CHICKEN WEEK, DAY TWO

I find that typing in all caps makes my entry titles feel VERY IMPORTANT. Another thing that is VERY IMPORTANT is using all of the leftovers of this chicken I made! So, last night for dinner, I made Linguine with Shredded Chicken Thigh, Mozzarella, Basil, and Cherry Tomatoes.

Here's what you need for one serving.

1 Leftover Chicken thigh

Pasta measured out for one (check out my awesome measuring thing in a few lines)

Four big basil leaves, fresh

a handful of cherry tomatoes (or whatever tomatoes you have)

some mozarella

1. Set your pasta to boil in some lightly salted water. See my awesome thing? It was only ten whole cents. What a sweet bargain! And I never have to guess how much spaghetti to make ever again.

2. Shred your chicken thigh into manageable pieces, either with your hands or with two forks.

3. Take your cherry tomatoes and slice them in half....

into

...and combine them with the chicken in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave this for about two minutes to let the chicken get hot (because I hope you've been keeping it in the fridge, not letting it fester on your counter.... :/ ) and to let the tomatoes release some of their juices. Toss with a little bit of salt and set aside.

4. Chop up basil and shred the mozzarella as fine as you can. Of course, already shredded is easier, but don't let the challenge scare you.

5. Drain the pasta and mix it, the basil, and the cheese in with your chicken and tomatoes. Toss to coat, then put it into a nice bowl.

Day two...COMPLETE!

IT'S CHICKEN WEEK!

Welcome to CHICKEN WEEK!!!!

Basically what is happening is I made an entire roast chicken on Sunday...a 3.9 pounder from Honey Hill Farm. If you have never tried an organic, grass fed, free range chicken, you are missing out. It tastes like CHICKEN....I mean, like the chicken taste you could only ever dream of. Anyways, I made it.

I stuffed it with some of this mystery squash:

(what is this thing????who cares, it tastes good....)

 ...along with some chopped garlic, carrots, and scallions sauteed in butter. I tied the little legs together and rested it upon a bed of roughly chopped onion slices. I brushed it with a mixture of mustard, olive oil, tarragon vinegar, salt, more garlic, and basil. I baked it until my thermometer said  170. I took it out and drained the juices, strained the onions and bits and poured off the fat, and added lemon juice. I used this as a salad dressing. mmmmm!

BUT WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL OF MY LEFTOVER CHICKEN?

Lucky I am so crafty, huh? This week is all about you, the low-on-pocket-change messy chef in training, who has all this chicken and knoweth not what to do. I will make one new chicken recipe with my leftovers each day, finishing off THE ENTIRE bird....carcass and all. :) You won't get tired of it, I promise.

Onwards and upwards!

DAY ONE, MONDAY:  Chicken Salad Sandwiches for lunch!

1. Pick the meat off of the carcass of the chicken, what is left after you've carved it up. Should look like this. 

2. Add some mayonnaise. This is my favorite brand because it still has the "tang" of fresh mayo. Of course, if you want to be fancy, make your own, by all means. Not that I have ever been successful with that, but go ahead. That is another entry in the making, I guess.... hmm..

3. Add some fruit. Some people like apples, others grapes. I had asian pears. Whatever you like. You can chop up celery too. Not a fruit...still awesome.

4. So now you chop the solid bits up as fine as you like them, and mix them together with some mayo. Add slowly, because you don't want to overdo it and drown out the delicious flavors that mix when chicken and fruit come together as one. :) say it with me: "ommmmmm.....ommmmmm....nomnomnomnom!"

The Choke's on me.

All Hail the artichoke, the most noble and under-appreciated of all bizarre vegetables! 

The artichoke is a beast that I have steered away from in the supermarket for years. It is like the ultimate challenge. You know it is somehow impossible to cook and/or eat, and yet someday someone is going to point a finger at you and demand, 

"HAVE YOU EVER COOKED AN ARTICHOKE?"

...and your answer will be a tiny, meek, helpless,

"no."

It's okay though. Don't cry. I'm here to save you....the secret that your gourmand elitist friend doesn't want you to know is that artichokes are actually easy. And wonderful. They are like lobster in that they do take a bit of maneuvering around to eat, but just like our steadfast hard-shelled friend, they are worth the effort.

I didn't vote for this guy, but I did vote for the artichoke. That is because while being a super low calorie food (60 calories in a medium artichoke), they are super high in fiber, Vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and other goodies. I guess that's why you can allow yourself to have butter with it. In fact, my dinner this evening consisted of two small artichokes and a caprese salad. YUM!

