Roasted Veggies and Paprika Tilapia

Time: 1 hour for the veggies, 7 minutes for the fish

Serves: at least two

Roasted Veggies

10-12 small red potatoes (the smaller the better)

2 large carrots sliced lengthwise thinly

1 whole clove fresh garlic, peeled and separated into pieces.

10-12 brussel sprouts

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 teaspoons fresh paprika (mostly for the color)

1 teaspoon fresh (or dried) thyme

a fair bit of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry the potatoes thouroughly. Cut the small ones in half, cut the bigger ones into quarters. Mix the potatoes, garlic and carrots together. Add all of the spices and plenty of olive oil (so that the potatoes get nice and crispy). Place in a baking dish and bake at 375.

The brussel sprouts will go into this mixture, but, because the potatoes and carrots take so long to cook and get crispy, it is best to wait until the veggies are about 10 minutes away from being finished before adding them. Overcooking the sprouts is a remarkably easy way to ruin the entire dish.

Start by washing the sprouts. Peel off the outer leaves (especially if they are discolored, damaged or dirty) and cut sprouts in half.

When the potatoes have softened but haven’t become crispy, add the sprouts. Cook until the sprouts are cooked through and the potatoes are crispy.

Paprika Tilapia

2 Tilapia fillets

juice from one lemon

plenty of paprika

salt, pepper and olive oil to taste

Marinade the fish in the lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper for no more than 10 minutes. The fish only takes 2 minutes a side, so plan accordingly. Get a skillet nice and hot and lightly coat it with olive oil.

Toss the fish and all of the accompanying juices into the skillet. Carefully flip after two minutes, cook the second side for two more minutes and serve immediately.

The soft and light texture of the fish interplays perfectly with the crispiness of the roasted veggies. This is a perfect, easy and light dish for the winter. Enjoy.

Spiced Black Beans

Spiced Beans

Time: 30 minutes (but it really doesn't take too much effort)

Serves 4-6

Black beans have a reputation for being mealy health-food dreck. This recipe serves to contradict that stereotype. After eating these, I promise you'll find yourself craving them all the time.

2 cans black beans (do not leave out the watery bean juice in the cans)

1/2 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves peeled

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 jalapeno pepper

2 oz. dark bittersweet chocolate

pinch ground cloves and all spice

enough olive oil to coat the pan

salt and pepper to taste

Coat a heated sauce pan with oil and saute the onions, garlic cloves, and jalapeno peppers whole over high heat. Once the onions are transparent, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer the beans, mixing occasionally, over low heat until most of the liquid has burnt off. Serve with tortillas or rice-or anything else you can think of.

As with most recipes I write, there are a ton of variations that you can do to this dish. If you want a heartier dish, add some kidney and white beans in with the mixture--and if you want to kick the heartiness into high gear, serve some nice rear (Note: food borne illnesses are a serious matter--so cook your food accordingly...me, I'll take some salmonella for a nice bloody piece of meat) steak atop the beans. Please, let me know how your cooking adventures go. More recipes to come, I promise.

Stewed Chicken

Stewed Chicken

Time: 1 Hour

Serves 4-6

This is a seemingly basic stewed chicken recipe. I served it with homemade tortillas, spiced beans and avocado salsa (recipes to come soon). However, it is great spooned over rice, quinoa, or just about anything else you can find. Other than using nice fresh ingredients and giving the dish plenty of time to cook, there is no trick to getting a nice chicken stew.

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 large onion sliced thinly

3 bell peppers sliced

6 medium sized tomatoes cut into sixths

4 cloves of garlic

about a half cup corn meal

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

salt, black pepper, and olive oil to taste

Toss the corn meal with paprika, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Find yourself a sauce pan with enough room for all of the chicken to lay flat (this dish splatters a bit, so use a deep pan if you have one-though it is more important for there to be plenty of surface area for the chicken to cook) and get it nice and hot.

Coat the pan in olive oil, once it starts smoking, quickly coat each piece of chicken in the corn meal mixture, and place them carefully in the pan. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes on each side (or until the outside has turned a nice golden brown). Don't worry that the chicken isn't completely cooked through, it is going to have plenty of time stewing.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Using the remnant oil and chicken stuff in the pan, saute the onions and peppers until soft. Using the flat side of a large knife, crush the garlic (with the skin on). The skin should effortlessly peel off, although the garlic will break into a few pieces. Toss the garlic pieces and tomatoes into the pan, and season again with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Stew these ingredients over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the chicken back in and turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting. Let cook for about 15 minutes.

