All hail, Caesar!

I had some chicken in the fridge on grocery day, so when I saw the romaine staring at me in the produce section today, I figured dinner was a done deal; Caesar salad with grilled lemon pepper chicken and portabella mushrooms. I also recalled that we had a fair bit of garlic left around, and knowing I would use much of what was at home was a good excuse to buy more (as if I ever need an excuse to buy more garlic). My only concern was the weather. I had to hope that the rain would stay away when grilling time came. It did, thankfully.


I haven't made a Caesar dressing in a while, and unless things are already prepped, it does take a bit of time to come together. That makes it more appropriate for a weekend than a weeknight in our house. But since the chicken breasts were rather thick, I figured I had ample time to work on the dressing anyway. I stuck to the basics; egg yolk, olive oil, garlic (lots of it - we love our garlic in our house), Parmesan cheese, anchovies (I know, some folks consider this inauthentic or unnecessary, but it is one of the places where I feel an anchovy has a culinary home), Worcestershire sauce, etc. I was glad that we had an extra lemon on hand, as fresh lemon juice always beats the bottle in a dressing. I think I was overly generous with the lemon juice in the dressing tonight, but only to the point of making the dressing a bit brighter than I usually care for.


The verdict


There is a certain kind of joy in a simple salad for a meal, and making the dressing from scratch, for me, makes all the difference. We had a bit of garlic bread - nice and crispy - with our salads tonight. The mushrooms were a good addition to the standard presentation. I suppose my thoughts on there being too much lemon might be because I used it on the chicken as well as in the dressing. Maybe a simpler or less citrus-y chicken preparation might do the trick next time. 


For some, this would have been a case of garlic overload. For us, it was just right. I appreciated the gesture my wife made, leaning her very pregnant self across the table to share a garlic-y kiss with me in appreciation of the effort. 

A small victory and a basic meal

As I have mentioned here previously, we have been working to get our daughter, our three-year-old daughter, to expand her food horizons. We grew painfully tired of "Mickey Mouse Chicken" nuggets (at least they had a whole wheat breading substance on them) and whatever starch du jour tickled her fancy. We have been blessed by her affection for peas, but even on that front she was particular. Last week, we got her to try the grilled pork chops, much to my surprise and delight. And we even managed a small victory getting her to try a hot dog again (something she had and liked a while ago, but began to resist). 


Tonight, it was a hamburger. Our little one helped me make the patties, and I think that really primed her interest. We made perfect circles using a biscuit cutter, and I could not get over her simple joy in seeing the perfectly round burgers emerge after each cut. She even watched as I added some sliced cheddar as they finished up on the grill.  We also managed to get her to try (and like) some corn again. 


The verdict


There isn't really anything to say about the culinary endeavor. This was just a basic, simple meal after a supremely busy work day that started far too early. I reached the bottom of my jar of my Famous Dave's spicy pickles, finally. I'll miss them, and hope to find them again on another Costco run - at least that's where I think I found them last. I suppose I could order them online, too, but there are too many good pickles out there to feel the necessity, really.


The only real verdict here is that we are making progress, day by day, in helping our daughter grow beyond her comfort zone and try some new foods. I am finding a pleasant new challenge in balancing the things that I know my wife and I will enjoy with those that are still, well, "tame" enough for a young, sensitive palate. If a burger is a viable option, at least I know we'll have a pleasant summer. I just wonder how she'd feel about goat cheese next time?

Grilled pork chops - the season begins early.

We have been absolutely blessed with amazingly mild weather all winter long in Chicago this year, and March has been downright balmy. I was thrilled to step out onto the deck tonight and briefly share the company of our neighbor and his son. They came out to fire up their grill just after I got mine started for the first time this year. I should note that it was his son grilling up cheeseburgers, and it makes me immensely happy to see a young teen already finding a love of cooking.  After a day of problems and setbacks, I was pleased to find my grill in perfect working order, and with ample propane on hand. I decided to reach back far into my bag of cooking tricks and make a pork chop dish that has been a staple of mine for well over 2 decades.


I'm a big fan of Italian sausage made with fennel seed (I know some who prefer it without), but I've really been feeling the burden of my winter spare tire, so the leaner option - a lean pork chop with a similar flavor - made a whole lot more sense.  When making this pork dish on the grill (rather than under a broiler on on the stovetop), I prefer to pound in my seasonings on at least one side before cooking. The seasonings tend to stay in place better, which is really no small feat with fennel seeds. I added something I picked up on a whim this weekend at the grocery store; some dehydrated red onion flakes. Along with these and the fennel seeds, I topped the pork with oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic salt, and black pepper. Truly basic, but it packs a flavorful punch. I managed to find one of my silicone brushes (sans handle) in with my daughter's toys allowing me to brush on some olive oil before grilling, rather than pouring it all over the place. (I think the child and I are going to have to have a serious conversation soon about which kitchen items are for playing, and which are MINE!)


