Here is a sample of what I've been cooking lately, in chronological order:
Parmesan Chicken with Caesar Roasted Romaine
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 4 7-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, Pecorino, or Asiago cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
- 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped, divided
- 2 large hearts of romaine, halved lengthwise
- 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place on prepared sheet. Combine cheese, panko, 2 tablespoons oil, parsley, and 1 garlic clove in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pat panko mixture onto breasts. Roast chicken until crumbs begin to turn golden, about 10 minutes.
Drizzle romaine with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with remaining 1 chopped garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet from oven; place romaine roast right around chicken. Roast until chicken is cooked through and lettuce is browned at edges, about 5 minutes. Divide among plates. Top lettuce with anchovies; garnish with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
Thoughts:
I made a halved version of this recipe. It was pretty straightforward and quick to make, particularly since Andy was helping me along. I think the cheese and panko mixture provided a nice bit of flavoring. If I were to make this recipe again, I might dispense with the romaine and anchovy side dish in favor of a salad or other side.
Carne Adobada: Grilled Adobo-Marinated Skirt Steak
Ingredients:
For the pasilla-guajillo adobo:
- 2 ounces pasilla chiles (6), wiped clean, stemmed, slit open, seeded, and deveined
- 2 ounces guajillo chiles (8), wiped clean, stemmed, slit open, seeded, and deveined
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup light Mexican beer
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 5 whole cloves
- 2 pounds skirt steak, cut into four 8- to 9-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup pasilla-guajillo adobo (above)
- About 1 tablespoon mild olive oil or vegetable oil
Make the adobo:
Heat a comal, griddle, or heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and toast the chiles 2 or 3 at a time, turning them over and pressing down on them with tongs frequently, until the chiles are fragrant, about 1 minute per batch. Soak the chiles in enough cold water to cover until they're soft, about 30 minutes. Drain and discard the soaking water
Put the vinegar and beer in the blender jar with the chiles and the remaining adobo ingredients. Blend until smooth, at least 3 minutes, adding a little water if necessary to puree. If you like a silky, smooth texture, strain the adobo through a medium-mesh sieve. Set aside 1/2 cup of the adobo to marinate the steak, and keep the rest in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to one month.
Make the steak:
Pat the steaks dry, season them with the salt, then coat them generously with adobo. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill or grill pan and cook the steaks, 3 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare, depending on their thickness. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before slicing for tacos or serving as whole steaks.
Thoughts:
This recipe was my contribution to a latin-themed dinner night. The night before the party, I made the adobo mixture, cut up the steaks, and marinated the mixture. I ended up grilling the mixture on-site at the dinner party. I liked the flavoring, and I think the steaks meshed well with the other dishes, though I don't know it would work as a stand-alone dish.
Greek-Style Mahi Mahi
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 3 medium tomatoes (about 3/4 pound total), each cut into 8 wedges
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
- 4 (6-ounces) pieces mahimahi fillet (1 1/2 inches thick) with skin
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 3 tablespoons chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 8 very thin lemon slices
Preheat broiler.
Toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Line a broiler pan or small 4-sided sheet pan with foil or parchment paper and lightly oil foil. Put fish, skin sides down, on pan and season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Whisk together mayonnaise, feta, herbs, and lemon juice and spread over top of fish. Put 2 lemon slices (slightly overlapping) on center of each fillet. Drizzle lemon slices with remaining 2 teaspoons oil.
Broil fish 8 inches from heat until just cooked through, 14 to 16 minutes. If topping browns before fish is cooked, cover loosely with foil. Serve fish with tomatoes.
Thoughts:
I do not own a broiler, and did not realize that this recipe required a broiler until after I had already bought all of the ingredients. So, instead of broiling the fish, I cooked them with a skillet, which worked well. think these fillets turned out well, and the spread was flavorful and complemented the fish.
Hungarian Chocolate-Walnut Torte
Ingredients:
For the torte:
- 3/4 cup sugar (if using half semisweet and half sweet chocolate) or 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (if using all semisweet chocolate)
- 6 ounces fine-quality chocolate, preferably half dark sweet (sometimes labeled German’s Sweet Chocolate), and half semisweet, but all semisweet is also delicious; cut into small pieces
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 6 ounces shelled walnuts (1 3/4 to 2 cups)
- 3 tablespoons matzoh meal
- Optional accompaniments: Passover Confectioners’ Sugar (recipe below) or Chocolate Icing (recipe below); heavy cream, freshly whipped to soft drifts and barely or very lightly sweetened; or vanilla ice cream
- Optional garnish: walnut halves
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter or margarine
- 6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
Chocolate Torte:
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan with parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a heavy-bottomed 2-or 3-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Continue boiling and stirring until all the grains of sugar have completely dissolved and the mixture forms a simple syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until light and thickened, about 4 minutes. Grind the walnuts with the remaining sugar and the matzoh meal in a food processor using the pulse motion and stir into the egg yolks. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly.
Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites in another bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually fold the whites into the chocolate-walnut mixture, incorporating them gently but thoroughly so that no whites are visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffed and almost set but still a little gooey in the center. A wooden toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge should come out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. When completely cool, unmold the cake by running a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan (or release the springform); invert onto a platter. Peel off the parchment paper. Serve the torte at room temperature.
If desired, lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. For a lovely, simple presentation, place a doily or a stencil—handmade by you or, even better, your children—over the torte, then sprinkle with the sugar. Carefully remove the doily or stencil.
Or glaze with the chocolate icing. Lay long strips of wax paper or foil on a cake plate or serving platter and place the cake on top. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Using a spatula, evenly spread the glaze over the top and sides. Now, pull out and discard the paper strips or foil strips--the plate will be clean and ready for serving. If you’d like, garnish with a few walnut halves attractively placed in the center of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for about an hour to set the glaze, but bring it to room temperature before serving.
The plain or frosted torte is heavenly with generous dollops of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate Icing:
Melt the butter or margarine slowly in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. When half is melted, gradually whisk in the chocolate, stirring well as it melts. After all the chocolate has been added, stir in 2 tablespoons water and beat well until the glaze is completely smooth. Let the mixture cool about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
Thoughts:
I removed the walnuts from this recipe and also decided to forego the chocolate icing. I did place some powdered sugar on the top of the torte for decoration. Unsurprisingly, the dessert was quite rich and tasty.
I find chocolate to be a tricky, and messy, ingredient to work with, but I had better luck melting the chocolate this time than I did with my chocolate mint cookies. I also had some difficulty beating the egg whites, since I don't use an electric beater and had to beat them manually.
Chicken Breasts with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce
Ingredients (2 servings):
Mash butter, garlic, marjoram, and paprika in a small bowl to blend. Season marjoram butter to taste with salt and pepper.
Melt 1 tablespoon marjoram butter in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet, cover, and cook until no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Tent chicken with foil to keep warm.
Increase heat to high. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes. Add remaining marjoram butter to skillet. Crush tomatoes slightly to release juices; stir 1 minute. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley.
Thoughts:
While chopping and mashing the herbs took some time, this recipe was fairly simple to make, and had a good flavor. Because I had some leftover chicken when I made this meal, I made a modified version of the recipe shortly after I first tried it.
Orzo Risotto
Ingredients:
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add orzo; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in 6 cups boiling water and salt. Simmer uncovered until orzo is tender, liquid is absorbed, and risotto is creamy, stirring often, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in thyme and peel, then parsley.
Thoughts:
I was unable to get orzo for this recipe, so I used farfalle (bowtie pasta) instead.
I was surprised at the method of cooking pasta in this recipe; I'm more used to boiling the pasta, and then mixing in the sauce. But the end result was simple, tasty and creamy.
Slow-Baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme
Ingredients (4 servings):
Preheat oven to 275°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Place salmon fillets, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet. Mix remaining oil, thyme, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread thyme mixture over salmon fillets, dividing equally. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld
Bake salmon until just opaque in center, 15-18 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
Thoughts:
I made this dish for a viewing of Time Bandits, because I enjoy horrible thyme puns. The recipe was fairly simple, and I got help with Andy on the thyme mixture. The salmon was rich and flavorful.
Pepper-Crusted Steaks with Worcestershire-Glazed Portobellos
Ingredients (4 servings):
Sprinkle steaks with cracked peppercorns and coarse salt. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Melt 1/2 cup butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Stir in mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. Remove from heat.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill steaks until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plates. Top each steak with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Grill mushrooms until soft and beginning to release juices, about 3 minutes per side. Divide mushrooms among steaks and serve.
Thoughts:
The steak was simple and tasty, although I think the recipe called for way too much pepper and butter; I ended up using about 1/3 of the butter they suggested.
I really liked the mushrooms, and the Worcestershire sauce mixture that I used to flavor them with. I made a half-portion (i.e. 2 servings), and used three portobello mushrooms for the meal.
