ON HIATUS.

Unfortunately, HTCA will be put on hold as I study for the LSATs. I'll be posting again at the end of december.

Happy Belated Mother's Day

Turkey Backs $0.89/lb. Small 2 in. by 1 in. chunks of meat, fat, bone and skin in a Styrofoam plastic-wrapped container staring at me as if to say, "I dare you." There was flavor in there. There was potential in there. Just like my mother took a naked slimy baby and over the years nurtured and cared for me so I would realize my potential, I was going to nurture those turkey necks into something more. Something delicious. Something unexpected.

It took me a while to figure out what to do with them. Which is something I'm sure my mother repeated over and over to me as young child, "What am I going to do with you?" They sat in my freezer for about 2 weeks taunting me much like they had in the supermarket. It got to me. "It's just turkey," I thought. How could I let something so simple, so small, frustrate me? I couldn't figure out what to do with turkey and almost has a nervous breakdown. God only knows what my mother was going through when I ran away from camp, threw a piece of marble tile at my sister or got lost at South Street Seaport when I was seven.

There were so many failed ideas with the turkey backs. It reminded me of my childhood and how many things I failed at; soccer, baseball, lacrosse, singing, the trombone, painting and sculpture. Virtually every activity children did, I could not. So, it must have been a great relief to my mom when she discovered, that in fact I did have a skill, cooking. That her tireless trips to practices, concerts and art lessons actually led somewhere. As her years of nurturing and trial and error finally bore fruit, so too would my struggle to cook the turkey backs.

Beans. It was so simple. So obvious. The obvious it seems has a tendency to be not so obvious to me. I think the same was true for my mom. Sure, every fat, overeating 11 year old doesn't love to cook as much as he does eat. But then again every fat, overeating 11 year old doesn't stand adjacent to the open kitchen and watch the cooks all night at the local Italian restaurant instead of waiting at the table with his parents. It's clear now that cooking was something I was in tune with as a child but I don't think it was obvious for my mother, or anybody else for that matter. When I was a kid my dad was busy starting his own business or working demanding Wall St. jobs and my mother was, by default, tasked with "figuring me out." I think all my antics, bad behavior, poor grades and lack of interest in school really was taxing and at the end of the day my potential became less obvious to her, just as my own obsession in trying to crack the turkey back mystery clouded me from the obvious solution.

Luckily however, all her patience and diligence paid off and she did help me figure out what I'm good at. What does this have to do with beans and better yet, chucks of turkey back? Well, together, with patience and ingenuity they can be transformed from hard and undesirable into something with unseen potential. This extended metaphor is in a way a belated mother's day gift. My great turkey/bean dilemma made it clear to me that if I was so easily frustrated by the remaining scraps of turkey, that my mother's patience is infinite, as must be her love. Thanks mom for seeing in me what I saw in those bony and fatty pieces of turkey: potential. Happy Mothers Day.

White Bean and Turkey Stew

1.5 lbs. turkey backs (for that matter any assorted bones, meat and scraps)2 lbs. dry Great Northern or other white bean such as Cannellini

4 cups chicken stock

2 medium carrots peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

1 large onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 sprig of rosemary

3 tbsp Olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and soak the beans over night according to the package instructions. Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Meanwhile, season the turkey parts with salt and pepper. When the oil starts to smoke add the turkey and brown on all sides, 10-12 mins. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel. Lower the heat to medium and add all the vegetables. Saute until translucent, 4-5 mins. Lightly crush the rosemary in the palm of your hand so it releases its natural oils and add to the pot. Add the beans, turkey and chicken broth to the pot and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hours.

Eat your veggies.

Apparently, mothers will never stop telling you the importance of eating your veggies. Recently my mother has complained that my blog is too meat-centric. There is some truth to that. So, I invited my vegetarian friend Kailee over for dinner and it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with some new all veg meals.

Before I delve into the recipes I want to share my thoughts on vegetarianism, veganism and the raw food diet craze. First off, if you're a vegetarian and you eat fish sometimes or buffalo chicken wings, but only when it's wing night at the dining hall, you're not a vegetarian. I'm sorry but an animal is an animal even if it's ugly. I can't root for the Red Sox 3 games a month and in good conscience call myself a Yankees fan so you can't call yourself a vegetarian if you eat fish. I'm glad I got that all out.

