Grilled Green Chile Chicken Pizza

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It’s hot here. It's hot everywhere. It's that stretch of summer where I refuse to turn on my oven because it heats my house up by 25 degrees. No thank you very much. This leads to a lot of grilling, which I did plenty of this past weekend (along with some cold beer). Saturday night I was I was feeling pizza, which I normally make with fresh tomatoes from the garden, but those are still a few weeks away. I did have some leftover grilled sweet corn and fresh green chiles I pulled out of my garden.

As is apparent, from my Southwest roots I developed an appetite for all things green chile. This is no exception, and along with the delicious peak season sweet corn, it turned out fabulous. If you're in a pinch, you can use leftover roast chicken instead of grilling your own, but make sure to spice it before sprinkling it over your pizza.

Grilled Green Chile Chicken Pizza
Makes 3 16-inch pizzas

Dough (adapted from Alton Brown)
3 cups flour (16oz)
2 ½ teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/3 cups warm water

Sauce
4 tomatillos, husks removed
2 green chiles
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon sugar

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
4 medium ears sweet corn, grilled or boiled, cut off the cob
6 ounces Mozzarella cheese

For the dough: Combine the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Start the mixer on low, using the hook attachment, and mix until the dough just comes together, approximately 1 1/2 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for 15 minutes. Be careful as your mixer may try to walk off the counter.

Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disk. Gently stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if a see-through, taut membrane has formed. The dough will be quite sticky, but manageable. Fold the dough onto itself and form it into a smooth ball. Lightly oil the bowl of your mixer (olive oil or cooking spray). Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to double in size, approximately 1 hour.

Split the dough into 3 equal, and then flatten each piece into a disk on the countertop. Form each piece into a ball. Roll each ball on the counter until they tighten into rounds. Cover the balls with a tea towel and rest for 45 minutes. While that's happening you can prepare everything else.

For the sauce: Preheat grill to high heat, grill chiles and tomatillos over direct heat, turning occasionally, until soft and charred. Let chiles cool for 5 minutes, remove skins, stems, and seeds. Place tomatillos, chiles, cilantro, and sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

For chicken: Season chicken with salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. Place on grill and cook, lid down, for 4 minutes. Move chicken to cooler part of grill (keep main burner on high but keep chicken off of direct heat) and grill, lid down, until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165°F, abut 5-6 minutes. Remove from grill and rest for 5 minutes. Shred with fork.

Assemble: Return all burners to high on grill, close lid. Lightly flour the countertop and flatten 1 of the dough balls. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 16-inch round, rotating the dough as you go. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel and stretch to re-shape if necessary (it will likely shrink so you may need to let it rest and then roll it out a bit more).

Oil grill grates and turn all burners to medium. Brush the dough with a small amount of olive oil and flip onto the hot grill. Close the lid and cook until the bottom of the crust is golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Brush the top side of the dough with a small amount of olive oil, then immediately flip using the peel or tongs. Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the pizza, sprinkle 1/3 of the chicken and corn followed by 1/3 of the cheese. Close the lid and cook until the bottom of crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted, another 1 to 2 minutes. Using the peel, remove the pizza to a cooling rack and let rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing. You can also hold them in a warm oven set to 200°F. Repeat with remaining pizzas and enjoy!

Artichoke Mania Part 3: Pasta

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Whew! Now I had cleaned and braised my artichokes. It seems like a lot of work, but one batch of braised hearts can make at least 2 main courses (or you can make more at a time). I've had the jarred hearts, and I feel the homemade ones were much tastier. Uses? Let me count the ways. You can work it into a salad (use the braising liquid for the base of a vinaigrette), I made artichoke risotto with grilled fish, you can chop them up and make dip, or you can even make a pasta sauce.

The wonderful bit about artichokes is how earthy they make a dish taste. This recipe, from Tom Colicchio's "Think Like a Chef", was instantly a hit in my house. It's a comforting dish and easy to make (as long as you have the artichokes on hand). I love the beans in it, don't leave them out!

Pasta with Artichokes, Cabbage, and White Beans
Adapted from Tom Colicchio

4 braised artichokes (or 1 medium jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained), sliced
1/2 head Savoy cabbage, cut into large pieces
5 green onions, trimmed and sliced into 3 inch pieces
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
1 pound pasta (I prefer rotini)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese

Heat a large pot with water until boiling.  Salt, add cabbage and cook until just barely tender, 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Return pot to high heat with fresh water (and salt) and boil pasta until al dente, 8 minutes.  Drain.

