Chardonnay Poulet

I'm not a super big fan of a classic coq au vin, but I did find something intriguing about the coq au vin blanc recipe that ran recently in The New York Times as an accompaniment to an article on Oregon Chardonnays. (That's not a run-on sentence or anything.) The idea of making the recipe with white wine and oyster mushrooms just sounded lighter and more spring-like than the more classically heavy winter dish. Flo Fab left out the pork, but c'mon, how can I not include it, especially when cooking with my partner in crime, Chad?) You can read about some of our other cooking adventures here, here, here and here.) This was one of the tastier recipes that we have made in a long time. Aside from the pain in the neck step of blanching and peeling the pearl onions (maybe you can find them frozen?) it was a pretty straightforward, uncomplicated recipe with outstanding results. (Unlike my photos.) And like last week's Mad Men season premiere, it goes quite nicely with Zou Bisou Bisou.

Coq au Vin Blanc

1 tablespoon grape-seed or canola oil
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, in 10 pieces without backbone, dried
Salt and ground white pepper
8 ounces white pearl onions, blanched 3 minutes and peeled
8 ounces pork belly, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, sliced
9 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed, clumps separated (or mixed wild mushrooms)
1 cup Chardonnay
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted or black truffle)
1 tablespoon minced tarragon

1. Heat the oil on medium-high in a 4-quart stove top casserole or sauté pan. Add the chicken, skin side down, as many pieces as fit comfortably. Cook until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper and turn to brown the other side. Remove to a platter when browned and repeat with the remaining chicken.

2. Add the pork belly to the casserole and cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove to a dish.

3. Add the pearl onions to the casserole and toss in the fat until lightly browned. Remove to a dish. Reduce the heat to low. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic, cook until softened, about 5 minutes, and then stir in the mushrooms. When the mushrooms wilt, add the wine, increase the heat to medium, bring to a simmer and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Return the chicken to the casserole with any accumulated juices, baste, cover and cook for 30 minutes, basting a few more times.

4. Remove the chicken to a platter. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the sauce and mushrooms about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Lower the heat and add the pearl onions and butter. When the butter melts, check the seasonings, return the chicken to the casserole, baste and simmer for a few minutes. Serve from the casserole or transfer to a deep platter. Scatter the tarragon on top before serving. Makes 4 servings. Serve with crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

Feeling like chicken tonight?

Helloooo Cleveland!!! First of all I'd like to send a hearty thanks to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for having free wi-fi so that I could finish this post during my 2 hour layover (except for the part where it lost connection and I lost half of this post). Why every other airport seems to charge $9.95 for wi-fi access is beyond me. Anyhoo...I have been experimenting with making something other than shrimp lately. I know, cooking chicken breasts is hardly an experiment, but making it taste like something other than the shoe leather that you typically get in caesar salads IS a challenge! It's a really good base for trying out sauces and toppings if you can keep yourself from over cooking it. (A key is bringing the chicken to room temperature first so that the inside doesn't remain cold while the outside over cooks.)

Wondering about the purple chicken above? That was my experiment with using red wine in my mushroom sauce. Typically I really like reduced red wine sauces, beurre rouge and whatnot, but the color made the chicken look...weird. So I went back to the beige sauce made with stock. And in an effort to clean out my fridge before my weekend trip, I sauteed grape tomatoes and garlic and topped it all off with feta. Pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself. It would even be good on fish. Or shrimp.



Sauteed Chicken With...

Mushrooms

2 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/3 cup chicken stock (or white wine)
1 tablespoon heavy cream



1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken breasts, add to the pan and cook, about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. (Resist the urge to move them around the pan so that you get a nice golden crust on each side.) Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. To the same skillet, add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, and stock and cook until reduced by about half. Add the cream and cook until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve. Serves 2.



Cherry Tomatoes

2 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 cup crumbled feta

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken breasts, add to the pan and cook, about 6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. (Resist the urge to move them around the pan so that you get a nice golden crust on each side.) Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. To the same skillet, add the tomatoes and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and cook stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle with additional olive oil. Spoon the tomatoes over the chicken, sprinkle with feta and serve. Serves 2.

