Cooking in Pajamas

What is better than a bowl of chili when the weather starts to get cold (you thought I was going to say when the weather gets "chilly", right)?  It is hearty, filling, inexpensive and makes the house smell really good while it cooks.  It is very difficult to ruin a pot of chili.  The only time I remember an inedible pot of chili, was when a nameless member of my family, heard that some prize winning chili recipe had a secret ingredient.  The secret ingredient was chocolate.  Somehow, the proportion of the secret ingredient was completely wrong, and the chili tasted like chocolate flavored chili!  It was gross!  When I later saw the chili competition on Food Network, I saw the winning chili recipe get prepared.  The cook added one Hershey chocolate kiss, to a pot large enough to feed about 150 people!  Every once in a while I see a chili recipe call for unsweetened cocoa powder.  I always bypass that recipe.

Although I have about five different chili recipes that I make (a vegetarian version, a turkey chili, a white chili, a chicken chili, etc.), this is a great basic starter chili from Jamie Deen (Paula's son).  I say it is a starter recipe, because chili can be adjusted for your own personal taste.  If you like it meatier, add more meat.  If you like it spicier, add more heat. For a vegetarian version, leave out the meat, and add some sauteed eggplant and chopped portobello mushrooms, etc.  You can throw practically any leftover into a pot of chili.   This recipe made a huge pot, so I served half, and froze half for another meal.  It requires 4 hours of simmering time.  I left it simmering on the stovetop, while I was home doing laundry on a stormy, rainy day.  Chili tastes great when it is made a day or two in advance, so plan ahead for the 4 hours of simmering.

This is one of my favorite chicken dishes in the world to serve to my family and friends.  It is easy to make, and everyone LOVES it!  Plus, it can easily be made several hours in advance, or even days in advance, and reheated right before serving.  It is another one of Ina Garten's recipes (I know it seems like I am obsessed with her, but her recipes are really, really good!).

The original recipe called for dried morels, which you will discover are very expensive.  The first time I made the dish, I splurged, and used the dried morels.  The dish was fantastic.  I prepared enough chicken for 12 guests (I was only serving 8 guests), and there was not a single piece of chicken left over!  The next time I prepared the dish, I decided to use a mix of fresh mushrooms (portabellas, shitake, button, oyster...whatever I could find).  The cost was a fraction of the dried morels, and I found the final result to be just as good.  It wasn't quite as sophisticated, and it was missing the most subtle layer of flavor that only someone looking for it could tell.  I haven't used the dried morels since the first time I made the dish, but if I ever find them at a reasonable price, I will definitely stock up.

One more shortcut...the recipe calls for clarified butter.  I used regular, unsalted butter, and it worked just fine.  Enjoy!

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper.

Dredge with flour.

I like to set up a "breading" station.

Make sure the chicken is beautifully browned on both sides.

Here is my mix of fresh mushrooms.

Now they are sauteed.

The beginnings of the sauce.

Just added the liquid...tell me this sauce does not look AMAZING!!!!

The sauce has been reduced perfectly...nice and creamy!

Garnish with fresh parsley for a beautiful presentation.

A few years ago, I wouldn't eat duck if you paid me to.  I hated that chefs "strongly suggested" it be served rare, and I always thought it tasted "gamey".  One Sunday morning, I was reading Amanda Hesser's column in the New York Times Sunday magazine.  She was describing a dinner that was prepared by her (at the time) future mother-in-law, Elizabeth.  The main course was Ginger Duck.  She described the meat as "succulent, with a heady infusion of soy, sherry, ginger and onions.", and the skin as, "deeply caramelized and crisp".  The duck was so tender, it nearly fell apart while being carved.  It was served with a glistening rice that had been cooked in the broth that had been made while braising the duck.  "The long, plump grains had soaked up the fragrant broth and were glazed with duck fat," is how Amanda rice was described.  Let's put aside the fact that I wish I could describe food like Amanda Hesser....my mouth began to water imagining this dish!  I ripped out the page containing the menu for the entire meal (the duck, the rice, shredded carrots and parsnips and an almond cake for dessert), along with every recipe, and started making my shopping list.  It was then that I realized the duck is a two day process, so I would have to be patient.  We wouldn't be having Ginger Duck that night.

