Chicken in the (Crock) Pot

One of our favorites.  Chicken is moist and falls off the bone.  Lots off rich juices and schmaltz for making matzoh balls and soup from the leftovers.  Simple.

20 years old and still cooking.

Carrots("baby")

Onions (quartered)

Garlic (whole cloves, smashed to peel)
Potatoes (well scrubbed, in large chunks)
Celery (cut to the size of "baby" carrots)
1 Whole Chicken
salt, pepper, herbs

Bill's version: veggies on top.

Put vegetables in the slow cooker, place chicken on top. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper as desired. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours, high 8-10 hours.

It's 3 AM and Bill's making Ratatouille

Seriously.  It's approximately 86 degrees in the apartment.  I'm being kind of stubborn about the air conditioning.  It's expensive and consumes a great deal of resources.  It wasn't that bad today, with fans going and windows open.   And we hit the city pool in the evening (thank you Robert Moses).    For dinner, I made no cook wraps: mesquite turkey, pepper jack, red and green leaf lettuce, Bill's pesto on Trader Joe's habanero lime tortillas and my favorite Polar Orange Dry soda.

It's been a bit unbearable though.  I'm feeling exhausted and utterly depleted this summer.  Natsubate is the Japanese term for "summer lethargy."  I didn't even photograph that sexy vegetable share on Thursday.  It is a gorgeous haul:  basil, beets, green beans, dandelion greens, lettuce, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, spring onions, tomatoes (cherry and 1 beefsteak), peaches, chard.

Tomorrow is going to be 100 degrees or something.  In order to avoid heating up the apartment during the day when things are at their worst, I usually do any cooking early in the morning.  For example, it's the perfect time to cook up a batch of yogurt or boil pasta for a salad.  Bill is a night owl.  He likes to cook late at night, and many times I have awakened to the whirr of the food processor as he whips up a batch of pesto at an ungodly hour.

Right now the house smells heavenly.  The kitchen fans is exhausting all of the loveliness into the courtyard, where I am sure it is causing my neighbors to salivate in their sleep.

I have given up though.  I am retreating to the bedroom.  I'm going to turn on the a/c and try to get some sleep, assured that I will be enjoying some variant of ratatouille for breakfast.

Bill's Midnight Summer Stew
olive oil
onions
garlic
zucchini
yellow squash
green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths
carrots, peeled and sliced
tomatoes
basil

Saute the vegetables, then cover and stew for a few minutes until everything is cooked to your liking.  Eat hot or cold, with pasta or rice, on toast (bruschetta), rolled in a tortilla or straight out of the fridge with a spoon.  Make a very large batch and eat it for days.

Pattypan Masala

It was a hot and swampy night, with the fog rolling in from the harbor.  Her name was Pan, Patty Pan, and she wore her dark green cloak like a second skin, and her perfume filled the air with the exotic scents of India.

Pattypan Masala with Rice and Naan

2 C basmati rice
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 t garam masala
1 large pattypan squash
2 large carrots, large dice
1/4 C water
14oz can of diced tomatoes
1 T brown sugar
salt to taste
4 pieces of masala naan, toasted

Cook rice using a rice cooker or your preferred method.  Heat a large pot.  Add olive oil and butter.  When melted, add onion and saute until golden.  Add garlic and garam masala to and continue to cook until you smell the garlic and spices.  Add squash and carrots and stir until coated with aromatics and oil.  Add water, stirring to scrape up the bits from the pan.  Add tomatoes and brown sugar.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Turn off heat and let stand to finish cooking, until ready to serve.  You may serve this at room temperature or reheat if desired.

To Serve:
Gently pack rice into a custard cup and unmold onto a plate.  Surround rice with squash and naan.


Cucumber Lhassi
1 1/2 C yogurt
1 large cucumber, trimmed and cut in chunks
salt to taste (start with 1/4 tsp)

Blend everything on high speed in a blender.  Serve over ice.

The Verdict
It was delicious, spicy and had a bit of heat.  The squash is similar to eggplant texture, but a bit more firm. The garam masala spice blend was purchased at an Indian grocery, and the masala naan from Sahadis, one of the best things about living in Brooklyn.