Newton's third law states that forces occurs in pairs, one called the action and the other the reaction. However, I don't believe Newton's laws are limited to physics. To me, the explosion of vegetarian, vegan and raw diet culture is a direct result of the sad state of meat production and the prevalence of the fast food industry in the United States. It is easy to see how McDonald's and KFC can turn people off to meat. Not only because they serve either fried reconsituted chicken bits or greasy and grey pre cooked beef patties but because there is no soul or effort put forth to respect the animal that has been killed. If you're going to eat chicken you should cook the best chicken you possibly can. If a chicken has to die it shouldn't be for a nasty soulless nugget. I imagine that if the widespread use of animal protein was more respectful to the dead animal, if we used all the parts, if we cooked it well with some love and soul, and treated it as if it were once alive there wouldn't be such aversion to meat.

Now enjoy these veggie recipes you dirty hippies.

Sweet Potato and Turnip Curry with Spiced Kale

For the curry:

4 white turnips (slice into 1/4'' semi circles)
2 large sweet potatoes (cut similarly)
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp ginger minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp cruish red pepper
1 tsp cumin 3
tbsp of your favorite red curry paste
2 tsps olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Saute the onions, garlic and ginger until they are softened and lightly brown. Add the cumin and crushed red pepper and lightly brown the spices for a minute. Add the vegetable stock, tomatoes, yogurt and curry paste. Stir until combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes and turnips to the mixture cover and continue to simmer on low for 20 minutes.

For the Kale:

1 1lb package frozen kale (spinach works too)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsps fresh ginger minced
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place a saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and when it is warm add the fresh ginger, garlic, garlic powder crushed red pepper and cumin. Brown for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth and stir. Season with salt and pepper. When the liquid comes to a simmer add the Kale. Cover and let cook for 8 minutes.

Serve these along side steamed jasmine or basmati rice.

Curry:



Jack says:

Dirty hippie recipe deserves dirty hippie music -

"When I Woke" by Rusted Root

My Big Fat Greek Preplanned Week Long Supply of Dinner

There's no point in cooking unless you're going to cook a lot. Sure I'm only one person, but recipes for one are (a) not worth the effort and (b) make you feel lonely... That's why I like to cook in big batches because I can have a lot of food prepped for the week. If a day comes along and I'm too tired to cook at least I have a delicious pre-prepared meal that saves me money as opposed to eating out.

Over the weeks I've put up a lot of heavy dishes and stews, like meatloaf and chili but as the weather turns warmer people want to eat lighter and suddenly that big old slab of bacon wrapped meatloaf is less appealing. The following recipe for Greek roasted chicken and potatoes doesn't have to be a preplanned dinner for the week, that's just how I use it. It's perfectly fine for any light supper. Here we go:

Greek Chicken and Potatoes

2 lbs assorted chicken parts bone in and skin on (legs, breasts, thighs, whatever you like but you need to buy bone in skin on pieces or the chicken will be dry and tasteless)
1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves chopped roughly
2 tsps salt
2 tsps pepper
2 tsps garlic powder
2 tsps dried oregano
2 lbs red potatoes, quartered

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the chicken pieces and pat them dry with a paper towel. Wash, dry and quarter the potatoes. On a baking sheet arrange the chicken and potatoes so they fit. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze all the lemon juice out over the top. Sprinkle the rosemary and remaining seasonings over the top and toss the chicken and potatoes until coated. Place in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes at 400 degrees, place the baking sheet with the chicken and potatoes under the broiler for 5 more minutes. Done.

Before:



After:



Musical Pairing:

Jack says, "Steely Dan, "Aja," for no other reason than I like to listen to Steely Dan when I cook, especially one-dish or one-pot wonders."

Not for the purist.

We've already tackled green chili, so it's about time we moved on to the red stuff. Now, if you're a chili purist, this post probably is not for you. The purists will talk about making sure you use small chunks of beef instead of ground, and insist on using a variety of dried peppers to make a complex "gravy" as they call it. That is all fine and well, it's just not what this is. My chili has ground beef. My chili has tomatoes. My chili has okra? Yeah, I threw some in one day to ramp up the veg count and it came out well, so I kept it. It's also quick and dirty. Sometimes you don't have 5 hours to fire up a bowl of red and you need to get dinner on in an hour or so. If it helps the chili traditionalists out there, think of this more as a thick chili like stew than actual chili. Then again, to hell with the purists. They probably would not regard the green chili I made as chili either. No matter what you call it though, green or red, beans or not, it's delicious.

