As one can judge by the posts, I haven't cooked in a while. This is not such an uncommon thing for the perpetual bachelorette... most times there is nothing more in my refrigerator than hummus, lemonade, and cheese. I did make one meal in the past couple of weeks though... Steak!
I started with a beautiful filet mignon and crusted it with fresh cracked pepper and broiled it to medium rare perfection. In the meantime I made some wonderful garlic and chive mashed potatoes, steamed some broccoli, and created a port sauce. The potatoes and broccoli seem easy, the port sauce wasn't that much more difficult. In a saute pan bring 1 1/2c of port, 1/2c chicken broth, 2 cloves crushed garlic, and about a tablespoon of honey to a simmer. Once it's reduced down about half-way, mash a tablespoon of butter with a teaspoon of flour (or cornstarch) and add a little at a time until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and spoon over steaks when they're done.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Chicken & Broccoli Bake
Since I had the breast meat leftover from the chicken I used for the minestrone stock, I decided to make a recipe my mother acquired long ago from her sister, Bunny. She used to make this simple casserole when I was young and I've always loved it, though I leave out two of the ingredients that I think are nasty. I feel I should mention them for those who actually like the stuff. Left out was a cup of mayonnaise (which, to me, looks like what a cardiologist would scrape out from your arteries) and 1/2 tsp of curry powder.
I chopped up a can of sliced water chestnuts and mixed them with 2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup, 2 tsp lemon rind, and a cup or so of shredded medium cheddar. In a casserole dish I spread out a 12oz bag of frozen broccoli and the torn up pieces of chicken breast. I poured the soup mix over that and spread it out. I melted down about a tablespoon or so of butter and then mixed it with 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs making sure they were all coated. Spread the breadcrumbs over the casserole. All that was left to do was bake it at 350 for about 45 minutes until bubbly and warm.
I chopped up a can of sliced water chestnuts and mixed them with 2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup, 2 tsp lemon rind, and a cup or so of shredded medium cheddar. In a casserole dish I spread out a 12oz bag of frozen broccoli and the torn up pieces of chicken breast. I poured the soup mix over that and spread it out. I melted down about a tablespoon or so of butter and then mixed it with 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs making sure they were all coated. Spread the breadcrumbs over the casserole. All that was left to do was bake it at 350 for about 45 minutes until bubbly and warm.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Mighty Minestrone
Last week's adventure in the kitchen was 2 fold but we will approach them separately.
On my first day off the task was to make chicken stock for the minestrone. I always cheat and buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store. I had George pick the breast clean of meat and then threw it in a large pot with 3 or 4 carrots, 3 or 4 celery stalks, half a sweet onion quartered, 2 parsnips and a tea ball filled with sage and some sea salt. I suppose I probably start with about 4 quarts of water and let it simmer down to around 3 I guess. I don't really know since I just fill the pot... it's probably more like 6 and I take it down about half way. I like to use this awesome pot that I have which I think may be a lobster pot. It has a deep steaming basket which keeps me from having to strain the contents of the pot after I'm done. It takes a few hours for it to simmer down and develop a decent golden color so I don't bother to cut the veggies much other than maybe in half.
Day off number 2 came the actual soup. George did the majority of the chopping since I was busy messing up the cookies for the next day, but that's the next story. I found this recipe in the Culinary Institute of America New Book of Soups. It turned out pretty well last year when I made it and I've only modified it slightly so they should truly get credit here. Like I said, George did the chopping since there is a lot involved, so here goes. He chopped up about a cup of chopped onions (I had to do the onions since he hates those), a cup of sliced carrots, 1/4 - 1/2 cup of sliced celery and mince about 2 good sized cloves of garlic and set aside. Next I had him cut up 5 to 6 thin slices of pancetta. We heated about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot and over medium heat added the pancetta. That had to cook until the fat melted which generally takes about 3 to 5 minutes... don't allow it to brown.
