Auld Lang Syne

When I was first embarking upon my cooking education, there were few people around who enjoyed food outside the traditional Southern fare that I grew up with. While my mother appreciated my work, she was not a cook, did not enjoy cooking and got by on survival foods. Fortunately, my boss, a lady that grew up in Chicago and had lived in various big cities throughout the United States, did appreciate different cuisines and had some experience cooking them. While she didn't cook often, due to her job, she did enjoy the process. She gave me this recipe and it has remained a favorite after twenty years. Each time I make it, I'm reminded of an old friend and good times- which makes the true flavor of this recipe unbeatable!

I often make it for New Year's Day supper as it is a good use of the leftover champagne. It also makes an excellent birthday or anniversary meal as the extra champagne can be served as part of the celebration.

I usually serve it over egg noodles although any pasta would work. For sides, steamed asparagus and a salad sliced tomatoes with a light vinaigrette. I keep dessert light by serving a fruit tart or fresh fruit over angel food cake with a little whipped cream.

Champagne Chicken and Mushrooms

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 skin-on, boned chicken breasts

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb white button mushrooms , sliced

1 cup Champagne

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup whipping cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Stir together first 3 ingredients in a shallow bowl and dredge chicken in mixture. Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken, in batches, 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Set aside.

Add more butter if needed and sauté mushrooms until tender. Stir in Champagne and broth and bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned particles from bottom of skillet. Reduce heat, and return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer 10-20 minutes or until done.

Transfer chicken to a warmed serving dish. Stir cream into mushroom mixture and add any additional salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5 to 6 minutes or until thickened. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Mary Had a Little Lamb....

and it was very very good... Unfortunately most Americans have an aversion to lamb which has no precedence. Beef and pork have so dominated our market that lamb has almost become a specialty meat. Yet it is the dominate meat in much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and most of the Middle East.

Admittedly lamb has a reputation for being greasy - but proper cooking eliminates that problem as it does with any other fatty meat. It's flavor is wonderful- more like pork than beef even though it is a red meat

Leg of lamb lends itself to slow roasting on a rack.. that way it self marinates with the fat running down and into the bottom of the pan. Shoulder and loin chops can be lightly pan fried, or better yet- broiled. For stews, I tend to shy away from the lamb stew meat- it's almost too lean. Instead I use the loin chops with the bones in, which gives a lovely flavor to the stock.

The up side to lamb- for those of you who are on tight budgets ( and who isn't these days)- is that it sells so slowly that you can often find mark down cuts at the supermarket. In fact, I had the good fortune to catch a leg of lamb marked down almost 50 percent. I have it in my freezer awaiting Easter and a long slow roast in my oven.

However, we have another , closer holiday that lamb is appropriate for-- St. Patricks day. I'm sharing my well-tested Lamb stew recipe along with a different take on cooking cabbage . Of course a dark beer is the best accompainment, and beer is the second best. However if you like me and cannot bide the taste of the stuff, I recommend a good shiraz- it balances well with the sweet cabbage and the savory meat. Serve a spice cake with cream cheese icing for dessert along with a glass of port.

Irish Potato Stew

½ cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat (preferably shoulder), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
1-½ cups dark beer
1-½ pounds medium new potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut ½ inch thick diagonally
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge lamb in flour mixture, shaking off excess. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
Pour 1/4 cup water into pot, scraping up browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and onion is beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to pot; stir in thyme, beer, and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover; simmer until lamb is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Add potatoes, carrots, and 1/2 cup water. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely before storing. Stir in parsley just before serving.

Quick Cook Cabbage

1 head of cabbage finely shredded
1 stick of butter,sliced into pats
salt and pepper to taste


Bring pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop in all the cabbage by handfuls. Let boil 4-5 minutes- just until crisp tender. Drain and place in large serving bowl.. Toss with butter pats, salt and pepper until all butter is melted.

This retains so many of the nutrients and keeps it a lovely green color.

Requests

I apologize to my loyal readers for the long delay in my postings… As many of you know I've been living between two houses for the past 6 months and it has almost driven me insane ( ok it's a short drive I know- but still …) I've also been stashing away a wonderful array of fresh veggies and fruits in my freezer in anticipation of the bleak winter months ahead…. However I have a good friend that has asked me to please post SOMETHING, so I figure it would be good to address a question he asked me a couple of months ago… Do I have a recipe for croquettes?

