Category: Awesome Recipes!

It’s a Gamble…Ramble…

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Lord knows that most the time I rarely use a recipe, and if I end up using one I never follow everything to a T.   I am often inspired to make something sporadically but rarely do I ever know how to recreate it.  So as soon as I figured this recipe out I knew I just had to write it down.  This recipe was created for my client.  This same recipe will also be used for a baby shower for which I will be catering later next month.

I adapted this recipe from  Saveur.com and it was one of Richard Olney’s recipes for a poultry liver terrine, from Simple French Cooking.  I assumed that pâté should have a certain consistency.  I was worried about not having a proper machine to make a smooth pâté but surely enough the idea of a very earthy and herbaceous chicken liver spread delighted my senses.  The instructions called for hand minced liver, and a bit of weight was lifted from my worries.

Everything and the kitchen sink in this one.  I opted for more butter, the addition of creme fraiche  and a bit more herbs.  So, forgive me if this isn’t the normal protocol for creating a liver spread.   It was a bit of a gamble to create something like this and not really knowing how it would turn out.  But to my surprise I had the upper hand on this one.

This spread is enriched through bacon fat, the creme fraiche, and butter which becomes extra decadent when it solidifies.  But it doesn’t taste heavy or overly rich at all.  So with my handy scissors I went out to the garden and cut up a few sprigs of sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram.

If you do not have Creme Fraiche handy I am sure you could work with sour cream. Bacon fat is also optional.  However, I would have really liked to have used Duck Fat.  It would have lent a bit of a cleaner taste and would have been really pretty to have a nice set layer atop the spread.

 
 
 
 
 
Rustic Chicken Liver Spread w/ Garden Herbs 
 
1 1/2  lb Chicken Livers
1/2 C.  Creme Fraiche ( I used Cow Girl Creamery)
1/2 C.   Softened butter
1/2 T.  Fresh Rosemary
1/2 T.  Fresh Marjoram
1/2 T.  Fresh Thyme
1/2 T.  Fresh Sage
1     Medium Yellow Onion
2  Cloves Garlic s
3 T.  Bacon Fat or Duck Fat or Goose Fat
2     Medium Eggs
1/2 C.  Milk.
1 1/2 C. White Bread Crumbs
1 T. Freshly cracked black pepper
1/8 C. White Wine
Salt

 
 
Directions
 
Things to Prepare and Set Aside…
  • Have your butter at room temp.
  • Finely dice your onions, almost a mince.
  • Make very skinny slivers of your garlic.
  • Clean your livers of any discolorations or sinewy pieces. Chop your livers for a small (not fine) consistency.
  • Take pull apart the fragrant leaves from the stems of the herbs and fine chop.
  • Lightly toast your bread, remove the crust and place in a plastic bag.  Crush with heavy object to make the crumbs.

Turn on your skillet to high let skillet come to temp, and add a bit of olive oil.  Add your onions and garlic let cook till softened.  Add your livers and cook till there is no longer any visible pink.  Add your wine and scrape bottom of pan, now add all your herbs.  Season livers with salt to taste.

In bowl combine your breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, and creme fraiche.  Season with salt about 1/2 a tablespoon.

Take your livers off heat and your fresh cracked pepper.  Let cook to room temp.  Add your softened butter.  Combine bread crumb/egg mixture.  Place in your desired dish. Let cool, and let it set in your refrigerator overnight.  However there is one other important step

Note: I like to use a potato masher or a large fork to further mash the livers after they get off the heat in order to get a much smoother paste-like consistency.


This is why I love cooking.  It’s the ability to make something ordinary like chicken livers into something completely heavenly and scrumptious.  I also love the ability to invent, re-invent, and experiment with the mammoth supply of food items around us.   It can sometimes be a gamble, but at least this time the end result gave me a winning hand.

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Spring has arrived! So with Spring showers come those May flowers.  I am hoping  blossoms will be plentiful in the garden.

