Mrs. Dash

Mrs. Dash - (cue the shock and astonishment) - may one even mention such a topic without inspiring indignation?  Should kitchen denizens turn up their nose at the mere mention of Mrs. Dash?  I don't know, but I have a bottle in my spice cabinet.  What is Mrs. Dash anyway?  Its purveyors tell us that we may "use the famous Mrs. Dash® Original Blend for fish seasoning, chicken seasoning, and more! An all-purpose, versatile blend of 14 savory herbs and spices, Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blends onion, black pepper, parsley, basil, orange peel and tomato add flavor excitement to any dish."  Well, how can we oppose adding flavor excitement?  I must admit that I do use Mrs. Dash selectively.  Sometimes, I make an egg noodle side to pork chops where I'll mix in butter and Mrs. Dash.  I also use it to add some interest to broccoli and that recipe is below.  I do enjoy many vegetables, although not all.  When I'm in a plain steak and potatoes or chicken and wild rice mood, I'll eat primarily green beans or broccoli.  I dress up green beans with a little butter and almonds.  Sometimes, I will even pair green beans with pesto alongside a grilled steak.  But for broccoli, some butter and a dash of Mrs. Dash will kick them up a quick notch without too much fuss.  I use a two step method where I blanche the vegetables first to complete most of the cooking process, and then when the main course is largely done, I saute to reheat, finish cooking and season the vegetables in the second step so that they are hot and perfectly cooked when served.  So, the next time you want a really quick side of vegetables, think a dash of Mrs. Dash - just don't tell anyone.

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Original Blend seasoning

Directions:
Place broccoli in a bowl, add water until broccoli are just covered and microwave for 2 minutes.  Drain broccoli, dry with a paper towel. 
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add blanched broccoli, Mrs. Dash, toss and saute a couple of minutes to complete cooking process. 

Chimichurri Sauce

Another place I would like to visit is Argentina, particularly Buenos Aires. Called by some the Paris of South America, its wide boulevards and Beaux Arts architecture seem especially romantic to me.  Of course, beef and red wine are hallmarks of Argentinian cuisine. Lately, I’ve enjoyed Argentinian Malbecs as a value-based alternative to inscrutable Bordeaux or overpriced quality California wines. As for steak, we have seen an explosion in popularity of the grilled flat steak and it’s easy to see why.  These cuts, whether called London broil, flatiron, flank or hanger steak, are affordable and easy to prepare. There are many rub and marinating recipes, some based on soy, others inspired by the spices of certain regions. But this past weekend, I wanted something different, something fresh, something easy. I chose a chimichurri green sauce, which is quick and easy to prepare and requires no advance marinating of the steak. The heart of a chimichurri sauce is parsley, onion, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. I also like to add cilantro and lime juice to brighten the flavor. Others will add oregano, which I think would overpower these flavors, or cumin, which while cumin is my favorite spice, is not where I want to go with this. As always, feel free to adjust to your tastes, but be sure to prepare the sauce before starting the steak to give it time to sit and marinate in its own flavors.

Ingredients:
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ cup parsley chopped
½ cup cilantro chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
1 tbsp garlic minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
juice of one lime

Directions:
Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Mix in the parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  If you desire a smoother sauce, blend in a food processor.  Allow the sauce to marinate for ½ hour.  Stir in the lime juice and serve ladled over grilled steak cut into strips.

Duck Cassoulet

    

  

Yesterday was a rainy Sunday in November.  The first without daylight savings time, the skies were already dark from the rain before night fell at its Winter early hour.  Such is a day for me to make a hardy dish to comfort and fortify.  Sundays also allow for a little more time to do something special.  So, I chose to make for the first time a Duck Cassoulet.  Duck, two kinds of sausage, beef broth, duck fat soaked bread crumbs, there is little more comforting.  Some decry foie gras or truffle as decadent, I say give me sausage browned in duck fat! 

