Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Duck Leg Adobo – A Real Family Meal

If you’ve worked in restaurants before, you know that every night before service the staff sits down to what’s called the “family meal.” One of the younger cooks is usually charged with scraping together something filling and, more importantly, not expensive. It was during one of these meals that I first had adobo.

When I worked at the Carnelian Room in the late 80’s, much of the kitchen crew was Filipino, so chicken and pork adobo was a very common dinner. One of the dishwashers made a particularly great version, and I fell in love with the bold, simple flavors. I also remember being pretty annoyed that the dishwashers there were better cooks than I was at the time, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I happened to have some duck legs around last week, and all it took was a well-timed email wishing for adobo to inspire this video. I understand that most of you will not use duck for this, but if you do, be sure to save the fat.

Duck fat is prized by chefs, and more heart-healthy than people realize. It can be used for just about anything you’d normally fry in butter or vegetable oil. I roasted some Brussels spouts with mine, but it also will make just about the best homefries you’ve ever tasted.

Like I said in the video, no duck, no problem. If you can simmer it in a sauce, it will work in this recipe. Because of the high soy sauce content, be careful about over reducing, but other than that, not much can go wrong. This is cheap, easy, and very flavorful, which is why it makes for such a great “family meal.” Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 duck legs:
6 duck legs (or about same amount of chicken or pork)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp reserved duck fat
1 large onion, sliced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup seasoned rice vinegar (if not seasoned, use a little sugar to taste)
1/2 cup soy sauce, or to taste (this is a fairly salty dish, so if you're not into that kind of thing, add less and adjust later)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp sambal chili sauce, or other hot pepper sauce to taste
2-4 bay leaves

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Surrendering onions



I've been away. I know. I have noticed. Thank you for your patience during the disruption to your service.

I've been terribly ill, you see. Sick, so sick. Morning sickness it is. Was. It's over now - sort of. I still get the odd billowing wave of it, bobbing up around my solar plexus but I'm no longer a drooping, greyish figure haunting my house. Urgh. I hate - hate - people who say that horrid thing to pregnant women - "You're not ill, you're pregnant." Really? Because it feels an awful lot like norovirus to me.

Anyway I feel better now. And I had my 12 week scan - just one spratling, thank god, in the right place - and so I can start moaning on about being pregnant again. The other thing that's happened is that I've finished putting together that book I was talking about. In the end it really wasn't very much work, it was just impossible to do anything feeling so sick. Ten minutes typing, 1 hour lying down, ten minutes typing, one hour lying down. SO SO SICK. I got some pills off my doctor, The Beast, in the end. I just couldn't take it anymore. But they only took the edge off, it wasn't like I was bouncing out of bed in the mornings.

I honestly am still reeling from how awful it was. It just wasn't that bad with Kitty. And I wasn't that tired either. But for the last six weeks I've been wiped out, asleep from 1-3pm every day. Wiped out like chalk on a blackboard. And then wake up feeling like shit. Poor old Kitty. Or rather lucky Kitty - she has eaten biscuits and watched telly solidly for six weeks. But thank god for telly. Thank GOD! What would we have done without it.

I am trying not to think too much about being plunged back into a babyhood. I am trying to look on the bright side. I must have learned something since Kitty was born. It surely won't be as awful as it was. I don't want to go mad again, I really don't.

It has to be different this time - for one, Kitty was brought home to a house that didn't have any children in it. It was a grown-up house, really quite spooky in a lot of ways - silent and strange and unfit for a baby. These days it has a chattering lunatic nearly-two-year-old in it, dropping crumbs and kicking balloons and watching telly and running from one end of the house to the other for no reason other than youthful high spirits. The changing mat now has its own room, rather than squatting on the kitchen table. The kitchen extension means that everyone can slob about in the kitchen, rather than me being at the stove, running out every ten seconds into the living room to make sure everyone's okay.

And maybe I'm different. Broken in, broken down. Resigned. Institutionalised. Used to that special sort of monotony you get with small children, so intense particularly in babies. My expectations from life are different now. I am surrendered, like onions.

Surrendering onions is a slow but pleasing task. It is what you do if you want very soft, aromatic, almost creamy onions (for an onion gravy for example, or a tangle alongside some sausages) and the trick is to cook them for a good 1.5-2 hours on the lowest heat on your smallest available burner.

