Category — Recipes

Only 9 ingredients for Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Tomato-Pesto Sauce

Today’s date – 09/09/09, maybe not be as lucky as 07/07/07 was supposed to be, but it is cool just the same. So why not make dinner with only 9 ingredients tonight? We won’t be counting the true pantry staples of olive oil, salt, and pepper, or even the red pepper flakes, since you get a little packet of those delivered right to your front door every time you get delivery pizza! Subtract those out, and you’ve got a nine-ingredient dinner for a family of four. If you’re like me, you even have some of this already in the freezer, pantry, or fridge. So run into the grocery store on the way home – jump into the “Express 10 Item or Less” lane and you are ready to cook!
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I hope you had a relaxing Labor Day Weekend! Part of mine was spent in the desert sun and the other in the cool pines of Flagstaff. I returned Connor to school and on the drive back this morning, I was trying to decide about dinner.

Cruising up and down the winding mountains between there and here, I was thinking about my kids and about my pregnancies, of all things! Expecting was wonderful, but pregnancy itself, for me, was not! Let’s just say (without getting too graphic) that I knew I was pregnant, both times because I was suddenly so ill. There was no “morning sickness” for me… more like “every-single-waking-moment sickness, for the full 9 months!”

Amazing that I gave it a second try and had Connor! But of course, I thank God every day that I did! So anyhow, what does that have to do with Beef Stroganoff?

Well, it was one of the few things I absolutely craved, and wasn’t sickened by the smell of, and was somehow able to keep down, at least for a while. Understandably, I made it at least twice a week. Somehow my darling Marissa claims that she can’t stand it. But I would dare her to not love this version.

Back then I used stew meat and white mushrooms. I believe my gourmet daughter would appreciate the beef tenderloin and the wild mushrooms used here.

For the wild mushrooms, I use 1 1/2 ounce shiitake (the most affordable) and only a 1/2 ounce mix of other varieties. Instead of sour cream, I love to use really great Greek yogurt. It’s hard to find anything better than the Fage brand, even their non-fat (0%) is amazingly delicious, and best of all, you can find it at Trader Joe’s! So enjoy, pregnant or not!

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Not only is Connor home today, but Marissa also made a “drive-by” visit. In other words, she arrived home late in the afternoon, hung out with us until dinner, dressed and is out for the night, will come home sometime in the early morning hours, let’s say 1 or 2 AM, and sleep in her comfy bed, get up and go to the lake with friends, then drive back to Tucson for school on Tuesday. (I know, that is a record for a run-on sentence, even for me!) This is why I call it the “drive-by”… just time enough to eat and run. But hey, when your kids come home, it’s all good… all fair… I’m just happy to see them!

Plus dessert is in order when kids are home! Since it’s Labor Day Weekend – it doesn’t get much better than strawberries and shortcakes and whipped cream!

Now for a quick food processor tip. The dough for the shortcakes is very soft and is a bit difficult to get off the processor blade. The next time you have a messy blade, first get most of the contents out of the processor bowl, then just put the processor back together and turn it on for a second or two. The centrifugal force will basically clean off the blade and push all the contents onto the sides of the bowl. Remove the blade and use a rubber spatula to clean out the bowl. See pictures below.

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Ingredients for Green Chile Macaroni

Connor is coming home for the Labor Day weekend this afternoon. I texted him earlier this morning and asked what he would like for dinner… strangely enough, he said, “rotisserie chicken and good mac and cheese.”  The reason I say “strange” is because one of his most basic “college foods” is Easy Mac – so it is the last thing I’d ever guess he would want. But of course, he did say “Good” mac and cheese and that means one thing – Robert McGrath’s Green Chile Macaroni. This is the best mac and cheese you can imagine! Robert is one of my favorite chefs and honestly one of my favorite people. His cookbook, American Western Cooking has this and so many other amazingly delicious recipes.  I’m writing the recipe just as it appears in the book, but I generally use only 1/4 cup heavy cream plus 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half.  And Connor really likes to have breadcrumbs on top of his mac and cheese. If you do too, just melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet, add 1 peeled and minced garlic clove and 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs or panko and sauté until crumbs are browned. Sprinkle on top just before serving.

Robert McGrath’s Green Chile Macaroni

1 tablespoon corn oil
1/4 cup diced poblano chile
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 1 cup dried before cooking)
1/2 cup roasted, peeled, and pureed poblano chile (see note below)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated hot pepper Jack cheese
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Heat the corn oil in a heavy pan over high heat and sauté the diced poblano chile, red bell pepper, red onion, and garlic until just tender. Add the corn kernels and sauté quickly.

Add the cooked macaroni, poblano puree, cream, and pepper Jack cheese. Stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Season to taste and serve.

Serves 4

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My cute little kids… when they were little.. and they’re still cute!

I’ve spent the last two days, and I mean all day – never leaving the house; scanning old pictures onto my computer. It’s satisfying, but my neck and back are barking – loudly! I think a massage is in order for a Labor Day gift to myself.