When the pancetta was ready, we added the chopped veggies from the bowl and cooked until the onions were translucent which took about 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile I had him peal and dice a baking potato. When the onions were done, I added about 2 quarts of chicken stock, the potatoes, and a 3 inch (or so) chunk of parmesan cheese. Brought that to a simmer and cooked it for about 30 minutes or until veggies were soft. Once that was under way, I broke up roughly 3/4 of a cup of angel hair whole grain pasta and cooked that to normal al dente directions. I also took advantage of the hour to peel and de-seed 2 plum tomatoes and then dice them (to peel a tomato, cut an x in the bottom of it, toss it in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds and then peel away). We also strained and rinsed a can of cooked kidney beans and a can of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans.
When the veggies were done I removed what was left of the parmesan rind (funny how it becomes this gob of I don't know what) and added the pasta, about a half cup or so of kidney beans, a 1/3 cup of garbanzos, maybe 3 or 4 heaping tablespoons of pesto, and the tomatoes. After that it was ready to serve, though I always think it's better to let it sit in the fridge overnight. It always seems to taste better the next day.
On my first day off the task was to make chicken stock for the minestrone. I always cheat and buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store. I had George pick the breast clean of meat and then threw it in a large pot with 3 or 4 carrots, 3 or 4 celery stalks, half a sweet onion quartered, 2 parsnips and a tea ball filled with sage and some sea salt. I suppose I probably start with about 4 quarts of water and let it simmer down to around 3 I guess. I don't really know since I just fill the pot... it's probably more like 6 and I take it down about half way. I like to use this awesome pot that I have which I think may be a lobster pot. It has a deep steaming basket which keeps me from having to strain the contents of the pot after I'm done. It takes a few hours for it to simmer down and develop a decent golden color so I don't bother to cut the veggies much other than maybe in half.
Day off number 2 came the actual soup. George did the majority of the chopping since I was busy messing up the cookies for the next day, but that's the next story. I found this recipe in the Culinary Institute of America New Book of Soups. It turned out pretty well last year when I made it and I've only modified it slightly so they should truly get credit here. Like I said, George did the chopping since there is a lot involved, so here goes. He chopped up about a cup of chopped onions (I had to do the onions since he hates those), a cup of sliced carrots, 1/4 - 1/2 cup of sliced celery and mince about 2 good sized cloves of garlic and set aside. Next I had him cut up 5 to 6 thin slices of pancetta. We heated about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot and over medium heat added the pancetta. That had to cook until the fat melted which generally takes about 3 to 5 minutes... don't allow it to brown.
When the pancetta was ready, we added the chopped veggies from the bowl and cooked until the onions were translucent which took about 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile I had him peal and dice a baking potato. When the onions were done, I added about 2 quarts of chicken stock, the potatoes, and a 3 inch (or so) chunk of parmesan cheese. Brought that to a simmer and cooked it for about 30 minutes or until veggies were soft. Once that was under way, I broke up roughly 3/4 of a cup of angel hair whole grain pasta and cooked that to normal al dente directions. I also took advantage of the hour to peel and de-seed 2 plum tomatoes and then dice them (to peel a tomato, cut an x in the bottom of it, toss it in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds and then peel away). We also strained and rinsed a can of cooked kidney beans and a can of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans.
When the veggies were done I removed what was left of the parmesan rind (funny how it becomes this gob of I don't know what) and added the pasta, about a half cup or so of kidney beans, a 1/3 cup of garbanzos, maybe 3 or 4 heaping tablespoons of pesto, and the tomatoes. After that it was ready to serve, though I always think it's better to let it sit in the fridge overnight. It always seems to taste better the next day.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Italian Cheese Stuffed Chicken
This is not nearly as difficult as it sounds but turns out to be a very impressive meal (great for dinner parties)! Of course I forgot to take some chicken out of the freezer for this one so I had the ordeal of Thursday grocery shopping (apparently when the rest of the world does their shopping for the weekend). Anyway, it was a good thing as I ruined the second chicken breast (there were 3 in the pack that I purchased). So let's get down to it...
