a big green summer

Dear Mom,

Well summer is officially here!  We kicked-off grilling season here in a pretty big way - a pretty big green egg kind of way.  For the past three years or so the hubs has been talking and talking and talking about this charcoal grill he wanted to buy.  I am 100% for him helping out in the kitchen and taking the reigns in the summer when we light up the good ol'Weber, but he became obsessed with this grill called The Big Green Egg.  It's actually a combination grill/smoker/outdoor oven, so I've always been intrigued but the price-point kind of scared me away.  About two weeks ago I came home from work to discover on my coffee table several brochures and cookbooks re: The Big Green Egg.  Without even asking, I knew, we were getting one.

So far it has been totally worth it.  We have made some fantastic things, chicken wings, pulled pork, brisket, pizza, grilled chicken.  Oh my!  I will need to start posting recipes once we have a little more practice.

On Sunday, the hubs woke up at 7am to start the brisket...  Needless to say, I've never been more in love!  Brisket takes a long time - like 8-10 hours.  So, I had a lot of free time to get things done around the house, laundry, get a little gardening in, all while taking intermittent coffee (until around noon, then beer) breaks relaxing outside next to the smoker watching the hubs tend to the smoke.  It was a perfect Sunday!  What else did I do besides make cole slaw?  (Still working on a recipe, vinegar or mayo based? I cannot figure it out, a debate for another day!)  I made dessert/snacking/brunchy cake.  (Yes, brunchy is a word as of today.)  Ricotta-blueberry-lemon pound cake.  Yum!  Great with coffee, great after dinner, great in the afternoon.  Surprisingly light and citrusy but still moist and dense from the butter and ricotta, with little pops of tart blueberry.  It worked out quite well as blueberries were on sale and I had half a leftover tub of ricotta in my fridge. Perfect!

blueberry ricotta lemon pound cake

cooking spray
1-3/4 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup ricotta cheese
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon zest
1-1/2 cups blueberries
2 tbsp AP flour

Preheat oven to 325.  Spray a 9" loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Rinse the blueberries and toss with 2 tbsp flour (to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake).

Using an electric mixer (stand or hand) beat the butter, ricotta and sugar together on high speed for 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.  (It will look curdled.)

Remove mixer and stir in lemon zest and vanilla by hand.  In 3 or 4 additions, mix in by hand the dry ingredients.  Stir in the blueberries, do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.  Check the cake after the first 40 minutes to see if it is browning too much - if it is, loosely top with aluminum foil and continue baking.  When out of the oven, let cool for 10 minutes then gently loosen onto a cooling rack.  (Running a knife along the edge will help loosen the cake from the pan.)

brown bagging it

Dear Mom,

This is terrible! Its been months since I've posted!  I've been very busy, we've been unpacking since the big move and I got a job!  It all happened surprisingly quickly and I'm still adjusting to the new schedule.  So my new job is at a great firm in midtown Manhattan and is a convenient 10 minute walk from Grand Central.  I love the energy of working in the Big Apple, but the prices are a little expensive, even for lunch.  So I've been brown bagging it.  I've been quite ambitious with it, and I'm trying to make healthy things that I can make in bulk on Sundays so that they last through the week.  My big kick lately is quinoa, which I'm very surprised just came up as a spelling mistake on my machine - my corrective options were Aquino or Joaquin...

Joaquin's Salad

1 cup quinoa
2 cups low-sodium chicken (or veggie) stock

4-5 seeded, chopped plum tomatoes
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped (peel too if you like)
1 can chick peas
1/2 cup chopped curly parsley
3/4 cup feta cheese

2 lemons, juiced
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions, usually its a 1:2 ratio of dried quinoa to stock.  Cool cooked quinoa.  Combine quinoa and tomatoes through feta in a large bowl, toss all ingredients together.  In a separate bowl whisk together lemon juice through garlic.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and add to quinoa mixture.  Toss to combine.  Adjust seasoning as required.

This salad has kept in my fridge for 5 days (by then I've usually ate it all).  It will get better if it sits in the fridge overnight.  If it seems a little bland after a night in the fridge add more red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.

there will be cake...

Dear Mom,

I can't remember who's quote this was, nor really how exactly it went, but it was some stand-up comedian who said something along the lines of "cake is so good, that if the DMV says they're going to 'have cake,' you know you'll want to renew your license."  Back in the days when I worked in a busy office I remember those wonderful days when someone had a birthday and there was going to be cake.  And I think no one can forget those days in elementary school when it was Jimmy So-and-So's birthday and his Mom baked cake.  In my days the cool kid's Moms made "Funfetti" cake...  That wonderful boxed white cake with the colored sprinkles both in the batter and on top of the frosting, typically it was in sheet form.  Oh those were the days!  I'm pretty sure that Funfetti cake is still available at most grocery stores, but like many things as we grow older certain foods like McDonald's cheeseburgers, Chuck-e-Cheese's pizza and Funfetti cake start to loose their magic. 

