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they're still working on the kitchen...but we're making progress:
the cabinets are finally in after the royal screwup by Mattix. Hopefully tomorrow they'll put the countertops on and we can get the appliances in place.
They're putting in both the front and back doors today, as well as sheetrocking the front bathroom. It's been nothing but the whine of power tools in here, making it all but impossible to record anything. We'll talk food tomorrow...
Red Wine Steak Sauce
(I need a name for this creation, if you've got a suggestion, e-mail me)
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped fine
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
4tbps butter
4tbps flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 pound tasso, chopped into small cubes
salt/pepper/creole seasoning to taste
Saute the onions/peppers/celery in 2tbps butter until the onion is wilted. Melt in the rest of the butter. When butter is melted, stir in flour. Brown flour over very low heat until it is blonde in color rather than white. Slowly stir in the beef stock, then the red wine, stirring constantly. Add the tasso and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
Serve over good steaks. Makes enough sauce for 2 or 3 steaks.
...but not at the same time. :-)
The Podcast (28 minutes, 27.4MB)
The simple cream sauce I made last night starts with the "holy trinity" of onion, green pepper, and celery. I used a pre-chopped mix from the grocery:
sauteeing the veggies:
Then 1/4 cup of wine (Lancer's Rose' for this sauce), and a 1/4 cup of heavy cream.
This sauce was to go over some very nice-looking salmon for me. The family wanted pork chops:
The pork chops, grilling up:
the side dish was Zatarain's "New Orleans Rice and Gravy," cooked in the microwave:
The finished pork chops:
The grilled salmon, with the sauce:
The Podcast is back! Today, we talk about survival food and white beans and rice.
Survival food to me means stuff I can cook while I have no kitchen, like these microwaveable "bowl" dishes from Zatarain's:
Here's what it looks like heated up:
White Beans and Rice
Creole Cooked Red Beans
1 lb dried Great Northern white beans
1 ham bone
8-10 cups water
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb ham, diced
1/2 lb hot sausage, sliced
1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cups rice, cooked
Preparation of the beans:
Wash and sort the beans. Cover the beans with water and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat an let the beans soak for at least 1 hour. Even if you plan to soak the beans overnight, this method keeps the beans from souring. This short-soak method helps retain the vitamins, cuts cooking time considerably, and produces beans with fewer hard skins than those soaked overnight. Add the salt and vlavorings only after soaking. Salt has a tendency to toughen the beans which causes them to take longer to cook. In order to prevent the beans from boiling over, add 1 tbsp. bacon grease or butter, a piece of slab bacon, or seasoning ham wieth some fat on it. One cup of dried beans yields, depending on the variety and size of the beans, 2-23/4 cups cooked beans. Nutritionally, beans are high in protein, but they require the addition of rice to be a complete protein.
After beans are prepared:
In a large pot place the ham bone, water, tomato sauce, garlic salt, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce and beans. Cook, uncovered, over low heat. In a skillet saute the ham and sausage until the grease is rendered. Transfer the ham and sausage to the bean pot. To the grease in the skillit add the cleery, onion, and garlic and saute until soft. Pour this mixture into the bean pot. Add the bay leaves, salt, and pepper and continue cooking for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the beans are soft and creamy. Add the water while cooking if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and add the parsley. Serve the beans over the rice. Serves 6-8.
Grilling up the meat:
Sauteeing the onions in my improvised frying pan:
Simmering the beans:
Grilled sausagg. The top left is hot sausage, the curvy links are andouille, and the straight ones regular smoked sausage:
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.
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!
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 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.