If you want, you can add black beans, potatoes, corn etc. to this dish to make it heartier and thus nearly a complete meal in and of itself-(I think it would be great with some fresh corn, a few potatoes and served hot on a plate of wilt-able lettuce). Make sure if you do add anything to give it plenty of time to cook and absorb the flavor of the dish.

Braised Carrots

Braised Carrots

Time: 90 minutes

Serves 4

This is one of those recipes that I just made up as I went along. I started with an empty stomach and a couple of really nice looking carrots. After emptying my pantry and formulating some ideas, I got inspired and made this version of “candied carrots.” The thing is, this recipe is so much more than candied. The carrots become so delectable and complex that I think they can even be elevated to main dish status. Nevertheless, if you want to impress people with a really interesting side dish, this is the one.

Note: This dish requires more ingredients than what you would normally see on Stovetop Junkie, I apologize, but it is really worth it.

Braised Carrots

1 large carrots sliced into 1/8 inch bits

4 shallots sliced thinly

hand full of toasted pecans crushed into a powder

4 dates mashed

1 tangerine seperated into sections

juice from one lemon

half cup white wine

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

dash cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.

Before anything else, I would steam the carrots for about 5 minutes (this cuts down on cooking time).

Ok, start by sauteing the shallots in a bit of butter. Once they have started to soften, add the carrots and toss them with the shallots. Cook until the carrots soften, add olive oil periodically as the pan dries out.

Next, add the crushed nuts, tangerine, spices and dates. Mix together well, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the wine, mix and cover with a sheet of tin foil (This is to both block the spray and keep some of the moisture in, the normal cover to your pan may be too tight for this recipe).

Cook until the carrots are soft and darkened, and all of the other ingredients have formed a nice pasty texture (about 30 minutes). If the sauce seems to be getting too dark or thick before the carrots are really soft, add more wine, or even some water.

When finished, give them a light drizzle of lemon juice. Enjoy.

“Tamago” style Omelet with Sushi Rice

“Tamago” style Omelet with Sushi Rice

Time: 15 minutes

Serves 2

Sushi Rice: Singular puffy grains that melt on your tongue but have a slight crunch to the tooth....in Japan, some teach children to never waste a single grain-when they are this good, how could they. It is also traditional to not allow the rice to touch anything but wooden utensils and steamers. I wouldn’t recommend doing this, but it is vitally important to appreciate how even making the simple dishes well requires care and respect for the food.

1 cup sushi grade rice (Don’t skimp on the rice, high quality rice is worth the price and effort)

1 cup plus a little filtered water

1 teaspoon rice vinegar (to taste)

2 tablespoon mirin/or 1 tablespoon sugar (to taste)

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

Sushi rice is really easy, and can be a great alternative to normal long grain rice-it sticks together wonderfully. The only thorny part of the cooking process is washing the rice. You have to rinse the rice about seven times in order to wash off the starch. I place the grains in a bowl and fill it with cold water. I rinse it around for a minute or so and then pour it through a fine mesh colander/sieve into another bowl. Repeat until the rinsing water is clear (usually seven times, sometimes more).

Next bring the water and the rice to a boil in a saucepan. Once it is boiling turn the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover. Steam for 15 minutes and then let stand covered for 10 more.

Mix the remaining ingredients together and toss with the hot rice. Serve either hot or room temperature (I have never really been a fan of cold sushi rice, although some forms of traditional Japanese food call for this kind of treatment).

Tamago Omelet

First off, Tamago means egg, so the name of this recipe is “egg” style omelet....just wanted to get that out there in the open and admit the ridiculousness. In any case, if you’ve ever ordered Tamago at a sushi restaurant, I’m sure your curiosity has been piqued by its sultry texture and deep flavor-I mean it can’t just be a scrambled egg. Well, I did some research, and making real Tamago takes some refined technique, a few obscure ingredients, a Tamago pan, and a ton of time (mostly for resting and refrigerating).

What follows is a recipe that captures the delicate flavor, and if done right, has it’s own delectable texture that melts on the tongue.

This recipe requires a few specialty ingredients. They are all pantry items that pretty much never go bad, and are usable in a plethora of contexts and dishes.