My 'not' Chili

1.25 lbs ground chuck
1 large onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 medium green bell pepper chopped
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 12 oz can kidney beans (rinse off the nasty bean liquid)
2 tsps cumin
2 tsps crushed red pepper
2 tsps salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 lb okra sliced (fresh or frozen)
2 tsps olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

This is easy. Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Add the ground chuck and brown, 10 minutes. Add the garlic powder, cumin and crushed red pepper. Lightly cook the spiced meat mixture for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and incorporate into the meat mixture. Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add the beans. Cover, lower the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the okra and stir (if the okra is frozen it will only take about 3-4 minutes to come to temperature, if fresh it will take about 7-8 minutes to cook). Serve with yogurt or sour cream.




*UPDATE*

Jack Every, a trusted music and radio buff, will be providing complimentary musical pairings with each post to enhance the culinary experience.

Jack says, "Seeing that this looks like a good southern-style chili, I'm going to have to go with a good southern-style album, and I promise, it won't be, or ever be, ZZ Top. Listening selection-- "Live Alive" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble."

There you have it. ZZ Top out, Chili and SRV in. Enjoy

Sauce me properly.

If you ask around you'll find that the secret to high quality tomato sauce is shockingly simple. The secret: tomatoes and carrots. Let me explain. Since your sauce is minimalist in nature it should be made with high quality ingredients so that the few ingredients may accentuate the pasta. Fortunately, when it comes to canned tomatoes, finding quality is easy. Every Italian cook worth his/her weight in lira will tell you you that San Marzano tomatoes are the best in the world. San Marzano isn't a brand, but rather the name of a commune, nestled in the volcanic soil near Mt. Vesuvius, where the first San Marzano tomato was grown. The tomatoes are especially good for sauce making for two reasons. They are less acidic and sweeter then say, Roma tomatoes, and have a deeper tomato flavor.

However, no matter how less acidic one tomato is than another tomato, it was always be acidic. That's where the carrot comes in. Carrots, much like beets, are full of natural sweetness and using a small amount of carrot in your pasta sauce imparts a sweetness that will offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Since I've already provided a recipe for simple tomato sauce in my fresh pasta post I decided to use make a meat ragout still erring on the side of simplicity.


Bucatini with Turkey Ragout

* Bucatini is a thick spaghetti like pasta with a hole running through the center

1 lb Bucatini
1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 medium size carrot diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes (crushed, if whole make sure to chop the tomatoes first)
1 tsp ground sage (if you have poultry seasoning leftover from thanksgiving, that works too)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is heated add the carrot and saute 4-5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes. Add the ground turkey and saute until brown and cooked through. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, sage and a ladle or two of the pasta water. Stir, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Serve immediately with chives or parsley.

Animals wrapped in other animals: Meatloaf wrapped in duck bacon.

My friend Jason, aware of my lack of pork consumption recently turned me on to duck bacon, much like turkey bacon but actually delicious. If you're like me and think that anything with duck fat is delicious, you will love this recipe. This is more decadent than your average meatloaf, so I made a nice accompaniment that balances the richness of the meatloaf.

Duck Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef (93% lean)
1 large onion minced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 medium carrot minced
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the over to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix the ground beef, eggs, onion, carrot, garlic, milk, Worcestershire sauce, milk, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder until combined. Set aside. In a loaf pan layer the duck bacon on the bottom and sides of the pan.



Add the meatloaf mixture and spread evenly. Cover the top with remaining bacon.



*Note I ran out of duck bacon so I had to use turkey bacon...bummer.

Place the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour. After one hour, the loaf will have shrunk away from the sides of the pan and a large amount of duck fat will have accumulated. DO NOT THROW THIS OUT. Carefully, pour the excess duck fat into a bowl and set aside. Put a baking rack upside down over the top of the meat loaf and flip it over much like you would a cooled cake. Place the rack with the meatloaf on top of the loaf pan. This way the the underside of duck bacon is exposed and can brown in the oven, while the loaf pan catches any more drippings. Place back in the oven for 40 more minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed pot add the duck fat and drippings and chicken broth. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. In a bowl mix together the flour and water and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and cover. That's gravy.

When the meatloaf has finished cooking remove it from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.







The recession has forced people to be more economical and stretch their budgets when it comes to food and while this meatloaf is clearly not a reflection of that, the accompaniment is. True or false, you can eat broccoli stems? True, and they're delicious when you pickle them.

for the the pickled broccoli stems:

3 cups broccoli stems
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 fresh chili pepper sliced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Using a sharp knife, peel away the fibrous skin of the broccoli.






