Thursday, January 6, 2011
Enchiladas Suizas
If you've never eaten at one of Rick Bayless's restaurants or made one of his recipes at home, you're truly missing out. I'm amazed by each and every one I make. These enchiladas are really no exception. They're the type of dinner that you tell yourself you're going to stop after one enchilada, but by the time you've stopped eating, you've mysteriously devoured two (or more).
Because I took this out of my Rick Bayless cookbook, I'm not posting the recipe. But that should just be more incentive for you to go out and buy your own copy, right?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Roasted Chicken
For my birthday last year, one of the things my husband got me was Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I am disappointed in myself to report that this is the first and only recipe I have tried from it in almost a year. In my defense, I thought about it several times but every time I considered it I decided I didn't want to spend 6 hrs in the kitchen cooking. Finally, I broke down. Unfortunately, I didn't follow the traditional wisdom to add one hour to your calculation of however long you think you will spend cooking whenever you make a Julia Child recipe, and we ended up eating dinner at about 9 pm. However....
This was the best roasted chicken I have ever eaten. I'm not exaggerating.
Roasted Chicken
Recipe by Julia Child, adapted slightly
Serves 4
Cook & Prep Time - The recipe said 1 hr, 10 minutes, but it took me at least 3 hrs from start to finish
INGREDIENTS
1 (3-4 lb) chicken
1 onion, quartered, and one small onion, diced
1-2 ribs celery, chopped into thick pieces
1 carrot, chopped into thick pieces
butter
salt & pepper
1 cup chicken stock
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt butter (about 1/2 stick)
Rinse the chicken and dry thoroughly. Rub butter on the inside cavity and season with salt & pepper. Tie up the legs with kitchen twine and then rub butter all over the chicken. Season very lightly with salt & pepper.
Place the chicken breast-side up on a roasting rack.
Put the onion, celery, and carrot scattered about in the roasting pan.
Roast the chicken for 15 minutes total at 425 degrees F. After 5 minutes, turn it onto the left side and basted with butter. After 5 minutes there, turn it onto the right side and baste with butter. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Baste the chicken with melted butter. Leave the chicken on its right side and roast the chicken for 10 more minutes and then baste again.
About halfway through the estimated roasting time, salt the chicken and turn it on its other side. Baste.
About 15 min before the bird is done, salt again and turn the chicken breast-side up. Salt that side and baste.
Continue this process until the juices run clear, or about 1 hr and 10 minutes of total cooking time. Use the fat from the roasting pan or melt more butter when you run out of the original butter you melted.
To make the sauce, remove the chicken from the roast pan and put on the stove top. Remove all but 2 TBSP of fat from the pan. Stir in the diced onion and cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Let reduce by about 1/2. Season with salt & pepper. Turn off the heat ad just before serving, swirl in about 1-2 TBSP of butter.
Carve the chicken and pour a spoonful of sauce over each piece.
This was the best roasted chicken I have ever eaten. I'm not exaggerating.
Roasted Chicken
Recipe by Julia Child, adapted slightly
Serves 4
Cook & Prep Time - The recipe said 1 hr, 10 minutes, but it took me at least 3 hrs from start to finish
INGREDIENTS
1 (3-4 lb) chicken
1 onion, quartered, and one small onion, diced
1-2 ribs celery, chopped into thick pieces
1 carrot, chopped into thick pieces
butter
salt & pepper
1 cup chicken stock
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt butter (about 1/2 stick)
Rinse the chicken and dry thoroughly. Rub butter on the inside cavity and season with salt & pepper. Tie up the legs with kitchen twine and then rub butter all over the chicken. Season very lightly with salt & pepper.
Place the chicken breast-side up on a roasting rack.
Put the onion, celery, and carrot scattered about in the roasting pan.
Roast the chicken for 15 minutes total at 425 degrees F. After 5 minutes, turn it onto the left side and basted with butter. After 5 minutes there, turn it onto the right side and baste with butter. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Baste the chicken with melted butter. Leave the chicken on its right side and roast the chicken for 10 more minutes and then baste again.
About halfway through the estimated roasting time, salt the chicken and turn it on its other side. Baste.
About 15 min before the bird is done, salt again and turn the chicken breast-side up. Salt that side and baste.