I made Elizabeth's dinner a few nights later.  To say that I was proud of myself would be an understatement.  That was when I realized I can cook anything I wanted to.  All you need is a recipe, and the desire to experiment.  Had I thought about it long enough, I probably would have talked myself out of preparing this meal, ("too much work; it's too hard; too much cleanup; what if I ruin it; wait, don't I hate duck?").   I had never cooked a duck before, never baked an almond cake before (I will post that recipe at a later date), never even used the shredding disk on my food processor before, and never tasted a parsnip.  But the meal sounded so good, I had to try it, and I wanted to make it for my family, and have them try it.  No one else was going to do it for me.  It turns out that Phil loved the duck so much, he ate the entire duck in one sitting (really..he did...it's a legend in our family!).    The duck was amazing.   My kids were little at the time, and I had fed them early so Phil and I could have a quiet, adult dinner, so if they had tasted it at the time, they don't remember.  When I made it last week, Jamie turned her nose up at it, claiming it was gross, and that she does NOT eat duck!  That was fine...more duck for Phil, Joey and me (BTW...Joey thought the duck was awesome!).

If you are having more than 4 people to dinner, I suggest making 2 ducks.  The recipe doubles very easily.

To make the rice, melt 4 T. butter in a medium saucepan.  Add in 1 large minced onion and 1 minced clove of garlic.  Saute a few minutes.  Pour in 1 cup of rice.  Stir until rice turns golden (add more butter if you need to).  Add 2 c. defatted ginger duck broth (recipe above) and cover.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 16 to 20 minutes.  Remove lid, allow rice to dry, and season with salt and pepper.  This will serve 4.  I also suggest doubling the rice recipe.  Everyone loves the rice, and it will go fast!

I wish you could smell this pot!

Everyone has heard of Beef Bourguignon, right?  It is a classic French stew, prepared with beef, that has been braised in red wine, and beef broth, then flavored with bacon, garlic, onions, carrrots, pearl onions and mushrooms.  Is it a time consuming dish to prepare?  Yes, but it does not require any special cooking skills (even a novice cook can prepare this dish).  I would almost say that it is a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.  In addition, it is best prepared several days in advanced!  That is my kind of dish!   Comfort food plus elegance all in one pot.

There are dozens of different recipes for Beef Bourguignon, but this one is my favorite.  It is from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.  She combines the classic components of the dish, but modernizes it in a way that the final result doesn't deviate from the original French, country dish of Burgundy.  If you compare her recipe, to Julia Child's recipe, you will see what I mean.  You can find Julia's recipe here.  I am pretty confident that you will want to go with Ina's version.  Julia's recipe is incredibly complicated and labor intensive (there are 45 steps to her recipe!!!). I am sure it is amazing, and if anyone wishes to prepare it, please save me a bowl.

There are a few tricks to making sure this dish comes out perfectly.  I am all for shortcuts, when possible, but make sure to keep these tips in mind when preparing your Beef Bourguignon:

1 - You must use a heavy duty stewing pot, preferably made from enameled cast iron.  Heavy stainless steel will work or another heavy nonreactive metal pot.  It must be AT LEAST 7 quarts.  If it is any smaller, divide the recipe between two smaller pots.  Finally, the pot must have a tight fitting lid, or, you can use two sheets of heavy duty foil to cover the pot when it goes in the oven.

2 -  Do not substiture a lean cut of meat for the beef chuck.  The marbling fat keeps the meat moist during cooking, and anything much leaner will be tough and stringy.

