Tag Archives: rosemary

Smashed Red Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

Posted on February 18, 2013 by | 10 Comments

Inspired by Love That Food

smashed potatoes

It’s vacation time, and you gotta indulge.  Since white potatoes are not normally in our diet, when we have them we want them to be extra-special.  This recipe for “smashed” potatoes is like the bridge between roasted and mashed – they are boiled until tender, then flattened and crushed so the creamy insides are exposed to soak up plenty of garlic butter, and finally roasted (with a sprinkling of rosemary) until crispy around the edges.  Yeah, I thought it sounded good too.

We served these potatoes with pan-seared beef tenderloin steaks, but the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:

  • 10 small red-skinned potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter (from pastured cows)
  • splash of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
  • ~1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender (easily pieced with a fork).  Drain potatoes and allow to cool enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 400F and lightly oil a baking dish that will hold the potatoes in one layer.

Over medium heat in a small pan, melt the butter with a splash of EVOO.  Add the garlic to the butter, swirl it around, and allow to simmer for a minute, taking care not to brown the garlic.  Remove from heat and allow the garlic and butter to join together in heavenly flavors.

In the meantime, using a metal spatula and a flat surface, smash the potatoes until they resemble small broken cookies.  (I tried using a potato masher, but the potatoes kept getting stuck in it.  It is better to have the potato in more-or-less one piece after being smashed.)  Transfer the smashed potato to the baking dish.  Repeat for all the potatoes.

Pour the garlic butter evenly all over the smashed potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the rosemary.  Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are starting to crisp and brown. (Keep an eye out for the garlic so it does not burn.  Burned garlic = yuck.)

Serve hot and enjoy!

steak avocado and potatoes

shannonOne of my favorite things to do is finding music in consignment stores, junk shops, you name it. Generally you can pick it up pretty cheap, so you might take a listen to something you wouldn’t pay top dollar for. Well, I lucked out here in Santa Fe- 5 CDs for $5! First up is guitarist Preston Shannon with Goin’ Back To Memphis. This is gritty soul/blues with a Bobby Bland/Robert Cray sorta sound, very much recommended.

You can’t do wrong picked up Emmylou Harris, no matter what. So getting the out of print Spyboy – for a buck- was a steal! Emmylou live, with Buddy Miller on spyboyguitar, this is a remarkable show. From past favorites such as “Love Hurts” to “Tulsa Queen”, Harris is incredible. We’re going to see her in a few months with Rodney Crowell and Richard Thompson…hope it’s as good as this!

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Roasted Pork Shoulder with Winter Spices

Posted on January 8, 2013 by | 11 Comments

Modified from The Splendid Table

Pork Shoulder Roast

The traditional menu for New Year’s Day here in the Southeastern United States is pork, black-eyed peas, and greens.  As the saying goes, “Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year.”  These foods are supposed to bring you prosperity in the coming year  – the greens symbolize money and the peas symbolize coins.  I have no idea what the pork is supposed to bring – but there is another saying that might be relevant:  “Eating high on the hog.” This expression may have originated due to the belief that the cuts of meat “higher on the hog” were better or more extravagant, but it has come to exemplify that one is successful and living well.

The pork shoulder (aka Boston butt) is not a cut “high on the hog”, but I personally favor the richer tasting, less lean cuts of pork.  A pork loin roast is delicious, if you brine it and watch it carefully to keep it from being overdone, dry, and tough.  The pork shoulder, on the other hand, is nicely marbled with fat and you have to make a real effort to overcook it.

We usually make pulled pork from a pork shoulder – this is the first time I have made a roast with it.  You still need to slow cook it to at least 185F so that the intramuscular fat and collagen have a chance to break down, making the roast tender and moist.  I was going to cook it on the Big Green Egg, but there was a steady rain on New Year’s Day so into the oven it went.  On the plus side, the house smelled fabulous all day!