Those boxed cakes I suppose are a bit of a cheaters method of baking cake, but sometimes when you're in a hurry the box can be quite helpful.  And of course, who isn't in a hurry to eat cake?  Also, as we grow older we begin to discover the many forms cake can take on...  Not only in sheet form, but stacked high, square, round, crazy characters, Al Roker, cup-sized and bundt.  Bundt is quite pretty and easy considering you don't have to worry about frosting or decorating, just a simple dusting of powdered sugar and you're good to go.  So I've got a great bundt recipe that is kind of a cheaters cake, I use a box mix, but I add some other ingredients.  To stick with my Italian theme that I talked about in my last post, this cake is made with Limoncello.  If you're not familiar with this lovely drink, it's a Southern Italian lemon liquer.  I fell in love with it while waiting tables at an Italian restaurant.  We used to serve it over lemon sorbet, which is also an amazing use of the liquer.

limoncello bundt cake

1 box lemon cake mix
1 16oz container light sour cream
2 eggs
1 small package lemon pudding mix
1/4 cup veggie or canola oil
1/2 cup limoncello
cooking spray/flour (for prepping bundt pan)
powder sugar (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray the bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour.  Mix all ingredients and add to the bundt pan.  Tap the pan several times on the counter.  Bake for 45-60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a platter.  Dust with powder sugar.

simple shawarma

Dear Mom,

I agree, simple is good.  In fact, simple is great for me right now as I've been busy trying to both enjoy my summer and study for my next licensing exam.  Unfortunately this means hours of reading the most boring study material, but fortunately I can do that outside which is a much nicer study environment than couped up in our apartment.  So time is a bit precious to me right now, and I can't devote as much time to cooking as I would like.  Its pretty hot right now anyway so the idea of standing over a hot stove isn't exactly appealing either.  What's the perfect solution?  The grill!  It's fast and keeps the heat out doors, also since the hubs loves to grill it allows us to share some of the dinner preparation responsibility.  I discovered this recipe in Cooking Light magazine a few years ago, and its been a great summer-time go to ever since.  The marinade for the chicken involves only five ingredients plus salt, the tahini sauce on the side has only four ingredients and some of it overlaps the same ingredients from the marinade so preparation is quick and easy.  Serve it with shredded crunchy romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, olives, pita bread, and any other mediterranean ingredients that you like.  Delicious, light, healthy, and of course, simple.

chicken shawarma

for the chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in to 1-inch tenders
juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt

for the sauce:
1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt (I like Fage 0%)
3 tbsp. tahini
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. lemon juice
salt to taste

In a large zip-top plastic bag combine chicken and remaining ingredients through salt.  Shake and massage bag until the chicken is completely coated and marinade ingredients are combined.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat grill and prepare the sauce.  In a bowl stir to combine all of the sauce ingredients.

Grill the chicken over medium, medium-low heat about 4-5 minutes each side.

Serve with the tahini sauce and lettuce, tomatoes, olives, pita and anything else you like!

chicken FRENCH

Dear Mother,

A couple of weeks ago you posted a recipe for Lemon Chicken.  Lemon chicken???  Later in your post you mention your recipe by its true name "Chicken French," yet you do not give the famous Rochesterian dish its due credit by titling the actual recipe Chicken French!  As a former resident of Rochester, NY, having been born there and enjoyed my youth in the snowy city, I am very disappointed in you...  Granted you were not born there, but you've lived there for quite some time and raised a very happy family there, and I thought that you considered yourself a Rochesterian.  

We Rochesterians are a proud people, we shovel lake-effect snow like all good Western New Yorkers and we relish our short lived summers. We still buy Kodak film... well if we needed film we would.  We enjoy baking with flour (like our good city used to be famous for producing) and we love our flowers, especially lilacs.  And what do we eat besides baked-goods with flour and an occasional garbage plate?  We eat Chicken French!  

So as a former proud Rochesterian, I present to you my recipe for Chicken French.  That delightful local dish from my hometown, that blends pan-fried chicken with a light lemon-white wine sauce.  My version isn't completely traditional because I add prosciutto, but that's ok, the addition was completely inspired by one of my favorite little restaurant/bars in town, Lola Bistro.  Lola Bistro actually has a special place in my heart, on John's first visit to Rochester I took him to here for dinner, drinks and to see an amazing local band.  The band so impressed John that he assumed I had good taste in music, and reportedly "fell in love with me more."  (Awwwwe!  How cute.)  He also fell in love with Chicken French, and when he found out that I could make it, well lets just say the rest is history...  (By the way, our dog's name is Lola.)

