August 2005 Archives

Creole dishes related (albeit loosely in some cases) to Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Podcast. (30:51, 28.2MB)

The Recipes

Chicken Marengo

1 whole frying chicken, 3- 31/2 lbs.
1 cup flour
1 Tbs. salt
2 tsp. Creole seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 oz. brandy
1 cup chicken stock
2 medium, firm tomatoes, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 cup Louisiana crawfish tails

1. Cut the chicken into the standard pieces. Combine the flour
with the salt and Creole seasoning and mix with a fork. Dust the
chicken pieces with the flour mixture to coat thoroughly but
lightly. (You probably won't need to use all the flour.)

2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan. Add
the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the chicken pieces and brown, all round. Add the brandy
and (if you like and are very careful) flame it off. (You can also
just let it boil mostly away.)

4. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring the pan to a light
boil, then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook on the lowest heat
for 50 minutes, turning the chicken now and then.

5. After 50 minutes, add the mushrooms, crawfish tails and lemon
juice. Cover and continue simmering for another ten minutes.

6. Place two pieces of chicken per person on plates. Adjust salt
and pepper in the sauce and serve around and over the chicken.

Serves four.

Chicken Chasseur

1 chicken, cut up
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. powdered thyme
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 Tbs. lemon juice
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbs. Worcestershire

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1. Combine the flour with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Dust the chicken pieces lightly with the seasoned flour.
2. Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof skillet and saute the garlic, bell pepper, and green onions until the onions are limp. Add the chicken pieces and saute until lightly browned all over.
3. Place the entire skillet into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, turning chicken once.
4. When the juices from the thigh run clear when you prick it with a fork, remove the skillet from the oven. Remove chicken pieces and keep warm.
5. Deglaze the pan with the wine, sherry, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat while scraping the bottom of the pan and stirring to distribute the ingredients.
6. Add mushrooms and Worcestershire. Cook until mushrooms begin to turn tender. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Spoon pan contents over the chicken and serve.

Serves two to four.

Chicken Napoleons

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill
1 10-oz. bag fresh spinach
1 1/2 tsp. fresh chopped garlic
1 Tbs. lemon juice, strained
4 oz. Emmentaler cheese, in deli-style thin slices
Phyllo pastry leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. With a meat mallet or the side of a heavy cleaver, pound chicken to the thickness of two stacked nickels.
2. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and dill. Sprinkle (do not dredge) the chicken with the mixture.
3. Heat the olive oil until it shimmers in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until it lightly browns on both sides. Remove and keep warm.
4. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and bring to a boil. Whisk the bottom of the pan to dissolve the olive oil and little bits of browned chicken that may have stuck. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the spinach, still dripping its wash water, and the garlic. Cook until the spinach softens, stirring carefully (avoid breaking the leaves). After cooking, drain the spinach well.
5. Coat the inside of a glass baking dish or casserole (about 9 x 5 x 2 inches) with olive oil. Place the thinnest chicken slices on the bottom. Top with slices of the cheese, then the spinach. Sprinkle a little of the lemon juice over this, then create another layer in the same way. Top that with the remaining lemon juice, and then with the phyllo pastry.
6. Put the baking dish into the 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, or until a knife poked into the center shows that the inside is hot. The pastry should also be browned by this time.
7. Allow to cool for five minutes. With a sharp knife, cut into squares or rectangles.

Serves four.