Continue this process until the juices run clear, or about 1 hr and 10 minutes of total cooking time. Use the fat from the roasting pan or melt more butter when you run out of the original butter you melted.
To make the sauce, remove the chicken from the roast pan and put on the stove top. Remove all but 2 TBSP of fat from the pan. Stir in the diced onion and cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Let reduce by about 1/2. Season with salt & pepper. Turn off the heat ad just before serving, swirl in about 1-2 TBSP of butter.
Carve the chicken and pour a spoonful of sauce over each piece.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Roasted Garlic Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
Sometimes, I just want mashed potatoes. Add in roasted garlic and mascarpone cheese and I'm all the more interested. I made these to accompany Julia Child's Roasted Chicken, and they were fantastic.
However, when I went to make them, I realized that I didn't have the hour to roast the garlic. Luckily, my America's Test Kitchen cookbook provided an alternative. I ended up putting the individual cloves, in their skins, in a dry skillet over low heat for about 15-20 minutes, turning them occasionally, and ended up with perfectly roasted garlic. It's a slightly different flavor than traditional roasted garlic, but just as good.
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Mascarpone Cheese
Recipe by Bobby Flay
INGREDIENTS
3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
6 cloves roasted garlic, pureed
1/2 stick butter
8 oz mascarpone cheese
freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place the potatoes in a big pot and cover them with cold water. Add some salt. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, combine the milk, butter, and pureed garlic over low heat.
Drain the potatoes and give them a rough smash. Add the warm milk mixture gradually and smash as you go along.
Stir in the mascarpone cheese and season with salt & pepper, to taste.
However, when I went to make them, I realized that I didn't have the hour to roast the garlic. Luckily, my America's Test Kitchen cookbook provided an alternative. I ended up putting the individual cloves, in their skins, in a dry skillet over low heat for about 15-20 minutes, turning them occasionally, and ended up with perfectly roasted garlic. It's a slightly different flavor than traditional roasted garlic, but just as good.
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Mascarpone Cheese
Recipe by Bobby Flay
INGREDIENTS
3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled & cut into large chunks
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
6 cloves roasted garlic, pureed
1/2 stick butter
8 oz mascarpone cheese
freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place the potatoes in a big pot and cover them with cold water. Add some salt. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, combine the milk, butter, and pureed garlic over low heat.
Drain the potatoes and give them a rough smash. Add the warm milk mixture gradually and smash as you go along.
Stir in the mascarpone cheese and season with salt & pepper, to taste.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
"Wine-Can" Provencal Roasted Chicken
I love beer can chicken. Love. It. Last winter, when it was too cold to grill, I tried making it in the oven with some success, but it just didn't taste the same and I ended up being disappointed.
Then, a lightbulb went off in my head. Why not try making it with wine instead of beer? The idea seemed much more oven-friendly and perfect for a cold Sunday evening. About 3 months later, I actually made it. (If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've probably noticed a pattern. I get an idea but then don't act on it for months. I'm trying to get better).
We both really liked this. The wine made the chicken nice and moist and the skin was nice and crispy and the meat had a ton of flavor. I'd definitely do this again. I didn't follow a recipe, so here's a description of what I did:
Wine-Can Provencal Roasted Chicken
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Inside Rub
1 (3-4 lb) chicken
3 TBSP butter (or so), softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2-ish TSP herbes de Provence
1/4 dried Parsley
1/4 tsp dried basil
Outside Rub
2-ish TSP herbes de Provence
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp dried Parsley
2-3 TBSP olive oil
wedge onion
white wine
Minced garlic
fresh herbs (I used rosemary and oregano)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken and thoroughly pat dry. Set aside for a few minutes.
Clean out a beer (or soda) can. Pour wine about 3/4 of the way. Add minced garlic and some fresh herbs to the can. Put in beer can holder for chicken.
Mix together all the butter rub ingredients. Find a few natural openings in the chicken skin and stick a clump under the skin and start to massage it in so that the skin is mostly covered in this rub. Do this on the breasts, legs, and thighs. Put any remaining butter mixture in the cavity.
Place the chicken on the beer can holder.
Mix together the oil rub ingredients and use a brush to rub this mixture all over the chicken.
Place a small onion wedge in the neck of the chicken to prevent any air from escaping.
Bake for about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs or until the chicken is done and juices run clear.
Remove from the beer can holder and let stand for 5-10 minutes before carving.