3 - Don't drink the wine intended for the stew.  You truly need the entire bottle for the recipe!  No cheating!

4 - Serve your beef bourguignon with a starchy side dish to soak up all of those delicious juices.  My recipe (correction.... Ina's recipe) suggests grilled bread....YUM!  Other suggestions are rice, garlic mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Make sure to season the beef with plenty of salt and pepper.

Do not crowd the pan when browning the meat.  I browned my beef in two batches.  If you crowd the pan, the beef will never brown.

This is what the carrots and onions will look like when they are done cooking.

Bring all ingredients to a simmer before you put the pot in the oven.

Saute mushrooms in butter before adding to pot after cooking in the oven.

This is what your butter and flour mixed together will look like...a big clump of goo, but it will thicken your stew perfectly.  Remember to start with room temperature butter!

But worth all the effort in the end!  Look how gorgeous this looks!  It tastes as good as it looks, and it will be even better the next day, and the day after that.  We enjoyed this dish with mashed potatoes, and it was LOVED by all.  The mashed potatoes soaked up all of the gravy from the Beef Bourguignon, and became an entirely new dish of its' own.

Sole Meuniere is about to have its' comeback! Until now, you haven't seen or heard much about this simple, classic fish dish.  It is simply a piece of sole, browned in butter and lemon, and served with fresh chopped parsley.  It is a classic French dish, and incredibly easy to make.  Every beginner chef can prepare this dish.  It is virtually impossible to screw it up!

So why am I predicting a comeback?  Sole Meuniere was part of Julia Child's first, very significant, meal in France.  Her husband, Paul, took her to the oldest restaurant in France, where they served her Sole Meuniere.  It was a life, changing meal for her.  It was at this moment in which she fell in love with French Cooking.  Here is how she describes it:

"It arrived whole: a large, flat Dover sole that was perfectly browned in a sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top. The waiter carefully placed the platter in front of us, stepped back, and said: "Bon appètit!

I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flesh of the sole was delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the browned butter. I chewed slowly and swallowed. It was a morsel of perfection."

She described this elegantly simple dish as a revelation and as "an opening up of the soul and spirit for me."

In the new movie "Julie & Julia", opening next week, Sole Meuniere plays a starring role in a pivotal scene of the movie.  I promise you, after watching this scene, everyone is going to be craving Sole Meuniere!  All I can say is, don't go to this movie hungry.

I decided to give this recipe a try last night.  It took a mere 10 minutes to make.  Served with some roasted potatoes and harticot vert, you have yourself an elegant French dinner, that is simple, yet delicious, not to mention inexpensive.  I purchased 4 Dover sole fillets at Whole Foods for under $6.  The fillets were small (3oz. each), but still filling  This served Phil and I, with one fillet left over.  Follow the directions exactly, and the fish will be cooked perfectly and be "melt in your mouth" tender.  The pan sauce is rich and velvety.  It is perfect for a family dinner, date night or company.  Everyone will love this dish.

Sole Meuniere

1/3 c. all purpose flour

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

4 sole fillets, 4 - 5 oz. each

6 T. unsalted butter

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

juice from 2 large lemons (about 4 T - 5 T. lemon juice)

1 T fresh minced parsley

Heat a large saute pan to a medium setting.

While the pan is heating, season the flour with salt and pepper.  Pat the sole fillets dry with a paper towel.  Sprinkle one side of each fillet with salt.  Then, coat both sides of the fillets with the seasoned flour.

Add 3 T. of the butter to the saute pan.  Once the butter starts to brown, place the two of the fillets in the pan.  Cook for 3 minutes on medium low.  Turn the fish carefully with a large spatula.  Add half of your lemon juice (about 2 T.) and 1/2 tsp. lemon zest to the pan.  Cook fish an additional 2 minutes.  Carefully remove fish from pan onto an overproof plate.  Pour the sauce over the fish and keep warm while you repeat the process with the other 2 fillets.

To serve, sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.