Book Club night

I've belonged to a book club for about 17 years. There are still 3 women in the group that originally invited me to join. Women have come and gone but we have had this group for several years now and it is wonderful - warm, soul satisfying and fun. There are many great cooks in this group and some who need to grab something on the way due to work, kids, life. One of the main wonders of this group is the lack of judgement-you didn't read the book, you're still welcome, have to come late, no problem, can't make a dish for the potluck, please don't worry there is always plenty of food. No lie!

Last night was a feast as usual. Here's the menu.

Megan-smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers on sliced whole grain bread
Adeline-pita chips with hummus and olives
Victoria-baked stuffed mushrooms
Jennifer, the hostess-Chicken Marbella, challah and sweet potatoes
Jan-roasted butternut squash
Annalisa-mixed green salad
Trish-red velvet cake and fresh fruit
me-Israeli couscous
lots of wine and bubbly water and tea

Jennifer suggested couscous to go with her chicken and I found a recipe on epicurious.com that sounded simple and delicious. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Toasted-Israeli-Couscous-with-Pine-Nuts-and-Parsley-231300

Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley my way

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup pine nuts 

1 large shallot , finely chopped

2 1/2 cups Israeli toasted couscous

1 small cinnamon stick

1 dried bay leaf

3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

small handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped 

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts and stir until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large serving bowl.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in same pan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden and soft, about 10 minutes. Add couscous, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and stir until couscous browns slightly, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add broth and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir and fluff and let cool slightly.

Add couscous to bowl with pine nuts and stir in parsley. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.

The couscous was delicious with the chicken and butternut squash and would work well with other meats and vegetables. It would also work well as a 1 dish meal with chopped vegetables like steamed broccoli, roasted red bell pepper and chopped ham or cooked chicken.

The meal was lovely and the company even better. It's a treat to eat these dishes that my friends have cooked and brought and to discuss our books, our kids and our lives. Here's to many more. Enjoy!

Another version of Shaking Beef

I made a beef recipe tonight from the April issue of Food & Wine that is a classic Vietnamese dish called Shaking Beef. It's called Shaking Beef because you shake the pan when cooking it. Here's the link http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shaking-beef-marcia-kiesel. This version is by Marcia Kiesel.

The Slanted Door in San Francisco does a very famous version. I have not had it there but had a wonderful Slanted Beef dish at Sushi Ran in Sausalito, CA. I did see a recipe online from the Slanted Door for Shaking Beef and it was different. I guess this is one of those dishes that depends on who's cooking it.

I could not find 5 spice powder in my spice drawer. I think I must have thrown it out because I thought it was getting too old and hadn't used it in so long. I had bought lemongrass as per the recipe for the vinaigrette but somehow it was not there either. I think it got thrown away by mistake. I went online and found substitutions for both. Here's the link for the lemongrass substitution http://talkshare-kay.blogspot.com/2008/01/lemongrass-substitute.html. I got the ingredients of 5 spice powder from Wikipedia. I love the Internet!

Shaking Beef my way

3 garlic cloves, peeled, cored and pressed
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry
1 1/2  tablespoons soy sauce
sprinkle of sugar
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of ground cloves, ground cinnamon, freshly ground pepper (I didn't have Sichuan pepper), ~1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds and star anise
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for cooking the meat
~3/4 pound filet mignon, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sherry
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
~1/2 inch of small knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 garlic clove, peeled, cored and pressed
~1/4 of juicy lime, squeezed
small sprig of mint, leaves finely chopped
~4 ounces watercress, rinsed, dried and some of the stems pulled off
~2 cups shredded red and green cabbage and shredded carrots slaw
1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced

Using a mortar and pestle crush and grind the fennel seeds and star anise together. In a baking dish, combine the garlic, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, pepper and spices with the the oil. Add the beef and turn to coat thoroughly with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce with the vegetable oil, sherry, red wine vinegar, minced ginger, sugar, garlic, lime and mint. Let stand for 30 minutes, stirring a few times.