A quick note about eggs: Eggs will go from being undercooked to overcooked very quickly-they also cook considerably after being removed from the heat/pan. I always make sure my eggs still have some moisture to them when I stop cooking, the result is perfectly cooked eggs that are not overdone or stiff. In the case of this recipe, when pressed with the spatula, the omelet should have a pillowy softness, if it gets any harder remove from the pan immediately.

6 eggs, separate the yolks from the whites.

2 tablespoons mirin (japanese cooking rice wine)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

a few dashes chili oil

pinch ginger powder (optional) or 1/8 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger

Vegetable Oil to taste

Wasabi as a garnish (At most markets, they sell these tubes of wasabi that you put in the fridge after opening, they are really quite good and easier to use than the powder. They also last for a while.)

First, take your egg whites, and beat them until they are really foamy and have started to thicken and turn white (about 5-6 minutes by hand, probably 2-3 by machine-but seriously do it by hand, it won’t kill you).

Mix the 3 of the remaining egg yolks (save the yolks for another dish-or if you can’t think of why you would use them, I guess you can throw em out) with the mirin, soy sauce, chili oil, and ginger. Meanwhile preheat a large skillet until it is very hot, pour a liberal amount of oil (you don’t want your eggs to stick) into it. Carefully fold the yolk mixture into the white mixture and pour into the pan, spread it around evenly.

Cook for about 4 minutes on one side (or until you can see it has gotten golden brown. Now flip it over and cook it for another 4-5 minutes (Flipping it in the air can be tricky, if you are gun shy, or just don’t want to risk messing up your counter and ruining the dish, I suggest sliding the omelet onto a plate, carefully placing the pan on top of the plate and flipping the whole apparatus, I however, take the risk-if only to show off).

When finished, both sides should be crunchy and golden brown and the inside should be slightly creamy and velvety.

Serve with warm sushi rice and a wasabi garnish.

Fat is Flavor

Waste Not My Dear...Fat is Flavor

Sometimes throw a little fit when I see people toss spent olive oil (or after pouring too much, just the extra) down a drain. Regardless of the fact that pouring oil into our sewage system is horridly irresponsible, you're also wasting the building blocks of flavor. Never pour out that so called "waste." It is in fact, fatty and delicious. This leads to a second and probably more important point, fat is not bad-nearly every culture in the world eats foods that are laden with scrumptious fats, they just do it in a way that is totally different from our super size french fry culture. I lived in Italy a couple years ago, and I was amazed at how at every meal there was an element of fat beyond olive oil, usually cheese, cream, butter, and pork fat...yet the heart disease rate is miniscule compared to us here in the good ole U.S. Mediterraneans tend to eat smaller portions and a lot of veggies-you'll find that this blog attempts to follow their lead, I don't shy away from fatty foods, but I balance them by using them somewhat sparingly and loading my dishes with fresh veggies (specially the green ones).

Angry tirade about American's eating habits aside, don't waste what's left in the pan. I am always delighted when I make a dinner and I can use the same tablespoon of olive oil or butter over and over again. Once to sear some chicken, again to saute veggies, finally to make a sauce or gravy out of the tasty remnants.

Finally, if you happen to be cooking some pork products, don't even think about pouring bacon fat down the drain, cause that stuff is so delicious you can drink it. Ok, so maybe don't drink it, I think I would probably get an admonition from the Cardiologist Association of America if I seriously instructed you to do that (I may get one anyways!). The point is that something as naturally versatile and full of flavor as bacon fat should never go to waste. If you are using bacon for part of a dish, use the excess fat (and there is always a ton of it) for the rest of the meal-even dessert (kidding again...am I though?)

More recipes to come...you can chew the fat while you wait!

Babbie's Mushroom Pate

Bobbie’s Mushroom Pate (Faux Chopped Liver)

Time: 1 Hour Active time, Plus at least 1 Hour Fridge Time

My Grandmother (Bobbie) is one of the best home cooks of all time. Watching her cook and eating her food has taught me some of the most important lessons about making simple food with love and care. She also has graciously instructed me how to cook several recipes that she has been making for decades! It is quite difficult to write these recipes down, as amounts are often described as a bit of this, or a handful of that. I have tried my best to approximate amounts and clarify directions.

This particular recipe is a family favorite at parties, perfect to spread liberally on a piece of crusty bread or a cracker. Remarkably, this combination of ingredients creates a texture and flavor that is incredibly close to real chopped liver. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t augment the ingredients with fancy additions, although it sounds good to substitute with crimini mushrooms and fresh sage, it actually ruins the simple charm of the dish.