This is a new recipe developed while feeling giddy about the youthfulness of  Spring.  This season somehow evokes a feeling of  fresh yet soft and creamy food.  But not too heavy. Which is why in this particular recipe  I went with milk instead of the heavy  cream to cook with.  This delightful dish is light and milky, satiny and succulent and when sliced, look not only appetizing but also attractive.

I made this for my client 2 weeks ago and this was one of his favorite dishes.  So I thought this would be great to include in my new post.  Hopefully I will include 1 thing per week that I make.

This dish is delicious and satisfying, it’s one of those one dish meals that has everything included in a small scolding hot ceramic dish.  The milk in this dish acts as a braising liquid with the sherry and the chicken stock.  The potatoes are cooked gratin style  and acts as a sponge, soaking up all the delicious goodness from the juicy chicken and aromatics.

Roulade of Chicken with Spinach Feta and Walnuts atop a Potato and Milk Gratin
( will serve 2-4)
 
 
2 Chicken Breasts butterflied and pounded to an even thickness 1/4 inch thickness
1 1/2 C. Roughly chopped Spinach
1/3    C. Course chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 C. Sliced Red Potatoes or  Sliced larger Fingerlings
1/4   C. Diced Onions
1/4   C. Diced Leeks
1/4   C. Diced Celery
3      Sprigs of fresh Thyme
1      C. milk
1/4  C. Sherry (White wine can easily be substituted)
4     T.  of butter
1     C. Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
 
Begin with butterflying your chicken breast.
It might have to take you up to 2 times to butterfly one chicken breast depending on how thick they are.  Pound them into an even thickness (not too thin) about 1/4 inch thick and season the breast inside well with a bit of salt and pepper.
Roughly chop your spinach, crumble your feta, coarsely chop your walnuts.  Sprinkle all these items in a single layer on the cut and butterflied part of the chicken breasts.   Be sure to leave room at the end about 1 inch so that the filling does not fall out.
Get some kitchen twine and tie your bundle neatly. Then lightly season the outside of your bundle with some salt and pepper
 
In a 8×8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish (or a baking dish of your choice), lightly butter the bottom and sides.
 
Using a mandolin (if avail) begin to slice your potatoes to an 1/8 of an inch thickness.
Dice your leeks, celery and onions in small dices.
 
Heat your sauté pan and add a bit of olive oil.  Reserve 2 sprigs of  Thyme and.  Add your carrots, onions leeks and 1 thyme sprig.  Sweat till onions are slightly translucent.  Douse with Sherry and let come to a boil.
 
Combine the rest of the liquids – Milk, broth and add this to your sauté pan.  Season with salt and pepper.
 
In your baking dish add a layer of the liquid/mixture.  Reserve about 80 percent of it to cover the rest of your chicken.  Add a layer of the potatoes as you would a gratin season with a light sprinkling of salt a pepper.  Lay your chicken atop the potatoes and now add the rest of your cooking liquid.  If you have any left over potatoes just lay them around.  Lay your butter atop the chicken with a sprig of thyme on each breast and bake.
 
Bake covered at 375 for about 30 minutes.
 
 

Simply Delicious!

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It’s about time for some change.  I am moving next month and needless to say I am very excited.  Usually when one moves there is minimal grocery shopping, items in the pantry get boxed up, and anything in the fridge is usually thrown out.  That is happening  in both our apartments.  Lacking the will to cook a dinner after a hard day at work, and not wanting to eat out  I then decided that maybe  I could make something from the bits and pieces scattered around the fridge and pantry.  Behold…good ol’ risotto, some pickled artichokes, dibs and dabs of this and that and… a newly introduced favorite side dish of beans peas and mushrooms. Viola!

There is something about a delicate white bean that makes it magnificent!   I think it’s their creaminess that’s so satisfying and comfy!

I love garlic I love peas I love the creamy white bean and I love love love fresh Shitake mushrooms.  When all those miraculous ingredients are simmering together they create an earthy meaty & very magical miracle.  Sans the meat!

I made this a couple of nights ago to go along a chipotle risotto with pickled artichokes.  But that my friend, isn’t as important as the flavors that infused together when the creamy beans break apart.

