Saturday, March 29, 2008

Spring Cooking and Spring Showers

I consider myself to be a fairly patient person; however, when it comes to the arrival of Fall and Spring I just get flat out impatient. It is almost April, Easter has come and gone, our azaleas are blooming, we have had a few warm days, everything is turning green, and it is officially Spring now… but we still have colder days and I haven’t worn my flip flops yet. Today has been gorgeous our and sunny and warm and just how I like Spring to be. So, we decided to dust off the grill and have some friends over to eat outside tonight. Well, I managed to forget another major characteristic of Spring is rain. After the major drought last year I am not going to complain about the rain, but it did remind me that for some reason though we always manage to pick nights when it rains to grill out. Tonight was no exception. While today was gorgeous and sunny it started raining just about the time that Russ was starting up the coals for the grill… Lucky for me Russ doesn’t seem to mind grilling in his rain coat.

Tonight we did a somewhat early Spring meal that came from my new Jamie Oliver cookbook, Cook with Jamie. I also made an appetizer from my other new cookbook, Jamie’s Italy. Elizabeth, Seth, Mary Catherine, and Allen (and their furry ones, Wagg and Bitzy) all came over to eat with us tonight. For the appetizer I did crostini with mozzarella and chiles and some with cherry tomatoes instead of chiles. Russ grilled the slices of baguette for me and then I rubbed garlic on one side of each. I topped them off with pieces of fresh mozzarella and either some of the red chile or tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, and torn pieces of fresh basil.

For dinner we decided on Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks. Russ and I both like a traditional steak and potato meal, but I love it when I come across a recipe that takes a new twist on the traditional. Here Jamie keeps a creamy starch in the picture, but uses white beans and leeks instead of potatoes. The recipe calls for canned lima beans and while I am a fan of canned beans I have never used canned lima beans and the thought kind of scared me (especially when I looked at the sodium in them). I do use frozen lima beans fairly frequently and decided to use those instead because while I am sure the canned are fine I am much more comfortable with the frozen. I just cooked the frozen lima beans until they were done, but not too soft in water with a little salt and pepper. When the beans are cooked go ahead and drain them and set them aside. While the beans were cooking I put the sliced leeks, thyme, and chopped garlic into the pan with a little olive oil and butter. I kept it over low heat for about 20 minutes. Many of you may already know this, but if not then here comes a fun cooking fact. The combination of olive oil and butter here is not an uncommon combination and there is a reason why he is using both. Oil has a much higher threshold for heat and butter has a lower threshold for heat, but it has more flavor than oil. So combining them the oil will help keep the butter from burning and the butter will add flavor. Back to the recipe now… Once the leeks are soft and sweet then you turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to boil and then add the beans and a little water until the beans are almost covered (don’t cover them or it will take too long to reduce). Let the beans simmer and reduce a little until they are creamy. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed for taste. Last add the chopped parsley, crème fraiche, and a little olive oil. For the steaks, Russ got some really pretty looking New York Strips and salt and peppered both sides. He then grilled them to medium and pulled them off to let them rest. While resting he drizzled them with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. He decided to not carve the steaks into thin slices, but rather serve them whole. We served the steaks over the beans and with a simple side salad of mixed greens with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

The crostini were really simple and quick to put together. Russ grilled the baguette slices on the grill which was complicated by the fact that it was raining and since the grill was hotter than it needed to be (since he had prepared it for grilling the steaks since I forgot to mention to him that I needed him to do the bread too), but other than that is only took a couple minutes that had a great toasty texture to them. The mixture of mozarrella with the red chiles was wonderful! I was a little worried about the red chiles, so I did some with tomatoes too. Both were really good and I enjoyed having a little variety to them. I love simple appetizers like this and think you could come up lots of easy variations based on ingredients you have on hand or ones you love. Russ rates the crostini a 10.

