Learn a recipe

Circassian Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1. One 3-pound chicken
  2. 2 1/2 quarts plus 1 cup water
  3. 1 small onion, halved
  4. 1 carrot, halved
  5. 2 whole cloves
  6. Salt
  7. 4 thin slices white sandwich bread (3 ounces), crusts removed
  8. 3 cups walnuts (3/4 pound), chopped
  9. 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  10. 2 garlic cloves, minced
  11. 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  12. 2 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  13. 2 tablespoons French walnut oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, cover the chicken with 2 1/2 quarts of the water. Add the onion, carrot, cloves and a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, skim the broth and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let cool slightly. Skim the fat from the broth and measure 1 cup; reserve the remaining broth for another use. Remove the meat from the chicken and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size pieces and transfer to a medium bowl.
3. In a shallow bowl, soak the bread in the remaining 1 cup of water until softened, then squeeze dry. In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups of the walnuts with the reserved 1 cup of broth, the bread, coriander, garlic, black pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper; process to a coarse puree and add to the chicken. Finely grind the remaining 1/2 cup of walnuts in the food processor and stir into the chicken. Season the salad with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.
4. In a small saucepan, warm the walnut oil over low heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Drizzle the hot oil over the chicken salad and serve at room temperature.

Taken, as usual, from Food & Wine. A nice side or potluck dish. This one necessitated me purchasing an adorable mini food processor from Tar-gae.

Learn a recipe: Gumbo

Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

INGREDIENTS

• 1. 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  2. 2 pounds medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved
  3. 2 pounds chicken wings
  4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
  5. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  6. 4 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  7. 3 bay leaves
  8. 6 whole chicken legs
  9. 1 cup all-purpose flour
  10. 8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  11. 6 large scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately
  12. 4 medium celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  13. 2 large Spanish onions, coarsely chopped
  14. 2 medium green peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  15. 1 pound smoked andouille sausage, half finely chopped, half sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
  16. 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  17. 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  18. 1 pound okra, stems trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
  19. 3 tablespoons filé powder (see Note)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large, heavy stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the reserved shrimp shells and chicken wings, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken wings are browned, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until glossy, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the stock, stirring with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Skim the surface of the stock, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming occasionally.
2. Add the chicken legs to the stock and simmer until they are cooked through, about 40 minutes. Strain the stock into a heatproof bowl and transfer the chicken legs to a large plate. When the legs are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and discard the skin and bones. Tear the meat into 2-inch pieces and set aside. Skim the fat from the surface of the stock and reserve the stock.
3. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, stir the remaining 2/3 cup of vegetable oil with the flour until smooth. Cook the oil and flour over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a deep brown roux forms, about 25 minutes. Add the garlic, scallion whites, celery, onions, green peppers and finely chopped andouille sausage. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 15 minutes. Add the thyme, cayenne, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the reserved stock. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour, skimming occasionally.
4. Add the okra and simmer until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved shredded chicken and the andouille rounds and simmer for 10 minutes. Season the gumbo with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let the gumbo stand for a few minutes. Stir in the filé powder and scallion greens and serve hot.

This recipe has a little story to it. The first gumbo I ever tasted was in a restaurant I used to work at. (The first restaurant I ever worked at, in fact.) It was a very good restaurant and it was very good gumbo. Of course, the owner claimed the recipe was his own, to much acclaim. Unfortunately he failed to cover his tracks. He left his Food & Wine collection lying around, and I perused it in moments of lull. And lo, I found the recipe you see above. Circled. Did I call him out on his plagiarism? No, of course not. I’m much, much nicer than that. I merely told everyone who would listen of my discovery. In the years since I’ve been idly hoping to find the recipe again, until I did, and then I idly contemplated attempting it. It is, no question, a hefty and challenging recipe. Well, since I’m a pro now, I thought the time had come to make the attempt. It was a big undertaking, first with a major supermarket sweep, coming to a nice $67.99 for almost all the ingredients, and quite a heavy set of bags to carry home on the bus. Secondly, it did take all day to cook. If you add up the ‘simmer one hour’ and another ‘simmer one hour’ you end up getting a five hour cooking marathon. Which, for an enormous tub of delicious gumbo, is very much worth it. Yeah, it’s the same gumbo, for sure. I do suspect that he made his roux with butter, as opposed to vegetable oil like the recipe says. And I’d ratchet up the cayenne. Overall, a big job, and a success. I should be dining on gumbo for the rest of the month.