Artichoke Napoleon

Serves 24 Appetizers or 8 Main Dish

Large (24-count) California artichokes 24
Lemons, sliced 2
Garlic, peeled 2 heads
Salt and pepper
Flour
Clarified butter or oil
Mushroom Duxelle (recipe follows) 2 ½ pounds
Tomato Coulis (recipe follows) 5 cups
Sliced chives and lemon zest garnish
Mushroom caps, fluted, optional 24

Prepare artichokes: Trim all the dark green parts from the artichokes leaving the base and the inner, light green leaves. Slice top of leaves to about 1/2 inch above base. Cut the stem level with the base. Cook artichokes in boiling salted water with the lemon and garlic until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from water and cool. Remove tender yellow leaves from artichokes; set aside. Remove and discard any purple leaves or fuzz from the center of artichokes. Slice the artichoke bottoms crosswise into three even disks. Salt and pepper artichoke disks and the reserved leaves; dredge in flour. In skillet, cook artichoke disks and leaves in hot butter or oil until golden brown. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

To assemble each Napoleon: Place an artichoke disk on plate; top with layer of Mushroom Duxelle. Add another artichoke disk, another layer of Mushroom Duxelle, and top with final artichoke disk. Place one stack on each plate for an appetizer or three stacks for main dish. Surround stack(s) with Tomato Coulis and garnish with browned artichoke leaves, chives, lemon zest and fluted mushroom cap, as desired.

Mushroom Duxelle

3 pounds crimini or portobello mushrooms
2 ounces clarified butter
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon white truffle oil

Finely chop mushrooms with a knife. Heat butter in large skillet, add shallots and garlic; cook two minutes. Add chopped mushrooms. Cook over high heat until dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in truffle oil.

Tomato Coulis

12 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
2 ounces clarified butter
¼ cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup white wine

In a nonreactive saucepan, heat butter. Add shallots and garlic; cook two minutes. Add wine and tomatoes. Boil rapidly until tomatoes are soft. Puree mixture and press through sieve. Return mixture to saucepan and reduce to approximately 5 cups or until mixture coats a spoon. Season to taste.

the grocery had some nice-looking pork sirloins, so I picked up three and cooked those with a pasta side dish from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian called "Pasta with Olives."

For the pork, I browned them in a skillet with a little lemon-pepper seasoning, deglazed the pan with some white wine (Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc), then tossed them and the pan drippings into the oven (350F) for about 20 minutes.

While they were in the oven, I made the pasta. The recipe is simple: olives, olive oil, heavy cream, and pasta. I usually do this with an 8-ounce jar of pitted green olives (or fresh if the grocery has nice ones). Tonight, I used half pitted olives and half anchovy-stuffed olives. (All green olives here, btw.) The family doesn't care much for the anchovies, so I got those for myself. :-) Chop the olives and saute them in a skillet with 3-4 tbsp of olive oil. I usually add some cayenne to this for good measure. Stir in the cream and let simmer. Serve over pasta. I did this in two pans to keep the offending anchovies separate.

Both dishes came out very nice. I served them with corn-on-the-cob and cruncy french bread, along with the rest of the wine.

Ihave very mixed emotions about this particular coffee shop. It's a large place, with a big bar area and a lot of tables. The strip mall where it's located (Old Metairie Village) has ample parking, and there are a number of excellent restaurants, sandwich places, and groceries nearby. My family's first home was in Old Metairie, and the first Radio Shack I worked at was located across the street.

The interior is franchise CC's, which is not a bad thing. The dark wood fixtures, tables, and chairs make for a relaxing environment. The pastries and the usual selection of stuff from Chef John Folse's bakery and the coffee is Community. All good things.

In terms of computer access, this shop was one of the first where the chain experimented with offering Internet access to customers. There are a number of RJ45 jacks by the tables along the wall that still work if you want better speeds than wireless. The wireless works well, and there are ample power outlets for the tables along the wall, but not for the ones along the front windows.

The biggest downside to this shop is the number of studying students. It's a cultural thing that people don't share tables anymore, so when a medical or nursing student plops down at a table for four, the remaining three seats go vacant until that person leaves. What the baristas should do is to pull the individual tables apart a bit, clearly indicating that it's two tables-for-two. If a larger group comes in, they can push the tables together, and whoever buses them when they leave can inch them apart again. That would make it easier for others to sit down, and would also bring in more customers -- I've seen a lot of folks who walk in, look at the "occupied" seating, and walk out without buying anything.

