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Alice B. Toklas Chicken

August 17th, 2009

I promise that I did not add marijuana to this chicken. Alice B. Toklas was born in San Franscisco in 1877. She moved to Paris in 1907 and became the partner of the writer Gertrude Stein. The two women hosted a salon that attracted many expatriate Americans such as Ernest Hemingway and Thorton Wilder and painters Picasso and Matisse. She became well known for her cooking and published The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook in 1954. The most famous recipe was called Haschich (sic) Fudge which contained fruit, nuts, spices and cannibus. During the turbulent ’60s her name was lent to Alice B. Toklas brownies which contained marijuana.

This chicken does not need marijuana to make you feel good. I love a good roast chicken. I have my standard recipe that is a pretty simple bird stuffed with lemons and rosemary and drizzled with oil and roasted at 425 degrees. There are a few extra steps in making this chicken and it makes all the difference in the world. First the chicken is browned on both sides in an oven proof skillet. After roasting for a time, ruby port and orange juice are added to the skillet and it is roasted a while longer. The finishing sauce is enhanced with orange zest and heavy cream. The sauce is what makes this chicken outstanding. It is absolutely delicious. This is another wonderful recipe from my bargain cookbook Simple Soirees by Peggy Knickerbocker.

ALICE B. TOKLAS CHICKEN

1 medium sized (about 3 1/2 pounds) roasting chicken, preferable free-range
Salt
2 Tbls unsalted butter
2 Tbls olive oil ( I used less )
1/2 cup ruby port
1/2 cup orange juice
3 Tbls heavy cream
Zest of 1 orange, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

When you bring the chicken home from the market, unwrap it and sprinkle it generously with salt. Cover and refrigerate it until ready to cook. Bring the bird to room temperature before cooking. Do not rub off the salt.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet warm the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Brown the chicken breast side down, for 3 to 5 minutes then turn it over and brown the other side for 3 to 5 minutes.

Place the skillet in the oven and roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Pour the port over the chicken and baste it. Roast for 10 minutes more, then add the orange juice and baste again. Roast for about 5 minutes more ( I roasted it for 10 to 15 minutes more). The chicken is done when the juices of the thigh run clear when pierced with the blade of a sharp knife, or when the thigh wiggles easily. Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer it to a cutting board, and let it rest as you make the sauce.

Skim as much fat off the top of the juices in the skillet as you can and discard. Place the skillet over medium heat and add the cream, stirring up the crispy bits on the bottom. Add about half the orange zest and allow the sauce to reduce as you stir constantly for a few minutes.

Carve the chicken and transfer it to a serving platter. Pour some of the sauce over the chicken and transfer the rest into a gravy boat or small pitcher and serve it at the table. Sprinkle the remaining orange zest over the chicken.

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Easy Potato Casserole and a Beautiful Garden

August 7th, 2009

While in Michigan, we stayed with my brother and his family. Bill planted a garden this year for the first time in a long time. I was amazed by the harvest he is pulling out of the rich dark soil. He is digging potatoes and onions, gathering pole beans, and picking cucumbers. Our visit coincided with a visit from his Florida grandchildren and son and daughter-in-law. His other granchildren and daughters live in town so we had quite a large gathering. Bill kept four grills going for our dinner feast and all of the vegetables came from the garden except for the Michigan sweet corn. His corn is not quite ready yet so he got it at a farm stand not far away. The pictures below are of Bill and some of the grandchildren gathering the vegies.

My Sister-in-law Barb claims that she is not a good cook. I would beg to differ. She is a great cook and has a way of scouting out easy recipes. She fixed this potato casserole recipe for us while we were there using potatoes from the garden and it was easy and very good. It has all of the qualities and taste of a fantastic stuffed baked potato without all of the work. I liked it so much I made it when we got home. It is a very adaptable recipe. You can make it for a crowd or just dinner for two. Enjoy!

EASY POTATO CASSEROLE

1 to 2 to 3 lbs. red skin or white potatoes

1 cup Ranch Dressing or more

1 to 1 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar cheese

4 to 6 slices of cooked crisp bacon

Creole seasoning to taste

Clean potaotes and cut into quarters. Place in pot with cold water and cook until tender. Drain and place in casserole dish. Sprinkle with seasoning, add ranch dressing to coat and top with shredded cheese and bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

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Cabernet- Braised Short Ribs

July 29th, 2009

We have been away for the last few days taking care of our Granddaughter Rachel while her parents were in Boston. I haven’t had much time to grocery shop since we’ve been back so I checked the freezer to see if I could find something, . . . anything, for dinner. There was one lonely package of boneless beef short ribs which I had purchased on sale months ago when the weather was still chilly. Boneless short ribs are sometimes hard to find, so when they are available I always snatch them up and squirrel them away. With the heat and humidity it didn’t seem right to cook such a hearty meal, but I was actually in the mood for doing just that.

We keep a collection of old magazines on our screened porch and my husband mentioned seeing a cover on a Bon Appetit magazine with short ribs that looked very tantalizing. I looked at the recipe and actually had all of the ingredients. It called for fresh rosemary, parsley, and thyme which I had in my herb garden plus lemon and garlic for a gremolata topping. We always have Cabernet Sauvignon on hand since that is David’s favorite red wine, so dinner was easy. It makes be feel self- sufficient to be able to pull a delicious meal together out of whatever is at hand even if it is for just one day. Now I really have to go the grocery store.

I made half of the recipe for the two of us with leftovers.