This roast does not have much hands-on time, but it does take some planning due to the 2-3 day marinade in the spices.  Also, if you can freshly grind your spices, please do so for the best taste.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

  • 3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2-3 inch cinnamon stick, ground (or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup dry good-tasting red wine

Roasting:

  • 2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup red wine

Marinate the meat:  2-3 days before cooking, spread the roast out (untie if it came tied together) and make deep cuts into the thick parts and through the fat cap.  (Do not even think about removing any of the fat.)  Mix the remainder of the marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, then spread it all over the roast, stuffing it into the slits and massaging it into the pork on all sides.  Place the roast and all the marinade in a sealed plastic bag or a shallow glass dish (covered);  refrigerate until ready to roast, turning once or twice a day.

To roast:  Remove the meat and allow to come to room temperature (about an hour).  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Roll up the roast and tie with butcher’s twine.  Rub the roast all over with the rosemary and salt.

Oil a shallow roasting pan and scatter the sliced onions in the bottom.  Place the roast, fat side up, in the pan and scape all the remaining marinade over it.  Roast for 30 minutes at 400F.

Remove the roast and pour in the orange juice and red wine.  Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.  Continue to roast until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 185F.  This will take several hours (4-6 most likely) – check on the roast every hour or so to make sure the pan does not dry out (add water if necessary), check the temperature, and baste the roast with the juices.  If the temperature of the roast seems to plateau, cover the pan partially with foil to help concentrate the heat.

When the roast is done, let it rest on a cutting board, covered, for about 15 minutes.  Skim the fat from the pan juices.  To serve, roll the pork back into the pan juices to moisten, then slice.  Serve hot, with extra pan juices if desired.  Don’t forget the black-eyed peas and greens if it is New Year’s Day!

Pork shoulder roast (wide)

harlemWell, I felt high on the hog eating this! Yummy! Some yummy music this time too. Generally sons of famous artists are a pale copy of their fathers, but in the case of Steve Earle’s son Justin Townes Earle, there’s no fear of that. Justin is his own man indeed, as on Harlem River Blues. He’s taken folk, country and blues influences together and created something new and fresh, as on the title cut or “Working for the MTA”. Stellar stuff!

His second album, The Good Life, is more jukebox country, and Earle’s vocals goodliferemind you of classic country singers such as George Jones or Lefty Frizzell. Hard to believe a kid this young could be so assured and good, but the truth is in the grooves.

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Posted in Entrees, Pork, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs

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Honey Walnut Shrimp

Posted on January 1, 2013 by | 15 Comments

Honey walnut shrimp sq

My memory is not always the best.  I often hear people reminiscing with such detail about their past  – details that I can never muster from my foggy brain.  What they wore on their first day of school, their thoughts on the first time they saw the ocean, where they were when they first heard Stairway to Heaven.  I can’t remember that stuff!  What I can remember is every  time that I have had Honey Walnut Shrimp.  The first time was in San Francisco in the 80′s with my friend Cynthia, before we set off on our grand camping trip through Napa Valley and Yosemite.  The last time was also in California, with James on our 2nd honeymoon trip through the Russian River Valley.  Those delicate, crispy-fried shrimp, tossed in a creamy sauce, lightly sweet with honey, and topped with crunchy candied walnuts… I had never had such a sublime dish in a Chinese restaurant back home.  Nor could I find it anywhere nearby…until now!  Once I got over that fear of frying, this wonderful treat is now available in my own kitchen.

I adapted this recipe from Chinese Honey Walnut Shrimp found at Use Real Butter, but it is originally from Easy Chinese Recipes by Bee Yinn Low.  The main change I made was to use far less sugary walnuts.  Instead of glazing the walnuts in syrup, I toasted them, then tossed them in a butter and coconut palm sugar mixture, with a little rosemary and sea salt thrown in to make them more savory (nut recipe adapted from marthastewart.com).  I also replaced the cornstarch coating on the shrimp with tapioca starch.

We enjoyed these shrimp with a side of roasted broccoli.  It made a fantastic celebratory New Year’s Eve / Wedding Anniversary dinner.  (Note:  Goes well with champagne!)