Then cut the pale inside trunk into matchstick-size batons. Blanch for one minute in boiling water, drain and cool under cold running water.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients, pour over the broccoli stems in a large bowl, toss and chill. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

Serve the meatloaf with the gravy and some of the pickles on the side. The pickles match the meatloaf perfectly. The acidity and brightness of the pickles goes well with the richness of the meatloaf. Enjoy.

Shanking the Lamb.

My father loves lamb. He affirms that it's the main part of his hypothetical last meal. I'm sure it has to do with connecting to his childhood in Pakistan where goat and lamb were as commonplace as chicken and beef. Olfaction is said to be the most acute of all the senses in terms of conjuring memories. So it was no surprise when I cooked dinner for his birthday that the gamy smell of slow cooking lamb wafting throughout the house would bring up pleasant memories for him.

The shank of the lamb, or any animal for that matter, is the section between the knee and the ankle. Lamb shanks have tons of flavor as well as connective tissue and marrow. This makes lamb shanks conducive to slow cooking methods. Slow cooking helps the connective tissue and marrow in the shank really melt and break down into pure deliciousness. Enough talking.

Slow Braised North African Lamb Shanks with Israeli Couscous

for the lamb:

4 Lamb Shanks (about 1.25 lbs. each)
1 large onion sliced
4 large tomatoes chopped
4 cloves garlic sliced
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup red wine or beer
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 ground coriander (you can substitute an extra 1/2 tsp of cumin)
1/4 tsp chili powder/cayenne pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper
chopped chives for garnish

for the couscous:

2 cups Israeli couscous (it's just like regular couscous but it has larger grains)
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cups slivered almonds
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a large heavy bottomed all-metal pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Meanwhile season the shanks on all sides with salt and pepper. Brown the shanks, in batches of two, on all sides, 1o minutes per batch. Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, 3-4 mins. Add the wine or beer and using a wooden spoon scrape off the little bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, beef stock, cumin, coriander, chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. After the mixture comes to a boil nestle the shanks in the pot. Cover and place in the oven for 3 hours.

The shanks will be tender and almost falling off the bone. Remove them carefully from the pot. Strain the braising liquid to remove the solids. Return the remaining mixture to the pot and place over medium heat. Simmer the liquid until it reduces by half.

To prepare the couscous place a pot over medium low heat and add the olive oil. When its heated add the couscous. Stir the couscous continually until it turns a light brown color and has a nutty aroma. Then add the beef broth. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn the heat off cover the pot for 7 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add the almonds.

To serve, scoop some couscous onto a plate. Place the shank on top and pour a few spoonfuls of the reduced braising liquid on top. Sprinkle with the chives.

Marxism, mmmm spicy.

When I was volunteering in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina hit, I met this guy Jeff, perhaps the biggest anarchist I ever met. Jeff had this theory that any unnatural societal order was unnecessary. He felt that people would fall into the roles they were best suited for naturally, without having to rely on a government or leader to place them there. While Jeff's theories were often outlandish this one was particularly salient. After two days of gutting houses I was starting to get fed up with the sub par meals, provided for the volunteers, coming out of the makeshift kitchen. On the third day, I went into the kitchen and let the staff know that I had some culinary experience and I would like to lend a hand. As it turned out, most of the people working in the kitchen had little if any cooking experience so they bolted the kitchen to get back to gutting houses. Jeff, it seems, was right.

Left in the kitchen was myself, one assistant and a surprisingly well stocked kitchen, with most of the equipment provided by locals who survived the storm and volunteers. We had 4 industrial sized burners, a refrigerator and a giant steel drum barbecue, but no ovens. Most of the raw ingredients were provided by other relief organizations and local vendors who just wanted to lend a hand. For instance, after gutting one crawfish fisherman's house, he brought about 200 lbs. of crawfish to our site as a thank you. But more often then not we were dealing with produce that was about to turn and that needed to be used immediately. For some reason we always had way too much cauliflower. We would cook it up as hash-browns for breakfast, blend it into beans for stew and so on. But as it it turns out, cauliflower doesn't taste like much. What it does have going for it is that when blended it takes on an incredibly creamy consistency. Which is great in soup and one of these days I'm putting it in ice cream. So here is a recipe we came up with for the volunteers. I've scaled it down from army-of-hungry-volunteers proportions.

