Slow Cooked

Chicken with Chanterelles and Roast Potatoes

Cold weather makes me want to cook with butter.

Even though I previously pooh-poohed the chicken cutlet, I found myself again facing a package of cutlets in my fridge.  I was also facing, however, a small bag of chanterelles that I had picked up the night before, completely on a (somewhat expensive) whim, so I busted out the butter and flour, and quartered some red potatoes for roasting, and threw together a delicious and buttery dinner.

I quartered the potatoes and tossed them with salt, pepper and olive oil, then set in a preheated oven (425 degrees) to roast for about 45 minutes.  While the potatoes cooked, I cut the chanterelles (I had about 2 small handfuls - I'm not sure how much it was in weight, but at 24.99/lb, I was stingy) lengthwise, and then seasoned my chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  I dredged the chicken LIGHTLY in flour, and then heated up some butter in a saute pan.  When the pan and butter were hot, I browned the chicken, about 5-6 minutes on either side.  When the chicken was done, I set aside on plates and deglazed the pan with about a cup of chicken stock.  I let the stock simmer and reduce by about half, then added about 3/4 cups Chardonnay, and let it reduce a little more.  I threw in the chanterelles and let the whole thing thicken just a bit - about 10 minutes start to finish on the sauce, I'd say.  I poured the mushrooms and sauce over the chicken, and served with roast potatoes and sauteed haricots vert (which I added because I felt guilty about so much BROWN food on my dinner plate). 

Yum.  I'm sure if you searched online you could find a proper recipe for a similar dish, but winging it is half the fun.  Eating things cooked in butter is the other half.

Broiled Chicken with Citrus & Fennel Salad

I think we can all agree that chicken cutlets are about the dullest food out there, but chicken cutlets were in my fridge and so chicken cutlets I attempted to enliven.  Hoping to drive away the frozen rain that's been falling all evening, I opted for the brightest, sunniest alternative I could  think of: this bright and crunchy fennel, radish and citrus salad heaped over marinated and broiled chicken cutlets.

The original Daniel Boulud recipe, which I found via Food & Wine, paired the salad with broiled red snapper and I very much would have preferred snapper for my dinner, but once I got home I knew there was no chance I'd be heading back out to the fish store.  So the cutlets had to do.  I marinated the chicken for about 40 minutes in a quick marinade I whisked together of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons), lemon juice (juice of one lemon), salt, pepper and a small bunch of chopped mint leaves.   (Note: chicken cutlets are thin and start turning into chicken ceviche when marinated in citrus for much more than 40 minutes.  Gross.)

While the chicken marinated, I made the salad, cursing briefly when I realized that I forgot to get a jalapeño at the grocery store.  I'm such a huge fan of all the flavors in this salad that I have no complaints - crunchy fennel and radish plus yummy grapefruit and naval orange segments are all enough to please me, in any form.  It certainly brightened the night a bit, even though part of me wished it was a giant bowl of rigatoni in meat sauce, or some other equally carb-heavy comfort food.

As for the chicken, it was...fine.  It was chicken.  The salad was delish and did its best to make chicken cutlets more exciting, but I would strongly encourage you to try this with the red snapper instead!

Broiled Chicken with Citrus and Fennel Salad
(adapted from Food & Wine, October 2006)

• 4 small radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small fennel bulb—halved, cored and shaved paper-thin
• 1/2 small red or yellow bell pepper, finely diced
  
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced (I wish I had remembered this!!)
  
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded mint leaves
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 navel orange
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more  for brushing
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Four chicken cutlets, marinated for 30+ minutes in olive oil, lemon juice and mint

Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, toss the radishes, fennel, bell pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, chives and mint. Using a sharp knife, peel the grapefruit and orange, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over the bowl, cut between the membranes and release the sections into the bowl. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice to the bowl and season the salad with salt and pepper.

Set the chicken on a baking sheet. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 4 minutes on each side. Using a spatula, transfer to plates. Top with the salad and serve.

 

 

From the Archives: Pecan Crusted Beef Tenderloin

I'm not cooking Christmas dinner this year, but that doesn't stop me from fondly remembering one of my favorite holiday meals in recent years: a pecan crusted beef tenderloin served with a jalapeño-cranberry chutney, a caramelized onion and brie tart, and roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts.  And yes, all for just two people.

