Chicken Marsala and the Glory of the 'Shroom

Last Friday Carey and I began a more-than-treacherous journey to York, PA to visit Kelly and Chad (Kelly is Carey's sister and Chad is her fiancee/my very close friend). We left Downtown at about 3:45 PM and eventually arrived at their house at 9:30 PM. The journey usually takes approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes but we were blasted by the snow storm that paralyzed the entire eastern seaboard which resulted in a painfully slow pace across Pennsylvania on the turnpike. We thought about canceling the trip, but what kind of friend would I be if I let a little precipitation come between us? To make a long story short, we arrived safely on Friday night, stayed up entirely too late and drank entirely too much but had a really great time. The following day (after shoveling more snow than I care to mention), I was given the privilege of making dinner for the four of us. Thankfully Kelly had all of the necessary ingredients for a timeless classic - Chicken Marsala.

I have never made this dish, and to be honest, I never order it when I'm at restaurants because I've never had a version that knocked my socks off. As it turns out, though, this dish isn't meant to deliver the bold flavors that I seek when diving into new culinary adventures. I think that I have been selling myself short because each bite of the final product grew on me and by the time I was done with my first serving I wanted more.

Strangely, my first bite of the final product resulted in a request for salt. I know that I tasted/seasoned the layers of flavor as I cooked but I felt as though there was something missing. It wasn't until I recognized the intention of this classic before I appreciated the subtle flavors of mushroom and wine.

To digress for just a moment, I'd like to discuss a rule in economics called The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, which can best be illustrated by consuming candy bars. If you love chocolate, I will assume that you love Snickers bars. When you eat one Snickers, you love it and want another, so you unwrap that second chocolaty treat. After two, you still like them but not as much as you did before your first; you may eat a third, but that third Snickers doesn't taste as good as the first. The fourth definitely doesn't taste as good as the first and the fifth makes you sick. This is The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility.

I think that my experience with Chicken Marsala broke the aforementioned rule. Each bite left me wanting more, mainly because of the hint of compounded and well constructed flavors created by the earthy ingredients. I only stopped because I like to think I have manners and I'm still trying to lose a few pounds.

There are countless methods on the internet to make this dish and I couldn't tell you which is best/worst/easiest/most difficult. I can, however, tell you how we had it and I will give it a solid 3 out of 4 stars. The breakdown goes a little like this:

• Prepare boneless/skinless chicken breasts by beating the meat (that's what she said) to approximately 1/2 of an inch
• Dredge said breasts in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, dried oregano, cayenne pepper) and let sit for about 30 minutes
• Heat skillet to med-high, add EV olive oil and about 1 T butter
• Brown chicken in hot oil/butter mix, about 4-5 minutes on each side (set aside in baking dish and place in oven to keep warm)
• Drain excess oil from skillet, keeping the 'bits' on the bottom of the pan
• Deglaze pan with another T of butter, add shallot (season with salt and pepper) and sautee until tender
• Add a flavorful mushroom (sliced), such as baby 'bellas, cremini, oyster, or shiitake (more than you think you need as they will cook down), sautee until they release their moisture and begin to brown
• Add about 1c of Marsala wine (or a mix of white wine that you may have on hand and some cooking sherry), cook for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off (taste, and season again with salt and pepper if necessary)
• Add about 1c chicken stock (in a box is fine but you know how I feel about homemade!)
• Add another 2T of butter and let the liquid reduce by about one half (if you want, you could probably add some heavy cream or half and half at this point)
• Obviously you want to taste/season as necessary here
• Place your chicken breasts on a platter and top with the pan sauce/mushroom mixture
• Top with freshly chopped parsley (because parsley makes it fancy)

I think that Carey, Kel and Chad enjoyed it; I'm definitely craving it now after writing about the experience. Although this dish is easy, it is one that has multiple steps so I probably wouldn't jump into it after work on a Tuesday. I do think that it would be good to serve a crowd with a good starch, a steamed veg and maybe a salad, which is how we enjoyed this dinner. If you do decide to make it, I would recommend looking through a few recipes because there are SO many variations out there (I'm sure most are better than mine). I'd love to get some suggestions from the few people who may read this post - This one probably has plenty of room for improvement.

Try it, though, and enjoy the glory of the wine and the 'shroom!