For the recipe, I first looked up James Peterson's in Glorious French Food, his 742 page tome, but that was too involved for me.  Even I have my limits and cooking with pig's feet is on the other side.  Instead, I found this recipe for Easy Cassoulet in The Gourmet Cookbook.  For the sausage, I recommend using a breakfast sausage.  Sweet Italian sausage will have fennel, and Hot Italian sausage will be too spicey.  The recipe recommends using a Kielbasa if necessary.  I had half a pound left over from another recipe, which I threw in, but I wouldn't recommend overdoing it to prevent the smoked kielbasa flavor from overwhelming the other flavors.  Rich, soul warming, and relatively straight forward to make.  Paired with a Pinot Noir it was wonderful and I recommend it for you.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb great northern beans

6 cups cold water
2 cups beef stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 large chooped onion
3 tbsp chopped garlic
1 bouquet garni
1 14 oz. can diced tomates
2 duck legs
1 lb cooked pork sausage
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped parsely
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
Soak beans overnight, or put beans in a pot and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat and let beans soak, covered, for 1 hour, drain.
Preheat oven to 350. Transfer beans to a 6 or 8 quart pot, add cold water, stock, tomato paste, onions, and 2 tbsp garlic, and bring to a boil. Add bouquet garni, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the skin and fat from duck legs. Cut skin and fat into 1/2 inch pieces. Separate duck meat from bones. Transfer meat to a bowl and add bones to simmering beans.
Combine duck skin and fat with 1/4 cup cold water in a 10-inch heavy skillet and cook, stirring, over moderate heat until water has evaporated and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook stirring frequently, until skin is crisp, 3 to 6 minutes more. Transfer skin cracklings to paper towels to drain, leaving fat in skillet. Pour off excess if necessary, leaving 1/4 cup. If under 1/4 cup, add olive oil.
Brown sausage in batches in fat in skillet over moderate heat. Transfer sausage to bowl with duck meat.
Add remaining garlic to fat in skillet over moderate heat, stirring for 30 seconds. Sitr in bread crumbs and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsely, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and cracklings. Set aside.
After the stock has simmered, remove bouquet garni and duck bones and discard. Stir in sausage, duck meat, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Ladle cassoulet into casserole dish, distributing meat and beans evenly. Meat and beans should be level with liquid. Spread bread crumb topping evenly over cassoulet.
Bake, uncovered, until cassoulet is bubbling and crust is golden, about 1 hour.

Lemon-Coriander Lamb Tagine

I cook in part because I love to travel.  They say the sense of smell is our most powerful sensory perception, and there is nothing like the smell of an international dish to take you to that place you would like to go.  One of my favorite countries is Morocco.  The people, the architecture, the decorative arts, it is a wonderful experience of sights, smells and sounds.   Morocco's hallmark preparation style is the tagine.  What makes tagines special is the cookware and its conical lid, which circulates the steam back into the broth of a cooking stew.  Most frequently, I cook a chicken tagine such as chicken with apricots and almonds.  Famously, a true Moroccan cook can list a hundred different ways to prepare chicken, but tonight I went with lamb instead, another Middle-Eastern favorite.  
At the same time, I love to buy cook books, and when I am thinking about menu planning, I pull out one of my cookbooks for inspiration.  Today was Bistro Laurent Tourondel, or BLT, as the small chain of French-American bistros is called.  Tourondel was raised in France, and his recipes include a number based on old family favorites, but also incorporating tastes from Asia, the Mediterranean, and North America.  His cookbook is as sumptuous as his food.  What more is needed when Eric Ripert of the famed New York City icon Le Bernadin begins his Foreward with "Laurent Tourondel is an inspired chef."
Tonight, I prepared his recipe for Lemon-Coriander Lamb Tagine.  It caught me by surprise.  Maybe that was mostly because of the way I went into the dish, with a Moroccan bent, by I came out on an even higher plane, quite possibly in Asia somewhere.  The magical place was inspired by the cumin and coriander I love, but also layered with delicate flavors of star anise and lemon.  It left me sitting back and searching my experience, reliving the different facets I tasted.  What more could one ask from a night's culinary experience? 
The recipe below is my version of the BLT dish, flavored to my preference, which is not overbearing in the anise and lemon, but those flavors still come through in these proportions.  If you love those flavors especially more, by all means make this recipe yours through your own changes.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds boneless lamb, trimmed and cubed
salt/pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin   
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 celery stalk, chopped
1 oninon, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
lemon zest from 1 lemon
1 cardamon pod
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in the bottom of tagine or Dutch oven.  Season the lamb with salt and pepper.  When the oil begins to smoke, add half of the lamb.  Brown on one side, approximately 4 minutes, stir and brown on the other side a few minutes more.  Remove the browned lamb to a plate and repeat with remaining meat, adding the remaining olive oil if necessary.
Add the spices and garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the onion, carrot and onion and soften the vegetables for 15 minutes, turning down the heat if necessary to avoid burning.  Add the vinegar and simmer until the liquid evaporates.  Add the flour, stir and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the stock and stir, scraping up the browned bits.  Add the browned lamb, tomatoes, lemon zest and cardamon pod.  Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1/2 hour or more, stirring occasionally.  Prepare rice if desired, uncover and reduce liquid if further thickening is desired.  To serve, stir in cilantro, sprinkle with toasted almonds if desired, and spoon over rice.

