Monday's Marvelous Meal

I've recently revealed my blogginess to a few friends I've made on my commute to work. They are very funny, and one of them unknowingly asked me a cooking question, which spurned quite the conversation! Well, since that discussion, she's taken to reading the blog (thank you so much!) and met me at the train stop this morning, asking "How was the steak!?" I laughed, because that meant she'd found the Current Menu, and then hung my head, because I'm a little behind on this week's menu. I know! It's only TUESDAY, you say, but as I said in my weekend post, I didn't get to all the recipes from last week's menu, so on Sunday night, I tackled one of them. This means that Sunday's dinner on the Current Menu became Monday's dinner! There'll be steak tonight, I promise!

So, I got home last night, preheated the oven to 400 degrees, and set to preparing the Spatchcocked Ricotta Chicken recipe that I recently printed from one of the blogs that I read on a regular basis : The Kitchn. I know I've told you all to read your whole recipe before planning to make it, so that you know how much time is needed, and whether there's any prep that should be done hours, or days, before you actually make the dish. I did not take my own advice this time around, so when I pulled out the recipe, the first order of business was to "spatchcock" the chicken. Um...what? Okay, I read further. It's another word for butterfly...but, butterfly a WHOLE chicken? Yes, I had to cut the back bone out of the chicken and flatten the remaining body. All you need is a pair of kitchen shears, or a very sharp chef's knife.

Once the deed had been done, I was ready to prep the chicken for the oven! The "stuffing" consists of ricotta, grated parmesan, panko bread crumbs, a beaten egg, chopped basil, minced garlic, lemon zest and some salt and pepper. Once it was all incorporated, I used my fingers to loosen the skin from the body of the chicken and spread the ricotta mixture under the skin, pushing it around until it was spread evenly and covered the majority of the chicken, under the skin. I put it in a roasting pan, on a layer of onion slices for flavor, and left it to cook for the next hour.

Meanwhile, I set a pot of water to boil for our artichokes. Yes folks! It's ARTICHOKE TIME! All the long-time readers will remember my love of artichokes and it is again the beginning of artichoke season. While the two I received in my Peapod order were not of the BEST quality, they were still delicious! I think I'll probably go to the store to pick out my own artichokes from now on, but I digress. I set a pot of water to boil, adding some bay leaves and lemon slices to the water, even though the recipe didn't mention it. That's just how I roll!

Once the artichokes were in the steaming basket, it was time to make the Smoked Herb Mayonnaise. This was totally simple and really only took about 5 minutes to prep. Mayonnaise, chopped dill, chopped capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, paprika, black pepper, hot sauce and some salt were just mixed together...that's it! Now, the recipe called for Smoked Sea Salt, but...I didn't have that. I think that's the ONLY kind of salt I don't have sitting in my pantry, so I decided to use some Saffron and Sea Salt instead. It gave the dip a nice, bright flavor so I'd say it was a success!

After about 35 minutes, the artichokes were done, so we enjoyed those while the chicken finished cooking. But, let me tell you...the CHICKEN! It was so moist and delicious! The skin was nice and crispy, the "stuffing" stayed in place and really infused the meat with so much flavor. I'm definitely adding this to my repertoire for guests! It was easy to serve, I just quartered it with a sharp chef's knife, and we've got leftovers for another day! Seriously yummy stuff, here!

Saffron and Salt

Moroccan night started off like any other. I began to gather my ingredients and prep the things that needed to be prepped. To make the rub for the chicken, I ground some toasted saffron sprigs and coarse sea salt into a fine powder in my mortar and pestle.

That, along with some ground ginger, turmeric and chopped parsley made the dry rub complete so I slathered my chicken pieces with ghee, a clarified butter that can be purchased in the international aisle of most supermarkets. I then rubbed them with the spice mixture and set to readying my tagine for the cooking process.

I put the chicken in the tagine, along with the pulp of a preserved lemon and some sliced onions, and turned the heat on. Not more than 3 minutes had gone by when I heard a loud pop, and then found a piece of red ceramic halfway across my kitchen. You wonder what's going on? Yea, so did I. Turns out, my tagine was cracking from the bottom up, and fast. Of course, I started to yell, and started flailing around the kitchen in an attempt to save my dinner! I grabbed another pot, transferred the chicken and onions, and set them to continue cooking over another burner while I tended to "the situation." By the time the tagine had cooled, and I had wiped it clean, pieces had started to fall out of the center of the dish.

               

I stopped taking pictures at this point because I was a bit flustered. Needless to say, the chicken continued to cook, the chickpeas were added, and cooked. The last thing added was just an ounce of rice...I can't really explain the necessity for this ingredient, but at this point, I was just following instructions.