You slice them into rings, reasonably thinly and scatter them in a pan with some oil - and butter, if you like. Then sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt and put a lid on and leave them. Do not turn the heat up and do not poke them about too much. Take the lid off if at any point the onions start to even think about sizzling. Towards the end of the cooking time, the onions will almost in a matter of seconds collapse into themselves - they will surrender. I can't help but think of motherhood like that. But not in a bad way.


 

Monday, October 29, 2012

“Ultimate” Ranch Dressing – The Ultimate “Ultimate”

After five years, and a few thousand requests, I’m finally posting my “ultimate” ranch dressing recipe. What makes it the “ultimate?” Nothing, except that’s what I’m calling it, and in the world of dips and dressings, that makes it so. By the way, ignore those other roughly 65,000 “ultimate” recipes; this one is the actual “ultimate” ranch dressing.

It’s been ages since I made homemade ranch dressing, and I’d forgotten how much better it is than the bottled stuff. Don’t get me wrong; I like high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings, and preservatives as much as the next low-information voter, but this really is significantly more delicious.

As you’ll see, I used some crème fraiche (which we showed you how to make in this video), but relax, sour cream will work perfectly. However, I do believe the buttermilk is crucial. That some of my peers are calling their ranch dressings “ultimate” without using buttermilk, really makes me question their grasp of the word “ultimate.”

Anyway, hyperbole aside, this really is the best ranch dressing I’ve ever had, and I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for about 2 cups Ranch Dressing:
1 1/3 cup real mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream or crème fraiche
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 teaspoons sliced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley
2 drops Worcestershire sauce

Friday, October 26, 2012

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – The Least Scary Halloween Treat, Ever!

When I was asked to join some of my fellow foodies on YouTube, to produce a video for a special seasonal playlist called “Halloween Sweet Treats,” I sat down and considered all the scary sweets recipes in my repertoire. After several minutes of deep thought, I realized I had nothing.

Not to sound like a curmudgeon, but sticking broken pretzels into a marshmallow and calling it a “scary spider,” just isn’t my thing. So, instead of trying to figure out how to make a chocolate truffle look like a bleeding eyeball, I made a batch of pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They may not be scary (what’s the opposite of scary?), but they are seasonal, and incredibly delicious.

I used to joke that when Halloween/Thanksgiving time rolls around, the only thing a chef has to do to make a recipe seasonal is to add some pumpkin to it. Chili with a spoon of pumpkin stirred in? Halloween chili! Dinner rolls with a spoon of pumpkin kneaded into the dough? Thanksgiving dinner rolls!

Well, that’s exactly what I did here, and while it may be formulaic, it also produced the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever tasted. One key is a nice soft, sticky dough. Be sure to only add enough flour so that the dough just barely pulls away from the side of the bowl as it kneads.

You can certainly embellish by adding some chopped walnuts or pecans to the cinnamon-sugar layer, but since I decided to garnish with pumpkin seeds, I went sans nuts. Anyway, despite not being very horrifying, these really would make a special treat at any Halloween party. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 16 Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:
(I used a deep 13 x 9 baking dish)
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes

For the dough:
1 package of dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm water (about 100-105 degrees F.)
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup heavy cream (can sub milk, but cream is better)
1 tsp fine salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp allspice)
1 large egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour (divided), or as needed 
 (add enough flour to mixer so that dough just barely pulls away from sides, and a very soft, slightly sticky dough is formed)
*knead for at least 6-7 minutes

For the filling:
5 tbsp melted butter, brushed on rolled dough
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon

*For the glaze:
1/4 cup room temperature cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk, or as needed
1/4 tsp vanilla extract, optional
*adjust glaze by adding more powdered sugar or milk to achieve desired consistency
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

And the Winner Isn’t….Pumpkin Roll!

I’m going to be posting a seasonal pumpkin recipe on Friday, and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy deciding on which food wish to do. I get tons of pumpkin requests this time of year, and while I’m not going to spoil the surprise, I can tell you that the venerable pumpkin roll didn’t make the cut. Maybe next year I’ll do my take, but in the meantime, here’s a video from my friends at Allrecipes.com, featuring one of their highest-rated versions. Enjoy!


