyme
4 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 whole chicken, cut up, plus 2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
Mix all marinade ingredients together. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Add chicken to plastic bag, add paste to the bag. Seal and rotate the bag to distrubute paste over the chicken. Refrigerate 6-12 hours. Grill over direct medium heat until chicken is done.
Flank Steak
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup evoo
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 -2 lbs
Mix marinade ingredients together. Add flank steak to a plastic bag, pour in marinade, seal bag, rotate to coat flank steak. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Grill over direct medium heat until done (about 10 minutes, turning steak halfway thru)
Harissa-Spiced Shrimp & Chorizo Skewers
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup evoo
2-3 tbsp harissa
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pkg chorizo sausages (4 in total)
Mix lime juice, evoo and harissa. Add shrimp to plastic bag, pour in marinade, seal bag, rotate to coat shrimp. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
While shrimp marinades, bring a pan of water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add in chorizo. Cook 20-30 minutes or until sausages cooked thru. Slice sausages into 1/2" pieces.
Remove shrimp from bag, discarding the marinade. Add shrimp & chorizo to skewers, alternating between the two. Grill over direct medium heat until shrimp is done, about 5 minutes, turning skewers halfway thru cooking time.
Jerk Chicken
1 bunch green onion, white parts only, coarsely chopped
2 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded, coarsely chopped
6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp like juice
2 tbsp minced garlic
4 tsp dried thyme
4 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 whole chicken, cut up, plus 2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
Mix all marinade ingredients together. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Add chicken to plastic bag, add paste to the bag. Seal and rotate the bag to distrubute paste over the chicken. Refrigerate 6-12 hours. Grill over direct medium heat until chicken is done.
Flank Steak
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup evoo
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 -2 lbs
Mix marinade ingredients together. Add flank steak to a plastic bag, pour in marinade, seal bag, rotate to coat flank steak. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Grill over direct medium heat until done (about 10 minutes, turning steak halfway thru)
Harissa-Spiced Shrimp & Chorizo Skewers
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup evoo
2-3 tbsp harissa
2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pkg chorizo sausages (4 in total)
Mix lime juice, evoo and harissa. Add shrimp to plastic bag, pour in marinade, seal bag, rotate to coat shrimp. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
While shrimp marinades, bring a pan of water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add in chorizo. Cook 20-30 minutes or until sausages cooked thru. Slice sausages into 1/2" pieces.
Remove shrimp from bag, discarding the marinade. Add shrimp & chorizo to skewers, alternating between the two. Grill over direct medium heat until shrimp is done, about 5 minutes, turning skewers halfway thru cooking time.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Chocolate Chip & Walnut Scones
I've never posted photos of what I cook, mainly because I am not the best photographer - I leave that to The Spouse. However, Sunday morning I revisited my scone recipe, tweaking it even more, as I'll post below.
The end result was some of the most beautiful scones I've ever made. So, I determined I had to at least try photographing them.
The trick was the change I made in the glaze. Instead of using a whole egg, I whisked the whites until just before they started to stiffen, then added in about a tablespoon of milk.
The scones themselves were soft and tender, fluffy yet filling. Suffice to say, The Spouse was quite pleased with the result.
2 cups all purpose unbleached organic flour
1/4 cup Splenda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tbsp Smart Balance, cold and cut into pieces
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup roasted chopped walnuts
2/3 cup buttermilk substitute
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven temperature to 400ยบ F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture until the mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. In a small measuring cup combine the buttermilk with the maple syrup and then add to the flour mixture, stirring just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges. You will have 6 scones altogether. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash.
Bake for about 16 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
The end result was some of the most beautiful scones I've ever made. So, I determined I had to at least try photographing them.
The trick was the change I made in the glaze. Instead of using a whole egg, I whisked the whites until just before they started to stiffen, then added in about a tablespoon of milk.
The scones themselves were soft and tender, fluffy yet filling. Suffice to say, The Spouse was quite pleased with the result.
2 cups all purpose unbleached organic flour
1/4 cup Splenda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tbsp Smart Balance, cold and cut into pieces
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup roasted chopped walnuts
2/3 cup buttermilk substitute
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven temperature to 400ยบ F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture until the mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. In a small measuring cup combine the buttermilk with the maple syrup and then add to the flour mixture, stirring just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges. You will have 6 scones altogether. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash.
Bake for about 16 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
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