A simple meal . . .

So tonight I had only a little time to prepare dinner.  I had chicken breasts set out, but no idea what to do with them, and little time to think about what to make and/or research. It’s the end of the corporate fourth quarter and things are a bit nuts.  So, searching through the kitchen quickly between calls, I came up with this little ditty.  Took less than 30 minutes to make, and was really easy.  Hope you enjoy.

Mock-Pesto with Pappardelle and Chicken (Serves 2)

• 2 TBS pignoli (pine nuts)
• 2 TBS Butter (Unsalted)
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 6-10 Basil leaves (depending on size), chiffonade
• 2 Grilled Boneless Chicken Breasts, sliced thin and on the bias
• 1/2 lb Cooked Pappardelle
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 TBS Parmesan

Grill the chicken until done. I would lightly season with salt and pepper at a minimum.  I used a mix from my pantry called “Connie’s Seasoned Salt” which is a much larger story that I will print later (provided I am given permission).

Cook the noodles in boiling, salted water as you normally would, leaving them just slightly under-cooked and reserve a couple of minutes ahead of the sauce.

In a non-stick pan, toast the pignoli (fancy Italian word for pine nuts, made me feel important that I knew that) over medium heat until lightly browned.  Should only take a few minutes, and there is no fat required.  Allow to cool on the counter in a separate bowl.  After they have cooled, you can chop roughly, or if you don’t feel comfortable chopping with a knife, you can crush them under a heavy pan or use one of these archaic torture devices that my Mom used. (Well, she made us use it on her behalf.  Her’s being a leftover from the Dark Ages.  I think it actually came from my Great Grandmother.  It sucked and she knew it, thus the conscription.  Use a mini processor, if you have one, but leave them roughly chopped.).Keep the non-stick pan handy.

Melt the butter with the Olive Oil over medium-low heat in the non-stick pan and throw in the garlic to perfume the oils.  Be sure not to burn or even toast the garlic.  A small pinch of salt would be good at this point to draw out the moisture in the butter.  Don’t add too much, as there will be salt in the cheese you add later.  If you choose to use dried basil, just use a 1/4 tsp and toss it in as well.  If using fresh, keep it on the side for a bit.

After a few minutes of cooking the garlic, toss in the basil, cooked pappardelle (with a few drops of the pasta water), chicken and parmesan.  This should bring everything back up to temp, melting the cheese a bit, and blending all the ingredients.  I used shredded organic parm that I had on hand, but even better would be Parmesan Reggiano shaved with a vegetable peeler in big slices.  Toss to combine and serve topped with the pignoli for crunch and pepper to taste if you wish.

Oh, and by the way, I was hungry.  I forgot to take a picture.  Stoopid.  But it was simple, wonderful, and quick.

Cheers!

Day Six of The Challenge – A Curry.

Today was a rough day.  Being the last day of the fiscal quarter, I was on the phone.  A lot.  All day in fact.

I had a mere 25 minutes around lunch time (a call ended earlier than scheduled) to make and eat my lunch, so I opted to re-heat the left-over stir-fry from last night which carried me through the rest of the day.  It was still as good as I remembered.

At 5PM, I had just gotten off of my latest call with partners, when the home phone rang and the question was posed. “So, what are you going to make for dinner tonight?”  To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about it.  Saying as much, I got up from my desk, went to the kitchen and stared at my rations.  A potato, some chicken, rice and a few beans were all that were left.  I still had some work to do, and not enough time to research anything to do with the potato.  Rice was easy, as was the chicken (being already cooked), but I still had no idea.

Visions of Chicken and Rice from my extensive time (and treasured visits) in Singapore were my first inclination, but the chicken was already cooked, and it just wouldn’t be the same.  From there I started dreaming of Chili Crab, one of my favorite all-time dishes,  and things got worse.  I had to stay on focus.

The pantry revealed little.  Tomatoes, mushrooms, preserved lemons (which also sounded REALLY good but I decided they would not be appropriate to The Challenge).  There were other items that also caused me to conclude they would be inappropriate.  Off to the spice cabinet.

It was there that I found, after substantial scrounging (and a long stare at some Ras el Hanout that brought the preserved lemons back to the fore-front of my mind). Then I spied a bag of curry that had been long neglected.  Next my eyes landed on a jar of cinnamon.  Things were starting to come together.  A curry had to be made.

Now, I love Indian food.  Can’t get enough of it.  But, I am well aware that Curry Powder (and hence, ‘a curry’) is not Indian food.  Rather it is an invention of Europeans that brought the ideas of Indian cooking back to Europe after  . . . well, I’ll be nice and call it ‘visit’.  However, Curry Powder (as well as cinnamon) are a common ingredient in many kitchens, and fairly inexpensive to procure.  So, away I went.

