The Lonely Chef

Quick Spaghetti Carbonara

2010-09-14T21:54:00.005-04:00

I know, I know. I'm a terrible blogger. What has it been? A year? Yeesh. Anyway, tonight I wanted to make dinner, but didn't feel like going to the grocery store. So, I decided to concoct something from items I had in my kitchen. Believe it or not, this is actually a fun game for me. Reminds me of my grandmother who always managed to cobble something together from the contents of her fridge. For sure, this method can definitely yield rather odd meals at times, but fortunately, tonight I got lucky.

Here's what I had on hand:
Bacon
Garlic
Olive Oil
1 lb. thin spaghetti
Eggs
Parsley
White wine
Parmesan
Butter

The combination of these ingredients comprised everything I needed to make spaghetti carbonara. Quick, easy and tasty. And, [not] low-fat. Sorry. Can't win 'em all. I used a recipe from a cookbook my parents gave me last Christmas -- Pasta: Every Way for Every Day by Eric Treuille and Anna Del Conte. Here's the recipe:

Serves 4

3 egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
7 oz unsmoked pancetta or bacon slices, cut into 1/4-inch wide strips
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp butter
1 lb dried pasta
salt, pepper
additional freshly grated Parmesan to serve
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (my addition)

Mix egg yolks and Parmesan in a bowl until combined (should look like a yellowish paste) and set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until golden, 2 minutes. Remove garlic and discard. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer until just evaporated, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, until firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add drained pasta to the hot pancetta and toss well to coat. Add egg mixture and butter and toss again to coat, adding reserved water as necessary (I used all of it). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan and sprinkle with parsley.

I served this with a tossed salad!

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-09-17T15:34:00.009-04:00

Simply put, I love a good chicken pot pie. My mother used to make it for us as kids. I liked it so much I often requested it as my birthday meal growing up (much to the chagrin of my youngest sister who's never been a big fan). Anyway, this is one of those meals I never tire of eating -- or trying out new recipes for.

Last week, as the summer air started cooling down, the taste of pot pie was on my tongue. I wanted to try something new, so I turned to Cooks Illustrated for a recipe. I just recently got an online subscription and I'm really enjoying it! With the exception of making a homemade pie crust, which is certainly worth the effort if you've got the time (and space, which I do not -- one of these days I need to post a picture of my tiny kitchen!), I followed the recipe pretty closely.

Recipe: Simple Chicken Pot Pie, published May 1, 1996

According to Cooks Illustrated, this recipe serves 6 to 8, which feels a little generous to me. I served to three people (including myself) and we nearly polished the entire thing off; I'd say it serves 4 - 6 max.

Ingredients:
1 Pre-made pie crust (I picked up a Pillsbury since I was in the regular-old grocery store)

For the guts of the pie:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless thighs (I prefer white meat)
1 can low-sodium chicken broth, with water added to equal 2 cups (or use two cups homemade chicken broth)*
1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil**
1 large onion, chopped fine
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
2 small ribs celery, cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick***
2 - 3 cloves of garlic (depending on how big), minced****
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of milk*****
1/2 tsp. dried thyme******
3 tbsp. dry sherry
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed*******
3 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Notes on the ingredients:
*Since I use chicken broth a lot in my cooking, I like to purchase the boxes of broth, which are usually equivalent to 4 cups; I just refrigerate what I don't use.
**I used olive oil and a little pat of butter.
***I actually bisected each rib lengthwise first and then cut crosswise (no difference other than the pieces are slightly smaller)
****The recipe did not actually call for garlic; I like it in my pot pies, so I added.
*****The recipe didn't specify what kind of milk to use, so I went with a combo of whole milk and heavy cream b/c that's what I had. If I had had enough whole milk, I would have just gone with that. Half and half would work, too.
******I chopped up a heaping tsp. of fresh thyme since I had it.
*******Because my package of chicken breasts was slightly less than a 1 1/2 lbs., I threw in 3/4 cup of frozen green beans (thawed), too.

Instructions:
Adjust your oven rack to low-center position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Set one pre-made pie crust out. Bring to room temperature while preparing the pie filling. (I know this seems counter intuitive with dough, but for whatever reason, these crusts are easier to work with when they're not pulled right from the fridge.)

On the stove, place chicken and broth in a small Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat. Cover, bring to a simmer; simmer until chicken is just done, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to large bowl, reserving broth in a measuring cup.*

Increase the heat to medium-high; heat oil in now-empty pan. Add onions, carrots, and celery; saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute and additional minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. While vegetables are sauteing, shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Transfer cooked veggies to bowl with chicken; set aside.

Heat butter over medium heat in again-empty skillet. When foaming subsides, add flour; cook about 1 minute.** Whisk in chicken broth, milk any accumulated chicken juices, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute.*** Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in sherry.

Pour sauce over chicken mixture; stir to combine. Stir in peas (and green beans) and parsley. Adjust seasonings. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point; reheat before topping with pastry.)

Pour chicken mixture into 13x9 inch pan or any shallow baking dish of similar size.**** Roll out dough and lay over pot pie filling, trimming dough to 1/2 inch of pan lip (I didn't find that I needed to do this -- you might with a homemade crust). Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with lip. Flute edges all around. Or, don't trim dough and simply tuck overhanging dough into the pan side. (I did a variation of the latter. I simply pressed the hanging dough around the pie dish itself; I was concerned about the dough pulling away from the sides of my dish if I just tucked inside.) Cut at least four 1-inch vent holes in pie top. Optional: Lightly beat an egg with a little water and brush over top of the pie with a pastry brush. This will the give the crust a nice golden brown top once baked.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes for large pies and 20 - 25 for smaller pies.***** Serve hot!

Notes on Instructions:
*I misread this and actually cut up my chicken ahead of time, so I just poached the pieces. It turned out fine and saved me from having to shred up the meat later, which is what they recommend you do. Next time I'll try it the way they said.
**I could have done this wrong, but when I added my flour, it clumped up very quickly. It almost felt like I needed a little less flour (like maybe only a 1/3 cup) or an extra tbsp. of butter. Whatever you do, keep stirring constantly, so your mixture doesn't burn!
***It could have been my stove (which is a tired, old electric guy), but it took longer than a minute for my sauce to thicken. I continued to stir until all the clumps had broken up and I had a nice, smooth creamy texture.
****I used my new 2-quart oval gratin dish!
*****My oven is retarded and always takes longer to bake things, so my pie was in closer to an hour. The egg wash proved useful because when the top had finally turned a nice golden color, I knew it was ready!

I paired my chicken pot pie with mixed greens, tomato, and goat cheese salad, and white wine (Pinot Grigio). Just writing about this makes me want to make it again...

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs...

2009-09-04T11:36:00.009-04:00

I know, I know. I abandoned my blog again. Up to May, I can blame it on finishing up my masters; beyond that, um... dunno. In general, I seem to have taken a break from all writing this summer. Call it burn out from school. Anyway, I'm back again and I'd like to talk meatballs. I made some good ones last night and thought I'd share the recipe.

