Knife Skills: Brunoise (Fine Dice)

Brunoise (Pronunciation: BROON-wahz) is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is first julienned (cut into thin match sticks),and then turned a quarter turn and diced again, producing cubes of a side length of about 3 mm or less on each side. A brunoise should be consistent in size and shape, as this helps to create a pleasing presentation. A perfect brunoise is considered to be one of the overall most difficult knife techniques. That being said I took my shot at it on last night salad.

Cucumber-Pear Salad

~ Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot brunoised
• 1 medium cucumber brunoised
• 1 medium pear brunoised
• 1 green onion finely sliced
• rice vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

~ Directions: 

Toss everything together in a serving bowl and lightly sprinkle with vinegar and oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

For a great tutorial on how to dice check out this video of Adia Mollenkamp I found on Chow .

 

~ Great with:  Chicken  ~ Prep Time: 10 minutes  ~ Servings: 4

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No after thought here.

Are your side dishes  more of an after thought? You’ve spent all your time and effort  on a beautiful masterpiece, only to pair it with a frozen or canned veggie. Maybe you step it up a bit with an opened bag salad.  MMMM… Really?  Honor your hard work with a side dish that offers the easy convenience of the canned or frozen quick veggie but worthy of a spot on your families table.

Creamed Corn w/ Green Onion

~ Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 chopped green onion (whites and greens separated)
• 1/2 cup milk (or Heavy Cream)
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

 

~ Directions: 

In small sauce pan melt butter and sauté white parts of green onion. Add milk and bay leaves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. In small food processor puree 1/2 cup corn and add to milk and onions. Add remaining corn and let simmer until heated thru. Garnish with remaining green onion. Salt and pepper to taste.

~ Great with:  Chicken ~ Prep Time:15 minutes  ~ Servings: 4

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Rethink the Chicken Drumstick

When you think chicken drumstick does a sticky bar-b-qued sauce slathered, shirt staining, finger licking mess come to mind.  Paired up with a picnic potato salad and a fruit platter. Sounds tasty doesn’t it? No doubt this is a great meal, but here is a recipe that takes the chicken drumstick from the picnic table to the dinner table. 

Oven Roasted Chicken Drums over Pasta with Roasted Sweet Onions and Diced Fresh Tomatoes. 

~ Ingredients:

• 8 skin on chicken drumsticks
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp (for serving)
• 1  thick sliced large sweet onion
• 3 pats of unsalted butter
• 1 med diced ripe tomato (for serving)
• 1/4 cup grated parrano cheese (for serving)
• 1 box uncooked spaghetti

~ Directions: 

Preheat oven to 500° oven. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl combined lime juice, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, thyme, cayenne pepper and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Toss and coat sliced sweet onions in sauce and place on baking sheet. Toss chicken drumsticks in remaining sauce and place on baking sheet. Pour any remaining sauce in the bowl over chicken and onions. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn  chicken , toss onions and rotate sheet half way thru baking. While chicken bakes cook pasta as directed, drain and toss with remaining olive oil. Bake chicken to an internal temprature of 160°. Plate pasta on a large platter and top with baked chicken. Tent with foil to allow chicken to rest. Place  pats of butter on baking sheet. Place sheet back into the oven just until butter is melted . Then whisk into drippings to finish the sauce.  Just before serving garnish with fresh diced tomatoes and grated parrano cheese (may substitute with parmigiano reggiano if unable to find parrano cheese).  Drizzle chicken and pasta with finished sauce. 

~ Great with:  Garlic Bread ~ Prep Time: 40 minutes  ~ Servings: 4

 

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Peas-n-Carrots, Mmm Mmm!

Summer is finally here in Oregon! The long awaited hot weather lends itself to outdoor grilling and low heat cooking methods. Who wants to heat up the kitchen when the hot weather is doing the job just fine. Lighter fare is always on the menu.  Save the heavy comfort food for a cold winter day.  Salads, soups and samies are what you crave. Here is a super easy, filling, yet refreshing pea soup that will provide the perfect end to a hot summer day.