CABERNET- BRAISED SHORT RIBS (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

4 lbs Boneless Beef Short Ribs

2 Tbls chopped fresh rosemary

2 Tbls chopped fresh thyme

1/2 Tbls coarse kosher salt

1 Tbls freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Enough Cabernet Sauvignon to cover meat ( about 3 cups )

2 Tbls softened butter

2 Tbls all purpose flour

For the Gremolata:

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbls finely grated lemon peel

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 Tbls finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 Tbls finely chopped fresh thyme

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and reserve

Arrange ribs in a glass baking dish. Mix rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in small bowl and sprinkle over ribs. Let stand for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over medium high heat. Working in batches, add ribs to pot and cook until browned on all sides. Add more oil as needed for each batch. Transfer ribs to large bowl. Pour off drippings from pot. Add wine to pot and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot; bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to oven and braise until meat is very tender, about 2 hours.

Using slotted spoon, transfer ribs to large bowl, cover tightly to keep warm. Skim any fat from top of braising liquid. Boil liquid until reduced to 2 generous cups. Mix 2 tablespoons softened butter and 2 tablespoons flour with fork in small bowl until well blended. Whisk butter mixture into reduced braising liquid. Whisk over medium high heat until sauce thickens slightly. Return ribs to sauce to warm slightly. Serve over a bed of mashed potatoes and sprinkle with gremolata.

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Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

July 9th, 2009

It is Barefoot Blogger Thursday once again. The Barefoot Bloggers are a group who blog about Ina Garten recipes on the the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. Each member takes a turn selecting a recipe and then everyone in the group makes the same dish and comments on it. I have been watching The Next Food Network Star and recently all of the contestants went to Ina’s beautiful barn in the Hamptons as part of their competition and I got to thinking. Gee, we work hard staying true to all things Ina. You would think that she would invite us to the barn for a luncheon. I’m sure we would even agree to fix the food and clean the kitchen. What do you think? Don’t you think we deserve it?

This week’s recipe was chosen by Cat of Delta Whiskey. She is a proud Air Force wife and can kick some booty. She can also cook some good pasta. Visit her blog to see what she did with this wonderful recipe. And wonderful it is. Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes has now become my favorite pasta salad. The combination of fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, chunks of mozzarella, olives, basil, and Parmesan cheese just sing with flavor and the whole salad is very refreshing on a hot summer evening. Ina Garten nailed it again. Now if only we could eat this in the Hamptons.

PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta

Kosher salt

Olive oil

1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced

1/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced

1 lb. fresh mozzarella, medium-diced

6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the Dressing:

5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons good olive oil

1 garlic clove, diced

t teaspoon caper, drained

2 teaspoons kosher salt ( I used less)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta n a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and basil, and toss well.

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Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Orange Rice Salad

June 29th, 2009

The 4th of July celebrations on the lake are always fun. There are festivals at Rumbling Bald Resort and two fireworks displays on either end of the lake. The Rumbling Bald fireworks are on the fourth and the city shoots their fireworks on the evening of the fifth. At dusk the lake is full of boats making their way to the east to view the first of the events. We take sweaters and blankets because the evening tends to get cool. There is something special about viewing the bright bursts of color from the boat.

The traditional 4th of July dinner has always been ribs on the grill, but this year I am trying something different. I have been experimenting with a variety of meat and vegetable combinations and finally hit on this version which I think is a winner. Chicken cubes are marinated in one baggie and pineapple and green and red peppers in another. They are arranged on the skewers and basted with the marinade from the fruit and pepper mixture. They cook quickly and look vibrant on a bed of orange rice.

The rice salad can be made ahead of time and compliments the teriyaki flavors so well. I love this salad. It comes from Anna Pump’s new book Summer on a Plate. It can be served at room temperature which is an added bonus if you are asked to bring a dish to a picnic.

I will be posting another recipe for the fourth of July soon. It is one that I have had in my arsenal for years. It is called Firecrackers.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN SKEWERS

Makes 3 servings (can easily be doubled)
3 boneless chicken breast halves cut into 2″ squares
1 green pepper, cut into 1″ squares
1 red pepper, cut into 1″ squares
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1″ squares
2 Tbls sugar
4 Tbls Soy Sauce
4 Tbls Mirin (sweetened sake) If you can’t find this, eliminate the soy and use 8 Tbls teriyaki sauce
6 wooden skewers, soaked in water

Place chicken pieces (you should have 18 pieces) in one large baggie. Place pepper and pineapple pieces in another baggie. Mix sugar, soy and mirin (or teriyaki sauce) in small sauce pan and heat just until sugar dissolves. Cool. Pour half of marinade over chicken and the other half over the peppers and pineapple. Marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Thread ingredients on six wooden skewers alternating. You should have three each of red pepper, pineapple, chicken and green pepper.

Prepare grill. It should be hot. Spray grill with oil and grill the skewers turning as needed and basting with the marinade from the veggies and pineapple, until chicken is cooked, approximately 10 minutes.

ORANGE RICE SALAD

2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls unalted butter
2 cups finely chopped onion (one large)
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice ( I used Uncle Ben’s)
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice (I used mixture of fresh and juice from the carton)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp kosher salt (I used less)
2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup minced fresh chives or scallions
I added the zest of one orange

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 Tbls fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a heavy pot over low heat melt the butter with the olive oil and saute the onions and rice for 5 minutes. Stir often, so it does not brown. Add the orange juice, water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook 15 to 17 minutes ( Mine took 20 ) or until rice is just tender. Spoon the rice into a large bowl. Fluff it with a fork to separate the grains. Add the pine nuts, celery and chives.

Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well to blend. Pour dressing over the rice and toss gently but thoroughly. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Printable recipe – Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Printable recipe – Orange Rice Salad