Mix the watercress, slaw and red onion together in a large bowl. Toss with half of the vinaigrette. Set 2 skillets over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add ~1/2 tablespoon or less of oil to each skillet; when shimmering, add the meat to both skillets in an even layer. Do not overcrowd. Let cook undisturbed, until richly browned on the bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake the skillet to release the meat, turn pieces over if necessary and cook for about 30 seconds longer, until medium-rare. Using a slotted spoon or spatula remove the beef from the pan and add to the bowl. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette, toss and serve right away.

This dish smelled wonderful cooking and was very quick to cook. The only part that takes time is the marinating so start the day before or early in the day. It was interesting to have to make 2 substitutions in 1 recipe but having the Internet made it very easy and the end result was delicious. Mike and I ate out over the weekend so I kept it light by adding the slaw to the watercress and not serving anything else. I kept thinking though that gyoza or something like spring rolls would be a good way to round out this meal. Either way it was yummy and satisfying. And of course I forgot to take pictures again-sorry. Enjoy!

Time for more chicken!

I love a good chicken recipe and I love certain ingredients, leeks being one and vinegar another. Happily I found a recipe that included these and more. It is from the April issue of Food & Wine by Grace Parisi. I have been stuck on F&W for awhile which is amazing because I also receive Bon Appetit and Saveur at home and look at blogs online. I also really enjoy recipes by Grace Parisi and have used them before with very good results. Since this dish has leeks and peas in it I did not make any side dishes but I did add small red fingerling potatoes.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Leeks and Peas my way

4 skinless chicken thighs
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, halved lengthwise and cut into pieces
~1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
4-5 small fingerling or new potatoes cut into bite size pieces
~8 ounces frozen baby peas, thawed
1 sprig fresh tarragon, chopped
1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup crème fraîche

Preheat the oven to 425° and position a rack in the upper third. Season the thighs generously with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil. Add the chicken and cook over medium high heat until browned, 5 minutes. Turn over and cook the chicken for 1-2 minutes. 

In an over proof skillet or cast iron pan, add the butter and the other half of the oil and cook the leeks over medium high heat until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Set the chicken on the leeks, roast for about 25 minutes.

In the skillet that you cooked the chicken in immediately add the potatoes and cook over high heat about 3 minutes, stirring frequently until they begin to brown, Add the potatoes to the pan in the oven with the chicken and leeks and stir.

Turn over the chicken and roast another 2-3 minutes, until cooked through and the potatoes are done. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Place the oven proof pan over a burner (be careful I burned my hand) and boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, adding more stock if necessary (my liquid was nearly gone when I removed it from the oven). Add the peas, herbs and crème fraîche and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken thighs in shallow bowls and spoon the vegetables and sauce over the chicken to serve.

Wow, this was really wonderful. The shallots were meltingly tender and the peas tasted fresh and the sauce was amazing. I'm thinking you could use yogurt. There is not alot of crème fraîche used but it might save some fat and be handier. Mike and I both loved it and I don't make many things twice but this could be an exception. We did not have wine but F&W suggested a Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc. I looked it up; it's like a Viognier, I believe. Enjoy!

Lamb and sweet onions

I went through some magazines last weekend picking out recipes to make this week and tried to pick out something besides chicken. I found a recipe with ground lamb and spinach with sweet onions that sounded perfect. Mike and I love ground lamb and I liked that the recipe included vegetables-another one pot meal! Since it's the 2 of us most of the time I like making 1 dish that has everything in it and call it done.

I found it in Food & Wine, here's the link http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lamb-and-spinach-stuffed-onions. The recipe's called Lamb-and-Spinach-Stuffed Onions by Marcia Kiesel. I've made lots of recipes by Marcia and I've always been pleased, good sign. I could not find large sweet onions like her recipe so I have completely changed that part of the recipe. If you can find the giant onions feel free to stuff them.