Milk-Braised Pork Sholder

Bacon is my favorite food. It combines a savory and saltiness I think is programmed into our DNA. I touched an even deeper place with this braised pork recipe. Any braised recipe, whether it is an Italian ragout or a French stew, takes meat to a higher place with a multi-hour tenderizing. They say the best stews are allowed to sit and enjoy on the second day. Maybe that is true, because this recipe took three days to prepare, but it was well worth the trouble.
A few months ago, I clipped this recipe from Bon Appetit. It comes from the restaurant Olivia in Austin, TX where apparently there is only one thing on the walls: a Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings concert poster that the chef’s grandfather gave to him. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I do know that when I tried his recipe last month for my friends at a tail-gating party I received rave reviews and requests for its posting. So, here it is and enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 ½ lbs 1-inch cubes trimmed pork shoulder
1 tbsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick butter
½ cup flour
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1/4 lb bacon, chopped
2 cups dry white wine
4 cups whole milk
2 28-once cans of pureed tomatoes

Directions:
Place pork in a large bowl. Mix 1 tbsp salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over pork, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350○F. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 2 minutes, whisking often to not allow roux to brown. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until ready to use.
Blend onions, carrot, and celery in processor until finely chopped. Cook bacon in large ovenproof pot over medium heat until beginning to brown and fat is rendered, about 6 minutes. Add vegetables to pot and saute until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add pork and saute until brown, about 7 minutes. Add wine and bring to boil, stirring up browned bits. Add milk and bring to simmer. Add tomato puree, then whisk in roux. Simmer 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover pot. Place in oven and braise pork until very tender, about 2 hours. Uncover, let pork cool, recover and chill overnight.
Rewarm pork over low heat, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

J & G Steakhouse Reviewed

Here in D.C., we have the newest creation from Jean-Georges. Located in the newly renovated Hotel Washington now a W Hotel, J-G bills J&G as a collection of his favorite dishes from his New York restaurants, as well as an inspired steakhouse menu with composed and simply grilled items. Premium meats and a global selection of fresh fish will be the backbone of the menu, including the highest quality raw items from East and West Coasts, uniquely creative appetizers, as well as prime cuts of meat char grilled to perfection with side dishes, including vegetables and potatoes.


With all of that, I fell into risotto and snapper, but more about that later. The hotel and lobby do make an attempt at modern hotel chic. However, the bones of the old Hotel Washington are neo-classical with columns, marble and soaring ceilings. So, I'm not sure if the décor works in the space.

Neither do I think the suffocating service works. They are certainly trying hard. Wait staff is constantly checking on the status of the meal and diners, as are additional floor managers and assorted persons. However, I think really good service isn't asking me if I need more water or diet coke (at lunch), but anticipating my need and fulfilling it without question. Similarly, I found the multiple intrusions during a business lunch distracting. This is Washington - we are either talking policy/politics, checking our Blackberry's or engrossed in our friends. We don't want to talk to the staff. That said, they were all nice people. Maybe they will just tone it down a little.