Butterfly your chicken breasts and then pound them flat and thin (maybe about 1/4" - 1/3" thick) but be careful when pounding that you don't break the seam. Next mix up the filling. This consisted of about a cup of shredded Fontina cheese, 2 tablespoons of a pre-shredded mix of Asiago, Roman, and Parmesan cheeses, 3 dallops of ricotta and 1/2 a beaten egg. If you are feeling wild and crazy, go ahead and mash in 2 good sized cloves of crushed garlic and a bit of dry basil. I use a fork to mash all of this together.
Coat the outside of the chicken (not the part where you cut) with olive oil and then coat in breadcrumbs. Put a good scoop of the filling in the center of the not breaded part of the chicken. Fold the chicken shut over the cheese and skewer it shut. Bake in a glass dish for about an hour @ 375. I am going to heat my sauce separately and then just spoon it over the chicken when it's done. No drinking involved this time since I am afraid to stab myself with the skewer.
Butterfly your chicken breasts and then pound them flat and thin (maybe about 1/4" - 1/3" thick) but be careful when pounding that you don't break the seam. Next mix up the filling. This consisted of about a cup of shredded Fontina cheese, 2 tablespoons of a pre-shredded mix of Asiago, Roman, and Parmesan cheeses, 3 dallops of ricotta and 1/2 a beaten egg. If you are feeling wild and crazy, go ahead and mash in 2 good sized cloves of crushed garlic and a bit of dry basil. I use a fork to mash all of this together.
Coat the outside of the chicken (not the part where you cut) with olive oil and then coat in breadcrumbs. Put a good scoop of the filling in the center of the not breaded part of the chicken. Fold the chicken shut over the cheese and skewer it shut. Bake in a glass dish for about an hour @ 375. I am going to heat my sauce separately and then just spoon it over the chicken when it's done. No drinking involved this time since I am afraid to stab myself with the skewer.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Sweet Tomato Basil Sauce
Today I have decided to embark on part one of a two part dinner experience. On Thursday, I am planning to make Italian Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts... which are something like a stuffed Chicken Parmesan. However, to do that, I need a tomato sauce to start with. I would normally use a standard marinara for it, but this time I have an open bottle of riesling left over from last week's lentil soup so I thought, what would happen if I used that in my sauce... SWEET TOMATO BASIL! YUM YUM
This weekend I ran over to the Oak Park Farmer's Market, as I do nearly every Saturday, and picked up a HUGE GINORMOUS sweet onion along with some beautiful large vine ripened tomatoes. I then ran to the grocery for some tomato past, basil, and garlic. Now it's all under way.
I put a pot of water on the stove to boil so I could peel my tomatoes and then mutilated half the sweet onion. I would like to say dice but lord knows I don't have the patience for that! I get through slicing it the first time and then I turn to random chopping like that onion kicked my dog. Once it looked to be a fine mess of onion pieces, I threw it into a large stock pot with a good puddle of olive oil. I set it on low and tossed in about a teaspoon and a half of natural rock cane sugar to caramelize. While that was going, I turned my attention to the tomatoes.
Quite some time ago, I learned that peeling tomatoes can be a lot simpler than it seems. To easily peel a tomato, cut a shallow "X" in the bottom of it (not the side that was once attached to the vine) just piercing the skin. Toss it into a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds and presto, the skin will come right off. I peeled 5 tomatoes managing not to burn myself once and I even remembered to stir the onions between each tomato. Once peeled, I quartered the tomatoes and gutted out all the seeds... having a decent thumbnail helped. Also, I only let one tomato quarter escape my hand (slippery little buggers when they are free of their skin!) and drop into the trash... good thing I had just put a fresh bag in and nothing else was in there. Darn right I pulled it back out, rinsed it off and tossed it into the bowl with the rest of them! Don't judge.