Here's how to do it. You'll need a sharp knife, a cut lemon, a big pot, a steamer or a little pot, and a weight.

1. Slice the stem off your artichoke. Some people like to boil and eat this. The stems on mine were too puny, so I discarded them. Then, slice about 1/4 of an inch off the bottom of the choke, so it will sit on a flat surface. Rub the cut surfaces with lemon to prevent them from turning black.

2. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the artichoke in the same manner. Rub with lemon. 

3. Salt a pot of water. There should be enough in this pot to cover the chokes with an inch of water over them to spare. Put the chokes in and you will see that they float...so weigh them down. I used a pot with a vase inside it. This tended to make my water overflow, so I would go with an upside down steamer weighed down with something safe. 

4. Great. Now boil those babies for 30 minutes. Check them after 20 if they were small like mine. Otherwise, maybe 30 isn't enough. Maybe more. Who knows. MYSTERY!

...just kidding. I wouldn't leave you hanging like that. To check if your green darlings are done, gently insert a knife into the very center. It should enter easily. If it doesn't, boil some more. 

5. Take your chokes out and drain them for at least 5 minutes in a colander. This will give you time to melt some butter.

Now, to eat one of these babies is something you kind of have to prepare thyself for. You take each leaf, and the meaty part at the bottom that attaches it to the choke is edible. Scrape this between your teeth. As Alton Brown said in his artichoke episode, there's not a lot of meat, but a lot of flavor. Be dipping these nibbles into the butter as you go. MMMMM!

My artichokes didn't actually have a choke, persay, but the choke is a little fuzzy inedible bit right above the heart. Scrape or cut this away and eat the base with butter. It is fantastic and you will devour it so quickly you'll wish you had a whole plateful. Such it is with lobsters, too. Note to self: investigate the possibility of a themed dinner.... "Night of many difficulties." I will serve artichokes, lobster, crab legs, fugu, and crack-your-own walnuts.

Now, who wants an invite?

 

PS: here's a link to that Alton Brown vid. I think he's a funny and smart guy, so check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxqRAACohEA

Here I am!!!

Sorry for the long hiatus! I was spending the summer teaching little girls how to ride...in Poland, Maine! (Yes, where the spring water comes from.) It was a long summer, full of much hard work and even a little bit of suntanning (!), and I made a great number of new friends from abroad. :)

So, where to begin? I am embarking on a money-saving agenda this year, keeping in mind the very many resources I have available to me as a citizen of Western NY. Just today I bought three ears of sweet corn and a pound of green beans for $4.50 total. And you wouldn't believe the taste of this corn. It's one of the easiest things to prepare...and a lot of people seem to bungle it up anyway. Get it right off the stalk and RUN home to plop it into a pot of boiling water...corn starts to lose its sweetness the minute it is separated from Mother Stalk!

To boil corn:

1. Set a lightly salted pot of water to boil on med-high heat. When it reaches boiling point, drop the shucked ears of corn in. A good, fresh ear will be done almost as soon as the water reboils again. Take a bite to test....and save that one for yourself. ;)

PS: Everyone should go see the movie "Julie & Julia"....great film about Julia Child and the foodie/novelist Julie Powell!

Turkey Chili a la Eugenia

So after waiting forever for Eugenia to write this post, I have decided to.
This is a very, very tasty and easy chili made with Turkey...good for a warm day, a cold day, or whatever! Yay Chili!

Ingredients:

1 really large onion, or 2 medium onions

1.5 lbs turkey, ground

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 can chicken broth

1 can kidney beans

salt

pepper

oregano or other spices to taste

1. Fry the onions in some butter until lightly browned. Add the turkey and cook all the way through.

2. Spoon this meaty onion mixture into a saucepan. Add the (drained) can of diced tomatoes. 

3. Add everything else. Stir madly! Well, maybe not so madly...you don't want chili everywhere, do you? No. Just in your tummy. Don't fret, it will be....soon.

4. Okay...now, heat everything up to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for about fifteen minutes. To serve, spoon it into bowls, shred a mountain of cheese on top, and sprinkle in some Fritos. Voila! The easiest dinner ever! Make a ton and eat it for weeks!

Roast Spring Chicken with Asparagus and White-Wine Mushrooms

(You're going to need a big, sharp knife for this one.)

Ah, how I love spring. The flowers, the grass getting greener, the little tasty dishes made with fresh(er) vegetables and fruits. I love to cook for an occasion, but I love even more to cook something unique for just regular dinner once in a while. I was walking through Wegman's with a girlfriend a bit before Easter, and saw that they were having a special on "spring chickens"...which are basically really small chickens. (They may or may not be baby chickens, I try not to think too much about it.) However, should you not be able to find a spring chicken, you could prepare this recipe with basically any other type of tiny poultry, be it quail, cornish hen, or anything around that size. It can be done on the grill or in the oven. 

