Amateurs with Knives

I’m still on my Ellie Krieger kick as I’m still fighting my own Battle of the Bulge. My cravings as of late have been more for carbohydrates, so I opened Ellie’s cookbook to see if I could find something that would satisfy, yet provide a healthier option.

Well, hello there. Come here often?

The downside about this recipe is that it does take a while. Aside from the active time, the tomato sauce takes about 20 minutes to simmer and the overall dish takes another 30 – 45 minutes to bake. What would have made it more efficient for me from a time management perspective is if I hadn’t needed to run to the grocery store before coming home. If you have these ingredients on hand ready to go, then it won’t be an issue. I hadn’t planned ahead, and that was my fault.

Easy Tomato Sauce
From Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained, tomatoes chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Everything on this list I already had in my pantry, but for some reason I had forgotten that I already had an existing can of whole tomatoes. It was the grocery store brand, nothing special, of peeled, whole roma tomatoes. But, like I said, I didn’t remember that and I didn’t have a chance to check my pantry because I was going straight from work. So I picked up a can of Hunt’s whole tomatoes. A 28-ounce can. It’s a big can. Like, a can with lots of space inside for lots of tomatoes.

And have I yet mentioned what a large can the Hunt’s 28-ounce can is?

It’s a big freaking can. Here’s what the Hunt’s website has to say about their whole tomatoes (i.e. incriminating evidence):

Did you notice the part about packing the OH SO MANY TOMATOES in their OWN JUICE?

I opened up the GINORMOUS 28 OUNCE can and drained it. As I’m pouring it out into the sink, I’m looking at what’s coming out and I’m thinking, “Hmm. That doesn’t look like tomato juice to me… it looks like tomato sauce.”

But I keep pouring, and pouring, and still pouring. What the crap? Once I got to the bottom of the can, guess how many tomatoes I was left with?

Three! Three freaking tomatoes out of that entire can! Actually, there weren’t even three – I had two regular sized romas and one very small roma, about half the size of the other two! Two and a half tomatoes out of that entire freaking can, weighed down by a bunch of sauce!

Guess what brand I won’t ever be buying again? That’s right, Hunt’s. Luckily I had that generic brand to fall back on, and (Thanks, Mr. Wegman!) it had a dozen or more roma tomatoes inside, in actual juice.

After that disparity, I was a little concerned about my ingredients, as I wasn’t sure how many tomatoes were expected to be in the sauce. But I bravely forged ahead anyway. What can I say? I was hungry.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Yield: 6 servings

This sauce didn’t have a lot of liquid in it, which was fine — but again, there were no notes in the recipe so I was confused about the instruction that said “simmer”. There wasn’t much to simmer so I just put it on a back burner and kept it on low while I started on the lasagna.

Another thing to note is that I cut this in half since I was only serving two people, and it came out to the exact needed portions. The serving size is a 1/2 cup. That may sound like very little, but this dish isn’t a very saucy dish to begin with, so it really does work out.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 94
Total Fat: 3G
Protein 2.5G
Carb: 14G

Excellent source of: Iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Good source of: Fiber

So while that was simmering, I started on the lasagna.

Portobello Lasagna Rollups
Adapted from Ellie Krieger

12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 3/4 pound)
2 teaspoons olive oil
12 ounces portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups Easy Tomato Sauce
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 ounces grated part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 2/3 cup)

A couple of notes about the noodles. First of all, I couldn’t find any whole wheat lasagna. I found whole wheat everything else except that, so I just used regular. I also used Barilla brand, since I usually do anyway and also because it’s the preferred brand of America’s Test Kitchen. In my own experience, I’ve found Barilla’s cooking lasagna noodles to be a lot thicker and sturdier than other brands.

Then I had another problem. I didn’t want them ripping apart as soon as I removed them from the hot water, nor did I want them overcooked from the baking process, so I boiled them two minutes less than the recommended al dente time, knowing they would soak up more liquid during the baking process.

And they did. They came out perfect.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the noodles two minutes less than the al dente time according to the directions on the package. Drain them well and spread them out onto aluminum foil or waxed paper to prevent them from sticking. Chop up the portobellos.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few turns of pepper, and nutmeg. (Note: I did not add the salt.)

And here’s where it gets fun. Literally. I had a good time doing this part. If you have kids, they’d probably love doing it, too… as well as smearing it all over, and flinging it, and eating it and painting their siblings and walls with it…

Okay, so maybe involving small children isn’t a good idea, but it was fun for me.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture onto a lasagna noodle. Top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture.

