Eat This, Macaroni Grill

So in Sunday's paper there's a huge ad for Macaroni Grill, and they're promoting this Pollo Limone Rustica for only $9.99. Sounds lovely, but there's now way I'm waiting 40 mintues and dropping an eventual $40 to eat mediocre bread and overpriced pasta. As I read the description, I realize that I have almost everthing in the house to make this myself. Here's the description:

"Tender grilled chicken and imported penne pasta sauteed in a lemon basil sauce with fresh spinach and roasted red peppers. Finished with fresh lemon zest and baked until golden."

Oh dear. I have a few problems with this dish.

First of all, Macaroni Grill people, what is so "rustic" about boneless, skinless chicken breasts? I know, a lot of people get really freaked out with meat that actually has the bones in it, but get over it people. It's meat! Alright, alright, I'll use boneless chicken thighs, which are cheaper and more flavorful than breasts. 

In addition, I'll bet these boneless, skinless breasts are pre-grilled with generic seasonings and then added to the sauce with the pasta. I'm going to brown the thighs and finish cooking them right in the sauce.

Second, "imported penne"? Yawn. Name one person that could tell the difference in a side-by-side taste test. Imported cheese? Lovely. Imported pasta? I just can't get excited about it.

The lemon basil sauce sounds good. I wonder if it's a cream-based sauce. Well, I have some cream, so it is now!

Third, "finished with lemon zest and baked until golden". Why would you want to bake a topping of lemon zest? Isn't the whole point of lemon zest to impart some fresh flavors at the last minute? Don't bake the zest, for heavens sake! For that matter, don't bake it at all. It'll make the pasta dry and chewy, and I hate that.

I even have a jar of roasted red peppers. I didn't roast them myself, but something tells me neither did the fine folks at Macaroni Grill. I also have a bag of rapidly-blackening basil, so time is of the essence. Now that I've used up my yearly allotment of exclamation points I realize it's time to get down to business.

The recipe is based roughly on Emeril's Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs but altered to accommodate my tastes and the restaurant's ingredients. In short, it turned out great, it was not that expensive to make, and it served 7-8 people. The sauce was tangy and creamy without being too rich, and the chicken was tender and flavorful. Eat that, Macaroni Grill!

Chicken Thighs with Lemon Basil Cream Sauce and Linguine

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper to season chicken

2/3 c. flour (for dredging)

1/4 c. olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

pinch of red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 to 2 c. chicken broth (good quality, low sodium)

2 lemons, zested and juiced (you should have about 1/2 c. lemon juice)

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

1 roasted red pepper, diced

1/2 c. (or so) cream

1 c. fresh chopped basil

handful fresh baby spinach (I'm going to say this is optional, because I forgot to put it in and it was still good.)

1 lb pasta (I used linguine but you could use whatever you have) Note: I cooked all of the pasta but only used about 2/3 of the noodles in the dish. You would be safe cooking only 10 oz. of pasta.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the 1/4 c. olive oil in a large saute pan. Season the chicken thighs and dredge in flour. When oil is hot (but before it starts smoking), brown thighs for a few minutes on each side. While thighs are browning, prepare onions and garlic.

Remove thighs to a plate and saute onions, garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes and 1/2 t. salt until tender, about 3-4 minutes. While onions are cooking, zest and juice lemons. Set zest aside. Add the lemon juice and broth and stir to combine. Return thighs to the pan, cover with lid, and place in oven for about 20 minutes. (Alternatively, cook at a light simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.)

Remove pan from oven, uncover, and simmer lightly an additional 15 minutes. The flour from the chicken thighs should slightly thicken the sauce.

While chicken is cooking, prepare pasta according to package instructions.

Remove thighs to a cutting board. Add cream, chopped basil, spinach, and red peppers to sauce whisking to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and add water, cream, or broth as necessary.

Cut thighs into strips and return to pan. Add cooked pasta, turning to coat in sauce. (You will likely not use the entire 1 lb of pasta.) If the sauce had thickened too much, add some pasta water. Toss in lemon zest and fresh basil, and serve.

Green Chile Pork Stew with Potatoes

File this one under the "something new" category. I was craving mexican food, particularly the great smothered burritos and soft tacos you can get at La Puente. Their "smothered" sauce is a delicious pork chile verde. I haven't replicated it here, but what I have done is create a darn good chile/stew that was perfect on a cold February evening. It's a little work, but so are a lot of things that are this good. This recipe is adapted from the Culinary Institute of America Cookbook.

Green Chile Pork Stew with Potatoes

2 T. canola oil

2 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

salt and pepper as needed

2 large yellow onions, diced

1 T. minced garlic

6 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. tomato puree (can also use fresh tomatillos)

3-4 fresh poblano chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 T. mild red chile powder

1 t. cumin

1 t. Mexican oregano

2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and finely minced

2 t. green tabasco sauce

1 t. white vinegar

3 c. cubed russet potatoes, peeled

2 c. cooked cannelini beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 c. chopped cilantro

3 T. chopped flat leaf parsely

Heat the oil in a casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat until it shimmers. Season the port with salt and pepper and saute until lightly colored on all sides. Transfer the pork to a plate or dish using a slotted spoon, allowing most of the oil to drain back into the pan. Return the pan to the heat, add the onions and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.