Peas – n – Carrots Soup

~ Ingredients:

• 1 small sweet onion minced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 10 oz frozen sweet peas & carrot blend
• salt & pepper (to taste)
• pinch of nutmeg
• sour cream (for serving)
• fresh cut chives or green onion (to taste and for serving)

~ Directions: 

In small sauce pan over medium heat melt butter. Careful not to burn or brown butter. Once melted sauté onions until soft. Add chicken stock and frozen veggies and bring up to a low boil. Let cook for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.  Remove from heat and transfer mixture a cup at a time to  blender (or use an emulsion blender). Use great care as mixture is very hot. Pulse blender after each addition. Add half of chives or green onion and reserve the remaining for garnish. Blend until smooth. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with  reserved chives or green onion.

~ Great with:  Grilled Cheese ~ Prep Time: 15 minutes  ~ Servings: 6

Time for some Football Food! (Stuffed Bread)

Image by Erik R. Bishoff via Flickr

The  Oregon Ducks play Stanford today. What is sure to be a great match up deserves some great Football Food! Instead of the standard chips and dip, pizza or hot wings. Here is a fun idea that is sure to please and super easy to make.

 

 

Stuffed Bread

1 Lb of frozen bread dough, thawed
9 0z of deli sliced meat
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup Mayo
1 egg (beaten)

Parmesan Cheese

Follow thawing instruction on bread dough, Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out  into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Top dough evenly with deli meat.  Mix cheese and mayo in a small bowl and  spread evenly over the deli meat. Moisten edges of dough with water. Starting a one of the long sides of dough, fold one third of the dough over the filling,  ten repeat on the other side. Firmly pinch ends of tough together to seal. Place, seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut 3 diagonal slits on top of dough. Brush evenly with beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 35 to 40 Minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before cutting into.   Suggestions: Ham and cheese with aioli instead of mayo, Salami, pepperoni with pizza sauce instead of mayo and mozzarella cheese, Turkey with Jack, or get really creative and stuff your bread with cooks thinly sliced rib eye steak, provolone and sauteed bell pepper and onions for a Philly cheese steak stuffed bread. That’s what I’m talking about!!

GO DUCKS!!

Dispatch the Cock (Spatckcock Cornish Game Hens)

This last weekend I spatchcocked my first game hen! This was a very fun and surprisingly simple way of grilling a whole bird without having to cut it down into small parts. Of course knowing me I turned to my trusty Google to learn more about this cooking technique and here is what I found out…

According to Alan Davidson in his ""The Oxford Companion to Food," (an encyclopedia about food published in 1999 ) spatchcock is a culinary term, traced to the 18th and 19th centuries and revived toward the end of the 20th century. It is said to be of Irish origin and thought to be an abbreviation of "dispatch cock," a termed used to indicate a way of grilling a bird after splitting it open down the back and spreading the two halves out flat. The term spatchcock also appears in  Francis Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, first published in 1785.


To spatchcock a chicken, you need a sturdy pair of kitchen shears. Place the chicken, breast-side-down, on a cutting board. Using the shears, cut away the backbone and discard it. Then, flip over the bird and press down to flatten it. On smaller birds you can stop there. On a larger bird you may want to cut out the keel bone (breast bone) prior to flattening. Season the bird as desired and grill over a medium heat,  skin side down on lightly oiled grates. Use a baking sheet and 2 foil covered brick to weigh down and flatten the bird while grilling. Not having foiled covered bricks  handy and a little reluctant to head out to the Home Depot before making dinner, I opted to use my trusty cast iron pan.  Grill the bird for 8 to 10 minute with the grill cover open before flipping it over.  Once the bird has been flipped cover the grill and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on your handy meat thermometer and the juices run clear.
My meat thermometer states 180 degrees for poultry yet the cook book advises 165 degrees. You be your own judge on that one. Juices running clear is a good indicator that your chicken is done. Just be careful not to dry out the meat.  If you are leaning towards the 180 degrees, you may consider cooking on an indirect heat after flipping. We pulled ours off at 165 degrees with the juices running clear and it was truly the  best tasting spatchcocked game hen I have ever had.