Ingredients (generously serves 2)

  • 1 pound medium raw shrimp, cleaned
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • tapioca starch for coating shrimp (about 1 cup)
  • oil suitable for high-heat frying @ 350F

Dressing

  • 3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise (make your own - good way to use the extra egg yolk)
  • 2 teaspoons heavy cream or coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Candied Rosemary Walnuts (makes 3 cups, store leftovers in sealed jar)

  • 3 cups whole walnuts
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ~2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • sea salt, to taste

To prepare the walnuts:  Preheat oven to 350F.  Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.  In a large skillet, melt the butter.  Stir in the coconut palm sugar, honey, and rosemary until well blended and the butter is foamy.  Add the walnuts and cook over medium-high heat, tossing continuously, until the walnuts are well-glazed with the sugar mixture (3-4 minutes), being careful not to burn the walnuts.  Spread the walnuts back out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to cool.  Sprinkle with sea salt while hot.  Toss them around occasionally to keep them from sticking together.  The sugar-glaze will harden and will not be sticky when they are cool.

Thirty minutes before cooking the shrimp, mix the egg white with the salt in a medium-sized bowl.  Rinse the shrimp and dry with paper toweling.  Add the shrimp to the egg whites and allow to marinate, stirring occasionally.

Prepare the sauce by mixing the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Put about a cup of the tapioca starch in another small bowl for dredging the shrimp.

Frying in grapeseed oil (hence the green color)

Frying in grapeseed oil (hence the green color)

Prepare a cooling rack over paper towels for draining the shrimp.  Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy pan to 350F.  Working in small batches (6-8 shrimp, depending on the size of your pan), dredge the shrimp individually in the tapioca starch, shaking off the excess, and drop carefully into the hot oil.  Fry until the shrimp are crisp and starting to brown (about 4 minutes).

Honey walnut shrimp draining

Crispy critters

Maintain the oil temperature at 350-375F.  Scoop the shrimp out with a strainer and place on the cooling rack.  Repeat for each batch until done.

Place the crispy shrimp in a large bowl.  Toss with the dressing until glossy and well-coated.  (You may not need all the dressing.)  Serve with the candied walnuts over the shrimp.  Enjoy!

Honey walnut shrimp wide2

cdTruly a meal fit for an anniversary…and the first post of the new year! Going to start off our “menu music” with a couple from one of my favorite musicians, Collin Walcott. A founding member of Oregon, he sadly died far too soon in a car crash while on tour, but not before released a body of work that married his sitar and tablas with improvisational attitudes of the West. First was his first solo record, Cloud Dance. Walcott is joined here by guitarist John Abercrombie, Dave Holland on bass, and legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette. Together they create an entire library of new music, expanding the reach of both ancient Eastern sounds as well as the jazz of the west. Incredible!

Equally incredible was Codona, one of the first world music/jazz supergroups, codonawhich found Walcott playing with trumpeter Don Cherry and the great Nana Vasconcelos. Simply indescribable, the box set Codona Trilogy  collects all of their recorded work, and you really haven’t heard anything like it. Trust me, any group that somehow manages to make a piece from two Ornette Coleman tunes coupled with Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” is beyond compare. Enjoy!

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Roasted Cauliflower Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Posted on October 14, 2012 by | 14 Comments

Inspiration: Puree of White Bean Soup from Brasserie le Coze

Avoid doing this.

This week I got a blender, a powerful one, something that incredulously was missing from my arsenal of cooking tools.  I could not wait to take it for a spin.  After making a couple of smoothies, I thought I had the hang of it.  Let’s just say there is a learning curve… more on that later!

Years ago there was a French restaurant in one of Atlanta’s Buckhead shopping malls.  It was in a strange location, but Brasserie le Coze had some fantastic dishes.  I’m sure it was the first place I encountered skate wings in browned butter, one of their classics.  Another favorite was a puree of white bean soup, served in a crock with a drizzle of white truffle oil.  That soup is the inspiration for this recipe, in which I’ve replaced the beans with roasted cauliflower, and taken out the dairy.  (To be honest, I meant to add cream to the soup but forgot during the fiasco with the blender.  However the soup absolutely does not need the cream.) The result is a soup lower in carbs, but with all the depth of flavor of the original.