Dish Bitch
knife
cutting board
pot with lid
wooden spoon
rice paddle
rice cooker
custard cup (to mold rice)
blender

Tortilla Bake

I made this for dinner last night.  It was simple, included ingredients that needed to be used, and flavors that Bill enjoys.  I was able to sneak a bunch of mizuna into the filling.

Tortilla Bake

2 T olive oil

1 bunch of mizuna, washed and cut in 2" pieces
2 C cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
12  six inch corn tortillas
1 (16) oz jar of hot salsa
1/4 C water
16 slices pepper jack cheese, (about 1/4 lb) thinly sliced from the deli
2 tomatoes, sliced
sugar
salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 T olive oil, and saute mizuna until wilted.  Stir in chicken and cook just until it's heated through. 

Pour 1T olive oil into 13x9 baking dish.  Use a tortilla to coat the dish with oil.  Arrange 6 tortillas on the bottom of the pan.  Top with the kale-chicken mixture plus any juices from the pan.  Pour salsa on top of the chicken mixture.  Rinse the salsa jar with 1/4 C water and pour over the salsa.  Top with 8 slices of cheese and remaining tortillas.  At this point, you can refrigerate it for a couple of hours or overnight, if you wish.

Arrange tomato slices on top of the tortillas.  Sprinkle with salt and sugar.  Bake 25 minutes, then remove from the oven.  Place 8 remaining slices of cheese on tomatoes, and return to oven until bubbling and the top looks golden with brown spots.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The Verdict
Bill really liked it.  It's totally guy food- cheesy and spicy.  I was happy with it because it was easy, relatively healthy and tasted great.  I used a modest amount of cheese, and it still had that statisfying gooey cheesy-ness.  I will definitely buy the cheese from the deli counter again.  The price was competitive, and the slices were paper thin.  The tomatoes sprinkled with salt and sugar were an impressive topper.  I will make this again. 

Dish Bitch
knife
cutting board
skillet
baking dish
wooden spoon
spatula to serve

Lion Heads

Lion Heads is a Cantonese dish comprised of ground pork and cabbage.  The ground pork is shaped into large balls and cooked with shredded cabbage, which resembles a lion's mane.  This version is something I came up with over the winter, after reading a few different recipes. 

The first time I made this, I used a bag of shredded coleslaw mix, which was on sale, at a price that made it cheaper pound for pound than whole cabbage. I highly recommend that route if you are in a hurry. 

Lion Heads

Lion Head Meatballs (Chinese Style Meatballs with Cabbage)
1 lb bok choy, chopped
1 lb teriyaki meatballs (Aidell's Teriyaki & Pineapple Chicken Meatballs)
1/4 C dried shiitake mushrooms
1 piece kombu (seaweed)
2 C water
4T soy sauce
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 T cornstarch
1 T water
1 t sesame oil (opt)
accompaniments: chopped scallions or sesame seeds, chili garlic sauce, rice

Place mushrooms, kombu and 1 C water in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Layer 1/2 of the bok choy, meatballs, and remaining bok choy in the slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Pour over cabbage. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Stirring occasionally.  Four generous servings.

Faster Version: Use 2 C chicken broth for the mushrooms, kombu and water, and 1 bag of coleslaw mix for the bok choy.  The night before you want to serve this, combine the remaining sauce ingredients with the broth in a jar and give it a good shake. In the morning empty the bag of cabbage into the cooker, toss the (still frozen if you wish) meatballs on top and pour the sauce over all.

The Verdict
This is a favorite in our house.  Next time I will chop the bok choy more finely.  While rummaging through the pantry, I found a package of slow cooker liners.  I can't recall from whence they came, but I have to say, clean up was much quicker.  

The Dish Bitch
knife
cutting board
crockpot (used a cooking bag so it was easy)
half pint jar for measuring and mixing
wooden spoon

Baked Jambalaya (Baking Week #11)

Bill loves Jambalaya and I make it regularly.  I'm a little bored with the process, so I've been experimenting.  Making stock from scratch has been part of the new routine, but it takes advance planning and time.  Tonight I wanted to make something that didn't need much tending.  I had all of the ingredients for Jambalaya and some leftover cooked brown rice, so I decided to try making it casserole style in the oven. 