As for the meal, I chose the lunch-time tasting menu, which in this recession I suppose can be called a value meal although it checks in at $28. I started with the mushroom risotto. It was different than a traditional risotto, lighter and color and less in saltines, no parmeggiano I imagine. The forest mushrooms on top were fine. More inspired was the snapper. I don't even remember what it was over, but I remember the sauce had some heat to it, which I found interesting and fun. Maybe my mind remains transfixed on the desert. I chose the chocolate cake with melted chocolate in the center and a small dollop of ice cream. Modestly portioned (a good thing) and extremely tastey. All in all, a good lunch which I would recommend.

Lobster Corn Chowder

Chowder is one of my favorite hearty meals to warm up a cold day.  Of course, any recipe that starts with rendering bacon is good in my book, but chowder fits the bill to drive away the winter's winds.  However, sometimes a less hearty alternative is inspired, either for something more delicate, or through ingredients more refined.  I have whole cookbooks of traditional chowders, but some years back I clipped this recipe from Wine Spectator for a lighter alternative.  I finally tried it last weekend and enjoyed it greatly, although lost on the kids was my fancy tableside pouring.  At least I pretended to be taken away to a fine restaurant...  Try it and tell me if you like it.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 1/2 cups leeks, white parts finely chopped
3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup onions
salt/pepper
2 cups corn kernels
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups light fish stock (fumet)
4 sprigs each tarragon and thyme, tied into a bundle
1/4 lb chanterelle mushrooms
1/2 lb cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks
1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

Directions:
Start the soup by melting 2 tbsp butter in a heavy saucepan.  Add 2 cups leeks, 2 cups potatoes, onions and salt.  Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add the corn kernels and cook 2 munites.  Add the cream, bring to a simmer.  Add the stock and herbs, season, and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, up to 20 minutes.  Remove the herbs, and blend with a handheld blender or in batches in a food processor, pureeing until smooth.  Cover and let stand until ready to serve.
For the garnish, melt 1 tbsp butter over medim-low heat in a large sautee pan.  Add potatoes and soften for 5 minutes.  Add the chanterelles and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the leaks and a pinch of salt and soften, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the lobster meat and the remaining stock.  Cover to warm the lobster and further soften the potatoes a few minutes.  Remove from heat, add the chives. 
Bring the soup back to a boil.  Divide the garnish evenly between bowls and ladle the soup over the garnish.  Serve with a chardonnay.

Pan-Seared Mahi-Mahi with Cilantro Lime Rice

Another of my go-to fish dishes is Mahi-Mahi.  I find that Mahi-Mahi, like Red Snapper, has a more interesting flavor than a pure white fish, but is still mild.  I buy the steaks frozen, individually sealed and keep them in the freezer until desired.  I pair this with a rice dish I came across from Bon Appetit, 2006.  Caribbean inspired, I add lime to freshen it up even more.  Tonight I paired it with a tangy lemon, dijon, butter sauce from Food & Wine, 2007, which they called a Salmoriglio sauce from Sicily.  All of the recipes are quick, tastey, and perfect for mid-week healthy eating.  A note on the rice, my favorite is Basmati and I like to by the big, burlap bags full of it you can find from Pakistan at Shoppers Food Warehouse.  My ultimate rice will come out of the pot with each grain fluffed and separate with none sticking together or to the bottom of the pot.  Finding the perfect setting and time on your stove is key, along with soaking the rice beforehand.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup basmati rice
4 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp softened butter
2 Mahi-Mahi steaks
salt/pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 scallions, white and light green portions chopped
1 tsp lime juice