Creamy White Bean Ragout with Peas and Shitake Mushrooms
1 Can of Cannelini, or Navy beans
2 medium Fresh Shitake Mushrooms
1/2 scan cup of peas (if fresh pre-blanched)
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on size)
1 t black pepper
1/4 cup of water
3-4 leaves of Sage
Olive Oil
Salt to taste.

Directions:

Prep:  Begin with slicing your garlic thinly into slivers.  For the mushrooms do chunky uniform dices.

Begin with a hot oiled pan and add your slivers of garlic.  Perfume the oil but do not toast or give color, add your mushrooms and lightly coat them with the oils from the pan.  Add your can of beans, water, and peas.  Bring to a boil and add more water to reach a risotto type consistency.  Season to taste and top with the sage oil   DONE!

To make the Sage oil simply heat up a bit of Olive oil and infuse it with chiffonades fresh sage and let warm through.

Dressing a Salad. Moms way.

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I absolutely love making vinaigrettes!  Since I started working the pantry station I have had to produce my own vinaigrettes as part the daily prep for my mis en place.  My mother once in a while calls me up and asks me tips on how to make a vinaigrette. My mother!  Now, when she does this it truly validates why I love to cook.  This recipe is really inspired by her and taken from her.  Mamma Dang  is starting to  appreciate my understanding of food , as well as my western influenced palate.

My lovely mom

My mom would use canola oil, rice wine vin, white onions and pepper.  I’ve added a bit more to enhance and adapt the recipe to my own contemporary palate but none the less the true essence of this vinaigrette is all KimLan’s.  Mamma Dang would use this as a dressing over butter leaf lettuce, and pan seared beef.  It was so good.  The multiple players of tartness from the vin, and the warmth brown savory goodness of the onions would emblazon the unadorned beef fillets

It is also very important to note that the onions be cut a certain way so that they can retain their flavor and their texture, because having the partial bite without the harshness of the raw onion is key.  Otherwise the nature of the pickling process would be lost.

Warm Pickled Red Onion Vin
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 Small red onion (cut into 1/3 inch wedges) or 3 med Shallots
2 T Dijon Mustard
3 T  Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp med course ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Salt

Directions:

Cut your onion in 1/2 from tip to tip not from the middle part (the fattest).  Taking 1/2 that onion now continue to slice along the grain, meaning again from tip to tip. So that you produce smaller wedges.

Put 1/2 your cup of olive oil into the pan add your onions and on your lowest heat, let the onions sit and perfume the oil.

Add all of your vinegar into the pan.  Let the onions pickle in the same pan. When onions have taken on a slightly pink hue and have pickled through but still have their bite (they will become a transparent but will not wilt) remove the mixture from the heat.

Add your mustard into a dry medium sized bowl.  Slowly whisk the room temp mixture into the mustard. Whisk vigorously in order to not let the oils seperate from the mustard.

Add the rest of your oil, add the salt and pepper.

The secret to this warm and inviting vinagrette is that the great aromas of the onions are slowly released into the oil and the vinegar to produce a truly delicious and savory tasting salad dressing.  It is STRONG yet balanced.

This dressing works great with strong chicories, and would also work really well with pork or poultry and yes even BEEF.  If using this for fish I would suggest a fish that is not too delicate.   The pepper and the mustard and the onions really work well drizzled over grilled meats.  I’ve also tried this dressing over roasted cauliflower, and it adds a wonderful level of pickled and savory flavors to cauliflower, which would make a great side dish.

Holiday Feast – Braised Lamb, apple bacon greens, soft polenta, cornbread dressing

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Last minute Christmas feast!  I had the urge to cook…not knowing the who what and where…all that was certain was the WHY.  The WHY I wanted to cook. This was the first holiday season that I was not home with my family.  I spent the time with Daniel at his loft and cooked us endless meals.  It’s usually like that, I start cooking and can’t stop! My mind starts to move in a rapid pace, brainstorming the next flavor.  I just wanted to feed and nourish anybody that was around this holiday season with a warm and comforting meal.

