Chicken and Shrimp Casserole

Chicken and Shrimp Casserole #1  Kids love this

2# chicken, raw breast or thighs, cut into chunks

1# med shrimp, raw but without the shell

1t olive oil

1/2 c mayonnaise

1/2 c prepared Ranch Dressing

1 onion, med dice

1 stalk of celery, med dice 

4 c prepared stuffing  (I make my own favorite, my daughter uses stove top)

Saute the onions and celery in the olive oil just until the onion is translucent. Mix together the chicken, shrimp, veggies, mayo and dressing. Pack it into a buttered/sprayed/greased casserole dish. Top with the stuffing and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. 

A couple of notes: I prefer chicken thighs because they offer better flavor. I prefer my own stuffing because the boxed stuff is too salty. This is easy to make ahead by preparing it and throwing it in the freezer or fridge. If you are starting with a frozen casserole, bake it for an hour. I serve it with a green salad.

Chicken and Shrimp Casserole #2  Kids do not love this

2# chicken thighs, cut into chunks

1# med. shrimp, cleaned

1T olive oil, 

1 onion, med dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4c Parmesan cheese

1c fresh bread crumbs

1T butter, melted

1t fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and toss it with the crumbs and the cheese. Set aside. SAute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Toss the onion mixture with the raw chicken and shrimp and the thyme. Place in buttered casserole and top with the crumb/cheese mixture. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. I serve this with pasta and a green salad.

2 Post Holiday Soups

Turkey Noodle Soup

2 Onions, med dice
2 Carrots, med dice
2 stalks of celery, med dice
1T Olive Oil
8 oz box of ditalini pasta, cooked
4 cups leftover turkey, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and Pepper
1 cup fresh herbs, chopped (Sage, oregano, basil, tarragon, rosemary, chervil, cilantro are all good        choices. Or try a mixture)
12 cups of turkey stock (This can be made from the leftover carcass or purchased in a can or carton)

Saute the vegetables in the oil in a dutch oven or soup pot. Season well with salt and pepper and de-glaze the pan with white wine. Add all of the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the turkey to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked pasta and the herbs and serve.

Ham and Bean

2 Onions, med dice

2 Carrots, med dice

2 stalks of celery, med dice

1T Olive Oil

1# dry navy beans, soaked over night 

4 cups chopped ham

1 ham bone

12 cups water

4T fresh parsley

Saute vegetables in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the ham bone and the navy beans, bring to a slow boil and cook for 11/2 hours. Remove ham bone from soup. Add chopped ham and fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Bonus: Making good stock.

Good stock does not happen with scraps. Good stock is the most important ingredient in any soup and it is not hard to make. Here is a basic stock recipe.

2 Onions

4 Carrots

4 Stalks of Celery

2T Olive Oil

5# of bones (chicken or turkey. beef is another whole recipe)

2 bay leaves

1t peppercorns

1 bouquet garni (put sprigs of rosemary, thyme, and oregano into a cheesecloth bag)

\

Rough chop all of the veg. Coat with oil and roast in a hot (450) oven until they start to blacken at the edges. Put the roasted veg and all of the rest of the ingredients in a stock pot.Add enough water to cover the bones and veg by 2-4 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, skimming the top as needed. Strain well and chill.

Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms w/ Buttermilk Biscuits

Oddly enough, I've enjoyed Brussels Sprouts since I was a kid. But until just a few years ago I had only had them boiled. Lately though I have found a whole heap of recipes that utilize them in many different ways. Here is a stew that I particularly like. The recipe is adapted from one that is used in the dining halls at Middlebury College. At home I use a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms which include chanterelle, porcini, black trumpet, and portobello. In the dining hall we use button mushrooms. Up to you. I was never much at biscuits. But recently I learned how to make a very nice one, so I'll share it here and save you from using the frozen ones.

Preheat your oven to 425

1# Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
3 strips of good bacon
1# assorted mushrooms
2 onions, medium dice
3T flour
2T butter
1/2 c red wine
3c chicken or vegetable stock
1 doz buttermilk biscuits (make them yourself, recipe follows)

Blanch and shock the Brussels Sprouts. Chop the bacon and render it in a stockpot or dutch oven. When crispy, remove the bacon and add the butter. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have rendered their liquid. Add the flour and cook roux for 3-5 minutes...a little color is a good thing. Deglaze with the wine and then add the stock. Add the Brussels Sprouts and the bacon bits and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat until the sprouts are softer and the gravy has thickened.