Russ did a fantastic job on the steaks and they grilled perfectly. They were flavorful with great color and texture. The beans were fantastic! I love lima beans and leeks and the combination was wonderful. The crème fraiche at the end really added an extra creamy touch to the creamy beans and the parsley added a punch of flavor and freshness. The beans definitely take center stage in the dish with the other ingredients just adding to their flavor and creaminess. The steak and lima bean combination was fantastic and they both complimented each other well in texture with the chewiness of the steak and the creaminess of the beans and flavor. This was a great meal for entertaining and if I had been a little better organized and started the beans earlier then I think this is a dish that you could have ready before your guests arrive (up to where you add the crème fraiche, parsley, and olive oil) and then just turn off the heat and put the lid on it until a few minutes before you serve when you can reheat it and add the last few ingredients. Had it not been raining then we would have been outside before hand which would have allowed Russ to grill the steaks while still being with everyone. This is definitely a dish that I would recommend for Spring entertaining. Russ rates the Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks a 10.

Grilled Fillet Steak with the Creamiest White Beans and Leeks, Cook with Jamie
Serves 4

4 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
A small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
A knob of butter
A wineglass of white wine
1lb. 2 oz good-quality canned lima beans, drained and rinsed
A small handful of freshly picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon crème fraiche
Good-quality peppery extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 oz. well-marbled fillet steaks, preferably free-range or organic, 1-1 and ½ inches thick
1 lemon

Sweat the leeks, thyme, and garlic with a splash of olive oil and the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a low heat for 20 minutes until they are soft and sweet. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to the boil, then add the beans and a splash of water, so that the beans are almost covered. Allow to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the beans are lovely and creamy. Add the parsley, crème fraiche and a good glug of the extra virgin olive oil and taste for seasoning.

Heat a griddle pan until white-hot, season your steaks and pat with olive oil. Grill a 1 and ½ inch steak for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. You can keep them on there for longer, turning as you go, until cooked to your liking. Remove from the grill on to a dish and rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze over some lemon juice and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil. Carve the steaks into thick slices. Divide the creamy beans between your plates and place the steak on top, drizzling over some of the resting juices.

My Notes: I used frozen lima beans and just cooked them first. Russ grilled the steaks on the Egg and let everyone slice their own steak.

Crostini, Jamie's Italy

Ingredients:
1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Grill your slices of ciabatta. While they're still hot, rub them gently with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Finish with your favorite toppings.

Buffalo Mozzarella and Chili

Tear 3 5 oz. balls of buffalo mozzarella into quarters, then top each of your hot crostini with one of the quarters. Deseed and finely chop a fresh red chili and sprinkle this over the mozzarella. Add a little seasoning and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Lovely with a little fresh basil torn over it.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Canned Tuna: The Saga

When I started cooking for I came up with a simple and yummy pasta with tuna dish that I would make for lunch on the weekends fairly frequently. It is simple because it takes very little time to prepare and because it has only a few ingredients all of which I tend to always have on hand: pasta, a can of tuna, mayonnaise, onion, salt and pepper. The dish is fairly self explanatory based on the list of ingredients, but basically I would cook the pasta and then drain it. I would then mix it with a drained can of tuna, some diced onion, some mayonnaise, and season it with salt and pepper. I love it; however, when I introduced Russ to it he did not like it at all. He has named it “Tuna Surprise” and won’t have anything to do with it. His reaction to my beloved “Tuna Surprise” was and is still so strong that he doesn’t want to eat anything involving a can of tuna for fear of it being ever so slightly similar to my tuna dish. Well, after an almost three year hiatus from canned tuna we finally gave it another go in a new recipe tonight.

Russ spoiled me on my birthday this year including giving me two Jamie Oliver cookbooks. We both love Jamie Oliver and have a renewed interest in him after becoming hooked on his new show on the Food Network, Jamie at Home. I have been flipping through both of my new cookbooks, Cook with Jamie and Jamie’s Italy, and ran across a simple pasta with tuna dish that looked very tasty! I showed Russ the recipe and the picture of the dish and while he was hesitant he said he’d be okay adding it to the menu this week. Yeah! I gave it a go tonight and I think I can safely say we are back to eating canned tuna again!