This was the case for this last-minute feast.  I wanted to cook to feed but who? where ? and what would I cook? Luckily we had the fridge stocked with random ingredients.  Some leftover cornbread, fresh lamb shanks from the local butcher, and using what we had in the pantry we accomplished a very very very tasty meal.

Citrus Braised Lamb Shanks W/Herbs
♥Will Serve 4-6

3 Lamb Shanks – Cut into 1/3rds
Zest of 1 lemon – & its juice
Zest of 1 orange – & its juice
2 T. Paprika
1 T. Salt
2 Sprigs Rosemary – Fine Mince
3 Sprigs Oregano – Fine Mince
1 Cup Red Wine
1 Carrot – Large rustic cuts
2 Celery Ribs  – Large Rustic Cuts
3 Cloves Garlic –
1 Small Yellow Onion
1 Bottle of Hefeweizen
½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions:
Rub Shanks with the next six Ingredients.   Add the red wine cover and leave in fridge for about 3 hours.
Cut Celery Carrots Onions and Garlic cloves.  Set Aside.
Heat pan till fairy hot add oil and lamb shanks.  Sear all sides until nicely browned.
While those are searing, take out your cast iron skillet (or any oven ready pot) add the cut aromatics including 1 sprig of rosemary.
Transfer seared shanks into the oven ready pot.  Add the bottle of Hefeweizen (any beer will do) and Apple cider vinegar to the pan and deglaze.

Add ½ cup of H20 to the pan; add 1 T of salt and ½ T. of pepper into liquid pour deglazed liquid into other pan.  Cover with foil and slow roast in oven at 325 for another 3.5 hours.

The combination of wine and beer balances the richness of the lamb.   The light bright hefeweizen calms down the otherwise rich and heavy braising liquid and is a beautifully unites with the citrus notes of this dish.

Slow Cooked Greens w/Apples & Bacon
♥Works well with beet greens, kale, and chard.  For this recipe I used a medley of greens. Together about 1 medium bunch of each.

1 Apple
1 Bunch Chard
1 Bunch Kale
1 Bunch Beet Greens
½ yellow onion
2 Cloves garlic
3 slices of thick bacon
3 Rounds of a lemon 1/3 inch thick
½ cup White Wine
½ Cup Water
2 T. tomato Paste
Salt to taste.

Directions:

Cut the apple into each side to leave a square core.  Slice those sides to fairly thin (but not too thin) crescents.   Set Aside. Slice onions into thin wedges, thinly slice the garlic cloves set aside.  Cut greens into 1 inch ribbons.  Combine the 2 T. of tomato paste with the ½ cup of water and thin out the paste.   Cut bacon into 1/2 inch dices.
Heat pan and add the onions bacon and the garlic when aroma is released (do not let brown) turn heat to medium add the apples cook for 1 minute.  Add the Greens and white wine.   Lightly toss and add the tomato liquid and salt.  Cover and let wilt.  When volume is reduced to ½ add the whole rounds of lemon. Cook on med-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Cornbread Dressing
1 Carrot
2 Ribs Celery
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Yellow onion
1 Leek
1 Shallow pan  6×8  (pre-made day old cornbread) Cubes
Chicken broth
4 T Butter
Oregano
Rosemary
3 T . Dried Herb Medley (marjoram, thyme, etc)
Salt
Pepper


Directions:

Set oven to 250. Cut the cornbread into small cubes put on a sheet tray.  Oil generously and sprinkle with the dried herbs.  Lightly salt and pepper.  Toast or dry out for about 1 hour.
Dice carrots, celery, onions, and leeks.  Make sure all are about the same size.  Mince garlic.  Heat up a Saute pan, add 1/8th of a cup of oil and the butter add the carrots, onions, leeks and garlic all at once.  Sweat the vegetables until onions become slightly translucent.  Add the chicken broth.
Transfer toasted cornbread into a large  mixing bowl.  Add the liquid mixture to the cornbread.  Add the fresh minced herbs, and a bit more black pepper.  Toss so liquids and vegetables are well incorporated with the cornbread.
Transfer into a baking dish, cover with foil and cook at 350 for another hour.