For me, the key to a good meatball is seasoning and moisture. This particular recipe recommended frying up a test meatball in the skillet before fixing the whole batch, which I thought was a great idea. If the meat is under seasoned, add a little more S&P to your meatball mix. If the meatball tastes too dry, add a little more milk! Simple as that. It's too much time to invest on a weeknight for your meatballs to turn out dry and flavorless...

Also, if you're pressed for time (as I often am), forget making homemade sauce. Nowadays, there are so many good ones out there that you can buy! Last night, I purchased two jars of Lucini's Tuscan Marinara with Roasted Garlic sauce, which run about $7.50/jar at Whole Foods. In the regular grocery store, I like the Classico Four Cheese, which is slightly more economical, somewhere around $4 I think.

Back to the meatballs. This recipe came out of Alice Waters's The Art of Simple Food, which is quickly becoming my new favorite cookbook -- $23 from Amazon.

Here's what you need for the meatballs:
1 pound ground beef*
3/4 pound ground pork**
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 cup torn-up pieces of day-old country-style bread, crusts removed***
1/2 cup milk
1 small yellow onion, peeled
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and pounded to a paste with a pinch of salt****
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (Italian flat leaf is best, but curly will do)
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Serves 4

Notes on Ingredients:
*Ms. Waters specified grass-fed beef, which I had since I went to WF, but you could just use regular old ground beef if that's what you've got to work with.
**Ms. Waters specified "pork shoulder"; I just went to the meat counter and asked for the ground pork they had available.
***If you have day-old bread, that's best, but since I didn't, I just bought a loaf of Italian bread (since I was planning to serve with dinner anyway), cut off a hunk, removed the crust and cut up a bunch of small pieces.
****I used a garlic press to smash up my garlic, added a pinch of salt to it and then ran my knife back through once more to make sure it was sufficiently smashed up, but that's mainly because I was looking for an excuse to use a new kitchen gadget.

Instructions:
Place ground meats in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. (Make sure your bowl is big enough to accommodate the other ingredients.)

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk. Set aside to soften.

Using the large-holed side of a box grater, grate your onion. Mind your fingers! This treatment of the onion yields a nice puree, which adds moisture and flavor to your meatballs instead of having chunks of onion in the mixture. Add the puree to meat mixture.

Squeeze most of the milk out of your bread and place in the large mixing bowl with the meat and onion.

Add olive oil, garlic paste, oregano, parsley, cayenne, egg, Parmesan, and additional salt and pepper. Combine ingredients with your hands thoroughly (suck it up and do it!), being careful not to overwork the mixture as that will make your meatballs tough. Here comes the test part. Fry a small meatball in a skillet to taste. Adjust seasonings and milk accordingly if needed (I found that I like my mixture just as it was). Gently form the mixture into meatballs either by hand or using a small ice-cream scoop (the scoop obviously helps to get equal sizes if you care about that).

At some point during the mixture making and meatball shaping, you'll want to heat your sauce on the stove as well as a pot of water for your pasta if you're planning to serve this spaghetti and meatball style, which I did...

From here, you can cook your meatballs one of two ways. Bake the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet in a 450 degree oven until just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Or, fry them up in a little olive oil in a cast-iron skillet (Lauren, if your reading, yet another use for your skillet!), turning occasionally for even browning.

While messier, I opted to fry mine up because I like the nice brown crust that comes from frying. (Usually, I'll deglaze the pan with some red wine after I'm finished, and add all those yummy bits to my sauce, but alas. There was no red wine in my house last night, so the bits went to waste.) Anyway, you don't need a ton of oil, just enough to coat the bottom of your pan (your meat will give off it's own grease and juice to the pan). I have a crappy electric stove top that gets unruly with temperature, so I kept my heat on a level 6 to start and adjusted as needed when the pan got screaming hot to avoid burning. If using gas, you could probably push to the higher end of medium-high for browning, just be careful because the grease will definitely splatter a bit.

I fried my meatballs in batches (about five or six at a time) -- you need enough room to move them around while flipping over. When they were browned on all sides and firm enough to pick up without falling apart, I plunked them into to my sauce that was simmering on the stove. Once all meatballs were in the sauce, I turned up my pasta water to high and threw in my spaghetti. Timing it this way allowed for my meatballs to flavor up my sauce, but more importantly ensured that my meat was cooked all the way through before serving. You'll probably want to skim off your sauce a couple times after the meatballs have been sitting in the sauce since their grease will rise to the top of your pot.

Serve with warm crusty Italian bread and a salad if you desire!

It's good to be back. More soon I promise. And, if anyone who makes meatballs often is reading this, I'd curious to know what your own recipes are. Send me a post!

Roast Salmon w/ Mustard, Tarragon, and Chive Sauce

2009-01-13T10:48:00.008-05:00

So this is the recipe from epicurious that I was talking about. I was only making dinner for three people, so I cut this recipe in half. Regular recipe serves 8 to 10 (if you're making for a crowd, click here). Smaller version of the recipe below. You can make this meal in about 35 minutes.

Roast Salmon w/ Mustard, Tarragon, and Chive Sauce

Ingredients
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (such as Gulden’s; I used a spicy brown Grey Poupon)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (I used 2 teaspoons of dried b/c that's what I had)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
One 1 3/4- to 2-pound whole side of salmon with skin (about 1 1/2 inches thick at thickest part)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (I didn't have any on hand, so I sprayed the bottom of my sheet with a little cooking spray to keep the fish from sticking). Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Season mustard sauce lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on diagonal on prepared sheet. Spoon 1/4 cup (give or take) of mustard sauce atop salmon, then spread over, covering completely. Sprinkle salmon generously with salt and pepper. Roast just until salmon is opaque in center, about 15 minutes (I like my salmon cooked all the way through, so I let it stay in 2 or 3 more minutes). Using parchment as aid, transfer salmon to platter. Cut crosswise into pieces and serve with remaining mustard sauce.

This dish was delicious and very easy to make. If you're not a fan of the flavor of tarragon, you could easily substitute for another herb like fresh dill. I paired my salmon with a cauliflower puree and chive corn muffins (also from the weekly planner for that week).

Cauliflower Puree
This recipe said it served one, but it easily fed two. If looking to make for four or more people, double this recipe and use a whole head of cauliflower instead of half. Cooks in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients
1/2 lb cauliflower florets, chopped (2 2/3 cups -- about half a head of cauliflower)
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
pepper
chopped chives for garnish

Simmer cauliflower, garlic, broth, and salt in a small saucepan, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, about 10 minutes. Purée mixture with cream and butter in a food processor until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), or mash with a potato masher or a fork. Season with pepper and garnish with chopped chives.

Chive-Corn Muffins
My biggest gripe with corn bread is that it's often too dry and crumbly. The yogurt in this recipe keeps these muffins nice and moist -- and the cayenne provides a little kick. I threw a handful of shredded cheddar cheese in my muffin mixture, but this recipe is certainly fine as is.

Makes about 10 standard muffins or 30 mini-muffins.

Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 10 standard muffin cups (each about 1/3-cup capacity) or 30 mini-muffin cups with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl. Stir in chives. In another medium bowl whisk yogurt, eggs, and melted butter. Add yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and stir just until blended (add shredded cheddar here if you wish). Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, using about 1/3 cup batter for each standard muffin cup or about 1 generous tablespoon for each mini-muffin cup.

Bake until muffins are puffed and golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes for standard muffins and 14 minutes for mini-muffins. Transfer pans to rack and let muffins cool in pans. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Leave muffins in pans; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven just until warm, about 5 minutes.) Remove from pans and serve.

Weekly Dinner Planners on epicurious.com

2009-01-13T10:09:00.004-05:00

So half my trouble with getting in the kitchen sometimes (besides general laziness with getting my butt to the grocery store) is a lack of inspiration for what to make. It's easy to get stuck in a rut where you find yourself cooking the same things all the time. If you're looking for relatively easy and healthy weeknight meal ideas, I recommend epicurious.com's Weekly Dinner Planners. They put together full meals (even suggest wine pairings) and provide a grocery list for the week. I used this recently for a salmon recipe and was pleased with how things turned out (will post this in a separate post). Obviously, you shouldn't feel like you need to follow everything epicurious suggests (for instance, I decided to pair my salmon with a different preparation of cauliflower than what they suggested), the point is to get new ideas, try new things...

Chickpea Pasta with Almonds and Parmesan

2009-01-08T21:57:00.015-05:00

This dish came out of the current Real Simple January issue (p. 123) under their "all-time reader favorites." I was intrigued, so I decided to try the recipe. Turned out damn tasty. Even better was that the fact that the dish, start to finish, took only 20 minutes to make. Cooking the noodles in the broth provides great flavor and the crushed red pepper gives the dish a nice spicy kick.

Serves 2 main course portions (with probably a little left over).

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
8 ounces (half box) angel hair (or capellini) pasta
1/2 can of chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 cup roasted almonds, chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (do not let the garlic brown). Add the broth, red pepper, and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta al dente, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and almonds before serving.

To view Real Simple's top-50 recipes of 2008, click here. (Also, I cut this recipe in half, so if you're looking to make 4 - 6 portions, click here.

Mismatched Steak and Potatoes

2009-01-07T10:44:00.014-05:00

Last night I paired two things together that I liked individually, but not together: marinated flank steak and potatoes and pearl onions with rosemary. Each had great flavors, but that was the problem: the flavors were competing. I think it had something to do with the soy sauce in the steak marinade and the rosemary on the potatoes. Not the best taste combo... I should have known better.

If I made these dishes over again, I'd pair the flank steak with something more simple -- like mashed potatoes (like I usually do) or rice. As for the rosemary potatoes, I would probably match them with chicken (perhaps a rotisserie picked up from the grocery store or my chicken Marsala). If I did the potatoes with steak again, I'd pair them with a grilled strip that's been seasoned simply (salt, pepper and a little garlic powder).

My veggie last night worked fine -- steamed sugar snap peas with a little butter, salt and pepper.

Since the steak and the potatoes are good recipes by themselves, I will include them here. In particular, the flank steak is something I make fairly regularly. I love to use the leftovers in a salad -- or on sandwich.

Flank Steak
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground mustard
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Marinate in a shallow non-metal container for 4 hours or overnight.

I like this steak best when cooked on an outdoor grill (3 or 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare to medium), but I also make this in the winter on my indoor grill (if I have a hankering for it like I did last night).

If using an indoor electric grill, preheat grill on high heat. Depending on the thickness, allow meat to grill 6 or 7 minutes on each side. If broiling, place broiler pan 2 - 3 inches from heat. Allow steak to cook 7 minutes on each side for a medium doneness. After you remove the steak from the heat, allow it rest five minutes or so (the meat will continue cooking during this time). Slice on a diagonal into thin strips and serve.

Rosemary Potatoes and Onions
This is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe. You can actually make these a day ahead, reheat them and they are just as good.

Ingredients
2 pounds new potatoes (white, red, or Yukon gold), scrubbed and halved (or quartered depending on the size... my potatoes were a little bigger, so I quartered them)
1 pound cippolini onions, peeled* (I used pearl onions because this is what was available)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients. Spread the mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes and onions are golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately or cool and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, reheating the next day in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

*The easiest way to peel your onions is to blanch them and the skins will come right off. Do this by boiling a pot of water and dropping the onions into the pot for about 30 seconds or so. Drain and transfer the onions to a bowl of ice water (this stops the cooking process). Remove outer layer of onions and trim the ends before tossing in your potato mixture.

News: Donna's Galileo to Return to Washington and D.C. Restaurant Week Pushed to February

2009-01-06T15:48:00.005-05:00

A couple foodie links for you this dreary afternoon...

Chef Roberto Donna is planning to reopen Galileo, the formal Italian restaurant he ran in D.C. for more than two decades. He anticipates signing a lease in the near future for the space vacated earlier this year by Butterfield 9 at 600 14th St. NW. Unfortunately, I never made it to the original Galileo, but heard it was fabulous. There are a shortage of great Italian restaurants in D.C., so this is a welcomed return! For more info, click here.

Secondly, according to the Washington Business Journal, D.C. Restaurant Week is being pushed to February due to the presidential inauguration. Big surprise on this one. (Why offer local diners a discount when the anticipated gabillions of out-of-towners about to descend on the city will be glad to pay full price during that time?) No date has been set yet for February -- will keep you posted. As a final point of interest, Alexandria plans to hold its own Restaurant Week in conjunction with inauguration, Jan. 17 - 25, with 30 local restaurants participating. To read the full article, click here.

Chicken Au Champagne and Bulgur Risotto with Peas and Asparagus

2009-01-06T14:37:00.014-05:00

I recently picked up a copy of Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat (I know, I know, I'm like four years late on this) and came across a recipe that looked like a good one to try for chicken cooked in Champagne. I was pleased with the result and will definitely make this again. Her recipe made enough for four people, so I halved it since I was only cooking for two. Recipe below...

Chicken Au Champagne

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts with skin and bone (I went for the organic breasts at Whole Foods; you can usually get them in a pack of two)
Salt and pepper (kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if you have them)
Chervil, tarragon, or thyme, optional (just choose one... I used a little fresh thyme, but you could also use dried)
1 small shallot, quartered
3/4 cup Champagne (Mireille recommends Veuve Clicquot, but of her own admission is biased since she works there; I felt Veuve was a little extravagant for a weeknight meal, so I got a bottle in the $20 - $25 range... a nice Brut of some kind will work fine for this -- just stay away from the sweet stuff since you're going for a savory dish)

1. Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan (I just used an 8x8 glass Pyrex since that's what I had), and season them with salt and pepper (if using a dried spice, sprinkle a small amount over each breast). Pour 1/2 cup of the Champagne over breasts. Insert a piece (or two) of shallot under the skin of each breast (Note: you don't want to detach the skin from the breast; just gently run your index and middle finger under the skin to create a pocket big enough to get the shallot underneath). Since I used fresh thyme, I put a sprig under the skin of each breast as well.
2. Place the pan under the broiler, skin-side down, for 3 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned. Turn and broil the other side for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the broiler, baste with the pan juices, and add the remaining 1/4 cup of Champagne. Adjust the oven temperature to 475 degrees and bake the chicken for 30 minutes, basting once or twice.
4. Pour the cooking juices from the chicken over the meat and enjoy.