Mushroom Pate

2 Yellow Onions Diced

1 White Onion Diced

2 cups sliced white mushrooms

Quarter cup of ground walnuts

olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Saute the onions and mushrooms in a large lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Cook until the onions get translucent but not caramelized (usually 30 minutes or so). Season lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic. Transfer to a bowl and let sit for another 30-45 minutes, or put in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Pour the mushroom and onion mixture into a food processor and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Mix in the walnuts. Serve room temperature or cold. It is best to make this a day ahead, as the ingredients meld together wonderfully after a day of rest.

Enjoy this one folks, it is one of the most special recipes I know. Serve at party with family and friends....have great conversations with those close to you and most of all, don’t stop stuffing your face with the best hors d’oeuvres of all time created by the strongest, warmest and sweetest grandmother of all time.

The Big Night

A Big Night Indeed

I was daydreaming at work today (something that my supervisors would probably get a bit touchy about...I suppose putting it on my blog for all to see is not too smart) about some of those pivotal experiences in my life that led me to develop my love of food and cooking. There are too many to tackle, and in reality the smaller less memorable experiences were probably the most influential, nevertheless one in particular came to my mind today. Years ago a movie came out called Big Night, if you're a foodie like me, you'll love this one. It features some of the most beautiful Italian food, furthermore, the acting (it stars Tony Shaloub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rosselini, and Minnie Driver) and story are incredible. In any case, I was a young lad, but my parents made me watch it. I was almost as mesmerized as they were.

They were so mesmerized in fact that they decided to put on a "Big Night" party of their own, featuring their own interpretations of the recipes in the movie. This was quite an undertaking, planning and executing a 5-6 course meal for 25 of their friends. Some of these dishes are amongst the most complex in the entirety of Italian cuisine, requiring subtle attention to flavor and difficult techniques.

As you can probably infer, they were going to need some help, a young amateur Nick, who was the eldest son of a family friend (who is now an incredible professional chef) and I volunteered to be sou chefs. Nick and I had some experience cooking together, and even then, we exchanged recipes (he was a few years older than me and acted as a kind of informal mentor for a couple of years, now he can cook circles around me).

The menu included (but was not limited to), chicken made under a brick, three different kinds of risotto, toretellini in brodo, and the flagship dish, Il Timpano. Il Timpano is perhaps the greatest single dish ever created. Named for the drum (Timpani) it fancifully resembles, it is a pie crust wrapped around perhaps the “best of” in Italian food. It has ragu, meat balls, fresh pasta tubes, hard boiled eggs, cheese, and pretty much any other delicious item you have hanging around. It is indeed perfection in a dish-with a crumbly outer crust filled with such delectable goodies....you can see I get carried away just talking about it.

In any case, I was too young to take on such an immense undertaking as the timpano. Instead, it was my job to chop parsley, onion and garlic all day until I could barely hold the knife, and then, watch the stove and dish out the risotto, I also did my fair share of cleaning. It wasn’t glamourous work-and I was so overwhelmed by the risotto (both the cooking of it, and the massive amount I snuck into my mouth while dishing it out), I couldn’t eat it for years, but I learnt so much from that back breaking work. Quality of food is directly correlated to effort and care.

As I continue to post recipes and tell stories, learn from my experience-enter your kitchens with light hearts and plenty of energy. The key to being a true stovetop junkie is not in the technical aspects of cooking, but feeling the great joy and satisfaction from chopping parsley and onion all day long.

More recipes and stories to come!

Stuffed Fig Appetizer

Stuffed Figs

Time: 25 minutes

This recipe takes a little more technique than I would normally like, but it is an appetizer that is so full of fall goodness that it seemed nearly criminal not to post it. Despite the knife work which is a bit trying, it is otherwise a very simple recipe that can be served before a meal, or even with a few alterations, as a delectable desert.

Stuffed Fig appetizer

6 large plump fresh figs (it's better to buy some that are very firm, the cooking will make them sweet, but soft figs will be impossible to work with)

.25 cups crumbly cheese (blue, or goat is best-feta is a bit too salty-you can also use camembert [or other cheeses like it]) I use a specialty cheese called Cana di Cabra-which is a strong spanish goat cheese. It's texture is like half Camembert half Feta. It can finish a little strong, but the pairing with fruit helps lessen the smelliness.

