Thursday, September 8, 2011
Peach Chicken Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
Back in the day, when my friends and I were more ambitious about improving our cultural wellbeing...or when we just wanted to find any excuse to drink heavily, we would hold wine nights. We selected a wine of choice, learned all we could about the wine, brought a bottle of said choice and a dish that would pair well with it. Some friends came back from a trip to the concord region (Pennsylvania) and brought a collection of US wines from the area. That day, I made a raspberry chipotle glazed, roasted pork loin to pair with a true concord wine (mmmmmm, grape juice kicked up a notch) and Spencer brought an amazing peach chicken salad with a mint vinaigrette to pair with a concord riesling. Below is the salad recipe, courtesy of the amazing Spencer:
PEACH CHICKEN SALAD
3 medium fresh peaches, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
MINT VINAIGRETTE:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 lettuce leaves
In a large bowl, combine the peaches, chicken, cucumber and onion; set aside. In a blender, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mint, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth. Drizzle over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Use a slotted spoon to serve on lettuce-lined plates.
Note from me: I don't like the taste of raw onions, even red ones. This is a trick my mama taught me - soak the onions in the vinaigrette for about 15 to 20 minutes before pouring over the salad to get rid of the raw onion kick. The flavor will be much milder.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Customer's Choice (a/k/a I love the parenthesis)
I have this cookbook that I treasure - The Betty Crocker Cookbook (abridged version). It is red and old, the spine is broken and the pictures would not meet any of the appetite invoking pictures you see on cooking websites these days. This cookbook belonged to my mom.
Back in the day, my parents owned a little eatery (not quite diner, not quite deli...a dineli, if you will) in a busy business park just north of the SR 201 (back in the day, we called it the 21st South Freeway). Easily seen from the freeway, it is now a Subway, but you can tell from the title of this post the named it went by when we owned it. We inherited the name, but my people's knack for naming businesses is going to be fodder for another post in the future. I spent my entire junior high and sophomore career here. I worked for my parents for the bargain price of $50 per week (obviously very blissfully unaware of child labor laws) and saved up to pay cash for my first car - a very chic, used, white Audi 1000.
We offered breakfast, sandwiches, a salad bar (where I discovered my dislike for the intensely tinny taste and aroma of canned beets and kept me from enjoying the deliciousness of a fresh, roasted beet for decades because I thought beets naturally came from a can), 2 different types of soup and a variety of entrees and specials each day. She didn't need recipes for the familiar Asian dishes we served, except (I cringe to type this) the egg foo yung (a "Chinese" I'm sure no true Chinese person has ever heard of). The curled up post-it notes mark pages in the cookbook of the recipes my mom used for the restaurant - foods that she was not familiar with cooking but she was a natural and made them all tasty - except the sweet and sour meatballs.
This cookbook was printed in 1978 and aimed for the economic young housewife (we were not gender neutral back then) - many of the recipe titles start with the word "economic". I had thawed some ground beef without a purpose, so I pulled out this cookbook and thumbed through it. Aha! Economy Beef Stroganoff. Now My Beloved loves beef stroganoff but as I skimmed through the recipe, I knew there would be quite a bit of changes. We will call my version Upgraded Beef Stroganoff. Definitely a success, MB had 2 plates full.
1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut in 1/8′ slices (ME: 1 lb ground beef)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups beef bouillon (ME: is that the same as beef broth? I used beef broth)
2 tablespoons catsup (ME: though I know My Beloved would not have minded this ingredient, he puts ketchup on his tacos, but I am not of the same tongue-set. Omitted)
1 small clove garlic (ME: accidentally forgotten - a frequent side effect of changing recipes)
1 teaspoon salt (ME: 1/2 tsp sea salt)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (ME: lots and lots ofSa mushrooms)
1 medium onion chopped (ME: cut onion in half, sliced in thin wedges)
3 tablespoons flour (ME: 1/4 cup)
1 cup dairy sour cream (ME: 1.5 cups)
4 cups hot cooked noodles (ME: is that a whole bag? I used a whole bag)
1 tablespoon butter (ME: already had 2 T, don't need a third)
1 teaspoon poppy seed (ME: what the hell for???? Omitted)
(ME: 1/4 c. red wine - this is approximate. I just did one turn around the pot of wine)
(ME: 1 t. Worcesteshire sauce)
Because I made such changes, the instructions below are the steps for my version.