You could serve this meal with something as simple brown rice and a fresh steamed veggie of your choosing. I wanted to pair the chicken with something a little more fun while still trying to keep things fairly healthy. So, I dug around on epicurious.com and found the following recipe for a bulgur wheat risotto, which turned out delicious. This dish worked great as a side, but could have easily stood as a meal by itself. I tweaked their recipe a little after comparing it to a traditional risotto, but not by much... I added 1/2 cup of wine to the list of ingredients (a traditional ingredient for a risotto, which adds a nice depth of flavor) before adding the broth and adjusted some of the cooking times. I also heated the broth in a separate pan before ladling it into the bulgur. If you've never made a risotto before, try it. They're easier and quicker to make than you think -- just requires a little patience at the stove.

Bulgur Risotto with Peas and Asparagus
serves six as a first course

Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter (you could probably get away with 3 tablespoons here... two at the outset and one at the end)
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups bulgur (I found this in the bulk section of my grocer)
4 cups (about) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used Champagne since that's what I had open)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (unthawed)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 cup whipping cream (if you're freaking out about whipping cream, I suppose you could substitute half-and-half instead, but keep in mind that this is a pretty small amount when you consider the distribution among six servings)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (I used a little less than a teaspoon of dried since that's what I had. You could omit altogether if you're not a fan of the taste -- remember that a little goes a long way with dried spices, ESPECIALLY tarragon!)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper
Additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over a low heat. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
2. Add onion; sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add the bulgur and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine/champagne and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup (give or take; I usually use a ladle for this part) of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the bulgur, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to be absorbed before adding the next, until the bulgur is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.
4. When you are down to your last ladle of broth, add the asparagus to the mixture. (Note: the original recipe said to add the asparagus after the third ladling of broth, but I ignored this because asparagus cooks in a just a few minutes and I'm not a fan of mushy asparagus. Who is?) When the last of the stock has been absorbed, add the peas and cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan, cream, tarragon, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Serve immediately (with additional grated Parmesan, if desired).

Final Notes:
If you wanted to make the Chicken Au Champagne dish for four people (or have leftovers), use 1 cup Champagne instead of 3/4 (i.e., 1/2 c. at the outset and another 1/2 c. on the second request for it).

If you're looking to make less of the bulgur, I would use the following recipe as a guide for measuring things out: Giada DeLaurentiis's Champagne Risotto. This serves 2 (as a main portion I think; it basically cuts the measurements of the above recipe in half).

This meal would be great for a date night...

Starting fresh in 2009

2009-01-06T12:01:00.003-05:00

So, I've been terrible about keeping up with this blog. I took pictures here and there of dishes I made last year, but failed to post anything since last February. (Pretty lame blogging if you ask me.) I have excuses, of course, but I won't bore you with them. Instead, I'll post a dish (and recipe) that I made last month that I think you'll enjoy. Cheers and happy eating.

Classic Fondue

2008-02-22T16:40:00.007-05:00

It is a known fact that I love cheese, and if I had to choose between it and chocolate, I'd give up chocolate. Seriously. No contest. Anyway, I've been meaning to post on fondue for a few weeks, but been sick, been busy with school, work and misc... (Excuses, excuses, I know, but this blog business is harder to keep up with than it would seem!) In late January, I came across an article in the New York Times that had me salivating for a pot of bubbling cheese and crusty french bread (what could be better in this dreary weather?). Naturally, I sent the link to a fellow cheese lover who was equally tempted by the article and invited him and his wife over for dinner.

There are like a gabillion ways that you can do fondue. Check the link to the article for a few ideas. The writer consulted with the chef at Artisanal in NYC (highly recommend this place btw) and has like three or four different versions in the article to try. I am sort of a purist when it comes to fondue. My favorite by far is the classic, which uses a combo of Emmenthaler and Gruyere cheeses. Here is the recipe I used (pulled from article). It was a home run. We paired our dinner with a nice bottle of champagne.

Recipe: Classic Fondue
Time: 15 minutes

1 small garlic clove, halved

1 cup dry white wine

3/4 pound Gruyère cheese, grated

3/4 pound Emmenthaler, raclette or Appenzeller cheese, grated

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 to 2 tablespoons kirsch (optional)

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (optional)

Crusty bread cubes; steamed broccoli or cauliflower; carrot, celery or fennel sticks; cubed apple; seedless grapes; clementine sections; cubed salami, soppressata or kielbasa; roasted chestnuts and/or dried apricots, for serving.

1. Rub cut side of garlic on inside of large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, preferably cast iron, rubbing the bottom and halfway up the sides. Add wine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. (I just used my little electric fondue pot and it worked great.)

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss cheeses with cornstarch. Add a handful at a time to simmering wine, stirring until first handful melts before adding next. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until cheese is completely melted. Add kirsch, if using, and heat until bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if desired. Serve with crusty bread and other accompaniments.

Yield: 6 main course servings or 10 appetizer servings.

Dinner at Acadiana

2008-01-25T14:17:00.000-05:00

Last week was Restaurant Week in D.C., so a couple of friends of mine decided to try out Acadiana on New York Avenue over by the Convention Center. Acadiana is a part of the restaurant group that owns Ceiba, DC Coast, and Ten Penh. I have not eaten at DC Coast (I know, I know, I need to), but so far, this one might be my favorite. The cuisine of Acadiana has a New Orleans-style influence, which I love.

Overall, we had a great experience, minus my drink at the bar. Speaking of which, Acadiana has a nice big bar and if I was to go back, I wouldn't mind just eating right there as the restaurant feels a little vacuous -- they've done their best to make the space inviting, but it's tricky with such tall ceilings (if you go, ask to be seated in a booth).

Our evening started with cocktails and I ordered a Mint Julep that was just okay (Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, fresh mint, simple syrup and a splash of soda water). With the Wild Turkey 101, I was expecting a kick in the butt, but the soda water diluted the cocktail a bit too much -- even the mint, though there was quite a bit of it crushed in the drink, was muted. My friends had better luck with their spirits. I'm blanking on one of the cocktails, but the one I remember was the Sazerac (dash of Absente, equal parts Angostura and Peychaud’s Bitters, simple syrup and Old Overholt Rye Whiskey) and my friend loved it.

For my appetizer, I ordered the trio of deviled eggs. Each was topped with something different: crabmeat ravigote, shrimp remoulade, and louisiana choupique caviar. I enjoyed the different flavors on top of the eggs and thought they paired nicely with the taste of the salty deviled yolks.

For my entree, I ordered the grilled gulf redfish with a seafood jambalaya risotto and smoked red pepper sauce. Loved this. The fish was grilled perfectly and practically melted in my mouth. The risotto was a nice spin on jambalaya (though I would have liked it a tad spicier) and the red pepper sauce was a lovely complement to the dish. My server suggested a Sauvingnon Blanc to pair with my meal (Sancerre, Chateau de Sancerre, Loire Valley, France, 2005), which was a good choice.