To make sure I was creating equal portions (I wanted consistency) I used an actual tablespoon and, given that I had halved the recipe, I ended up making 7, one more than expected. So I could have either used the extra innards to really thicken up the rolls, but I think it was better this way because, although this doesn’t look like it would stuff you, it did. I could barely get through two of these, and my spouse, who is a bottomless pit, could barely get through three… and the entire loaf of garlic bread.

It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

Roll the noodle and place it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles.

Spread the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the lasagna rolls. Top with grated cheeses, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.

And here’s the nutrition information (includes the tomato sauce in its calculation):
Serves 6, Serving size: 2 Rolls
Per serving:
Calories: 500
Total Fat: 18G
Protein: 26G
Carbs: 56G
Fiber: 12G
Cholesterol: 76MG
Sodium: 1110MG

Excellent source of: Calcium, Fiber, Iron, Niacin, Potassium, Protein, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Good source of: Copper, Pantothenic Acid, Selenium, Awesomeness

This was a fantastic dish, and I even brought the remaining two rollups for lunch today. I will definitely make this again. As a weeknight cooking dish, the time it takes to make it, as well as the amount of dishes that I used are cons, but as I was wolfing it down all of that went away and I didn’t care anymore. As a regular dish… well, it’s not fine dining, but it looks good on a plate and even those who dislike mushrooms (such as my spouse) didn’t seem to mind as much as usual. It’s also a healthier option for a good looking, great tasting pasta.

Weeknight Cooking: A-
Overall Dish: B+

This little dish appeared last week as the April 30 Food & Wine Recipe of the Day. What struck me about it was that it reminded me of a dish I used to order at a Seattle restaurant, though the one I used to order had the addition of small clusters of goat cheese sprinkled in.

I definitely recommend adding the goat cheese.

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Roasted Garlic, and Pine Nuts
Courtesy of Food & Wine

1 head garlic, separated into cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into small florets
3/4 pound orecchiette
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Heat the oven to 325°. In a small ovenproof dish, toss the garlic with the oil. Cover with foil and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Put the pine nuts in a separate pan and toast alongside the garlic until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the flesh out of the peelings and mash the garlic into the warm oil remaining in the baking dish. Add the salt and pepper.

In a medium saucepan, steam or boil the broccoli until just done. Steaming will take about 5 minutes and boiling will take about 2.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orecchiette until just done, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the orecchiette and toss with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the broccoli, the garlic mixture, the pine nuts, and the Parmesan. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water. Serve with additional Parmesan.

My only mistake on this is that I quickly unwrapped all of my garlic cloves before remembering they needed to bake while still in the wrappings. Unfortunately, the garlic browned and hardened, so it wasn’t a smooth paste. To get around that, I gave it a spin in the food processor and pulverized it until it was mostly spreadable.

Aside from my screw up, this was a light and delicious little lunch. Even just preparing the broccoli with the garlic-oil paste would make a fantastic side dish. Full props on this tasty dish… and that has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a sucker for broccoli.

Maybe.

Weeknight Cooking: A-
Overall Dish: A-

As you know, I’m a big fan of Ellie Krieger and her James Beard nominated book, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life. Since my recent food focus has been a little more health-conscious, I’ve been thinking about hitting her cookbook hard. After all, I own it, so why shouldn’t I cook more from it?

As I was searching around the web for more about Ellie, I came across an Ellie cooking fan club of sorts. Every week someone on the blog list chooses an Ellie recipe from her cookbook. Everyone in the group makes it then posts their results on their own respective blogs.

Every well-known chef these days seem to have their own blogging groupies: Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, has a group called the Barefoot Bloggers. Dorie Greenspan has her own Tuesdays with Dorie group. One very intrepid (and perhaps masochist) cook loves the French Laundry so much that she went through its entire cookbook from cover to cover. Foodies and wannabes everywhere tuned in to her blog with fascination and applause as she did. As soon as she was finished, she picked up Grant Achatz’s Alinea.

And there are others out there, hungry for more.

Get it? They’re hungry for mo– You’re right. I’m sorry.