Merry Christmas.

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Brunch!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  This recipe is for my sister in law.

This morning.  Bacon, rosemary scrambled eggs and Swedish pancakes with Blackberry preserves.

♥ Swedish Pancakes ♥

1 large egg
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 T. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
6 T melted Butter
1 tsp. Lemon Zest
Filling:
Any jam or preserve.
Top with powdered or confectioners sugar.

Directions:

Beat egg and milk together set aside.  In another bowl combine the flour sugar and salt.  Sift Dry ingredients into another bowl and continue to add the liquid mixture.  Add in butter.  Mix with a wire whisk till no lumps.

Heat flat griddle or cast iron griddle.  Add small amount of butter to pan.  Hold pan with one hand (make sure pan is hot) with the other ladel a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan.  Immedietly continue to move the pan in a slow 360° motion to distrubute the batter evenly.  Cook till top none of the batter is at its liquid state.  Flip over.  Continue to cook 20 seconds take off heat.  Add preserves or jams to 1/4 of the round formation and fold into triangle.

Top with a pretty soft dusting of powdered sugar and your set.  I LOVE YOU MOM!

Sardines!

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In homage to my new haircut and the crisp seas I’d like to try out a new and delicious fish dish that is O so easy to prepare withno fuss ingredients.

So lets start by admitting that everyone  absolutely loves small flavorful plates! Tapas style plates are delicious smaller morsels of food that are easily shared and enjoyed by a party of friends.

The idea for this flavor combustion of ingredients came from my experience as a little girl eating tin cans of sardines in a tomato sauce with lots of black pepper with translucent slivers of onions and aromatic garlic.  The oily and meaty Sardine can be a hard thing for people to consider eating, especially canned ones.  Good sardines can give a lively yet flavorful bounty of fish flavor without the horrible smell or taste so often associated with overripe fish. They aren’t bad, in fact they smell and taste rather clean and not very salty.  It’s a great item to have in your pantry.  I love them!  This became an extremely quick-lunch today. I served this along some long slivers of sweet carrots and fennel tossed simply with olive oil and a bit of sea salt, it was a perfect and extremely tasty meal for 2.  Can serve 3-4 as an appetizer.

Sardine in salsa di pomodori con i fagioli bianchi e le erbe (Translates into Sardines with tomatoes and white beans with herbs)

1 Tin Can Sardines packed in Olive Oil  (drained)
1/2 Yellow Onion (sliced in wedges along the grain 1/3 of an inch thick.)
2 med cloves garlic
1 T Parsley chopped
5 medium leaves of Basil (rough chopped)
2 round slices from a lemon
Toasted rustic loaf slices
1/2 can white beans
1/2 cup white wine
2 med tomatoes (roughly diced)
7-8 Kalamata olives (pitted and rough chopped)
1 tsp.Cayenne
1 tsp. Paprika
salt
pepper
Olive Oil

Directions:

Heat up pan on high and sweat the onions and garlic 3-4 minutes turn down heat to medium.  Add the tomatoes, the cayenne and paprika.  Add the white wine and simmer.

Add 1/2 a cup of water.  Add your drained sardines and olives.  Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the lemon and simmer for 10 minutes then add beans. Do not over stir, just to heat beans through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Softly simmer for another 6-8 minutes.  Toast some nice 1/2″ slices of a rustic white bread.  Lay bread nicely on a platter and douse with a flavorful olive oil.  Pour the Sardines and tomato sauce over the bread and sprinkle with the rough chopped herbs.  You can remove the large rounds or coins of lemons but its nice to see them on the plate. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve.

I can already tell that Sardines will continue to be a part of my diet for years to come.  This version is a bit of a change from the childhood sardines that I am normally used to.  I incorporated the creamy body of the beans along the savory zing of the olives and lemons for a bit of brightness.