This recipe is pretty easy, but requires a bit of prep, so make sure you have at least 30 minutes to do it. 

Roast Chicken with Asparagus and White Wine Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 chicken per person, butterflied

1 medium apple per two chickens

1 large orange per two chickens

fresh rosemary

1-2 shallots per chicken

olive oil (I prefer light here, because you don't want an olive oil taste to this dish)

salt & pepper

2 bunches of asparagus

butter

1-2 lbs. crimini mushrooms (or another flavorful sort)

more butter

white cooking wine (or white wine, be my guest.)

 Well, if you read ingredient number one, and your first thought was "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BUTTERFLY," never fear. I know not only how to butterfly, but I will impart my secret to you. Guard it well, ok?

1. First, you want to flip the chicken so it is breast side down on your cutting board, with the drumsticks pointing towards you. Take a sharp, clean pair of scissors, and cut along the sides of the backbone until you can free it and pull it away. Please make sure you wash your hands and utensils and counters, etc, after working with raw meat, especially poultry. You don't want salmonella, do you?

2. Next, press the sides of the chicken open, take a very sharp knife, and cut along the sides of the breast bone from the neck down. Try not to cut too deeply, go slowly. The idea is to pull out the breast bone too. Once it is out, your chicken will be butterflied! Yay!3. To continue with the recipe, slice the apple and orange very thinly without peeling. This will keep all the vital things inside of the fruit during baking. 

Arrange the slices on the grill apples first, leaving no holes, then arrange the orange slices on top. You may notice that I have a weird contraption for baking my chickens. This is simply a glass casserole dish with a lift-out roasting rack on top of it. I like to roast things like this sometimes so they don't sit around in their own juices and get soggy. 

4. Season the chickens. I like to salt and pepper them, then sprinkle on a little Herbamare (my seasoning of choice lately). Pull off the leaves of the rosemary and put under the skin of the chicken, then tuck a few under the wings. 

5. Arrange the chickens cut-side down on the fruits. Spoon a little olive oil over the top, salt and pepper again, and sprinkle some rosemary and chopped shallot over the top. Set the oven to 430 Fahrenheit, and bake the chickens at that temperature for about fifteen to twenty minutes. The idea is to get a crispy skin. Lower the temp to 300 and continue to cook until done--about 1 1/2 hours.

6. During the last stretch of the chicken cooking, chop the whiteish ends off of your asparagus. Boil enough water to just barely cover the asparagus, lower the heat, and drop the stalks in it. Keep a close watch, though, and make sure they don't overcook. When a fork can easily go through the thickest part of the stalk, they are done. Lift them out, drain them, and run cold water over them quickly to stop the cooking process. Arrange in a flat layer on part of the plate.

7. For the mushrooms, melt some butter in a rather deep skillet on medium low heat, and put the (washed) mushrooms in it. 

Toss them around a bit until they are coated in butter, then place a lid over them and let them cook for about five minutes, tossing occasionally until browned on all sides equally.

8. Pour about 2 c. white cooking wine into the skillet (if using white wine, add some salt) and cover again, letting the mushrooms simmer for three minutes. Uncover and let the wine reduce completely. Lift out the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and arrange next to asparagus.

9. When the chickens are done, let them sit for a few minutes out of the oven for the juices to settle. Lift them off of their fruit and place on top of the asparagus. Ta-da!

Parsnip Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Before making this cake, I had never eaten a parsnip. For that matter, the humble parsnip had never even received a second look in the grocery from me, lumped (unfairly) in with the bizarre ethnic fruits, beets, and what Wegman's labels as "baby frizzy lettuces." In short, I stuck to what I knew (FOR SURE) to be edible as well as having the highest probability of being eaten by whomever I was feeding. 

However, the day has dawned that I wanted cake. And, more specifically, I wanted some sort of interesting cake, AND, even more specifically, I wanted to make it with elbow grease! 

I got this recipe from "Not Your Mother's Cookbook", which can be found here on Amazon. AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!

You need the following stuff.

-Enough parsnips to grate 4 c. (It took two big ones for me.)

-1 c. fine sugar (I just used granulated, and it was fine.)

-3 eggs

-1/2 c. crushed pineapple

-1 1/3 c. flour

-1 tsp. baking soda

-2 Tbsp. cinnamon

-1 1/4 c. vegetable oil

-1 tsp. vanilla extract

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1/2 c. currants (I used dried...fresh is probably tastier.)