While the stew simmers, make these biscuits.

2c flour
1/4t baking soda
1T baking powder
1t salt
6T butter, cut into chunks
1c buttermilk

In a food processor, add the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter in chunks, it should be ice cold. Pulse a few times until the flour resembles cracker meal. Now dump in the buttermilk, turn on the processor and run it JUST UNTIL THE DOUGH STICKS TOGETHER. Not a minute more.
Dump the whole mess onto a floured board. Pat with your hands to about a half inch or so. This dough is soft and wet, so flour your hands if needed. Fold it on itself and pat it down again. Do that 3 more times. Now pat it down to about an inch or so thick. Use a cutter to make about 10 biscuits. Once you've cut all you can, pull the scraps together, pat to about an inch and cut out as many more as you can. I usually get 3 more.
Bake them on a cookie sheet, not touching for 11 minutes. This will give crispy sides that hold up better to the gravy.
The trick, I have learned, is to touch the dough as little as possible. The less you touch it, the better the biscuits taste and the more flaky they turn out.

Once the stew is done, top it with the biscuits and serve it up. Yum!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Soup is probably my favorite thing to cook. There are just so many variations. Each time I make soup, I approach the stock pot as if it were a blank canvas. Soup allows me to layer on flavor, stack sensations, and gleefully play with texture. I love soup.

I don't have a favorite soup, though I have a list of favorites. Every cuisine offers its own best soup and I enjoy favorites in each that I have encountered. Here's a black bean soup that I enjoy in the winter. The spicy heat and the heartiness of the beans are a great end to a snowy day, all warm and comfortable.....


Spicy Black Bean Soup

1# Dry Black Beans, soaked in water overnight.
2 Onions, medium dice
2 Celery stalks, medium dice
1 Each, Red and Green Bell Peppers, medium dice
2 Jalapeno peppers, small dice leaving in seeds and ribs
2 cloves Garlic, rough chop
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
8 cups beef stock*
1# Chorizo sausage, half moons
1T Cumin
1t Coriander
1T Chili powder
2T Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

In a soup pot heat the olive oil. When shimmering, add the onions, celery, peppers, and garlic and saute over med-high heat until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the stock and the beans. Simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours or until beans are soft. When the beans are soft add the tomatoes and the chorizo. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chorizo is heated through.

Serve with crispy tortilla strips, sour cream, avocado, and queso fresco (or farmers cheese)

*(Substituting vegetable stock and omitting the chorizo makes a wonderful vegan option)

Spicy Cauliflower and Peas

Yuletide approaches and I am looking forward to the fun. Unlike the commercial christmas, or the Christian Christmas, Yule is a recognition of the long night and a celebration of the return of the power of the sun. Starting at sunrise the next day, the sun begins to rise higher and linger a bit longer in the sky each day. Although the winter begins and the cold weather deepens, Yule is the celebration of the certain knowledge that the sun will, indeed, rise again. As a part of our celebration we will extinguish the hearth fire in the morning, experience the chill of a cold hearth, and relight the fire to began cooking our celebratory meal. The effectiveness of this ritual lies in the fact that we heat exclusively with wood. Putting out our hearth fire is dangerous, to an extent lesser than that of our ancestors, but still unsettling. There is great joy when the fire takes and the stove begins to warm again.

If you happen to be a pagan who is celebrating Yule, Merry Meet! Blessings on your celebration!

What do all the hippest Witches serve at Yule? Well, for me and mine, here is our menu for the evening celebration.

Spicy Cauliflower and Peas

Roasted Pork Loin w/ sage stuffing

Brussels Sprouts Salad w/ Almonds, Craisins, Bacon and Blue Cheese

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Buttermilk Biscuits

Caesar Salad

Baked Apple Dumplings

Spiced Hard Cider

Eggnog

Which recipe to share...hmmmm. Ok.