Directions:
In a medium pot, soak the rice in a cup or two of water for 10 minutes.  Drain the rice into a mesh strainer and run under cold water to wash off the starch.
Dry out the pot and add 1 tbsp of oil and low heat.  Add the onion and soften for a few minutes.  Add the garlic for a minute more.  Add the chicken stock and rice, stir and bring to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and leave covered.
Meanwhile, combine the thyme leaves, lemon juice, and mustard.  Stir in the softened butter, and then whisk in 1 tbsp of oil until fully incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Uncover the rice and fluff with a fork.
Add 2 tbsp of oil to a medium saute pan and heat over medium until smoking.  Season the Mahi-Mahi with salt and pepper and place in the pan.  Sear 3 to 5 minutes until browned and turn, searing the other side until also browned, a further 3 to 5 minutes.
Mix in the cilantro, scallions and lime juice.
Plate by spooning a portion of rice onto a plate, place a Mahi-Mahi filet on top, spoon out some sauce onto the Mahi-Mahi and around the edge of the plate.  Serve with a clean white; my favorite is an Orvieto from Umbria.

Roast Pork Loin with a Cherry Sauce

Fall is a time for me to roast meats.  A pork loin is a quick and easy way to roast a meat, but the question remains on how to sauce it up.  Many times I make a jus from the pan drippings and bits, but today I am inspired by dried cherries.  The picture above from a Williams-Sonoma recipe shows a cherry-port sauce with roast duck breast, a delicious combination.  But, you can also easily make this for roast pork, an easier and cheaper alternative.  I like to pair roast pork loin with polenta, cutting the pork into medallions and spooning the sauce over both.  Pinot noir is the usual wine pairing, but try to remember to decant in advance of the meal.  Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pork loins
salt/pepper
2 tbsp herbes de provence
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup port wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup cherries
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.  Begin cooking the polenta as recommended, which can simmer gently as the pork and sauce is prepared.  Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until smoking.  Meanwhile, season the pork loins with salt and peper and the Herbes de Provence.  Add the loins to the pan and brown on each side, approximately 3-5 minutes per side.  When browned, roast the loins in the oven until a thermometer in the center reads 150 degrees, perhaps 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat to a platter and cover.
Drain the fat from the pan down to 1 tbsp remaining and return to the stove top over medium low heat.  Add the shallot and soften for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for a minute further.  Deglaze the pan with the port, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Turn the heat up to medium high to boil down the port by half.  Add the cherries and chicken stock and boil down by half again.  Turn off the heat, add the balsamic vinegar, and swirl in the butter.  Cut the pork loins into 3/4" medallions.  Plate a portion of the polenta first, arrange 1/4 of the medallions on top of the polenta, and spoon the sauce over the pork and polenta.

Bibiana, A Review

Today, a dear friend of mine and I ate at Bibiana, the newest DC creation of Ashok Bijaj, best known for The Oval Room, Bombay Club and Rasika.  It was a bitter sweet moment as Bibana takes the space of one of my sentimental favorites, Luigino's.  It was here I developed a passion for northern Italian food, wine, even the art of cooking itself, as one could sit at the bar overlooking the kitchen and watch the evenining's creations at work.  But, as life goes on, so does the ultra modern chic take over in style.  Bibiana is now transformed into a vitrual W of a restaurant.  Maybe it was the passing of my sentimental favorite which made me find the decor a bit much, but it was all qualty and tastefully done.

The food, however, was luscious on every level.  The menu relfected the season in ingredients and preparation.  I chose chestnut soup as my first course.  So often tinny and thin, this was full and savory.  Poured in the theatric style around a dollop of creme fresh and two medallions of duck sausage, I wanted no more than to lick the bowl clean.  For the second course, I delighted in a veal ravioli with a sage butter sauce.  Luigino's first introduced me to home-made veal pasta.  For them it was a large, v]paper thin ravioli that melted in your mouth.  Bibiana's was a thicker pasta with a bite.  The sage sauce included bits of crisped pancetta.  A few more sauteed sage leaves would have been nice, but all and all, excellent.  The reviews are high for Bibiana and I would recommend it too.  Check it out here at http://www.bibianadc.com/.