The finished product was a rich and hearty stew of chicken, chickpeas and melting onions with a lemony-saffron sauce that was really satisfying. I served it with some couscous instead of the tomato dish that I had originally planned on in the Current Menu. After the "tagine incident," I figured it best to just go the straightforward and easy route! I'm still the hero though, for I SAVED DINNER! 

Getting Creative

Our friend came over for dinner tonight, but she's a semi-vegetarian so my original plan for a traditional Japanese beef dish went out the window. I had some chicken breasts in the fridge, along with some Asian greens, so I opened up my Essential Asian Cookbook. I tend to use this cookbook as a base for what I make, but don't go by them step-by-step very often. I opened the book to a recipe for Chicken with Almonds, so I used this as an example to work from. I was like a mad scientist in the kitchen tonight!

from Flickr - by sweetbeetandgreenbean

The original recipe called for celery, but I substituted some bok choy. While not even in the same family, I see similarities because of the crispness of the raw version, and the soft, mild flavor once cooked. I used Chinese Broccoli instead of green beans, for bright color and crunch. The chicken marinated in some soy sauce and cornstarch for a few minutes before I began to cook.

Cornstarch is a brilliant little ingredient. Asian cooking uses it a lot, and I love the way it quickly thickens sauces. As a rule, always mix your cornstarch with another liquid before pouring it into the wok, but once it comes to a boil, the sauce will thicken before your eyes. It becomes velvety and just coats the items in the pan so well. Today, my sauce consisted of some rice wine, sesame oil, water and chicken broth. There was some ginger sauteed into the veggies and chicken, but really, the only seasoning came at the very end when I used some salt and pepper. 

Served with some hearty brown rice, this made for a wonderful, healthy and quick weeknight meal. For a stray from the current menu, and a spur of the moment invention, I say "not too shabby."

When I say quick...I mean quick!

Well, I think I set a record for the quickest dinner of all time tonight. Within a half hour of walking in the door, dinner was on the table and we were eating. I had some things in the fridge that I needed to use before they went bad, so I strayed from the "Journey Around the World" menu, in lieu of something quick, easy, and economical.

I had some leftover Greek salad from last night's dinner, and even though I had it with my leftovers at lunchtime, there was still enough for both of us for dinner. I used that, with the EVOO and lemon juice dressing as a bed for ... chicken! Pounded out chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed in just a touch of butter!

With little prep time, minimal cooking time, and the easiest plating possible, this meal is a fantastic go-to if you have no time to dilly-dally in the kitchen. I pounded the chicken out between two pieces of plastic wrap, seasoned them with the salt and pepper, and into the pan they went. Five or six minutes later, I turned them, and 3 minutes later - tah-dah!! DINNER!!!

Tomorrow night, we have reservations for another Restaurant Week dinner, but on Wednesday night, we'll be traveling back to Asia for a Japanese dinner, courtesy of one of my favorite chefs, Morimoto! See you then!

Love Me Tenderized!

Tonight's dinner came from one of my favorite cookbooks, Stir: Mixing it up in the Italian Tradition. I opted for Lemony Breaded Chicken Cutlets, served on a bed of Tuscan Kale, a totally separate recipe in the book. The flavors of these two recipes really melded well together, and this was a really simple dinner for a weeknight. Instead of doing a how-to for these simple recipes, from a cookbook I recommend to everyone, I decided to do another one of my much-requested video explanations on how to tenderize a chicken breast.

It's a very easy procedure, but it's one that everyone should have under their belt. To tenderize a piece of meat, you will need 2 sheets of saran wrap and a meat tenderizer. Check this out.

I recommend using the flat side of the meat tenderizer, as the spiky side can puncture and tear your saran wrap...and shred the meat as well. I reserve the use of the spiky side for a thick cut of meat that needs a little more oomph to spread out. Don't be afraid to make some noise while you're doing this, and keep pounding until you get an even filet, all the way around. If it's not completely flat, you could have an uneven cook on one side. You can also tenderize to a thinner filet, or a thicker filet, depending on what your recipe calls for, but regardless of size, tenderizing adds a suppleness to your dish that you wouldn't find otherwise. 