Personally, I love the idea of group blogs, which is why CC and I started AwK. I’d be interested in joining up with some intrepid food groupies, but finding a group that’s right for me has been difficult. I love to bake, so I considered getting in with the Dorie group back when they were still accepting members. The downside to that group is everyone has to bake the required dessert every other week, and that’s the minimum. With only two people in my house, that’s a lot of dessert to either eat or put down the garbage disposal. There’s Ina Garten, but I don’t know much about her except that she’s got a slew of food products and her own show on the Food Network — I tried sitting through an episode once, but it was like taking a few Vicodin and watching Nascar in slow motion and without sound. At least Rachel Ray keeps yapping through her thirty minutes.

The other option would be to join the Ellie Krieger group, but I just can’t past the name: Craving Ellie in my Belly.

Perhaps Dr. Lecter would like a membership.

According to Ellie’s website, she’s coming out with a new cookbook soon, called So Easy: Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week. If there’s a group out there that wants to go through this book, but doesn’t want to put Ms. Krieger into anyone’s belly, I’ll probably join it. In the meantime, I think I’m on my own.

This week, I went with the Rustic Pear Tart. It’s got a whole wheat crust and simple honey glaze on the top. Each slice is only 200 calories and 8 grams of fat.

My spouse alerted me early on that he doesn’t like pears. It’s probably for the best, because this was so good I ate half of it in one day.

Rustic Pear Tart
Adapted from Ellie Krieger

Crust:
1/2 cup whole-grain pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons lowfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
3 medium pears
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon boiling water

What I changed on this was the method of dough making. The original recipe calls for whisking the dry ingredients then gently blending with a fork until the dough forms small pebbles then slowly pouring the buttermilk and water and gradually combining…

Screw that. I went with ye olde food processor.

In a food processor, pulse together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and butter until the butter is fully cut up and chunks are no longer visible.

Even after the butter is spread evenly, it ends up looking like dry powder.

In a small bowl combine the buttermilk and ice water. Pour into the processor bowl and pulse until combined. Pat the dough into a 4-inch round and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

That’s no offense to the old fashioned way, but that way takes about 25 minutes, and mine takes 5.

My way wins.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and prepare the filling. Peel the pears, core them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl toss the pear slices with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon and toss until the pears are evenly coated. Set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a large circle about 9 inches in diameter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draping the dough over the rolling pin, transfer to the prepared baking sheet. If the dough breaks at all patch it up with your fingers. Arrange the pears in a mound in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the border over the filling. It will only cover the pears partially and does not need to be even.

The mounding was a little confusing for me, because the tart looked really funny with everything just piled up in a huge ball. As it cooked, the pears softened a great deal and began to mold together and, when they were done, it wasn’t such a crazy dogpile in the center of the tart.

Here it is as it’s going into the oven:

Bake the tart for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, keeping the tart in the oven all the while, and bake for another 40 minutes, until the pears are tender and the crust is golden brown. In a small bowl stir together the honey and boiling water to make a glaze. When the tart is done remove it from the oven and brush the honey glaze all over the top of the fruit and crust. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut into 6 wedges and serve warm or a room temperature.

I liked this a great deal. The honey glaze on top was the deal maker, adding that needed hint of sweetness. During the baking process, the pear juices and sugar soaked into the inside of the crust, giving it a little deliciousness that prevented me from skipping the end, like I sometimes do with a pizza.

The simplicity and deliciousness of this can’t be beat. I will definitely make this again.

And here’s the nutrition information:
6 servings, serving size 1 wedge

Per Serving:
Calories 220; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 5 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 0 g) ; Protein 3 g; Carb 36 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 20 mg; Sodium 55 mg
Good source of: Fiber, Thiamin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Citizen Chef

My spouse orders only one dish from any Thai restaurant: Curried Chicken Fried Rice. Wherever we go the dishes vary, but his favorite is served with scrambled egg, onions, chunks of chicken, wedges of tomato as garnish on the side, and a tangy sauce we can’t fully identify. Then he pours peanut sauce all over it.

I was with him on the dish until the peanut sauce.

Aside from the peanut sauce inappropriately slathered all over, it’s a tasty dish. So, when I found a listing for it on the Cook’s Illustrated website, needless to say our peanut sauce-obsessed web admin was a little excited. To tell you the truth, so was I.

So far, this is the closest I have come to what my spouse calls the “definitive” Curry Thai Fried Rice. To be perfectly honest, this really was better than 90% of what we’ve bought from restaurants. Typically, I consider Thai Fried Rice dishes more of an afterthought, bland and boring, probably meant to dump an entree on top of, not to eat solo.