2 tablespoon lightly toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme/or sage (I prefer thyme-but sage is good too)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Ok, so now the tough part, you have to hollow out the figs. Begin by trimming the stem so that it is barely a nub. Next, remove the top of the fig by incising all the way around the fruit about one third of the way down. Make sure to make this incision angling your knife towards the bottom of the fig, this will help create a "top" that you can snugly fit back on. Ok, with a very small spoon (or some other utensil you can find) scoop out as much of the fig innards without breaking the skin-I repeat, do not break the skin of the fig, it will result in a leaky appetizer.

Mix together the cheese and pine nuts with some freshly ground black pepper and salt, and carefully stuff the figs being careful again not to break the skin. Put the tops back on and bake for 15 minutes. You actually have to watch this one while it is baking, if the figs begin to lose their shape, remove immediately, but you have to make sure you leave them in the oven long enough for the cheese to completely melt. Serve immediately.

My favorite variation on this dish is too alter it as a desert. It can be a great small warm desert to be served with a glass of port and some nice dark chocolate or a cup of coffee. I would choose a stronger cheese for a desert (like a talleggio, tomme de savoie, or the cana di cabra [if you are intolerant of things lactose like myself], and would probably leave out the pine nuts, furthermore, I would absolutely use sage and not thyme (thyme has a more savory flavor). As a dessert it is a bit savory, but if you drizzle the finished dish with a sweet balsamic reduction it is usually sweet enough.

If you are hosting a dinner party, this dish (both as an appetizer or a desert) is a great choice, you can stuff them hours ahead of time and just pop them into the oven when you are ready. There are literally hundreds of variations on this wonderful dish, so don't be bashful about exploring to your hearts content.

Eggplant Sandwiches

Dinner with Friends

Eggplant Sandwiches

Time....30 minutes or so

I have a weekly dinner and TV date with my old close friend Corey. She is a strict vegetarian and so we always spend a little time pondering ways to satisfy both of our voracious appetites. Two weeks ago we came up with such a delectable dish that we repeated it again this past Monday. This is one of those really quick, "throw together" meals that ends out being pretty healthy and wonderfully aromatic. Truly, this dish is better in the summer-it is beholden to its Mediterranean roots, and requires good fresh ingredients-but we did just fine chomping it down in sulky November.

Ingredients

1 large eggplant

3-4 Roma tomatoes (or an equivalent amount of another type)

5 peeled coarsely chopped garlic cloves

a few dashes of balsamic vinegar

A couple of sprigs of Basil

2 tablespoons goat cheese for each sandwich

pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon fig, or another fruit jam (optional)

a few dashes of red wine (optional)

salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste

some nice crusty bread

Preheat a large skillet over high heat with some olive oil (I would use stainless steel or cast iron, but if you only have non-stick it still may work). Chop up your eggplant into nice chunks-it will probably break down during the cooking, so they don't have to look perfect. However, the cooking time is dependent on the size of your eggplant chunks. I usually chop them into 1 inch by 1 half inch cubes. Toss them into the pan with some salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes. Mix them constantly to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan (It'll stick no matter what you do, but try to prevent it until the wet ingredients are added).

While the eggplant is searing, coarsely chop the tomatoes into the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Make sure to keep scraping the bottom of the pan and mixing it into the dish, that’s where all the flavor is. Cook for about 15 minutes before adding the balsamic, jam, and wine. You can use all three, or a combination, they will only add to the depth and flavor of the dish, but if forced to choose, balsamic is best. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the liquid has cooked off and the dish has become a beautiful deteriorated mess. Turn off the heat and tear the basil leaves onto the hot pan. Toss once more, and it's ready.

Before we construct the sandwiches, we have to take a moment to discuss bread. The quality of a sandwich is directly proportional to the quality of bread. If the bread you choose has a significant number of unpronounceable ingredients, it's probably not even good enough for your dog. In nearly every grocery store, you can find good artisan style crusty bread. Spend the extra couple of bucks, it really elevates your food. Or you can call my dad (the expert baker and Doctor extraordinaire) and he’ll make it for you. For this recipe in particular I prefer to use a baguette or demi-baguette. Just a preference, but sliced bread is probably too thin to manage the stewiness of the dish.

