In the Kitchen/At the Grill's Super Bowl Party at Will's - 02/01/2009

Potato Pancakes in the Skillet

Potato Pancakes on the Plate

I know that I am going out of order, but I really wanted to post this blog before getting ready to head out the door.

Our friend, Will, is once again hosting another football-related party - this time, it's a double-header. From 3-5:30pm, our "In the Kitchen/At the Grill" group is having a "Super Bowl Tailgating Party", and the challenge is to make a food that is indigious to Pittsburgh. I decided to make Potato Pancakes, as it is the one food that I can make blindfolded and with one hand tied behind my back *lol* Potato Pancakes is also a side dish that is a staple of Jews all over the world, and who doesn't love a flattened one over a thick one?

The recipe that I am sharing with you is a combination of a recipe that I got from Ina Garten, as well as the recipe that my family has been making for years. Ina's is very close to my great-grandmother's, with the only exception being Ina using clarified butter, flour, and one extra onion and potato.

Here is the combined recipe:

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes (2 pounds)

2 onions

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

6 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons clarified butter (see note)

1/2 cup apple sauce, creme fraiche, or sour cream

100 grams good caviar or salmon roe (less than 4 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees, and line a baking sheet with either paper towels or parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, grate the potatoes and onions. Place them in a colander lined with cheesecloth or kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
3. Combine the potatoes and onions in a bowl with the egg, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
4. Melt 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a skillet.
5. Drop a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture into the sizzling butter. Flatten with a spatula and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn, flatten again, and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until crisp on both sides and golden brown.
6. Serve the pancakes hot from the skillet with either applesauce or sour cream, or keep warm in the 200 degree oven until you are ready to serve them.
7. If you want to “jazz” up the potato latkes, add a dollop of creme fraiche and a teaspoon of caviar.
8. Note: To make 6 tablespoons of clarified butter, slowly melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Set it aside until the milk solids settle. Spoon off any solids that rise to the top and then carefully pour off the golden liquid, leaving the milky part in the bottom of the pan. Clarified butter has a higher burning temperature than melted butter.

Enjoy and bon appetit!

Chef Susan

Dinner at Home 01/24/2009 - Grilled Tuna

My husband was back on the road, which meant that I was back to making dinner for myself again. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely LOVE cooking with and for my husband - we sometimes create amazing recipes that then become staples for my clients - but there are times when I like just cooking for myself and seeing what I can come up with.

Earlier in the day, I decided that I wanted to grill up a flash frozen tuna steak that we got at Costco for dinner, and that I would pair it with some of the leftover Maftoul Salad from the other night, as well as some steamed Eat Smart vegetables that I picked up a couple of days ago. Now I know what you are saying - why am I eating fish that was flash frozen? Over the years, I have found that the flash frozen fish that is readily available at Costco and Sam's Club are far more superior to any flash frozen fish available in supermarkets, and there are times when the seafood in supermarkets can seem a bit "off".

But I digress...

Around 6pm, I started to grill the tuna just like I have grilled in past posts. A couple of minutes later, I popped the bag of Eat Smart Vegetables into the microwave, and cooked that for around 3 minutes. 10 minutes later, dinner was ready and all I had to do was put some of the maftoul on my plate.

Recipe for Grilled Tuna Steak:

1 6-8 oz. Tuna Steak

1 t. Kosher Salt

1/2 t. 5 Color Peppercorn Blend

1/2 t. Onion Powder

1/2 t. Garlic Powder

1 T. Olive Oil, divided

Equipment:

1 Indoor Grill Pan

1 Heat Resistant Pair of Tongs

Process:

1. Prepare the Indoor Grill Pan by spraying it with a bit of Olive Oil, and heat on medium-high heat.
2. Rinse and towel dry the Tuna Steak.
3. Combine the Kosher Salt, 5 Color Peppercorn Blend, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder in a prep bowl, and sprinkle on both sides of the Tuna Steak.
4. Drizzle one half of the Olive Oil on the side of the Tuna Steak that will be seared off first.
5. Place the first side on the Grill Pan, and after turning down the heat to medium, sear off for about 5 minutes, and then turn over to the other side.
6. While the first side is searing off, drizzle the remaining Olive Oil on the other side of the Tuna Steak.
7. While the second side of the Tuna Steak is searing off, pop the Eat Smart vegetable bag into the microwave oven, and steam for 3-4 minutes.
8. Plate up and enjoy!

