Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

Chicken with Spanish Rice; How to buy 2 potatoes

I've been wanting to participate in Gay's (A Scientist in the Kitchen), Market Event, but, frankly, our markets are kind of boring up here in the Vendée.

Could be all the rain.

The markets we went to in Spain were all outdoors, taking over most of the streets and plazas in the village.

They were loud, bustling, raucous affairs, teaming with shoppers, people meeting and chatting, kids running and dogs barking

Here they are all indoors, in purpose-built pavilions.

And, being French, everything is very neatly stacked, arranged,.... Even the shoppers are 'propre'!

So rather than waxing eloquently about the wonders of my market, let me tell you about my own, somewhat slow, learning process, taking me from the giant supermarkets to the small veggie stall.

In the U.S. people buy big (Costco); here they buy small.

Even at the farmer's market I went to in Minneapolis, things were often for sale in large quantities - bushels of tomatoes, peck's of beans.

It's taken years to break myself of the 'sack of potatoes' habit when I buy food.

I'm feeding two people.  We have potatoes once or twice a week.  What am I going to do with a 10lb (5 kilo) or even a 5lb bag of potatoes?

For a long time, I just couldn't convince me that it was okay to buy in small quantities.

That it didn't say bad things about me as a person if I only wanted/needed 6 olives.

That it didn't reflect negatively on my status in the world, my disposable income, my ability to provide sustenance for my family, my capabilities as a 'femme du foyer'  (housewife) or the size of my penis (Just seeing if you're paying attention...)

At the markets here (at least in France and Spain) one does not touch the merchandise.  The vendor will pick out your fruits and vegetables for you.  You tell them what and how much you want and trust them to choose.  If it's a perishable item, like an avocado or a melon, you also tell them what day you will be eating it so they can select appropriately.  They do know their stuff, after all.

I always felt that, if they we're going to do all this work for me, I should make it worth their while, and buy lots.

Then, one hot summer afternoon in Spain, I popped into a small market to buy a bottle of water.

All I wanted was 1 bottle of water. 

I was there for 20 minutes.

There was a woman in the shop already, doing a bit of shopping.  I watched as she bought (as best as I remember):
    4 thin slices of salami, which had to be cut
    4 thin slices of ham, which had to be cut
    3 thin slices of some bologna-type sausage, which had to be cut
    8 thin slices of chorizo, which had to be cut
    4 thin slices of Manchego cheese, which had to be cut
    1/2 of a very small goat's milk cheese
    1 small wedge of a soft cheese
    1 spoonful of fromage frais
    1 chicken breast
    2 pork chops
    1 baguette
    1 avocado
    1 tomato
    a small handful of strawberries
    1/2 head of broccoli
    2 containers of yogurt

Well, you get the idea... Everything was carefully sliced, cut, weighed, and wrapped by the shop owner, with a smile and a "What else".

I would have bought a lb of some kind of cured meat, a whole chicken, a slab of cheese and a bag of oranges.

I would have ended up without nearly the variety and, probably, with lots of waste.

I still have to really force myself, and I often end up with a bit more than I intended, but I can now buy 2 potatoes, or 3 apples, or 8 strawberries, or 6 olives....

The biggest challenge in cooking for one or two or three, is not the cooking; it's the shopping!

And the planning to use up all the odd bits....

Here 's my last cool weather dish for those of you still waiting for spring - or anticipating winter - in memory of the lesson learned in that little shop in the village.

Chicken Breasts with Spanish Rice

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 onion
1/3 green bell pepper
1/3 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup brown rice
1 can whole tomatoes, 15 oz (450gr)
1/4 - 3/4 cup chicken stock or water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs olive oil

Chop onion and peppers. Mince garlic. Cut chicken breasts in half.  Heat oil in deep skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes each. Remove to a plate. Add chili powder, onion, pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Open tomatoes and drain liquid into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes and drain again. Add drained tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and rice to pan. Measure the drained liquid and add enough water or chicken stock to equal 1 cup (or however much liquid your rice package calls for). Pour this over the rice/vegetables in the skillet and stir well to combine. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the rice and cover. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until rice is done. Mine took 20 minutes - check rice package. Stir occasionally while cooking. When done, serve - either from the pan or arrange nicely on a platter.