The verdict


Tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor. If you are not a fan of fennel, I promise not to make you eat this if you visit. If you are, you will LOVE this. Since this was the first grilling of the season, I served this up with some simple buttered corn (maize, if you will). Here's the amazing part; we got our daughter to try the pork, and she kept eating it! I thought that it would be either too exotic or too spicy, frankly, but there you have it. She ate a fair bit of it, too. It is especially rewarding to have her actually like something that is a favorite of mine. It didn't hurt that there was strawberry shortcake as a reward for dessert. She ended up eating some pound cake and whipped cream in the end, so I suppose I should feel even greater pride knowing that my pork chops beat out some sweetened strawberries (if not the cake and whipped cream).


I enjoyed a spot of unremarkable Malbec with this. Ever since our honeymoon in Mendoza, it is hard for me to eat grilled meats without thinking of Malbec, and it is essentially our staple wine at this point. 


Another hard day wiped away by a good meal.

Ribeye cipollata

I have to give due credit to Raffaele Gironda, my old boss at Raffaele Italian Restaurant in Southern Pines, NC, for inspiring tonight's dinner. Many years ago, before I started working for him, I was a fairly regular patron at his restaurant, and I enjoyed many great steaks (and other dishes) there. Among my favorites was a ribeye cipollata that he would serve that was, and I'm sure still is (even if it isn't on the menu,) simply fabulous. I didn't have, nor did I want particularly large cuts of ribeye for our meal tonight. It isn't a matter of price, as I'm more than willing to pay for a great (and thick) cut of quality beef. Rather, our budget is frequently tightest when it comes to time, and I do strive to cook at least a few fresh meals a week (sparing us endless leftovers at least some of the time), so that means getting it on the table in a half hour or less. 


I broke out the trusty old cast iron skillet tonight, and sauteed some onions (seasoned, and with a splash of beef stock), set them aside, quickly seared the thin cuts of ribeye, and then topped them with the onions and some mozzarella and provolone. A brief trip under the broiler, and there it was; dinner. But as much as I enjoyed it, as quick and easy as this take was, it sure didn't hold up to Raffaele's. It's hard to compare a slap-dash home version of something you love to the real deal, when the real deal was flame grilled, when the onions weren't rushed, and frankly, when someone else was doing the work. I love cooking, sure, but I also like indulging in someone else's great cooking when I can, too. What's more, my wine selection most assuredly pales in comparison to my Calabrian friend's; so much so that I (sadly) took a pass on the wine completely tonight.


The verdict


Don't get me wrong; this was a solid effort, and a really tasty dinner. I hit the onions with just a bit too much salt, but it didn't break things. I also know my audience, so I kept the cheese layer a notch below what I would have liked. We did end up finishing off a few leftover side dishes with this, so in spite of my statement about keeping things fresh, I was only partially successful on that front. 


I am glad the skillet made an appearance tonight. I've not used it nearly enough lately, and I do adore mine. It isn't easy to find one with so amazingly smooth a surface any more, so I will keep mine going as long as humanly possible. I look forward to passing it down to the next generation. I really don't think a kitchen is complete without at least one of these around.


Ultimately, I think I just want to visit NC again about now, pull up a seat at the bar, share a glass of wine with my old friend, talk about old times, and sink my teeth into the dish that inspired me. 

Sliders

Tonight was a pretty simple night for dinner. While shopping last weekend, my wife spotted some slider buns, and we decided at some point during the week that would be our dinner. I was glad to oblige her craving, as it is a rare day that I pass up a chance to eat a burger. I did want to add a bit of zing to the meal, however. Blending shredded cheddar right into the burger is an old trick, and I was glad to use it. But that still left me with a pretty basic burger. I opted to make a quick garlic-heavy mayo to spread on the buns. Simple stuff - egg yolk, oil, etc., but we love our garlic in our house, so I did not hold back one bit. Besides, my arms were stiff, and the workout with the whisk did me some good.


I made a potato salad as well. They were selling modest-sized bags of small red & white potatoes this past week, and I am glad I grabbed some. The salad, too, was pretty basic. I've been using  Hellmann's olive oil mayonnaise lately, and simply love it.* A bit of yellow mustard, some chopped up dill pickle, salt and pepper... and our old standby - crumbled bacon. I've mentioned in a previous post that we keep a bag of Costco (Kirkland) brand  crumbled, pre-cooked bacon on hand at all times. It really added a nice touch to the salad. 


