hello from the land of take-out

Dear Mom,

Well, hello, hello!  Long time no talk!  So I've been MIA from the blog for a few months now, but with good reason.  So, for those readers out there who are unaware, my little profile there on the right-hand side of the page says that I'm an "architectural designer."  The big difference between an architectural designer and an architect is that a person who calls themselves an architect is a person who has received their degree through an accredited architecture program, has taken the ARE (Architectural Registration Exam) and has three years of work experience.  As far as the real world work experience goes, the work is about the same no matter what you call yourself.  Those three years of work experience were easy.  The ARE was not.  The ARE has seven divisions of tests, each with over eighty multiple choice questions plus a design "vignette" (or three design vignettes  depending on the division).  Its all very technical and boring, but guess what?  I JUST FINISHED AND PASSED MY SEVENTH TEST AND I'M FREAKIN' DONE! 

Needless to say, I'm very happy.  So this is what I've been up to the past couple of months, studying.  Since it was the last exam I wanted to be completely focused, I did nothing but eat, breathe and sleep architecture these past few months.  So, any recipes that I would post from these past couple of months would read something like this:

1 cell phone
1 take-out menu
1 credit card

1.  Turn on cell phone.
2.  Dial number on take-out menu.
3.  Order food.
4.  While waiting for food, study flashcards.
5.  Answer door bell.
6.  Eat food, while studying flashcards.

So that's been my life, until that wonderful little email came that said I was done!  I'll be changing that little profile over there soon enough, I just have to wait for the paperwork to go through.  After all of that hardwork I wanted something hardy, cheesy and warming (because it was snowing when I found out).  I had a bizarre surplus of onions in my fridge, so here is what I made.

french onion soup

4 cups thinly sliced red onions
4 cups thinly sliced sweet yellow onions
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 cups less sodium beef broth or stock
8 sprigs fresh thyme
slices of baguette
slices of reduced-fat swiss cheese

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, add onions.  Saute for 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.  Add sugar, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the onions are browned slightly.  Add wine and cook for 1 minute.  Add broth and thyme, bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour (or more).

Ladle soup into heat-proof individual serving bowls.  Top with baguette slice, then top with a slice of cheese.  Broil in the oven on high until the cheese gets browned and bubbly.

cool nights, warm bellies

Dear Mom,

As much as truly loath the end of summer, I do have a soft spot in my heart for fall.  Well, maybe not my heart, more like my stomach.  Gone are the days where it is simply too hot to contemplate eating anything but things cooked on the grill, its time to fire up that oven!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about eating burgers, hot dogs and steaks, but after a while you're ready to dig in to a nice hearty stew or pasta.  There is nothing better than slowly braising a pot of yummy meat and vegetables for half a day and then serving it over hot egg noodles, and fall is the perfect time to do this.

coq au vin

6 oz. bacon, chopped
1 5-7 lb whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 bag frozen pearl onions
8 oz. button mushrooms, quartered
1-1/2 bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 medium onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
2 carrots, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock or broth

Egg noodles or mashed potatoes for serving

Heat a large french oven (coquette) over medium-high heat.  Cook bacon until crispy, remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Meanwhile, put chicken pieces in zip-top plastic bag with flour, season with salt and pepper.  Seal bag and shake, completely coating the chicken. 

Preheat oven to 325.  Leave bacon fat in french oven on heat, add additional oil if needed.  Brown chicken in hot oil on both sides.  Remove from french oven to plate and set aside.  Add additional oil if needed and brown (separately) pearl onions and then mushrooms.  Remove pearl onions and mushrooms from french oven and put in refrigerator.

While the french oven is still over the heat pour in about 1 cup of red wine, scrape brown bits up from the bottom.  Add remaining wine, chicken broth and tomato paste, stirring until paste is mostly dissolved.  Add chicken, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme and bay leaf.  Make sure that chicken is covered with the liquid (if not add more wine or broth).  Cover and put in the oven.  Cook for 2 - 2.5 hours or until the chicken is tender. 

When the chicken is done, remove it to a heat-proof container and keep warm.  Strain the sauce through a collander and return to the stovetop over medium-high heat.  Reduce by 1/3, about 30 minuties (if sauce is still not thick go ahead and whisk in a little roux).  When the sauce is thick add the mushrooms, onions and chicken back to the pot.  When everything is hot your ready to serve, I recommend egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

simple suppers

Dear Kristin,

Sometimes simpler is better. Not that I have anything against - what did you call it - a cranberry gastrique? (In your cedar plank chicken recipe), but I'm more of an Ocean-Spray-gelled-cranberry-sauce-out-of-the-can kind of girl. Don't forget, I was raised on Chef Boyardee.

We had a really busy weekend, and were looking forward to something quick & easy for Sunday supper. Pork chops are always quick. They can be rather bland, though, so they really need a bit of "something" to liven them up - a mustard glaze, or in this case, a topping of caramelized onions and apples. I guess this is my version of the pork chops & applesauce my mom used to make. It may not be cosmo-culinary chic, but it sure tastes good going down!

pork chops with caramelized onions and apples

2 pork chops, about 3/4"-1 " thick (I used center-cut, but I'm sure loin cut would work just as well)
1 large red onion, sliced about 1/4" thick(if you really like onions, you can use more)
1 large or 2 small apples (use apples that are crisp and tart - I used Jonagold)
3 Tbsp.. butter
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt (plus more for seasoning meat)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper (plus more for seasoning meat)
3 Tbsp. white wine (I used pinot grigio)
2 Tbsp.. fresh sage, minced
4 Tbsp.. extra virgin olive oil, divided

Melt butter in large, heavy skillet. Add onions and cook on medium for 10 minutes. Do not brown. Add apple slices, salt and pepper. Continue cooking over medium or medium low heat for another 20 minutes, or until onions are caramelized. Add wine and cook for three minutes more.

Meanwhile, rub chops on both sides with 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Rub sage leaves into both sides of the meat.

When onion mixture is done, remove to serving platter and keep warm. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the same pan and bring to medium heat. Place pork chops in pan, and cook about 4 minutes per side, being careful not to overcook. Top with onion mixture and serve.