This was different. Flavorful and fun, I loved the crunchy vegetables and the little kick of heat. It was also much less complicated than I had expected. The Cook’s Illustrated recipe calls for a LOT of rice, and I halved it because it seemed to me that the sauce would get a little lost in all of that. To give it its full due as a main entree, I also doubled the vegetables.

Thai-Style Curried Chicken Fried Rice
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 4
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch chunks 1/4 teaspoon table salt 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil 1 large egg, beaten lightly 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1 large onion, sliced thin 1/2 tablespoon curry powder 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons) 3 Thai green chiles or 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced (about 1 tablespoon) 2 cups cooked white rice 5 medium scallions, sliced thin (about 1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves or Italian parsley Lime wedges for serving

The original recipe calls for cold, clumped rice, but that really didn’t appeal to me. The rice was the first thing I put on the stove and its added warmth to the dish was really comforting — I hate cold Thai Fried Rice, I think that’s what gives me the feeling that it’s an afterthought when I’m eating it.

Dissolve sugar in fish and soy sauces in small bowl; set aside. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add egg and cook without stirring, until they just begin to set, about 20 seconds.

Scramble and break into small pieces with wooden spoon; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until egg is cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer egg to small bowl and set aside.

Return skillet to burner, increase heat to high and heat skillet until hot, about 1 minute; add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add 1/2 teaspoon curry and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with eggs and set aside.

Return skillet to high heat and heat until hot, about 1 minute; add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add 1/2 tablespoon curry, cook for 20 seconds.

Add onion and and cook, stirring constantly, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in garlic and chiles; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and fish sauce mixture; cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs and chicken, scallions, and cilantro; cook, stirring constantly until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

I really enjoyed this. This was light and fun, and I won’t have to go out for it anymore, though I probably will need to find a new source of peanut sauce.

Weeknight Cooking: B+ (it makes quite a mess – 1 pot, 3 bowls, lots of utensils…) Take Out Dish: A

I’ve been looking for new, regular things to review for the site, similarly to the Magazine of the Month segment. Maybe it appeals to me because it’s lazy; instead of always having to dig around for something that looks good, there’s always a pool of recurring things to choose from. However, the hard part of committing to an ongoing project is that you don’t want to commit to something that has the tendency to suck later. Case in point: Some of our submissions to the site Magazine of the Month haven’t always delivered, and that’s not just disappointing, it’s frustrating.

I’m approaching Gourmet Magazine’s Monthly Dessert with the same trepidation, but I think I’m going to go for it and review it on an ongoing basis anyway. If it starts to suck, then I’m abandoning the project, taking off and nuking the site from orbit.

Or whatever. You get the picture. If not, at least get this picture:

This month, Gourmet is featuring Walnut Jam Cake. Their Dessert of the Month Features are all web-exclusive, and look fairly appealing. A jam cake, however, didn’t exactly excite me. It’s a personal thing. The desserts I enjoy tend to be a little more rich and decadent, and usually involve chocolate, and this one didn’t meet any of the criteria.

Temptation called early on, as it did have a couple of things going for it:

1. I finally got to use my 8-inch springform pan that barely gets any attention.
2. The cake is made almost entirely in a food processor.

So I went to work… though not too much, because, as I said, it’s all done in the food processor. Oh yeah, baby.

Alternatively, if you want to make this cake and you don’t have a processor, you just need to make sure the nuts are chopped up very finely. Either do this by chopping them with a knife (keep going until they’re all incredibly small) or use a clean coffee grinder. The rest of the batter can be made in a bowl with a regular mixer.

Right away, I had to adapt because I was out of walnuts. Instead, all I had were a couple bags of slivered almonds. Almonds are always successful when added to a confection, so I had no problems substituting.

Almond Jam Cake
Courtesy of Gourmet

1 1/4 cups almonds (4 1/2 oz), toasted and cooled
2/3 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

I used a springform pan for this, which made me really excited because I’m pretty sure this is only the second time I’ve actually had a small cake recipe that called for an 8″ pan. That may sound silly, but if you paid a lot of money for a set of three springform pans and ended up only needing one of them, you’d be excited when the most obscure one finally gets called up to bat, too.

I toasted my almonds in a frying pan. If I hadn’t been working with so many, I would have used my toaster oven, but the frying pan works, too. These were left on the stovetop for a few minutes on medium-low, until they began to release a slight fragrance when I stirred them, about 6 minutes.

Pulse walnuts and sugar in a food processor until finely chopped.