Ok, halve your baguette, and liberally spoon some eggplant on top. Crumble some goat cheese on top of that and you're good to go. Serve with a tossed salad and a nice glass of red wine. Note: If you want, you can add grilled chicken, shrimp, or nearly any meat or seafood item you may fancy.

Vivacious Vinaigrette

Scrumptious Staples

Vivacious Vinaigrette

Time 7 minutes at most

Ok, so here is another staple...there are probably a million recipes for vinaigrettes, but I promise you this one is the best. This is a case where the simplest combination of ingredients is not ideal, you need to put a bit of effort into this, but it is well worth it. The beauty comes from the realization that expending a little bit of your own energy helps you combine some solid ingredients into something that is truly greater than the sum of it's parts. This dressing is incredibly creamy, but surprisingly does not require any cream at all, the finished product therefore maintains the complex and strong flavors of olive oil and balsamic without being diluted.

Ingredients:
1 half cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 quarter cup of balsamic vinegar
1 heaping teaspoon of smooth good quality dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves peeled
salt and pepper to taste

Ok, so first step, take your chef's knife (a big knife) and crack the garlic with the flat side, don't press so hard that the cloves crush, just hard enough so that they split into a couple of pieces and release some flavorful oils. Mix the garlic into a bowl with the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Now, grab your whisk (Or a fork, but a whisk is better. If you do use a fork, you’re gonna have to mix twice as hard to attain maximum creaminess) and slowly drizzle the olive oil in to the mixture while vigorously whisking. Really take it slow, start with a few drops at a time and pour very slowly from there. The slower you do this, the creamier the dressing. Everybody likes their vinaigrette with different proportions of oil and vinegar, after you have poured in about half of the oil, start tasting and stop when it is to your liking. Before serving remove the pieces of garlic, but don't throw them out, they can still be minced or chopped and used for another dish. I actually like to eat them right out of the bowl, but that may be a bit to strong for your tastes (although some people say that fresh garlic has some pretty interesting health effects see: The 2000 year old man). Toss this dressing with your favorite lettuce or green (I like arugula), maybe some sliced tomatoes, maybe some goat/feta cheese, maybe some toasted pine nuts and dried fruit. You can make it as fancy as you like, but I think just lettuce and dressing is pretty good and simple. Take your time, enjoy the slight burn in your wrist from the whisking, don't take short cuts, and enjoy one of the worlds simple pleasures.

This dish ain’t yellah, it’s chicken.

Fried Chicken Breasts
Time 15 minutes

This is one of those recipes that I keep on mental file because it is so quick, tasty and versatile. It works with nearly any side dish you can think of. Later on in the post, I’ll get into some ways that you can take this simple recipe and add some complex flavors (just a teaser to keep you reading). This dish is in fact so simple, I probably should have used it as my flagship recipe...nevertheless here’s a version that will serve 4.

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Some flour
Salt, Pepper, and good Olive oil

Place a layer of wax paper (or plastic wrap) on your counter. Put the chicken breast on top of that layer, and then put another layer on top of the chicken. Although this helps keep your kitchen clean, I would still wash anything that comes close to the raw chicken well. Using a rolling pin (or meat tenderizer or even a hammer), pound the chicken until it is 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick.

Meanwhile, heat enough olive oil to coat your pan over medium-high heat. As the oil heats, salt and pepper both sides of the meat (don’t skip this step, it is always important to season any meat you have before you do anything else).

Once the oil is hot, quickly dredge the chicken in flour and slap it onto the pan. Fry until it is golden brown on both sides. It should be cooked all the way through-if it isn’t, just slap it back onto the frying pan.

Ok, that’s it...I promise it is really nice and simple...however, there are a few simple things that can elevate this recipe from solid home cooked food to a subtle and delicate dish. First, you can flavor the flour with paprika or curry to introduce more flavors into the dish.

Second, you can use the oil and chicken juice remnants that are in the pan (that you would normally wash down the drain which is a crime-that’s pure fatty flavor) to make a gravy. There are a plethora of ways to use what’s left in the pan, but here are a few ideas to get you going: You can saute lemon juice and shallots, balsamic vinegar and garlic, or even jam and pour the gravy over the chicken (or a combination of these things-explore the possibilities).

You can also cook vegetables in the spent pan. I really like to cook sliced tomatoes over a very high heat in the pan once the water burns off (usually about 7-8 minutes) pour the entire contents of the pan over some rice-you’ll be in chickeny heaven.