Return the port and any juices it may have released to the pan. Add the broth, tomato puree, poblanos, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Bring the liquid to a boil. Immediately adjust the heat to a gently simmer. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add the jalapenos, Tabasco, vinegar, potatoes, and beans. Continue to stir, covered, until the potatoes and pork are very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and parsley.

Apple Crumble Nostalgia

This is one of those "duh" recipes. Why don't I just blog about toast, right? Nothing earth-shattering, except that it is. When was the last time you ate apple crisp? If it has been more than a few months, I have to say, What's wrong with you people? Warm, tangy-sweet apples and crisp/crunchy oat topping. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, you have achieved the near-perfect desert: sweet/tangy, crunchy/soft, cool/warm, creamy/crispy.

It's also triggers some powerful nostalgia. My mom would scoop hot apple crisp into mugs and pour in some cool milk. (Little did we know it was because we weren't extravagant enough to have cream. We just thought it was how it was done.) Everything in the mug moved from hot and cold to a comfortingly warm mixture of apples, milk and crumble topping. There was usually enough milk left to "drink" the last of the dessert. 

So if you're wondering what to make for dessert that costs less than $3, make this. It will make you feel like freaking Julia Child, peeling those apples by hand. It will redeem you from all of that boxed garbage you've made in the past. Finally, your family will just maybe look back 30 years from now, remember it, and think of you.

Apple Oatmeal Crumble

Topping: 

2/3 c. flour

1 1/2 c. oats

1 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter

3/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds or pecans)

Fruit

2 lbs apples (about 7 or 8 apples; I like to use 1/2 granny smith, 1/2 golden delicious)

2-4 T. light brown or white sugar

2 T. flour

1/2 t. vanilla

freshly grated nutmeg (just a little)

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of salt

For the crumble, whisk the flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave, add to flour mixture, and toss together with a fork. Stir in nuts. Squeeze handfuls of the crumble together and drop them onto a cookie sheet to get a good proportion of large and small crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes while preparing the fruit. (Or, be lazy like me and just chuck the mixing bowl into the freezer.)

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Toss in large bowl with the sugar, flour, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Transfer to an 8x8 or 9x9-inch pan. Dump crumble topping over the fruit.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Let set 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Poor Man's Steak Dinner

Why go out for a steak on Valentine's day? By the time you pay the babysitter, you could be out over 75 bucks. Find a good price on ribeyes and make these in about 20 minutes. Two of these steaks cost me about $10. Add a baked potato and a salad and you have steak dinner for two for less than $15. What about the kids, you say? Give them a stack of disney movies and a $5 Little Caesar's pizza and lock them in the basement.

Ribeyes with Mushrooms

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan to medium-high heat and add 1 T. unsalted butter and 1 T. olive oil. (If you have large pan and are cooking two steaks, add more butter and oil. I like to use my cast iron pan or my heavy aluminum pan.

Pat dry steaks and season well with salt, pepper, and your favorite seasonings.

Add to hot pan and cook 5-8 minutes. Don't move steaks until you get a really good sear. Flip steaks over and cook other side 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness. If your steaks are really thick, you may want to finish cooking them in a low oven.

Remove steaks to plate, cover them with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

Now don't waste all that flavor left in the pan. Make a pan sauce or a mushroom topping like I did.

If you want a mushroom topping add 2 c. sliced mushrooms to same pan. Add a little more butter and/or oil, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the brown bits. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Cook until well-browned. If you need to add a little liquid to help deglaze the pan, add some water or chicken stock.

Dump mushrooms over steak and serve. These were as good or better than anything we could have bought in a restaurant. 

Pasta with Asiago "Cream" Sauce

No, this is not cat food.

I had no food in the house. Well, I had some leftover Asiago cheese, a half box of mini penne pasta, and various and sundry pantry ingredients. I had a vague recollection of a pasta dish with an Asiago cream sauce, and sure enough, here it is. But 2 1/4 c. of heavy cream? Are you serious? Forget it. I'm making up my own recipe.

1. First, find some chicken. Here are 3 options:

Good: Grill or pan fry some boneless skinless chicken breasts

Better: buy a Costco rotisserie chicken and pull off the meat. Save half for sandwiches.

Best (and cheapest): roast a couple of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and olive oil

2. Cook your pasta, drain, and set aside.

3. In a large skillet (if you did the "good" option above, use the same pan you cooked your chicken in and leave in the brown bits) start a roux. I used about 1/3 c. flour and 1/4 c. butter.  Cook the roux for a couple minutes. 

4. Meanwhile, heat about 2 c. milk in a pyrex cup in the microwave. Whisk hot milk into the roux. Add large pinch of chicken bullion. Season with salt and pepper. I also added a shot of fat-free half & half. You could also use evaporated milk or cream.