Pan-seared Tilapia with a Tomato Coulis over Toasted Lebanese Couscous

This is one of my go to recipes when I’m in the mood for white fish. The couscous cooked in a saffron stock provides a delicious starch, and the tomato coulis an easy vegetable and further sauce. My recipe combines inspiration from the Tribeca Grill and Jacque Pepin. The Tribeca Grill suggests a butter sauce of Buerre Blanc and Mariniere, which I find too fattening with its 2 sticks of butter. Instead, I substitute a tomato coulis inspired by one of Jacque Pepin’s cookbooks. While the picture above from the Tribeca Grill Cookbook shows the butter sauce spooned around the plate, usually spoon the coulis over the fish in place of the garnish. They also suggest making this with red snapper, which of course is nice, but tilapia is an adequate mid-week substitute. Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 tbsp olive oil
1 diced onion
1 cup Lebanese couscous
1/4 cup diced leek
2 cups chicken stock
½ tsp saffron threads
1 clove diced garlic
2 tsp dried parsley leaves
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup flour
4 tilapia filets
salt/pepper

Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low and soften half of the diced onion. After a few minutes stir in the leek and couscous. Allow the couscous to brown a few minutes and then add the chicken stock and saffron, stir, return to a simmer and cover, simmering for a further 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a medium saute pan over medium-low and soften the remaining onion. After a few minutes add the diced garlic, and after a minute further add the parsley, thyme and diced tomatoes. Stir, return to a low-simmer and cover.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Season the tilapia filets to taste and dredge through the flour, shaking off any excess. When the oil in the pan begins to smoke, add the filets. Sear for 3 minutes or until gently browned, turn and sear for a further 3 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. Remove the fish from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
To plate, spoon a portion of couscous onto the center of the plate. Place the fish on top of the couscous, and then spoon a small portion of the coulis on top of the fish. Serve with Chardonnay or a clean white such as an Orvieto from Italy.

Turkey Chili

Fall comfort food also brings fall football, and what better way to entertain the guys than big bowls of chili.  Turkey takes the fat off the wasteline, and this easy recipe saves time and effort.  This is a meat and kidney bean chili, but I like to add what I have and feel like at the time including green pepper, corn and black beans.  Serves six, pair with cold beer.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
2/3 lb ground turkey
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 pack McCormick's chili seasoning
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can kidney beans
1/2 15oz can black beans (optional)
1/2 cup frozen corn (optional)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oil in pot over medium heat, add turkey, break up into small pieces, cook turkey until browned.  Remove turkey to bowl and add 3/4 of the onions  and the green pepper (if desired) to pot and cook until softened.  Return turkey to pot and add contents of seasoning packet.  Stiry to mix and allow seasoning to cook into meat a minute or two.  Add sauce, diced tomatoes and kidney beans (and black beans, and corn if desired).  Stir, bring to simmer and cover.  The consistency of the chili should be fine, but if you want to add a small amount of water you may.  Simmer 15 minutes.  Serve into bowls, top with remaining onions and grated cheese.

Baked Ziti

Fall brings the opportunity to cook comfort food without overheating the kitchen. One of my favorites is baked ziti. While this dish is more American than Italian, it is nonetheless a crowd favorite that will warm your heart and more. I like to use turkey Italian sausage as a way to reduce fat, and both tomato sauce and chicken stock in my sauce. Serves 4. 60 minutes total preparation and baking time. Serve with a green salad, garlic bread and red wine.

Ingredients:
½ pound ziti
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
3 links turkey or other Italian sausage, casings removed and broken into small pieces 4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
½ cup fresh mozzarella, small balls best

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin heating water in a pot to cook the pasta, eventually bringing to a rolling boil. Begin heating the chicken stock, white wine and tomato sauce in a medium pot, eventually bringing to a simmer. In a nonstick frypan, heat the oil to medium and brown the sausage pieces on all sides. Remove from heat. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and whisk in the flower to make a roue. Cook the roue 2 minutes longer to remove the flour taste. Add the roue to the sauce, whisking in and returning to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for a further 15 minutes to thicken. While the sauce is simmering, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes and strain. The pasta will finish cooking in the oven. Mix ½ the grated asiago cheese, egg, mozzarella, parsley, thyme and salt. Mix the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss in the cheese mixture and sausage. Add the entire mixture to a 9 inch square baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, cover with the remaining cheese and bake a further 10 minutes to brown the cheese. Allow to cool somewhat and serve.