You may be wondering how I managed to make such a soupy kitchen disaster.  Well, when the instructions with the blender say “do not overfill”, they aren’t kidding.  Of particular note, hot liquids tend to steam quite a bit when you enclose them in a jar under turbo-blending conditions, and even with the vents in the lid, that steam will lift the lid right off the jar and erupt like Mauna Loa.  Lesson learned, thankfully without injury.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, white and pale green parts, chopped and rinsed well
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 rib celery, chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ~1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
  • ~1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 t fresh thyme)
  •  salt and pepper, to taste
  • Optional: white truffle oil, bacon bits, to garnish*

* Note: I used ~1/2 teaspoon of truffle salt in the final seasoning, since I did not have any white truffle oil.  Instead I garnished the soup with crumbled bacon bits.

Preheat oven to 400F.  Place the cauliflower in a shallow roasting pan and toss with enough olive oil to coat the cauliflower and the pan.  Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is browned in spots and tender.  Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until it renders its fat (do not crisp).  Add a glurg of olive oil, and the onion, leek, carrot, celery and garlic; saute until tender.  Add the roasted cauliflower, chicken broth, rosemary, and thyme.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 1 hour.

Puree (carefully!) with a blender, immersion blender, or food processor – in batches, as necessary.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish each serving with a drizzle of truffle oil, or with crispy bacon bits.

Delicious soup needs a delicious soundtrack, yes? Who better than Catherine Irwin, leader of the great, but unknown Freakwater! Her first album in a decade, Little Heater is a sparse but moving set of songs, born by Irwin’s haunting vocals, akin to Hazel Dickens or Hank Sr.

What, you don’t know Freakwater? Perish the thought! They came around in the initial stages of the “alt-country” movement, and their debut album, Feels Like the Third Time is a classic. Take a listen to the first track- “My Old Drunk Friend”, and I guarantee you’ll be sold on their old country with a kick sound. Tremendous!

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Balsamic Pork Belly

Posted on June 6, 2012 by | 11 Comments

Recipe adapted from Ian Knauer’s Sticky Balsamic Ribs

I hope you are not tired of pork belly, for a couple of reasons.  First, this is the best version yet!  (Yes, I say that every time.)  The second reason is because I still have a few pounds of it in my freezer, so chances are you are going to see more of it.

While looking for a marinade for ribs, I came across what has to be the most highly praised recipe short of when the ancient Mesopotamians recorded the first recipe for beer, as handed down from the god Enki.  Ian Knauer, a former food editor for Gourmet magazine, said “These ribs just might be the best thing I’ve ever come up with.”  Food 52 proclaimed the recipe “Genius”.  Ruth Reichl wrote about them in her journal after making them again and again.  Review after review – serving these ribs made you the most popular person in the world. Well heck, I thought, if this is good enough for ribs, it should be heavenly on pork belly!

Looks heavenly, right?  To use Ms. Reichl’s words – “Smokey, Sweet, Tangy, Sticky”  – that’s all you have to know.

I halved the original recipe since I was marinating a small slab of pork belly vs 8 pounds of ribs.  Also I substituted coconut palm sugar for the brown sugar, to decrease the glycemic load.  We were smoking ribs, so the pork belly went in the Big Green Egg with the ribs.  However, you can also roast it in the oven using these instructions from Jamie Oliver.

The last time we smoked a pork belly, we found that the skin was very tough and ended up cutting it off.  This time I borrowed Jamie Oliver’s technique for crackling the skin before putting the belly in the smoker, which resulted in a crispier, edible rind.

Ingredients:

  • 1 slab of pork belly (1-3 pounds, or whatever you have)
  • 4 large garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + 2 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze:

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 1/4 cup water

Rinse the pork belly and dry with paper towels.  Using a very sharp knife, cut crosshatches just through the rind (skin).  Place pork belly in a resealable bag.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with the 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.  Stir together in a small bowl with rosemary, sugar, vinegar, cayenne, remaining salt, and black pepper. Pour the marinade in the bag with the pork belly.  Seal bag (squeezing the air out) and massage the marinade into the pork belly, coating it thoroughly.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours (go for 24 hours if you can).