For all the comedians out there, no I am not cooking a popular yard game. No I'm talking about those lovely crispy patties filled with meat and flavor that you can fry up in a minimum amount of oil… There isn't a cuisine that doesn't have a form of these from the Japanese Korokke, to the Dutch Bitterballen to the Tanzanian Samaki to the American Crab Cake, croquettes are a quick easy meal.

As everyone knows you can use any minced meat to make these- and it's a good way to use up a small amount of leftover meat. But vegetables make some lovely croquettes too…The second most important ingredient in croquettes are what you use as a filler… bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, mashed potatoes can all be used to help give this cake a little more staying power. Of all the ingredients I've tried, on of my favorites is butter crackers ( you know the round brand that everything goes better on) … Unlike bread crumbs or mashed potatoes, they make a lighter patty, that doesn't soak up the cooking oil as much. They also give it a slight buttery flavor that goes well with any filling.

So I will leave you with one of my favorites- salmon patties . I am showing the recipe using canned salmon- but it works equally well with leftover grilled salmon that you have flaked. The only change with the fresh salmon is that you may need an extra egg white to keep it moist.

Salmon Patties with Tzatziki Sauce

1 can pink salmon, flaked ( I leave the skin and bones in – but it's your choice.

1 tube ( pack) Buttery Round Crackers, crumbled fine

3 spring onions chopped- use some of the dark tops

Dash of salt and peper

3 drops lemon juice

2 medium eggs

Cooking oil (olive, vegetable, canola)

Mix all ingredients together into a paste. Form into small balls and flatten- should be the size of a hamburger. Heat oil in pan and fry on medium high until light golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Zatziki sauce , pita bread and a Greek Salad. Make or pick up some baklava for dessert.

Remember there are no limits… add or subtract any ingredient you like. Sometimes I used Cajun flavors, sometimes Mexican- it's your croquette make it how you like it….

Time and the Sensuous Cook

I must apologize to my readers out there for the long delay in writing; as a full time student and a part time writer , I sometimes get "burn out " on writing. I often hear friends say the same about cooking- the daily struggle of what to eat sometimes drives us to the drive thru. This doesn't have to be the case, there are a few simple things that can help you have good home meals without exhausting yourself or resorting to canned, frozen or boxed meals.

First of all, the next time you're watching television, grab a scratch pad and make a list of meals your family enjoys and that are easy to prepare. Some of the entries on my list include Steaks and Baked potatoes with tomato onion salad, BBQ chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and a tossed salad, and Pot Roast with potatoes & carrots and braised cabbage. If you think I spend hours in the kitchen preparing these meals--- think again. All of these are on the table within 30-45 minutes of coming home- thanks to my old friend – the crock pot.

There are thousands of wonderful stews and soups you can cook in a crock pot- but did you know you can also bake potatoes, make a great mac and cheese and even make a cake in them? Don't limit your thinking when it comes to this versatile piece of equipment- and don't limit your recipes to thoughts of canned cream soups, or pre -made sauce mixes.

So, looking at the first meal – steaks, baked potatoes and tomato-onion salad. The steaks- if you are the outdoor griller- go for it; for the rest of us- drag out that indoor grill or broil them- but please, please, please make sure you don't overcook them. The sensuous cook considers any steak cooked more than medium rare to be the equivalent of eating beef jerky- and not nearly as tasty. Your steaks will be the food with the longest cooking time- Why ? Because you've already baked the potatoes- in the crock pot – while you were out. That morning, wash up your potatoes, rub them down with a little vegetable shortening- or vegetable oil, and roll them in some kosher salt. Wrap them up in foil and place them in your crock-pot. Turn it on low and head off to work- that's all!!!!! When you come home – steaming hot baked potatoes. Now the last thing , slice three thick slices of tomato per person and two slices of sweet onion ( Vidalia's, Maui- whatever are available to you) and arrange them on a plate alternating onion and tomato,. Now here's the twist- top them not with dressing or marinade but with a thin stream of A1 sauce (I like the bold and zesty for this). It makes a unique dressing and blends well with the hearty meal. Of course you don't have to use it- use what you like - but part of being a sensuous cook is using old ingredients in new ways.

