Expanding Our Vegetable Options

Two months ago a very fortunate thing happened. Farmer Paul and I met Graham Kerr – The Galloping Gourmet. Thanks to a mutual friend and impeccable timing, we spent a very enjoyable lunch hour talking with Graham and he shared with us his excitement about his upcoming book which is completely focused on vegetables.

And, during the one hour we spent with him, Graham was able to do something I have not managed in almost twenty years of marriage – he convinced Farmer Paul to try brussels sprouts. He told him that, when cooked properly, sprouts are delicious. He convinced him that they’re not mini-cabbages. He made Paul promise to try them.

And so, Paul tried them tonight.

To put this in proper perspective, you must realize that twenty years ago, during our first years of marriage, I was shocked to discover that there was one – yes, ONE green vegetable that Paul would eat. Green Beans. Cooked southern style – that is to say, slow boiled with bacon until very, very tender. That’s it. (Unless you count an occasional salad….a very occasional salad.)

Slowly over the years, my cooking skills and his trust in these skills has persuaded him to try numerous other veggies. He now counts a multitude of green vegetables as completely enjoyable and welcome at the dinner table. And this enjoyment seems to inspire the kiddos to eat their veggies too. In fact, the whole family eagerly looks forward to asparagus, broccoli and big servings of salad all summer long.

And, happily, as of tonight, brussels sprouts are added to the mix. Cause Graham was right, and Farmer Paul does like them!

Chicken Cordon Bleu – Chicken of the Week

Tonight we had a guest for dinner, so I left work 1/2 hour early so that I’d get home early and dinner wouldn’t be too late. But, as happens with so many well thought out plans, this one was thwarted.

Traffic.

It took way more than an hour to travel what normally takes 20 minutes. But even though I spent so much of my time this evening surrounded by brake lights, I still was able to get an amazing (it’s no time to be modest) dinner on the table before 7 p.m.

I know what you’re thinking…Chicken Cordon Bleu? How could something so amazing be done so quickly?

Well, there’s two answers to this question.

First, I did some of the prep work last night. Second, the recipe is nowhere near as challenging as you might expect. And third, I’m just that good. (I know I said two answers, so just pick your two most favorite from the above list.)

So if you want an amazing, yet easy, weeknight dinner, simply:

Take a boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut a pocket in the side. Into this pocket, stuff a piece of ham, cooked bacon or prosciutto (my pork of choice) and a piece of cheese (I used Ementaler, but it could have been Gruyere or Swiss or almost any kind you like.) Use toothpicks to close the chicken. Repeat for the number of servings you want. Place all chicken in a pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (The overnight rest helps it hold together when you cook it.)

The next day…

Heat the oven to 375. Also, heat 1/2″ oil in a skillet.

Set out three pie plates, dishes, pans or other vessels of choice. In the first, put about 1/2 c flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. In the second, mix 1 egg with 1 T water for every 3 chicken breasts you are cooking. In the third pan, dump in some panko breading along with salt and pepper – maybe 1/2 cup panko for every chicken breast you’re making. You probably won’t use all the panko, but it’s easier to have too much than to just have barely enough.

Remove toothpicks from the chicken and, one at a time, dip/dust the chicken in the flour, then dip in the egg wash then finally cover in the panko. Set chicken aside. When all the chicken is breaded, carefully place in the hot skillet. Cook until chicken is golden brown on one side, then turn it over and brown the second side. Place on baking sheet.

When all chicken is browned, place it in the oven for about 15 minutes. It’ll be done when a thermometer reads 160 degrees in the middle of the chicken.

That’s it. If it sounds like hard work, think again.

If it sounds amazingly delicious, just know that you’re right.

Of course, what really makes the meal superb is terrific company. But that’s a story for another time.

I’ll tell you all about it in June.

The Problem with Raising Chickens

“What’s for dinner?”

“Chicken”

“What kind?”

“Cooked.”

Approximately two nights a week, that is the conversation in our house. And most of the time I’m not intentionally being vague, I just don’t know what I want to do for dinner.

I am a little hindered by the fact that I’m almost always cooking a whole bird. Very seldom do I cook a meal of chicken breasts, let alone boneless, skinless chicken breasts. After all, it’s a biological fact that there’s no chickens that are made up entirely of breast meat. And I found out the first year we raised birds that if I part out too many of them, we use the breast meat first and are left with a lot of dark meat as we near the end of our freezer storage.

A lot of dark meat.

So, dinner last night was, you guessed it, chicken. What kind? I didn’t know. One idea was shot down because it was too spicy. Another bit the dust because I didn’t want to fry. “What about…” …nope, don’t have the ingredients.

I googled “chicken for dinner” and eventually came to this recipe that hit the trifecta:

1) It sounded good

2) I had the ingredients, and

3) It would work for a whole chicken.