The Lemony Breaded Chicken Cutlets were dredged in flour, and browned in a skillet before being placed on a baking sheet, and topped with an herb butter panko crust. They just needed to bake in the oven for another ten minutes before dinner was served. The chicken was topped with a chicken broth, butter and lemon juice reduction. I have a friend that was intrigued by the Tuscan Kale recipe, and for her, I will describe it here. It was the easiest side dish ever! Red pepper flakes, sliced garlic, sliced shallots and some salt cooked in some olive oil for a minute before being topped with sliced kale. Add a little bit of water and allow it all to simmer together and wilt for about 15 minutes. I finished it off with some freshly ground black pepper and some lemon juice. I started the kale five minutes before putting the chicken in the oven and that way, everything was done at exactly the same time.

Defrosting Done Right

When I go grocery shopping, I usually buy more cuts of meat than I can use before they would go bad in the fridge. For that reason, I freeze some of them right off the bat so that they are preserved until I'm ready to use them. You can freeze any type of meat, even fish and seafood (just not live stuff like clams and mussels). The key to defrosting, however, is doing it gradually, in the fridge, a day or two before you plan on using it.

from Flickr - by Mrs. Huvie

I know, there's a defrost button on your microwave, and it's really easy to just pop that chicken breast in there and let it "defrost." However, even on the defrost setting, the microwave will start to cook whatever you had previously frozen...assuring an uneven cook when you actually go to use it in a recipe. The outside will be cooked, the inside will be raw, and then, by the time you are done with your dish, the outside is chewy and overcooked, even if the middle ends up being perfect.

from Flickr - by storyofmylife

If you are in a pinch, and you totally forgot to pull your meat out of the freezer in good time to defrost, soak it in some luke warm water (in it's container or wrapping)...or leave it out on the counter for a few hours before cooking. But whatever you do, don't defrost with your microwave. I mean, you want evenly cooked meat, right?

My Favorite Kind of Onion

from Flickr - by roboppy

We went grocery shopping today, and I was inspired by an item that I buy every time we go to the grocery store. The leek! It's a part of the onion and garlic family, but it's much more mild than either of those ingredients. Leeks are generally sold in stalks that have a gradient of white (at the bottom) to dark green at the tips of the stalk. Generally, we cut off the dark green portion because the leaves are very tough. Using the light green and white parts of the leek can add a lot of flavor to so many different dishes.

Because of the way a leek is formed, it's easier to clean it once you've cut it in half. Normally, I will slice the leek down the middle, the long way, and then run cold water over each half, pulling the layers of stem apart a little bit in order to get the dirt out. You can also soak the pieces in cold water once it is sliced completely.

from Flickr - by mingfoto34

Leeks make for a great side dish if you cut them a bit thicker, and saute them in a bit of butter and salt and pepper. They make a lovely bed for a piece of salmon, and a nice thick sauce for a chicken breast as well. You can use them in place of onions in a risotto, and they make a great addition to a spaghetti carbonara. One of my favorite things to add to an omelette are leeks, too! 

Next time you are at the grocery store, pick up a few leeks...and experiment with using them for all sorts of different meals. I love when I find an ingredient that I seriously can't live without! I guarantee you if you open my fridge, you will always find at least one leek in there...unless I've eaten them already!

This One Took Awhile!

Today, I decided to conquer the challenge of Jamie's Lasagne alla Cacciatora, or "hunter's lasagne." This was quite an endeavor, I found, but nonetheless probably the BEST lasagna I've ever had, so it was totally worth it. Trust me, during the process, I was cursing all the ingredients and thinking, "This better be the best lasagna ever." It was totally worth every second I spent making it, and even though the recipe mentions that it serves 6...this is going to feed us for awhile!

I took pictures a bit differently this time since there were so many moving parts of this recipe. I have a couple of mise en place pictures, for each of the different steps. So, let's get the show on the road!

This afternoon, I roasted a whole chicken to be used in the sauce for the lasagna. There are a bunch of roasted meat recipes in Jamie's Italy, and the hunter's lasagna calls for one to five of them. I opted for just one my first time, but I could have done rabbit, duck, chicken, squab or quail. You can get a whole chicken relatively cheaply at the grocery store, while the others can be a bit pricier. All I needed to roast the chicken was well, the chicken, as well as some bay leaves, some garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper and some lemon halves.



I rubbed the chicken with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Then, I stuffed the lemon halves, bay leaves and garlic cloves (whole) inside the bird.



I know that's not a very pretty picture, but I wanted to show you how it's done! :) I put the chicken into a 375 degree oven for an hour and a half, basting half way through!



Once the chicken was done, and cooled, I shredded it with my fingers. This became part of the mise en place for the red sauce. Along with more olive oil, more garlic, some rosemary, more bay leaves, and 3 14-oz cans of plum tomatoes, I was ready to start the next step in the process.