Click here to get the ingredients and to read the written recipe!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Brussels Sprouts with Warm Bacon Dressing and the Holiday Side Dish Dilemma

As I enjoyed this very tasty Brussels sprouts with warm bacon dressing recipe, I was reminded Thanksgiving side dish decision time is rapidly approaching. It’s that annual dilemma where we’re forced to choose five or six recipes among hundreds of potentially awesome options.

What makes this decision so tough is that you want things that are traditional and comforting, but at the same time, want to keep the menu fresh and interesting. You love those buttery mashed potatoes, and yet you’ve wanted to make twice-baked potatoes for years. You always make Grandma’s chestnut stuffing, but that spicy cornbread version you saw on Pinterest sure looks amazing. What do you do?

Do what I do; keep the starchy cornerstones classic, and switch up the vegetable sides instead. Go ahead and do your favorite and familiar potato, stuffing, and gravy recipe; but when it comes to tired old dishes like green bean casserole, or peas and carrots, let your freak flag fly.

As long as you have a few comfort food favorites around, people will forgive a little experimentation, and this creative, un-cooked Brussels sprouts recipe would fit the bill. I love the contrast between the raw, crunchy vegetable and the rich, smoky, sweet and sour dressing. This would do any turkey proud.

While I decided to go raw this time, you can certainly turn this into a hot side by giving it a quick, stir-fry in a large skillet. Just a minute or two, until it starts to wilt, and you’re good to go. Anyway, I’m not sure if I made your side dish selection simpler or more complicated by showing you this new and exciting offering, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You always do. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4-6 servings:
1 1/4 pound Brussels sprouts (will make about 1 lb. trimmed and sliced)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 oz bacon, sliced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 lemon juiced
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Columbus Discovers New Sport – Competitive Salami Sandwich Making

I don’t do a lot of sandwich recipes here on Food Wishes, mostly because, well, they’re sandwiches, but today I’m making an exception. On Thursday, I participated in a sandwich making contest sponsored by Columbus Salumeria, and I wanted to share what turned out to be the winning concoction.

Columbus sponsored the #TopWichSF event to promote their new line of Farm to Fork Naturals, and things got off to a appetizing start as Sean Timberlake, from Punk Domestics and Hedonia, treated us to an array of small bites he created using these great new products. 

Photo courtesy of Columbus Salame
I really loved his wonderful Waldorf-filled endive topped with strips of oven-crisped salami. With entertaining season right around the corner, I highly recommend you add this to your repertoire.

I was grateful for the energy and inspiration the tasty bites provided, as I was up against two very worthy opponents in Michael Procopio from Food for the Thoughtless, and Lynda Balslev from TasteFood

The competition was held at the Hotel Vitale, and started with a romantic pedicab ride to the Ferry Building across the street. We were given 10 minutes and $10 to buy any additional ingredients we wanted to accessorize our sandwiches with.

My idea was to do a smoked turkey and teleme sandwich, topped with some kind of meat relish made with soppressata and fruit. I ended up finding some beautiful pluots, and used the rest of my cash to get a small bag of pine nuts. They were raw, but I figured I could toast them on the panini press, which I knew was hot and waiting. I was gifted a few grapes which while delicious, played no part in my creation.

We had just 20 minutes to build our sandwiches, while a distinguished panel of five judges looked on. I was a little nervous to begin with, and knowing there were representatives from YumSugar, Chow, SFWeekly, and Tasting Table there, only added to it. The time went by incredibly fast, which made my fellow competitors' work that much more impressive.

Getting ready to bone marrow the bread.
Photo courtesy of Sean Timberlake
Michael bought some bone marrow butter and used it to toast a turkey, soppressata and apple panini. A brilliant idea, and had time allowed for a longer, deeper caramelization, it would have crushed my non-beef-fat-fried offering.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Salame
Lynda did a fennel salami, fig, and goat cheese sandwich, which she topped with apple slaw, shaved fennel, and her secret ingredient, fennel pollen. It was a classic combination of flavors, and a great way to show off the Columbus salami. By the way, check out Lynda’s great recap of the event, where you can see and read more about her beautiful sandwich. 

Despite their worthy efforts, the judges awarded my rustic-looking sandwich the grand prize. I received a dangerously large basket of salami and other gourmet goodies, as well as $500 cash! 