For the frosting:

-1 c. cream cheese

-5 oz. melted butter

-1/2 c. superfine sugar

-the juice and zest of one lemon

(Yes...a cell phone photo...do forgive it. :(  )

1. Grease a 9' springform pan, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2. Grate the parsnips. This can take forever....and really start to develop an ache in your arm after a while. 

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3. Whisk sugar, oil, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. I like using duck eggs for baking , but not because of the novelty. Duck eggs are actually richer tasting, and provide a more flavorful baking experience. 

4. After all the eggs are mixed in, the mix should take on a thick, syrupy quality, and somewhat retain this quality as you mix it. 

5. In another bowl, combine parsnip, flour, salt, baking soda, currants, and the cinnamon. 
6. Put the contents of both bowls....into one bowl....and mix! It will look like a giant bowl of the tastiest oatmeal in the whole world. Don't be fooled! Eating this all at once will most likely make you ill. :(

7. Next, pour this carefully into your springform pan, and bake for 1.5 hrs, or until a wooden stick or cake tester comes out clean. 

Let the cake rest for about twenty minutes after you take it out of the oven, then remove the outer band and slide the cake onto a plate to cool before cutting in half for layers.

To make the frosting, just whip all the ingredients together. Frost when the cake has completely cooled, or you will have a mess on your hands. I made a double batch, because I LOVE FROSTING, and I also wanted enough to put between layers.  However, frosting amount is totally up to you. Although, if I were you, I would make tons...and then eat a lot. This will, like eating batter, make you ill...but, somehow, I managed to justify it. I am thinking you will not find it that hard to do the same.

PS: To cut a clean layer and make sure you lift the top one off in one piece, tape a piece of parchment or wax paper to your knife, then drag it through the cake as you cut. Lifting the paper will result in lifting the top layer. :) Aren't I smart?

White Beef Stew with a little bit of Everything

(That's me!)

I am a firm believer in every story having a happy ending, or at least having an unhappy one for a good reason, which is usually that a happier ending is on the way. (I like to think of myself as an optimist in this way.) What does this have to do with my cooking blog, you may ask? Let me tell you.

I was trying to make this recipe tonight, and had bought all the ingredients yesterday... EXCEPT, I had forgotten red wine and beef stock. Ok, no tragedy, you're thinking. WRONG. My cut of meat was also only 1.3 lbs, not the required four, and I was out of pepper. I was beginning to panic, because I had this meat sitting thawed in my fridge, and I really needed to do something about it. 

So, I did what all good chefs must do at some point or another. I grabbed the seat of my pants and flew. Unfortunately, there are not too many pictures in this post...it it hard to take pictures while holding the seat of your pants.

For this recipe, you need:

A cut of meat, like a tough cut of roast or some stew meat, about 1.3lbs ;)

1/4 c. tequila                 

dash of white cooking wine                  

salt and pepper to taste

1.5 tsp stone ground mustard                  

2 medium bay leaves or one large            

 1 Tbsp. thyme

1 large onion, coarsely chopped             

3 medium potatoes, coarsely diced             

2 cloves garlic, minced                    

8 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely cut

1 c. water to start, more to be put in later                    

a pinch of allspice                  

1 tsp. of flour

1. Heat up the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Pour a little bit of olive oil into a dutch oven or large pot, and brown the meat on all sides. Then, add your 1 c. water, minced garlic, tequila, cooking wine, thyme, allspice, half the mustard, and a dash of salt and pepper to the pot. Bring this to a boil and then cover it and stuff it into the oven for about 1 hour. 

Here are some suggestions as to what to do with your hour:

-Mooch some books.

-Find some local farmers and food.

-Get fabulous!

-Make a puzzle of a fish or a rearing horse.

3. Ping! Your time is up! Pull the pot out of the oven. Be careful, it will be super hot. I know this because my hands are covered with burn marks made by not remembering this simple fact! Place the pot on the stove, on low heat, and if you have a really large chunk of meat (like I did), take this time to pull it out and cut it into stew-sized chunks, then add it back into the stew. Add the carrots, onions, and potatoes, then add just enough water to almost cover it all. 

4. Add in the rest of the mustard (you can add more if it still tastes bland to you) , the bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste, and the flour. Stir this all together well, then cover and let simmer until the potatoes and carrots are soft, about 40 min - 1hr. Keep tasting the stew during this time. I am a big advocator of the taste test... how are you supposed to fix it if you have no idea what you are really cooking?? 

5. When done, ladle into warm bowls. Garnish with a sprig of thyme, and serve with black bread. (if you have none of that, settle for rye.)