Lamb and-Spinach Stuffed Onions my way

3 medium sweet onions like Maui onions, root ends trimmed
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
5 ounces spinach, washed and stems removed but not dried
3/4 pound ground lamb
2 teaspoons chile powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
~1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup beef broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes like Pomi
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup half and half

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. Put the onions in a baking dish, root ends down, and drizzle with oil. Add 1/2 inch of water to the dish. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour, until tender. Let cool slightly. Dump out water and butter lightly when dish is slightly cooled.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet. Add the spinach and toss until wilted. Transfer to a colander and squeeze out the water. Coarsely chop the spinach.

In the same skillet, cook the lamb over moderately high heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains, ~5 minutes. Pour off most of the fat and add the chile powder and cinnamon. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the spinach. Transfer the lamb filling to a large bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs, Gruyère, 1/4 cup of the beef broth and 1/2 cup of the tomatoes.

Cut 1/2 inch off the top and bottom of the baked onions and remove the papery skins. Cut the onions in half and scatter the pieces on the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the lamb on the onions.
 
In the large nonstock skillet, combine the half and half with the remaining 3/4 cup of beef broth and 1/2 cup of tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. Pour the sauce over the top of the lamb and onions.

In a bowl, combine the remaining bread crumbs, chile powder and Gruyère cheese. Mound the topping over the lamb and onions. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly. Uncover and increase the oven temperature to 425°. Bake for 5 minutes, until the topping is crisp. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

I have to say Mike loved this dish. He pretty much always likes what I fix but he really loved this dish. It was creamy and the chile gave it a very nice kick, adjust accordingly. He ate 2 helpings and told me I could the leftovers for lunch. Then he said or I could eat them now. Haha-I got leftovers. It was so good leftover I didn't need to heat it up. We actually didn't open that bottle of wine but it would have been delicious with a Zinfadel or Pinot Noir. Enjoy!

Sausages and onions and peppers

Something started me thinking about sausages, onions and peppers lately, not sure what. I used to make this dish frequently. My ex loved it. I think I stopped because it was greasy using Italian sausages made with beef and pork. I hadn't thought about revisiting it using chicken or turkey sausages until recently. Using those poultry sausages with vegetables or fruit for moisture cuts down on alot of the fat and if you read labels you can pick out some decent ones. I like Saags http://www.saags.com/pc/viewProducts.asp?Category=c3.Naturals Sausages&ProdSort=&page=3
and Aidells http://www.aidells.com/ and used Aidells Organic Spinach & Feta sausages made with chicken for this dish but there are all kinds out there.

I decided to pair it with polenta, something else I hadn't made in a long time. It reminds me of grits and that's a good thing. I was running late due to the time change and was worried that I had let too much time get away from me but when I looked at my bag of polenta I was reassured that it would only take about 25 minutes to cook. Perfect timing to cook my frozen sausages and get the peppers and onions soft and alittle caramelized. It took me maybe 45 minutes to chop and cook everything and it was a delight.

Sausages, onions and peppers over polenta

your favorite sausage like Aidells Spinach & Feta, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips (or green, yellow or some combination)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup polenta
1 tablespoon butter
~1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Bring the stock to boil in large pan and start cooking your sausages in water in cast iron pan and bring to a boil (not non-stick). Heat olive oil over medium heat in saute pan and add onions. Saute until they begin to soften and add peppers.

Turn down the heat on the sausages to simmer. When the stock begins to boil slowly pour in your polenta and whisk until there are no lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook approximately 25 minutes, stirring frequently.

After cooking onions and peppers about 15 minutes raise the heat a bit and add some wine. Reduce it and season with salt and pepper. Let the wine cook out and begin to brown the peppers and onions.

When most of the water has evaporated from the sausages add some wine and let reduce until it has evaporated and brown the sausages.

When the polenta is thick and all the stock has been absorbed, add the butter and whisk until melted and incorporated. Remove from the heat, add the grated cheese and whisk until melted into polenta.

Serve in bowls with the sausages and onion mixture on top of the polenta. Pour yourself a glass of the white wine to enjoy with it.