I remember one lovely afternoon while watching the waves while all bundled up at the beach, my pastry chef reintroduced me to those wonderful meaty chunks reminding me how lovely preserved items can be.

And one of my all time favorite songs!

A Message to you

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Wack wack wack slice slice slice pound roll boil bake.

I’ve taken on a new task and it has reintroduced fresh new inspiration into my life.

For the past 4 weeks I have been volunteering my time and have been giving cooking lessons as well as providing a hearty and delicious meal at a local non-profit. Most the kids are middle school aged and I was almost intimidated by the thought of them saying “EW…WHATS THIS” or even worst not connecting with them and feeling completely outta tuned with today’s youth.    I have to tell you the best thing that I have heard in ages must have come out of a 13 year olds mouth …“YO THIS IS HELLLA GOOD.”  Other comments such as “I like you better than the other cooking teacher…she was mean.”  Not to mention I think she also cooked them bland food.  It feels really good to connect with these youth, and I also vowed NEVER to play cheesy world music while cooking with them.  It also helps that we can talk about Rihanna and Jay Z as well as how to Julienne, chiffonade, slice, dice, bake, boil, roast etc…

In this post  I have included a video of Sting’s daughter singing a lovely tune that accompanies me in the kitchen, as well as a quick version of my sloppy joes.  Of course if I made this for adults and had a better budget the list of the ingredients would be a little more complex but not much!  Including Orange juice and lemon zest for the coleslaw with cilantro and I would use a beer or a wine to help with additional flavor to the sloppy joe concoction. And yes, hey call me MS. TINA

I made this dish before using a cast iron skillet and carmelized the onions also using some smoked salt, and a nice hearty wine (or was it beer?) I think I also added a bit of orange juice or pineapple juice.  SO enjoy this one for today.

This is today’s recipe.  I have 1.5 hours to prep, cook, clean, instruct, and sit down and have a meal with the kids!  I also have to use what we find at the San Francisco Foodbank, the programs Pantry but also some money comes out of the program directors generous pocket.

This is a quick ingredient gathering/list that I emailed to the program director!

Apple & Cabbage Coleslaw

3 Apples 4 carrots 1 cabbage mayonnaise 1 Green Onion 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander or Cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Apples:  Cut into slivers (please ask Ms. Tina)

Cabbage: Finely Julliened (Please ask Tina)

Green Onions : cuts into rounds.

Sauce: Add all other ingredients together but please ask and make sure all ingredients are present before you start to make the sauce.

Sloppy Joes – Keep in mind you might have some of these Items in the house

Hamburger Buns – enough for surprise guests and attendees.

Ground beef

1 Yellow Onion

2 carrots

1 red bell pepper

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup Brown sugar

1 can chopped stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste ( I think you have this at the house)

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar ( I think you have this at the house)

(as for spices I can work with what you have in your spice kitchen) So Dont worry about buying any of these I am just listing this for myself.)

Cumin, Coriander, bay leaves, Cloves, Thyme

If there is time for dessert then Lets buy some Vanilla IC. It would be VERY VERY easy.

Dessert?  Warmed Peaches with Vanilla IC.

I love it!! I love working with limited ingredients and making something delicious and comforting.  The past 4 (going on 5) classes were great! They were a bit hectic and many many surprise elements were thrown in, like having no time or the oven was at the wrong temp, extra kids to feed.  Most these meals become impromptu cooking lessons with the kids having some of the most awesome skills and initiative and having some of the greatest palates to boot! Fresh turkey meatballs with homemade marinara accompanied by a salad of fresh greens, to Shepherd’s Pie with fresh made buttery biscuits, to Smoked turkey legs with winter vegetable soup and a cinnamon apple crumble.   Today its Sloppy Joes!  I hope to put up pictures of the evenings. So until then …<3

VIETALIAN

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I fell in love with Italian cuisine when my father used to take me to this small family owned and operated restaurant in our hometown.  Now granted I didn’t venture far from home at the time so my experience with Italian food was very limited. A saucy and tangy tomato sauce topped with 2 large and moist meatballs. Yum yum yum…

I endlessly watched Lydia Bastianich when I was growing up with all those old and classic PBS cooking series.  I love love loved making pasta at home for my brothers, and experimented constantly with different ways to wrap flavor around and through strands of pasta.  I dreamed of studying Italian food with an old Italian grandmother.