Learn a recipe

Bitter Greens with Cherry Beer Vinaigrette and Blue Cheese Toasts

INGREDIENTS

• 1. 1/2 cup cherry-flavored beer, such as Boon Kriek
  2. 2 shallots, finely chopped
  3. 2 tablespoons dried cherries or cranberries, coarsely chopped
  4. 1 tablespoon honey
  5. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
  6. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  7. 1/2 cup canola oil
  8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
  9. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  10. 3 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts removed, bread cut in half to make triangles
  11. 1/4 pound Roquefort or Gorgonzola cheese
  12. 6 cups mixed bitter greens, such as radicchio, escarole and arugula
  13. 2 Belgian endives, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine the beer with the shallots, dried cherries and honey and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beer has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegar with the mustard. Whisk in the beer reduction, then gradually whisk in the canola oil. Season the cherry beer vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly butter the bread triangles on both sides and toast in the oven until golden. Depending on the consistency of the cheese, crumble or spread it on the toasts.
4. Add the greens and endives to the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Arrange the salad on plates, garnish each with a cheese toast and serve.

I always like to cook nice food for myself, when I have the time. No more Bachelor Chow for me! Making a batch of salad dressing is a good idea, because it stays good for a long time. Lots of bang for the buck. I really liked how the cherry beer vinaigrette came out. For the beer, I bought a cherry lambic. It tastes just like cranberry juice, actually. Cranberry juice with a kick.

Learn a recipe!

Crispy Fried Shrimp with Green Herb Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1. 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon sugar
3. Salt
4. 1/2 cup strong Belgian-style golden ale, such as Duvel
5. 1 large egg, separated
6. 2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
7. 1 quart plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8. 24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails left on
9. Green Herb Sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; stir in the ale, egg yolk, ginger and the 1 tablespoon of oil. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Let the batter stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, heat the 1 quart of oil to 360°. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg white into the batter. Dip the shrimp into the batter, one at a time, letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl. Fry the shrimp in batches over moderate heat until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve hot with the Green Herb Sauce.

Green Herb Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1. 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
2. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3. 3 tablespoons water
4. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5. 1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots
6. 1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives
7. 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
8. 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
9. Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix the parsley with the lemon juice, water, oil, shallots, chives, thyme and cayenne. Season with salt.

So, all I can add to this is, it’s good, but Duval ale is stupidly expensive and nobody will say anything if you use something else.

Two recipes for the week…

For this batch of recipes I took a break from Food & Wine and turned to Bon Appetit. I didn’t photograph the dishes because, frankly, they’re not very photogenic.

Spicy Thai Asparagus Soup with Lobster

4 tablespoons butter

1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped shallots, divided

1 tablespoon chopped fresh lemongrass

1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste

8 1/4 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 uncooked lobster tail

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

 Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add asparagus, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped shallots, lemongrass, and curry paste. Saute until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Puree soup in blender until smooth. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Using kitchen shears, cut down center of lobster tail. Bend back shell and remove meat. Chop meat into 1/2 inch pieces. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon shallots. Saute shallots until soft, about 1 minute. Add lobster and tarragon; saute until lobster is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Divide soup among 4 bowls. Top with lobster mixture; serve.

This soup was a great hit. A few notes; I bought Thai green curry in the Asian section of Central Market and it was hardly spicy at all. If you want spicy I suggest buying a more authentic green curry at the Asian supermarket. As it was the soup was not spicy but slightly sweet with a subtle zing from the lemongrass. To make four servings as the recipe suggests you’ll want two lobster tails.