So there's one easy meal for you- starting to feel better? Let's try the next one- BBQ chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and tossed salad. This one requires two crock pots and some prior day prep- I suggest using this menu on a Monday- that way, while you're doing the usual Sunday cooking- it won't be hard to add this extra step. You will need enough legs and thighs to feed your family. Place them in a roasting pan and brush them with a mixture of ½ cup oil (olive is the best but vegetable will do in a pinch) , ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, and a ¼ tsp garlic powder. Roast them in the oven at 350 until the juices run clear when pierced and the skin is golden. Remove from the pan and refrigerate. The next morning- put the chicken in the crock pot and add a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce- yes I occasionally make my own but there is some a large variety of quality sauces –don't be embarrassed to use them. In the second crock pot, peel and quarter several large russet potatoes (six will serve four people generously) add just enough water to cover them and a dash of salt. Go to work. When you come home- the house will smell wonderful and you won't have a whole lot to do to put supper on the table. The chicken only needs to go in it's serving dish; the potatoes need to be strained and mashed- if you feel like being fancy- add some cheese, sour cream and chives to them to make ultimate mashed potatoes, and open up a bag of salad mix , quarter some tomatoes to top the salad and top with your favorite dressings. How easy can it get? Just wait for the final supper…

For this recipe you can use a rump roast, chuck roast , or even a brisket- however I do not suggest eye of round- the flavors don't seem to penetrate it well enough. So.. in the morning-put in the crock pot in this order ( this is one time that order is important)- the roast, two onions quartered, a small bag of baby carrots, and six to eight russet potatoes peeled and quartered. In a bowl, mix up ¾ cup La Choy soy sauce, ¼ cup Lea and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce, and 1 can of beef consommé ( not broth- if you use broth the flavor will lack). I have specified name brands here- not because I get a kick back ,but because of a lot of experiments have shown these will give an excellent flavor. Pour this over the contents of the crock pot and then add enough water so that the liquid covers the contents. Turn it on low and go do your thing. When you come on that evening, supper is ready. Strain out the meat and Vegetables into a serving dish- you will have to slice a rump roast or brisket- a chuck roast will be falling apart. Serve some of the cooking liquid on the side as an au jus sauce. All you will need to do is fix the cabbage. For this you will need a bag of angel hair coleslaw mix or you can thinly slice a head of cabbage. In a large skillet, bring a couple of cups of water to boil – lightly salted. When it boils, add the cabbage and stir until it is crisp tender- about 5-7 minutes. Strain and toss with several pats of butter. Guess what?!?! Supper's ready…. And you didn't even break a sweat.

So- I've provided you with three meals- I'll leave it to you to improvise one more. On Friday, declare it family movie night – order pizza and grab a movie- and pat yourself on the back for feeding your family so well all week.

Sunday Supper Mothers Day May 11 2009

Roast Pork Butt

Oven Roasted New Potatoes

Green Peas with Mushrooms, Baby Carrots and Vidalia Onions

Marinated Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Red Onion

Strawberries and Cream

My mom likes simple meals, filled with fresh produce. This is easy enough for me since I faithfully visit the Farmer's Market every Saturday morning. This week I was pleased to find some beautiful fresh garden peas, spring onions of the Vidalia variety, and some tremendous strawberries. I spent 20 minutes picking the perfect sized potatoes (slightly larger than a golf ball) out of the several crates. The farmer's market is definitely a sensuous experience- the feel of dust from the fresh vegetables on my hands, the smells of fresh herbs, melons and the million other things in the air, all the colors of the rainbow in the fresh produce- from red tomatoes, to green cabbage, to purple eggplants- , and the sounds of people laughing and talking- strangers sharing cooking tips, the seasoned gardeners' giving advice to the newbie.

Back home, I hulled and sliced the strawberries and sprinkled them with a tsp of sugar- everything else could wait for tomorrow. When I cook my pork roast I used what I term a slow roast method. So, in order to have it for supper I started it roasting about 1 pm. Fat is a good thing when you slow roast a pork butt. Place the roast in a pan ( I line mine with parchment- easy cleanup and eliminates the use of extra oils or (ugghhhh) cooking sprays. Next, get out or mix up your favorite rub..to be honest I love Emeril's original Essence recipe for this ( you can get the recipe off his website which saves buying the expensive bottle of it at the store).. Place the butt fat side up and heavily cover the fat with the seasoning. Place it in the oven on 300 degrees- depending on the weight this will take 4-6 hours. Use your meat thermometer to make sure it is done- never take chances.