I figured that a two-year’s supply of salami was enough of a prize, so I’m having them donate the money to the SF Food Bank. I would have just spent the money on more salami anyway. 

A huge thank you to Columbus for inviting me to participate. They have a bunch of great photos on their Facebook page in case you want to check out some more of the action. Also, a sincere thanks to Michael and Lynda for helping make the event such a fun experience. Enjoy!



Photo courtesy of YumSugar
Smoked Turkey & Teleme Sandwich with Pluot, Sopressata, & Pine Nut Relish
Ingredients for 4 Sandwiches:

For the relish:
8 oz Columbus Sopressata, diced
1 cup pluot, diced
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

The rest:
1 tbsp Harissa or other hot chili pepper paste
6 tbsp mayonnaise
8 slices bread or 4 rolls
4 oz room temp teleme cheese
8 oz Columbus Smoked Turkey

Mix relish ingredients and let sit in fridge for 1 hour to develop flavors. Mix the harissa and mayonnaise; spread on bread. Spread both sides of bread with teleme cheese and top with turkey. Top with relish, and serve immediately, or wrap and press with a plate in the fridge for 30 minutes to compress.

Friday, October 19, 2012

“BBQ” Broiled Red Snapper – This One’s For the Haters

There’s a fairly large population of folks who just don’t like fish. I’m not talking about people with allergies, but those poor souls who’s worst nightmare is arriving at a dinner party, only to find out the main course is fish. Their reasons are as diverse as they are unfortunate.

Well, this broiled red snapper recipe may be just what the doctor ordered. Normally we don’t want to cover up the delicate flavors of the seafood, but in this case, we have no choice. It’s not like you can’t tell you’re eating fish, but close enough.

By the way, the last time I made red snapper, a few people wondered out loud if that was a wise choice, sustainability-wise. I believe the variety I used was local and not in danger, but I know it’s on some no-eat lists. However, things may be looking up for red snapper in the Gulf.

I just read that there appears to be an abundant red snapper population there, and fishermen are anxiously waiting for the bureaucratic powers that be to raise the limits. You can read more about that here. Of course, this will work with any white fish, so I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 (7-oz) red snapper filets
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp bbq sauce
salt and cayenne pepper to taste 

Bonus Red Snapper Info

I have no way to verify whether this info is accurate, but I found it compelling and wanted to share. 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Mixed Nuts

With the holiday entertaining season getting closer with each falling leaf, it’s time to start thinking about those easy, yet still kind of fancy, snack recipes. These sweet, salty, spicy, party nuts are simple to make, and will rival those expensive blends at the local Foodies-R-Us.

I find this technique much easier than the stovetop pan method. You’ll get beautiful, perfectly frosted nuts that are roasted evenly, with no bitter burned spots. Speaking of which, I played it pretty safe with the cooking times, so you may be able to go a few minutes longer for a deeper roast, but, don’t get greedy.

By the way, I always upload these videos to YouTube before I publish the blog post, and I just finished reading the first few comments. Wow, they sure have some wild imaginations over there! They claim the video is loaded with innuendos and lowbrow, double entendre-based humor. How dare they! They’re LOL’ing, ROFL’ing, and LMFAO’ing all over perfectly innocent recipe directions. It’s nuts.

Anyway, I hope you give these delicious, candied mixed nuts a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 cups of nuts:
1 cup raw walnut halves
1 cup raw pecan halves
1 cup unsalted, dry roasted almonds
1 cup unsalted, dry roasted cashews
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
*For the syrup:
1 or 2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
*Heat to a boil, cook one minute, and pour over nuts!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Lamb Merguez Patties – If the Sausage is Moroccan, Your Burger Will Be Rockin'

After using Merguez sausage in this beautiful stuffed acorn squash recipe last year, I got a bunch of emails saying, “I can’t find that anywhere! Can you show us how to make it?!” I generally ignore those, since it’s usually just people not looking hard enough (I’m looking at you, Mr. “I can’t find Panko”).

However, in this case, I realized that Merguez is not commonly stocked at the grocery store, so I decided to come up with an easy home version. I didn’t bother with the casing, as these were originally going to be breakfast patties, but as I mention in the video, I was seduced by a brioche roll, and ended up going full burger. Happily, it made for a very memorable lunch.