Making the Most of Leftover Salmon - In "Cake" Form

I'm not going to mess around too much with tonight's post because there really was only one good thing about dinner - the salmon cake. Let me begin by saying that I've never had one before so I really don't have anything to compare mine to. Also, I didn't have high hopes because the name alone reminds me of something that would generally come out of a can.

I have to admit, the salmon cakes surpassed my expectations. They were easy (I prepared them last night) and satisfying. I might even say that they are just as good as a properly prepared crab cake made with jumbo lump. I made these with some things that I had on-hand, and I wouldn't change a thing.

To start, I perused a few recipes on the internet (particularly one of Ina Garten's) to get a feel for the basic necessities. I added/substituted a few of my own flavors, and the end result was pretty dang tasty.

I had about 1/2 of a salmon fillet that I seasoned with EV olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. After baking it to a med-rare, I let it cool, removed the skin and flaked it into small chunks. To finish the cakes, I mixed the flaked fish with a dressing made with some simple ingredients, baked them until warmed through (25 minutes at 350 degrees).

Here's the ingredient list for the dressing:

• About 1 cup of breadcrumbs (from stale bread, crust removed)
• 1/2 of a large red bell pepper (finely chopped)
• 1/2 of a bunch of green onion (finely chopped)
• 1 large stalk of celery (finely chopped)
• 1 small hand-full of small capers (rinsed well)
• Old Bay seasoning
• Cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 egg (beaten)
• Zest of one lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste

I gently folded in the flaked salmon, loosely formed them into cakes, then baked them on a cookie sheet (with foil) until they were hot.

One other home run was the sauce that I used to top the cakes. I had some chimichurri (parsley/salt/pepper/garlic/EV olive oil) in the fridge that I whisked with a little bit of mayo, some Dijon mustard, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. It off-set the flavor of the salmon well and was a really nice addition.

I'll definitely be making this one again.

Vietnamese Chicken Rice Soup with Lemon Grass (Shnor Chrook)

Tonight I tried a (gasp) recipe from a Vietnamese cookbook that Carey picked up the other day at Borders. I honestly know NOTHING about East Asian cuisine so I need all the help I can get. Dinner was definitely good but I would make a few adjustments next time I make this soup.

According to this book, Shnor Chrook is Cambodia's answer to the chicken noodle soup that is popular in the West. This dish definitely is reminiscent of the Western standard, but it is much more pungent due to the addition of a fermented fish sauce, lemongrass, and chillies, which take it to another dimension.

This is a two-fold process; the stock is made and strained then the rice is cooked in the flavorful broth with a few small additions. Here's the recipe:

• Put a whole chicken into a deep pan
• Add 1 onion (quartered), a few cloves of garlic (smashed), a good hunk of fresh ginger (sliced), 2 lemongrass stalks (halved lengthwise and bruised), 2 red chillies, a couple of tablespoons of nuoc mam (fermented fish sauce)
• Add just enough cold water to cover all the goodies in your pot
• Bring pot to a simmer and let cook for a couple of hours with the lid on

After the stock is done, pull the chicken out and remove the meat from the bones. Shred the chicken meat and set aside (this is going to be re-added to the soup at the last minute). Strain the stock through a wire mesh strainer and put the liquid back into the pot.

• Once you have your strained stock back in the original pot, bring it to a boil and add about 1/2 of a cup of short grain rice.
• Reduce to a simmer and cook the rice with a few more stocks of lemongrass (halved and bruised) and another good dash of fish sauce.
• When the rice is done, ladle that glory into a bowl with a good amount of the reserved shredded chicken and a good hand full of chopped cilantro.
• Serve with sliced chillies and a wedge of lime.

A couple things to point out about this soup... those Thai chillies are really freaking hot. I thought I was some kind of tough guy and added more sliced red chillies as a garnish and I'm still feeling it (2 hours later). Another thing you might notice is the pungent smell of the fish sauce; it did freak me out but the flavor was outstanding and the soup wouldn't be the same without it. Lastly, don't skimp on the cilantro and the lime at the end; those additions really brighten the whole thing and make it a very unique meal.

I'm really looking forward to diving further into this book - I think I'll have a lot of good things coming.

I *heart* Taco Night

I don't think I'm alone when I say that I love tacos. Maybe it's because of the smorgasbord of delights that are laid out when you eat them, maybe it's because you can customize each one to your liking, or maybe because they are just really delicious. Taco night at our house doesn't happen often, but when it does we make sure to pull all the stops; starting with fresh tortillas from Reyna Foods and building up from there.