To prepare the glaze, bring the vinegar, sugar, and water to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Continue to boil (watching carefully) until the mixture is thick and syrupy and reduced to about 1/2 cup.  Set aside.

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Roasted Lima Beans with Italian Herbs

Posted on January 23, 2012 by | 4 Comments

Modified from Wholefoods.com

It was not shaping up to be an exciting day for vegetables.  There were slim pickings in the refrigerator, and I didn’t relish the idea of going out to the grocery store in the rain.  However, the ever-dependable lima beans were waiting in the freezer.  Waiting for a chance to be something different, waiting to be the star of the meal.  These lima beans DARED TO DREAM!

Ahem.  This non-stop dreary weather is getting to me….

I was in a lima bean rut.  I don’t cook them very often, but when I do, it was usually with a little bacon, a little onion, and some butter – not that there’s anything wrong with that. Looking for a change, I ran across a recipe for roasted lima beans on the Whole Foods website.  Roasting is by far my favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes, fennel, carrots, eggplant, parsnips, asparagus, cauliflower, and squash of all varieties, but I haven’t tried roasting beans.  The results were exciting – the roasting concentrates the sweet bean flavor, and gives them a “fluffy” texture inside while being a little crispy on the outside.  The herb seasoning, along with finishing touches of roasted red pepper and a drizzle of flavorful extra-virgin olive oil, really did elevate these limas to stardom.

This is an excellent side dish for the winter months, since it works well with frozen lima beans and dried herbs, which are readily available year-round.

Ingredients:

Did you know that lima beans have been cultivated in Lima, Peru since around 5000 BC?

Preheat oven to 400F.  In a medium saucepan, cover lima beans with cold water.  Heat on stove-top until boiling.  Add about a tablespoon of salt, and cook at a low boil, partially covered, for about 8 minutes.  Drain beans well and dry on paper towels.

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, dried herb seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.  Add lima beans and toss well.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or oil the pan lightly). Place the bean mixture in a single layer on the baking sheet, spreading the beans out evenly.  Put the bowl aside for later. Roast until beans are softened and getting crinkly-crispy on the outside, approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the beans are done, pour them back into the bowl.  Mix in the roasted red peppers and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil; toss well.  Season to taste with aromatic sea salt.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Our first musical “guest” was the great blues and R+B singer Etta James. James died last week, and we’ve found a few selections from her vast career to highlight. First up, R & B Dynamite, which showcases her early singles, including “Roll With Me Henry” and “Good Rockin’ Daddy”. Etta could really sing some R+B!

Next, from 1994, is Mystery Lady, featuring James singing some great Billie Holiday songs, such as “Body and Soul” and “Lover Man (Where Can You Be)”. A great, warm sounding recording, showing that her grand voice never lost a bit of emotion as she grew older. Thanks for all the memories, Etta James.

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Posted in Entrees, Side dishes, Vegetarian

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Chicken with Mushrooms and Grapes

Posted on December 18, 2011 by | 5 Comments

Chicken in a casserole dish doesn't photograph well, but you get the idea...

Suddenly it is almost dinner time, and I haven’t the faintest idea of what I’m going to cook.  This is an opportunity to take inventory of what is in the refrigerator, then google it and see what you come up with.  It is food roulette  – there are hardly any ingredients that someone hasn’t thought to combine and pass off as a new and exciting dish.  Some of those combinations are misguided. There is also a jungle of recipe sites out there loaded with the “can of cream of mushroom soup” casseroles – they’re not all bad recipes – they just need some updating with fresh ingredients instead of thickeners, preservatives, and artificial flavor enhancers.