Curried Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

1 cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2'' cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
2 tsp of curry powder
1 tsp chili powder or cayenne pepper
1 15 oz. can of chicken broth
1 cup of milk
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

For this recipe do not worry too much about the cut of the vegetables because they are going to get buzzed in the blender. Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the onions and garlic and saute until tender, 3-4 mins. When soft add the cauliflower, sweet potato and stir in the curry powder and chili powder. When the vegetables are coated add the broth and milk. Simmer over medium heat for 12 mins. Add the soup to a blender and buzz until smooth. That's it. The sweet potato is a nice addition because it adds a pleasant orange color and the natural sweetness offset the spice.

First Guest Post: Clam Chowda

Today I am featuring my first guest post from my sister's boyfriend Jack. If you would like to guest post let me know. Just cook something, take pictures of it, write up a little blurb and include a recipe. Keep checking back for more.

Chowda ~ Jack Every

One of my all time favorites, being from New England, is a nice bowl of New England clam chowder. The subtle smokiness combined with the plump clams and potatoes are my idea of heaven. While I maintain to be sort of a purist (I shy away from putting lots of crackers in my chowder), I do like some sort of bread for dipping--or better yet, chowder in a bread bowl!

Sometimes, chowders can be too dense and thick, to which I am quite critical. However, this recipe from Jasper White is fantastic. You can even substitute the salt pork for 4oz. of turkey bacon, and it will come out just fine. You can find the recipe here.

Reconstructing from memory.

When I was working in Colorado I used to eat lunch at this burrito place called Illegal Pete's. They had this thing called a smothered burrito, which was a burrito of your own creation smothered in green chili. The burritos were pretty standard but once covered in green chili, they were fantastic. I recently had a craving for green chili but had never made it before so I did some research and tried to recreate the same taste at home. Unlike southern chili, which is red in color from either tomatoes or dried peppers, green chili forgoes the tomatoes and dried peppers for fresh green peppers. Green chili is typically a western American dish. This was not one of those dishes I could just whip up with things from the home I really had to go out and specially shop for certain ingredients. Through much tinkering, combining of different recipes and remembering the chili at Illegal Pete's, this is what I came up with:

Note: Chili with an "i" refers to the dish, Chile with an "e" refers to the peppers

Green Chili

6 poblano peppers
8 tomatillos diced (check here if you're unfamiliar with tomatillos)
1 medium onion diced
2 jalapenos diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1.5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into small cubes
1 cup of chicken broth
1 tbsp. of cumin
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 handful of tortilla chips, crushed
sour cream or yogurt for serving

First, roast and skin the poblano peppers. In order to do this place the peppers directly over the stove flame and rotate them until they are completely blackened.



If you have an electric stove top place the peppers under the broiler in your oven and rotate accordingly. Once the peppers are mostly blackened place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 10 minutes. This will allow the peppers to steam and release their skins. After 10 minutes remove the peppers and peel off their skins with your hands. They should look like this:



Pull out the seeds and remove the tops of the peppers. Dice the peppers and set them aside. Set a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil. Once it begins to smoke add the chicken and saute until browned, 10 minutes. Add the jalapeno, onion and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the peppers, tomatillos, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 1 hour. Add the crushed tortilla chips and simmer for another 30 minutes. Serve with rice, by itself, or on top of a burrito. This recipe was a shot in the dark; I have never made this before. But, it came out really well. It tasted awesome.

Too much rice.

Some of the most delicious and iconic foods come from people being confronted with what to do with leftovers. Take french toast for instance. In medieval times, the french found that baguettes did not have a very long shelf life and went stale quickly. So, they sliced up their stale baguettes and dipped them in some egg and fried themselves the now famous breakfast dish. The list of leftovers turned wonderful ranges from meatloaf to bread pudding. But today I was confronted with a very specific leftover problem; rice. Why is it that not matter how much Chinese food you order or how many people are eating it, there is always extra rice? It's one of many mysteries about take out Chinese food that I'm still trying to figure out. Like, why 20 minutes after you've eaten Chinese take out are you hungry again? And, who was General Tso? Is he pleased that his legacy is due to his recipe for chicken rather than his battlefield prowess? One way or another I had too much rice. Two and a half containers to be exact. Between the following two recipes I only got through about 1 3/4 cartons.

First let me say. I never understood the point of making fried rice with left over rice. If I've just eaten Chinese food the night before am I going to want it again? Probably not. So I did my best stray from that path. Although I did use a wok for one of my recipes.