Spicy Cauliflower and Peas

1 head of Cauliflower, cut into small, flat planks

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes

1/2 c frozen peas

1 small onion, diced

2T Olive oil or Ghee

1T Garam Masala

1t chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Lightly steam the cauliflower. Heat a grill to hot. Add Olive oil or ghee and heat to just smoking. Add the cauliflower and let it start to brown. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and peas and heat through. Sprinkle generously with garam masala and salt and pepper. Serve immediately, very hot.

Blessed Yule, everyone. And a Merry Christmas.

"Unbaked" Macaroni and Cheese

Let's talk about comfort food.

Here is a recipe for macaroni and cheese that is one of y favorites. Now, depending on which side of the baked/not baked aisle you stand, you will love it or hate it. I like baked macaroni and cheese okay, but I grew up on unbaked, very creamy mac and cheese and that is ow I like it best. I also like easy. Cooking for a living means that sometimes you really don't want to cook when you get home. This is a great way to have an easy, satisfying meal with a minimum of effort. Enjoy.

Boil up a 1 lb box of macaroni. While it cooks put the following into a large glass bowl (big enough to hold everything AND the macaroni):

1/2c cream, warm or room temp

2T soft butter

1/4c each fontina, blue cheese, mild cheddar, american. All should be shredded (the american can be torn into small pieces)

1/2t salt

1/4t pepper

When the macaroni has cooked to the al dente stage (probably a minute shorter than the time listed on the box) drain it and immediately dump the macaroni into the glass bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 6-8 minutes. Uncover and stir. If the sauce is too "wet", cook briefly over medium heat until the desired consistency is reached. Serve hot.

This is an easy recipe to adapt by adding ham or vegetables or even by baking it with croutons or what have you.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Well, I'm having Beef Tips for dinner. Why? Long story short: snowstorm.
Now I'm not going to see my parents until Saturday. Bummer.

Yet I have so very much to be thankful for this year. My daughters are doing well, each involved in their interesting and productive lives. My grandkids are awesome. My wife remains the love of my life. I have a warm house and a full belly. I'm even grateful for the challenges that make me roll my eyes and huff, because they give me the opportunity to overcome.

There are so many problems facing us in this country. Hungry babies, homeless vets, war and more war, poverty of wallet and spirit. Sometimes it all seems daunting. All we can really do is pick one or two problems and focus our energy there. For me, it is reprehensible that people go hungry in this land of plenty. It makes me crazy. I donate to hunger relief organizations, both cash and food. But it all seems so impersonal. From 2009-2012 I gave away soup from my home kitchen. I would just whip up a batch on the appointed day and post it on Craigslist. Last year and the year before I didn't do the soup. Need seemed to be tapering off. But this year.....this year I've had many people ask if I would be doing soup this year. Heartbreaking.

So it is with a heavy heart, and yet a cook's excitement, that I start gearing up for making soup. This year it will be on Saturdays. The fun part is that I can make whatever moves me.....respecting my budget of course. I give away soup without question. Nobody has to "prove" that they "need" it. They just have to bring a container. I've filled cups and quarts, doesn't matter to me.

I know that it would be more financially effective to donate money. I understand the dynamics of "economies of scale". But this is my personal fight against hunger in my little neighborhood. Nobody has to fill out a form, show they have need, be referred, or have a number. They just come for soup. I feed them. We talk, sometimes. Sometimes we don't. I never ask a name, but many I know. It's a small town.

This Thanksgiving please consider donating to a hunger relief organization in your neighborhood. When the holiday has passed, pick your one thing, one area where you want to make a difference and do it.
It doesn't take a bureaucracy.
Just a pot of soup.
Peace,
Pat

I made Colcannon today, one of my favorite dishes. I'm a big fan of cabbage and who doesn't love mashed potatoes. And what's better than bacon??? More bacon!!!

Ok, so here's my recipe for Colcannon. Handed down from me great, great, blahblahblah

4-6  Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

1 onion, diced OR 1 bunch of scallions chopped

6 slices of crispy bacon

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup heavy cream

6T butter, divided

1/8th teaspoon nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Warm milk in a saucepan.

Cut the potatoes into large chunks. Boil in salted water until fork tender.