The verdict


Some plain old green beans on the side made this feel more like a summer cookout than a late-winter meal. The potato salad meet my wife's most important criterion for a good side dish - "not too mayo-ey." I loved the bacon in the mix. I don't make potato salad quite the same way every time, and I definitely don't always add the bacon.  


The burgers were juicy, perfectly cooked, and I swear, they were doing something unspeakable on the bun with that garlic mayo, because I felt just a bit naughty after I ate this meal, like I was some kind of voyeur to a culinary hook-up. The garlic is still dancing around on my palate, and I look forward to that hint of goodness the rest of the night. My only regret is that I made the darn burgers just a little thicker than I would have cared for. I was counting on more - uh - shrinkage, but the meat was leaner than I'd thought it would be.


The real bonus I sometimes get at dinner time, of course, is when I get my daughter to agree to help me cook. Tonight, she helped make the burgers, and put the potatoes into the pot (before they went onto the stove, of course). We haven't gotten her to eat a burger yet, but we did convince her yesterday that hot dogs were ok, so she did have one of those tonight. At least she was adding to the summer cookout vibe. It's been a challenge getting her to branch out. I convinced her to try a potato, and I think having her "help cook" them may have been key (although bribery helps). Of course, if what I thought helped her overcome her recent fussiness with eating, we would be past that stage already...


* - I might also note that I grew up eating only Hellmann's when I did eat mayo. As a kid, that was rare. There's a story behind why, but that's another day...

Pan-seared Goat and Lamb Chops

I'm back. I was away from the blog, and for some stretch of time, my kitchen as well. I'm sure I'll find the time and the right words to write about why in the future, but for now, I will keep my focus on tonight's dinner.


I'm not usually one for keeping things all that long in the freezer, but at the end of last farmers' market season, we purchased some frozen goat chops, and I have not had the chance to cook them until today. The goat came from Mint Creek Farm, and even though I'd had it frozen this whole winter, it was still amazing. Since I had just 4 rack chops to work with, I picked up some lamb this weekend at the local Dominick's grocery store, just to be sure I kept plenty of protein on the table. Although we had some warm weather again in Chicago today, I was not ready to brave the strong winds for grilling. And frankly, I had something better in mind anyway.


I pan-seared the chops in some butter, with a simple sprinkling of kosher salt, pepper, and a bit of oregano. Once seared, I quickly sauteed a couple of larger shallots in the remaining butter and pan drippings, deglazed with the wine I was serving, reduced somewhat, and then thickened  with a bit of au jus and corn starch I had on hand. I did not smother the succulent meat, but rather served the shallots on the side. No need to bury good meat, even if the sauce is delicious.


I got lazy with the veggies, and served up some microwave-in-the-bag asparagus. I just don't feel guilty about such indulgences, as it is not easy getting dinner on the table in about 35-40 minutes on a weeknight, especially after a challenging work day. I was equally lazy, but more inventive, with my starch. I added a bit of goat cheese, crushed pistachios, and raisins to some rice (again, with just a dash of salt, pepper, and oregano). It was incredibly easy to put together, and may become a recurring side dish in our house after tonight.


The verdict


The lamb was pedestrian, I felt. Tasty, yes, but unremarkable. Even though the goat had been frozen for months, it still tasted fresher than the lamb. Had the lamb been the only thing on the table, I would have been disappointed in the meal, frankly. But the goat was succulent, perfectly cooked, tender, and my wife and I were both licking our fingers and gnawing on the last bits of meat clinging to the bones. The shallot/wine reduction was an excellent complement for both meats, but the simplicity of the meat (specifically, the goat) would have been more than acceptable. 


The rice was a huge hit, and I don't know how I managed to leave the table without a more gluttonous rendezvous with that dish. Crushing the pistachios was the right call, as it kept the consistency just right. Had I left the nuts whole, I think some of the joy would have faded in the excessive chewing. The goat cheese was a perfectly logical marriage with the main course, and blended well with the sweetness of the raisins.


The wine was fairly good, although I was hoping for a bit bigger flavor. But my choice was based in part on the fact that I'm still not indulging in much wine as my wife nears her due date for our second child; I just grabbed something that looked passable with less thought than I would like to admit. It did extremely well in the sauce, however. I've not had much Côtes-du-Rhône in recent times, but this one was in on hand and ready to go, so it fit the bill well enough.