Reyna actually makes their tortillas in-house daily - the bag I purchased was still warm when I took them to the counter. This Mexican-centric market has everything you would need to make any south-of-the-border dish including dried peppers, various rices, beans, spices and beverages that are not commonly found in our region.

I have to admit, I took a little short cut with this dinner by picking up a rotisserie chicken from Costco; I pulled the breast meat from the bone and shredded it then braised the shredded meat in some tomato juice with toasted cumin, coriander, lime juice and chili powder that I made from the aforementioned dried peppers (I think I already mentioned this in a previous post).

Two other distinctly important components to this dinner are guacamole and salsa. Both of these condiments are extremely easy to make and the taste of homemade guac/salsa is SO much better than the store-bought variety. I started with the salsa by roasting a jalapeno, serrano, and an arbol chile on the flame of the stove-top; after the skins are charred, let the peppers cool and scrape away some of the char (it doesn't have to be completely clean, as the char adds a nice, smoky flavor). Finely chop the peppers along with a small red onion, a handful of cilantro, a clove of garlic and about 12 oz of tomatoes. Toss everything with the juice of a lime and a bit of canola oil. It's very refreshing and has just enough kick for Carey and me.

The guacamole is even easier: scoop out the contents of an avocado and mush it up with some lime juice, salt, and a bit of the salsa that was just made and you're golden. Avocados are really good for you as well (in moderation).

Carey and I have different approaches when it comes to eating the tacos. She builds them all at once and digs in. On the other hand, I put all the goodies on the plate along with some tortillas and use the tear & scoop method (this is what they do in Mexico... it makes me feel a little more authentic).

Regardless of how these babies are eaten, they are always really good and VERY simple to make; this is one I would recommend to anyone.

Hey Big Tuna

For the first time in a few weeks we had fish that wasn't salmon and let me tell you - it was exciting! I made my weekly pilgrimage to the Strip District last Saturday and stopped at all of the regular places - Penn Mac, Stan’s, Stamooli's, Reyna Foods and Restaurant Depot. I didn't really get anything exciting because I was pressed for time but I did split a 10lb. case of ahi-grade tuna with my aunt. This tuna was the main player tonight for dinner and it didn't disappoint.

The preparation was simple and we paired the fish with a tasty salad (dressed with red wine vinaigrette with some herbs and lemon). Here's how the fish was done:

• For the marinade - mix lime juice, lime zest, finely chopped garlic, adobo chili powder, cilantro and some canola oil. Whisk those ingredients to combine and allow the tuna to rest in the mixture for at least an hour.
• To cook the fish - heat a fry pan (NOT NON-STICK) with canola oil until just before it begins to smoke.
• Gently place the tuna steaks on the oil and allow a crust to form (just a couple of minutes). Flip the fish to develop the crust on the other side. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing.

This is really an easy fish to cook as long as you follow a few simple rules:

• DO NOT USE A NON-STICK PAN! The reason is because you will not be able to properly create a crust on the fish.
• Make sure your pan is hot before you place the fish on the heat.
• When you are searing the fish, do not move it around in the pan. Again, the nice crust that you're going for won't develop and the fish might break apart.

Now that we have two healthy fish options in the freezer, I look forward to messing around with some new and exciting flavors. I think we're in for some really good surprises in the next few weeks!

Sunday Fun-Day: Red Chicken Chili

Sunday, for me, is the one day every week that I usually try to get organized, both around the house and in the kitchen. I generally will use the lazy day to prepare at least a few things for use during the week; I’ll almost always make a stock (either vegetable or chicken) and some other dish appropriate for lunches at the office. I had every intention of having a Sunday Fun-Day yesterday, but I was short on time and resources so I was only able to make a pot of Red Chicken Chili.

I don’t know if this truly is an original ‘recipe’, as most chicken chili I’ve had or seen are made without tomatoes, but I will take credit for this particular concoction. One unique component of this dish is a chili powder that I make from a mix of random dried chilies that I picked up at Rayna Foods, a Mexican market on Penn Avenue in the Strip District. Otherwise, it’s a pretty standard chili; here’s how it was done:

• Sautee hunks of chicken in a hot pot with garlic, salt, pepper, and Chile powder. When the chicken is browned, toss in a bit of bittersweet chocolate; remove chicken from pot when chocolate has melted throughout chicken.
• In same pot, sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper (green, red and yellow), add more salt, pepper, and ground toasted cumin seeds (layering flavors usually makes great chili).
• After the onion and peppers are soft, add chicken back to pot. Add a little cinnamon and one small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that have been rinsed with seeds removed.
• Add canned chopped peeled tomatoes and enough juice to braise the chicken in the pot
• Cook on medium to medium-low until the chili reaches the desired consistency.
• Add beans to chili while it is still piping hot (I used canned but I prefer dried & soaked)
  
• Always remember to taste and season before serving.
• Top with whatever floats your boat. We used some guacamole that I made earlier in the day but sour cream, cilantro and cheese would be great as well.
  