I was vaguely looking for chicken baked in a mushroom sauce, with some sort of fruit added to perk it up – and I found a few recipes that had grapes.  Hmmm….I like chicken salad with grapes, so this seemed to be a promising idea.  The recipes I found seemed to be rather bland, however, and one included the unfortunate choice of red wine in the sauce, which reviewers reported caused the color of the chicken to be unnaturally purple.  Yum?  We can fix those problems!

This recipe fit nicely in the tagine, but would work equally well in any baking dish.  We enjoyed the saucy chicken with roasted vegetables; it could be served over noodles or rice as well.  The grapes are only heated until warmed throughout, so they add a fresh burst of clean flavor that contrasts well with the rich mushroom cream sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 8 chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper or pepper blend
  • 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot flour (optional, for thickening)
  • 1 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half (I threw in a few green grapes too – they were fine)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken thighs, on both sides, in batches, so not to crowd the skillet.  Place the browned chicken in a casserole large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.

Pour off all but 2-3 tablespoons of the hot oil in the skillet.  Saute shallot, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, then add the mushrooms to the pan.  Continue to saute, until the mushrooms are getting soft and have started to release their liquid.  (You can tell when this happens pretty easily – the mushroom initially adsorb all the oil in the pan, but after a while you will see liquid in the pan again.)  Reduce the heat to medium; stir in the wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom surface.  Add the broth and simmer for ~ 5 minutes, uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce by half.  Stir in cream and herbs.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

If you would like to thicken the sauce up a little, use a measuring cup to scoop up a few tablespoons of the sauce.  Whisk the arrowroot flour into the measuring cup with a fork to make a slurry.  Add the slurry back to the skillet, stirring constantly to blend it in.  Cook over medium heat until thickened to desired consistency.  (It will be less thick after baking with the chicken, since the chicken will add more liquid as it is cooked.)

Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken in the casserole dish.  Cover loosely with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover, and cook for 15-20 minutes longer.  Stir in grapes, and bake until grapes are heated throughout (about 5 minutes).  Serve hot!

Two incredible albums today. Little Feat founder Lowell George only made one solo album, Thanks I’ll Eat It Here before his untimely death in 1979, but its a honey. From his take on “I Can’t Stand The Rain” to his “20 Million Things”, this is a romping exercise in soul.

One of the greatest blues albums ever, the late-50s release Two Steps From The Blues from Bobby “Blue” Bland is simply untoppable. Not as guitar oriented as his stuff with BB King, this is mellow soul blues from the master.

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Cauliflower Purée with Goat Cheese

Posted on September 15, 2011 by | 3 Comments

We ran across some MONSTER grass-fed ribeye steaks on-the-bone, perfect for Sunday Steak Night™!  It seemed like a good night for a simple, mashed vegetable side dish.  We have posted another recipe for mashed cauliflower, which I love, but it is really hearty and filling on its own.  We needed something a little less rich to have with the ribeyes. This is a lighter version of mashed cauliflower – creamier in texture, but it still has a lot of flavor from the goat cheese and herbs.

I owe the inspiration for this dish to Emeril Lagasse, after reading his recipe for White Bean and Goat Cheese Purée in From Emeril’s Kitchens.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 vidalia (or other sweet onion), coarsely chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed or coarsely chopped
  • extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 ounces goat cheese
  • ~1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • ~1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets.  Set aside.

In a medium-sized, heavy pot, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute.  Add the cauliflower to the pot; pour just enough chicken broth into the pot to almost-barely cover the cauliflower.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Drain the cauliflower using a mesh colander.  To remove as much excess moisture as possible, you may want to return the cauliflower/onion mixture to the (dry)pot, and stir briefly over medium-low heat to evaporate some of the moisture.  [I have a "thing" about watery mashed vegetables...sorry!]

Place the drained cauliflower in a food processor with the goat cheese, thyme, and rosemary.  Process until very smooth.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  If you’d like, drizzle with a little olive oil.  Serve warm.