Check out all the markets at A Scientist in the Kitchen right after the end of May.

Confit de Canard = Cassoulet Risotto; Duck Fat Rules!

Step aside, Emeril.

Pork fat does not rule. Duck fat rules.

It also oozes and drips and runs; gets all over just about everything and causes copious amounts of drooling from the girls dogs.

But it's what's under all the luscious duck fat that gets my little heart pumping.

Isn't it strange?  Of all the canned foods that I avoid like the plague, the one I always have in my kitchen is canned duck?

Confit de canard.

A staple in any proper French kitchen....  At least, on this side of France....

Traditionally, this is one of the main ingredients in cassoulet.  In fact, in addition to selling the confit, Reflets de France also sells the complete Cassoulet, albeit in a much, much larger can.  (This one is about 8" (10cm) across)

I have never made a proper, traditional cassoulet.  Done correctly, it takes about 3 days of cooking and feeds a small army.  When I decide to make it I want to do a proper job, but I'm not going to miss out on the duck in the meantime.

So I invented the bastard child of Cassoulet and Risotto; the result of a clandestine meeting of the cuisines of France and Italy.

It's shows only a passing resemblance to the first and has way to much 'stuff' in it to be a proper second. 

I have, on other occasions, just added more rice to feed more people and it was still wonderful. 

But we are only two, and sacrifices must be made.  Shucky-Darn!

Risotto with Confit de Canard and Cannellini.

1 cup Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto - Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
1/2 cup dry, white wine
3 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 onion
2 carrots
15oz (450gr) white beans
2 cuisse de canard (duck thighs and legs)
1 tbs butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - freshly grated

Heat chicken stock and keep hot over low heat. Remove duck meat from bones and tear into chunks.  Open, drain and rinse beans. Chop onion and carrot.  Grate the cheese.
In a medium sauce pan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot, sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add rice and sauté, stirring, for 1 - 2 minutes until rice has white center. Add white wine and stir. When wine is almost absorbed add a 1/2 cup of stock and stir. (No need to stir constantly but do stir from time to time.) When stock is almost absorbed add another 1/2 cup and continue adding 1/2 cup at a time and stirring. Before the last 1/2 cup taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just 'al dente' - slightly resistant to the tooth but fully cooked. Stir in duck and beans and add more stock if needed, 1/4 cup at a time.  At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff - there will still be visible liquid and it will not hold it's shape on a plate. Add the Parmesan, stir well, pour into a bowl or risotto platter and serve immediately. It will continue to absorb liquid and by the time it's on your plate it will be perfect: still creamy and not dry.


What was left in the can.

Fried potatoes, anyone?

Papillon (Pasta) de Printemps avec Poulet; A Few Good Books

I belong to a very loosely organized, sporadic book group here in the Vendée.  We tend to meet when the majority are here (rather than Ireland, England, Sweden, or other 'home' country) and don't have guests... Which means not very often.

I'm the only American. (Quelle surprise!)

When we moved 'abroad' I new there would be differences in food, culture, habits and customs.

The differences become even more apparent when it comes to books, and, especially, humor.

And it's always a bit of a shock to discover just how very different I am than my English speaking friends.

Books I love: think outrageously funny, poignant or moving, they shrug off; can't be bothered to finish.

Books they think are the funniest bit of prose ever to be written put me to sleep.

Of course, it just could be me....

I have, however, been introduced to books and authors I may not have discovered living in the U.S. and certainly have read a lot on topics I may not have chosen left to my own devices.

Here are three I highly recommend.  Really.   READ these!!!!

'A Thousand Splendid Suns', by Khaled Hosseini.  (Also wrote 'The Kite Runner')
    Incredible insight into life in Afghanistan, this tells the story of two women; one convinced she is nothing, of no worth, and the other that she can be anything.  Both come, through different circumstances, under the control of a rather brutish man, their husband.  It gives us a look into the many Afghan conflicts as seen through the eyes of Afghans, not the English-speaking media. It gives a hint of the tragedy the Western belief in 'interference for their own good' can cause.  And a page turner, to boot!

