Wine Braised Carrots, Onion Gratin

Vegetable overhaul this week.  I wanted to challenge myself to use cheap vegetables in uncommon ways.  I didn't want to use potatoes, I wanted to use the vegetables that are delicious.. and healthy!  So I came up with two new recipes, 'Wine Braised Carrots' and 'Onion Gratin'.  Very vegetarian friendly.  Very delicious.


Category:  Side Dish, Vegetarian

Frenchman Rating:  8/10

Comments: "Suprisingly, carrots were very delicious... the onion gratin didn't even TASTE like onions, it's incredible!"

Cost per Serving:  Glazed carrots = .25 a serving;  Onion Gratin = .30 a serving.  Total cost per serving:  €.50.  Yes. Vegetables are insanely cheap. :)

Ingredients

• 4-5 medium yellow onions (peeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick)
• 2-3 large carrots (peeled, tops cut off)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/5 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/5 cup cream
• 2 teaspooons nutmeg
• 1/5 cup shredded romano
• salt/pepper to taste

Equipment

• 1 large frying pan
• 1 baking dish 

Instructions

1. Begin by peeling the vegetables.  I peel the onions, then slice them.  Chop the carrots into 1 inch long by 1/2 inch wide.
2. Heat some butter/oil in the large frying pan, toss in the onions with salt/pepper and allow to sweat over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, add in the nutmeg, stir around, cook for another 5-6 minutes.
4. Pour in the dairy (cream/milk) and stir around in the pan, bring heat back up to medium-high, and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Transfer the mixture to a pan, top with the cheese and stick in the oven for 18 minutes at 220 celsius.
6. Rinse the same pan out, and heat up a bit of oil.  Toss in the carrots into the oil, stir around for about 2 minutes.  Pour in the water, cover and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes. 
7. Uncover and add the vinegar/red wine.  Stir around, add seasonings accordingly, recover and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
8. Check the carrots for tenderness, if not quite tender, add some more water.. I like mine with a bite.
9. All is done at the same time!! Serve with a nice protein (I had fish, Frenchman had a steak haché)

Wine Braised Carrots, Onion Gratin and Fish Filet

Chicken Caccitore

Chicken caccitore, one of those homey favorites... and tend to be complicated.  My version is one where you can start it and leave it to stew while watching some TV or even better, hanging out and snacking on some buttery popcorn.

Category:  Chicken, Pasta, Tomatoes; Dinner


Frenchman Rating/Comments:  8/10, "Incredibly delicious, the chicken was tender and well cooked, the sauce worked well with the chicken and the olives actually added some round to the flavor."

Cost per Serving:  Chicken = €1.50ea,  Tomato Sauce = €1.00 per serving.  Total Estimated: €2.50 per serving.


Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts, deboned
• 1 can stewed/chopped tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 can black olives
• 1/2 cup shredded emmenthal
• 2 tablespoons romano shredded
• salt/pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, put in a shallow plate.

Equipment

• 1 medium sauce pan
• 1 large frying pan
• 1 shallow plate

Instructions

1. Begin by heating up some oil (medium high heat) in the large frying pan.  Take the two chicken breasts and roll around in the flour, knocking off any extra.
2. When the oil is hot, lay the chicken in it.
3. As the chicken fries on one side, crush the garlic cloves and put in with the canned tomato and seasoning.  Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly.
4. 3 minutes later, turn the chicken, it should be nice and dark brown.  Cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken in the frying pan, ensuring it gets under the chicken and on top.  Add the olives, cover and cook on medium heat.
6. Go do something interesting for about 15 minutes, checking the chicken mixture once in awhile to ensure it's not burned.
7. Start cooking up some pasta; al dente at 8-9 minutes.. Continue cooking the chicken, but add the cheese on top, recover.
8. Serve when the pasta is al dente; on the side.  I like to eat the sauce like a ratatouille with the chicken and compliment it with the sauce.

Buttered Cabbage & Balsamic Glazed Turkey

I had half a cabbage to get rid of.. and didn't want to eat cabbage soup- so I thought outside the box.. sort of.  This makes enough for two, with some leftover buttery cabbage.

Buttered Cabbage & Balsamic Glazed Turkey

Category:  Dinner, Complete Meal

Frenchman Rating:  6/10
Comments: "Needs more flavor in the turkey, maybe a 'brining' process before, or even more red wine for more sauce.  The cabbage was just fabulous, great flavor and simple- more butter at the end would make it even more delicious.  I like the carrots being chunky."



Cost per Serving:  Buttery Cabbage = €.60 cents a serving;  Balsamic Glazed Turkey = €1.51 a serving... TOTAL COST:  €2.11 per serving!