Friends' entrees included the red snapper amandine (second photo below) with a brown butter meuniere and sweet corn pudding (v. tasty, I had a bite!), and the New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp (first photo) with garlic butter, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and warm French bread. I'm not sure which dish I liked better -- mine or the bbq. shrimp -- both were fantastic. (I actually have a bbq. shrimp recipe from K Paul's cookbook that tastes very similar to this dish though a little spicier.)

For dessert, we tried the warm raisin bread pudding with a butterscotch sauce and Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Quite good, but by then we were all so stuffed, no one could finish it!

In short, these were damn good eats. I left with a happy, full tummy (no portion control on this evening!), and look forward to a return to this place.

Attempting Something New: Shrimp Pad Thai

2007-12-27T13:11:00.000-05:00

I love stir-fry and eat it almost once a week because it's a quick and easy meal, but chicken and broccoli gets boring after a while. So last night I made my first foray into Thai cuisine with a Shrimp Pad Thai recipe from Joy of Cooking. I don't have the recipe in front of me right now as I type this, so I'll post it later. It turned out pretty good despite the fact that I used the skinniest rice noodles on the planet. I think I just misunderstood what the recipe called for -- next time I will use flatter noodles like you would be served if you ordered this at a restaurant. Rice stick noodles come in differing widths and thicknesses -- I bought the ones that looked like the noodles at the very top of the page when I should have bought the kind that is in the second picture just below.

I'm not sure why I get these wild hairs to cook on nights when I have no food in my kitchen, but again I found myself going to the grocery store at 7 o'clock. I ended up having to make two stops -- first at Whole Foods and then to Safeway. For some reason Whole Foods had every sprout except for bean sprouts (annoying) and their green onions left something to be desired. This was disappointing considering the main reason I choose Whole Foods over other grocery stores is because of the produce, but whatever. I will keep going because a trip to that grocery store makes me happy. Plus there is always wine and cheese to be tasted if you go at the dinner hour.

While I enjoyed what I made and was definitely pleased with myself for trying something new, this recipe was a little heavy on noodles and bordered on being too spicy. I will adjust accordingly next time. My poor little fingers were burning all evening from chopping two red chilis even after washing my hands several times. (I won't even talk about what happened when I went to take my contacts out later that evening.) It was also a lot of work for a weeknight meal -- I don't think I ate until almost 10! Making Pad Thai is not complicated, but there is a lot of prep involved, which basically all needs to be done prior to putting anything in your wok.

So for next time, I will probably just use one red chili since the recipe also calls for dried crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper on top of it. I will also get the flatter rice noodles, but use slightly less and add more sprouts. One thing I did do right: I paired my spicy din with beer. A little Stella Artois hit the spot! Did you know that Stella was a originally brewed as a Christmas beer in Belgium? It was named Stella from the star of Christmas. Random trivia for you to store away.

Readers of this blog (all three of you), has anyone ever tried making Pad Thai before? I'm interested to know about other recipes.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

2007-12-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

This is a favorite of mine and I go by the recipe from my Joy of Cooking cookbook. It's a good date meal or perfect for one. You can make this dish any number of ways -- some like to add things like pancetta or grilled chicken to add more flavor. I personally like the pasta by itself, so that's how I make it. I usually serve this with some kind of arugula or mixed green salad and garlic bread. And, of course, no good pasta dish is complete without a bottle of red -- I like a zin with this, but what do I know? Gnarly Head is one that I sometimes pick up from Whole Foods.

Sorry, no photo. I was too hungry to take a picture the other week when I made this! Anyway, hope everyone is enjoying good eats over their holidays.

What you need:
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped (I usually just go with a regular, old yellow)
-2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-1 28 oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
-1/4 vodka (I used Grey Goose b/c that's what I had on hand, but whatever you have lying around should work just fine)
-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-1/2 cup heavy cream (I have used half-and-half for this dish, too, but I'm partial to what the recipe calls for)
-1/2 - 1 box penne (depending on how many you are making this for, you can do a full box of pasta or half; if it's just me I usually just do half and enjoy the leftovers during the week)
-12 basil leaves chiffonaded
-freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-salt and pepper to taste

So...heat your olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and saute your onion until it softens (say like 6 or 7 minutes). Toss your garlic in for another minute. Then, add to this your can of crushed tomatoes, the red pepper flakes and vodka. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, in another part of Gotham (what?), bring a pot of water to boil for your penne. Remember to salt your water before adding the pasta (I usually dump a small palmful in). Cook to whatever the instructions on the box are for al dente pasta -- around 11 minutes I think. Before draining, reserve a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to mix into your sauce. (No, you don't have to do this, but everything I've learned from watching too many cooking shows says that adding a little pasta water to your sauce helps the liquid to stick to the pasta when you add it in, so like a good little lemming, I follow this rule of thumb).

After your sauce has simmered, stir in the heavy cream and heat through. (This is a good time to add in your pasta water if you're gonna.) Add salt and pepper to taste and then your chopped basil leaves. Stir in the pasta. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano. (Evidently, it is not traditional to grate cheese over this, but I love the flavor that it adds. What can I say, I love cheese!)

Quick Turkey Chili

2007-11-11T12:47:00.000-05:00

The other night I had a hankering for chili. But I had just gotten home from work and had no groceries. Bust. Those who have made chili before know that a pot of this usually takes a couple hours before all the juices have worked their magic on the meat, but I was determined (and procrastinating schoolwork). The taste of chili was already on my tongue and I HAD to have it.

So, I did a quick perusal of Food Network's website looking for a quicky chili. Who better to turn to than good ol' (slightly obnoxious) Rachel Ray. I admit that I have never tried any of her recipes before -- ever since I watched the episode where she made a hot dog salad I have been slightly turned off -- but I decided to give her a shot. I printed out a copy of Indian Summer Turkey Chili and drove up the street to Whole Foods. (It was a little after 7:30 I think.)

The only thing worth mentioning about the grocery trip was that an old Phil Collins song came on and I think that every person in Whole Foods knew the words (even if they wouldn't admit to this among friends) because on more than one aisle I walked down, random people were singing the lyrics under their breath (including myself) -- one of the clerks was happily stocking an aisle while whistling (in a warbly whistle like your grandmother would do) right along to the tune!

ANYWAY, I got home with my bag of groceries and whipped up a pot of chili in about 40 mins., and I was pleasantly surprised with how good it tasted. I think the way Rachel Ray got around having the meat simmer so long was the addition of a little barbecue sauce. I was skeptical of this since I figured for sure that the taste of bbq would overwhelm the chili, but it didn't at all. I enjoyed my chili so much that I ate the majority of the leftovers for lunch during the week.