'Suite Française', by Irène Némirovsky
    Published for the first time, 65 years after it was written in 1941, this consists of 2 parts of what was to be a 5 part novel depicting what life in France during the German Occupation was like for the people that lived it, rather than the armies and the politicians.  Unfortunately, the author, a Russian Jew that had fled Kiev in 1918 to live in France, was killed in Auschwitz in 1942, before she she was able to finish it.  Prior to the War she had been a bestselling novelist in France, but the Germans prevented her from publishing.  It has been described as a 'novel about a nightmare'.  Great insight not only into the War but into the French psyche... Highly recommended for anyone living in or loving France.

'Five Quarters of Orange' , by Joanne Harris (Also wrote 'Chocolat')
    Tells the tale of one small village in France, on the Loire; one childhood during an exciting summer and tragic autumn of German occupation.  Over 50 years later, Framboise, a widow in her 60's, returns to her childhood home under a different name and all is well until a nephew threatens to dredge up the secret horrors of the summer that destroyed her family and forever scarred the lives of the rest of the villagers.  Wartime occupation is such a foreign concept to me, as an American, that this book was enlightening, as well as a damn good read!
There are even some interesting recipes and food stories.

As for me, I am still trying to encourage spring to stay for more than a day.   

It was a gorgeous day on Sunday.  Mon mari cleaned out the fireplace and got the barbecue grill out.

I told him it was too early.

Did he listen?  Of course not.

It's been rainy and cold the last two days.  April!

But I did make a Spring Pasta for Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights. 

Stop by  Once Upon a Feast, on Friday, to see if anyone else is feeling spring-like.

Warm Spring Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

4oz (160gr) green asparagus
4oz (160gr) snow peas
1/2  - 3/4 cup fava beans
4 green garlic, sliced, including green tops
1 tbs oil
3 tbs fresh, snipped chives
1 1/4 cups farfalle pasta

Vinaigrette
1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 tbs white Balsamic vinegar
4 tbs good olive oil

Grilled Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Marinade
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Mix marinade and pour over chicken.  Let marinade for 15 - 30 minutes.
Heat a sauce pan of water to boiling.  Roll cut the asparagus into 1" (2.5cm) lengths.  Trim the snow peas.  Remove fava beans from the pods. Blanch one at a time, in boiling water: asparagus for 3 minutes, snow peas for 2 minutes and fava beans for 2 minutes.  Remove each from water and put into cold water.  Shell fava beans.
Cook chicken on barbecue grill, 10 - 15 minutes, or until done.  Remove and slice.
Whisk together ingredients for vinaigrette.
To Assemble: Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add green garlic, asparagus and  snow peas.  Stir-fry for 2 minutes, until hot and starting to brown.  Add drained pasta and toss to heat through.  Put into a large bowl, add fava beans, chives and chicken.  Pour vinaigrette over and toss well to combine. 

I could have called this 'Green Vegetable Pasta, couldn't I?

Happy Spring - and Happy Reading!

Oh, and the books I wasn't all that crazy about?  'A Short History or Tractors in Ukrainian'  (they thought it was uproariously funny; I thought it was mildly amusing and rather sad) and 'The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency' series.  (They couldn't stop raving about it; I couldn't get past page 50)

Lemon Spinach and Chicken Salad; Pain??? Gain???

Long, long ago, in a place far, far away I was fit; in decent shape, as it were.

I did it the easy way.

I went to a spa, twice a year, and beat my body into submission.

My days at the spa went something like this:
     5:30 2 mile walk
     6:30 breakfast, 1 bran flake waved over skim milk, water
    8:00 power stretch
     9:00 cardio training
   10:00 free weights
   11:00 shower, etc.
   12:00 lunch, 1 piece of lettuce waved over vinegar, iced herbal infusion
   1:00  rest, call the office, handle a few crises
     2:00 intense lower body training
     3:00 intense upper body training
     4:00 cardio training
     5:00 shower, etc
     6:00 dinner, 1 sliver of chicken, 1 carrot, 1  potato,  all dipped in mustard for flavor, hot herbal infusion

Naturally, in true type A fashion, I did not 'take it slowly' as recommended by the trainers.

I did not 'give my body a chance to rest and grow stronger'.

I jumped in, both feet, and did as much as possible as fast as possible; cramming maximum everything into the absolute minimum.  I wanted to get my money's worth, after all!