My friend Sara had first served the tenderloin dish at a dinner party, and I was hooked, so Christmas (of 2005?  Wow, time is really starting to fly...) was the perfect opportunity to try my own version.  Or rather, my version of a recipe I found on-line, which came courtesy of the BEEF! It's What's For Dinner website.

I firmly believe that the secret to most meat dishes is starting with a good cut of meat, and then doing as little possible to interfere with the natural flavors.  The tenderloin I roasted came from Staubitz, my local butcher, and cost around $50.  I don't buy tenderloin often and remember feeling a bit of sticker shock, but when all was said and done, the beef was fantastic.  Scary good, like, "I can't believe I made this, it's so effing good" good.

Another thing I like about roasting meat is that you don't really DO very much; you brown or you season, but that's about it.  Mostly you stick the thing in the oven and let it do all the work, then happily remove the finished product, and carve with a flourish.  This was one of those kinds of dishes, and I highly recommend it to all you carnivores out there.  We paired the tenderloin with a delicious bottle of Spanish red wine that was a gift from my parents - 2002 Finca Sandoval.  Yum.  I might need to revisit this dish again soon; it serves at least eight people, I'd guess, so I'm thinking it's time for another dinner party...

Pecan Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Jalapeño-Cranberry Chutney

2-3 lbs. beef tenderloin roast, trimmed 3 Tbsp. coarse-grain Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. maple syrup 1 clove garlic, minced 1 shallot, chopped 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 cup pecans, finely chopped 1 cup fresh cranberries -- Juice of half an orange 1/3 cup sugar 1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and diced 1 small fresh jalapeño, seeded and diced 3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro -- Zest of half a lime -- Zest of half an orange

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Mix mustard, maple syrup, garlic, shallot, rosemary and thyme. Spread evenly over entire surface of tenderloin. Roll beef in the pecans, pressing firmly to cover tenderloin with nuts. Roast 45-60 minutes on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Remove when meat thermometer inserted in center reads 140ºF for medium-rare, 150ºF for medium. Allow roast to stand for 15 minutes before slicing. While roast is cooking, blend cranberries, juice and sugar in food processor for 30-45 seconds. Transfer to a saute pan and add roasted red peppers, jalapeno, cilantro, lime zest and orange zest. Stir to mix. Allow sauce to stand for at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend. Warm sauce over low heat before serving. Do not boil. Add salt to taste. Carve tenderloin into 1/2-inch thick slices and serve with cranberry-jalapeno sauce.

Pistachio Cranberry Cookies

I have been eating cookies for most of my meals these past few days, courtesy of a cookie exchange at Book Club.  And the members of my book club don't mess around; there were scotch balls, homemade Almond Joy, caramel nut bars, giant blobs of chocolate full of peanut butter, chocolate covered crystallized ginger, etc etc etc.  My cookies were the most boring by far but they were high on my list of favorites for a few reasons.  One, they have green and red flecks in them, so are seasonal and festive.  Two, they are not overly sweet, meaning I can eat many more of them than the caramel nut bars.  And three, they were super easy to make.

I was inspired by Luisa but stuck to this recipe pretty much to the letter, adjusting only the amount of pistachio and cranberries (I upped both by a small handful) and I threw in some dried strawberries too.  The cookies were good.  I ate about 17 on my own, and they get enough of a salty kick from the pistachios to offer a nice salty/sweet thing, which can almost serve as a palate-cleanser when you are midway through a dozen ooey gooey cookies and candies, I have to say.

Pistachio Cranberry Cookies
LA Times, Feb 2004

Servings: About 3 dozen cookies

• 1 3/4cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup shelled salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/2cup sun-dried cranberries (or dried cherries or diced dried apricots)

1. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Blend in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients until well mixed. Stir in the nuts and cranberries.
3. Drop the dough by tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each. Bake the cookies in a 375-degree oven until light golden brown (centers should be soft), about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Mustard-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Carrots and Lentils

Although I am far from a finicky eater, there are some foods I just don't like, and cooked carrots have always fallen into that category.  Which might make this dish an odd choice for dinner, but it looked easy, hearty, comfy and inexpensive - all things I like on a Monday night.  And it turns out that my OOSP dictum holds true; if you roast anything in olive oil, salt and pepper, it will be good.  Even carrots.