Dirty Rice

This dish is great because you can use whatever you have in your fridge/pantry, so this version is just a reflection of what I had on hand.

1 carton leftover rice
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno minced
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Place a work or large pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once it starts smoking add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic.



Saute for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the corn, beans and chicken and mix well. When it is all heated through add the rice and stir. When incorporated add the chicken broth, salsa, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Mix every minute or so until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is heated through. Serve with chopped cilantro.



But that was not the end of my ricecapade. I still had one and a half cartons left and I was only able to use half of the remaining rice. So I made dessert.

Rice Pudding

3 cups of leftover rice
4 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
7-8 cardamom pods lightly crushed (optional)

In a pot over medium heat bring the rice, milk, and sugar to a boil. When it has reached a boil set the heat to low and add the remaining ingredients and stir. Let the mixture simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes until most of the milk is absorbed. Serve either hot or cold.

Redeeming the Breast.

Recently, I railed against the use of chicken breasts for their lack of flavor and versatility. That got me thinking, could you cook a chicken breast and make it taste good? I'm always up for a challenge so making a tasty chicken breast became my mission. The problem is when dealing with chicken breast you're not left with many options. Sure, I could come up with some wild marinade for the chicken and grill it but that sounded as interesting as a this season of "Lost." What I realized is that the good thing about a chicken breast is that it is a blank canvass. You can do whatever you want to it. Instead of thinking of the chicken breast as the central item of the meal, it could instead be a vessel to serve something else. What would that something else be? Stuffing.

Stuffing is not just for thanksgiving. You can stuff anything really; mushrooms, crabs, pasta shells, potatoes, whole birds, fish, peppers and so on. Why not a chicken breast then? Here's what I came up with:

Stuffed and Rolled Chicken Breasts

2 chicken breasts
2 cups multigrain bread or rolls cut into 1/2'' cubes
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced bell pepper (red or green)
1/3 cup diced carrot
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/2 cup good melting cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, brie) grated or cubed small
4 tsp of olive oil
2 tsp fresh sage chopped (or poultry seasoning)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Start by butterflying the chicken breasts. If you are unfamiliar with that term. Watch this instructional video:

How to Butterfly Chicken Breast -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

After you have butterflied the breasts use a meat tenderized (big wooden or metal hammer) to flatten the breast so it is about 1/4'' thick all the way around. It should look like this:



Set the chicken breasts aside. Place a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tsp. of the olive oil. Add the bell peppers, onions, carrots and garlic and saute until tender and translucent, 4-5 mins. In a bowl mix together the bread cubes, both kinds of cheese, the vegetable mixture, the sage and the chicken broth. Once it comes together add salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be moist but not overly wet. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of the stuffing on each chicken breast so it looks like this:



It is important not to overfill the chicken breasts because the chicken will contract as it cooks. If there is too much stuffing it will push out of the sides of the roll during cooking. Roll the chicken breasts up much like you would a rug. You want the roll to be snug but not overly tight. Before the chicken rolls can be cooked they need to be tied. You will need 3 pieces of string or twine for each roll. Set each roll up like so:



Tie a double knot around the the breasts tight but not tight enough to force stuffing out. Just enough to keep the roll together. Cut off any excess string.



In a large skillet add the rest of the olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add the rolls and brown on all sides, 15 minutes.



After the rolls have browned place them in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and the pan and place on a plate to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the rolls in half inch slices and serve as you like.

Making a mess of pasta.

Sometimes I am so eager to do something that I don't stop to think about the practicality of what I'm doing. In this case it was making home made pasta. As I was watching the Food Network the other day and I saw some everyday Joe making fresh pasta. I then thought to myself, "Well if this guy can do it, I can certainly do it." In my haste I forgot that I don't own a pasta roller. A pasta roller is a cheap device that allows you to feed dough through two rollers in order to form a long thin sheet of pasta. It looks like this.

By the time I realized I had no roller, I had already made the dough. Now, its not impossible to make fresh pasta without a roller but the roller makes it so much easier. I just ended up having to do a lot more rolling pin work. It's also important to note that fresh pasta is not the same as the dried pasta you buy in the store. Dried pasta is simply water and a hard flour called semolina mixed together and pushed through a mold. Fresh pasta has eggs in it and sometimes oil. With a pasta roller the dish I made would have been very easy to make. I followed the recipe for fresh pasta I found here. I simply rolled the dough out and then cut it into fettuccine-like strands. But you should roll and cut the dough how you like and according to your pasta roller instructions. Fresh pasta cooks much faster then dried pasta. It only takes about 5 minutes. But all the same old rules apply. Cook the pasta in a lot of boiling salted water.