Wintry Mix

Now that awards season is officially over and I skipped the obvious occasional party post (I won my Oscar pool at work, yo! not that we bet any actual money...) we are that much closer to Sunday night episodes of True Blood and further away from favorite meteorological catch phrases such as: Storm of the Century, Snowmageddon 2010, and the commuter arch nemesis, the Wintry Mix. In honor of the Wintry Mix, I made a salad of the typical mixed greens of winter. Now that I think about it, it's a also a really good name for a cocktail...

Aside from the greenery, I thought that some roasted mushrooms (and bacon if I had it!) would be the perfect addition. The cool thing about roasting mushrooms rather than cooking them in a skillet on top of the stove top is that you don't have to baby sit them, worry about overcrowding, or have a bunch of excess liquid leeching into your pan o' 'shrooms, creating a jacuzzi style cooking sitch. Check out the before and after:


Before


After

In a perfect world, one would roast identical mushrooms together for a specific amount of time: one pan of shitake, one pan of cremini, etc. But since I have no time for specificity, I roasted everything together and simply compensated for the larger, longer cooking mushrooms by placing them on the outside edges of the pan and by placing the smaller and more delicate in the center of the pan. It totally works.

Bacon would have been the perfect foil for this salad, but because I ate an entire package in one sitting, I just pretended that it was there, and it was magnificent. In my mind. You should try it though! (The dried cherries you might see in the photo didn't really work as a replacement.) Several cheeses would work in this salad, so I am giving you the option to choose your fave. Isn't that nice of me??



Wintry Mix(ed) Green Salad With Roasted Mushrooms

Roasted Mushrooms:
1 1/2 pounds wild mushrooms (such as shitake, oyster, cremini, chanterelle)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 - 6 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium Belgian endive, chopped
1 medium head radicchio, chopped
2 ounces baby arugula
1/4 pound goat cheese, crumbled (or Gorgonzola or Parmesan)
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
Cooked bacon, crumbled, as desired

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Remove stems from the mushrooms. Wipe the caps clean. Add the mushrooms to a baking sheet and toss with the oil and thyme and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place particularly large mushrooms to the outside edge of the baking sheet. Roast for 7 minutes, rotate the pan and roast for about 8 minutes more. Remove from the oven to cool.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add the endive, radicchio, and arugula to the dressing and toss to coat. Plate the salad and sprinkle the cheese, nuts, and bacon over the top. Serve with freshly ground black pepper. Serves about 2.

Pot Head

WARNING: This recipe requires you to use every pot and pan that you own.
I'm still doing dishes.

Not that that's over with, this is a delicious lasagna recipe that you should totally try! Because my clever local wine store emails me updates on weekly wine specials, I (obvs!) have to buy whatever they are selling. Last week they were promoting a pinot noir that was mentioned in the NY Times weekly tasting report on 2008 Oregon pinots. I like pinots, this one happened to be a good buy, so I decided to make the suggested pairing recipe to go along with it. I didn't realize when I was shopping for mushrooms that I would have to use 18 different pots to make it.

According to Florence Fabricant:

Like pinot noir, mushrooms are Oregon’s pride, another gift of terroir. The complex flavors in those wines and their bright acidity make them a dandy foil for a sumptuous lasagna.

Listen, this is a sumptuous lasagna and I'm glad that I made it, but honestly if I am going to destroy my kitchen for a recipe I would have hoped that it would have made double the amount in order to get the most out of my sweat equity. So, that is my suggestion to you. Double up. And then make it for someone who actually cares about mushrooms and wine pairings. Otherwise, just saute some 'shrooms, toss them with some pasta and cream, and call it a day. Two pots and you're dunzo.



Mushroom Lasagna
(Adapted from Florence Fabricant)

1/4 pound pancetta, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced
12 sage leaves, slivered
Salt and pepper
2 1/4 cups milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or black truffle butter)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 pound pasta for lasagna, preferably fresh, parboiled if dry (Pot #1)
3 ounces Grana Padano, grated
1 ounce Parmesan, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Cook the pancetta in a large skillet (Pot #2) over medium-low heat, stirring, until the fat starts to render. Increase the heat and cook a few minutes more, until the pancetta begins to brown and crisp. Transfer it to a dish (Pot #3). Add the oil to the pan along with the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until they soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sage. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan (Pot #4) until just beginning to simmer. Melt the butter (or truffle butter) over low heat in a large saucepan (Pot #5). Whisk the flour into the melted butter. Cook about 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the warm milk. Continue whisking and cooking until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 1 minute more. Season generously with salt and pepper. (Taste the sauce to make sure that it's seasoned well since it is the base of the lasagna.)