Everything came out delicious, and once again, dinner was served without additives or preservatives!

Bon appetit!

Chef Susan

Dinner at Home - Middle Eastern Night (01/22/2009)

Today was a busy day for us. I had my usual Personal Trainer/Pilates class over at LA Fitness in Brandon early in the morning, and when I got home, I found out that Cary needed to not only get an oil change for the car that he drives to and from the airport, but also had a doctor's appointment in Temple Terrace. Thinking quickly, I suggested to him that we take his car to Super Walmart for an oil change, and then use my car until his was ready.

The doctor's appointment was uneventful, and afterwards, Cary said that he wanted to go to Al-Aqsa Grocery & Meat Market, the Middle Eastern place that I had found in Temple Terrace for some pita bread and perhaps a few other things. My brain clicked on, and dinner for the night was planned - a Middle Eastern spread consisting of Falafel, Baba Ghanush, Hummus, and Maftoul, a Mediterrean salad made up of cous-cous and vegetables in a honey-oil dressing.

We picked up a couple of Falafel mixes, a Maftoul mix, eggplants, chickpeas, and pita bread for our feast. On the way home, we stopped off at Publix and picked up red and yellow peppers, scallions, a red onion, and the rest of the ingredients that were going to be needed for hte Malfout.

Recipe for the Maftoul:
2 1/4 c. Chicken broth or water (I use Chicken Stock - gives it an awesome depth of flavor)
1 c. Ziyad Maftoul
2 t. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 t. Kosher Salt
1 1/2 c. (1 can) Ziyad (or any other brand) Chick Peas
3/4 c. Diced Red Bell Pepper
3/4 c. Diced Green Bell Pepper (I used Yellow Bell Pepper, as Green Bell Pepper upsets my stomach)
1/4 c. Diced Red Onion (approximately 1/4 of the red onion)
3 Green Onion Stalks, sliced
1/2 c. chopped Cilantro (1 bunch)
1/2 t. Hot Pepper Flakes (optional)

Equipment needed:

Adjustable Measuring Cup
Adjustable Measuring Spoon
Medium Mixing Bowl
Mixing Spoonula
Small (baby) Whisk

Process:

1. Bring broth or water to a boil.
2. Add Maftoul, 1/2 t. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and a dash of Kosher Salt.
3. Simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the Maftoul is tender to bite.
4. Turn off heat when almost all of the broth is gone.
5. Cover with a lid - Maftoul will absorb the remaining broth.
6. Combine the cooked Maftoul with the remaining ingredients.
7. Drizzle the dressing (recipe below), blending well.

Makes 4-6 large servings, or 8-12 side dishes.

Maftoul Dressing:
1 T. Honey
3 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Large Lime
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together until it is emulsified.

It's fast becoming one of our favorite grains, and I am really thinking about stocking it for my Personal Chef clients as an alternative to white rice!

Enjoy!

Chef Susan

Dinner at Home - Arroz con Camarón (01/21/2009)

Wednesday night, we had our friend, Will, over for dinner. The reason was two fold - the first reason was to thank him for hosting so many awesome parties over the past six months, and the second reason was to discuss a food event that I would be hosting at his house next month.

We both knew that Will loved good food, so we decided that the menu for this dinner would be a microgreen salad with Granny Smith apples, walnuts, and gorgonzola cheese (topped with my Champagne Lemon-Lime Vinaigarette Dressing) for the first course, and Arroz con Camarón (Rice and Shrimp) - a spin on the recipe I did for the In The Kitchen/At The Grill's Puerto Rican Night.

Here is a slideshow of the food that we made for Will:



And here is the recipe, which is based on the Arroz con Pollo recipe found on El Boricua, a bilingual, cultural website for everything Puerto Rican.