Warm Lentils with Spinach and Goat Cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup finely chopped celery

1/3 cup finely chopped carrot

2 bay leaves

12 ounces low-salt chicken broth

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound fresh spinach leaves

5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and bay leaves and saute until golden, about 7 minutes. Add lentils; stir 1 minute. Add chicken broth;  bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until lentils are tender and nearly all liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in mascarpone cheese.

 Melt butter in large pot over medium high heat. Add spinach and cook until just wilted, stirring frequently. Transfer lentils to large shallow serving bowl. Top with spinach, then crumbled goat cheese and serve.

This is a good twist on traditional lentils, and it can be easily simplified. Mascarpone is Italian cream cheese. You can just as well use regular cream cheese, although I didn’t care for the sticky texture it gave the lentils. I also suggest that you saute the vegetables seperately and add them later to maintain the crunch factor. If you do regularly cook lentils, adding a sprinkle of goat cheese is a great idea.

Two recipes

Tabbouleh with Mint, Cilantro and Chives

I’ve had tabbouleh in restaurants and I’ve made it from a box, but I’d never made it from scratch. Turns out it’s very very easy to make. If like me, you consider bulgur a kitchen essential on par with rice, you should start thinking about tabbouleh as a great variation on the basic kasha. I ate mine while it was still warm, but it would be a great cold breakfast. I don’t recommend storing it overnight, though. It can become soggy and the flavor skews too strongly towards lemon.

Ingredients

1. 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
2. Kosher salt
3. 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
4. 1 cup water
5. 1 small shallot, minced
6. 1 thyme sprig
7. 1 1/2 cups coarse bulgur wheat (1/2 pound)
8. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
9. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10. 2 tablespoons minced chives
11. 2 tablespoons minced mint
12. 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
13. Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. On a work surface, using the side of a knife, mash the garlic with 1 teaspoon of salt to make a paste.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the stock with the water, shallot, thyme and garlic paste and bring to a boil.
3. Put the bulgur in a heatproof bowl and pour the seasoned stock over it. Stir, cover and let stand until the bulgur has absorbed all of the liquid and is tender, about 40 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig and stir in the lemon juice, olive oil, chives, mint and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature or chilled.

 

Asparagus and Oyster Mushroom Fricassee

Oyster mushroom are delicious, but they are expensive. They go for 9.99 a pound at Central Market. Fortunately, they also weigh next to nothing, so enough oyster mushrooms for a hefty meal will only run you about five dollars. But if you can’t find oyster mushrooms, sub shiitakes or ‘bellas.

Ingredients

1. 2 pounds asparagus, cut on the diagonal into 1 1/2-inch lengths
2. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3. 1 1/2 pounds oyster mushrooms, large stems discarded, large caps halved
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 1 shallot, minced
6. 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Riesling
7. 1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
8. 3/4 cup heavy cream
9. 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
10. 1 tablespoon minced chives
11. 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped chervil or 1 teaspoon minced tarragon

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus until bright green, about 2 minutes. Drain, refresh in a bowl of ice water; drain again.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms in an even layer, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Stir the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 4 minutes longer. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock and asparagus and simmer until the liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer over low heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley, chives and chervil, and serve at once.

Recipe of the Day

Honey-Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops with Cipolline Onions

This recipe was a huge hit!

Cipolline onions can be expensive and hard to find. I substituted baby sweet onion bulbs and used chives in place of the garlic shoots. Where the directions say to bake the lamb for 7 minutes, I baked mine for 30, making the meat super moist and tender. Also, I made the honey-mustard glaze according to the proportions in the recipe and it was just enough for two hefty chops. If you’re making four chops, double the amount of glaze.

The result was delicious. One of the most successful recipes I’ve made so far. Very recommended.