This is the second time I’ve made this chili; Carey and I both think it’s a tasty alternative to ground or cubed beef. One of my goals is to experiment with different chili recipes and ratios in the upcoming months; every good cook should have a blue-ribbon chili recipe in his or her back pocket! More to come on this in the future.

Kitchen Essentials: Spontaneity

I was fortunate tonight; Carey threw together an exceptional pasta because I was upstairs working a bit later than I hoped. If I knew exactly how she made it I would certainly write about it. Unfortunately for all of us, it was eaten as quickly as it was made without any discussion on its assembly. I know this: it was a quick toss of garlic, crushed red pepper, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, EV olive oil and maybe a splash of balsamic vinegar over tortellini (Carey, please comment if I missed something). Simple - yes, but I think that the best meals are often the result of fast and unplanned execution. Carey, like so many home cooks, tends to over-think and over-prepare her meals and, like an athlete, she can psych herself out of just going for it. Our most tasty meals are usually spontaneous amalgamations of random on-hand ingredients. This is why I don't generally discuss measurements in what I make, nor do I pay attention to them in recipes that I read.

For me, a successful dish is usually the result of combining ingredients that play well with others. Think about it: tomato and basil; pork and rosemary; garlic and... well... anything! If a recipe calls for a particular ingredient and you happen to really like the flavor... use as much of it as you like! Our lives are governed by rules and regulations; allow your time in the kitchen to be free from the confines of law and order. If you need such governance to guide your hand, I suggest you take up baking.

Believe me, I'm not bashing cookbooks; I read them... in fact, Carey just bought me a Vietnamese cook book from the bargain bin last Sunday and I can't wait to crack the spine. I find inspiration in them and I'm completely amazed by the talent of the chefs who can create original dishes (and then take the time to write down precisely what they did). Do yourself, and those for whom you cook, a favor and try to just go for it. You might be surprised at how good of a cook you really are.

"The essence of pleasure is spontaneity" -Germaine Greer

(P.S. I jumped on the scale this morning and I'm down 2 lbs. this week without feeling hungry - booya)

Pho Shizzle my Nizzle

Today marks the official end of the first week of our new regiment; we are tracking our weight change every Monday morning, but today I skipped stepping on the scale because I was running late for work. I think I may have lost a pound or so but I have noticed a dramatic improvement on the way I feel, particularly in my elevated energy levels. There may have been a day or two this week that I didn't have any coffee and to be honest, I didn't miss it. I suppose it's now time to be a little more pro-active and finally commit to a gym membership. I'll report on that later this week.

I have been thinking about what to write regarding food... although we did have some interesting meals this weekend (I experimented with curry for the first time) I thought I'd open the dialogue about how we could all play a part in reducing overall food waste. I could bore you with the statistics on how much food the US throws away every year, but I think it's more poignant to think about what each of us can do every day on a household basis.

Personally, I try to use every bit of every vegetable or protein in some form or another. The last meal that I blogged about was the roast chicken and brussels sprouts. The bird was pretty large so Carey and I only ate a little more than 1/2 of the breast. The remaining white meat was sliced thinly and used on a salad with roasted beets, braised beet greens, romaine, and a lime-cilantro vinaigrette (if only I had some goat cheese!). The dark meat was pulled from the bone and used in a curry chicken salad with almonds which will be great in lettuce wraps. The best part, for me, is what was done with the carcass, neck and wings (more on this in just a minute).