Ingredients for the Buttery Cabbage

• 1/2 green cabbage chopped thin, resembling straw
• 3 medium sized carrots, cleaned, scraped and chopped into cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Ingredients for the turkey

• 2 medium cuts of 'dinde escalope'

• Paper Towels

• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 

• 1/4 cup red cooking wine 

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Begin by heating the oil in a wok or large pan to medium high, add in the butter and then toss in the cabbage little bits at a time.  Reduce heat to medium, add in the chopped carrots.
2. Cover the cabbage after adding a bit of salt, stirring, and... well let it hang out for awhile ON MED-LOW.
3. While the cabbage is cooking, about 10 minutes after it started.. take the turkey and pat dry with the paper towels.  Set aside.
4. Heat a pan to a very high heat, important to sear the meat.  Once heated, lay it down, salt & pepper the side not against the pan, leave for about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Check the cabbage, stir it around a bit, add some more seasonings... cover again.
6. Turn the turkey over, salt & pepper again... leave for about 1 minute, then pour in the balsamic and lower the heat... medium should do.
7. Allow this to cook for another 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat and cover to keep hot.
8. By now the cabbage has cooked for about 16-21 minutes, so it should be tender.. plate with the turkey, pour the sauce over the meat.. and VOILA!

Essum ut vivas, bon appetit!

Breakfast.. American Style.. and Adventures on Campus part 1

Today I decided to go to breakfast with my mom and my dad as I had one hour to kill.

We pull through South East and make a quick turn right after the Burnside bridge into Johnny B's- one of my favorite little breakfast places.

The All-American breakfast place on the SE side of the river.


Yum.

 

Mom and Dad playing with the creamers...

 

It's great for passing the time after you ordered your food and your waiting for it to arrive.

My coffee on the table with the waters... needing..

Sustenance....

Coffee rushing through veins..

The view from my side of the café... some guy reading the paper- that's cool.

Waiting....

Waiting...

OH HOLY LORD!!! Bacon Swiss Omelette, side of pancakes.. and java... $6.50.. ohhh...

Yes. Please... and....

Er... not so much... Dad's on a "diet"... and.. oatmeal. I was appaled and explained all the rules he was breaking for coming to Johnny B.'s and ordering.. Oatmeal. At least he got the "works" on it... which was then followed by a chemistry lesson as to why the oatmeal's brown sugar was perfectly incorporated. NEVER ASK FOR THE EXPLANATION.

Then I split it and made a special plate with mom...

See. "Johnnycake", check. Omelette with processed swiss cheese product and BACON... (one day I will post my love affair with bacon), check. Crispy and delicately oiled hashbrowns- NO ketchup, check.

I made a culinary oopsie that actually turned in for the better. I threw a little salt on my pancake without thinking (I guess the third cup of coffee got to me) and it was actually really good. Like sausage and maple syrup kind of good.

Then it was gone. It was like a drunken night- as soon as it starts it's gone.

Allow me to explain how to eat in pure enjoyment with type of cuisine:

Enjoying an omelette breakfast:

Step 1: Look at the omelette. Is it tough? Squishy? When you poke your fork into it is it like pushing rubber? Is it springy?

Step 2: Sniff deeply, can you smell an aroma? Nutty? Cheesy and musky? Salty? Sweet?

Step 3: Bite enthusiastically into omelette, allowing it to move from front of palatte to back of palatte. Savor the first bite, it's opening the door. DO NOT ADD SALT OR PEPPER UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST BITE. Especially not ketchup- learning from my Frenchie- ketchup is simply high fructose corn syrup with the slightest hint of tomato and red dye.

Step 4: Bite into the hashbrowns. Alternate until all of omelette and hashbrown are gone, enjoying between each bite. Remember to allow this step to continue slowly and each time trying to envision all flavors, the bacon's crispy saltness melting aside the goopy pungent processed cheese. The taste of the egg mixing in the slightest.

Step 5: Eat pancake for dessert. Always. Typically in America it is common to mix all of it together, the salts the sweets... but when you separate them out and start salty the tastebuds get so much better prepared for the sweets. Maybe the saltyness opens up the buds or something- all I know is the saltier the starter the sweeter the sweets. Enjoy each bite- don't scarf.

Step 6: After eating, take a moment to relax before: 1. smoking, 2. drinking water or coffee or 3. rushing to bathroom. Really look back and think: I just ate an awesome omelette.

The carnage..

So. Breakfast was done... Then I decided after classes to take a walk around Portland and really get a feel for the scenery I missed when in Europe over the summer.. I found the following...

A pretty intense contrast between a re-made classical building and a new age condo building...

I found this striking. The statue looking on, the red lanterns lifted over the terrace and the new age building reflecting the sky.

No one else was looking around.. everyone had ear buds in their ears, cell phones attached in conversations or looking at their feet while walking.

The lanterns... looking up..

 

AHHH!!! CHEFF!!! PASTRY CHEFF!!! I love chef spotting. Sometimes they hang outside of their kitchens, smoking and looking mean.. but this one was a large chef carrying something pastry-y.

I love it because it has pictures of barefeet- now my question.. isn't it discriminatory to have feet with all 5 toes? What if you lost one, or you were unlucky and born with only 2? Why not just have shoe prints... and whose feet are actually THAT LITTLE?

Southern Dinner.. Done Light!

We all love Southern dinners, southern food. The problem is our middles usually are the results from these such events.