- saute onions in 2 T butter until caramelized, add mushrooms and cook. Remove and set aside.
- in the same pot, saute garlic until fragrant and add ground beef. cook until done
- add wine, 3/4 c. beef stock, worcesterhire sauce, salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- mix 1/2 c. beef stock with flour, add to beef mixture and return to boil for a minute or two (cooking off the flour taste)
- add sour cream - at this point you want to reduce the heat to LOW. You want the sour cream to heat slowly, not boil
Serve over the buttered noodles and enjoy with some tivo'd episodes of The Daily Show!
Back in the day, my parents owned a little eatery (not quite diner, not quite deli...a dineli, if you will) in a busy business park just north of the SR 201 (back in the day, we called it the 21st South Freeway). Easily seen from the freeway, it is now a Subway, but you can tell from the title of this post the named it went by when we owned it. We inherited the name, but my people's knack for naming businesses is going to be fodder for another post in the future. I spent my entire junior high and sophomore career here. I worked for my parents for the bargain price of $50 per week (obviously very blissfully unaware of child labor laws) and saved up to pay cash for my first car - a very chic, used, white Audi 1000.
We offered breakfast, sandwiches, a salad bar (where I discovered my dislike for the intensely tinny taste and aroma of canned beets and kept me from enjoying the deliciousness of a fresh, roasted beet for decades because I thought beets naturally came from a can), 2 different types of soup and a variety of entrees and specials each day. She didn't need recipes for the familiar Asian dishes we served, except (I cringe to type this) the egg foo yung (a "Chinese" I'm sure no true Chinese person has ever heard of). The curled up post-it notes mark pages in the cookbook of the recipes my mom used for the restaurant - foods that she was not familiar with cooking but she was a natural and made them all tasty - except the sweet and sour meatballs.
1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut in 1/8′ slices (ME: 1 lb ground beef)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups beef bouillon (ME: is that the same as beef broth? I used beef broth)
2 tablespoons catsup (ME: though I know My Beloved would not have minded this ingredient, he puts ketchup on his tacos, but I am not of the same tongue-set. Omitted)
1 small clove garlic (ME: accidentally forgotten - a frequent side effect of changing recipes)
1 teaspoon salt (ME: 1/2 tsp sea salt)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (ME: lots and lots ofSa mushrooms)
1 medium onion chopped (ME: cut onion in half, sliced in thin wedges)
3 tablespoons flour (ME: 1/4 cup)
1 cup dairy sour cream (ME: 1.5 cups)
4 cups hot cooked noodles (ME: is that a whole bag? I used a whole bag)
1 tablespoon butter (ME: already had 2 T, don't need a third)
1 teaspoon poppy seed (ME: what the hell for???? Omitted)
(ME: 1/4 c. red wine - this is approximate. I just did one turn around the pot of wine)
(ME: 1 t. Worcesteshire sauce)
Because I made such changes, the instructions below are the steps for my version.
- saute onions in 2 T butter until caramelized, add mushrooms and cook. Remove and set aside.
- in the same pot, saute garlic until fragrant and add ground beef. cook until done
- add wine, 3/4 c. beef stock, worcesterhire sauce, salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- mix 1/2 c. beef stock with flour, add to beef mixture and return to boil for a minute or two (cooking off the flour taste)
- add sour cream - at this point you want to reduce the heat to LOW. You want the sour cream to heat slowly, not boil
Serve over the buttered noodles and enjoy with some tivo'd episodes of The Daily Show!