To make the dish you start by chopping the red onion and basil stalks and then sautéing them in a little olive oil with the cinnamon. Once the onions are soft and a little sweet you add the tuna, tomatoes and their juices, and a little salt. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes. Cook the pasta until it is al dente and then drain it. Add the torn basil leaves, lemon zest, lemon juice, a little olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pasta to the sauce. Toss it all together and taste for seasoning. I added a little more salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Russ and I both enjoyed this dish. It is a simple, light pasta dish with great flavor from the cinnamon and basil. While the cinnamon seemed a little odd to me it worked really well in the dish and added some real depth and warmth to the seasoning. The torn basil leaves added near the end give it a pop of color and a fresh burst of flavor. I served it with a side of steamed broccoli. We both really enjoyed this meal! Russ rates it a 9.


Jools’ Favorite Saturday Afternoon Pasta, Cook with Jamie
Serves 4

Olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 – 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
A bunch of fresh basil leaves picked, stalks chopped
2 x 14 oz. cans good quality plum tomatoes
2 x 10 oz. cans good quality tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1lb. 2 oz. good quality rigatoni or penne
Zest and juice of 1 – 2 lemons
A small handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and cook the onion, chilli, cinnamon, and basil stalks on a medium to low heat for 5 minutes until the onion has softened and is slightly sweet. Turn up the heat and add your tomatoes, tuna, and a good pinch of salt. Break the tomatoes up using the back of a spoon, then bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in a pan of salted boiling water according to package instructions. When al dente, drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss the pasta into the tuna and tomato sauce with the roughly torn basil leaves, a glug of olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, and Parmesan and mix together well. Loosen the pasta with a little of the reserved cooking water if needed. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

My Notes: I left out the chillies since I could not find them at the store. I cut the recipe in half since it was just for the two of us.

Picture Notes: My Venezuelan brother, Ernesto, was in town for a visit this past week. Ernesto, Russ, and I went with Mom and Dad to the Oklahoma vs. Louisville NCAA game together. It was a lot of fun except poor OU didn't play very well.

Monday, March 17, 2008

A Tasty Repeat in Telluride

If you have been reading this blog since it started then you may remember that last March I went with Russ and his family out to Telluride, Colorado to go skiing. This year we were blessed to be able to all go again (plus a few newer significant others). I did not grow up in a skiing family, so last year was my first time ever to go skiing. Since I am still new to skiing I am still learning lots about how to ski and the skiing lifestyle. One thing that struck me odd was that despite it being after daylight savings that the lifts close at 4 pm. It stays light for several hours after 4 pm and while I know that certain things have to happen after the lifts close such as ski patrol making a last run and the snow “cats” grooming the runs it still seemed like they would at least run until 5 pm. Well, by the second day I was thankful that they did close at 4 pm. Skiing is a lot of fun, but it is totally exhausting and by 4 pm each day I was ready to take off my ski boots and find a cold beer.

I was especially happy to have the lifts close at 4 pm on the night that Russ and I cooked dinner for everyone. Last year and again this year each of the four Chambliss “kids” and their respective significant other take one night to cook for everyone. Last year Russ and I did a Mexican theme with tortilla soup and tacos, here. This year I debated about what to make… Being a planner I wanted to know what we were going to make before we went, so this meant I wanted to stay away from dishes that I thought might be prepared by the other siblings in order to not duplicate. I finally decided on a simple, yet hearty dish that makes a great presentation and everyone loves – Chicken Vegetable Braid. It is a repeat on the blog that Russ and I made once before here.