In a heavy-bottomed 2-or 3-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Continue boiling and stirring until all the grains of sugar have completely dissolved and the mixture forms a simple syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until light and thickened, about 4 minutes. Grind the walnuts with the remaining sugar and the matzoh meal in a food processor using the pulse motion and stir into the egg yolks. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly.
Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites in another bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually fold the whites into the chocolate-walnut mixture, incorporating them gently but thoroughly so that no whites are visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffed and almost set but still a little gooey in the center. A wooden toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge should come out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. When completely cool, unmold the cake by running a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan (or release the springform); invert onto a platter. Peel off the parchment paper. Serve the torte at room temperature.
If desired, lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. For a lovely, simple presentation, place a doily or a stencil—handmade by you or, even better, your children—over the torte, then sprinkle with the sugar. Carefully remove the doily or stencil.
Or glaze with the chocolate icing. Lay long strips of wax paper or foil on a cake plate or serving platter and place the cake on top. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Using a spatula, evenly spread the glaze over the top and sides. Now, pull out and discard the paper strips or foil strips--the plate will be clean and ready for serving. If you’d like, garnish with a few walnut halves attractively placed in the center of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for about an hour to set the glaze, but bring it to room temperature before serving.
The plain or frosted torte is heavenly with generous dollops of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate Icing:
Melt the butter or margarine slowly in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. When half is melted, gradually whisk in the chocolate, stirring well as it melts. After all the chocolate has been added, stir in 2 tablespoons water and beat well until the glaze is completely smooth. Let the mixture cool about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
Thoughts:
I removed the walnuts from this recipe and also decided to forego the chocolate icing. I did place some powdered sugar on the top of the torte for decoration. Unsurprisingly, the dessert was quite rich and tasty.
I find chocolate to be a tricky, and messy, ingredient to work with, but I had better luck melting the chocolate this time than I did with my chocolate mint cookies. I also had some difficulty beating the egg whites, since I don't use an electric beater and had to beat them manually.
Chicken Breasts with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce
Ingredients (2 servings):
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups mixed cherry tomatoes (11-12 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Mash butter, garlic, marjoram, and paprika in a small bowl to blend. Season marjoram butter to taste with salt and pepper.
Melt 1 tablespoon marjoram butter in a medium heavy skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet, cover, and cook until no longer pink in center, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Tent chicken with foil to keep warm.
Increase heat to high. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes. Add remaining marjoram butter to skillet. Crush tomatoes slightly to release juices; stir 1 minute. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley.
Thoughts:
While chopping and mashing the herbs took some time, this recipe was fairly simple to make, and had a good flavor. Because I had some leftover chicken when I made this meal, I made a modified version of the recipe shortly after I first tried it.
Orzo Risotto
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
- 3/4 cup minced shallots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
- 6 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
- 6 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add orzo; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in 6 cups boiling water and salt. Simmer uncovered until orzo is tender, liquid is absorbed, and risotto is creamy, stirring often, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in thyme and peel, then parsley.
Thoughts:
I was unable to get orzo for this recipe, so I used farfalle (bowtie pasta) instead.
I was surprised at the method of cooking pasta in this recipe; I'm more used to boiling the pasta, and then mixing in the sauce. But the end result was simple, tasty and creamy.
Slow-Baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 6-to 8-ounces boneless salmon fillets, skin on
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 lemon wedges (for serving)
Preheat oven to 275°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Place salmon fillets, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet. Mix remaining oil, thyme, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread thyme mixture over salmon fillets, dividing equally. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld
Bake salmon until just opaque in center, 15-18 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.
Thoughts:
I made this dish for a viewing of Time Bandits, because I enjoy horrible thyme puns. The recipe was fairly simple, and I got help with Andy on the thyme mixture. The salmon was rich and flavorful.
Pepper-Crusted Steaks with Worcestershire-Glazed Portobellos
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 4 14- to 16-ounce New York strip steaks (each about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
- 3 tablespoons black peppercorns, cracked with mallet
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
Sprinkle steaks with cracked peppercorns and coarse salt. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Melt 1/2 cup butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Stir in mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. Remove from heat.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill steaks until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to plates. Top each steak with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Grill mushrooms until soft and beginning to release juices, about 3 minutes per side. Divide mushrooms among steaks and serve.
Thoughts:
The steak was simple and tasty, although I think the recipe called for way too much pepper and butter; I ended up using about 1/3 of the butter they suggested.
I really liked the mushrooms, and the Worcestershire sauce mixture that I used to flavor them with. I made a half-portion (i.e. 2 servings), and used three portobello mushrooms for the meal.
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