In a large pot over medium heat, add artichoke hearts, cabbage, green onions, beans, chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.  Add pasta and butter and stir, adjust seasonings to desired level.  Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini Lasagna

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A few months back I was watching Bobby Flay get his butt kicked over vegetable lasagna on Throwdown when my wife uttered the phrase "I would eat squash if you cooked it like that". I've probably mentioned before my wife loathes all things "squish".  I wasn't going to grow any in the garden this year because I feared divorce her wrath over it. But now I had the go ahead, so there was no way I was passing it up.

One main philosophy I'm trying to stick with in my blog is what's in season, and therefore usually inexpensive (or on sale). Now that it's summer zucchini is plentiful at both the market and in my garden. I retrieved the recipe from the episode as a starting point and got to work. The great difference about this recipe is the lack of noodles. The zucchini, lightly fried, are the noodles. Modified as such, it works as mostly as a traditional lasagna does. When I get tomatoes from my garden to make my own sauce, watch out.

My wife insisted this was "the best thing I have made in a long time".  For a squashaphobe I consider that a big win.  A few health benefits to throw in at the end. This is vegetarian and if you use potato flour you can also make it gluten free. It's also 660 calories for ¼ of the pan (I even measured total volume of oil absorbed from frying), which is a large portion. Beat that, Olive Garden.  And Bobby Flay.

Zucchini Lasagna

Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
salt and pepper

Zucchini
3/4 cup flour
3 eggs + 6 egg whites
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
2 cups Canola oil for frying
2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise about 1/4-thick (use a mandolin if you have it)
salt and pepper

Ricotta
1 pounds light ricotta cheese
6 basil leaves, chopped fine
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
salt and pepper

8 ounces shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

For the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onion, cook until softened.  Add garlic and cook additional 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and basil and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to maintain simmer, partially cover, and cook for 30-40 minutes or until thickened.

For the ricotta: in a bowl mix the ricotta, egg, garlic, Romano, salt, and pepper.

For the zucchini: While sauce is simmering, heat oil in large pot or skillet over medium high heat to 350-375°F. Place the flour on a plate. In a glass baking dish (long enough to hold one long slice of zucchini), mix the eggs, egg whites, Romano cheese, salt, and pepper, and Romano cheese with a fork.  Coat the zucchini slices in flour, then dip in the egg mixture, fry on each side until golden brown.  Remove and place on tray lined with paper towels.  Repeat with remaining zucchini, keeping oil temperature around 350°F.

To assemble: In a 9x13  baking dish, spread a small amount of tomato sauce on bottom.  Layer 1/3 of the fried zucchini to cover the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping the pieces.  Using a spatula, spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce over the zucchini followed by 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and 1 ounce mozzarella. Repeat layering the zucchini, sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella, ending with remaining mozzarella.

Cover the dish in foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook until the top is slightly brown, about 15 minutes more. Cool the lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.

Indian Fry Bread

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I'm going to get throttled for writing about Indian fry bread and not cooking it soon for my wife. It's a risk I'm willing to take. These pop up at festivals and are covered in sugar or honey, but if you live in the Southwest you can find the savory version with beans, lettuce, and salsa. That's what I'm focusing on here.

This dish revolves around the beans. Without great refried beans, you will not have great fry bread. Thankfully making great beans is a 10 minute process, so fear not. Em makes the best beans (my mom makes her cook them whenever we have this as a family), which started as my dad's recipe years ago. I insist, buy the fat free beans. Add your own fat into them in the form of bacon grease. THIS makes the beans. If you don’t have a container of bacon drippings in your refrigerator, I have to ask why not?

I love to top mine with lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, and even some guacamole. Creamy beans and sour cream, the crunch of the fry bread and lettuce, and the tang of guacamole. Close your eyes and imagine how delicious that sounds. Corn, chiles, onions, whatever you want. Have a party!