Then, a lightbulb went off in my head. Why not try making it with wine instead of beer? The idea seemed much more oven-friendly and perfect for a cold Sunday evening. About 3 months later, I actually made it. (If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've probably noticed a pattern. I get an idea but then don't act on it for months. I'm trying to get better).
We both really liked this. The wine made the chicken nice and moist and the skin was nice and crispy and the meat had a ton of flavor. I'd definitely do this again. I didn't follow a recipe, so here's a description of what I did:
Wine-Can Provencal Roasted Chicken
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Inside Rub
1 (3-4 lb) chicken
3 TBSP butter (or so), softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2-ish TSP herbes de Provence
1/4 dried Parsley
1/4 tsp dried basil
Outside Rub
2-ish TSP herbes de Provence
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp dried Parsley
2-3 TBSP olive oil
wedge onion
white wine
Minced garlic
fresh herbs (I used rosemary and oregano)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken and thoroughly pat dry. Set aside for a few minutes.
Clean out a beer (or soda) can. Pour wine about 3/4 of the way. Add minced garlic and some fresh herbs to the can. Put in beer can holder for chicken.
Mix together all the butter rub ingredients. Find a few natural openings in the chicken skin and stick a clump under the skin and start to massage it in so that the skin is mostly covered in this rub. Do this on the breasts, legs, and thighs. Put any remaining butter mixture in the cavity.
Place the chicken on the beer can holder.
Mix together the oil rub ingredients and use a brush to rub this mixture all over the chicken.
Place a small onion wedge in the neck of the chicken to prevent any air from escaping.
Bake for about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs or until the chicken is done and juices run clear.
Remove from the beer can holder and let stand for 5-10 minutes before carving.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sloppy Lasagna
Growing up, my family's lasagna was always a jar of spaghetti sauce (usually Prego) mixed with ground beef and some mushrooms, layered with noodles, cottage cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Nothing fancy, but it did the trick. Then, I went to Italy and discovered that lasagna can have a white sauce, too. I was in heaven. It was like a whole new world opened for me.
My husband, on the other hand, prefers his lasagna to be white-sauce-less. This has become an incredibly minor point of contention.
I watched Rachael Ray make this one day and decided I had to try it. You should too. It's pretty quick to put together despite the miles-long ingredient list and was really rich and comforting. I made quite a few changes to the original recipe, but and I think I would keep every single one of them.
Sloppy Lasagna
Recipe from Rachael Ray, adapted
Serves about 8
Prep Time - about 20 minutes
Cook Time - about 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 lb lasagna noodles (not the no-boil kind)
salt & pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
pinch of cinnamon
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 jar marinara sauce
a few fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
4 TBSP butter
4 TBSP flour
2 cups 2% milk
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
Break the lasagna noodles up into irregular-sized pieces. Cook to just shy of al dente. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the meat and brown. Once the meat is almost browned, add the onion, carrot, garlic, and bay leaves. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Once the meat is browned, drain the meat, if necessary. Return the meat to the pan and add the cinnamon and tomato paste. Cook for about 1 minute before adding the stock. Continue cooking for about another minute before adding the marinara sauce. Reduce heat and add the basil.
While the sauce simmers, melt butter over medium heat in a medium pot. Whisk in the flour. Cook for about a minute and then whisk in the milk and nutmeg. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Cook for a few minutes, to thicken, and then stir in half of the cheese. Turn off the heat.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add about 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese to the cottage cheese and stir together.
Add the pasta to the meat sauce and mix together (stop adding pasta when you have reached your desired level of sauce-y-ness). Put about 1/2 or 1/3 of this mixture into the bottom of a lasagna pan. Add 1/2 or 1/3 of the cottage cheese to the top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and pour 1/2 or 1/3 of the white sauce over all. Continue layering as such until you are out of all ingredients. Top with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese.
Put in the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the broiler on and keep it under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese starts to bubble.
My husband, on the other hand, prefers his lasagna to be white-sauce-less. This has become an incredibly minor point of contention.
I watched Rachael Ray make this one day and decided I had to try it. You should too. It's pretty quick to put together despite the miles-long ingredient list and was really rich and comforting. I made quite a few changes to the original recipe, but and I think I would keep every single one of them.