Melt 1/2 the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and cabbage until soft.

Add heavy cream and let simmer 30 minutes over slow heat. 

While the cabbage simmers, put the bacon in a processor and grind it fine. 

Scald the milk, add the butter. When the butter is melted, mash the potatoes with the butter, sour cream, and scalded milk.

When the cream has simmered to a thick sauce, add the bacon to the creamed cabbage/onion mixture. Taste and salt as needed. 

Gently fold the cabbage mixture into the mashed potatoes. Season with a dash or two of nutmeg. (Freshly grated is nice. But nobody ever died from ground nutmeg.)

Although not traditional, if I have leftover Colcannon I make it into Boxty. But that is a recipe for another day.

Peace,

Pat

Mexican Lasagna, an enchilada pie by any other name.......

I made enchilada pie, or Mexican lasagna as I call it, tonight for dinner. I like to make it up ahead of time and let it set in the fridge for an hour or so before baking it. The sauce is easy enough, you can use a can (we've ALL done it) or you can make an easy, homemade sauce. Here's the recipe for mine.

Pat's Enchilada Sauce

1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4T good olive oil
1t cumin
1t coriander
1T lemon juice
1T chili powder
1t cayenne pepper
2 (15 oz) cans of tomatoes

In a skillet (I prefer cast iron) saute the onions in the olive oil until they start to caramelize. Add the garlic, cook 3 more minutes. Add all of the seasonings and cook for 2 more minutes. Scrape into the bowl of a food processor or into a blender. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the lemon juice and the juice from the canned tomatoes. De-glaze the pan and then pour into the processor with the onion/spice mixture. Add the tomatoes and process the whole thing until smooooothe. Pour back into the skillet and simmer for 10-15 minutes until it starts to thicken.


Okay, so now for the pie. You are going to need the following ingredients:

2 cups shredded cheddar/monteray jack/ pepper jack cheese
1 pound of ground beef
1 recipe of sauce (see above)
1 recipe of Refried Beans  These are Ellie Krieger's beans....awesome!
1 package of Corn tortillas, NOT FLOUR TORTILLAS
Enough oil for frying the tortillas.

Put oil in a skillet and fry the tortillas until they are crispy and browned. Brown the ground beef, drain, and add a little of the enchilada sauce to moisten. In a casserole dish, pour enough sauce to coat the bottom of the dish. Layer tortillas until the bottom is covered. Add half the refried beans, then 1/3 the cheese. Place another layer of  tortillas on top, moisten with sauce, add the ground beef and 1/3 of cheese. Place another tortilla on top, moisten with sauce, add the remaining beans. Top with the final tortilla, cover generously with sauce and top with the remaining cheese. Put it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. The edges should bubble and the cheese should color.

I'll take a picture when it comes out of the oven.

Peace
Pat

Food Safety v. Food Defense

I'm indulging this evening. Specifically I am indulging in vodka, Crystal Head. It is nice, clean tasting just of hint of a burn. It is expensive, but it is not the most drinkable vodka I enjoy drinking. That honor goes to V One. V One is the most drinkable vodka I have ever indulged in, bar none. I wish I could find it out more. I usually end up with Grey Goose if I am out. It is a nice, if nondescript, vodka.

The thing about Crystal Head is that it is so pure, it has almost no character. Its like artisan white bread. V One, made from spelt, is similarly clean in flavor, but with bold character. It is sweet and very spicy on the tip of your tongue. Then, as it glides across the center of your palate, it is sharply alcoholic with a hint of clover honey. It lingers in the back, with a sweetness akin to longing. It is a very human vodka.

I was thinking today about food safety and food defense. Food safety is all about keeping your process for food handling well organized, articulated, and enforced. It is hand washing and cross contamination prevention and HACCP. Food safety is a process for keeping food free of unintentional contamination from harvest to consumer. Or, more specifically, from the time food enters your kitchen until the time it is consumed. Whether it is your home kitchen or a professional kitchen, the principles are the same. There are many training programs out there for food service professionals. Some, if not all, offer some sort of certification. Check with your state to find out which are accepted by your states' department of health.