I heated a large saucepan with some olive oil and slowly fried the garlic until it was lightly colored and very fragrant. Once the garlic was ready, I threw in the rosemary sprig, bay leaves, and the three cans of tomatoes. I left this to cook gently for 45 minutes, covered.



While the red sauce was cooking, I made my fresh pasta dough and left it to rest for the requisite 30 minutes.



Once the red sauce was close to the 45 minute mark, I started in on the white sauce for the lasagna. This step called for milk, a sprig of parsley, nutmeg, some sliced onion, black peppercorns, butter, flour, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.



I needed two different pots for this step. The milk, parsley, nutmeg, onion, and peppercorns went into one pot, and I then brought it to a gentle boil.



Meanwhile, in the other pot, I was melting down some butter. Once the butter had liquified, I stirred in the flour to make a roux.



While the milk mixture was heating, the timer went off on the 45 minutes for my red sauce. I added the chicken to the sauce and set the timer for another 20 minutes. I also pulled out the bay leaves and rosemary sprig.



And now back to the white sauce! Once it was gently boiling, I strained all the stuff out of it (because all we really wanted was the flavoring for the milk) and slowly poured the milk into the roux, stirring to blend as I poured. This is a slow process so be patient with it - pour a little and then blend it, pour a little and then blend it - it's a bit like risotto!



At some point during all this commotion, I found time to roll out some lasagna noodles. I quickly blanched them by putting them in boiling water for a minute, and then directly into an ice water bath. Once the noodles were done, my red sauce had simmered, and my white sauce was blended, it was time to build the lasagna!

I want to pause here, and say that lasagna does not need to be this much work. You could very well buy dried lasagna noodles, some jarred marinara sauce, and an already cooked rotisserie chicken to make this same meal, but...have you ever known me to take the simple route!?

Okay - back to the task at hand! I layered two of my lasagna noodles in a greased 13x9" pan.



They aren't exactly square but hey, it's more rustic that way. On top of the noodles, I ladled on my red sauce with the chicken in it.



On top of the red sauce, I poured on some of the white sauce, and then sprinkled it with some of the shredded parmesan.



Then, you start all over again, until you've used all the sauce. I ended up with 2 layers of sauce and three layers of noodles (one layer for the top). The pan was full to the brim, nothing else would fit in there if I had tried! Once the last layer of noodle had been placed on top, I poured the remaining white sauce over it, sprinkled with parmesan and some fresh shredded mozzarella. I sprinkled some sage leaves on top and a few drizzles of olive oil, and it was ready to go into a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, until it turns golden on top.



I made some Italian-Style Swiss Chard while the lasagna was cooking, and when the time went off, this is what I pulled out of the oven!



This was the best lasagna I've ever had. I'm not sure whether it was the different layers of sauce, or the fresh lasagna noodles, or the touch of fried sage on top, but this ... was ... de-lish-ous! I can't wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow!



I'll be making my next menu this week, so if you have any requests, don't forget to comment on a post to let me know. You can also contact me here, if you would prefer to email your request directly to me.

Hug Your Closest Sri Lankan!

Sri Lanka

The other day, I received an invitation to an event on Facebook. The event in question is "Hug a Sri Lankan Day," and it takes place on February 4th. That's FRIDAY! Sri Lanka is located off the southern coast of the Indian sub-continent. It is an island nation. In honor of this day, and my friend Ladali, who is Sri Lankan, I decided to make a fitting dish, complete with how-to instructions, just in time for you to cook dinner on Friday. I chose a Chicken Curry dish, also known as Chicken Dopiaza. The original recipe can be found here. I'm sure that you could make this with other types of meat as well, and for you vegetarians out there, I have a feeling that these flavors would work very nicely with some tofu (you'll have to adjust times a bit, that's all). Now, let's start with what you'll need:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 small onions/shallots, halved

2 bay leaves

8 green cardamom pods

4 cloves

3 dried red chilis

8 black peppercorns

2 big onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

4 tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped (I used canned, diced tomatoes)

1/2 cup water

8 chicken pieces, skinned

plain rice, to serve

This seems like a lot of ingredients, I know, but it's actually a very simple dish, and it's delicious. I happened to have these spices on hand, but if you don't, you can find them at your local grocery store, or order them online if you have a few days before you plan on cooking this dish. Now, of course, the first step is your mise en place. But, for mine, I combined the ingredients for each step into separate bowls, to make it easier for me. If you want to do it that way, this is what should be in each bowl:

Bowl #1: Shallots

Bowl #2: Bay leaves, cardamom pods, cloves, chilis and peppercorns

Bowl #3: Onions, garlic, and ginger

Bowl #4: Coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili powder and salt

Bowl #5: Tomatoes and water

Bowl #6: Chicken

We're ready to begin cooking! Before I start with the main part of this dish, I put the rice and water into the rice cooker since that usually takes about a half an hour to cook. Rice cookers are a fabulous invention. All you have to do is press the cook button, and it turns off when the rice is done. When I cook rice, I always use the ratio, 1:2. If you use a cup of rice, you should pour in 2 cups of water. That goes for any measurement of rice...double it for the water. Then, set it...and let it go!