In the picture below it looks a little like that's raw chicken, its not.  That's just the prosciutto.  I would highly recommend serving the dish with steamed broccoli, asparagus or sauteed spinach and a starch.  Pasta or rice is good, but what's really good is Gruyere mashed potatoes (recipe below). 
Also I should mention that I'm not working for the Rochester board of tourism or anything, its just home-town pride!  :) 

chicken french
(serves two)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 egg, lightly beaten
extra virgin olive oil
2 thin slices of prosciutto
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. salted butter
juice from 2-3 large lemons
1/2 cup white wine (like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) 
salt 
fresh ground pepper
fresh lemon slices

In a bowl combine the lemon juice and white wine.  Set aside.

In a shallow dish whisk together the flour, granulated garlic and salt and pepper.  In another shallow dish mix together the beaten egg and about 2 tbsp. water.  Rinse and pat dry the chicken.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-medium high heat until oil is hot and shimmering.  Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, then into the egg mixture, and then back again into the flour mixture.  Place the chicken in the pan, and cook until its golden brown on one side (about 10 minutes).  Flip chicken, and lay one piece of prosciutto over each chicken breast.  When the chicken is done (about another 10 minutes) remove from pan and keep warm. 

In the same pan over medium heat, combine the 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. flour stirring until it combines into a dry, crumbly paste.  Cook, stirring lightly, 1 minute.  Whisk in the lemon juice and white wine.  Continue lightly whisking over medium heat until sauce is thick and bubbling. Remove from heat and strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.  

Transfer the chicken to the serving plates and pour the sauce over top.  Garnish with lemon slices.

cosmo's cooking notes:  As mentioned in the post I highly recommend serving this with broccoli, asparagus or spinach, and Gruyere mashed potatoes (or pasta or rice), because the sauce is very good on all of these things as well as the chicken.  So when your plating, if you've made any of these side dishes, just go ahead and pour that sauce over everything! 

gruyere mashed potatoes

1 lb. yukon gold potatoes, skins on, washed and quartered
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk (I usually use 2%)
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese (packed lightly)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
fresh ground pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil.  Boil until potatoes are soft, and can easily be poked with a fork.  

While the potatoes are boiling, in a large bowl put all of the other ingredients.  When the potatoes are done remove from the water with a slotted spoon and add to the other ingredients in the large bowl.  Mash with a potato masher until desired consistency, add extra milk or butter for additional creaminess, and season with salt and pepper.

cosmo's cooking notes:  I always try to make mashed potatoes for two, but it usually ends up being mashed potatoes for twelve.  I can never get the portions right, so if my measurements look off, feel free to add or subtract where ever necessary.

a happy marriage

Dear Kristin,

Two things that I love about your dad. He knows how to use a mop (and does!) and he always cleans up after me when I've gone on a cooking frenzy and dirtied every pot and pan we own. He also knows that if he sees me in the kitchen with an apron on that I've got a serious case of culinary fever, and anyone entering my kitchen domain is risking serious injury. My contribution to this happy state of matrimony is to serve him meals he likes. His wants are few - some protein, some starch, and at least a nod to some sort of greenery.

I wanted to try your risotto recipe, and thought that the sweet, smoky rice would marry well with my version of lemon chicken. I was going to serve this with wilted spinach, but ended up running out of time, pots and burners (not to mention energy!).

My version of Chicken French is kind of a blend of Lemon Chicken, Chicken French, and in some ways, Chicken Parmesan. Chicken breasts are pounded until thin, coated in a combination of flour and Parmesan cheese, then dipped in a lemon juice and egg wash. After another dip in the flour, they are browned in a skillet, then coated with pan drippings that have been enhanced with white wine, butter and more lemon juice. The result? You guessed it - a happy marriage of a nicely crusted piece of chicken with a buttery, lemony sauce.

lemon chicken

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halved
2 lemons
1 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 egg
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp. butter (divided)
1/2 c. white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

Place chicken between two sheets of waxed paper and pound to 1/4-1/2" thickness.
Whisk juice of 1 lemon with egg in a large, shallow dish.
Mix flour, salt, pepper and 1 c. parmesan cheese in a separate large, shallow dish.
Heat olive oil and 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet.
Dredge 1 chicken breast in flour, then in egg mixture. Allow excess egg mixture to drip off. Dredge once more in flour mixture, making sure chicken is very well coated.
Place chicken in pan, and cook over medium to medium high heat until underside is golden brown. Do not allow liquid in the skillet to turn brown. (If it does, immediately remove the pan from heat and lower temperature before continuing.) Turn chicken over. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon over chicken in pan. Continue to cook until golden brown. Remove to a warmed platter. Cover with foil.
Dredge and cook second chicken breast.
Deglaze skillet with 1/2 c. wine and 2 Tbsp. butter. Allow liquid to thicken slightly.
Return both chicken pieces to skillet and continue cooking over medium heat until no longer pink when tested with a knife.
Remove chicken from skillet and place on a warmed serving platter.
Deglaze pan with chicken stock. Pour pan drippings over chicken.
Sprinkle chicken with generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and serve.