If you were to look in my freezer, you will find a huge case of Salmon which I've talked about already, some frozen herbs from our garden last summer, a few miscellaneous goodies, and most importantly a container of vegetable scraps that I collect nearly every night. I'm talking about fennel tops, kale stems, onion and carrot peels, garlic skins, etc. You name it, I save it (probably my depression-era grandparents' influence). I'm the same way with inedible chicken bits; I keep the necks, spines, wing tips and bones in a bag in the freezer and when I have enough scraps... it's time to make a stock (I do the same thing with seafood scraps - shrimp shells and fish heads, tails and fins are great to make a base for cioppino or chowder). Because we always buy chicken whole, I can usually save enough chicken bits to have a good base every week. I use the stock nearly every day in cooking. If your 'recipe' calls for water - use the stock and I promise you that your rices, potatoes and pastas will be taken to another level.

One of my personal hobbies is to attempt to replicate things I eat (and love) without a recipe by memory; one of these things is the Pho at Tram's Kitchen in Lawrenceville. Tram's is a little hole-in-the-wall with what I consider to have the best Asian food in Pittsburgh. Don't get me wrong - I love Nicky's Thai Kitchen on the North Side, but Tram's delivers on the flavors that I would expect to taste on the streets of Hanoi. This brings me to tonight's dinner - Shrimp and Shiitake Mushroom Pho.

I used the chicken stock as a base and just winged it... it was good, but certainly not close to Tram's masterpiece. Here's how I did it:

• Heat stock in pot with shrimp shells
• Add stems of basil
• Add Chinese five-spice, Asian chili paste, a little rice vinegar and soy sauce, cook to infuse shrimp flavor then strain and place back on heat.
  
• Boil rice noodles in water (separate pot) until tender, rinse and and put in the bottom of serving bowls
• Add reconstituted shiitake mushrooms (and the mushroom water), shrimp, sliced scallion and a bit of cilantro to strained broth, leave on heat until the shrimp are just cooked; it should only take a few minutes
  
• Serve over rice noodles
• Top with thai basil, bean sprouts and a wedge of lime

Because everything smelled so good and I was freaking starving, I didn't take the time to set up the bowl for the picture so you really can't see the huge chunks of mushroom and shrimp. Take it from me, though, it was a really hearty, earthy and FAST dinner that anyone could make... just be sure to have that stock ready and finish your plate!

“It cannot be denied that an improved system of practical domestic cookery, and a better knowledge of its first principles, are still much needed in this country; where, from ignorance, or from mismanagement in their preparation, the daily waste of excellent provisions almost exceeds belief.” -Eliza Acton (1845)

Stop Hating on Brussels!

I don't know about you, but I (used to) hate brussels sprouts; to me they were bitter, unpleasant mini cabbages just waiting to be rejected. That was my point of view until I realized the glory of roasted veg. Tonight's meal was very comforting; perfect to kick off the weekend. I had a whole chicken in the freezer for a long time (of course steroid and hormone free) that I thought would go quite well with some sort of roasted vegetable or potato. I thawed the chicken knowing that it had to be cooked tonight and I had some brussels that I thought would pair well with the bird.

Dinner started with the chicken; prepared simply but deliciously with kosher salt, ground black pepper, lemon zest, garlic and crushed red pepper flake. This is pretty much my go-to flavor profile so it is a bit of a cheat but always a crowd pleaser. I whisked the aforementioned ingredients with some EV olive oil and a bit of Dijon mustard then spread it across the chicken under its skin and let it rest for about an hour before putting it in the oven. The experts say you should season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper so I did that as well (both on the outside of the chicken skin and inside of the carcass).

Because I work A LOT, i generally don't have the free time to cook entire birds in their natural form. This isn't that big of a deal - I've found that by cutting the spine out of the bird I can open the carcass and spread it over onion, carrot and celery, giving it more flavor and reducing the cook time. Don't forget: that spine isn't trash; it's an important ingredient in your next stock so throw it in the freezer with the tips of the wings and any veg scraps.

I put the bird in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then threw the brussels sprouts in the same roasting pan as the bird for the last 25. The preparation for the sprouts was simple, but as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to eat them. With these bitter little guys you want to use a pairing knife to cut off the brown bottom stems then cut them in half length-wise. Throw all of those soldiers into a bowl of cold water to clean them, strain the water, then toss them in EV olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper and balsamic vinegar (balsamic is the star of the show). When you roast them, the sugars in the balsamic enter front and center and really highlight the deliciousness of this otherwise jerk of a veg. Carey used to hate brussels sprouts and now she looks forward to eating them. Like I said, it's a crowd pleaser.

Tonight's dinner is one we've had dozens of times - it's simple, healthy and delicious. This is probably the best meal so far to highlight one of my key cooking theories: you cannot change flavors, only influence them to play well together.