Indian Fry Bread

Dough (makes ~ 10-12)
2 cups flour plus extra for rolling
2 teaspoon salt
8 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups warm water
Canola oil for frying

Beans
1 can fat-free refried beans (I prefer Rosarita)
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
2 tablespoons milk
¼ cup shredded Colby-jack cheese

Toppings
Chopped iceberg lettuce or cabbage
Sour cream
Diced green onions
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Guacamole
Diced tomatoes

To make the beans, heat the bacon drippings in a small pot over medium heat until melted. Add beans and combine. Add milk and cheese and stir to combine. When beans start to bubble reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.

Heat oil (enough for at least 1 inch deep) to 350-375°C in a wide skillet. To make dough, combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Slowly add warm water, mixing until a moist dough forms. Break off ~1/2 cup of dough and place on a floured surface. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top and roll to ~1/8 inch thickness. Using your finger poke a hole in the center (this prevents it from inflating too much in the oil). Gently place in oil and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Adjust oil temperature as needed. Flip and cook other side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Repeat with remaining dough (depending on size of skillet, you can cook 1-2 at the same time).

To build, spread beans on fry bread followed by sour cream and guacamole (if using). Top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, green onions, and salsa.

Grilled Pork Chops and Soft Polenta

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Oops.  I promised a recipe for soft polenta weeks ago, and then got sidetracked by artichokes.  More on that next week.  Not much writing for this, but polenta now!

I've made both hard and soft polenta, and soft is my favorite.  It's creamy, nutty, chewy, and it pairs well with many grilled meats or roasts.  This time I tried out an interpretation of Mario Bataili's grilled pork chops with spicy peppers.  It was a home run in my eyes.  Enjoy!

Grilled Pork Chops with Spicy Peppers  

4 thick cut pork chops (~8oz), bone in

1/4 cup salt and 1 tablespoon sugar dissolved in 6 cups water

1 red onion, chopped 

2 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoon sugar

pinch cayenne

1/2 cup sliced spicy cherry peppers from a jar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

Soft Polenta

1 cup dry polenta or coarse ground cornmeal

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups water

salt and pepper

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

For the chops:  Add chops to salted water and brine in refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight.  

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add red onion and bell pepper to pan and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add sugar, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook vegetables tender, stirring often for 8-10 minutes.  Stir in sliced cherry peppers, keep warm.

Meanwhile, remove pork from brine and pat dry.  Season with pepper and a slight pinch of salt.  Heat a grill to high heat and grill pork chops directly on heat until they reach 140°C, about 5 minutes per side.  Serve pork chops with pepper mixture and drizzle each chop with 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.

For the polenta: In a medium pot bring milk and water to a boil, season well with salt.  Gradually whisk in polenta and reduce heat to medium.  Stir with wooden spoon often and cook for 30-40 minutes or until polenta is smooth and soft, adding additional water to keep polenta loose as needed.  Once cooked, add Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Fish Tacos

Do you have a best food memory? One that you simply cannot forget and you can recall like it was yesterday? Mine is from Mexico. When I was young my grandfather lived in Ensenada, where we would go visit him for spring break. It was tradition, we went down quite a few times. We would go to the beach, walk the fish markets, see the gysers, it was all good fun. But the one bit that will always stand out to me is when I had my first fish taco. It was a food truck, on a bustling corner in town. My mom was freaked out because she thought we would get food poisoning, my grandfather insisted these women made some of the best food ever.

The truck was simple, small, and contained three women serving two things, tacos and sodas. One was cutting up shark, dipping it in a beer batter, and frying it. The second was taking the fried fish, placing a piece in a corn tortilla, topping it with crema, a squeeze of lime, and cabbage before handing it to customers. The third was collecting money and handing out bottled sodas (the good kind in glass bottles with real sugar). There were small stone mortars that contained both red and green salsa for you to add as you like, but be warned, the green was only for the truly adventurous in spicy food.

It was the best thing I have ever eaten. I think I ate 4 or 5, I know my dad had a dozen. We all left, stuffed beyond what anyone thought possible, but also elated at what had just transpired. If I ever go back again, I will wander downtown in hopes of finding three women still serving some of the best food around.