If you do happen to give this Merguez recipe a try, I hope you make a double batch and not only experience the amazing burger it produces, but also use it in/on a number of things. It is wonderful in beans, frittatas, pastas, soups, and especially crumbled on pizza or flatbread. I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for Four (4 oz) Patties:
1 pound ground lamb (rec., 85% lean, 15% fat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp turmeric
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp Harissa (a spice red pepper paste), we did a version here. I didn’t add cayenne since my Harissa was very spicy, but feel free.
1 tbsp tomato paste
*Note: To check seasoning, fry a small piece and check for salt and heat.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Pumpkin Pancakes – Forget About It!

I was browsing the web for some pumpkin recipe ideas, when came across this lovely looking stack of pancakes. I clicked the image link to see who was responsible for such sexy seasonality, and as I watched some blog called “Food Wishes” load, I realized I'd clicked on one of my own recipes. 

I guess after doing over 750 videos I’m allowed to forget about one once in a while. Besides, the beautiful photography threw me off.

Anyway, I figured it was the universe’s way of telling me to repost it, since it’s the perfect time of year to give those flapjacks a pumpkin makeover. You can get the ingredients, and read the original post here. Enjoy!

Friday, October 12, 2012

Pickled Ginger & Asian Pear Coleslaw – "Holiday Slaw" 2012 Edition

I’m not sure when this relatively new tradition started, but for whatever reason, I like to come up with a new and interesting coleslaw to serve at Thanksgiving. With all the rich, heavy foods that the holiday table brings, I really enjoy the contrast these cold, crisp, bracing salads provide.

I’ve been doing this for five or so years now, and this may be my favorite version. Just adding the always interesting Asian pear to a standard coleslaw would’ve been a nice enough touch, but what made this so special was the subtle heat from the pickled ginger.

I can just imagine how great that piquant punch is going to work with roasted turkey, and while I still have weeks to wait for official verification, I’m pretty confident. I’m also confident you’ll be able to find some pickled ginger, especially if you have any sushi bars near you.

By the way, this is not one of those “make the day before” coleslaws. You want everything fresh and crisp, and if you leave it overnight, not only will it get soggy, but it will be way over-marinated. You can make the dressing beforehand, as well as slice up the ginger and cabbage, but wait until an hour before the dinner to cut the pear and toss everything together.

Anyway, if you’ve never considered a coleslaw for one of your holiday side dish selections, I hope this unusual, but very delicious variation inspires you to give it a try. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 servings:
1/2 small green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large Asian pear, thinly sliced
1/3 cup finely sliced pickled ginger
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
For the dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 to 1 tsp yellow miso paste, or to taste
hot sauce to taste (I used sriracha)
*Best if tossed together no more than an hour or two before service.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili – A Super Food for a Super Cause

When ONE.org asked me to help raise awareness about their campaign to fight chronic malnutrition, using the humble sweet potato, I had one important question…if I agreed, would I get some kind of tote bag?

When I was informed there was no tote bag, I decided to check out their info anyway, and I’m very glad I did. While I was shocked to learn that millions of children die each year from malnutrition, it was heartening to learn what a huge difference this delicious “super-food” could make.

To help spread the word, I offer up this colorful, and very tasty, roasted sweet potato and black bean chili. I really enjoyed this 100% vegetarian version, and the extra step of roasting the potatoes not only concentrated the sweet, earthy flavors, but gave the starchy chunks a marvelously meaty texture.

Anyway, I’m going to sign off so I can go add “Helped Bono fight childhood malnutrition” to my resume, but I sincerely hope you take a minute and check out One.org for more information about this sweet potato campaign, as well as sign the nutrition petition. Thank you, and as always, enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 tbsp cumin
2 or 3 tbsp Ancho chili powder, or other chili powders, or to taste
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 can (28-oz) diced or crushed tomatoes
1 cup water, more as needed
1 tbsp corn meal
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
2 cans (15-oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
cayenne to taste
sour cream and cilantro to garnish

Monday, October 8, 2012

Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops – Great Recipe, No Bones About It

This shining example of what a few well-placed ingredients can do to a plain piece of meat reminded me of a couple very important things. By the way, if you’re new to cooking, being reminded of stuff is one of the best parts.