Add butter and process until combined.

Add eggs and vanilla and process until combined.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse just until incorporated. Spread batter in cake pan.

Bake until cake is just firm to the touch and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

I apologize that I don’t have a lot of commentary on this process; it was fairly uneventful and went as expected. The only thing that was different was that I had to bake the cake a little longer that the recipe called for; my oven usually does that with everything, so I wasn’t surprised. Just test to make sure your cake is baked all the way through.

Now for the topping:

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
2/3 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Stir lemon juice (if using) into jam. Spoon jam over cake. Beat heavy cream with sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until it holds soft peaks, then spoon over jam.

And here it is…

I liked this. It was nice and light, and the perfect finish to a light meal on a spring evening. The cake itself was only mildly sweet, so the jam on top was a nice compliment. Raspberry was the jam I used, and I think it was a little overpowering — my suggestion would be to spread a very thin layer of jam, then top with the whipped cream. The topping is what really brings it home. If you’ve got a little sweet tooth but don’t want anything heavy, this is the perfect finishing bite.

Citizen Chef is still out on vacation and will be until next week, but he took a quick break between the restaurants and wine tastings so we could catch up. When I told him I was making a serious attempt at cooking up Ellie Krieger’s James Beard nominated book, The Food You Crave, I backed up my actions by saying we had wanted to start cooking healthier food. His approbation was given in the utmost sophistication when he said, “And she’s hot, too!”

So last night I cooked up another Ellie creation: Chicken Pot Pies with Phyllo Crust.

My mom never made chicken pot pies when I was a kid, but when I moved out and into my own apartment, I discovered the microwavable versions. They made me so happy. They were also really fattening, so after a while I had to stop eating them. Chunks of chicken and vegetables with a salty, savory broth are hard to pass up, and when I saw Ellie Krieger’s healthier version that is topped with phyllo dough instead of a biscuit, I had to try them.

Chicken Pot Pies with Phyllo Crust
Courtesy of Ellie Krieger
Serves 4

Cooking spray
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 leeks, bottom 4 inches only, washed well and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Once again, you know I was only serving two, so I cut this in half. I also only used one chicken breast.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 individual-sized baking dishes with cooking spray.

Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few turns of pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, turning once. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add 2 more teaspoons of the oil, the leeks, and the celery to the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, green beans, garlic, and remaining salt and pepper and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the milk to the pan. Stir the flour into the chicken broth until dissolved and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the reserved chicken, peas, parsley, and thyme.

Stir in the reserved chicken, peas, parsley, and thyme. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dishes.

Put the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil into a small bowl. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut it into quarters. Place a quarter sheet on top of each baking dish and brush with olive oil. Repeat with remaining 3 baking dishes. Tuck the edges of the phyllo into the dish rim. Top each pie with Parmesan.

My phyllo wasn’t big enough to cover the whole bowl so I criss-crossed them when I went through the layering process.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

I broke this open so you can see what’s inside — the fluffy, crispy phyllo makes a great crust over the pot pies, which look beautiful inside. Be careful when seasoning this, right before you plate them into the bowls. Eating the top half tasted a little bland, and I didn’t really enjoy this until I got to the bottom, where the salted sauce had collected. It was healthy and good, and I loved the presentation, but I’ll probably only make this again if I get a total craving for pot pies.

Weeknight Cooking: B
Overall Dish: B

Spring has finally arrived. Depending on where you live, it may or may not be there in full force yet, but we can at least hope that the warmer months are coming. For those that live in a warm climate all year round, we hate you.

Just kidding.

Where I live, it’s not yet warm enough to BBQ, but I can at least try out a few things that I might want to bring to an outdoor gathering later so, this weekend, I put together a cole slaw that comprised of tart Granny Smith apples and poppy seeds. I really loved the crispness and sweetness of the apples. On a hot day, this will be a very refreshing side dish. I don’t really know what the poppy seeds brought to this other than a bit of texture and to make it look pretty. If you’re looking for something incredibly simple, quick, and cold to put alongside an outdoor meal, this is a great option.

I don’t really have much to say about this, except that the recipe makes a ton. I halved this and still had enough as side dishes for about five or six people, so plan accordingly. I didn’t take pictures other than the final, because there’s not much to do other than to chop up the vegetables and stir the dressing into it. Other than a near accident where I almost dumped a spoonful of bad mayonnaise in there (yoinks!) it was easy and self-explanatory.