Arroz Con Camarón
2 cups uncooked rice
1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp (I used medium 26-30 count)
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of sliced Spanish Olives, use a bit of the liquid and the red peppers too.
1 teaspoon alcaparras (spanish capers)
½ cup sofrito (see below for recipe)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt (I used Kosher Salt, as it's the only salt we have in our house)
½ cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil, again it's the only oil we have in the house)
4 cups of boiling water

Steps:

1. In a large pot, brown the shrimp in the oil until it is pink and fully cooked.
2. Remove shrimp from the pot and set aside. Don't put them on paper towels - we want any grease back in the pot.
3. Leave the shrimp drippings inside the pot and add all the other ingredients except for the rice, water and shrimp.
4. Mix well and cook sofrito for 5 minutes over medium heat.
5. Add the shrimp and rice to the pot and stir.
6. Add the boiling water until the water is about 1 inch above the rice, stir once only.
7. Boil uncovered, over high heat, until water is absorbed.
8. Once the water is absorbed, gently stir from bottom to top. Just a couple of turns only.
9. Cover and continue to cook over LOW heat for another 30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

And here is the recipe for sofrito, also found on the El Boricua website:

1 large yellow onion
1 pimiento (Cubanelle) or substitute with green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper or 1sm jar roasted red peppers
1 medium head of garlic (2 tbsp. minced garlic)
1 bunch of cilantro
¼ cup Spanish olives, pitted
1 tbsp capers
2 tsps Kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp crushed orégano
½ cup olive oil

1. Wash, peel, seed and coarsley chop everything.
2. Put in a food processor and pureé.
3. Store in a glass jar covered in the refrigerator for later use.

You can also freeze it in ice-cube trays and dump the frozen cubes in a freezer bag. This will be fried in achiote oil or tocino as the first step in recipes. This recipe makes about 2 large ice-cube trays. Use about 3 cubes for rice or soup that will serve a family.

Once you've made this easy recipe you will never go back to store bough sofrito. The aroma is simply intoxicating. . . .

Cubanelle peppers are the typical pepper used in the island - it is a sweet Italian pepper and not easily found everywhere. The word sofrito comes from Italian immigrants to Puerto Rico - it means the same thing except their sofrito uses a few different ingredients and they don't use it as often as we do.

Bon appetit!

Chef Susan aka Chef Jersey Girl

Dinner at Home - Steamed Mahi-Mahi with Texmati Rice and Veggies (01/20/2009)

Tuesday was the day of the "Obamagasm" - wall-to-wall coverage of not only George W. Bush leaving Washington DC and heading back to his life in Texas, but also Barack Obama making history as the first African-American being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America (more on that in my other blog, "Inside a Jersey Girl's Mind").

Cary and I knew that we were not going to be leaving the house, so we figured that we'd pull a previously made recipe out of the cookbook - Steamed Mahi-Mahi with Vegetables and Royal Blend Texmati Rice. The first time we did this recipe, we did not cook the rice long enough, and it came out still hard - we did not cook the rice long enough. This time, we started the rice 45 minutes before we were going to start the fish and vegetables, and everything came out awesome!

Recipe as follows:

2 6 oz. Mahi-Mahi Filets

1 1/2 t. Kosher Salt

1 t. freshly ground 5 color peppercorn blend

1 t. dill weed

1 1/2 T. olive oil

1 c. Royal Blend Texmati Rice Blend

1 1/4 c. Chicken stock

1 T. unsalted butter

1 package Eat Smart Vegetable Blend (Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower)

1. Rinse and pat dry the Mahi-Mahi filets.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the Kosher salt, peppercorn blend, dill weed, and olive oil.

3. Combine the marinade and the Mahi-Mahi filets, and place covered in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (1/2 hour to an hour is best).

4. Prepare Royal Blend Texmati Rice Blend according to package instructions.

5. Take out the Mahi-Mahi filets, and bring to room temperature.

6. Place Mahi-Mahi filets in a steamer basket, and steam for around 15 minutes (or until the fish flakes easily).

7. Steam Eat Smart Vegetable Blend in a second steamer basket, and steam for about 5 minutes, or until crisp.

8. Plate up and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Susan aka Chef Jersey Girl

Nanny's Fried Chicken

Growing up, we had a wonderful older German woman, Hermine (aka Nanny), watch us after school while my mother was busy with her volunteer activities. Nanny introduced us to many foods - schnitzel, sauerbrauten, andof course, her version of fried chicken (see picture above).

Nanny told us that the secret was to use Kellog's corn flakes as the base, and to also lightly fry the chicken parts in either canola or sunflower oil, then move it to a baking sheet and put in the oven for at least 30 minutes.