Curried Chicken

• 1 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 Onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz chicken, chopped coarsely or shredded roughly
• 1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• salt
• pepper
• 1 small can chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chicken stock (which I made earlier in the week)

Over medium high heat in a non-stick pan, saute the onions until the soften slightly (3-4 minutes).  Add the garlic and continue to saute for 2 minutes more.  At this point, add the chicken, curry powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Allow the chicken to heat in the pan and the spices to adhere to the mixture as well as warm the oils in the the spice mixture to bring back some of the flavor.  This should only take a couple of minutes.  Lastly, add the tomatoes and stock and allow the whole mixture to cook, reducing the heat to medium and the liquid to a stewed consistency.  Server over rice and enjoy.

Tomorrow I plan to pwn the potato.

Day Four – Blood, Sweat and Tears

Blood – Never try to catch a falling knife.  Jump out of the way as quickly as possible, lest you become victim to Darwinism.  This is especially important if the only band-aids you have in the house are of the Scooby Doo variety. (You may freely express your jealousy of my bandages in ‘Comments’. Note the plural, as in ‘more than one’.)

Sweat – Well, OK, there wasn’t much sweat.  But it was a little warm in the kitchen.  Oh, and did I mention the knife?  I had no shoes on at the time.

Tears – Damn onion.

Today was a special day of sorts.  I ate pretty well.  Cheerios for breaky, leftover dumplings for lunch, and for dinner . . . . .well, I will get to that in a moment.

As I said, I ate pretty well.  Have been all week.  But by ‘well’ I imply that I have enjoyed good meals.  What I am not implying is that there was a lot of it.  This project is not an example in gluttony in any sense.  I have stuck to The Challenge every day this week for all meals (I have been working from home all week, so that makes it monumentally easier to do).  I have had to supplement from my own stores somewhat, but only from basic things such as butter, milk, flour, seasonings, an egg and some bacon I found in the freezer.

However, it hit me last night that there is a basic difference between the dishes I have made (and those of my fellow bloggers) and the everyday dishes that the beneficiaries of the Capital Area Food Bank.  In many cases, these are hard working people, sometimes with multiple jobs to make ends meet as best they can and families to take care of.  Time is a valued commodity, as it is with all families.  Although I do have a ‘day-job’ at an amazing company, I am also fortunate enough to have the time to scour the web and a wealth of cookbooks to research and plan my meals.  Not everyone has that opportunity.

I read yesterday that a mere $5 donation enables CAFB to purchase $25 worth of food items. And, as I and others have shown, a LOT can be done with that.  No, its not a feast by any means.  These are but modest meals that in most cases are healthy and can become even healthier through education that CAFB provides.  But every little bit makes a difference.  So, for the cost of your next beer, appetizer, entree, or even parking, you can help considerably.

So, today was the dreaded Navy Bean Day, which just adds insult to injury (see above).  Due to traumatic experiences in my life, to say that I am not a fan of Navy Beans is an understatement.  I won’t name names, but Navy Bean Soup in my childhood became a meal I began to fear.  Ironically, I have the same issue with bologna many years later.  Anyway, enough of my angst.  The Navy Beans had to be cooked, so today I buckled down and made this soup.  I paired it with some of the chicken I roasted on Sunday (still have quite a bit left) and with the Chicken Stock from Monday.

Roasted Chicken and Navy Bean Soup

• 1/2 lb. Navy Beans – sorted, rinsed and pre-soaked using the method of your choice
• 4 slices bacon – roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion -diced
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary (crushed)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 6 C chicken stock
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 6 ounces fully cooked chicken – chopped

In a medium sized sauce pan, render the bacon until crispy over medium to medium-high heat.  Remove the crispy bacon bits from the pan and set aside. Using the bacon grease, saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Drain the beans and add to the pan along with the herbs and chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until beans are fully cooked.  I left mine to slowly bubble for over an hour.

When the beans are cooked place the butter and flour in a separate saute pan to make a roux.  This can be as dark as you would like, bearing in mind that the darker the roux the less thickening it will do.  Mine was pretty light in color.

If you have a stick blender, use it to blend the soup to the desired consistency, breaking up the beans to thicken the soup.  This can also be done in batches using a blender or food processor.  Just don’t over load the appliance as the hot liquid could explode.  Scooby Doo bandages will not help if that happens.

Add the roux and bring back up to a boil to further thicken the soup.  Once thick, reduce the heat to low, add the cooked chicken to warm it.  Dish out and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with the reserved bacon.

I think my fear of the Navy Bean may have ended as this was pretty good.  No Mom . . . I still don’t want your recipe.  Oh, wait, I said no names . . . . damnit.

To cap off the evening, since it is my birthday, I made dessert of Bread Pudding with Pear and Creme Anglaise.  And no, I did not cheat with this one either. Used my home-made bread and the can of pears that I could not, for the life of me, figure out what to do with.  The recipe for that may come later. . . . .

Oh, and Jon . . . sorry, you lost your bid on the can of pears.

Cheers!

Day Three of The Challenge – Fried Dumplings

Each day this Challenge becomes more and more interesting.  It is amazing to see what my fellow bloggers are doing to participate and help create awareness for the Capital Area Food Bank.  An update to all of our activities was posted today by Addie Broyles of the American Statesman.  Have a read, there is some interesting stuff and many great things that my fellow bloggers are creating.