Apple & Poppy Seed Slaw
Courtesy of Bon Appetit

8 cups shredded green cabbage (about 1 small head)
3 medium carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, coarsely grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Mix cabbage, carrots, apples, and green onions in large bowl. Add vinegar and toss to coat.

Whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, apple juice concentrate and poppy seeds in medium bowl to blend. Add to cabbage mixture and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Toss to blend before serving.)

I served this alongside the Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Burger, and some onion rings.

I’m always confused by recipe ratings on cooking sites. Depending on what sites you frequent, the ratings aren’t always based on results of the recipe, but on a variety of criteria that has eluded me thus far. Comments should be guides and helpful tips given by those who have gone before, as if their experiences should be rolled up and set adrift in the proverbial bottle for the next intrepid cook to find.

But they aren’t. Why else would Paula Deen’s Deep Fried Balls of Butter have 3 out of 5 stars? Not because they deep fried up some butter and stuck it on a clump of pasta, but because people love Paula. That’s fine and all, but recipe comments and ratings in general have become victims of abuse and are painful to wade through in order to find out whether or not a dish is worth cooking. I have grown wary of comments and ratings on other sites as well, using them only as guidelines.

Photo courtesy of Bon Appetit

I attacked Bon Appetit’s February 28 Recipe of the Day, Baked Penne with Farmhouse Cheddar and Leeks, with the same wariness as I do everything else, wading through the mess of comments and criticism — it seemed to me there was mostly complaining about the texture, though the recipe was receiving good reviews. To me, that could have meant anything.

The comments were mostly around the cheese texture becoming more “curdled” in the oven, like cottage cheese. Everyone had their own idea of how to avoid that happening, and I was pretty sure the problem was with the eggs, but I had to be somewhat true to the recipe and do it mostly as was written before messing with it.

If you’re going to make this with eggs, do as the recipe says and let the dish sit until it cools down to room temperature before putting it into the oven. I was making this on a weeknight so, you know I didn’t have time for that. Cutting corners meant botching up the egg. Next time I will omit the egg. To be honest, I don’t think it made that much of a difference taste wise, especially if I’m not willing to take the time and let everything rest for as long as it needs. I did whisk the egg early and let it sit out so it could warm up to room temperature before whisking my cup of cheese mixture in, but I didn’t let everything rest at room temperature, and that ultimately did effect the texture of the dish, though not the taste.

My version did get the curdled texture other reviewers complained about, but the taste was good. Something else came to mind about it, and that’s how the dish was baked at 400 degrees F. Next time, I’m going to lower the temperature to 350 and bake them in individual ramekins. I don’t think it’s meant to be the overly creamy mac & cheese of childhood; it’s a more sophisticated version with a sauce that sticks to the penne, rather than running all over the plate.

Other changes: I used low fat milk (1%) so mine was automatically going to lack some of the creaminess that was intended, but I was willing to sacrifice that for lower fat content — let’s face it; my butt’s not going to get smaller on its own.

To serve my household, I cut the original recipe in half, and ended up having enough to spread between three or four people. When I served it up, it was a side dish, paired alongside ATK’s Crispy Garlic Chicken Cutlets. There’s just something great about a good, breaded chicken breast and mac & cheese on a plate that I love.

Baked Penne with Farmhouse Cheddar & Leeks
Adapted from Bon Appetit

2 Tablespoons butter
2 leeks, chopped
1/8 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
2 1/4 cups (packed) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 large egg
1/2 pound penne pasta

Lightly butter a small baking dish. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Cover saucepan and cook until leeks are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes (do not brown). Uncover saucepan; add flour. Stir 2 minutes.

I love leeks and the aroma they give off while simmering. They’re like onions, but without the sting.

Add milk; bring to simmer, stirring often. Add cheese, mustard, and pepper sauce. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Season cheese sauce to taste with salt.

Whisk eggs in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 1 cup cheese sauce. Stir egg mixture into cheese sauce in saucepan.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Return to pot.

Stir cheese sauce into pasta in pot. Transfer to prepared baking dish. do ahead Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake pasta until cheese sauce is bubbling around edges and some ends of pasta are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let stand 15 minutes. Serve hot.

In the end this was a nice little side dish, light with a little zip from the dijon, hot sauce and leeks, but I’ve had better, richer macaroni and cheeses. It was tasty, but not what I’d consider the definitive. It all depends on what you prefer for a mac and cheese. This was perfect alongside a chicken breast, and didn’t dominate anything on the plate. It was just comforting and tasty. I’d make it again with changes. As for a weeknight dish, it works well if you’re going to pop this in the oven to bake while you make the main course on the stove top. I had enough time to clean up the kitchen between dishes, so I could start on the main dish.