The Chicken Vegetable Braid is pretty when it is whole like a present all wrapped up. Once you cut into it you see all the bright and pretty colors of the vegetables. It is a delicious and filling meal. I really like how all the flavors and textures play together in this dish. Russ and I were especially pleased that everyone seemed to enjoy it! Russ rates it a 9.

Chicken and Vegetable Braid (Mom from Pampered Chef)
1 cup broccoli, diced
2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/3 cup red pepper, diced
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tsp. dill mix
½ cup mayonnaise (I use reduced fat)
¼ tsp. salt
2 packages crescent rolls (I use reduced fat)

Preheat oven to 375 F.Mix everything except the crescent rolls together in a bowl (this can be done the night before if you want). Then roll out the rolls and cut slices. Put the mixture in the middle and then wrap the slices cris crossing at the top (to form the braid). Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes. (My notes: To serve 10 I made two braids and did a little more than double the chicken / veggie mixture.)


Monday, March 10, 2008

Maybe I don't have a sweet tooth after all...

Russ and I have lots of things in common and overall our tastes in foods are very similar. When we eat out we frequently are considering some of the same options from the menu and can predict what the other will order. I always want a bite of whatever Russ is having and he (whether he admits it or not) wants one of mine. However, tonight we found out a difference in our taste preferences that we had never known. Tonight’s dinner had a very sweet flavor to it. While you are probably thinking that I loved it Russ and didn’t care for it since I (hands down, no questions asked) have the bigger sweet tooth, you would actually be wrong. While I don’t think either of us has ever thought about it before, we discovered tonight that when it comes to meals I prefer savory while Russ enjoys both savory and sweet. Who knew!

Tonight for dinner we tried Fine Cooking’s recipe for Shrimp Stew with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes, and Cilantro. To make it you start by peeling and deveining the shrimp and tossing them with salt. Then heat the oil and add the bell pepper and cook until it is tender. Then add the scallion whites, cilantro, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute. Then add the tomatoes and coconut milk and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. Then add the shrimp in and let them cook until they are just cooked through. The recipe says to cover it partially with the lid and let cook for 5 minutes, however, Russ and I used 1 lb of shrimp and not 3 lbs and it took just about 2 minutes for them to cook through. Then add the lime juice and serve it over rice garnished with the green part of the scallions and rest of the cilantro.

This was very good, but way too sweet for my tastes. I would cut the coconut milk back by half next time at first and taste it as I go. I also could not find my favorite brand of coconut milk and had to use my not favorite brand which I find to be sweeter and I believe it is coconut cream which may be my problem… Russ really liked the sweetness and would not change a thing, so next time I might let his cook a little longer and add more coconut milk to it for that sweet flavor he liked. Besides it being too sweet I really enjoyed the dish. It does have some complexity to the flavor with the cilantro and red pepper flakes. We both really liked the tomatoes in it as it added great flavor and texture. The entire meal came together very quickly and is great for a weeknight meal. Russ rates it a 9. I will say this is the first time I would really disagree with his rating. If the sweetness were cut in half I would then agree and give it a 9. I highly recommend this dish, but make sure you get coconut milk and start with half the can and add more if you think it needs it.

Shrimp Stew with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes, and Cilantro, Fine Cooking
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

3 lb. jumbo (21 to 25 per lb.) shrimp, peeled and deveined Kosher salt2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil1 large red bell pepper, sliced into very thin 1-1/2-inch-long strips4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts kept separate)1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes14.5-oz. can petite-diced tomatoes, drained13.5- or 14-oz. can coconut milk2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

In a large bowl, sprinkle the shrimp with 1 tsp. salt; toss to coat, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, until almost tender, about 4 minutes. Add the scallion whites, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, the garlic, and the pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer to blend the flavors and thicken the sauce slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add the shrimp and continue to cook, partially covered and stirring frequently, until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.