I left this cooking while I enjoyed my mother's day treat-the movie Wolverine. When we got back I rinsed the new potatoes and put them on to boil in plain water. I cooked them until they were fork tender but not falling apart. While they cook, at combine the fresh green peas, fresh sliced mushrooms, rings of Vidalia onion, and little carrots in a pot with a dash of thyme, some sea salt and fresh black pepper. Bring it up to a boil, and then let them simmer at least 40 minutes- fresh green peas, unlike frozen, are very hard and need a longer cooking time.

By now the potatoes are done. I drain them and rinse them in cool water so I can handle them. After peeling them I put a roasting pan in the oven with 3-4 teaspoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons butter. Let the butter melt and remove the pan. Put the potatoes in the pan, lightly tossing them in the mixture until well coated. Sprinkle with some salt and paprika and place in the oven with the roast. They will slowly brown and get a really nice texture.- this will usually take 45 minutes.

While everything is simmering and baking, slice up a tomato, a cucumber into thin slices and dice a small red onion. Arrange the tomato and cucumber on a plattler and sprinkle with the diced red onion. Drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette ( or for the struggling cooks, make up a package of Good Seasons Italian using red wine vinegar and olive oil). Let it marinate in the fridge for at least a half an hour.

Finally for the dessert, whip some heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Chill.

When the roast is done, remove it from the oven and let it stand on the serving platter. It should rest about 10 to 15 minutes before carving. This allows the cooking juices to absorb back into the meat, which in turn keep it from drying out.

I served this with fresh brewed ice tea, and lemonade. If you're a wine buff, I would suggest a Riesling- Pacific Rim makes a lovely one.

Here's your shopping list for this meal :

Boston Butt-4-5 lbs Olive Oil Butter

1 lb green peas 1 medium Tomato 1 medium Cucumber

½ lb mushrooms 1 small red Onion 1 pint Strawberries

6-8 baby carrots Vanilla Extract 1 half pint heavy whipping cream

Fresh or dried thyme Sugar Vidalia onion

Sea salt Fresh black pepper 1 dozen new potatoes

Plus

Your favorite vinaigrette

Your favorite meat rub

Or

The above suggestions for them

Brother Broth- a Heavenly Ingredient

Nothing is better than homemade broth to enhance your dishes. You can use broth in everything from rice to stuffing to stir fries. Making your own broth is easy- and it makes sense ( or cents ) as it's helps reduce waste and let's you buy one less thing at the grocery store.

Two things are necessary for any good broth- no matter what kind. A good stock pot , preferably 16 quart, and mirepoix (pronounced meer a pwa). No it's not some strange ingredient- its is the combination of three common ingredients that's gives the body and flavor to your broths. Traditionally it is onion, celery and carrots although in creole cooking you will find they use onion celery and bell pepper. but for broth I stick with the traditional.

Once you have these two items your broth possibilities are endless. Cooking a ham this weekend ? Dropthe bone and some of the meat shavings in your stockpot along with the mirepoix and you've got a great base stock for any bean soup, split pea soup, not to mention it's great to cook your rice in next time you make ham fried rice- doubles the flavor!

The next time you roast a chicken or turkey, throw the carcass in the pot with the mirepoix , some white wine and some garlic and you will have chicken stock that any Jewish mama would be proud of ( and I know -I'm 1/4 Jewish). You can simply add some of the leftover de-boned bird to this stock along with some sliced carrots and egg noodles for a wonderfully warming bowl of soup. I suggest a Chardonnay for the stock- it's buttery flavor is a perfect enhancement. There are thousands of recipes that call for chicken stock these days- now you can make them and know you've got an advantage.


For beef broth there are several choices- keep an eye out for soup bones or ask your butcher for some. Oxtail makes great broth but they have become very pricey these days. Last time I made beef broth I use some marked down short ribs- they imparted a really strong beef flavor. I do suggest brown beef in a little olive oil at the bottom of the stock pot before making the broth. The browning process brings out the true flavor of the meat- raw beef will work but the flavor will suffer.

Think it's easier to open a can? Think again. Read the sodium content on some of the premade stocks- it's horrendous. By doing this you can control your salt and flavorings to your needs and taste- a big plus for those of us who have to watch our diets.