Sloppy Lasagna
Recipe from Rachael Ray, adapted
Serves about 8
Prep Time - about 20 minutes
Cook Time - about 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 lb lasagna noodles (not the no-boil kind)
salt & pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
pinch of cinnamon
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 jar marinara sauce
a few fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
4 TBSP butter
4 TBSP flour
2 cups 2% milk
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
Break the lasagna noodles up into irregular-sized pieces. Cook to just shy of al dente. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the meat and brown. Once the meat is almost browned, add the onion, carrot, garlic, and bay leaves. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Once the meat is browned, drain the meat, if necessary. Return the meat to the pan and add the cinnamon and tomato paste. Cook for about 1 minute before adding the stock. Continue cooking for about another minute before adding the marinara sauce. Reduce heat and add the basil.
While the sauce simmers, melt butter over medium heat in a medium pot. Whisk in the flour. Cook for about a minute and then whisk in the milk and nutmeg. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Cook for a few minutes, to thicken, and then stir in half of the cheese. Turn off the heat.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add about 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese to the cottage cheese and stir together.
Add the pasta to the meat sauce and mix together (stop adding pasta when you have reached your desired level of sauce-y-ness). Put about 1/2 or 1/3 of this mixture into the bottom of a lasagna pan. Add 1/2 or 1/3 of the cottage cheese to the top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and pour 1/2 or 1/3 of the white sauce over all. Continue layering as such until you are out of all ingredients. Top with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese.
Put in the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the broiler on and keep it under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes until the cheese starts to bubble.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Chicken Bolognese
There isn't much to say about this recipe. It was really tasty and quick to make for a week-night dinner. I'm not convinced it's actually a bolognese, but I don't want to doubt Wolfgang Puck. My understanding is that a bolognese is a rich, thick meat sauce (usually made with a combination of beef, veal, and pork) with a bit of cream and usually a tiny hint of cinnamon. Have I been wrong all these years? Or am I right and Wolfgang is taking liberties with his recipe titles? You should make it and then decide for yourself.
Chicken Bolognese
Recipe by Wolfgang Puck, adapted
Serves 4
Cook Time - 20 min
Prep Time - 40 min
INGREDIENTS
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
pinch red pepper flakes
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 lb penne pasta
DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook until browned, stirring occasionally; about 8 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, and red pepper flakes, and cook about 5-8 minutes, or until veggies are soft.
Deglae the pan with the wine and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated.
Add the tomato sauce and tomato juice and simmer about 20 minutes, until the sauce has a thick consistency. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
While the sauce is cooking , cook the penne to al dente. Drain and set aside. If necessary, add a few TBSP of the starchy cooking water to the sauce (I didn't do this). Add the pasta to the sauce. Top the pasta with the Parmesan cheese and toss until well combined. Garnish with parsley leaves and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Fried Chicken
What's not to love about fried chicken? I maintain there is nothing. I'm pretty much always willing to try a new recipe, and considering I had a bunch of buttermilk to use up one day, this Alton Brown recipe fit the bill perfectly. Most of my fall-back recipes don't marinade in buttermilk, so I was curious what the difference would be.
This was a great chicken recipe, though a bit salty. I would probably cut down the salt if I make it again in the future. I couldn't tell much difference in the flavor of this chicken meat compared to other recipes I've made where the chicken was not soaked in buttermilk, but I'm sure in a side-by-side comparison it would've been more clear. I'm not sure this will be my go-to recipe for the future, but it's certainly something I'll consider the next time I make fried chicken.
Fried Chicken
Recipe by Alton Brown, adapted
Serves 3-4
Prep Time - 20 minutes (plus 12-24 hrs inactive)
Cook Time - 15 min
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 TBSP kosher salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBSP paprika
flour, for dredging
peanut oil, for frying (Alton uses shortening)
DIRECTIONS
Put chicken into a large plastic bowl and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hrs (the longer you let it sit in the buttermilk, the more tender the chicken will be).
Heat the oil to 325 degrees (we used our deep fryer, but if you're using a pan, let the oil come up to about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch up the side of the pan). Do not let the oil go over 325 degrees.
Drain the chicken in a colander.
Combine the salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Season the chicken with this mixture. Dredge in the flour and then put in the oil. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes per side. We used chicken legs only, so I think our total cook time was about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oil and drain on a cooling rack before serving.
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