As always-try this one out and let me know how it goes-I would love to hear of previously untested flavor combinations.

Al Pomodoro -Twenty Minute Tomato Sauce

Al Pomodoro (tomato sauce series)-post 1

Al Pomodoro -Twenty Minute Tomato Sauce

Time....something like 20 minutes (sometimes more, sometimes less...but it’s quick nonetheless)

I am a vehement opposer of bottled tomato sauce, in fact, I am not too delighted about most canned foods (but we can save that angry rant for later). Most tomato sauces are missing the intensity that comes from home cooking fresh tomatoes. There are some brands that are quite good, but they are very expensive. In any case, I have developed many suitable replacements for bottled tomato sauce. Most of them require hours to cook, this one takes less than 30 minutes and it’s bursting with flavor. Before beginning this recipe, you need to be make some special preparations. First, you must use a stainless steel or cast iron pan, these types of metal deal much better with high heats. Second, use an apron, this dish splatters! Third, I typically make this dish in the summer. The quality of the sauce is directly correlated with the sweetness and fleshiness of the tomatoes. However, if you can find good tomatoes during the rest of the year, be my guest.

This recipe makes enough to dress pasta for 4 people (depending on the size of the tomatoes it could be more...or it could be less).

7-8 roma tomatoes (I like to use heirlooms, and some of them can be quite big, if you use 8 big heirlooms, you’ll have enough sauce for an army. Substitute accordingly.)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

dash of balsamic vinegar and/or dash of red wine

half teaspoon of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

good olive oil

Coarsely chop the tomatoes while heating a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, sauce pan or wok (again, no non-stick please) over highest possible heat. When the oil is smoking, toss in the tomatoes and garlic together (if you put the garlic in first, as many do, it will burn). Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. You have to pay attention to this dish, constantly tossing it so that nothing burns. The tomatoes should be consistently losing their shape and deteriorating into a sauce. When they do finally lose their shape (10-20 minutes, depending on heat and other factors), toss in the vinegar and/or wine (if you do use wine, the fumes may ignite, it is fine if they do, but be careful). After about 3 minutes turn off the heat and toss in the basil. Make sure that until the very end, you keep the heat high.

Now you have a delicious sauce in your pan, what are you going to do with it? It is obviously wonderful with pasta. If you do choose to serve it with pasta, make sure to save about half a cup of the starchy pasta water to toss in the pan. In addition to the creaminess that this brings, it helps the sauce stick to the noodles.

However, I do not think that pasta is the only way to go for this sauce. This is an excellent addition to grilled or pan fried chicken or steak, can be used as a sauce for fish, but my favorite application is to serve it with seafood. Shrimp, scallops, or squid (my personal favorite) will cook very quickly if tossed into this sauce just before you add the basil. For squid especially, it is best to toss the squid in and mix it around for about 20 seconds, throw the basil in and turn the heat off. Serve immediately over a bed of wilt-able lettuce like arugula or baby spinach with a nice crusty bread and a glass of red wine. This tomato squid (shrimp or scallops if you are a afraid of tentacles) saute is a delicious, quick and cost-effective dish.

As always, there are many variations to this dish, it is really just a platform for some wonderful food-enjoy, create, explore and please share your discoveries with me.

A Quick Dinner (in two parts)....Chinese Broccoli, Steak and Garlic Bread....Part 2

Post 2-2

Paprika Steak and Garlic Bread

Time 40 minutes (probably less)

2 rib eye steaks (any steak is fine, but to me rib eye is the best)

3 tablespoons paprika

.5 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

4 thick slices of good bread

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 quarter cup grated parmigiano/romano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

First, preheat your oven (on the broiler setting) to high. I often broil the steak and the bread in the same oven, but you can always grill the steak (and the bread for that matter, if you do grill the bread, be careful not to let it char).

Mix together the spice mixture for the steaks and evenly pack it on both sides of the meat. If you want to enhance the flavor, toast the paprika in a pan for a couple of minutes before mixing it with the other spices. Let the steak rest with the seasoning while the oven is heating up. When the oven is good and hot put in the steak and cook (I like it pretty rare, about 5-7 minutes a side, depending on thickness).

Meanwhile, mix the garlic, olive oil, butter, cheese, and salt and pepper together. Spread evenly on one side of the bread and pop it into the oven. Watch the bread, it burns quickly. When the bread has turned a nice golden brown it is done.