My Notes: We used 1 lb. of shrimp for the two of us and it was more than enough.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Having the Girls Over

Shortly after I moved back to Birmingham Sumner moved back too and we lived in adjacent apartment complexes. My next door neighbor was Cathleen and we all had similar stories of going away for college and eventually ending back up in Birmingham. Not too long after the three of us started to hang out, Elizabeth, having followed the same pattern, moved back too. We all enjoyed getting together and quickly realized we shared a common interest in hanging out together, cooking, eating, and sharing a bottle or two of wine. I was very new to cooking at this point and anxious to cook more but tired and frustrated with cooking for one. I won’t speak for the others, but I think we all felt somewhat the same. As far as cooking skills and practice I was probably the most green of the four of us with Cathleen being the most experienced. A quick side note… Cathleen may not remember this, but I stopped by her apartment one day to say hi and she was making an appetizer of polenta topped with mushrooms and a sauce for her family and let me have a taste – fantastic and believe it of not it was my first time trying polenta! Anyway, I don’t remember what all I cooked or any of us for that matter when we would get together, but I do remember it always being lots of fun with lots of yummy food. One of us would host and cook the entrée and the others would divide up bringing an appetizer, side dishes, and wine. We got together fairly frequently over a span of a couple years until it gradually became more difficult to find times to get together and we slowly let our dinners fall to the wayside. We would still all see each other, but not with our frequent dinners. For a while now I have wanted to get the four of us together again for dinner, so with Russ out of town this week it was the perfect time to have all the girls over for dinner instead of cooking for just me. Everyone was able to come and it was a wonderful, relaxing, fun evening of eating, drinking, and catching up! Hopefully we’ll be able to get our schedules to coordinate again sometime soon and do it again.

I decided to try a new meatloaf recipe tonight as my meatloaf craving from back here was still hanging around. One of the latest issues of Fine Cooking had a section on meatloaves and all the recipes looked tasty. I decided to finally breakaway from using the same meatloaf recipe and try a new one. For tonight I decided to make Meatloaf with Fresh Scallions and Herbs.

To make the meatloaf you sauté the onions in a little oil until they are soft and then set them aside to cool. Combine the meat (I used ground beef and turkey) in a bowl until it is mixed well. Then add the onions, paprika, salt and pepper and combine. Next add the remaining ingredients: eggs (beaten), panko, sliced scallions, sour cream, flat-leaf parsley, ketchup, tarragon, thyme and garlic. Mix this all together and then take a small piece, about the size of a quarter, and cook it in a pan on the stove. Taste the sample and adjust the seasoning as needed. I added a little more salt and pepper after tasting.

This meat loaf is really moist, but not mushy. I love the sour cream in it and think it really helps give it a creamy, moist texture. The tarragon is the dominant herb in the meatloaf and even though I really like tarragon I think I’ll cut it back a little next time in order to balance the flavors of the other herbs a little better. I am not sure why, but in the past I have always baked my meatloaf in a loaf pan. This time I formed the loaf by hand on a baking sheet and I will never go back to the putting it in a loaf pan again. I really like the look and shape of the free form loaf and I think it stayed even moister and cooked faster since the shape was not as thick and deep as the loaf pan I have used before.

When Russ got back in town he had a plate of leftovers and rated the meatloaf an 8.

Meatloaf with Fresh Scallions and Herbs, Fine Cooking
Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. vegetable oil; more as needed1 cup finely chopped yellow onion3/4 lb. ground beef (80% lean)1/2 lb. ground veal1/2 lb. ground pork1 tsp. sweet paprika, preferably HungarianKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper3 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 more if needed1-1/2 cups homemade dry breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs; more if needed1 cup thinly sliced scallions (both green and white parts)1 cup sour cream3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley2/3 cup ketchup1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon1 tsp. lightly chopped fresh thyme2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Put the ground beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl and gently knead them with your hands until just combined. Add the cooled onion, paprika, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper and gently knead to blend. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the remaining vegetable oil) and gently knead with your hands or stir with a large spoon until just incorporated.

Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 1 tsp. oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a quarter-size piece of the meat and cook, turning halfway through cooking, until the meat is cooked through, about 1 minute on each side. Cool briefly and taste. If it’s too moist to hold together, add up to 1/2 cup more breadcrumbs to the meat mixture; if it’s too dry, add an extra egg. If necessary, add salt and pepper. Repeat cooking quarter-size pieces of the meat until you’re satisfied with the flavor and consistency.

On a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, mold the meat mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf. Bake until the meat is firm to the touch and has an internal temperature of 160°F, about 1 hour. Allow the meatloaf to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

My Notes: For the meat I used ground beef and ground turkey.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

One Year Later and Still Blogging

Tonight I didn’t cook, but I did want to post to mark my blog’s 1st birthday! I can hardly believe it, but I have been a cooking, blogging fool for a year now. My first post on March 5, 2006 started it all. Russ, Cash, and I have all had a fun time with it and it really has become a family project.

Despite the fact that the blog is named after just me; Russ plays a big role… in fact many roles in the blog. He is my official photographer and looking back at the posts from a year ago I think his food photography skills have only gotten better and better. He really amazes me with the beautiful pictures he takes! Russ also serves behind the scenes as my technical support and there is no way that this blog would work without him. There have been countless times that I have downloaded new pictures, saved them, and then can’t find them…. Russ always manages to find them and help me post them. He also surprised me by getting me the domain name for www.rebacooks.com so for all of you still using the blogspot address it still works, but rebacooks.com should load a little faster and is an easier address to remember!

Russ also serves a big role in the cooking and tasting process. I don’t even want to know how many times he has helped air the kitchen out, taken the batteries out of our smoke alarm, and ordered pizza when dinner just didn’t work out. He may have put out a couple fires too… Russ also does a fantastic job grilling and has produced some of our best meals off of the Egg. Lastly he is my faithful food taster and rater. He tries everything I make and is always supportive of the recipes I want to try even when they don’t turn out quite as planned. I love that he rates the meals too and am always curious as to what he will rate them.

Cash is my faithful cooking companion as he tends to hang out in the kitchen whenever I am cooking and is always available to clean up anything that falls on the floor. He is also very helpful when Russ grills following him in and out of the house. I love that he likes to be wherever we are and that he loves hanging out with me while I cook!

This blog started as a way for me to explore my interest in cooking even further and for Russ to remember what I made and what it tasted like, so that when I asked him about a meal I made two months earlier he would remember it. As cheesy as it may sound, this blog really has come to mean even more to me. It has become a creative avenue to not only explore new recipes and cooking techniques, but also to write. It has pushed me to try different kinds of recipes and things I never thought I could make before. Until this past year I shied away from many ethnic dishes since they would include ingredients I had never used before and now I really enjoy cooking all types of ethnic foods including Asian, Indian, and Moroccan. This is just one of the many examples of ways it has encouraged me to flex my cooking and baking muscles. I never would have guessed a year ago that I would enjoy and put as much thought into writing posts as I have. I don’t consider myself a writer and I know I tend to leave out commas, but I have really enjoyed putting into words how I feel about cooking, past experiences that inspire and are reflected in my cooking, how family has been an influence, what something tastes like, why I love stirring a warm a pot of soup and on and on. It has been a fun year and I look forward to another year of cooking and blogging! I hope that you, as a reader whether frequent or infrequent, have enjoyed my blog as much as I have!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

My New Cooking Magazine

Ever since I graduated from college I have been receiving Cooking Light magazine. I still love it as much as when I first started receiving it and even exposed my slight obsession with it earlier this year here. The over a year ago I started reading Fine Cooking whenever my Mother-In-Law had one lying around Mentone or the beach. I really liked it and for Christmas of 2006 Cash gave me a subscription to it. I have now been receiving it for over a year now and think it is a fabulous magazine with great information and recipes. Well, that thoughtful little pup outdid himself this past Christmas and added to my cooking magazine collection by giving me a subscription to… drum roll please… Cooks' Illustrated! I was super excited the other week when my first issue arrived and then over the top excited when Russ showed me the Cooks' Illustrated podcasts the other night. With three cooking magazine subscriptions and all my cookbooks I have a feeling I’ll be hanging out in the kitchen a lot this year in order to try as many recipes as possible. I decided to go ahead and get a jump start tonight by trying two of the recipes out of my new Cooks' Illustrated!