3. Cover the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish (Pot #6) with a thin layer of the sauce, then cover it with a layer of pasta. Spread with half the mushrooms, scatter half the pancetta on top, and sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Spread a third of the sauce on the cheese. Repeat the layers. Cover with the remaining pasta, spread with the remaining sauce, and scatter the remaining Grana Padano and the Parmesan on top.

4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Makes about 8 servings as a first course or 4 to 6 as a main course.

Did Somebody Say Delivery?

It might seem crazy to make homemade pizza in New York City where you can get everything from a 99 cent slice, to a quintissential NYC pie, to an artisanal pizza from one the newly annointed pizzaiolos. I decided to give it a whirl anyway because somebody (Holla, Michael!) gave me a packet of Fleischmann's "pizza crust yeast" to try (and I just might be a little cray-cray). How is it any different from regular yeast you might ask? If you care? Well, at first I assumed that it was simply a marketing ploy to get you to buy it over regular old yeast packets, until Michael pointed out that it doesn't require any rising time. You just mix it up and roll it out. In the past I've used frozen pizza dough to make pizza, so at least I didn't have to plan ahead to defrost the dough.





I made a mozzarella, tomato, and basil pizza with all-purpose flour in the dough, and a mushroom and fontina pizza (no sauce) with whole wheat flour in the dough. Both versions of the dough mixed up and rolled out easily. My conclusion about the texture, however, left a little something to be desired. In both instances my pizza crust had a slightly bready consistency, so it kind of reminded me of a cheap frozen pizza you might have last had in college. I think I just prefer a little thinner, crunchier crust. I like the idea of having these little packets on hand, but I think I like calling 1-800 pizza delivery more.



Homemade Pizza with Pizza Crust Yeast

1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup very warm water (120 to 130°F)
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 to 1 cup tomato sauce, if desired
Other toppings as desired

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and the oil. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add 1/2 cup flour to make a soft dough. The dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead* on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.

3. Pat the dough with floured hands to fill a greased pizza pan or baking sheet, or roll the dough on a floured counter to a 12-inch circle. Place on greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough.

4. Top with desired toppings and bake on the lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.

*To knead the dough, add just enough flour to the dough and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten dough and fold it toward you.Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate dough a quarter turn and repeat the "fold, push and turn" steps. Keep kneading dough until it is smooth and elastic. Use a little more flour if dough becomes too sticky, always working the flour into the ball of dough.

The Mentalist

No, sadly, this post is not about Simon Baker. But earlier this week I took a mental health day and was joined by my fabulous friends, Jen and Lisa, for an afternoon of knitting (actually...I read magazines and watched them knit). I think that I may have tricked them into coming over by tempting them with the potential of a home cooked meal, except that I just made sandwiches. (Sorry, guys!)

Like the pappardelle that I made last week, this recipe was also adapted from the Recipes for Health section in The New York Times. Since I don't have a panini grill, this is essentially a grilled cheese...with some other stuff too. The annoying thing is that you have to cook the greens and mushroom slices separately and ahead of time, but then it only takes a few minutes to actually construct and cook the sandwiches. And they're GOOD.

Heads up to everyone at work: It's going to take way more than one day for my mental health to improve. But you probably already knew that.



Mushroom, Greens and Gruyère Panini

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for cooking sandwiches
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound stemmed and washed greens (like kale or chard), coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large portobello mushroom, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup Gruyère, grated
1 ounce goat cheese
4 slices whole grain bread

1. Heat one tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the greens and toss in the hot pan, just until lightly coated with oil. Cook until the greens are tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Preheat a griddle or grill pan. Brush both sides of the mushroom slices with the remaining one tablespoon oil, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Sprinkle half of the Gruyère over two of the bread slices and top with the mushroom slices. Next, pile half of the greens on top and press down. Sprinkle the greens with the remaining Gruyère. Spread the goat cheese on the remaining two slices of bread and place, cheese side down, over the greens and Gruyère.

4. Brush the outside of the sandwich with a little olive oil. Place on a griddle (or grill pan or panini maker or nonstick saute pan) and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until the cheese has melted and the bread is toasty. Makes two sandwiches.