Groceries for this meal:
6-pack Brooklyn Lager, $7.99 (Multipurpose item -- cooking AND drinking!)
1 red pepper, $2.69 (Does anyone else think this is an absurd price for ONE pepper?)
1 bag blue corn chips, $1.99 (I don't eat chili without tortilla chips.)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce, $0.69
1 medium-sized yellow onion, $1.09
1 package frozen corn, $1.99
Cabot Extra Sharp cheddar cheese, $2.45 (another thing I do not eat chili without)
1.5 lbs. ground turkey, $10.28
1 jar of King Street Blues barbecue sauce, $5.39
1 jar of chili powder (I was out), $2.49

Total: $37.05 + tax (I could be willing to bet you could cut this price in half if you didn't shop at Whole Foods.)

Items I needed, but already had:
Worcestershire sauce
Cumin
Red chili flakes
Tabasco sauce
Grill seasoning (I used Paul Prudomme's, but any will do)
Olive oil
Light Sour Cream (a third thing I like to have in my chili)

I cut Rachel's recipe in half, which gives you four hefty bowls of chili, but as many as six.

Measurements of ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 - 1.5 lbs ground turkey
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dark chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of hot sauce (you could do more here, but since I'm not a huge fan of hot sauce taste, I added a couple shakes of dried red chili flakes to give heat to the dish)
1 onion, chopped (set aside a quarter of it for topping the chili)
1 large pepper (any color you like - I used red), chopped
1/2 bottle of beer (this was actually what the full recipe called for, so you could go a little less, but not by much -- I just dumped a portion of what I was drinking into the pot!)
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of smoky barbecue sauce
1 cup of frozen corn kernels

Heat a pot over medium to medium high heat. Add olive oil and the turkey meat. Season the meat with: chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire and hot sauce (or chili flakes). Break up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon into small crumbles.

Chop the onion, reserving 1/4 of it for topping the chili. Brown meat 5 minutes, then add onions and chopped bell peppers and cook 10 minutes more. Add beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the drippings and cooking off the alcohol. Add tomato sauce and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. If using corn kernels add them now. Let chili simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings and heat level to your taste. Remove from heat and serve. Top with your favorite toppings -- for me that includes sharp cheddar, sour cream and a little bit of onions with crumbled tortilla chips over the top!

Book Club appetizer: Mediterranean Bruschetta

2007-08-23T14:29:00.001-04:00

(This photo is courtesy of the Food Network (hence the reason it looks so nice) - I forgot to take a pic, so I hope they don't mind me "borrowing" theirs...)

Ever notice how people pronounce the word "bruschetta" differently? Even on the Food Network, the Italian and Italian-descent chefs all say it different. For instance, Michael Chiarello from Easy Entertaining always says "brew-sketta" while Miss Giada and Mario say "brew-shetta." Rachel Ray has some in between weirdy pronunciation that's too hard for me to write out phonetically.

Just for the heck of it, I looked up the etymology of the word on Webster's. Here's what it said: Italian, from Italian dialect (Tuscany), from bruscare to toast, burn, probably from Vulgar Latin *brusicare, frequentative of *brusare, *brusiare to burn: thick slices of bread grilled, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil, often topped with tomatoes and herbs, and usually served as an appetizer." So, there you have it, folks... bruschetta is little more than some burned bread with garlic, olive oil and tomatoes.

I volunteered to bring an appetizer for this past Monday's book club meeting and settled on Giada's Mediterranean Bruschetta. I had never made bruschetta before, but this looked good when I watched her whip it up the other afternoon, so I decided I'd give it a shot. It took me a little less than a half hour to make it and everyone at book club loved it (or so they humored me). Here goes...

For the bread:
1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 1/2-inch wide slices (about 16 for a 1 lb. loaf) -- Whole Foods bread buy was kind enough to slice mine for me there; they have this very cool slicing machine!
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and ground black pepper

For the topping:
1 (15-ounce) container of whole milk ricotta cheese
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)*
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves, plus a little more for garnish!
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

*To seed your tomatoes: Take a small serrated knife (they cut through the skin of tomatoes easier and minimize tearing) and slice off the tops of your tomatoes. Take the remaining part of your tomato and gently squeeze over the sink until you begin to see the "innards" of the tomato squish out. Using the index finger of your other hand, scoop the seed goop out of each of the pockets in the tomato until you are basically left with the skeleton of the tomato. From here, cut your tomato into small bite-sized pieces.

Instructions:
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. (I used my little indoor grill once again.) Drizzle the bread slices with olive oil.

I'm not always the best at drizzling. (Sometimes it's hard to control the oil coming out of a bottle!) So, I dipped a pastry brush in my olive oil and "painted" the oil on my bread on one side and placed all the pieces oil side down on my grill. As they were cooking, I painted the other side of the bread. This probably isn't the most efficient way to go about things, but whatever. Drizzle, paint, splatter - as long as it gets on there somehow...

Grill the bread until golden on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the bread, squeeze the lemon juice over the bread slices. Sprinkle the bread slices with dried oregano, salt (I used Kosher) and pepper. (Go easy on oregano as it has a nasty habit of overpowering food when too much is used.)

Random aside: "Ciabatta" means "slipper" in Italian, which is sort of apropos considering the flat, rectangular shape of the loaf. Ha!

For the topping, combine the ricotta, tomatoes, 3 tablespoons of mint, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gently stir together.

Since I was taking this over to a friend's house, I opted to just keep my bruschetta dip in a bowl because it made for easier transfer. I garnished the bruschetta with a sprig of mint and served it alongside the grilled bread slices, letting people serve themselves. But I'm sure it's pretty to spoon the topping over the bread ahead of time and then arrange on a plate before serving. Whichev!

For those interested, we read Khaled Hosseini's new book A Thousand Splendid Suns for this month's book club. I still think I liked The Kite Runner better, but this was a good, quick read. And SAD. Don't read it if life's got you bummed out right now. Then again, maybe you should. If you're a woman, it's bound to make you thankful you didn't grow up in Afghanistan in the '80s and '90s.

Eggplant Rollatini

2007-08-10T16:04:00.001-04:00

(I'm not always the best on presentation, but I assure you this tasted good.)

So, this meal was vegetarian(ish), which is unusual for me, but my uncle gave me some fresh eggplant the other weekend and I felt compelled to do something with it. Having never worked with eggplant before (except once on a so-so ratatouille long ago), I wasn't sure what to expect. The recipe I used came from Giada De Laurentiis's Everyday Italian cookbook, and I was quite pleased with how it turned out. (Photo doesn't really do this meal justice.) Since, her recipe called for three eggplants to yield six servings and I only had two, I fudged with the proportions. This meal could have easily fed four on just two decent sized eggplants. I froze four pieces of it and will update this post with how the meal tastes post defrost.

Ingredients
2 medium-sized eggplants
Kosher salt and black ground pepper (Giada used sea salt, I used kosher b/c that's what I had)
Can vegetable spray
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella
6 tablespoons (give or take) grated Parmesan (I like to use the real stuff and grate my own because I think it does make a difference)
2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts
15 basil leaves, chiffonaded
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1 1/2 cups of fresh tomato sauce

Instructions and such
Eggplant is a nice meaty vegetable, but it can end up tasting tough and bitter if not handled properly, so the first thing I did to treat this vegetable, per Giada, was to cut the top and bottom off the eggplants, and then cut them lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. You could go thinner if you wanted (I did for some of the pieces to experiment with which I liked better and found that I preferred the thinner slices). From there, I placed the slices on a cooling rack over top a cookie sheet and sprinkled kosher salt on both sides and let the pieces sit for about 30 minutes. (Giada said only 10 to 15 minutes, so use your judgment -- mine looked like they needed to sit out a bit longer.) The cookie sheet is to catch the drips of moisture that the salt will bring out of the vegetable. If you don't have a cooling rack, you could salt the pieces and set them in a colander with a few papers towels underneath -- us lonely chefs must improvise sometimes!