Last night I decided to make a "healthy Southern dinner" and reduce the calories by 2/3.

My Menu for the evening:
"Fried" chicken (175 calories per serving)
Mashed "potatoes"(78 calories per serving)
Green beans (15 calories per serving)
Green Spinach Salad with Tomatoes and Vinaigrette (25 calories per serving)
Gallette de Pommes : French Apple Pastry (200 calories per serving)


Grand Total: 493 calories

My mom decided to compete and do a fattier version and see if anyone could taste the difference and which they preferred. Plus, southern food, as Paula Dean says, "Ain't good unless it got some fat in it!"

Her Menu:
Buttermilk Fried Chicken (480 calories per serving)
Buttermilk Biscuits (160 calories per serving)
Mashed Potatoes (200 calories per serving)
Chicken Gravy (75 calories per 2 tablespoon serving)
Corn on the Cob (78 calories per half ear of corn, with butter)
S'mores (140 calories per serving)

Grand Total of a Southern Feast: 1,133 calories

So. here are my recipes for each item... enough for 5 small stomachs or 3 big stomachs.

"Fried" chicken
1 whole cut up chicken (or two legs and two thighs)
2 cups corn flake cereal
1 cup bread crumbs
whatever seasonings you want, I chose: (onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and some cayenne pepper)
2 eggs
1/2 milk or buttermilk

Step 1: I peeled the skin off of the legs. This is a delicious part, but in order to create a crispier crust the skin has to go. Think of it as... creating chicken armor. A crunchy seasoned chicken armor and to do that you gotta get rid of the skin.

Step 2: Whisk eggs, buttermilk, salt and some pepper into the eggs for the dip.

Step 3: Take a large plastic bag fill with the crunchy stuff and seasonings. Close tightly and take a hammer to IT!!! No, kidding.. I just rolling pinned it out. Roll roll rolll... crunch crunch... it's great for aggression. Keep going until you're either not pissed any more or it's in fine grain pieces.

Step 4: Open bag.

Step 5: Dip two pieces of chicken into awesome egg dip, roll around and roll around. Place in bag. Shake shake shake. Then use hands to press in the crunchy mixture. Repeat. Repeat. Until it's completely covered and all chicken pieces are done.

Step 5 1/2: Place chickens on venilated cooking thing. Basically like a wire rack over a dripping pan, tie air will create that extra crunch the chicken desires.

The finished product looks like this. Stick in fridge until ready to bake.

Step 6: BAKING! Bake in oven @ 375 degrees Fahrenheit for  35-60 minutes, or until the thermomator states "165-170". Then blast the heat on the broiler for 5 more minutes for extra crunch.

The FINAL product. SO good. And a final sprinkling of salt makes it better.

Now... the sides..

Mashed "Potatoes"
This was an interesting recipe I researched and researched. The first time I heard about it was from a vegetarian friend of mine at an old job. He mentioned how the taste was amazingly similar to mashed potatoes. I tested.. I inquired, "What is this?" The consistency was a little runnier.. but sure enough same flavor.

He smiled, "cauliflower."

Now those of you tied to a low carb diet- this is amazing stuff. Try it once, just for tasting sake.

This is enough for 2 people...

you'll need:
1 bag frozen cauliflower
1-2 tablespoons cream cheese
heavy whipping cream
couple pats of butter
pepper
salt
immersion blender, or a strong hand and a masher
imaaagination...

Step 1: Cook cauliflower for 8-10 minutes in salted boiling water.

Step 2: Strain and dry thoroughly with paper towels, or for the eco friendly folks, a washable clean dish towel.

Step 3: Add rest of ingredients and immerse the shit out of it. Wrr wrrr.

Step 4: Place in microwave until time to serve.

 

That's it. It's like 1/3 of the calories, awesome flavor and takes 10 minutes. Fresh. bye bye boxed potatoes.


Finally.. the lovely, fatty and flavorful.. but yet.... not. Dessert!

Galette aux Pommes (apple tart)

Ingredients... are as follows...
2 apples. I used gala, they are sweeeet.
2 tablespoons apple pie mix (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 package of Phyllo dough
1 stick of butter (yes. one stick.)
preheat oven to 400 degrees..

Step 1: Cut up apples (I leave the skin on) into 1/2" chunks and put into bowl minus stems and seeds.

Step 2: Mix into the apples all the other stuff minus phyllo dough and butter.

Step 3, "the hard part": Lay out the phyllo dough two sheets at a time. Do like this:
 Two sheets, brush with enough butter till it's wet, two sheets, repeat, two sheets, repeat... until you are done buttering it up.

Step 4: Drop all of apple mixture into the center and fold one corner in, then another... it'll be like a really rough looking octagon in the end.

Step 5: Place galette onto a bake sheet toss about a tablespoon of brown sugar over the top and the rest of the butter and into the oven for only 12-20 minutes... depending on when it looks sufficiently crunchy and browned. Like the photo below...

Great served with a low fat soy ice cream or even a home whipped cream. YUM!