I can't wait for the Andersonville Farmers' Market to return so I can get my hands on more goodies, and this meal reminded my of why I love it so darn much. For our family, urban life makes us appreciate the fruits of the land and the labors behind them all the more, and such markets give us a few hours a month to come at least a little closer to our food sources. It makes it feel worthwhile to spend the extra money to know that we are helping keep smaller food producers viable, and I can't wait to put more goat dishes on the table this summer as we do our part, as the consumers, to keep such organic, smaller-scale producers in the game.

Dr. Pepper Glazed Cornish Hen

Last weekend, my wife took me up on my challenge for her to adapt a brownie recipe to include Dr. Pepper. While I do most of the cooking, she does most of the baking that happens in our house. In addition to the brownie itself, she prepared a Dr. Pepper frosting to top the treat. They were delicious, and they inspired me to challenge myself to include Dr. Pepper in a main course in some way. The result; Dr. Pepper Glazed Cornish Hen.


Cornish hens are rather fun to cook. They don't take terribly long in the oven, given the smaller size, and they work quite well when cooking for just two people. I made a pair of them, so we do have one leftover for another meal. These birds seemed like a good vehicle for the experiment, as they are not especially bold on their own in terms of flavor.


I started out by reducing the Dr. Pepper a fair bit. The flavor darkened up some, but still clearly tasted like Dr. Pepper. I added a 6-ounce can of tomato paste to the reduced Dr. Pepper, and crushed in some rosemary, as well as a small bit of salt. A bit more reduction, and I was ready for the next step in the process. Well, mostly ready...


One challenge I've faced lately in my kitchen has been that many of my utensils simply cannot be found when I need them. Our daughter loves to pretend-cook, and it delights me to no end to watch her concoct her batches of "strawberry soup, blueberry soup, pancakes, eggs, and spaghetti and meatballs." In fact, I may have to try to make some kind of strawberry or blueberry soup at some point, just to see what her imaginary food would actually taste like. That said, I really missed having my silicone brush tonight. It is surely sitting in a bowl somewhere with a small heap of her toys, and it is Friday after all; there's no telling where it could have gone during this past week. I had to resort to slowly pouring the glaze over the birds.


I used about half of the glaze in this simple form and popped the hens into the oven. I also baked some potatoes while I was at it; a quick starch, and a nice plain side so the poultry could remain center-stage. Shortly before serving dinner, I returned to the remaining glaze, and, well, doctored it up. The tomato paste had managed to dilute much of the sweetness in the Dr. Pepper, so I decided to bring some of the soda flavor back to the forefront. I added some honey, a small bit of salt and pepper, a generous dash of hot sauce (Louisiana-style, for what it's worth), and some apple cider vinegar. Essentially, it became a Dr. Pepper barbecue/dipping sauce, and we did some generous dipping, I can assure you.


Again, in the interest of letting the hen truly stand as a main course, I kept the veggie simple, and opted for some green beans. In all, cook and prep time brought this meal to the table in just over an hour and a half. It made for a satisfying end of the work week and kickoff to the weekend (no pun intended; I just remembered the Super Bowl is coming up on Sunday - GO GIANTS).


The verdict


I most definitely plan to make something like this again, and while I enjoyed the Cornish hen angle, I think the Dr. Pepper flavor is better suited to a nice pork loin. Next time, I'm going that route. The Dr. Pepper flavor was clearly present, but subtle. It probably would have been lost without the addition of the salt and honey. Who knows what they put into that tasty soda; all I know is that it makes a nice base for a different take on a barbecue sauce. I wanted to just start drinking the sauce right out of the serving dish.


I also don't know that I would pair up any particular wine with this dish. Sure, there are plenty that would work, but I'm inclined to consider serving this with either a fine bourbon (on the rocks, please), or some kind of Dr. Pepper-based cocktail. If anyone has some good suggestions for mixed drinks involving Dr. Pepper, please share them.


I was pleased with my choices for rather plain veg and starch. I think I might try some snow pea pods sauteed in olive oil with garlic when I make this with pork. Maybe. But the simple baked potato was definitely a keeper. Perhaps a smattering of goat cheese with diced dried cherries or cranberries over the potato when I make the pork will be in order. We'll see.


We are looking forward to the repeat of this meal tomorrow, and I'm declaring this one a success, even though I do plan to take the idea a different direction in the future. I'm also already thinking about some other non-traditional ingredients as possible launch points. If you care to make a suggestion, I'll gladly accept the challenge, assuming it is reasonable. Part of the joy of cooking is seeing if what you imagine a dish will taste like in any way resembles the end result. This one did.