A Little Pink in Your Pork Chop is Okay Today (Apple Cream Glazed Chops)

For the “other white meat”, pork if not cooked properly is not as nearly as forgiving as chicken. Who here hasn’t served a overcooked, dry, tough piece of pork that resemble a worn out piece of shoe leather?  The juicy piece of meat you originally intended to serve is now being hacked away at with forks and knives, gnawed at or smothered in a sauce to add some moisture. I am just guessing here, but I am sure this is how applesauce came to be paired with pork chops. The moist sweet applesauce would add moisture  and flavor back to the pork, rendering it eatable. In my opinion, this really isn’t honoring the animal that it came from.

Pork of today is very lean with very little fat. Cooking at too high of a temperature or for too long (which was usually my m.o.) can dry out the meat. The problem here is, we have all been trained that pork must be cooked until it is white thru out, just as chicken ,or we risk getting sick.  Except, cooking your pork until the center is white will surely guarantee you a dried out tasteless piece of meat.  So what’s with the bad advice? If it is known that cooking the pork this long will dry it out why was it ever advised?

Trichinella, that is why! 

As this is a food blog and I hardly want to gross you out and ruin your appitiete before you even read the recipe.. I will simply advise you, if you really want the details on that one, Google it.    I think that best rather than my explaining it here.  But keep in mind, before you swear off pork altogether or continue to cook the living daylights out of it,   pork is  getting an unfair bad rap for this one. According to the CDC’s Trickinellosis Surveillance --- United States, 1997 –2001;  Most reported cases of  Trichinella  came from eating wide game. Only 12 of the 72 cases in the 5 year study were associated with eating commercial pork. 9 cases with noncommercial pork.  If you think about how much pork is consumed each year here in the US and only 21 people came down with this desiese in  5 years;  I would say the odds are in our favor that we really have nothing to worry about. So go ahead and eat the pork. You have better odds of getting in to a car wreck on your way to work then getting sick eating pork.  Simply put, the pork you and I buy from the store has been grain fed under strict guidelines, therefore, Trichinosis has been virtually eliminated.
 
That being said,  there still are some strict guidelines that must be adhered to when cooking pork as with all meats. The culprit is bacteria that can be introduced into the meat thru the butchery process.  You can treat pork as you would whole cuts of beef, as long as the sides are seared adequately then there should not be any problems with bacteria.  You must also be careful not to cross contaminate your work space or utensils.  Ultimately, the best way to protect yourself against any food born yuckiness is to cook your meat to the correct temperature not color. The USDA recommends that pork be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees. Therefore, I little pink in your pork chops is okay today.

Apple Cream Glazed Chops

2-4 boneless pork chops

2 tbsp e-v olive oil
S/P to taste
1/8 tsp granulated garlic

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp butter
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
2 medium granny smith apples
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
 
Pre-heat your grill or use a stovetop grill pan over medium heat. In medium sauce pan and over medium heat melt butter and brown sugar until is starts to caramelize. Add cored and sliced apples and stir frequently until the whole mixture is caramelized. Stir in  Cream and cinnamon, cover and remove glaze from heat.  Rub pork chops with olive oil and s/p to toast. Sprinkle with garlic and red pepper flakes.  Grill chops for about 7 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove chops and plate onto a nice serving platter. Let rest for at least 5 minutes. Pour glaze and apples over chops and enjoy!

Lesson 3.5 With Martha (Chicken Piccata)

I am currently working my way thru the Meat, Fish & Poultry chapter of Martha Stewarts's Cooking School. Lesson 3.5 is all about how to Sauté and Fry. The key to sautéed foods is to cook in a sizzling-hot pan with a small amount of fat, cook your meats at room temperature in an even thickness, pat your meats dry to prevent "steaming" rather than browning, and don't overcrowd the pan. Stick with these basic rules and you can’t go wrong. What I like about this book is that it is not just a "how to cook book" but also an actual cookbook as well. Each lesson has a delicious recipe for you to showcase you newly acquire knowledge and skills and this lessons recipe was for Chicken Piccata.