From my own front, I have been racking my brain for the past few days on what to do with the potatoes.  I toyed with a gratin, but alas, there is no cream in my house.  Baked ‘taters seemed boring and a little too obvious.  Roasting, although something I typically enjoy, also seemed a bit main-stream.  Did a little research, and settled on Potato Dumplings.  I have never made dumplings in this manner (although I do make mean potstickers, or fried dumplings).  So, in its way it was a bit of an adventure, and didn’t take the time that I thought it might.

There are a few steps to the creation, so although there is time involved, the actual steps are not that difficult.  This is a slightly wet dough, so you will need some extra flour to work with.  This differentiates it from gnocchi a bit, as gnocchi dough is a bit dryer.

Fried Dumplings in Browned Butter and Sage

Ingredients:

• 1 Potato
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (fresh from the nut if possible)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• Salted Water or Chicken Stock for initial cooking (I used the stock I made yesterday)
• 5 tbs unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp sage (I had to use dried, as that was in my pantry.  However, fresh would be better, but increase to 1 tsp)
• 2 tbs Parmesan (freshly grated Pecorino Romano would work great too . . . but all I had was Parm, and I used it from the green can)

Peel and boil the potato until soft.  Once cooked allow to cool slightly, then mash in a bowl.  Once fully cooled, add the quarter cup flour, egg, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of salt and ground pepper.  Mix thoroughly until a dough forms.  As I said, it will be wet, and you may need to add a little more flour both to the mixture and to the board or both.

Heat the liquid (Water or Stock) in a large sauce pan to boiling.  While the liquid is heating, portion out the dough into thirds, roll the dough into a log approximately 1/2 inch in circumference and cut along each 1/2 to 3/4 inches in length.  You can reserve these to a plate while you do the same with the rest of the dough.

Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to medium high and drop in the first 1/3 of the dumplings.  Leave to cook, stirring occasionally until they float for a few minutes.  Remove from the liquid to a plate lined with paper or linen towel and place the next third of the dumplings in the liquid.  Repeat with the third batch.  (Of course, if you have enough stock and a large enough pan, you can do them all in one batch.)  Allow the dumplings to cool slightly.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt.  When the butter is melted and comes to temperature, add the dumplings to the pan allowing to brown on one side.  When almost done on the first side, sprinkle the sage over the dish and turn the dumplings to the second side (I used tongs for this) to brown on the other side.  When completely browned on both sides (butter should be sufficiently browned at this point as well), remove the dumplings to a bowl and toss with the cheese.  The dumplings have absorbed more than enough of the sauce at this point.

This made more than enough for two people (I have some set aside for lunch tomorrow).

I have to say, this was one of the better dishes that I have made recently.  I have used the browned butter sauce in the past as a simple go-to with a variety of pastas and meats.  Not the healthiest of meals, but it does taste great.

So, this completed another day in the challenge.  Still working on the chicken I roasted Sunday (had a sandwich for lunch today using a small amount of the meat and a couple of slices of the bread I made).  The cheerios, as always, are my breakfast with a glass of the Cranberry-Apple juice which I am really enjoying.  I don’t drink enough juice.

Four days to go, and not only am I learning a lot, but enjoying the task at hand.  Biggest thing I am learning is portion size, which I think is invaluable to my culinary life (not to mention health) moving forward.

Cheers!

Day Two of The Challenge

Well, today went pretty well.  And, in addition, I think I am learning some things.

Starting out as usual with the cheerios this morning, I realized that not only am I not a morning person (no revelation there), I am not prone to eat breakfast on a regular basis.  I find that, having changed my eating habits for this challenge, I need to make sure that I have a little something (Cheerios, or more to the point, the generic version thereof) to keep me going.  Reason being, the portioning of my meals has to change.  Much, I assume, for the better.

So today, I stuck to the regimen with only one real note of significance.  I made an amazing dish for dinner. A cold chicken salad on garlic toast that was extremely good.  And within the bounds of the challenge, I raided the available ingredients from the fridge and pantry.

For the dressing:

• 1 tsp. Dijon
• 1 tsp. Mayonnaise (from a free sample I received at HEB a couple of weeks ago)
• 1/2 tsp. Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
• pinch of salt
• grind of pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and allow to rest for half an hour.  I used approximately 2/3 of a chicken breast from last nights roasted bird sliced a quarter inch on the bias and tossed in the dressing.  I realized on plating that I could have probably done with 1/2 a chicken breast easily.  Toasting two slices of the bread made yesterday, I rubbed each slice with a single clove of garlic and topped each slice with the dressed chicken.  It was delicious.  Bear in mind that my family is not involved in the challenge, so this is for one serving.  Multiply it out as you need.

The last note for the day is that I made a delicious stock from the carcass of yesterdays chicken.  Included were the neckbones, thyme, rosemary, oregano, onion and garlic.  A minimal list, as the aromatics that I would normally use were not in my pantry.  I will be using the stock over the next couple of days for meals I am as yet contriving.

Cheers! Oh, and don’t forget to contribute what you can, either  on the link at left, or directly to the Capital Area Food Bank!