So you have big pot of broth- what to do with it? First let it cool at room temp- then strain out the vegetables and carcasses and all the stuff that isn't liquid. I usually use a fine colander inside another pot. I usually ladle the stock into quart or gallon freezer zipper bags and lie them flat on backing sheets and stick them in the freezer. Once they harden you can remove them from the sheets and they will stack fairly easily. You can also store it in containers but after years of doing this I like the bag method better. Don't forget to date and mark what the broth is- trust me once it's frozen it's hard to tell apart.

Don't get hung up on traditional chicken and beef broths. The only limit is your imagination . I pick up marked down veggies at the supermarket all the time, and they provide me an endless supply of vegetable broth. I save my onion cuttings and make onion broth- save the clean skins from the onions it helps enhance the color. There's one store that always has marked down mushrooms-beef stew made with garlic mushroom broth is fantastic!

I would love to hear other ideas and combinations you think of- please feel free to comment .

The Sweet and Sexy Onion

I make this fragrant soup with six kinds of onions...the cooking process is what takes the onions to a new height.


French Onion Soup
Roasted Red Pepper Cheese sandwiches
Apples Strawberries and Grapes with Poppyseed dip



Ah... the much maligned onion, those that don't understand it consider it socially unacceptable. With right treatment, however, the strongest onion can turn sweet and soft. Before we get to that treatment, lets look at the six onions I use in my French Onion soup.

Leeks, the long green symbol of Wales, are one of the sweetest onions you'll find. They are right up there with our Vidalia, but they have the fresher taste that spring onions afford. The biggest problem with them is cleaning them. Lots of rinsing is required as dirt likes to get between the tight layers. When slicing, use the white to light green portion for the soup ( or any other dish). When making this recipe set aside the leftover dark green parts.

Yellow, red and white onions are all Spanish onions, but the yellow is what we think of when we hear that term. Yellow onions are pungent and strong , and one of the culprits that give onions a bad name. It's also the one that makes our stews, casseroles , chili's and soups taste so good. Red onions grill well and also mix well with dark greens to make flavorful salads. They are much more subtle and have a hint of sweetness. Mexican cooks know the mild white onion will mix beautifully with tomatoes and peppers to give salsa it's sweet tang. These big fellows also make great onion rings. Hang on to the peels and outer layers of each of these when making this recipe.

Shallots are probably the least used onion when it comes to day to day cooking, but these little onions are power packs of flavor. The inside looks like the red onion and the flavor is similar but more subtle. You will notice they are more of a bulb and separate into sections just like garlic does. I prefer them when I am making a dish that uses mushroom and onions as they blend well with the earthy flavor without overpowering. Next time you have steak, thinly slice some shallots, toss lightly in some flour and fry in some butter until golden. Pour a little of the butter over the steaks and top with the crisp onions. It will make an ordinary meal into a restaurant quality one.

The magical sixth onion in my soup- garlic. Yes that old black magic that garlic weaves, whether it's roasted and mashed into potatoes, or simmered into a thick tomato sauce, there is no doubt the flavor of garlic is one that we love. In this soup it is a must!

Now that you have your onions, you will need to prepare them. You will want to slice the large onions very thin, and mince the shallots and the garlic. For a quick look at these techniques check out the links at the bottom of this post. Continue as the recipe below instructs.

I'm also including my updated version of pimento cheese. Make sure you drain the roasted red peppers well or your spread will be a little soupy. The fruits I've listed here are just suggestions, use whatever fresh fruits you like and that are in season.

How to slice onions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au9GABO7GqM

How to peel and mince garlic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LaF_u30TpI


French Onion Soup

1 med size red onion, peeled and thinly sliced.
1 med size yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced.
1 med size white onion, peeled and thinly sliced.
2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced.
2 shallots, minced
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups of beef stock
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of dry thyme
Salt and pepper
8 slices of toasted French bread
1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyère with a little grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until soft and slightly golden. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf. To serve you can either use individual oven proof soup bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.



Roasted Red Pepper and Sharp Cheddar Spread

1/2 lb. Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
4 or 5 roasted red peppers, diced small
mayonnaise
Salt and pepper

Combine ingredients using just enough mayo to bind . Season to taste. I suggest serving this on a grain bread , as the nutty flavor blends well.


Poppyseed Dip

1 small container of strawberry yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 tsp of poppy seeds

Whisk all ingredients together. Serve with fruit. Note: you can use any flavor of yogurt you wish. Experiment!