Fast forward to the present: My friend Matt (who directs my cooking show) is also shooting a commercial for a local fish monger, North Shore Seafoods. I promise I will write more on that at some point, but take my word for it; it’s well worth a visit. Matt, who is allergic to fish (!) received some uber-fresh halibut and it was requested we turn it into tacos. Please, twist my arm. We made a feast, tacos, rice, beans, salsa, it was amazing, just as I remembered. We sat outside (I made steak tacos for Matt) and loved every second of it. It was so good I made it again for Emily's parents when we recently went back to visit. I hope you all find this recipe as memorable as I have.

Fish Tacos
Serves 6-8

Fish
2 pounds fresh white fish (cod, shark, halibut, etc.), trimmed of skin, cut into ¾" strips (cut so they will fit into a tortilla)
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2-3 cups beer
1 quart peanut oil

Crèma
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayo
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Juice from half of a lime
1 head cabbage, finely shredded
2 limes, cut into wedges
Fresh salsa or pico de gallo
Guacamole or avocado slices (optional)
2 dozen fresh corn tortillas (buy at a local Mexican grocer)

To make the crèma combine all ingredients in a small bowl, season to taste with additional cumin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 day. Warm the tortillas in a toaster oven wrapped in foil

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Use a fry or candy thermometer to maintain the oil temperature at 375°F. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cornstarch in a bowl. Add 2 cups of the beer and whisk until smooth. If batter is too thick, add more beer until thin but not extremely watery.

Dredge 1 filet of fish in batter, letting excess drip off, and place in hot oil. Depending on the size of the pot you can fry 3-4 pieces at a time. Do not fry more at a time as the oil temperature will drop significantly. Fry fish, turning occasionally, until brown and crisp, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack covered with paper towel to drain. Return oil to temperature and repeat with remaining fish.

To serve, spread a small amount of crèma on a tortilla followed by a piece of fish, a squeeze of lime, cabbage, and pico de gallo. Enjoy!

Chicken with Almonds

Stir fries have become a big part of my life since I met my wife. Growing up I did eat sweet and sour pork my mom would make in our electric wok, but that was (I think) about it. No fault of hers, we had to trick my brother every time we had it because he didn't like Chinese food, but he liked sweet pork and rice.

Now, I break out one of my two woks every week. Fast weeknight meals, maybe a new rice dish, you can even deep fry in them (more on that later). Far and away the most common dish to come out of my wok is chicken with almonds, a fantastic adaptation from Craig Claiborne's "Chinese Cookbook" that my wife's dad shared with me.

It follows the general rule of stir frying. Fry meat, remove, cook remaining ingredients as needed, drain off most oil, add seasonings, replace meat, add sauce. Eat. You can make a lot of good food if you follow those rules. I like to serve mine with plain white rice and stir fried broccoli, which I have included below. Enjoy!

Chicken with Almonds
serves 3-4

1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg white
1 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 cup blanched almonds (found in grocery stores)
6 garlic cloves, smashed
6 thin slices fresh ginger
12 dried chiles (arbol)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry

Combine corn starch, salt, sugar, and egg white in medium bowl. Add chicken breasts and marinate 30 minutes (room temperature).

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium high heat in a wok or large skillet until just starting to smoke, about 375-400°F.  Gently add 1/2 chicken and fry, stirring to break up into individual pieces, until brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Remove chicken with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.  Return oil to temperature and repeat with remaining chicken.  After, add almonds, frying and stirring until almonds are well browned, about 5-6 minutes.  Remove almonds and let drain.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil (cool the rest in a pyrex cup, bottle, and refrigerate for future use).  Add garlic, chiles, and ginger, frying until all are well browned.  Remove seasonings and discard.  Add chicken back to wok and warm, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Add soy sauce and sherry, toss until sauce thickens. Serve immediately with almonds on side.

Stir Fried Broccoli

1 pound broccoli or other vegetable such as asparagus, snow peas, or green beans
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Trim broccoli crowns into 1 inch pieces.  Peel stems and cut into 1 inch thick strips.  Heat oil over medium high heat in wok or large skillet.  Add broccoli and toss constantly for 2 minutes or until starting to brown.  Combine sugar, salt, soy, sherry, and water in a small dish and add to wok.  Cover and cook for 3 minutes.  Combine cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons water and add to wok, stirring to thicken.  Serve.

At the Market: Kale

Spring has finally come to Indiana, and not without event.  May means farmer's market!  Finally, I feel like I have to wait longer each year.  The fare is still pretty light due to our lingering cold in the area, mostly green garlic, asparagus, and greens. 