I normally spent days 3 and 4 unable to dress myself. 

As the saying goes: I had sore muscles in places I didn't know I had muscles. I couldn't lift or lower my arms; couldn't go up or down stairs; couldn't stand up or sit down.  I got out of bed by rolling off it, onto my knees on the floor, then pulling myself upright.

Did I stop going to the classes?  Of course not.
Did I get a massage?  No time.
Did I slow down?  Are you kidding?  I was making progress.

By the end of the week I had normally lost several inches everywhere.  (Weight? No, I usually stayed the same - but, remember, muscle weighs more than fat.)

I looked good, felt great and was ready to tackle the world.

I vowed I would stay in shape. 
I would work out every day. 
I would keep all the lovely muscle.
I would not go through that ever again

Six months later? Same story.

But that was another time; another place.  We were both gainfully employed; in possession of discretionary income. 

Now I have to stay fit the hard way.

I have to do it on my own, by myself, with no one nearby saying 'Good Job'  (Well, there are some benefits...)

The cardio part is easy, and I actually do it every day.  I grab my book and spend an, almost pleasant, 45 minutes on my exercise bike, reading and sweating.

It's the all-important muscle work that I seem to continually put off for another day, using whatever flimsy excuse that comes to mind.

Muscle work is as important as cardio work for fitness.
Muscle work is more important than cardio work for weight control/loss.
Muscle work is more important than cardio work for  keeping bones strong/aging gracefully.

See?  I know this stuff.

Wednesday was a gorgeous day. I opened the door of my exercise room (it's in one of the outbuildings) and gazed out at the  green lawn. 

After doing nothing all winter (too rainy, too cold, too damp, too lazy) I was finally inspired.

But, with age comes wisdom.  After 5 months of nothing I didn't want to damage myself.

For those of you who don't  know, the Lunge  is like the Swiss Army Knife of exercise.  It works more muscles at one time than any other single movement.  No equipment is required and you can do it anywhere.  It's fast, efficient and effective; my kind of exercise.

I grabbed a pair of free weights (so I could do arm raises at the same time) and did 12 walking lunges out into the garden. 

Paused, smelled the apple blossoms, did 12 more walking lunges back.

That was it!

The next morning I was rather disappointed that I didn't so much as have a stiff muscle when I crawled out of bed.  Obviously I was in better shape than I'd thought... Or hadn't done them properly.

All that was required was a bit of patience. 

By Thursday evening my muscles: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, were all loudly proclaiming  their pain.

By Friday, I am pleased to report, they were screaming in earnest.  I couldn't go up or down stairs; couldn't stand up or sit down; I had done well.

I had done so well, in fact, that when Sedi (German Shepherd) came over and laid her head on my leg for a pet, it hurt.
When Emma (big white dog) gave me a head nudge in the thigh, I screamed in pain.
Yes, I had done well.

24 walking lunges.  12 with each leg.  That was all it took.

Didn't I tell you it was a great exercise?

Along with the inspiration (however fleeting) to exercise, the warm spring weather brings a desire for salads.

It's too early for lettuce here, but the perfect time for spinach. 

I've talked about spinach before for Weekend Herb Blogging. It's loaded with calcium (although not easily absorbed), vitamins A, E, C and  folic acid.   Plus it's very high in lutein which is very good for the eyes.

And I like it.  Toss in a bit of Green Garlic and we have the quintessential spring salad!

As Weekend Herb Blogging is back home with our illustrious and beloved founder, Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen, this week, I wanted to do something in honor of this illusive spring season.  She'll have the recap of all the wonderful recipes on Monday.

Lemon Spinach and Chicken Salad

For the chicken
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 tbs flour
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp paprika
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbs fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
For the salad
4oz (125gr) fresh spinach
2 green garlic
2 tbs fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1 tbs olive oil

The chicken: Mix flour, paprika and brown sugar.  Cut chicken breasts in half.  Roll in flour mixture to coat.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet.  When hot, add chicken and brown well on both sides.  Add lemon juice and white wine, cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until done.
The salad: Slice green garlic, including green tops.  Sauté  lightly in olive oil.  Add lemon juice.   Keep warm.
The finish:  When chicken is done remove and place on a platter.  Add 2 tbs of the chicken cooking liquid to the green garlic.  Turn heat up under the chicken skillet and reduce the rest by half.  Put spinach in a bowl.  Pour the warm green garlic and juices over the top, toss well to coat and wilt slightly.  Arrange spinach next to the chicken.  Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve.