6 skinless chicken thighs
5 links chicken andouille sausage
4 salt packed anchovies, spines and skin removed, rinsed well
olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1 - 2 T Creole seasoning
15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles (from Trader Joes)
3 C cooked brown rice

Toss the chicken, andouille, anchovies, onion, pepper and olive oil together in a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Spread out in an even layer, and sprinkle with Creole seasoning.  Poke each sausage link 3-4 times.  Bake 20 minutes, then pour tomatoes and a bit of water over all, and return to oven x15 minutes.  Stir in the  cooked rice and a little water if it seems dry.  Bake until heated through.

Verdict
This came out surprisingly good.  It was drier than stovetop jambalaya, and the meats had nice golden brown crust.  The tomatoes with chiles combined with Creole seasoning made for a spicy dish with depth of flavor. 

I used salt packed anchovies which are fussy.  You have to remove the spine and skin and rinse them to remove some of the salt.  You can use Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, oil packed anchovies or green olives instead.

The Dish Bitch :)
knife
cutting board
1 13 x 9 baking dish
wooden spoon
container from the cooked rice

Artichoke Frittata

Barnacle Bill and I LOVE artichokes.  It is one of the very few vegetables that we will buy, regardless of origins.  Seriously, we are artichoke addicts.  One year, just after Thanksgiving, we bought a case of artichokes.  The price was right, around $10 for 30 artichokes. We cleaned, steamed, marinated and froze them.  It was a satisfying project that kept us happily feasting on 'chokes through the winter.

A couple of years ago we went to California in November. We ate artichokes to our hearts content: in soup, in bread, in salads. For breakfast the day we left the Central Coast, we had artichoke omelets at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, CA. They were amazing: a tender crepelike omelets folded around a pile of sliced al dente artichoke hearts and mozzarella cheese.

This week we went a little crazy.  On Wednesday, we bought 4 normal artichokes.  On Thursday, during a rare stop at Whole Foods, we were tempted by 2 lovely long stemmed King artichokes.  I will ask Bill to take a photo: my photography skills will not do them justice.

Anyway, inspired by the memory of a great vacation, Swapbot Baking and a fridge full of beautiful 'chokes, I made frittata for breakfast.

Arichoke Frittata

4 large artichokes
1 lemon
salt

4 eggs
2 oz cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoonful chopped garlic
salt and pepper

Up to five days in advance:
Trim the tops of the artichokes, and peel the stems with a vegetable peeler.  Place them upside down in a in a pressure cooker on and squeeze lemon juice over all.  Sprinkle with salt, and add water to cover the tops of the 'chokes.  Bring pressure cooker up to full pressure, and cook 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool naturally.  Place in a container and store for up to 5 days.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Clean the artichokes by pulling off the outer leaves, and removing the choke.  Slice the hearts and stems. Heat a cast iron skillet on the stove.  Whisk eggs, salt and garlic in a bowl, gently fold in 'chokes and cheddar.  When the skillet is hot, add oil, then add egg mixture to the skillet in the oven.  Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until the frittata is puffed and brown.

What I Learned
The pressure cooker is an excellent way to cook artichokes.  It is energy efficient and much quicker than boiling or steaming.  Using a crockpot is also a timesaver.  Prep as you would for the pressure cooker, but put in your crockpot on high for 4 hours.   The outer leaves will retain a little bit of artichoke heart: save them to serve with dip.

Asparagus Bake

For Swapbot Baking Week #4 I made Asparagus with Couscous and Blue Cheese.  I was inspired by a recipe for Slow Cooked Asparagus in the New York Times.  It's an interesting recipe, wrapping the aspargus in parchment paper, baking in a 200 degree oven and making the couscous separately.  I'm tired and didn't feel like fussing, so I made up my own version using parsley, scallions and asparagus from the farmer's market.

Asparagus with Couscous and Blue Cheese

1 C couscous
4 scallions, sliced
1 bunch asparagus, in 1" pieces
1 t salt
pepper
1/2 C water
juice of 1 lemon
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
olive oil

Combine couscous through pepper in an 8" square pan. Pour water and lemon juice over all.  Top with blue cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.  Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.