So last night’s dinner for this chicken-raising family was Orange Hoisin Chicken. It was a good, delicious choice.

Orange Hoisin Chicken

• 1 chicken, cut into parts
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 c orange juice concentrate (the frozen stuff in a can)
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c hoisin sauce
• 2 t dried ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 T sesame oil
• 2 T rice wine vinegar
  

Heat olive oil in frying pan. When hot, add chicken skin down a few pieces at a time. Cook on med-high heat until skin is dark golden brown on both sides. Place skin-side-up in 9″ x 13″ baking pan. Repeat until all the chicken has been browned.

Mix remaining ingredients except rice wine vinegar together and pour over chicken.

Bake at 375 degrees until chicken is cooked through. (Use a thermometer!)

Set chicken on serving platter. Pour sauce into small sauce pan; add rice wine vinegar. Boil to reduce until thickened. The sauce is delicious served over rice.

Enjoy!

Served our family of 7.

Chicken of the Week – Balsamic Shallot Sauce

Four years ago I made an offer to my children. The first one who can facilitate welcoming Chef Jacques Pepin into our home will receive a brand new Ford Mustang.

Why Jacques? Because he’s my go-to chef.

There’s only one recipe of his that I have made that has not been amazing…and that one I blame on lackluster ingredients.

So far, I haven’t had to buy a Mustang. But I haven’t given up hope yet!

This past Thursday, as I was heading home, I was stymied. (Isn’t that the greatest word?) I had no idea what to make for dinner. I had defrosted a potroast the night before, but had been in a rush that morning heading out the door, so I hadn’t put it in the crockpot. The only other option I could think of that I had ingredients for and was quick was tuna casserole.

But I wasn’t in the mood for tuna. Or casserole.

Suddenly, I had an inspiration. Not long ago, as I was looking through Jacques Pepin’s cookbook for the Quick Tenderloin Stew recipe, I saw a picture in his “Fast Food My Way” cookbook (if you don’t have this book, you really should get it…there’s some real treasures in it.) The picture caught my eye. It looked amazing. I remembered the name of the dish was Balsamic something something chicken. Well, I knew I had balsamic vinegar, and of course I had chicken. So I hoped I was good to go.

When I got home and looked at the recipe, I was shocked. It was simple! After browning chicken breasts on the stove, the sauce is simply sauteed shallots (I used some onion too because I didn’t have enough shallots for the recipe) and then add in a surprising amount of balsamic vinegar, a little ketchup and some water. His recipe called for mushrooms also, but I didn’t have any, so mine was mushroom-free. The sauce is fantastic without mushrooms, so I’m almost afraid of how good it would be with mushrooms!

Once the sauce is boiled down and thickened, just pour it over the chicken breast that have been resting in a warm oven, and serve. Everyone…children and grownups at the table loved it.

I suggest you make this and make it very soon.

And if you know Jacques, please invite him to my place for dinner so I can thank him in person for his amazingly inspiring recipes. He makes it all so simple.

My Secret to Great Pizza

I have access to the world’s greatest pizza sauce.  You wouldn’t believe how much it cost me to obtain it and the danger I am now in just by revealing the fact that I have it.

This is a sauce that you can’t just buy. No, you have to know someone. You have to be in “the family.” You have to…

Actually, you have to wait and hope that my lovely sister Anna becomes a successful entrepreneur and starts selling her product on the shelves at your local grocery store.

Me? I just call my sister up and say I need more. Because in a blind taste test, by family chose her sauce overwhelmingly by a margin I’m too embarrassed to admit to.

My sauce was described as acidic and over-seasoned.

Hers was praised as rich and spicy. (Please don’t point out the irony of the fact that it says “Spicy and Rich” in Italian on the front of her jar.)

So Anna, if you’re reading this, I guess I need more pizza sauce.

For everyone else who can’t purchase this amazing sauce just yet, let me give you the perfect pizza crust recipe for you to store away for the day when Anna’s sauce is available to the masses.

Pizza Dough

• 2 1/2 c All Purpose Flour
• 2 1/4 t Yeast
• 1 t Sugar
• 1 t Salt
• 2 t Olive Oil
• 1 c Water (approximately)

Add all ingredients except the water to the bowl of your food processor with the regular chopping blade in. Turn on your food processor and add all but about 1/4 cup of water through the feed tube.

The mixture will start to look crumbly. Add a little bit of water at a time through the feed tube, just until the mixture forms into a ball of dough. Once the dough forms, leave it running for another minute.

Put dough in oiled bowl covered with a damp towel and let it rest. Each recipe makes about 1 large crust for us. I usually make 4-5 batches to feed our group.

Top with The World’s Best Pizza Sauce, Mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings.

Bake at 425 degrees for 13 minutes on the lowest rack in your oven.