First of all, it had me recalling the old, “if it doesn’t have a bone in it, it’s really not a chop.” Of course, search engines being what they are, we were forced to use the oxymoronic “boneless, center-cut pork chops” instead of the traffic stunting “pork medallions.” Not a big deal, but worth mentioning in case you’re ever backed into a corner during a heated, butchery-related water cooler debate.

Secondly, I remembered I need to redo that demo I did for another website many years ago, on how to cut your own boneless, center-cut pork chops, thereby saving some cash. It’s a quick and simple trick, and one I’m sure many of you will remind me I forgot about in a few weeks.

Anyway, the glossy glaze is really easy, and while there’s no starch or extra butter involved, it reduces quickly to a thick, rich, sweet-tart apple syrup. The rosemary and pepper flakes were the perfect accents for me, but this is a technique that begs for your own personal touches. I hope you give this simple and very tasty pork “chop” recipe a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 chops:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
6 boneless center-cut pork chops (6-8 oz each)
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups apple cider
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced rosemary
pinch of red chili flakes

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Big Dipping

As you may have noticed, we are smack dab in the middle of televised sports season. Baseball playoffs are starting (Go Giants!), football season is in full swing (Go Giants!), and basketball is just around the corner (Go Warriors??), so you’re going to need some delicious dips to help soak up some of that beer. As I’ve said before, the cornerstone of any proper game-day buffet is the dip selection. Here are a few of our favorites. Just click on the recipe name in the caption, and as always, enjoy!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

How to Flip Food in a Pan Like a Chef

I always feel a little guilty when I post one of these technique videos, which is kind of strange since I get just as many “wishes” for this type of demo, as I do for straight recipes. People seem to like them, and I’ll get lots of comments asking for more of the same, but there’s just something about not being able to take a bite out of the final product that leaves me slightly unsatisfied.

Of course, I could have eaten some more cheese balls at the end, but you know what I’m saying. Anyway, lack of proper money shot notwithstanding, I hope this “cheesy” trick helps you master this very basic and desirable kitchen skill.

By the way, this is about much more than just looking cool. Depending on the recipe, flipping the food around without having to use a spoon or spatula can be a big advantage. It’s faster, more effective, and yes, it looks super cool too. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Chicken Riggies – What if You Never Saw This?

Way back when, the only way you would’ve found out about a regional recipe like Chicken Riggies, would have been to eat it while traveling through Central New York. 

You would’ve loved it (because there’s nothing not to love) and maybe even tried to recreate it when you got home, but more likely it would have ended up fading into nothing more than a pleasant memory; referred to as “that rigatoni we had in Utica.”

I’m sure you’ll plan a trip through the lovely Utica/Rome area of New York State eventually, but in the meantime, I offer up my take on this thoroughly enjoyable plate of pasta. I think it’s fairly authentic, with two notable exceptions. I use Marsala instead of the standard white wine, and use roughly chopped thigh meat, instead of the more popular chicken breasts.

This results in a sauce that seems much richer than it actually is, and I think you’ll love the subtle sweetness the wine imparts, which works wonderfully with the heat from the peppers. Of course, as I joke about in the video, forget how tasty the recipe is…it’s worth making just for the name alone. What’s for dinner? Chicken Riggies! Riggies? Yes, Riggies!

Anyway, if you’re from Central New York, I hope I did your venerable recipe proud. If you’re not, I hope you give this gorgeous rigatoni recipe a try, and experience what only a few decades ago, you may not have ever heard of. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 portions:
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz hot Italian sausage, crumbled
1 onion, sliced or diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, roughly chopped or cubed
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1 (28-oz) can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water, or as needed
1 1/2 cups chopped hot and/or sweet peppers (any jarred or fresh peppers will work, but cherry peppers are a good choice)
*if using mild peppers, use chili flakes or chili paste to increase the spiciness.
1/2 cup pitted, halved Greek olives
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 pound rigatoni
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese

Monday, October 1, 2012

How to get ahead in journalism




I spent almost all of my adult working life feeling like a fraud. I wanted to be a journalist because of a television series in the 80s called Press Gang, to which I was completely addicted. I wanted badly to be the Julia Sawalha character: brilliant, tough, uncompromising. I was a terribly unfriendly child, very angry, resistant to organised fun, terrified of humiliation - in this cold and unbending fictional telly character I saw how some of my unfortunate personality traits could be handy.

But it became very obvious very early in the postgraduate thingummy I did in journalism after leaving university, that I was never going to be a good journalist.