I Killed Gourmet

Today's news of Gourmet's imminent closure makes me wonder whether I killed Gourmet magazine? Was my newly-minted, modest little blog the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back? Was I the flap of the butterfly wings that eventually caused the hurricane that closed Gourmet? Hardly, but one does wonder whether the thousands of people like me sharing our cooking thoughts online, and the millions of people like you and me reading about cooking online drove one more stake into the heart of old media. Do we live in a better world if Gourmet can no longer exist? Certainly, food and cooking blogs, cooking shows and celebrity chefs, even movies about all of the above have spread a love of cooking far beyond what Gourmet will ever do. It is the sad, but inevitable progress spurred by technology and mass appeal. I am thankful for my present and future, but I do desperately hope that food magazines continue. There is something special about curling up with those glossy photos and feeling the flip of the pages on the fingertips. Meanwhile, last week I cooked straight from a recipe on my laptop on the kitchen counter. Gourmet, rest in peace.

Frittata for Dinner

Want the comfort of breakfast for dinner but something a little more interesting than bacon and eggs? Have an herb garden you need to use, or potatoes going soft? Have those last few pieces of prosciutto that didn’t get used? Whip it all together in a frittata for dinner! For me, it’s the basics: eggs, potatoes, herbs and a thin bacon. Some will go with a yellow or red bell pepper, it’s up to you, put in what you like, put in what you have. In 20 minutes you will have an interesting dinner for 2.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 slices thin prosciutto, chopped
1 golden potato, diced
½ tsp chives
½ tsp parsley
½ tsp thyme
4 eggs, beaten
salt/pepper

Diretions:
Add the oil to a small non-stick frying pan. Over low heat, soften the onions, about 5 minutes. Remove the onions to a plate, increase the heat to medium and add the prosciutto, cooking until crisp, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, peal and dice the potato. Remove the prosciutto to the onion plate, and add the potatoes to the pan, add salt and pepper, cover and brown, turning periodically. After approximately 8 minutes when the potatoes are nearly softened, add the herbs and stir. After a minute to release the herbs’ flavor, add the softened onion and crisped prosciutto. Add the beaten eggs and stir to mix. Cook a few minutes to harden the bottom, then transfer to a broiler on high to cook and brown the top, approximately 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the broiler when the top of the eggs are cooked and browned. Place a place upside down over the pan and flip over to release the frittata onto the plate. Serve with a garnish of whole chives and a glass of chardonnay. Eat by yourself, or divide and serve with a green salad.

Kick'n Up Tuna

Tuna, a universally loved fish, but with many fish, I can't eat it plain. Well, I can, but that is just so boring. Grilled or seared tuna is always wonderful, and sometimes a squeeze of lemon can conjure Sicily, but mostly I need something more.
One combination I sometimes add to tuna is mashed potatoes. This may sound counter intuitive, but it is one direction to go to make a hearty meal. But two plain ingredients really need help. Many like the sound of wasabi potatoes, and that is a fun accompaniment to seared tuna.
Someday, I will share with you a recipe for wasabi potatoes and an herb sauce, but today I have something different in mind. Instead of kick'n up the potatoes, I propose a soy-mustard sauce with some zing and the potatoes to balance that fire. In the time you cook your potatoes, you can mix up your sauce and sear your tuna for a quick, tasty and interesting meal.  Serves 2.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
1 tbsp ground mustard
1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp rice vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tuna steaks
salt/pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup milk

Directions:
Peel and quarter potatoes, place in pot and add enough salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix mustard and hot water together. Whisk in vinegar and soy sauce. Set aside.
With a few minutes left in the potato cooking time, heat butter in a small sauce pan (or microwave in a bowl) until melted. Add milk and heat until warm. When potatoes are fork tender, drain. Put potatoes through a ricer, add warmed milk and butter and stir briefly. Riced potatoes will mash quickly. Add additional milk if needed until potatoes are especially smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover to keep warm.
Season tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until smoking. Add tuna, sear about 3 minutes. Turn tuna and sear the other side an additional few minutes. Outside should be seared golden while inside remains rare. Plate mashed potatoes with tuna on top, and drizzle soy-mustard sauce on top and around plate. Serve.