Before Alex Chilton made his groundbreaking rock and roll with Big Star, he was the vocalist for The Box Tops, and they weren’t too shabby either. Everyone knows them for “The Letter” or “Cry Like A Baby”, but their sound, mainly built around the great Memphis songwriters Don Penn and Spooner Oldham, is “Southern Soul” at its finest. This is a good overview of their magic: The Best of the Box Tops: Soul Deep.

Scott Walker and the Walker Brothers brought a refined but dynamic sound to mid-60′s pop, with such hits as “Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” or “Make It Easy On Yourself”. Scott went on to a brilliant and influential solo career- you can see his touch in artists such as David Bowie and Nick Cave, to name a few. You either love him or hate him, but if you let his emotionally charged crooning get under your skin, it’s liable to stay. Try Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine: The Very Best of for a taste.

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Paprika-Cumin Marinated Sirloin Steak and Medley of Roasted Squash

Posted on June 19, 2011 by | 5 Comments

Adapted from How to Cook Meat

Paprika Cumin Marinated Sirloin

Last week we splurged and ordered 40 pounds of grass-fed, grass-finished Angus beef for the freezer.  If you recall, I had to do a major freezer clean-out to accommodate the giant beef back ribs I had previously ordered.  I don’t know how, but we managed to squeeze almost all of the “new” beef in the freezer.  Needless to say, we’ll be having a little extra red meat this week to eat up what didn’t fit!

Another fortuitous find was How to Cook Meat, which my sweet husband picked up at the local used book store (shout out to Book Nook).  This tome of meat features a comprehensive discussion of all the different cuts from beef, pork, lamb, and veal…and includes the best cooking methods for each cut and many recipes.  Looking for something different to do with sirloin steaks, I decided to try “Grilled Sirloin Steak High Plains Drifter-Style.”  This recipe appears to be a homage to cowboys of the Old West – although I doubt they traveled with fresh oregano, cumin, and paprika.

Unfortunately, after the grill was started a big thunderstorm blew up with heavy rains and wind.  James bravely manned the grill station holding down the umbrella, with lightening all around and flames shooting out the top of the big green egg.  [No one was harmed during the production of this blog post.]

After calming the fire enough to keep the umbrella from igniting, we opened the airflow back up to cook at 600F.  The steaks were really flavorful, especially for such a lean cut of meat.  I’m sure cowboys would have enjoyed them!

Ingredients (modified from original recipe):

  • 2 10-oz sirloin steaks
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
  • 1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped fine
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (I used a mixture of sweet paprika and smoked sweet paprika)
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, except the steak, to form a thick paste.  Place steaks in a shallow glass dish.  Season with salt and pepper, then coat with the paste on both sides.  Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 2-6 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove from refrigerator around an hour before grilling, to allow to come to room temperature.

Set up a grill for direct cooking at high temperature.  When coals are ready, grill the steaks to medium/medium-rare (or desired level of doneness) – 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Allow the steaks to rest for a few minutes (with a pat of butter if you wish), then serve them up!

Pitty-Pat (or Patty-Pan) squash were at the farmer’s market, so we sliced one into wedges and roasted it with chunks of zucchini and onions in the oven.  Just add salt, pepper and a light coating of olive oil – roast at 400F until tender and browned.  They would have been good on the grill too, but no one was anxious to get any wetter standing out there in the rain!

That was a meal worth standing in a rainstorm for! And when I came in, dried off, and had some wine, I cued up J.J. Cale’s Troubador, and it felt so good. You’re familiar with Cale, even if you don’t know the name. He wrote “After Midnight” and “Cocaine” (included here), both big hits for Eric Clapton, but it’s Cale’s versions I prefer. This guy ain’t no sprinter, he ambles to the finish line in a warm, relaxed fashion, very bluesy and soulful. If you can make it to the end of the opening song “Hey Baby” without a smile on your face somethings wrong!