As far as sauce is concerned you can make whatever you like. Just be sure not to go too overboard. If you spent a lot of time and effort making fresh pasta you don't want to totally mask its flavor with a heavy sauce. Making fresh pasta is a real show stopper. People are really impressed by it, so break it out on a date night or when the boss comes over for dinner. The following is my recipe for a basic tomato sauce that I served this pasta with.

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion minced
1/2 of a medium carrot peeled and minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped (dried oregano is a fine substitute)
2 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat. Add the olive oil. Saute the carrot, onion and garlic until soft and translucent, 4 mins. Add the thyme and crushed tomatoes and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low for 45 mins. If at any point the sauce gets too thick feel free to add some of the cooking water from the pasta.

Here are some pictures from my pasta adventure:




The dough, after it rested.



The rolled out pasta.



The finished product.

Breasts are dry.

No, seriously. Chicken breasts are generally a dry flavorless piece of meat. They are popular because they provide an easy fat free protein source. From a flavor standpoint they bring about the same things to the table as caulk, that is to say, not much. I find the most flavorful and underused piece of chicken to be the thigh. While it’s true the thigh has a slightly higher fat content than a breast, we all know that fat = flavor. Not only that, but the thigh is easy to cook, stays moist and has a deeper chicken flavor. Thighs are great for grilling or roasting because they don’t dry out. In this recipe I’ve braised them, mostly because it’s a tasty way to prepare chicken, but also because I’m on a braising kick. To braise is to cook something in a small amount of liquid for a long time. The following is my recipe for spicy braised chicken thighs.

4 bone in chicken thighs with skin on

1 12oz can chopped tomatoes

1 large onion sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 cup of chicken broth

1-2 jalapenos minced

1-2 chipotle peppers from a can, minced

Parsley for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbs. olive oil

*Chipotle peppers are just smoked jalapenos, they can be found canned in the international foods section of the supermarket

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Dry the chicken thighs and season them on both sides with salt and pepper. Turn on a burner to medium-high heat and place on it a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven. Add the oil to the pot. Once it begins to smoke add the thighs skin side down. Once they brown flip them over and brown the other side, 10-12 mins. Remove the thighs to a plate. Drain any extra grease, reserving enough to sauté the remaining vegetables. Place the pot back on the heat, reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, garlic and jalapenos. Once they soften and become translucent, 5 mins, add the chicken broth, tomatoes and chipotle peppers. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. When the mixture comes to boil, add the chicken thighs and cover. Place the pot in the oven and cook for one hour. To serve pull the thighs out of the braising liquid and spoon some of the tomatoes and onions over the top. Serve with rice. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Shout out to my pops: Kebabs

I grew up eating all sorts of kebabs; lamb, chicken, beef maybe even some goat thrown in there too. All kebabs are all born out of the fact that there was very little cooking fuel available in the Middle East during ancient times. This made it difficult to cook large animals or heat large cooking vessels. Most people are familiar with shish kebabs which are chunks of meat and vegetables cooked on a skewer. I, however, grew up mostly eating seekh kebabs which are spiced ground meat kebabs. They are native to Pakistan, where my father is from. For my kebab recipe you can use ground lamb, beef or turkey. The lamb is the most traditional and delicious and you lose that hearty meat flavor as you go down the line.

1 lb. ground lamb, beef or turkey
1 tbsp. garlic paste (or finely minced)
1 tbsp. ginger paste (or finely minced)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp. garam masala (if you don’t have it use curry powder or a mixture of cumin and turmeric)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder or cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Now you have many cooking options. The most traditional way would be to form long sausage shaped kebabs around skewers and then line them up above a roasting pan so the meat isn’t touching the pan. Set your broiler to low and place the kebabs in the oven. Rotate them every few minutes to they brown and cook through. Cook no more then 15 minutes in total. If it is warm outside you could go through the same skewering process and throw them on the grill. Another good option is to turn them into hamburgers as they are certainly an interesting twist to an old favorite. However you decide to cook them I suggest you make a tiny test patty and cook it on the stove top to check the seasoning. You don’t want to cook the entire batch and realize you didn't put enough salt or garlic in. I stick with the traditional and broil them. You can serve them with pita and salad, or with couscous or rice.