Once they were all done and in my big mixing bowl, I got to my favorite part of making sauce... THE MOOSHING! With both hands I squished and mooshed and pummeled the tomatoes until they became one in a blob of red. The onions were starting to turn color at that point so I decided to start peeling the garlic (not my favorite part). With 7 cloves peeled, tomatoes peeled and mooshed, and onions that had taken on a nice light caramel color, I crushed my garlic into the pot and then tore up an 18g container of fresh basil. Mind you, when you work with fresh herbs it is just like tea... to release the maximum amount of aroma and flavor the leaves should be rolled before torn. Meaning you should literally wad them up in your hand and roll them between your palms. Doing this breaks the cell membranes in the leaf. So anyway, I tore up the basil and added it with the garlic and onions. Let that saute for a few minutes, then I dumped my tomatoes, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of riesling, and a 6oz can of tomato paste. I left it to simmer and went on to curse the amounts of small cuts I apparently had on my hands that the basil rolling and onion handling alerted me to.
I left the sauce to simmer a few hours. Once I thought it was ready, I blended it smooth with a hand blender. I also helped myself to a glass of that riesling... so what if it is only 1:58pm! I told you, DON'T JUDGE!
This weekend I ran over to the Oak Park Farmer's Market, as I do nearly every Saturday, and picked up a HUGE GINORMOUS sweet onion along with some beautiful large vine ripened tomatoes. I then ran to the grocery for some tomato past, basil, and garlic. Now it's all under way.
I put a pot of water on the stove to boil so I could peel my tomatoes and then mutilated half the sweet onion. I would like to say dice but lord knows I don't have the patience for that! I get through slicing it the first time and then I turn to random chopping like that onion kicked my dog. Once it looked to be a fine mess of onion pieces, I threw it into a large stock pot with a good puddle of olive oil. I set it on low and tossed in about a teaspoon and a half of natural rock cane sugar to caramelize. While that was going, I turned my attention to the tomatoes.
Quite some time ago, I learned that peeling tomatoes can be a lot simpler than it seems. To easily peel a tomato, cut a shallow "X" in the bottom of it (not the side that was once attached to the vine) just piercing the skin. Toss it into a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds and presto, the skin will come right off. I peeled 5 tomatoes managing not to burn myself once and I even remembered to stir the onions between each tomato. Once peeled, I quartered the tomatoes and gutted out all the seeds... having a decent thumbnail helped. Also, I only let one tomato quarter escape my hand (slippery little buggers when they are free of their skin!) and drop into the trash... good thing I had just put a fresh bag in and nothing else was in there. Darn right I pulled it back out, rinsed it off and tossed it into the bowl with the rest of them! Don't judge.
Once they were all done and in my big mixing bowl, I got to my favorite part of making sauce... THE MOOSHING! With both hands I squished and mooshed and pummeled the tomatoes until they became one in a blob of red. The onions were starting to turn color at that point so I decided to start peeling the garlic (not my favorite part). With 7 cloves peeled, tomatoes peeled and mooshed, and onions that had taken on a nice light caramel color, I crushed my garlic into the pot and then tore up an 18g container of fresh basil. Mind you, when you work with fresh herbs it is just like tea... to release the maximum amount of aroma and flavor the leaves should be rolled before torn. Meaning you should literally wad them up in your hand and roll them between your palms. Doing this breaks the cell membranes in the leaf. So anyway, I tore up the basil and added it with the garlic and onions. Let that saute for a few minutes, then I dumped my tomatoes, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of riesling, and a 6oz can of tomato paste. I left it to simmer and went on to curse the amounts of small cuts I apparently had on my hands that the basil rolling and onion handling alerted me to.
I left the sauce to simmer a few hours. Once I thought it was ready, I blended it smooth with a hand blender. I also helped myself to a glass of that riesling... so what if it is only 1:58pm! I told you, DON'T JUDGE!
Welcome!
"Jaded River" is my fierce as a woman can be, zombie killing, alter-ego. After 100s of zombie killing campaigns, she is ready to take on the kitchen and really work through the cooking journal. This blog shall be a journal of Jaded's escapades in the kitchen. Who knows? Some decent recipes might at least come out of this.
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