This scanned picture is of my two little chefs back in 1994. Marissa is 6 and Connor is just 2 1/2 years old. One of their most loved vegetables is asparagus and this is their favorite way to have it prepared. The thing I like about it – is it’s quick and easy. If you end up having it as often as we do, be sure and double or triple the Parmesan-Butter mixture and either refrigerate or freeze. Another great thing, there is no need to blanch the asparagus first, it is perfectly tender-crisp when it comes out from under the broiler. Sorry, the pictures below are a bit out of focus and have so much glare, I think it’s the aluminum foil’s fault, but be sure to use the foil, otherwise, the pan is a huge pain to clean.

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Me at 2 years old

I finally took on a task that I’d been putting off for months… OK, not months, years!  Scanning pictures that are “pre-digital” onto my computer. See, this is what happens when your kids leave you for college – you do things! I found this picture in the stack and just couldn’t resist posting it. I am two years old here, according to my mom’s writing on the back. With an apron on! Wow, who knew?

Today’s tip has to do with fresh ginger root. It is something I don’t always have on hand but not something I’m willing to go to the store for if it’s the only thing I need. So I always buy a bit bigger piece than I’ll need, I peel the extra and slice it into “coins” about 1/2-inch thick. I have a jar in my fridge that I keep the ginger coins in that is filled with Sherry. That way whenever you need fresh ginger and don’t have it in the produce drawer, just pull out a coin or two, mince it up and you’re ready to go!

When working with pork tenderloin, you must always trim away the silver skin. Silver skin is a layer of white connective tissue or membrane that you find on pork tenderloin and a variety of other tender meats.  It is tough as rubber and needs to be removed before cooking.  It is not difficult to do; cut it off in then strips, angling a sharp paring knife against the membrane, not the meat, then slide your knife along the silver skin, pulling back tightly on it, and continue to do so until the loin is clean. See the picture below.
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This recipe was last night’s dinner, served with sides of roasted garlic mashed potatoes and blanched asparagus and green beans (leftover crudites from the NCL Saturday class) that were heated and dressed with the same Garlic Parmesan Crema used to season the roast.  Most Sundays my dad comes over and we play cards (Spades, Hearts, Gin Rummy, and/or Pinochle before dinner, and the meals are usually standard meat/potatoes.  But honestly, you can’t beat an inexpensive beef roast on the weekend. Today is my dear friend’s, Larry Fitzgerald, birthday – he is a mere 26 years old today.  We’ve been in the kitchen together since he was 22 and he is an excellent cook and an amazing person.  Happy Birthday, Fitz!

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I am saddened by the news of the passing of Sheila Lukins on Sunday, August 30, 2009. The last time I saw Shelia was when she came to teach at Les Gourmettes Cooking School and promote her newest cookbook, Ten, in December 2008.  She was a dynamo and she will be sadly missed.  Shelia’s most famous cookbook and still one of the best cookbooks 25 years later is The Silver Palate Cookbook she co-wrote with Julee Rosso.  It came out in 1979, the same year I graduated from high school, and it was one of the first cookbooks I owned.  A couple of my favorite recipes from it were, and still, are, Strawberry Chocolate Tart and Tarragon Chicken Salad (recipe below).  I love that book to this day and it reminds me that I wanted to put up my list of cookbooks you should own… please post comments about cookbooks that are on your “must-have” list!
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Jam and Raspberry-covered cups ready for custard

This afternoon I taught a cooking class for 25 fifteen-year-old young ladies who belong to NCL, National Charity League. NCL is a wonderful organization that my daughter, Marissa, and I belonged to when she was in high school. It brings mothers and daughters together in philanthropic and cultural activities. For dessert, I made a super-quick and amazingly easy version of crème brûlée.  Since I made more than 30 servings, the photos are not exactly consistent – different ramekin shapes and different baking pans are pictured, so please overlook that.
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This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. I have served it as an appetizer (using the leg of lamb cubes for little kebabs) and as a main course, as here with lamb chops, to literally hundreds of people and there has never been even one person who didn’t love it.

People who had given up on lamb saying that they found it too “gamey” ask for the recipe! The pomegranate juice truly transforms the lamb into the most delicious meat imaginable.

Pomegranate molasses can be found bottled in many Middle East markets, but it could not be easier to make yourself. You can see the 3 ingredients in the photo above.

A couple of items in the photo may look strange – allow me to explain. You ask, “What are those black sticks in your sugar jar?”

Answer: They are dried vanilla beans. You see, every time a recipe calls for a fresh vanilla bean, let’s say crème brûlée… once I’ve finished with the bean, I dry it off, and stick it in my sugar jar. The sugar takes on a hint of vanilla flavor, a bonus for just about any recipe calling for sugar.

Next question – “What is that stuff floating in the measuring cup holding the Pom juice?”

Answer: Frozen lemon juice. Living in Scottsdale, we have an abundance of citrus trees and in December – February, that citrus is coming out of our ears. My one and only lemon tree produced a plethora of lemons this year. I was zesting and juicing lemons daily for months plus giving away boxes upon boxes of citrus. It was a huge pain then, but of course, I am grateful and happy now with all the zip-locks bulging from my freezer.

To freeze the juice, I fill standard-size muffin tins to nearly the top (each muffin cup holds 1/4 cup of juice) and freeze the tins uncovered overnight. The next day, label a gallon-size zip-lock freezer bag with the date and “1/4 cup lemon juice each.” Then pop out the frozen “juice muffins” and immediately get them into the labeled zip-locks and back into the freezer. They will keep for about 1 year, just in time to start the process over again.

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