Another issue with this shop is the noise factor. The blended drinks are very popular here, so bring your MP3 player and headphones to drown them out. This is a place where larger groups congregate as well, so if you're looking for peace and quiet, this ain't the place for you.

I don't want to hit this final downside too hard, but there's an additional issue that gives me the shivers. The regular crowd here is a bit older than in many places, and this is Old Metairie. David Duke's political career began in this neighborhood and the sentiments that put him into office still exist. It's common to hear the word "nigger" come from a group of older men in the morning, which puts me off in a big way.

I tend to listen to streaming audio while working in coffee shops, however, so this last one is easy for me to tune out. Because of that and because of this shop's proximity to other places I go regularly, it works for me.

I've received so many requests and comments about my Hubig's Pie article that we've set up a shopping cart so those of you who don't live in the New Orleans area can get your Hubig's Pie fix.

Buy a Hubig's Pie!

Muffelettas - where to get one. Central Grocery, Nor-Joe, Radosta's, and a few other places.

The Podcast (30:33, 27.9MB)

And since those of you who aren't locals and don't get to run to Nor-Joe regularly, here's the results of my weekend experiment:

Muffeletta Calzone

I saw some turkey salami at the grocery last week, and thought that it would be interesting to try that in a muff, since it should be leaner than regular salami Then I thought it would be even better on a muff pizza. Then I thought it would be even better in a calzone. :-)

Pillsbury pizza crust, Sal and Judy's olive salad, Mozzerella Cheese, Turkey Salami

open the dough can (or make up your favorite pizza crust). Cut the dough from the can in half (make 2 calzones)

Cut the salami into bite-size pieces and put down a layer or two on the dough, depending on how much you want in the calzone.

Sal and Judy's olive salad. It's a bit different from Progress Grocery, but still quite good.

The assembled calzone, ready for the oven. Obviously my pizza prep technique needs work if I'm gonna get to the big leagues. :-)

Out of the oven after 25 minutes in a 350F oven.

Lunch! I tried to squeeze out the olive oil from the olive salad. Next time I'm going to squeeze harder, look at the oil coming out of it!

"Butter is sauce waiting to happen"
--Alton Brown, on his show, "Good Eats" on the Food Network

Creole Asparagus

Dedicated to Gus, the Theater Cat, from CATS! :-)

The Podcast (29:52, 27.3MB)

The Recipes

Lemon-Butter Roasted Asparagus

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, rinsed and dried
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 tbsps melted butter
* salt and cracked black pepper to taste
* 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small mixing bowl, toss asparagus with olive oil and butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange asparagus on a baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until asparagus are tender. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.

Asparagus au Gratin

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

* 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
* salt and black pepper to taste
* 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
* 2 tbsps butter
* ¼ cup flour
* 1 cup milk
* ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tsps lemon juice
* ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 225°F. Add asparagus to a pan large enough to hold them lying flat. Cover asparagus with boiling water, and add salt to taste. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender. Carefully lift asparagus with a spatula, and transfer to paper towels to drain. Reserve ¼ cup of cooking liquid. Arrange asparagus with tips all pointing in one direction on a warm, ovenproof serving dish. Cover and keep warm in oven. Simmer mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of reserved asparagus liquid for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and arrange over bottom half of asparagus. Cover and continue to keep warm while making sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Continue to cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in milk, cream, remaining asparagus liquid and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return sauce to heat; simmer and occasionally stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over mushrooms and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Asparagus tips should remain exposed. Cover exposed portion of asparagus with foil, and place dish under broiler 2-3 minutes or until sauce is browned.