While the eggplant sat, I did some much needed laundry (was down to the dregs of my underwear drawer) and also preheated my little indoor electric grill to medium heat and my oven to 375 degrees.

Note on electric grills: If you don't have one, this is a good way to blow a 100 bucks -- especially if you live somewhere where you don't have access to an outdoor grill. Even if you have an outdoor grill, which I do (charcoal), some nights it's too much of a hassle to use it -- like last week when I locked myself out of my apartment -- so this is a good alternative. (I think I got mine on sale a few years back at Williams Sonoma for around $70.)

Back to the recipe... Once your eggplant has sat, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. I'm thinking if you didn't have a grill pan or anything that you could easily fry up the eggplant in a skillet over medium heat with some olive oil to brown and soften. I sprayed PAM on my grill pan and grilled the eggplant for about 5 minutes per side -- long enough to get some grill marks. Remove slices from grill pan and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat your egg until it is lightly scrambled. Mix in the ricotta with the egg. Add mozzarella, two tablespoons of Parmesan and toasted pine nuts, and gently combine. Fold in basil just to combine. Don't overmix! I added a little salt and pepper to this mixture as well.

Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on one end of the eggplant and roll up tightly. (Since my eggplants were sort of short and squatty, this was a little tricky, but I did the best I could.) Place the eggplant rollatini into a greased (with olive oil) 13 x 9-inch baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining eggplant. Evenly distribute tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rollatini -- add more if you need to. I just bought a good jar of tomato basil sauce from Whole Foods, which tasted great.

Season the dish with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle your remaining Parmesan over the top (I also sprinkled a little grated mozzarella because, well, I have a thing for cheese, but it's not necessary).

Bake for 15 minutes or so -- I might have gone a little longer than this because my oven is tired. Once cooked, drizzle the top of the eggplant with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

Garlic bread and a simple salad would be good with this.

Post-it: August heat and misc. seafood tidbits

2007-08-08T13:11:00.000-04:00

This weekend as I was sitting in a crab boat with the mid-morning sun beating down on my head, doing my best not to be a total fuss pot after being woken up at 6:30 to go out crabbing for our family's annual crab feast, my cousin uttered a few sage words: "August is God's way of reminding you to be thankful for fall."

I couldn't agree more.

I just checked weather.com to see what the temperature is by my house and it's 101 degrees. This triple digit absurdity makes me look forward to feeling a cool September breeze on my face. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to rush summer out or anything. I love summer. But when it gets this hot, I get very sluggish and tired. Then again, maybe that's because I'm not getting enough sleep. Sigh.

I have a post about a recent recipe that I tried, but for the moment I just feel like writing random stuff. (It's my blog and I can do that.) I think I'll label these type posts "Post-its."

There is an interesting article in the Washington Post today about Tilapia and how it's consumption has gone way up among the average shopper, but that chefs are not big fans. Snooty Bob Kinkead, chef-owner of Kinkead's in Foggy Bottom and Colvin Run Tavern in Vienna, called it "insipid," "spongelike" and "inferior." "Not in my restaurant," he declared. "Never sold it, won't sell it." Whatever, Bob.

In other D.C. seafoody news, the owners of Hank's Oyster Bar in Dupont (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place) are planning to open up another restaurant in Old Town Alexandria on King Street in September. Will be looking forward to checking that out. They make a Lobster Roll sandwich that is out of this world, not to mention the oysters there are always fab. Here's hoping the new place is a little bit bigger.

Locksmith Salmon with a Side of Stupid

2007-08-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

Alaskan Sockeye Salmon fillet full of bones: $5.46
Misc. items for a veggie pasta dish that turned out just OK: $9
Bottle of cheap Rose that gave me a headache the next morning: $11
Emergency locksmith charge after locking myself out of my apt.: $230

Sitting down to a sub par dinner at 11:30 p.m.: INFURIATING

Yeah, I know. You were expecting me to somehow pull a "priceless" out at the end of that or tell you that somehow I magically managed to cook an amazing meal that was worth the hassle and expense of what I went through last night, but that would be lying... What can I say? Some nights you come to the end of your evening wishing you would have ordered take-out sushi or Dominoes delivery. Such is life.

Last night's dinner wasn't terrible, but it probably would have tasted a hell of a lot better had I eaten it three hours earlier and didn't have to pay an exorbitant charge for some dude to pick my lock after locking myself out of my apartment whilst going out to check on the coals for my grill.

Inspiration for this dish came from this month's Bon Appetit magazine. More to come...

Counting my carbs (for the day anyway)

2007-07-10T16:06:00.000-04:00

It's full-on bathing suit season and what have I done to get trim? Ummm, yeah. Pretty much nothing save for a few sporadic power walks through the neighborhood and some scant yoga classes up the street. All of a sudden I've hit mid-summer and feel the need to shed a few pounds. Reason for this? Oh you know... I went to the beach a couple weekends ago and a bathing suit that once fit splendidly felt like I was wearing tight pink (polka-dotted) rubber bands.

So, with the knowledge that I must put my swim suit back on in the very near future, I decided to be a carb hater for the week. For Monday night dinner, I grilled a New York Strip on my indoor grill and served it with cauliflower mash and broiled tomatoes. In total, this meal probably didn't take me too much more than about 20 minutes to prep and cook.

Ingredients used:

1 medium strip steak
garlic powder
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil (I used extra virgin b/c that's what I had)
1 medium head of cauliflower
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese (I used Vermont Cracker Barrel)
1/4 sour cream (give or take)
2 - 3 pats of butter
splash of milk
2 cloves chopped garlic
fresh chives (usually found in small packages with other fresh herbs in the produce section)
1 vine ripened tomato

First: Cheesy Cauliflower Mash

1. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil.

2. While the water is heating up, cut up your head of cauliflower into small pieces. Do this whatever way is easiest for you -- we're not trying to leave these as pretty little florets - they will later be pulverized in a food processor or mashed with a masher -- so, just take a sharp knife and cut off the green part at the base of the cauliflower and then cut out the florets (each little tree). I cut the stems of each floret nearly off and for the bigger florets, I halved them.

2. When your water is boiling, drop in a teaspoon or so of salt and add your cauliflower to the pot. Boil until tender - I did this for 6 minutes.

3. Drain your cauliflower. In a food processor or large bowl, add your cauliflower, garlic, sour cream, cheddar cheese, milk. Blend or mash. (I have a small little food processor, so I did this in a couple batches.)

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer back to a pot and keep on low to keep warm.