What I Learned
This was pretty tasty, although the blue cheese was a bit overpowering and the couscous needed a bit more flavor.  I would make it with feta, parmesan or romano and use chicken broth instead of water next time.  A few sundried tomatoes would be nice.  Visually, the dish could be improved by laying whole asparagus on top of the couscous instead of slicing into pieces.

The Dish Bitch: Low
1 8" square pan
knife
cutting board
wooden spoon

Six Minute Chocolate Cake

As you may recall, I've been participating in 52 Weeks of Baking Swap on Swapbot.  I'm really enjoying this swap!  It's a great opportunity to sort through the pile of 'to try' recipes.  I've been intrigued by this recipe for chocolate cake.   It's vegan, thrifty, and made with ingredients that most people have in their pantry.  For those of you who share my dislike of dirty dishes: YOU MIX IT RIGHT IN THE PAN!  The recipe and my evaluation are below.

The recipe is included in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home by Mollie Katzen, who credits a 1976 "House and Garden" magazine as the source.

Six Minute Chocolate Cake
CAKE
1 1/2 C unbleached white flour
1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C cold water or coffee
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 T vinegar

GLAZE (optional)
1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate
3/4 C hot water, milk, or half and half
1/2 t pure vanilla extract    

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

    Sift together the dry ingredients directly into an ungreased 8" square or 9" round baking pan.  In a 2 C measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, water or coffee and vanilla.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork or a small whisk.  When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly.  There will be pale swirls in the batter where the baking soda and the vinegar are reacting.  Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Set the cake aside to cool, and if you choose to make the glaze, reset the oven to 300 degrees.

    For the glaze, melt the chocolate in a small ovenproof bowl or heavy skillet in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Stir the hot liquid and the vanilla into the chocolate until smooth.  Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake.  Refrigerate the cooled cake for 30 minutes before serving.

What I learned:

Instead of sifting, I whisked the dry ingredients together in the pan. It worked well. Just be gentle or you will have a cloud of flour. The batter came together easily. The weirdest thing was the yellowish streaks from the vinegar and baking soda reacting. It looked strange but posed no difficulties. The cake rose evenly in the oven, and kept it's nice high crown even though I accidentally slammed the oven door.

I did not make the glaze, although recipe is included below. The recipe suggests dusting with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or your favorite frosting and to serve with whipped cream, ice cream, fresh fruit, or orange compote.

I am totally pleased with this recipe. It's a simple and elegant chocolate cake with a firm yet tender texture. It was delicious plain. Glazed or served with any of the above suggestions will make a fine choice for company. I plan to stock the pantry with bittersweet chocolate for the next time.

DISH Bitch: LOW
8" cake pan
2 C liquid measuring cup
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
whisk
thin bladed spatula to help release the cake from the pan

Pantry Macaroni and Peas

Barnacle Bill is working late tonight so I made an old favorite for dinner: Macaroni and Peas.  It is inspired by peas my grandmother made every Thanksgiving.  She cooked canned peas with onion and oregano.  They came out mushy and delicious.   This is total comfort food. 

1 T olive oil
1 med onion chopped
1 can sweet peas
1/2 lb ditalini
1/2 t dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
grated locatelli romano cheese

Saute onion in the olive oil until soft and golden.  Add the peas with the liquid, and 1 can full of water.  Bring to a boil.  Add the ditalini, and stir well.  Let it simmer, stirring frequently.  If it seems very dry, you can add a bit more water.  When the macaroni is halfway cooked, and there is little liquid left, stir, turn off the flame and cover the pot.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Stir the pot, then serve with grated romano cheese.