Ingredients

1. 8 loin lamb chops (6 to 7 ounces each)
2. Salt and freshly ground pepper
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons pure olive oil
4. 1/2 pound cipolline onions, blanched and peeled
5. 2 cups water
6. 1 cup garlic shoots or scallion greens, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
7. 1 tablespoon honey
8. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
9. 1/2 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
10. 1/2 teaspoon minced tarragon
11. 1/4 teaspoon minced thyme
12. 1/4 teaspoon minced rosemary

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is almost smoking, add 4 of the chops and brown on both sides over moderately high heat, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and the remaining chops.
2. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add
   1 1/2 cups of the water, cover and simmer over low heat until the onions are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic shoots, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, cover and remove from the heat.
3. In a small bowl, mix the honey with the mustard, parsley, tarragon, thyme and rosemary. Brush the honey mustard on the chops and roast them for 7 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a chop registers 125° for medium-rare meat. Transfer the chops to a warm platter and cover loosely with foil.
4. Set the baking sheet over 2 burners on moderate heat. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the baking sheet. Add the pan juices to the onions and reheat them. Set the lamb chops on plates and serve with the onions and pan juices.

Recipe of the Day

Sautéed Monkfish with Leeks and Shiitakes

I’d never tried monkfish before, so I was excited about trying this recipe. You’ve probably seen monkfish at the grocery store – it looks kind of lumpy and slimy, even for a fish (although if you think it looks ugly as a fillet, you should see it alive). It’s often called ‘poor man’s lobster’, because it’s supposed to have a lobster-like texture. It doesn’t feel or taste anything like lobster, but it is a unique fish. Monkfish is a very fishy fish. It tastes like something that came from the depths of the ocean, which is exactly what it is. I liked it, but it’s not for everybody.

As for the recipe, it was a success. I did forget to buy flour for dredging the fish. The leek and shiitake stew was very nice over fettucine. The recipe says to cook the fish, shiitakes and leeks separately, but I would go ahead and simplify by cooking everything together. Preparing it by the recipe leaves the fish rather underseasoned. With any white fish, the result would have been very bland. Luckily monkfish is not a bland fish. For those of you who don’t like fishy fish, you could subsitute an old standby like salmon.

Above is the picture from Food & Wine. Below is the dish as prepared by me.

Ingredients

1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps cut into 1/4-inch dice
3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
4. 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Riesling
5. 2 pounds slender leeks, white and tender green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick
6. 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
7. 1 1/2 pounds trimmed monkfish fillet, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick medallions
8. Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dredging
9. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10. 2 tablespoons minced chives or a combination of chives and garlic chives

Directions

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a very large skillet. When the butter starts to brown, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.
2. In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Stir well, cover and cook for 3 minutes longer.
3. Season the monkfish medallions with salt and pepper and lightly dredge them in flour; shake off the excess flour. In the very large skillet, heat the vegetable oil until almost smoking. Add the monkfish medallions and cook them over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the medallions, reduce the heat to moderate and cook until just opaque throughout, about 3 minutes.
4. Bring the stewed leeks to a boil. Stir in the shiitakes and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the chives and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Spoon the leek stew onto plates, set the monkfish on top and serve at once.

Recipe of the Week

Shrimp and Baby Beets with Sherry Vinegar

From Food & Wine. Photo  by me. This is easy to make. It was pretty good. Obviously, you have to really like beets. I think this would be a good side dish or as something to bring to a potluck, not so much a main course all on its own.

Ingredients

1. 20 baby beets (1 1/4 pounds), preferably a mixture of white, golden and red, greens trimmed
2. Salt
3. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chicken stock, canned low-sodium broth or water
5. 3/4 pound medium shrimp—shelled, deveined and butterflied
6. Freshly ground pepper
7. 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
8. 1 tablespoon capers
9. 1 tablespoon minced chives
10. 1 tablespoon minced parsley

Directions

1. Put each color of beet into a separate small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, salt the water and simmer over low heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and peel the beets.
2. In a medium skillet, melt the butter in 1/4 cup of the chicken stock. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
3. Add the sherry vinegar and the beets to the skillet and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Stir in the capers, chives parsley, shrimp and the remaining 1 tablespoon of stock and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once. 

Make Ahead

The cooked beets can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.