This was really good.  It wasn't fancy or special or impressive, but it was French-y and good and I like anything with a mustard zing to it.  I followed the recipe pretty closely, altering only the lentils, as I couldn't find cans of lentils and had to go with dried - to which I added additional mustard and white wine while they were simmering.  It was good.  I ate all my carrots.  Not bad for a Monday night!

Mustard Crusted Pork with Carrots and Lentils
Gourmet, Oct 2007
Serves four

•   1  pound precut fresh carrot sticks, cut into slivers
•   5 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
•   1  (1 1/4-pound) pork tenderloin
•   2  tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided (I used way more, but am a mustard freak)
•   1/4  cup fine dry bread crumbs
•   2 garlic cloves, smashed
•   2  fresh thyme sprigs
•   2  (15-ounce) cans lentils, rinsed and drained (I used a few cups of dried French lentils)
•   2/3  cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used veggie broth because the grocery store was inexplicably out of chicken broth and higher volume of it because of the dried lentils, plus white wine)

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Toss carrots with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a shallow baking pan and roast while preparing pork.

Pat pork dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown pork all over, about 3 minutes total.

Put pork on a work surface and brush with 1 tablespoon mustard. Stir together bread crumbs and 1/2 tablespoon oil, then press onto mustard on pork to form a crust.

Transfer pork to pan with carrots and roast until carrots are browned and tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 140 to 145°F, 15 to 22 minutes. Let pork stand 5 minutes; keep carrots warm, covered (or continue roasting if needed).

While pork roasts, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil with garlic and thyme in a small saucepan until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in lentils, broth, and remaining tablespoon mustard and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and discard thyme. Serve pork with carrots and lentils.

Home unCooking: Tuna and White Bean Salad with Chili-Mint Vinaigrette

After a series of misses in the kitchen (bland arroz con pollo, gummy buckwheat soba noodle salad, disappointing pad thai) I am so happy to finally have landed on a meal that actually made me want seconds, and I don't even feel like I'm bragging when I tell you how good this was, for two key reasons.  One, it wasn't cooking so much as "chopping and assembling" and two, I was really just copying a dish I had at Po, in an attempt to replicate their cured tuna appetizer.

It's been a while since I had Po's version, but my attempt hit on all the notes I remember from Po: it was fresh, tangy, crunchy and meaty, and most of all, it was uncomplicated.  I served my cured tuna salad with toasted bread, courtesy of the nice folks at Zaro's Bakery -- I attended a tasting at the foodie-mall-fantasy market at Grand Central Terminal on Tuesday night, and while chatting with other food bloggers suddenly found a giant sack of bread being thrust into my hands.  I never turn down a carb, and the 8-Grain Bread toasted up nicely, two days later.  This was a good dinner and as I am - despite any indications I've given otherwise - a lazy and impatient cook, the fact that the only time I ventured near the stove was to toast my pine nuts, and then the bread, it was a perfect weeknight meal.

Tuna and White Bean Salad, with Chili-Mint Vinaigrette

• 1 can butter or cannellini beans (14 oz)
• 1 large can Italian tuna, in oil (200 g - sorry, am bad at conversions)
• 1 small head frisee lettuce
• 1 small-medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 handful pine nuts, toasted
• juice of one lemon

(for the vinaigrette)

• 1 bunch mint, minced (about 1/4 cup when chopped)
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 2-3 glugs chili oil
• 2-3 glugs olive oil
• apprx 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• salt, pepper to taste

Coarsely chop half the head of frisee.  Add tuna, white beans, sliced onions, toasted pine nuts (toast in skillet about 4 minutes, until brown and fragrant) and toss with juice of one lemon.  Prepare the dressing: mince the mint leaves and shallot, add chili oil, olive oil,vinegar, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk, and then add to the tuna and white bean salad.  Toss gently and serve over toasted rustic bread.

Mango Shrimp with Glass Noodles

To be totally honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this recipe.  I went from Ooh Mango! to Hmmm, too sweet, to Ick, too much vinegar, to Yum, nice and spicy! and then round and round and on top of that, I'm not quite sure how to keep my glass noodles clump free; mine were just a wet nest of noodle for the most part.  But, the mango, pepper, scallion, basil, lime juice (my addition) and shrimp were all very fresh and bright and flavorful...it just didn't work for me overall.  For such an easy, simple dish there was too much going on, I think. 