Here is a recipe that I would have never in a million years thought to try. Not because I wouldn't have liked the bright lively flavors or the sheer elegant appearance of the dish. This type of Italian food was just not of my radar. When I think Italian, I think tomato. Usually a rich meat sauce or dice fresh tomatoes tossed in angel hair pasta, olive oil and parmesan. Certainly not lemons and capers. This dish was so unbelievable easy to make and the result where so delicious.

Interesting tidbit here. According to Chow.com, Chicken or Veal Piccata often thought to be a classic Italian dish actually originated right here in the US, in the 1930's Italian-American Kitchens. Piccata translates to piquant or piquancy, which in one definition means tart or zesty. Zesty and tart is exactly what this dish is with the combination of lemon juice, white wine, and capers. I did my best to try and track down the origin of the recipe to verify if Chow.com's Italian-American claim was correct, but had a hard time finding anything to back that up. Regardless of where it was created,  it is now one of my favorite Italian dishes. I will be making this again soon. Besides what else will I do with all those capers??

Chicken Piccata 

(Martha Stewart's Cooking School)

• 1/4 C all-purpose flour

• S/P
• 4 Chicken (or Veal) cutlets
• 2 Tbsp e-v olive oil
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3Tbsp dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp salt-packed capters (soak and drain)
• 1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

In a shallow dish mix flour and s/p. Dredge chicken in flour and tap off any excess. Heat oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat until butter starts to sizzle. Cook chicken in batches until golden brown on each side (2 to 3 min per side). Transfer the chicken to a platter and pour out any excess fat from the pan. Return pan to medium heat and add wine (I used a Pinot Grigio) and with a wooden spoon scrap up any browned bits. This is called deglazing the pan. Pan can be deglazed with chicken stock if you do not want to use wine. Continue cooking the wine until it reduces by half. (about 30 seconds). Remove pan from heat and add lemon juice, capers, and remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Swirl pan until butter is melted and sauce has combined, then add parsley. Immediately pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Over all a very easy recipe. The sauce does comes together really fast. Notice the ransacked cooking station. and yes I did finish the glass of wine with my meal.. ;)

Hey Pillsbury.. Great Crust (Turkey Pot Pie)

Look how pretty my Turkey Pot Pie looks! Jay said the crust was perfect! I told him it was Pillsbury and I will be sure to let him know... LOL.

Turkey Pot Pie

• 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 can chicken stock
• 1 carrot cut into coins
• 1/2 c green peas
• 1/2 c sweet corn
• 1 box Pillsbury pie crust.



In medium sauce pan melt butter and whisk in flour. Whisk for at least 1 minute to cook out flour taste. Slowing stream in chicken stock and continue whisking until gravy starts to tighten up. Add cooked turkey and veggies. Continue cooking on low until veggies are tender. Following directions on the pie crust box press one crust into the bottom of your 9-inch pie pan. Fill pan with turkey filling. Top with 2nd crust, folding the excess crust under and pinching edges with a fork. Cut a couple of slits in the top and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover edges of the crust with strips of foil half way thru baking time to prevent excess browning. Let pie rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.



Super Easy Supper!

How to store fresh herbs (Chimichurri)

I love cooking with fresh herbs like chives, cilantro, basil and parsley, but often time they are going south on me about 2 days after I purchase them. They end up soggy and wilted, resembling a science experiment rather than the bright green fragrant bunch I brought home from the store. What gives!

Storage, that’s what gives. I did my research and discovered I was going about it all wrong. I would pick out the best bunch, put it into the stores plastic produce bag and then put that directly into my crisper. By day 2 the whole bunch was going bad and by day 3 it all ended up in my trash. It is a wonder people avoid cooking with fresh herbs, the dried stuff is less trouble! But a few simple steps when you get home and you can save the bunch for the whole week.

Heres how:

• When you get home you should rinse off any pesticides or remaining dirt. Fill your sink or a large bowl with water, remove any rubber bands or twist ties, and swish them around to get them all cleaned off . Remove from water and give them a little shake to remove excess water. Pat them dry with a paper towel careful not to bruise or smash them. Lastly, lay them out on a dry paper towel to finish air drying while you put away the remaining groceries. Any moisture left on the leaves will promote decay and the whole bunch will be lost. (a salad spinner can be a great tool for drying herbs)

• Herbs that come in the small boxes are usually clean and ready to use. Simply put a small piece of paper towel in the box to help keep the moisture at bay.