Upside Down Cauliflower Au Gratin

There was a beautiful head of cauliflower in last week's share. I planned to roast it with olive oil, lemon and salt, then dust with parmesan before serving, but the weather was uncooperative. I simply refuse to turn on the oven on a blistering hot day. What to do? Use the rice cooker, my loyal kitchen companion.....

butter
1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed and chopped
1 cauliflower, cut in small pieces
1/4 C water
4 T cream
2 oz gruyere, grated (Roth Kase Private Reserve)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter in the pot of the cooker. Add garlic, and let cook while you cut the cauliflower into small pieces. Add cauliflower, stirring to coat with butter and garlic. Add a pinch of salt. Let saute a few minutes, then add water and cover. Let steam a few minutes, checking for tenderness of the cauliflower. When it is still a bit al dente, add the cream, stirring. Let cook a moment while you grate the cheese, then add to the pot. Set the lid ajar, to let some moisture escape, and cook until the pot shuts off on its own. You will be surprised to find it nicely browned on the bottom. As you serve it, try to turn it over to show off the golden brown deliciousness....

Comfort food

Thursday's Meals

Potato and Egg Hero Redux
When I was a kid, my dad took my brother and I fishing. Sometimes we'd fish from a very small boat, sometimes from the beach. On early mornings, we'd stop at the local deli and buy a potato and egg hero to share. It was huge, made with an entire loaf of bread, and delicious.

1 tsp each butter and olive oil
2 fingerling potatoes, finely diced
1 large green onion, thinly sliced
1 small garlic scape, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 slices cheddar cheese
1 large pita, split into two very thin rounds

Over medium high flame, heat butter and olive oil in a small cast iron pan. Add onions, garlic and potatoes, add a pinch of salt, then cook until golden brown. Pour eggs over vegetables in pan, and lower heat to medium. Sprinkle with black pepper, cover and let cook a few minutes until set is set. place 1 slice of cheese to top of eggs, and place pita half on top. Flip out of pan onto cutting board, pita side down. Top with the remaining slice of cheese and pita. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut in half and pack in wax paper bags to go. Serves 2.

THE DISH REPORT
cutting board
knife
bowl
frying pan
spatula

LUNCH
Rice Cooker Jambalaya
olive oil
2 small green onions, sliced
1 garlic scape, minced
1 white turnip, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 soy chorizo links, sliced diagonally
1/2 T Old Bay seasoning
3/4 C short grain brown rice
2 T tomato paste
2 1/2 C chicken broth

Turn on cooker and add olive oil. Add vegetables to rice cooker and cook until softened. Add soy-rizo slices and continue to stir/ saute until golden. Stir in Old Bay seasoning and continue to cook. Combine broth, paste and rice, stirring to dissolve tomato paste, then pour into cooker. Stir until combined. Cover and cook until the cooker finishes its cycle, stirring occasionally. Let cool and pack into bento boxes. Serves 2.

THE DISH REPORT
Knife
cutting board
wooden spoon
rice cooker bowl and lid
2 bento boxes

Enchanted Broccoli Bentos

Looks like a lush green Northeastern forest? Hm.

After some hemming and hawing over what to make for lunch, I decided to use the !russian kale! and the broccoli before it earned the !rot alert! tag. Based on Mollie Katzen's recipe, "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" from the cookbook of the same name.

1/2 T olive oil in rice cooker

1 scape, finely chopped

1 large scallion, finely sliced

Russian kale, finely chopped

broccoli stems, chopped

pinch of salt

2 T? lemon juice

spoonful of Barnacle Bill's artichoke pesto

pinch of crushed red pepper

freshly ground black pepper

3/4 C brown rice
1 1/4 C water

Turn on the rice cooker, add oil and saute scape, and chopped broccoli stems until tender. Add salt and kale, cover and steam until wilted. Add rice, and let cook a minute or two, stirring when you feel like it. Add lemon juice, BB's pesto and peppers. Stir to combine. Add water, stir again. Cover and cook until done. When the switch turns off, place broccoli florets on top of the rice, then cover to let steam.

Carefully remove florets from rice and set aside. Divide rice between two containers, smoothing the rice. Poke the florets into the rice to form the forest.. Yeah it's supposed to look like an enchanted forest.

THE DISH REPORT

cutting board

knife

4 C glass measuring cup (staging area for veggies, measure rice, water)

Rice cooker pot and lid

spoon

2 lunch containers

2 sporks for lunchboxes

LAZINESS QUOTIENT: HIGH
Few dishes, some chopping, set it and forget it.