Please, by the way, do not laugh at me for having done a "course"; people do these things nowadays because it's so hard to get a job in newspapers. In fact, unless you are incredibly brilliant or insanely hard-working (with a private income), getting a job in journalism these days comes down to luck. When pompous parents tell me that their blobby children are "thinking about" going into journalism I laugh nastily and say "as if it's that easy".

Anyway, the course director declared to us on the first day that journalism is "not about writing. It is about information. It is about being nosy. It is about being a gossip. It is about always wanting to be the person who knows things first."

My heart sank. I am none of those things. I am terrific at keeping secrets and I'm always the last to know everything, I don't pry, I feel sorry for people and do not want to put them through the media mill even if they've done rotten things. I think pretty much everyone is entitled to a private life.

I struggled on, experiencing full-body cringes whenever I had to make awkward phone calls, hating every second of interviews, fighting with sub-editors over ultra-mean headlines to interviews with people I had thought were perfectly nice. I edited quotes so that interviewees wouldn't get into trouble.

Years ago, before the media was in such a terrible state, I probably would have been able to swing some sort of "mummy" column when I chucked in my job and smugly retreat home with purpose. But those gigs are few and far between these days. My husband has a friend who in the early 90s earned £80,000 from writing two weekly columns. £80,000!!! Those were the days.

I resigned myself to never making any money again, and took to the internet and here we are. The internet being, as it happens, the reason that newspapers and magazines are in the toilet. But you certainly can't beat the internet, so I joined it.

So much so that I threw open the doors of my home the other day to some of the editorial staff of a website called What's In My Handbag.

They wanted to photograph the contents of my handbag, focusing particularly on my make-up, which they would then use to do something or other. I don't really understand how it works. But I've always wanted someone to come round to my house and talk to me about make-up, so I screamed "YES!" when they emailed to ask if I wanted to do it.

Browsing their website the night before, I saw with rising panic that other handbag interviewees had prepared exciting banquets for the website's photo shoot staff, or at least plied them with exotic breakfast liquers.

It was a full week since my last Ocado order. I had no eggs, no milk, very little butter not at freezing temperature. It was 10.30pm and I had just returned from a night out, the remains beside me of a hastily-scoffed kebab from E-Mono, London's finest kebab house (I am not joking).

I suppressed a luscious burp. My mind started to race. These bitches would be expecting treats!! My mind first turned, as it always does, to in what ways I could throw money at the sitution. Could I beg my husband 10 minutes' grace in the morning while I ran up the road to Sainsbury's, bought 25 assorted pastries and then try to pass them off as being from an artisan bakery?!

No, think - think!!! I don't know how it came to me, but it did. Divine inspiration, or something, I don't know.

The answer was: flapjacks.

No flour, eggs or milk required. Some might say they are a thing that requires no actual cooking. But in that moment, they presented themselves not as a delirious cop-out, but as a lifesaver.

What I did happen to have, which made all the difference, was a box of extremely expensive posh museli from a company called Dorset Cereals, which are filled with all sorts of exciting nuts, grains, raisins and sultanas. I had only to bind the whole lot together with an appropriately enormous amount of melted butter and golden syrup.

I am not going to give you exact quantities for this, because flapjacks are, thank god, a thing you can basically do by guessing.

I got a square, loose-bottomed tin and filled it with museli to a depth I considered respectable for a flapjack (about 2in). Then I melted about 3/4 of a block of butter in a saucepan, added to that 3 generous tablespoon dollops of golden syrup and a big pinch of salt, poured in the museli and mixed it round.

Then at this point I, fatally, panicked and poured over a tin of condensed milk. I mean, the flapjacks were really delicious but the condensed milk made them fall apart in an annoying way and in actual fact, they were a bit too sweet. So leave the condensed milk out, if I were you. I also chopped up some chocolate and sprinkled it on the top, which probably wasn't neccessary.

After turning out the buttery rubble, (sorry that's all a bit Nigella isn't it), into the square tin, I patted it down with a spatula and shoved it in the oven for 20 minutes.

They worked incredibly well, even allowing for the condensed milk over-kill and the girls pretended to like them well enough, while marvelling at how quickly and efficiently I had filed the product descriptions for my chosen make-up.

What can I say? I should have been a journalist.