Now, on to the main course, right? It's about time! I promise things are going to go quickly from here! I made this dish in a wok, but you can also use pretty much any large pan. Be sure that it's large enough to fit all the things you are going to put in it.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the wok, or large pan, and fry the halved small onions/shallots until soft (I used shallots). Remove and set aside. Make sure those shallots are really soft, because otherwise, they are going to be a very overwhelming flavor in the finished product. Shallots get sweeter as they cook.



Add the remaining oil and fry the bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves, chilis and peppercorns for 2 minutes. Be careful here...as the cardamom pods get hot, they can pop. One almost knocked my EYE out!



Add the big onions, garlic, and ginger. Fry for 5 minutes.



Add the spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder) and salt and cook for 2 minutes.



Add the tomatoes and water to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.



Add the chicken pieces and cook for 15 minutes more. Once I added the chicken and it had begun to cook, I found that the sauce needed a little bit more water because it was evaporating quickly. Don't be afraid to trust your instincts and add something if you feel it needs it.



Add the reserved shallots back to the pan, and then cover and cook for another 10 minutes until the chicken is tender. I cut about 4 minutes off this time because I found that my chicken was done, and I didn't want to over cook it. However, it all depends on the size of your pieces, the parts that you choose to use and the temperature of your pan, so you be the judge. Once it looks tender and cooked through, take it off the heat so that the meat doesn't get chewy. Serve over rice.

This was a delicious meal, and I found it to be an educational experience. I have friends from all over the world, and it is always a treat to learn about their cultures and cuisines. It's not every day that you see a Sri Lankan restaurant, or even think about cooking a Sri Lankan meal, so I'm very happy that I took this opportunity to learn about this fascinating cuisine. I will definitely be trying more in the future, and I'll be on the lookout for a restaurant too. I'm intrigued! And a great big thank you goes out to Ladali for pointing me in the right direction for this post. I will be giving her a GREAT BIG HUG on February 4th!

The Importance of Multiple Cutting Boards

When you start your mise en place, it is imperative that you have a different cutting board for meats and vegetables. There are numerous ways to accomplish this, but you MUST make sure you do it. Meats carry a lot of bacteria before they are cooked, and even if everything is eventually going into the same pot, vegetables can still be contaminated with that bacteria prior to being cooked. For this reason, I make sure to take out a cutting board for each type of ingredient I will be prepping, before I even start. You can do this with color-coded boards, which are sometimes sold in packs.


Alternatively, there are some very cute sets that even have little pictures on them. I have a set of 4, from Sur La Table, with pictures of a fish, a cow, a chicken, and a carrot on them. This set is similar to the one I have: Cutting Boards. These are only $16 and that is a small price to pay for keeping you and your loved ones healthy when you cook. 




This goes for knives as well. I have two favorite knives, so I tend to wash them if I need to cut more than one type of meat, but normally, I've got one set aside for my protein, and the other will prep the veggies and other ingredients. As long as you wash your knife with soap in between ingredients, you don't really need to have more than one. 


Raw chicken can carry Campylobacter, as well as Salmonella, the leading cause of food borne illness. Raw beef can also carry Salmonella and Campylobacter, in addition to Listeria Monocytogenes and Staphylococcus Aureus. Raw fish can carry Anisakis Simplex (or Herring Worm), and Vibrio Species. Now let me clarify - don't stop eating these proteins because of this information. These bacteria can be spread through the improper cleaning and care of raw meats. That's why, if you decide to try making sushi at home, ALWAYS make sure that you are buying sushi-grade fish. This way, you are assured that the fish was handled properly for raw consumption. This is the case with beef too - you CAN eat it raw, as long as it's prepared appropriately. On the other hand, you can NEVER eat chicken raw...don't even contemplate it. 


Finally, I'd like to give an example of a more complicated meal, just to give you an idea of how careful you need to be. Let's say you are cooking an Asian stirfry, with beef, shrimp, chicken and veggies. You need 4 cutting boards for this meal, to be on the safe side. You'll also either need 4 knives, or a sponge and dish soap, to wash the knife in between ingredients. 


Healthy and safe cooking to you all, and to all a good night!