by Sam Tackeff | Mar 18, 2009 | Salads
Just a few months ago I wrote about my simple fennel salad, a kitchen standby that tastes absolutely fresh and delicious, and requires only about five minutes of one’s time to make. The standard version requires fennel, good Parmesan, salt, pepper, a lemon vinaigrette and some fresh herbs- a winning combination.
While I make a point to get variety into my meals, both for myself, and for your viewing pleasure, some dishes (like this one) are so good that they get heavy rotation in the kitchen. I take a lot of pleasure in tweaking these favorites each time based on ingredients I have on hand, and seasonal variety. This version, for instance, includes grapes, aged gruyere, and meyer lemon.
Today, my quest for lunch began with one beautiful meyer lemon, sitting on my counter, just waiting to be used. Meyer lemons are much sweeter than the regular yellow lemon, more of a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, imported to the United States a little over one hundred years ago from China. These little fruits are absolutely delicious.
As I searched through the fridge, I came across a fennel purchased at the farmers market that had been hiding, and a little bit of leftover aged Gruyere that I had bought from Cowgirl Creamery. With such delicious ingredients, I knew that I wouldn’t be letting my little lemon down.
Today’s Simple Fennel Salad, revisited: Simply toss one fennel bulb, shaved or thinly chopped, with a handful of plump green grapes, and some aged gruyere. Top with a lemon vinaigrette: one meyer lemon, a few good glugs of extra virgin olive oil, some pepper, and coarse salt.
Other things you can do with fennel salad: I like the idea of pairing fennel with cheese, fruit, and a citrus-y vinaigrette, but even within that structure, there are endless possibilities. I might do it with apples, orange slices, or pears. I might add feta and olives and call it greek. A big handful of fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, or mint always complements the flavor. You can also add color by adding some grated carrots, mushrooms or arugula. You could also toss in a handful of fresh walnuts, or lace it with some prosciutto, or top with some white anchovies. Get where I’m going here? This salad allows for freedom and creativity which is why I love it so much!
As part of a menu: I think that this salad is great on its own, or with a little bit of good bread, but it would be equally nice paired with some grilled shrimp, chicken or fish, with a side of roasted potatoes.
by Sam Tackeff | Mar 12, 2009 | Barefoot Blogging, Poultry, Quick and Easy
This Thursday’s barefoot blogging challenge was chosen by Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings, and had us all in the kitchen cooking Ina Garten’s Chicken Piccata. Now, to be fair, because there are no capers in this dish, I’m not sure how she gets away calling it a piccata, but nevertheless it’s certainly tasty.
I chose to accompany the dish with some Sautéed Broccolini (for BB extra credit, chosen by Mary, of Meet Me in the Kitchen). I suppose you could pair this chicken with almost any vegetable (green beans, regular broccoli, and swiss chard come to mind), and just sauté them the same way in your pan- it tastes infinitely better if you do it in the pan right after you make your delicious piccata sauce, so it absorbs all of that wonderful lemony flavor.
Other things you could do with this chicken: I think that this would taste equally tasty on a nice bit of ciabatta bread with some arugula as a sandwich, or served over some pasta with freshly grated Parmesan. My mother also makes a similar dish served with a side of sauteed cabbage and onions, over farfalle pasta, that my brother swears by.
Breading Chicken: To bread your chicken, it’s easiest if you have a little lineup set up. You can do it in plates, but I think that bowls make it all a lot cleaner.
Some things about online recipes to keep in mind: Sometimes, the recipe gets translated badly onto the food network, or other recipe posting sites online. Most of Ina’s recipes are for four in her cookbook, and yet somehow the food network versions are for two, with some errors (like enough sauce and breading ingredients for four, but only calling for two pieces of chicken). I find that I tweak many of the recipes posted here online, although the recipes in her book are usually winners.
Crispy Lemony Chicken
serves 4
adapted from Ina Garten
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 extra-large egg
3/4 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs (I used plain that I seasoned with my own spices)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup dry white wine
Chopped parsley leaves, for serving
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. To pound your chicken, place the breast between two sheets of parchment paper or saran wrap, and pound flat with a heavy object. *Thin chicken breasts are really important so that the chicken cooks quickly and evenly.* Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. Create your breading line: I like using three bowls (see above). In the first bowl, put the flour, with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In the middle bowl, crack in one extra large egg, and a 1/2 tablespoon of water. In the third bowl, place your breadcrumbs. Now comes the fun part! Dip each chicken breast- first in the flour, to coat lightly, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. (You will have enough leftover in the bowls if you want to make extra chicken.)
4. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts, and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until the crust is nicely browned. Place them on the sheet pan, and then bake in the oven for about 5 minutes while you make the sauce.
5. In the same saute pan that you have cooked the chicken, add a tablespoon of melted butter, then add the lemon juice, the wine, some salt and pepper. Boil for a few minutes over high heat, until it reduces by half, and then take off the stove and swirl in the extra two tablespoons of butter. Set aside in a bowl, and use the pan to make whatever vegetable you are serving it with.
6. Plate the chicken, pour on some sauce, add the fresh parsley, and serve with a wedge of lemon. It’s a surprisingly light and refreshing dish!