There are several recipes in this issue of CI that have lengthy cooking times, so since it was Sunday and I could start it earlier than on a weeknight I had Russ pick one of these to try. He chose the French Chicken in a Pot. This is really a simple recipe and most of the cook time is inactive while the chicken cooks in the oven for well over an hour. To prepare the chicken you start by patting the chicken to get it dry and seasoning it. Then you heat the oil in the Dutch oven and add the chicken breast side down. You toss all the vegetables and herbs in around the chicken. Once it has browned on the one side then you flip it over to the other to brown it. Once both sides have browned you put the pot in the oven on the lowest rack and cook it for 80 to 110 minutes at 250. We checked the temperature of our chicken at 90 minutes and it was done in fact it could have cooked several minutes less. Once it is cooked we removed it from the pot and let it rest on a plate. You then drain the sauce into a bowl to eliminate the chunks of vegetables and the herbs. Then put the liquid back in the Dutch oven, add a little lemon juice, and let it reduce.

I decided to try the recipe for Roasted Broccoli as a side for the chicken tonight. I love roasted vegetables, but have never had roasted broccoli before. To roast the broccoli you heat the oven to 500 degrees and put the baking sheet in to get it hot. Then cut the broccoli crowns into thirds or quarters (depending on the size) and peel the outer layer of skin off of them. Toss the broccoli with the oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Then put the broccoli on the hot baking sheet cut side down and roast for 9 to 11 minutes.

The chicken made the entire house smell wonderful while it was baking. It was really juicy and falling off the bone when we pulled it out of the oven. The flavor was very good, but not any more special than the other roasted chickens or beer can chickens we have done. All the whole chickens we have done have ended up with a tasty savory flavor, but all fairly similar. The meat was really moist, but we both felt like it could have been even more moist if I had baked it breast side down (apparently I need an anatomy lesson as I thought I had put it breast side down…) and if we had used the remote thermometer from the start to monitor the temperature because it could have cooked for less time. All in all it was delicious, moist, savory chicken! As for the broccoli, roasting it is my new favorite way to eat it. It was fantastic and the best broccoli I have ever eaten! We both ate every bite of broccoli on our plates. Roasting it gave it a great nutty yet sweet flavor and a light crispy texture to the flowers. This was so easy to do and was just delicious. I highly recommend you give roasting broccoli a try. Cooks' Illustrated gave a couple of other variations on roasting broccoli, with this being the classic / simple one, that look yummy too… so we may be having a lot of broccoli in the near future. Russ rates the chicken an 8 and the broccoli a 9.

French Chicken in a Pot, Cook’s Illustrated Jan / Feb 2008
Serves 4

1 whole roasting chicken (4 and ½ to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped medium (about ½ cup)
1 small celery stalk, chopped medium (about ¼ cup)
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 medium sprig of rosemary (optional) – I used it
½ to 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dray with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.

Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about ¾ cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Serve chicken passing jus at table.

Roasted Broccoli, Cook’s Illustrated Jan / Feb 2008
Serves 4

Trim away the outer peel from the broccoli stalk, otherwise it will turn tough when cooked.

1 large head broccoli (about 1 and ¾ pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stems; remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into 2 to 3 inch lengths and each length into ½ inch thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3 – 4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Place broccoli in a large bowl; drizzle with oil and toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

Working quickly, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Carefully transfer broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing flat sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until stalks are well browned and tender and florets are slightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.