Asparagus and Crawfish with Glazed Hollandaise

Ingredients
1 lb. asparagus woody ends cut off
1/2 cup chopped cooked crawfish tails
1 1/2 Tbs. finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup hollandaise sauce (see below)

1. Bring a pan with about a half-inch of water to a slow boil and drop the asparagus in it. Let it cook for about three minutes. Then take them out of the boiling water being careful not to break them. Run cold water over them to stop the cooking and drain.
2. Heat the broiler. Arrange the asparagus in one row all parallel to one another on a broiling pan. Sprinkle the crawfish and the Parmesan cheese around the center of the asparagus. Pour the hollandaise over the center of the asparagus row leaving the tips clean.
3. Broil the asparagus until the hollandaise begins to glaze light brown on the top. Remove from the oven. Remove six to ten at a time wither topping intact using a metal spatula.
Serves four to eight.

Chicken With Crabmeat And Asparagus In Pastry

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, skinned and deboned
6 oz. Jumbo Lump Crabmeat
3 Tbs. chopped green onion, white part only
4 tsp. butter
Pinch Creole Seasoning
Puff pastry dough, cut into four sheets about 3 x 8
24 medium asparagus spears, lightly poached
3 eggs, beaten

Buerre blanc sauce:
4 oz. white wine
1 oz. lemon juice
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1. If necessary, trim the hard, woody parts of the asparagus and peel the bottom third. Bring a quart of lightly salted water to a boil and poach the asparagus until slightly tender but still crisp. Drain and set aside.
2. Pound the chicken breasts lightly to flatten. Top with the crabmeat, green onions, butter, and Creole seasoning.
3. Place the chicken atop puff pastry. Place the asparagus on either side of the breast, and roll up the puff pastry sheets tightly around the chicken.
4. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and place on a lightly oiled baking pan. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15-18 minutes, until pastry is browned. Serve atop buerre blanc. For a richer dish, top with bearnaise sauce.
5. To make the buerre blanc, combine the wine and the lemon juice in a skillet and reduce by half. Lower the heat to a simmer and slowly whisk in the butter until it emulsifies into a translucent, creamy-looking sauce.

Serves four.

Recipe from The Gumbo Pages:

Olive Salad

* 1 gallon large pimento stuffed green olives, slightly crushed and well drained
* 1 quart jar pickled cauliflower, drained and sliced
* 2 small jars capers, drained
* 1 whole stalk celery, sliced diagonally
* 4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
* 1 small jar celery seeds
* 1 small jar oregano
* 1 large head fresh garlic, peeled and minced
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 jar pepperoncini, drained (small salad peppers) left whole
* 1 pound large Greek black olives
* 1 jar cocktail onions, drained

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or pot and mix well. Place in a large jar and cover with 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 Crisco oil. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Allow to marinate for at least 24 hours before using.

August 1st is Lammas, the feast of the first harvest. One of the ways that many Pagans and Wiccans celebrate Lammas is to eat fresh bread, so today is a great day to talk about one of the best-known sandwiches in New Orleans, the muffeletta:

The Podcast

The Recipe:

The bread for a muff is important. The classic New Orleans muff is made on a loaf of round Italian bread from United Bakery on St. Bernard Avenue, downtown.

There are three meats in a muffeletta, ham, salami, and mortadella. For the ham, we're using good Chisesi's boiled ham. You can use Parma or Capri ham from your favorite Italian deli if you like. This boiled ham is classic po-boy ham, and works just fine.

Genoa salami, "hard" salami, as opposed to cotto salami.

The premier meat from the Bologna region, mortadella. You can see the difference between regular bologna and mortadella because mortadella has flecks of fat throughout the sausage.

Provolone cheese. Mozzerella can be substituted if provolone is unavailable.

Olive Salad. I'll post the recipe in a separate entry. This olive salad is from Progress Grocery.

To toast or not toast the bread? My favorite muff comes from Napoleon House on Rue Chartres, and they do a "hot muff," where the bread is warmed.

Drizzle some of the olive oil from the olive salad onto the bread.

Assemble the cheese and meats, starting with the cheese, so it melts a bit on the warm bread.

Then the meats.

Now the olive salad.

put it all together and grab yourself a beer.

To finish off, for dessert, get yourself a Hubig's Pie.