Sauteed Broccolini
serves 2
Ingredients
1 small bunch broccolini
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small clove of garlic, minced
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
Juice of half a lemon
Method
Steam the broccolini with a few tablespoons of water in the microwave for three minutes, and drain. In the pan that was used for the lemon sauce, add a the butter, garlic and lemon juice, salt and pepper, and heat as the broccolini steams. Add the drained broccolini to the pan and sauté for a minute or two, turn off the heat, and plate.
by Sam Tackeff | Mar 9, 2009 | Pantry Staples, Salads, Soups
I’m a big fan of cooking a batch of basic grains at the beginning of week to have on hand for quick meals or sides. With some simple additions, these staples allow you easily prepare something tasty at all times without having to spend forty minutes cooking every meal. I try to mix up which I cook each week: sometimes it’s a pot of brown rice, other times bulgur wheat, or farro, or a combination mixture with beans.
This week I cooked bulgur wheat and chickpeas and used it as the basis for a few different dishes. (I made one batch: in a small saucepan, cover a cup of dry bulgur (I use a larger coarse grain bulgur) with two cups of boiling water and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring back to a boil, add a can of chickpeas, turn down and simmer covered for thirty minutes or so until tender, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.)
Not Quite Tabbouleh Salad. (pictured above) Take a cup of the cold bulgur and chickpea mix, add a few tablespoons of fresh parsley, some chopped cherry tomatoes, a few teaspoons of sweet onion if you have it (I didn’t), a hint of cumin, and a few teaspoons of lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!
Middle Eastern Yogurt Soup: Heat a clove of minced garlic in some chili oil, or (olive oil with a bit of chili powder), add a cup and a half of yogurt, and stir until hot. Add this to a half a cup of warm bulgur and chickpeas. If desired serve with some mini meatballs. (I used Ikea swedish meatballs and it tasted just delicious.)
Just plain, thanks: served simply with a side of grilled lemon chicken and some garlicky sauteed broccolini.
Take a trip around the world: I try to come up with my permutations for these grains by picking a flavor “destination”. If I want Moroccan, I’d add some cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika and maybe some chopped dried apricots. For France, I might add some Herbes de Provence, and some roasted fennel, and top with a lemon vinaigrette. For Greek, I might do the “not quite tabbouleh” and add some feta cheese, and cucumber. For Italian, I might add some toasted pine nuts, sage, and cubed butternut squash. I find the possibilities doing this endless, and it’s a great way to mix things up without getting bored!
The bottom line… Having these grains on hand make meals simple, make economic sense, provide a healthy alternative when hungry for a snack, and are tasty and delicious. Just make a pot!
by Sam Tackeff | Mar 5, 2009 | Italian, Sandwich
Sometimes in the afternoon I get really hungry and need something to tide me over for dinner. When this happens, one of my favorite things to put together is a simple open faced sandwich. I really try to mix it up, sometimes it’s [nutella and banana], sometimes [cucumber, cream cheese and turkey], sometimes [peanut butter, banana and honey]. (Only one slice of bread makes it healthier, right?)
An Italian Version: Simply toast a slice of bread (I used a multigrain, whole wheat slice), slather with some really good ricotta cheese, top with a warm balsamic roasted red pepper (I simply take a roasted red pepper out of a jar, put it in a little pan to heat with a couple of teaspoons of balsamic), a dollop of home made pesto, and a dash of black pepper. It’s delicious.
by Sam Tackeff | Mar 4, 2009 | Quick and Easy, Soups
I like warm, comforting, delicious stews. I think they are particularly perfect for when it is raining and cold (apparently most of the time here in San Francisco) and you just want something really easy and hearty to tuck into. I’m always looking for good recipes, and so when I saw Nigella Lawson make this chicken cacciatore for her children on ‘Nigella Express’, I went directly to the store to purchase the ingredients to start cooking. Nigella is truly one of my favorite chefs, and cooks really beautiful, easy and well.. sexy food. Her book “How to be a Domestic Goddess” is one I frequently cook from, with much success, and I just can’t get enough of her. She also has a very pretty product line with really cute stuff that I would love to fill my kitchen with.
Bay leaves: These ones that I used for the stew were part of my reserve collection that I smuggled back from Istanbul, where they grow copiously on trees on the island of Büyükada. One afternoon, my mom and I picked about a hundred of them and laid them out all over a table to dry so we could take them home with us. They are an invaluable part of my spice collection! Bay leaves can be expensive, but they are wonderfully fragrant, and shouldn’t be left out of dishes that call for them. I used three for this stew, and it was well worth it.
The smells from this stew are really heavenly, and is the perfect dish to cook for guests, yet not so finicky that you couldn’t just cook it for yourself to eat while watching the television with a beer. It took me a little less than half an hour from start to finish, and would have tasted equally good the next day for lunch (although we definitely didn’t have any left, so that is just an assumption on my part).
A Hearty Chicken Cacciatore
Adapted from Nigella Lawson
serves 2-3
Ingredients
– 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
– 1 whole clove of garlic
– 1/2 white onion
– 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
– 2 thick strips of smoked applewood bacon
– 1 pound of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
– 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
– 1/2 cup white wine
– 1 (14 ounce) can of chopped tomatoes
– 3 bay leaves
– 1/2 teaspoon sugar
– 1 (14 ounce) can cannellini beans
Method
1. Pour some olive oil in a large saute pan on low heat, add a whole clove of garlic, the onion, and the rosemary and stir until the onion is slightly translucent, but not browned, about ten minutes.
2. Add the thick cut bacon, and fry for a few minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the chicken and celery salt and stir for a couple of minutes, until the outside of the chicken is white.
3. Pour in the white wine, and cook for a few minutes until just simmering, then add tomatoes, bay leaves and sugar. When it comes to a bubble, properly, turn it down slightly, simmer for 20 minutes, and then turn in a can of canellini beans, until they warm up, and it’s done!
Serve with a nice hunk of bread, and a little green salad. Delicious!