One day I discovered risotto and I slowly expanded my repertoire.  What I definitely like about this recipe is its warm and rich characteristics.  The root vegetables lends a wonderful sweetness and the butter and parmesan add another level of flavor and richness. I wanted to marry the idea of Italian and Vietnamese cooking.  So on a cold and foggy San Francisco summer I decided to make an Aborio Rice Porridge.   In Vietnamese we call it a Chao…Here is the rough recipe.

Root Vegetable Chao

For the Stock:

1/2 Left Over Roasted chicken
1 Large yellow Onion
1 cup stalks of celery
1 cup  carrots
1 cup rutabagas
1 cup turnips
a good size rind of parmesan Cheese
olive oil, Salt & Pepper,
1 1/2  cup Aborio Rice
4 cloves Garlic
The rest of the reserved Root Vegetables.
4  cups Chicken stock
1/2  cup White wine
1 T Marjoram
4 T butter
olive oil, Salt & Pepper,
Garnish-Cilantro, Scallions, limes.

Directions:

Season chicken well and roast bones/scraps with salt and pepper, roast on high.

Dice: Onions, Carrots, rutabaga, turnip and celery (reserve 1/2 of each for later).  Smash your Cloves Garlic.

Saute onions (sweat) add 2 cloves smashed garlic, add the diced rutabaga and carrots and add your rough minced marjoram as well as butter.

Add stock and a bit of water, now add the roasted chicken, and parm rind.   Deglaze the pan with white wine to release the drippings add all the goodness to the stock pot.  Season with salt.  Simmer for 1-2 hours.  Deeper flavors will form when you simmer for longer.

When the hour has past, and flavors have started to mingle, in a soup pot heat your olive oil,  Add the 4 cloves of smashed garlic infuse the pan with garlic oil, now add the Aborio rice coat well with oil  add a bit of oil and toast lightly.  Add your vegetable medley that was saved from earlier and continue to stir cook till onions are slightly transluscent.

Photo by Daniel Dent

While that rice is toasting  begin to strain your stock.  Remove your chicken pieces and cool.

Add a good heaping amount of stock to your toasted (not burnt) Aborio rice.  You want to add about triple the amount of water at once and let simmer. Remember you want a porridge not a risotto so add all liquids at once, but more stock can be added as the process thickens.   I think it’s s

o pretty with those sweet root vegetables floating with the Aborio rice.  Add more stock depending on how brothy you would like your porridge.

Season well with salt and pepper.  When chicken bones are cooled pick apart the meat, and leave some ski

n for a nice richness. Add scraps of meat into the porridge.  Stir and let simmer for another 30 minutes. Total give for take an hour or an hour plus+. What about those large chunks of garlic?  By this time they have melted and can be smashed down some more to give the porridge a bit of a buttery soft & savory richness. It just adds to the all around wonderful quality of the dish.

By this time the broth has becomes rich and glutenous but still slightly brothy.  Garnish with chopped cilantro, green onions, and a wedge of lime.

Let me show you my Cast Iron Skill(z)et

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I love love love love love a good cast iron skillet.  It’s a great heat conductor, a great flavor inducer and an all around great apparatus for cooking.  From stove to oven, I find this heavy  item an ideal tool for ANY kitchen.

Here is an old article in the NY Times about the beautiful and versatile skillet:

Such pretty writing about such a manly and dark underdog of kitchen tools.  I think a smaller skillet is perfect for a fritatta too!

When I am at my boyfriend’s house I tend to gravitate towards his heavy and very well seasoned cast iron skillet.  I also gravitate towards it because he has an electric stove, and I find that when I use any other pan the heat to surface ratio is never balanced.  Example…when I boil water I find that rings form and bubbles rise where the bottom of the pan and the electric range meet, so to avoid that entirely I lean towards the handy-dandy skillet. Not that I boil water in the skillet.