 

No thank you...

Is this something you would put in your mouth?  To me it looks like something expelled from some an creature.  If not immediately obvious, these are razor clams with seaweed from the exalted el Bulli, possibly the world's finest restaurant up the coast from Barcelona.  Certainly, Ferran Adria is one of the world's greatest chefs, but this dish is something that would challenge me, even if I had waited 2 years on the waiting list and traveled across the ocean to this mecca on coastal Spain.  Maybe it's the soft, slimy texture I can anticipate, maybe it's the color, I just know that while this 'avante-garde' dish may be art, it won't be my dinner. 

Moroccan Lamb Burgers

With Summer’s warm weather waning, grilling goes by the wayside. Tailgating presents one of the few remaining opportunities to soak in those grilled food smells. While tailgaters may go to hamburgers and hot dogs first, this is still an opportunity for interesting food that will please all. This past weekend I seized that opportunity with Moroccan Lamb Burgers. The smell of grilled lamb was positively entrancing, and the Moroccan spices provided just enough to make them different and special. This recipe is adopted from Gourmet, 2007. While entitled Charmoula Lamb Burgers, they remind me of my trips to Morocco and the spices from there I love (cumin topping the list). Not personally an olive fan, I suggest hummus as a spread substitute instead of the recommended tapenade.  A slice of feta cheese to top the cooked burgers also makes a fun addition!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground lamb
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika (not hot)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
Mix the garlic, spices, cilantro and ground lamb until evenly combined.  Form patties.  Grill over medium heat, turning once, 6 to 7 minutes total for medium rare.  Finish with a slice of feta, lettuce, tomato and hummus spread on a toasted bun.

Why do I cook?

Why do I cook? Many nights I want to be taken away. Wishing I was in Italy? Cook something Italian. Remembering that trip to Morocco? Cook Something Moroccan. One thing I cannot afford to do regularly is eat at 5 star restaurants. Can’t eat at Le Bernardin tonight? Cook something from its cookbook. Can’t afford to fly to Napa this weekend? Visit The French Laundry through its cookbook. I also like to cook to do something special. Mostly, it’s to do something special for myself, and sometimes I get the opportunity to cook something special for people I care about. Why do you like to cook?

Veal Saltimbocca (Veal with Prosciutto and Sage)

Is there anything better than veal and prosciutto together? Well, yes, many things, but they are a magical combination. So much so that my last batch inspired me finally to start this blog and a picture occupies the site banner. Veal saltimbocca melts in your mouth and yields the kind of sauce that is so slurpingly good (silently of course)! But questions remain...Is it better to dredge the cutlets in flour? Add cheese? Use Marsala instead of white wine? When do we leave for Rome? These are the questions of our day. Here is my recipe.

Ingredients
4 thinly sliced veal cutlets
4 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto
8 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
half an onion diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
2 tbsp dry white wine
½ cup chicken broth
salt/pepper


Directions
Lay the veal cutlets flat. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lay a slice of prosciutto on top of each, and then two slices of sage on top of each. Secure with toothpicks, weaving through the veal, prosciutto and sage.
Heat the oil and 2 tbsp of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute the assembled cutlets until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip and saute the other side for 2-3 minutes. The thin slices will cook quickly. Be careful not to overcook the veal or it will become tough. Remove from the heat, remove the toothpicks and keep warm.
In the pan, soften the diced onions for a few minutes, turning down the heat if necessary to avoid burning. Add the garlic and saute for a further 30 seconds. Add the wine and de-glaze the pan by scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and simmer down somewhat to thicken. Turn off the heat, whisk in the remaining butter, and return the cutlets to the pan spooning the sauce over the cutlets to reheat. Serve with sage leaf garnish if desired.

Toe in the Water

Today, I took the plunge!  Of course, there are about a million others already in the pool, but this isn't really about them, it's about me - and you.  Come with me as I share my passion for cooking, and how it has made my life better.  Cook to Grow - happiness, joy, and most of all - yummyness!