I'm off to the garden.... Hope I can bend over to pull weeds (or not).

Bon Weekend!

Chicken and Spinach Pasta: The Visit of the Ham Truck

One of my favorite passages ever put on paper was written by Bill Bryson.

I think it was in "Notes from a Small Island".

To summarize it briefly, he writes about being all alone, in the kitchen of his house in the country, early one morning. 

No one's around.  No one is expected.  It's private.

He's in his underwear; he starts doing things people do when they're all alone:
    He turns the radio on full blast.
    Dances wildly, arms waving.
    Plays air guitar.
    Belches loudly, going for a new personal best.
    Farts loudly, to the music, going for a new personal best.
    Sings to his coffee cup.
    Scratches wherever it itches.

All of a sudden he notices the post (mail) on the kitchen table, just behind him. 

It hadn't been there a few minutes earlier.

Unbeknownst to him, the postman had come into the kitchen, quietly, delivered the mail, and gone.

I laughed so hard I cried.  I still smile whenever I think about it.

But, now I understand just how easy it can happen.

When one lives out in the country, (the sticks, the boondocks, the middle of nowhere) one can forget some of the former trappings of civilization.

Before moving to the Vendée I rarely left my bedroom, let alone went outside, without being properly 'dressed': hair done, make-up on, fully clothed, etc.

Here, we have a tall hedge on the 2 sides of the property open to the odd bit of traffic (postman, bread truck, neighbor's tractor), and our own pastures and gardens on the other 2 sides.

One gets lulled into a sense of security; of privacy; of being alone.

I no longer bother with make-up unless I'm going into town; my hair gets tied back, out of the way; and, normally, when I crawl out of bed I crawl into my ratty old gardening/exercise clothes; none of which I would have even deigned to use as rags in my previous life.

I happily go about my day, secure in my surroundings, knowing that if someone actually comes to the gate, the dogs will warn me and I will have a minute to, er, get presentable, before facing them. 

One merely shouts 'J'attende!' 'J'arrive' (I'm coming)  to acknowledge the intruder guest, who then waits politely at the gate.  Two, very large, barking dogs normally insure proper behavior.

There's always the exception: the person who loves big, barking dogs, and wouldn't dream of waiting on the outside of the gate when they can just reach over, open it, and come in.   

I mean, this is the country: we're all friends here!

(Besides, one never gets the good gossip by being outside the gate.)

Thus it has happened, on more than one occasion, that I have come rushing around the corner of the house, sweat dripping, dressed in my favorite and finest workout/garden clothes: tight, knit, short leotards, complete with holes in auspicious places, and frayed, dingy, holey knit, tank top, thinking to give a shout then dash into the house for something to cover up with.

And, there, standing patiently, petting my traitorous dogs, is the: (insert one) handsome young postman with a special delivery; volunteer firefighters raising money for something; or, as on Saturday, the guy selling ham.

One would think I would learn. 

Yes, one would think that!

I did get a nice lot of home-cured ham, though.  It's all divided into dinner-size packs, and in the freezer.  I don't know what spices they use on it, but it smells faintly of cinnamon, cloves, cumin...in short, wonderful.

No ham in the pasta this week, though.  Maybe next week...

My plan for this pasta dish was some nice fresh spinach, it being spring and all.

The best laid plans, as they say.  No spinach in the market this week.  Not to be deterred, I used frozen.  Still good. 

And I do like to get my spinach in once a week...good for the eyes.

Check out Presto Pasta Nights, at Once Upon a Feast, on Friday, when Ruth will have the recap of the weeks best and brightest pasta dishes!