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Perp-Walk Chicken

Posted on May 23, 2011 by | Leave a comment

aka Grill-Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Fresh Herbs

Saturday, May 21, 2011.  This date stands out for many reasons.  First, as I’m sure you heard, it was purported to be Judgment Day.  As 6 pm slid past uneventfully while we sipped Pinot Noir on our peaceful patio, with this chicken roasting away in the Big Green Egg (BGE), we had other reasons to celebrate.  The thorn-in-our-side neighbor, who I will call “Hugo”, was finally picked up by the fine officers of the Dekalb County Police Department.  Not to go into too much detail, let’s just say Hugo is your basic loudmouth who at his best was merely annoying, but at his worst was evidently mentally unstable and prone to violent and profane outbursts and other disturbing behaviors.  No one should have to live next door to this….and apparently the complaints and repeated calls to 9-1-1 from the neighborhood finally paid off.  Hugo had his Judgment Day…or it will be coming up in court soon!

So, with the joyful memory of seeing Hugo led off in handcuffs, we present to you the Perp-Walk Chicken!  Oh, Happy Day!

We like to roast our chicken standing up, which yields delicious crispy skin all around.  It also helps to brine the chicken for a few hours ahead of time, then dry it off and let it stand up in the refrigerator for about an hour so the skin is completely dry.  For additional flavor, I rubbed a mixture of fresh herbs, lemon zest, and garlic under the skin.  Mmmm…delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole chicken, preferably certified humanely raised and organic
  • zest from one lemon
  • ~3 tablespoons of fresh herbs, chopped fine (I used rosemary, thyme, and oregano)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • several dashes of black pepper or a pepper blend (I used Back of the Yards Garlic Pepper Butcher’s Rub and Pepper-Lemon Seasoning from The Spice House.)

Brine:  1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 quart of water.  Mix together in a resealable gallon bag, shaking until dissolved.  Rinse chicken with cold water, removing internal parts.  Place chicken in brine, seal bag.  Keep in refrigerator for 2-6 hours.  Remove chicken from brine and dry with paper towels.

Prepare the grill for an indirect cook at 375-400F.  With the BGE, we placed a trivet on the inverted plate setter so the roasting pan can sit directly on the plate setter.  (The chicken is too tall to set on the grill top.)  With other grills, bank coals on either side for indirect cooking.  This recipe will also work in the oven if grilling is impractical.

In a small bowl, mix the lemon zest, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Add enough olive oil to form a paste.

Gently loosen the skin from the breast and thighs by running your fingers underneath the skin, being careful not to cause any tears.  Scoop up some of the herb mixture with your fingers and place it under the skin, using your other hand over the skin to help spread it around over as much chicken meat as possible.  Repeat until all of the herb mixture is under the skin, with some rubbed on the outside of the chicken as well.  Liberally salt and pepper the outside of the chicken, all over.

Prepare a small metal baking pan by lining with foil.  Sit the chicken down on a vertical chicken roasting stand and place in the pan. I like to take half of a squeezed lemon and place it on top of the roasting rack before putting the chicken on the rack.  It keeps the chicken from sliding down too far on the rack, and adds more lemon flavor.  Using butcher’s twine, tie the wings down to the body of the chicken so they do not overcook.

(Note: If you don’t have a vertical roaster, a regular roasting pan with a rack can also be used.)

Put the roasting pan with chicken on the grill and close the lid.  Roast undisturbed for 30 minutes, then turn the chicken to “face” the opposite direction.  Roast for 25-35 more minutes, or until the chicken is browned all over, the temperature in the thigh reaches 170F and the juices run clear.  Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Gotcha!

A joyous day indeed, you have no idea! And great chicken to boot! Soundtrack this time around are a pair of old favorites, out with new music.

wronglersFirst up is the laconic Texas songwriter, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, this time with a group from San Francisco, The Wronglers with Heirloom Music- and that’s precisely what it is. Old string band and country songs such as “Deep Ellum Blues”, “Uncle Pen” and others. While you miss Gilmore’s songwriting, he fits in so well with this type of tune, you won’t miss it long.

Tracy Nelson has been singing the blues a helluva long time, and she keeps getting better and better. Her latest, Victim Of The Blues has the former Mother Earth leader growling out Howlin’ Wolf, Joe Tex, Muddy Waters and more. A great, great record!

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