5. Top with fresh chopped chives before serving.

Notes: Basically, I doctored up this cauliflower much like I would a potato and was quite pleased with the result. Only thing I would say is, take it easy on the milk. My mash turned out a teensie bit runnier than I would have liked and that's probably because I added too much milk. When in doubt, add small amounts of things at a time, mix and taste until the mash reaches the consistency and texture you want.

Second: Indoor Grilled Steak

1. Preheat a grill pan or electric indoor grill to medium-high heat. This shouldn't really take longer than a few minutes. If you don't have either item, a large frying pan should do -- you just won't have the nice grill marks. (If we weren't experiencing an unbearable heat wave this week, I would have pulled out my charcoal grill outside!)

2. Season your Strip. This is a must. While you could use a fancy grill seasoning mix, my three "go to" ingredients for steak (and pretty much anything I grill) are: garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper. I would also recommend brushing a little olive oil on each side of your steak to keep from sticking. After you brush (or drizzle) on the oil, gently add your seasoning to each side of the steak. Don't go nuts on spices, but use enough so that the top of the steak looks well "sprinkled."

3. Place your steak on the grill (pan). Go five to six minutes per side to end up with a medium-done steak. If you're looking for medium-well to well-done, I'm not sure we can ever be friends, but if you insist, I'd say grill 7 to 8 minutes per side. Go 3 to 4 minutes per side for a rarer steak.

4. Remove steak from grill and allow to rest -- about five minutes or so.

Notes: Hmmm, I touched on seasoning thing, so the only other thing I would say is, steak should only be flipped once! The more it gets handled, the tougher it becomes. Second, don't cut into your meat until you've given it a chance to rest. Your steak will keep cooking during that time and if you cut into it prematurely, all the nice juices that make your steak moist and delish will just run out all over your plate!

Third: Broiled Tomatoes

1. Remove your broil pan from the oven and preheat the oven at the broil setting. If your broiler is in the main oven, make sure your rack is placed close to the top of the oven.

2. Coat top of broil pan with a sheet of aluminum wrap. (Cuts down on the mess afterwards.)

3. Rinse and dry one tomato. Using a small serrated knife, cut off the top of your tomato (discard) and then cut the remainder into slices (maybe a 1/4 of an inch thick?).

4. Place tomatoes on the broiling pan and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on each one. Season with salt and pepper. (I also added a little garlic powder to mine, but you don't have to. You could also sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese over the top if you had it.)

5. Set pan under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes or until the tomatoes look softened and the skin around the edges has crinkled up a bit. (If you've added Parmesan to the top, you'll know it's done when the cheese has browned slightly and starts to bubble.)

6. Remove and serve immediately.

Okay, so the pic isn't glamorous, but everything was darn tasty!

Shrimp, take two.

2007-07-06T15:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I decided I would try again on a shrimp dish for one. Thankfully this one turned out quite good. The following is a slight adaptation of a recipe I found on the Food Network (it won't be the last one you see here) of Nigella Lawson's "Shrimp with Garlic and Chili Pepper." The only thing I changed was the use of a fresh red chili. I substituted dried red pepper flakes since the grocery store was out of red chilies. I'm pretty sure it turned out just as good.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp for One

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 fresh red chili, minced OR 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
2 - 3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 pound unshelled medium shrimp
1/2 cup white wine
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Pour olive oil into a wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Then add the chili flakes and garlic and, over moderate to low heat, fry for two minutes, stirring all the time.

2. Turn heat to high, add the shrimp, and fry for another two minutes or until they turn pink and are just cooked.

3. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble up about one more minute or so.

4. Season with salt, then turn into your bowl (hell, you can eat this right of the pan if you want to), and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Eat with a few hunks of baguette -- half the enjoyment of a dish like this is dipping your bread in the sauce!

Suggested accompaniments for this dish:
French Baguette
Fresh ear of corn
Mixed greens salad with goat cheese, pine nuts and tomatoes with Paul Newman's Basalmic Vinaigrette

NOTES: Points of interest, that may or may not be useful... (probably more so to those that don't cook much, and less so to those that do.)

Parsley. I've heard several chefs/cooks attest to the fact that Italian flat leaf parsley is better than curly leaf. While I am inclined to agree with this, if curly leaf is what you have in the fridge, use what you got. The difference in taste is minor and in a dish like this, we're mainly going for the fresh green color to brighten things up.

Wine. I used an inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc (RH Phillips on sale for $9.99). As Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa would say, don't cook with any wine you wouldn't mind drinking. I'm not particularly picky in this category -- my budget won't allow for it at this point in my life! Any dry white wine will do.

Garlic. If dealing with a fresh head of garlic is not something you're accustomed to, pick up a small jar of pre-chopped garlic. These can usually be found somewhere in the produce section of your grocery store. If my memory serves me right, 1/2 teaspoon = 1 fresh clove of garlic. Buying the jar is obviously more expensive than buying a head (say like $3 vs. $1), but it does save a little prep time.

Shrimp. I like to buy the "easy peel" shrimp if they are available. This means the guy behind the fish counter has already taken care of de-veining the little buggers (shells are still on, which is what you want). That said, I've eaten plenty of shrimp in my day that was not de-veined and have been just fine, so go with whatever is available.

Salt. When I cook, I like to use kosher salt because it has a little more flavor, but again, use what you have on hand.

What did this meal cost me?
1/2 pound shrimp: $4.87
wine: $9.99
baguette: $.99
corn: $.25
tomatoes (bought two): $2.83
goat cheese: $3.99
spring mixed greens: $2.50
Total: $25.42

(Items I didn't need to purchase: garlic, olive oil, pine nuts)

Obviously, any time you add alcohol to the mix, it's going to up your grocery bill, but if you don't drink the bottle down in one evening, you'll be able to enjoy a glass here or there for the rest of the week. Same goes for salad ingredients.

Fire drills and shrimp recipes gone bust...

2007-07-06T14:22:00.000-04:00

Okay, so Monday night I got all geared up to cook for myself in an effort to have material for my very first blog post on The Lonely Chef. I decided I'd go with a tried and true recipe that I love for Barbecued Shrimp from Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen cookbook, and ventured to my neighborhood Whole Foods.

Half way through my ingredient gathering, the fire alarm went off in the grocery store. Now, I'm pretty sure most people in the store were thinking what is this a joke?, but it turned out to be a real deal fire drill and everyone had to evacuate. Annoyed, I left my cart by the bananas in the produce section and walked outside to stand with the other 300-or-so, irritated shoppers in the hot parking lot. Two fire trucks and 15 minutes later, we were let back in to continue with our shopping...

Long story short, I should have taken this disconcerting event as a bad omen and gone home without my groceries, waited a day and tried again, but no. I went home with my groceries and nearly charred my shrimp -- something I have NEVER done with this recipe! (Sigh.) In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that the reason the shrimp turned out a little crispy is because I halved the recipe since I was just cooking for me. Here's where the lesson comes in: Cutting a recipe in half does not necessarily yield the best result. Then again, half of getting good as a cook is experimenting until you find what works. That's sort of what this blog is about. Sort of. All this to say, next time, even if I reduce the amount of shrimp in this recipe, I will keep the liquid the same and all should be good.