Since then, I have tweaked the recipe to the point where it is now frequently requested by my friends down here, and my husband always wants to eat this particular dish. Pair this with some beer (or a bottle of blended wine), and you're good to go!

Here is the recipe for Nanny's Fried Chicken:

PRE-RECIPE

• Cut up a whole chicken, or use parts such as drumsticks and wings.
• Rinse off and pat dry.
• Put enough oil (canola/sunflower) into the bottom of the SAME TYPE of pan that you will be using to start off the recipe ~ about ½ inches to ¾ inches of oil. This step is VERY important ~ if you use two different types of pans (non-stick vs. stainless vs. enamel), the chicken will not cook properly, and it will come out all uneven!!!
• Preheat oven to 350o F, and place one rack at least two slots up from the bottom of your oven, and the second rack two more up from the first rack.
• In one bowl, lightly beat one or two eggs with a splash of milk.
• On one platter, place a healthy amount of Kellog’s Cornflake Crumbs (or whatever type of Cornflake Crumbs are available in your area) with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a little bit of garlic powder. Note: I have been experimenting with Japanese Panko breadcrumbs, and have found them to be just as good, if not better, than the Kellog's Cornflake Crumbs.
• Line another platter with parchment paper.

PROCESS

• Dip chicken part in bowl and let excess roll off
• Roll chicken part in Corn Flake platter and coat completely.
• Place on platter with wax paper to “settle”. If you need additional layers, place wax paper over the first layer and repeat process
• Place in refrigerator overnight (if making the recipe the next day) OR for at least one hour (for making the recipe the same day)
• Fry in pan until the chicken parts are a golden brown color, turning occasionally
• Line cookie sheets with heavy tin foil or two layers of regular tin foil.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken parts onto the cookie sheets. Use the slotted spoon to get the excess “crumblies” (corn flake crumbs) onto the chicken.
• Bake chicken for at least ½ hour until done ~ minimum of 165oF on a cooking thermometer.
• Transfer to a platter and munch away!!!

Enjoy and Bon appetit!

Chef Susan

Warning ~ this recipe is quite addicting, and if you make too much chicken, you can always freeze the chicken that had been cooked already

Puerto Rican Night at Larissa and Rene's - 01/17/2009

Last night, two of our friends, Larissa and Rene, hosted Puerto Rican Night, where we celebrated the foods and tastes of Puerto Rico.

Our challenge was to prepare a Puerto Rican dish - either an appetizer, an entree, or a dessert - and Larissa was going to demonstrate a couple of dishes herself.

My choice for this dinner was Arroz con Pollo - I love eating it when going out to Spanish restaurants, and never made it Puerto Rican style.

The recipes that I used were found on the El Boricua web site:
Arroz con Pollo - Chicken and Rice, a staple of the Puerto Rican diet
Sofrito - A cilantro based sauce that can be used in many Puerto Rican recipes

While making the Sofrito, the house smelled so wonderful, and my mind was reeling with all of the recipes that I could use the sauce for (specifically, Shrimp, Rice, and Beans). Making the Arroz con Pollo went very quickly - I thought it was going to take around 1 1/2 hours, but all being told, I think it took me around 1 hour.

I was able to transfer the dish into a large enough bowl so that transporting would be easy, and before long, got to Larissa and Rene's. More folks started to arrive, and after around 30 minutes, we started to learn how to make "Carne Guisada" (beef stew), which is a favorite of mine. She had some already made (gee, just like a real Food TV show *lol*), and that made it all the more fun! I then shared with everyone that the only person I'd leave my husband for is Alton Brown, as to me, he is the Food Geek God to end all Food Geek Gods - that and he also not only shares the food, but also the science behind the food.

Listed are the foods that all of us made:

• Garbanzo bean soup
• Pinon ( ripe plantains, ground beef and egg pie)
• Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas)
• Picadillo ( seasoned ground beef)
• Carne guisada (beef stew)
• Habichuelas guisadas ( pink beans)
• Bean salad
• Spinach, pear, blue cheese salad
• Cabbage Lemon dill salad
• Platanos en almibar (plantains in syrup)
• Spicy brownies
• Guava paste with cream cheese and crackers
• Papaya and white cheese
• Guava shells and white cheese
• Flan de queso ( cream cheese flan)

And here is a slideshow of the foods we ate last night:

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Chef Susan aka Chef Jersey Girl