It's not just a movie. Ratatouille.

Ratatouille, while thrust into popular culture with the 2007 Disney movie, is still a mysterious food to most people, but nothing could be simpler, more versatile or delicious. The dish is a simple vegetable stew containing eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers, but the options are endless. The following recipe is simple is incredibly easy.

1 medium Italian eggplant cut into 1'' cubes
4 zucchini sliced into 1/2'' quarter circles
2 bell peppers (red or yellow) roughly chopped
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 large onion peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock or water
3 springs of thyme
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Here's a quick visual guide to how everything should be cut:




Coat the bottom of a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven with olive oil, place over medium-high heat. Saute the carrots, onions, and garlic and until translucent, 3-4 mins. Add the sprigs of thyme and eggplant, saute for 3-4 more minutes. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes and stock. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and simmer covered for 25 minutes. That's it. You can serve it with pasta or rice as a main course or as a side dish. It also makes a great substitute for meat sauce in a lasagna. Feel free to add mushrooms, squash or any other vegetable you like.

Alfredo? You can call it whatever you want.

In today's heart healthy society people are staying clear of cream sauces. But, I think there's a way to make a dish like fettuccine alfredo and keep the calories reasonable. First off you can load your pasta dish with vegetables. Mine has artichokes, zucchini, yellow bell peppers and onions but you can put in whatever you have on hand. Adding some lean meats like chicken breast or shrimp doesn't hurt either. Instead of using heavy cream I am going to make a light white sauce using skim milk. I use Skim Plus because it has more flavor then regular skim milk. Which isn't saying much since regular skim milk is pretty much water with white food coloring. Here is my recipe for a a full pound of pasta (that's one box).

Ingredients:

1 lbs. of fettuccine
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 1/2 cups bell pepper (sliced)
1 large zucchini (sliced)
1 6 oz. jar of marinated artichokes (drained)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Bring 6 qts. of water to a boil and cook the fettuccine to aldente, 10 mins. Meanwhile prepare the cream sauce. In a medium saucepan bring together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the flour over low heat. Whisk in the milk until thickened. Add salt to taste and whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Set aside. In a saute pan, over medium high heat, add the other tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot add in the onions, zucchini and peppers. Saute 4-5 minutes until tender. Add in the artichokes and the pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. To finish the dish add the pasta to the pan with the vegetables and stir in the cream sauce. If the sauce is too thick add some of the pasta water. Sprinke with parsley if you so desire. Enjoy.

Kickin' it off right: Turducken.

I don't think there is a more American food than a the Turducken. It is the pinnacle of American abundance and absurdity, but if properly prepared, it is also moist and delicious. What other country on earth decides to stuff one bird into another, into another. As if the birds themselves were not enough, between each layer there is, you guessed it, stuffing. Some recipes take this idea too far suggesting that each layer of stuffing contain its own unique animal either crab, oysters or sausage. But, besides over complicating the process, the idea of 6 different meats, birds and fish in one dish is gross. So i present to you my tips to a successful Turducken.


1. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare and roast. Roasting can take anywhere from 6-10 hours and prep anywhere from 1-3 hrs.
2. Get your butcher to debone the birds for you. I deboned all three birds myself and however gratifying it was to complete the task, it's just not worth the effort.
3. Make one stuffing. Making a Turducken is a herculean feat in and of itself so there is no need to make 3 different stuffings.
4. Sear the deboned duck and chicken before assembly. This is especially important for the duck because it renders down some of the duck fat. Which is good for two reasons. First, you can put the duck fat in your stuffing. Second, it ensures that there isn't a thick fatty layer in your Turducken.
5. Get some help. Assembly requires two people. (Thanks Karima)
6. Get a smaller Turkey. Most recipes call for a 3-4 lbs. chicken a 5-6 lbs. duck and a 15-20 lbs. turkey. If you used a smaller turkey, say 13 lbs., you can reduce your cooking time greatly and assure that all three meats remain moist.
7. This is critical. Don't go overboard on the stuffing. My sister in her infinite wisdom had been victim to a nasty Turducken and stressed that only a light layer of stuffing should go between each bird and she was right. It also ensures quick and even cooking.

Those are my Turducken tips. For a complete guide on how to make a Turducken check this site out: http://homecooking.about.com/od/turkeyrecipes/ss/turduckensbs.htm. Enjoy these photos and check back often for more updates.