My favorite right now is certainly kale.  Honestly, for years the only green leafy veggie I ate was lettuce.  But I'm branching out now, and kale is certainly in abundance at the moment.

Look, I'm not going to prattle on about various points to kale, all I can tell you is this soup is OUTSTANDING and really easy to make.  So use the pictures, go to the market and get some tasty kale, and make dinner!  

Hmm, that cured my writer's block.

Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup

1 pound kielbasa, diced

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch kale (about 1 pound), stems removed, chopped

1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 16-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 quart chicken stock

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

Rind from a hunk of Parmesan (optional)

Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add kielbasa and cook until brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Drain off excess fat so only ~2-3 tablespoons remains.  Add onion and cook until softened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and bay leaves and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.  Add potatoes, cover pot, and cook for 2 minutes to wilt.  Add kale and cover pot, cook for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, beans, chicken stock, Parmesan rind (if you have it) and some salt and pepper.  Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, serve with crusty bread.

Pasta Carbonara

I'm a simple man. I like good beer, a nicely roasted chicken, and a good book. I like my food to (mostly) reflect that philosophy. Certainly building layers of flavor over time has its merits, but on a weeknight after a 10 hour work day, walking the dog, and picking up the house, do you really want to set in and make a 3 hour dinner (or tour)? No thanks.

To me, Italian cooking reflects this exact sentiment. There are two types of Italian cooking, the "grandmother over the stove all day" type which gives us Sunday gravy, tomato sauce, and lasagna; compare this to the second type, the "just got in from the fields or boats" which involves quick pasta tosses, grilled meat, and simple but delicious flavors. I like, no, love both kinds. But on a weeknight, I'm the fisherman. I'm exhausted and all I want is a simple dish of pasta, garlic, and maybe some bacon.

Enter carbonara. I can make this in the time it takes to boil the pasta. Fry some bacon, add a LOT of garlic, some red pepper flake, and some white wine, follow it with a simple mixture of egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and toss it all with the pasta to make a spicy, tangy sauce that lingers both in your mouth and permeates throughout the house. This is cooking at it's purest, simple ingredients allowed to shine on their own, their only purpose to make you smile.

Pasta Carbonara

1 pound dried spaghetti
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake (more if you want spicy)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
fresh tomatoes to garnish (optional)

Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions, undercooking by 1-2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil and bacon. Cook bacon until slightly crispy, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While bacon is cooking combine egg, egg yolk, parsley, cheese, a good amount of pepper, and some salt in a bowl. Stir to combine. Add pasta water (~1/2 cup) slowly while stirring to temper eggs.

Add garlic and red pepper flake to skillet and cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add white wine to deglaze pan and stir up any bits stuck to bottom. Cook until liquid reduces by half, about 1-2 minutes. Add cooked, drained pasta to pan and toss to combine well. Turn off heat. Add egg and cheese mixture to pasta, stirring and tossing quickly to make sauce. If pasta is thick, add remaining pasta water to loosen. Serve immediately.

Chicken Piccata Pasta

I'm over winter. I grew up in the desert, where winter was about 3 days long, and when I moved to Indiana I loved the thought of actually have seasons. Still do. But this winter has been a bit taxing. Between Snowpocalypse and some crazy up and down weather, all I want is 50° and sunny. Just for a few days. Please.

My cooking is starting to reflect this want of change. Case in point I grilled steak teriyaki the other night just because I wanted to cook outside. It was cold, windy, and my wife thought I was nuts, but I was set on having a grilled piece of meat.

Where am I going with all of this? As spring sets in and the weather warms, my food starts to reflect the change. The heavy stews and chili of winter gives way to artichokes and brighter dishes. I found this recipe from Rachel Ray and it fit my mood quite well, it was quick enough to assemble on a weeknight and was not a stretch for ingredients considering most vegetables are out of season right now. I really liked it and only tweaked it a tad (RR dishes tend to come out on the high end of liquid so it takes adjustment).