At least it was pretty...

Recipe adapted from Gourmet, via Epicurious:

• 1 lb shrimp, cleaned
• 1-2 mangoes, diced
• juice of one lime
• 4 scallions, finely chopped crosswise
• 1 Serrano pepper, minced (no seeds)
• 1 handful basil, coarsely chopped
• 1 half package glass noodles (4 oz)
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in large skillet and saute shrimp until pink and cooked through.  Set aside.  Chop mango, scallion, pepper, basil and place in bowl, douse with lime juice.  When cool, add shrimp.  Place glass noodles in large bowl and cover with boiling water, 8 minutes.  Drain in colander, rinse with cold water, drain, and then return to bowl.   Mix vinegar, sugar and salt until sugar is dissolved; add half to noodles and half to shrimp mixture.  Plate noodles and pile shrimp and mango on top. 

Placeholding

Here is a picture of a tomato stuffed with quinoa, zucchini, feta, red basil and red onion to distract you while I try and get my thoughts together about the totally fantastic dinner I had at Del Posto the other night:

...more to come, eventually ;)

Serendipitous Discovery: Zucchini Pancakes!

Say you joined a CSA.  Say you found yourself with about a bajillion squash and some spring onions, among other things.  Say you invited friends over for dinner and weren't really sure of what to serve, and had limited time to prepare an edible meal, but were pretty sure you needed to use up some of your zucchini, somehow.

Worry not!  I happened upon the perfect solution to the glut of mid-summer squash!  I grated up a few of my zucchini, salted the whole mess, then let it sit for about half an hour before squeezing out as much water as possible.  Then, I added 2 eggs, about 1 1/2 cups corn meal, and about half a cup of minced scallion to the squash, and mixed.  And again, drained off more liquid after about 10 more minutes.

I heated olive oil in a skillet and formed pancake/patty-formations with the zucchini slop, and fried them until each side was browned and crisp.

They were wicked good.

The end.  (PS -- I served the zucchini pancakes with orchietti tossed with fresh tomato and shredded fresh mozzarella, with fruity white wine.)

Zucchini Pancakes

• 2-3 large zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 bunch scallions, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Grate squash on coarse edge of box grater, or chop finely.  Salt heavily and let stand in bowl for 10-20 minutes.  Drain liquid, and squeeze as much liquid from zucchini as possible.  Add eggs, cornmeal, scallions and seasoning to squash, set aside.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in skillet until shimmering.  Drain any remaining liquid from zucchini mixture.  Take handful of squash and form into patties.  Fry in the skillet until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and serve immediately (maybe with creme fraiche or sour cream - YUM!)

Avocado-Corn Salad

Today is the last day of July, and once the calendar hits August I officially begin resenting the oven.  This time of year is for fresh produce and chilled things.  It's for barbecue-ing, for those of us lucky enough to have outdoor space (not me!), and it's for salsa and salad and lots of other fresh, colorful things.

I threw together this salsa-salad hybrid because all I really wanted to eat was corn, avocado and/or tomato and this seemed like the easiest way to get all three things in my belly at once.  I think I could dice things a little finer and heap it on some kind of grilled white fish, maybe, or stuff it into a pita or tortilla with shredded chicken...basically, you can't go wrong when the main ingredient is 2 avocados.  I can't even really claim this is a 'recipe' -- it's more a snapshot of my summer.

Also, a warning:  If you cut yourself while dicing an avacado, for instance, you might want to enlist help with the dicing of the jalapeno.  Because let me just tell you that otherwise...OW.  Serious pain.

Avocado-Corn Salad

• 2 avocados, diced
• 3 ears of corn, kernels removed, uncooked
• 1 lb cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• juice of 2 limes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Dice the avocado, put in non-reactive bowl, douse with lime juice.  Add the fresh corn, tomatoes, and cucumber, season to taste.  Add the jalapeno.  Avoid touching your eyes.  Eat straight from the bowl, with crisp white wine, cold beer, chips, baguette, tortillas, more wine, more beer, whatever!