This was most lovely comfort food, dinner in a bowl. Some fresh parsley or basil would have been a nice touch for color and taste, maybe next time. We felt warm and cozy eating this dinner. You could grill the sausages, onions and peppers in the nice weather and do the same thing serving them over polenta that has been cooked, cooled and cut into pieces then grilled to heat up. Looking forward to it already. Enjoy!

The Devil's own Chicken

I've seen a couple of recipes for deviled chicken recently and then one from prevention.com landed in my inbox promising to be healthy. I decided to try this one since I love chicken! and new ways to make it. I also try to be healthy at least occasionally. Mike and I tend to go out on the weekends and lately I've been making dinner on Fridays to eat before we go out for a drink or to be all ready when we get home from an early cocktail. This email included a picture of the chicken with coleslaw and a suggestion to purchase it. Here's the link http://www.prevention.com/print/29612 and you know the drill....my version follows.

Oven Fried Deviled Chicken my way

4 bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
~1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
 2 c store-bought vinegar slaw

Heat oven to 425°F. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Mix together mustard, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper in shallow bowl. Dredge chicken in mixture. Place chicken in baking dish and sprinkle top of chicken with bread crumbs. Bake 15 minutes. Turn chicken over and sprinkle other side with bread crumbs. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

My friend Zoe made a version of this coleslaw about 20 years ago before she moved to Scottsdale, AZ. I still her at least once a year and miss you terribly but think of her often when I make this coleslaw. The recipe is even in her handwriting. This is terrific with broccoli slaw or regular cabbage and carrot slaw, your choice. It has a vague Asian flavor due to the sesame oil and the tarragon is really tasty.

1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar (or white wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
sprinkle of sugar
kosher and freshly ground pepper to taste
Tabasco or hot sauce to taste
2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
zest of a lime or lemon
1-3 tablespoons mayonnaise to make it creamy
small bag coleslaw mix or broccoli coleslaw
chopped green onions, bell peppers optional

Combine ingredients together except cabbage or broccoli slaw and whisk until well combined. Stir together with slaw and set aside. This tastes best if it is allowed to sit about 30 minutes to an hour.

Yummy combo of chicken and slaw, both dishes being spicy with the common thread of Dijon mustard. I love smoked paprika and this dish smells lovely while cooking. We enjoyed it and have slaw left for another night. Another nice thing about these dishes were that they were quick and easy. You could make the dressing for the slaw, then get the chicken in the oven and finish the coleslaw and let it sit while the chicken finishes cooking. I think this chicken would also be good room temperature or cold the next day (with or without a cocktail). Enjoy!

Smoked trout...again

Ok I really love smoked fish, really. I just made a smoked trout salad a week or two ago. It was so good I decided to try another one. Let me just say it is an excellent source of Omega 3s if you need incentive and it doesn't taste fishy, just smoky and delicious. I used a recipe by Daniel Klein from Food & Wine as inspiration. Here's the link http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/farro-salad-with-smoked-troutIt's an interesting article in the February 2012 issue. Check it out.

Farro Salad with Smoked Trout my way

2 garlic cloves, peeled, cored and crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 rosemary sprig
2 cups chicken stock
kosher salt
3/4 cup semi-pearled farro
1 large shallot, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
4 ounces smoked trout fillet, flaked
5 ounces spinach, washed and stems removed
small red bell pepper, roasted and chopped (fresh or jarred)

In a pan, combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, stock and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in the farro and simmer over moderate heat until just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well. Transfer the farro to a bowl and discard the garlic and herbs. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Combine the shallot, lemon juice, honey and oil in a 1 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk until well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine the trout, the spinach, bell pepper and the farro. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper and let stand at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. Serve in bowls.

This was very good! The combo of farro and smoked trout was great. I left out beets and substituted spinach for beet greens or chard. You could use many different vegetables and greens like kale or arugula and broccoli or carrots. Pick your favorites and try a combination that you like. You could also use a different grain. Enjoy!