• Once air dried lightly roll up herbs and place in a resalable ziplock bag.

• The best place to store herbs is your crisper usually set at the correct temperature of 40 to 45 degrees

• Each time you use the herbs during the week, be sure to inspect and remove any that look suspect. Replace the paper towel if it feels moist. This will ensure that you can get a full week out of them.

Here is a great recipe to use up those fresh herbs. Chimichurri, an Argentine green sauce that pairs well with grilled meats like chicken, steak or fish. Not just a garnish, Chimichurri also make a great marinade for your meats too.

Chimichurri

• 1/2 Bunch of flat leaf parsley (about a firmly packed cup)
• 4 Cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1/4  of a lemon
• S/P to taste (about a pinch)
• Red pepper flake (about a pinch)
• 1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
• 1/2 c e-v olive oil

In your blender or food processor lightly pulse together parsley, garlic, and onion. Add vinegar, lemon juice, s/p, red pepper and if using oregano. Lightly pulse again to blend. While lightly pulsing stream in e-v olive oil just until mixed. Place in serving bowl and serve at room temperature. Sauce can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container overnight.

Good Morning Chocolate, So lovely to see you. (Chocolate Chip Pancakes)

Weekends were made for pancakes! Words to live by in my home. I love working with pancake batters. This simple quick bread hails from practically every region and culture of the world. From the Wild West American Flapjacks and the upper echelon of fruit filled French Crepes, to the ultra - light Russian Blini; the pancake has stood the test of time. The Roman "Alita Dolcia" (Latin for "another sweet") is mentioned in Apicius, an ancient Roman Cookbook. Only two copies of this cookbook, formally entitled De Re Coquinaria, are known to exist. A 9th century copy of the original 2nd century cookery manual, now resides in the Rare Book Collection at The New York Academy of Medicine's  Library.  The other 9th century copy resides in the Vatican library. The Acadamy's is older by a few years making it one of the worlds oldest cookbook. The pancakes as we know it today originated in Medieval Europe. You can have them sweet or savory by adding many different ingredients such as fruits, bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives. In addition to spices such as allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and extracts such as vanilla, almond, and peppermint. Whatever your heart desires, and this morning my heart desired chocolate!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

• 2 c bisquick baking mix

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 c milk
• 1 tsp chocolate extract
• 1 c milk chocolate chips
• butter

Mix all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Pour 1/4 c batter per cake onto hot lighly buttered giddle. Once the edges are dry and cake is golden brown, flip cake and cook other side.   They will be lining up at the griddle with plates in hand and you will be the hero of the day!

Kick it up with Emeril (Sweet Corn Relish)

Kick it up with Emeril, Pg. 38 of the Sept. issue of Everyday Food, a Martha Stewart Magazine, has an amazing recipe for a Sweet Corn Relish. Since I gave poor Emeril such a hard time in my last blog I thought I would give him a little props for this recipe. It was incredibly easy and a refreshing side to my Shredded Beef Chimies and Ranch Beans. The flavors are so light with no fuss or muss, almost barefoot in its simplicity. It made a very nice light salad with what can sometimes be a heavy cuisine. Definitely a winner and I will make it again. Next time I may swap out the flat leaf parsley for cilantro to give it more of a Mexican feel.

Sweet Corn Relish

• 2 Cleaned ears of sweet corn

• 2 Vine-ripened tomatoes

• 2 Avocados

• 1/2 Small red onion

• 2 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

• 3 Tbsp e-v olive oil

• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• S/P to taste

Cook your corn in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. Once corn is done remove from water and set aside to cool slighly so that you are able to handle cobs while you cut off the kernals with a sharp knife. In a small bowl,  add diced tomatoes, diced avocados, finely diced red onion (I swapped out with 2 green onions and it was great),   and chopped flat leaf parsley. Add corn kernals, lemon juice, and e-v olive oil. Lightly toss, careful not to smash the avocados. Salt and pepper to taste.