Friday, April 8, 2011
My New Go To Chicken Dish!
A coworker brought in some leftovers last week - poached chicken with a soy/ginger/scallion sauce over it. It was heavenly! The chicken was so tender and flavorful. I had a couple of slices for lunch with a very generic salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, soy/ginger dressing). Of course, I had to beg for the recipe and she rattled it off to me. The recipe below is my version of it - partly because, as stated, I don't follow directions and partly because I couldn't remember the whole conversation.
Dear readers, this is a great "go-to" dish. Easy, but doesn't taste easy! You can make it days ahead, the flavors just get better and better. You can also serve it cold or warm (I like it cold for a light spring or summer dish). I will post pictures the next time I make it.
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
grated fresh ginger (about 4 tablespoons)
4 scallions (green and whites), chopped (I actually used the entire bunch, but I love scallions)
2 T. sugar
2 t. sesame oil
1/4 c. soy sauce (or to taste)
2 T. sherry (I used mirin)
1-2 T of canola oil (or another mild flavored oil for sauteeing)
My coworker told me to poach the chicken in water. However, I like to use my "master stock poached chicken" method (borrowed from Kylie Kwong). I place the chicken in a pot large enough to hold all the breasts in a single layer. I add enough water to cover by about 2 inches. I add 1/2 a peeled onion, 1 large chunk (2-3 inches) of ginger that I have lightly bruised and a couple of cloves of peeled garlic (also bruised). Bring all of this to a boil, then quickly turn the heat down to a low simmer. Do not let the water return to a boil or you will get a tough bird. Cover and let it simmer in the stock for about 20 minutes. Then turn the heat off and let the chicken keep poaching for another 15-20 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the ginger and scallions until they are fragrant. Add the soy sauce, sherry (mirin), sugar, sesame oil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Keep it on the heat, stirring, until the sauce comes to a boil. Then turn off the heat.
Remove the chicken breast from the stock and let dry. Slice them on the bias and arrange in a serving dish (make sure the dish has sides to hold the sauce). Poor the sauce over the chicken, making sure to cover all he pieces. The longer you can let it sit to absorb the sauce and flavor, the better. I like to refrigerate it overnight because it is so delicious! I serve with rice and a salad.
Dear readers, this is a great "go-to" dish. Easy, but doesn't taste easy! You can make it days ahead, the flavors just get better and better. You can also serve it cold or warm (I like it cold for a light spring or summer dish). I will post pictures the next time I make it.
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
grated fresh ginger (about 4 tablespoons)
4 scallions (green and whites), chopped (I actually used the entire bunch, but I love scallions)
2 T. sugar
2 t. sesame oil
1/4 c. soy sauce (or to taste)
2 T. sherry (I used mirin)
1-2 T of canola oil (or another mild flavored oil for sauteeing)
My coworker told me to poach the chicken in water. However, I like to use my "master stock poached chicken" method (borrowed from Kylie Kwong). I place the chicken in a pot large enough to hold all the breasts in a single layer. I add enough water to cover by about 2 inches. I add 1/2 a peeled onion, 1 large chunk (2-3 inches) of ginger that I have lightly bruised and a couple of cloves of peeled garlic (also bruised). Bring all of this to a boil, then quickly turn the heat down to a low simmer. Do not let the water return to a boil or you will get a tough bird. Cover and let it simmer in the stock for about 20 minutes. Then turn the heat off and let the chicken keep poaching for another 15-20 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the ginger and scallions until they are fragrant. Add the soy sauce, sherry (mirin), sugar, sesame oil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Keep it on the heat, stirring, until the sauce comes to a boil. Then turn off the heat.
Remove the chicken breast from the stock and let dry. Slice them on the bias and arrange in a serving dish (make sure the dish has sides to hold the sauce). Poor the sauce over the chicken, making sure to cover all he pieces. The longer you can let it sit to absorb the sauce and flavor, the better. I like to refrigerate it overnight because it is so delicious! I serve with rice and a salad.
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