5. When roux begins to thicken, whisk in 1 c. grated asiago. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings. (It will likely need salt, unless your cheese is already very salty.)

6. Add whatever embellishments you want. I added 1/2 bag frozen peas, a handful of chopped ham, and the 2 c. cubed chicken. 

7. Stir in pasta, heat thoroughly and serve.

Flatbread Sandwiches with Grilled Chicken and Avocado Cucumber Salad

I've decided to pretend it's summer, and least when it comes to this meal preparation. I'm all about eating seasonally, but after weeks of cold, depressing weather I needed something to eat that reminds me of summer. I wish I could say I made the flatbread, but I didn't. 

The chicken isn't "grilled", either - just IQF chicken breasts seasoned and pan fried. (I wasn't in the mood to scrape snow off the barbecue. How I wish I had one of those fancy stoves with a built-in grill and griddle.) The best part, I think, is the salad and greek tzatziki sauce. These would also be good with some spinach and feta cheese.

Avocado Cucumber Salad

1/2 English cucumber

1 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 red onion, diced

1 T. fresh tarragon

1 t. grated lemon zest

freshly sqeezed lemon juice (1-2 T.)

1/2 t. kosher salt

pinch cayenne pepper

1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled and diced.

Toss cucumber, tomatoes, onion, tarragon, lemon zest and juice, salt, and cayene pepper in a serving bowl. Toss in avocado. (Note: I didn't have tarragon so I didn't use it. But I did have bacon!)

Tzatziki Sauce

2 c. thick Greek yogurt

3 to 10 cloves garlic, finely chopped (to taste)

1/2 c. diced or grated cucumber

1 T. olive oil

1 T. lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

chopped mint or dill, optional

Oh, and don't forget the sweet potato fries. They go with everything!

Grandma Treats

Last week we lost our dear Grandma Ginny. I can think of no better way to honor her than to remember what she did best: love and feed her family.

This is her infamous roast pot. Roast was usually the meat du jour on for Sunday dinner. Her old gas oven magically produced the most perfect, dark, burnished, tender roast that, like the loaves and fishes, fed as many as it needed to.

Last week I made a roast in her honor. She taught me to season it well and give it a long, dark sear before putting it the oven with a few onions and just a little water. Cook it for at least 3 hours at 300 degrees.

Grandma was an expert pie maker. She always brought pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving in this shallow, wide pan. She encouraged me to bake and was always so generous in her compliments. We loved to talk about recipes and we'd always discuss Saturday's food shows on a Sunday evening.

We never left grandmas without a treat. It was a rule. She always said, "No one leaves my house hungry." She always had a candy jar, a cookie tin, or a super-secret stash of chocolates in her top dreser drawer. She knew how to entertain, but she would never use the word "entertain". She just fed us like crazy and loved us even more.

How we will miss that roast, and your potato salad, tender homemade crescent rolls, marshmallow brownies, raisin bars, zucchini bread, homemade chile sauce made in your food grinder, real Cokes, scalloped potatoes, cucumbers in vinegar, your simple green salad that always tasted better than anyone's, pickled beets, strawberry shortcake, clam chowder, ham and bean soup, franks & beans, date pinwheel cookies, endless bags of potato chips, that magical mixture of lime-aid and strawberry punch, the glass of Tampico after mowing your lawn, a lunch of hamburger patties and cottage cheese in the middle of a work day, your chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles, bags of homemade peanut brittle, penoche, and caramels and Christmas, savory pork roasts, little pizzas on english muffins, oven fried chicken, macaroni salad with little shrimp, celery, and olives, popsicles in the summer, clam chowder in the winter, pickles, pickles, pickles all year long.

This is the true story of Sunday nights and grandma's house:

For almost a century, the warm, soft air of this house draws us like children to the piper. We are led to this house by spirits gone past, bringing us back to the places of our childhood, leading us to this sanctuary. Children have slept on this grass, boys have wrestled in these rooms and strangers have partaken within these walls. These rooms bear the joys and burdens of birth and death, and quiet bowl of bottled cherries with family.

Coke bottles are tossed slantwise in the snow, beads of water stream down the kitchen window, and grandma's hands run butter over the hot rolls. We ride in the wheelbarrow, play whiffle ball in the thick warm grass, hang from the clothes line and pretend under the boughs of the tall evergreen. We can hear the lid of the silver candy dish, the squeak of the towel rod and the whir of the cooler. We can rest our eyes on heavy pink roses. We can smell the perfect roast. What things we have learned sitting in the shade of the little white house as the cars thump and creep their way home.

What brings us here is more than all these things. We come down because we belong here. And while the streets have changed, this house will outlast them all, standing guard on this little corner of Navajo Street.

And now that the light on Navajo street is dark and the contents of this house scattered into our own homes like seeds, we begin anew. We take your pots, your dishes, your chairs and your love, and we nourish these seeds you have planted and we welcome all as our own. We will always have our Navajo streets, where we eat a little too much, laugh a little too hard, and stay just a little too long.