One of my favorite recipes involves using short ribs and cherries.  Summer is almost over and the peak of cherry season has vanished. Before this happens I pulled out the cork from the bottle of Rose and celebrated the change with a BBQ version of Rose macerated short ribs in a smokey sweet tomato bath.  It starts on the stove and finishes in the oven.  It’s tender, sweet savory and smokey.

4 Short ribs (cut in half in order to fit the perimeter of the Cast iron Skillet), 1 1/2 cup Bing Cherries, 2 cups Rose, 1 whole large yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon Alderwood smoked salt, black pepper,1 stalk fresh rosemary, 1/2 cup IPA, 1/4 cup tomato purée, 1/4 cup tomato paste, flour, olive oil.

Prep: Cut the short ribs in half.  Do this because 4 good-sized short ribs would not fit a 12 inch skillet.  Cut whole onion in 1/4″ rings, Pit and halve your cherries, now lets slice the garlic into slivers.

Overnight: Macerate the pitted and halved cherries with Rose wine.  I find that even a bubbly rose would do well (beer or white wine would be a fine substitute.).  Pour just till the liquids cover the cherries.  If you don’t have the time to do this overnight then please at least an hour.

Heat your skillet on high.  Oil the pan. Flour and dust off  shortribs and add to hot skillet (the flour also acts as a natural thickening agent for the sauce). brown lightly and turn over do the same…about 1 minute on both sides.  Since we aren’t on the grill, I wanted the richness of a BBQ without the long coals and embers, I find that the rendered meat juices and browned goodness that are released during this process really give this sauce the meaty body that I want.  After the browning process remove and let rest

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Add the onions and brown a till they have picked up the color and the juices of the meat drippings, and until they have carmelized a bit themselves (you don’t want them fully carmelized, because you still want some crunch.  Add the slivers of garlic.  Add  1/2 the cherries without the juices and saute a bit longer (give or take 6 minutes total).

Add the smoked salt, pepper now add 1/2 the liquid from the macerated cherries into the pan and add the half bottle of beer, and the rest of the cherries (I do

n’t like all my cherries to be smooshed so I add 1/2 before for more concentrated flavor and the other half later for the texture).  I like using an IPA because of the hoppyness (SP?)  it’s floral and simple delicious when adding flavor and to deglaze the pan.  Now add the tomato paste, and tomato purée.  Here I use the combination of the two because the paste cuts the acidity of the purée and adds a bit more body to the dish, i.e a bit more sweetness.

Add the WHOLE rosemary (Optional). At t

his point simmer for a bit longer till everything has reduced to half.  Salt to taste and pepper to taste.  If Aleppo or Marash pepper is available I highly recommend you add a dash if you want a bit more peppery but not spicy notes to this dish, the Aleppo is super fruity so it really melds together well with the acidic and sweet characteristics of this dish.

About 15-20 minutes have now past, please now is the time to add your short ribs and all of the rested juicy bits back into the pan.  Make sure they are well covered in the mixture, add to the oven. Because you are using  skillet you can actually braise these short ribs on the stove top but be sure to turn down the heat to med so it’s still bubbling but not boiling.  If finishing on the stove cover and simmer 20 minutes.  If finishing in the oven cover and simmer at 375º for 20 minutes.

There are plenty of layers to this dish which is why there is the option for the Aleppo, and the Rosemary. Without them this dish is still great!  It revives the feelings of a delicious and thick BBQ sauce from an outdoorsy summer. It is sticky and gooey but a bit more classic but still rustic.  The meat is tender and fall apart and has really soaked up all the savory smokey bits of the browned onions and smoked salt.  The cherries have melted a bit but still parts and bits are meaty.  I love this dish for the many layers and how the personal perks of each ingredient complement one another.

If this lovely dark smoked salt is not available, green peppercorns would be pretty awesome with this dish, or simply salt and a good dose of black pepper.  Chomp Chomp Chomp!