Weeknight Cooking: B+
Overall Dish: B

Every food enthusiast who watches food television has heard of risotto, though not everyone has cooked it. Up until about a year ago, I had been counted in that number. Risotto both intrigued and frightened me, caused me to salivate, yet also cower in fear. Averse reactions are difficult to avoid when 90% of the people who cook it on TV not only screw up, but are labeled stupid donkeys who can’t cook.

I didn’t want to be a stupid donkey who couldn’t cook, either, so I avoided risotto until recently.

I ran across a recipe for a Basic Risotto that included a few variations, and explained a little more scientifically how the risotto should be made, and why. You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been interested in more of the instructional explanations of food lately, so of course this appealed to me. I ran right home and made it.

Risotto is typically served as either a starter to a meal or as a side. Lately I’ve been serving it alongside lighter main dishes, like Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Balsamic Glaze. The basic components of risotto are rice, stock, wine, and cheese, and the variations of risotto can make this a nice accompaniment to any meal.

One thing to note if this is your first foray into risotto is that even though your recipe may only say 1 cup of rice, keep in mind that this really will end up into being a lot of risotto. There’s usually around 4 cups of stock that go into this, not to mention wine and cheese and other stuff. One cup of rice that goes into a risotto makes a lot, so if you’re cooking for two or three people, you will not want to double the recipe.

Basic Risotto
1 cup Arborio rice
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream

So all I’m going to do now is take you through the instructions that are posted on the Food Network website (recipe comes from Gourmet magazine but the recipe is on Food Network… beats me) and alternate with my photographs to show you the transformation from the raw ingredients into the risotto. I thought about adding additional commentary, but the recipe does such a great job of explaining what to and what not to do that it’s unnecessary.

Directions: Pick through the rice to remove any stones or foreign matter, but do not wash it before cooking. Using a large skillet with a heavy bottom, heat the olive oil over low heat and saute or “sweat” the onions until translucent, being careful not to allow them to color or brown at all.

Add the Arborio rice, stir to coat with the olive oil, and saute with the onions to toast each grain of rice, about 7 minutes. This toasting process adds the chewy, al dente quality that attracts so many people to risotto.

Once the rice is lightly toasted, add the white wine slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon. A wooden spoon is always preferable when making risotto, as a metal spoon tends to cut or injure the grains of rice. Constant stirring should be avoided for the same reason.

Preheat the chicken stock just to the boiling point, then have it ready at stoveside. After the rice has absorbed the white wine and the skillet is nearly dry, add 1 cup stock, stirring occasionally, and cook over very low heat until the stock is absorbed. Continue adding the stock, 1 cup at a time, until all the stock has been absorbed.

(Adding the liquid in stages, instead of all at once, allows the grains of rice to expand more fully, adding to the risotto’s creamy texture.) Once the rice has been added to the pan, the entire cooking process will take about 17 to 20 minutes.

After all of the liquid has been added and the rice is chewy yet fully cooked, with a creamy texture, add the butter, Parmesan, and heavy cream. Stir to combine all the ingredients and serve immediately.

And that’s all there is to it. When I make it, I think it’s more about a timing issue – you really want to just jump the gun and pull it out on a plate, but this recipe really helps you walk it through.

Now if you want to get fancy, you can try one that Citizen Chef always makes and receives raves. I don’t know if I should be doing this or not but hey – he had his chance to post it and never did so I’m stealing his thunder.

Citizen Chef’s Awesome Green Onion Risotto
4 cups low salt chicken broth
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup green onions
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons whipping cream
3 Tablespoons finely grated orange peel

Remember to apply the same techniques described in the recipe above when making this.

Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and keep warm. Finely chop white part of green onion, thinly slice green part.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped green onions and cook until soft, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Stir in rice. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.

Add 4 cups broth, 1 cup at a time, cooking until almost all broth is absorbed before adding more, stirring frequently, until rice is tender but still firm, about 20 minutes.

Stir in sliced green onions, Parmesan, whipping cream, and orange peel. Add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed if dry. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Go forth with your risotto, and be a donkey no more!

Not that you were one to begin with, I was just sayin… You know… Because I need an ending.

…

Sorry.