But what is food defense? Food defense is concerned with keeping your food inventory safe from intentional contamination. Most of the public and private focus on food defense concerns fraudulent and adulterated products, tampered with at the company level for economic gain. There is an excellent article about it available here.

Most independent restaurants have not had to worry unless they were using the products that were being adulterated or fraudulently represented. More recently however, restaurants have had to recognize that instances of intentional contamination of food for sale to the public have become more frequent and more disturbing. YouTube videos showing employees spitting in, urinating on and otherwise intentionally contaminating food proliferate. Everything from ground glass in manufactured food to fecal matter in sandwiches. Who can forget Albert Garcia, the McDonald's employee who cost the company over $5 million when he spit and put ground glass in the food of a cop. #asshat

Restaurants are liable for the actions of their employees in many cases. Companies can face massive liability claims, especially if people get sick or even worse, die. There are things that can be done to help protect your company and customers. If you are an independent restaurant owner and are not on the premises during all business hours, you should review your policies and procedures to ensure that managers and shift leaders understand their responsibilities and duties. Be certain that employees are reading, and signing off on having read, the employee handbook which details  the policies and procedures that you have developed to prevent intentional contamination, overall food and personnel safety, and adequate supervision. Consider having potential employees undergo a background check. Hire employees that are certified in safe food handling and be sure to have existing employees trained as well. Develop a comprehensive training program which includes instruction on recognizing signs that food may have been intentionally contaminated and processes for reporting possible criminal activity anonymously.

Finally, consider hiring a foodservice consultant to help develop those programs for you. Remember, the cost of training and prevention is far less than the cost of a lawsuit.

Peace
Pat

A cook, by any other name....

Having finally completed my MBA, I am certain that my days of crying over onions and burning my fingers are almost over. As I prepare to take the world by storm, I have set up a webpage of my own, become more active on my Twitter account, cleaned up my LinkedIn profile, received appropriate certifications for teaching food safety, and became involved in Oplerno, an open learning organization where I am currently developing curriculum for a Food Service Management certificate. Obviously I am soon going to be gainfully employed teaching and training and pontificating with opinions and ideas etc. etc. etc..

I've been a cook for a very long time. Cooks share many traits. Cooks are bold, adventurous gluttons for punishment, with masochistic tendencies. Cooks are bi-lingual, speaking both Sarcasm and Bullshit fluently. Cooks are competitive. Cooks can survive on beer for many shifts. Cooks are creative, artistic and opinionated. Good line cooks are little gods. Cooks make terrible spouses, but great lovers. But above all, cooks are committed. Because you must have a reason to walk into the kitchen every day, and for most of us, it's not the money.

I cook at a college in Vermont. So I spend a decent amount of time interacting with the students. There is a program, Dulce, that turns one of the dining halls into a student run restaurant each Friday night. It is free, but you must have a ticket to get in the door. The students that cook in Dulce are just amazing. Mad creative, and so very bold. I had the chance to go a couple of weeks ago. In a subtle nod to the Vermont tradition of Sugar on Snow, the students served a Maple Ice Cream with a house made granola and a pickled radish. Delightful!

I've held every job in a restaurant except for hostess. I've washed the dishes, waited the tables, tended the bar, cooked and cooked and cooked some more. I've been the manager, the owner, the trainer, the bookkeeper, and the marketing guru. I've worked in bars, restaurants, fast food joints, casinos, ferries, production kitchens, non-profit human service programs and colleges. I've cooked steak, seafood, Italian, Mexican, hot dogs, pizza, and vegetarian meals. I've slung enough hash to fill a tanker.

I'm planning on changing course now. I want to teach others how to make their kitchens safe, efficient and profitable. I want to wear something that doesn't have my name on the breast and a sleeve patch for my thermometer. I want to move around a little, see some new sights, meet some new people, take on new responsibilities. And yet.....

I guess that even when I develop a lifestyle that has me out of the kitchen, I'll never really leave. So much of my life has been spent on the line, it's hard to imagine not doing it. But I've become excited at the idea of passing on what I've learned. I will turn 50 soon. While not old, it is certainly old enough to have developed some wisdom. And I think maybe I have. After all, while I know that a tomato is a fruit, I am wise enough not to toss it into the Ambrosia. That's got to count for something.....

Peace,
pat