This is a super light, almost soupy stew. I hope you like it! I am glad to finally be reaching the end of our long, Rochester winter, myself. This stew is like the trailing end of a series of thick, hearty stews I have made this winter.

Bon appetit, from Lili "Whatever I happen to have on hand" P.

Sea bass with Tomatoes and Onions in Parchment, with Angel Hair Pasta and Arugula Salad

Ok so I love Iron Chef. I love the chairman. I love the secret ingredients. I love the dry ice. I especially love the weird things they make, like fish mousse. Really, who finds that appealing??? But DON'T WORRY, THIS IS NOT A RECIPE FOR FISH MOUSSE.

This recipe belongs to Iron Chef Bobby Flay, who is manliest of men. I did modify it a bit in that there are no potatoes in my version...I never really thought potatoes and pasta went, but please don't tell Bobby. Let him keep making his fishy mousses and potato pasta, it gives the rest of us something to watch.

For this recipe, you'll need:

1 Sea Bass (or other meaty white fish) filet per person              Kosher salt and pepper

sprigs of thyme                1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin                    fresh bay leaves

Fresh parsley              enough cherry tomatoes that you can have 3 halves per filet

olive oil                              1/4 c. dry white wine per filet + 1 c. wine for sauce 

2 shallots, diced                2 cloves garlic, minced                         2 c. clam or beef broth

Enough angel hair for your peeps, cooked al dente

extra virgin olive oil

Ok so. I know it seems daunting that you don't know how much stuff you need of a lot of these things, but bear with me. This recipe is super easy and really intuitive. Bobby uses a whole fish, but I don't roll like that. You can also use any white wine, different ones give the fish distinct flavors.

Just keep some around for drinking. I'm just sayin'!

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut thyself a sheet of parchment paper, not too huge, I usually do about 2 feet of length, maybe a little less. Place one filet on half of the paper, not too close to the edge or you will have issues folding it later. Salt and pepper that critter, then delightfully arrange three sprigs of thyme (trim the woody stems), two sprigs of parsley, and one bay leaf on top. 

2. Arrange the tomato halves and the onion slices on and around the fish. I like to do this BEFORE pouring the olive oil and wine on, just so the veggies can get some love too, you know what I mean? Then, as I mentioned, pour 1/4 c. wine over the filet, followed by as much olive oil as you deem necessary (I just give it a healthy enough dose down the middle that it will spread out down the sides). Season it with salt and pepper again. 

3. Now comes the tricky part. In order to keep the wine and olive oil in, you either have to be a ninja at folding, or do it this way: fold 1/2 in. in on the top and bottom of the paper, then fold the paper in half over the filet, careful not to squash it. Fold together the two ends that meet and set something down on it to hold it down while you fold the bottom and top sides up together. When you have done this, take off your place holder and fold the two sides up. Repeat for as many filets as you have!

4. I like to give my filets a little space. Here is how the critters look all wrapped up and in a casserole dish. I layer them like this so that in case my folds come undone, they are at least pointing upwards and not making a mess all over my pan.

4. Ok so pop those in the oven for 25 minutes. Don't worry, your paper will not catch fire, no matter what the limit for heat on the parchment box says. This is not the time to relax! You are an iron chef! ALLEZ CUISINE! Throw your diced shallots and minced garlic into a saucepan on medium heat, along with any onions you didn't use, cut up. I dribble a tad bit of olive oil in there so they don't burn, but you don't have to. Sweat those babies for a little bit, about 5 minutes or so, then pour in 1 c. of white wine and 2 c. of broth. The recipe recommends clam broth, but in a pinch, I have used beef, and it always tastes great. Bring this delightful thing to a simmer and reduce it by 1/2. BTW: It smells like Heaven.

5. MEANWHILE, I hope you haven't forgotten to cook your pasta. Boil it with ample salt. When the pasta is done, and the sauce is reduced by half, drain the angel hair and place it directly in the saucepan, then vigorously coat it in the sauce. Divide into four plates.

6. Your fish should also be done, or getting there. Release it from the oven when its time is up, and cut open the parchment packets. Please be careful! The steam inside is super hot! Let them breathe for about two minutes.

7. Very gently, slide a spatula under the fish and lift it out, placing it on top of the pasta. You will be incredibly impressed with yourself. It looks very pretty. Pat yourself on the back.

8. To make the salad, simply toss arugula (I like arugula and spinach with the remaining cherry tomatoes, sliced in half) and add a bunch of lemon juice and some olive oil, to taste. Serve these two dishes with white white. 

And the winner of episode Sea Bass issssss.....