The good news of course, is that the sun is shining and we have 10 days of warm weather coming. Time to start digging in the garden…

Chicken Piccata Pasta (adapted from Rachel Ray)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente
Chopped or snipped chives, for garnish
Salt and pepper

Heat a deep skillet over medium high heat and add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Brown chicken until lightly colored all over, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and return the skillet to the heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, and shallots to the skillet. Saute and shallots 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook additional 30 seconds.  Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in wine and reduce liquid 1 minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and red pepper flake. When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauce to give it a little shine. Add chicken back to the pan and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add parsley, toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste. Top with fresh snipped chives.

Chile con Carne

I have a very bad habit of not taking pictures of food I make when a) I host a party or b) make something delicious.  It's like I have this premonition the food will be amazing, and therefore for some stupid reason I should NOT capture it in a picture.  C'est la vie, I guess.

I made this tasty concoction for the Super Bowl a while back, and it turned out really well.  I'm into braising right now, and I need to get it out of my system before spring rolls around.  I also decided to make two types of chili for the big game, red and white (no blue though, that's just weird).  This recipe popped up in a recent issue of Bon Appetit and sounded delicious.

A few notes on it before the recipe.  It calls for ground ancho chiles, which is NOT chile powder.  If you cannot find the ground chile form in your local Mexican market, buy the whole dried chile, remove the stems and seeds, and ground in your food processor.  I prefer this method because it enables you to add a bit more heat in the form of a guajillo chile to the mix.

Chili con Carne (adapted from Bon Appetit)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 pounds beef stew meat (or chuck roast cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 head of garlic (about 15 cloves), peeled, chopped
1/2 cup ground ancho chiles
1 ground guajillo chile
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons coarse corn meal
1 teaspoon chile powder
kosher salt
pepper
Garnishes- coarsely grated cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro, fresh tomatoes, or sour cream

To grind the chiles, place 3-4 dried ancho chiles and a dried guajillo chile in a food processor and blend until chopped fine, 1-2 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Salt the beef and add 1/3 to the pant. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to a plate lined with paper towl. Repeat with 2 tablespoons oil and beef.

Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add onions and sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add ground chiles, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beer and stir 1 minute, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Return beef to pot. Add tomatoes (with juice), 2 1/2 cups water, oregano, and a tablespoon kosher salt. Bring chili to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer gently until beef is just fork tender, about 2 hours. Cool 1 hour, then chill uncovered until cold. Cover; chill overnight.

Spoon fat from chili (there will probably not be much). Bring chili to simmer over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste. Sprinkle corn meal and stir, simmer uncovered until thickened and beef is very tender, stirring often, and adding more water if too thick, about 30 minutes.  Season with 1 teaspoon chile powder, salt, and pepper. Serve with garnishes.

Baked Pasta

As I was sitting in Kansas City last week, snowed in up to my eyeballs, I made the resolve to blog a lot and get caught up on recipes I have had written down since July. Well, that didn't turn out according to plan, as I was either a) pooped or b) drinking beer once the sun set. What do you want from me? Happily, I can report I found a fantastic restaurant in KC called Blancs Burgers and Bottles, which serves not only really good burgers but also has a pretty impressive beer selection.

Also big on my list lately, easy food. Between myself and Em traveling lately, we barely had a together meal over 2 weeks. Not my idea of a good time, but I also try (TRY) to prevent ordering out when I'm by myself. That's a slippery road. I instead turned to my dear friend pasta to help me through the cold nights.

I started making baked pasta about a year ago, and it has evolved into a simple weeknight meal and something I can always make with what I have on hand. Since I made a lot of tomato sauce this summer, 1 bag of that out of the freezer is all I need to get this dish going. If you don't have that handy, you can always use jarred sauce, but try to stick to just the tomato variety (like Ragu).

Baked Pasta

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups tomato sauce (preferably home-made, if you don’t have it, use a jar of tomato pasta sauce)
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon red pepper flake
Salt and pepper
1 pound tube pasta (rigatoni or penne)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook pasta in well-salted water by package directions, undercooking by 1-2 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water when draining.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted whisk in flour and cook for 30 seconds until well combined. Whisk in milk (it will cook faster if the milk is at room temperature) and cook until thickened and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Add ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese, red pepper flake, nutmeg, and some salt and pepper. Turn off heat and add in tomato sauce. Season to taste.

In a 13x9 baking sheet add pasta. Add sauce over top and fold in to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add pasta water to thin it out. It will thicken as it bakes. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and hot. Enjoy.