Chicken and Spinach Pasta

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/2 green or red pepper
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs paprika, smoky is nice
1 tbs olive oil
15oz (450gr) chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
8oz frozen (or fresh) spinach
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
6oz (200gr) feta (cubes if you can find them)
1/2 cup dry-cured, pitted Greek olives
1oz (30gr) grated Parmesan
1 1/4 cups pasta (lumache)

Cook the pasta according to package directions. 
Slice the pepper, chop the onion and mince the garlic. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Cut olives in half. If using fresh spinach, pick through leaves, discarding any that are bad and tearing any that are huge. 
In a large skillet heat oil.  Sauté paprika in hot oil for 1 minute. Add onion, pepper and garlic, sauté for 5 minutes. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through. Add wine, herbs, tomatoes and spinach, and cook, uncovered until spinach is cooked/thawed and sauce has reduced and thickened.  Add olives, feta and cooked, drained pasta.  Toss to combine.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

You do know that no proper Frenchwoman would ever be seen less than perfect?

You do know where that leaves me? 

On the other hand, think of all the money I'm saving on clothes and makeup....

And if you're not familiar with Bill Bryson... And like humor, I highly recommend his books.

I'm just so grateful that I haven't been caught at his, um, level of free expression.

Yet....

Chicken with Rice; the Weekly Menu Planner

 This is from last weeks menu - but I didn't get  it posted earlier and I wanted you to see the pretty, yellow chicken I got from our farmer neighbor for letting his cows graze in our pasture.

 This  slow braising was perfect for it - and it's a traditional French  recipe!

Chicken with Rice  

1 whole chicken 
1 onion
5 - 6 medium carrots
2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 bouquet garni
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water
 
1/2 Basmati rice

The Chicken: Chop onion. Peel and cut carrots in half the long way. Then slice the carrots into 1/4" (.6cm) half circles (the short way). Heat oil in a pot or Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken and brown lightly on all sides. Remove. Add onion and carrots and sauté 5 minutes, just until the onion starts to get tender. Place the chicken on top of the onion and carrots. Add the wine, stock and herbs. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 1/4 hours. 30 minutes before chicken is done start the rice.

The rice: Using a small ladle remove 1 cup of liquid from the chicken. Put it into a saucepan along with the rice. Don't worry if you get a bit of onion with the stock. Cover and cook over low heat until rice is done.

To finish: Remove the chicken. With a slotted spoon remove all of the carrots to a large bowl. Dissolve cornstarch in water. Turn heat up under the stock remaining in pot. Add cornstarch and thicken. Add the rice to the carrots and combine. Slice the chicken and serve, gravy on the side.

For the week of February 8, we're having Hot Spinach Salad, Creamy Scallops with Spanish Orzo, Shrimp Mary Rose, Rack of Lamb with an Herb Crust, Potatoes Savoyarde and Mini Meat Loaves    .

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list delivered to your inbox each Thursday. (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere)

Bon Weekend!

Turkey with Sherry, Valentine's Day and Romantic Spain

Mon mari often complains that I never forget anything and, more specifically, that I never forget a date.

I could suggest that, if he wouldn't choose such inappropriate dates for his actions, perhaps I would be more likely to forget.

And what date and action am I referring to?

Valentine's Day.

To be honest, I was going to ignore this holiday.  It's not a big one in our house.

Frankly, we don't quite know how to celebrate it.

It's the anniversary of mon mari kicking me out of the house.

To be fair, we had only been living together for just under a year.

To be unfair it was Valentine's Day, and I had just fixed a lovely dinner for two.

To be really bitchy, he then took me out for a night cap before delivering the blow - the better able to insure the minimum scene... being out in public amidst all of our friends, and all that.

The timing was good - he was going away on business at the end of the month, for a week, giving me time alone to move out.

The timing was bad - I was going away on business for two  weeks, immediately, leaving me no time to find a place to live. 

All said, it did work out. 

I moved out by the end of the month; let everyone know I was single; started dating immediately (admittedly, some were, um, contrived).

He soon regretted his imprudent decision and we were married in May, same year.

We didn't do 'living together' well, at all; but we do just fine at this marriage thing....

Still, we don't normally celebrate Valentine's Day.

When my sweet friend, Chris, of Mele Cotte decided to do a tribute to Valentine's Day with the Foods of Love, I had to participate: it was food, after all.

First, let me set a more proper mood:

When most people think of travel and romance they think of France: Paris, the Cote d'Azur, or Italy: Rome, the hills of Tuscany.

They should be thinking of Spain.  Here are a few of my favorite romantic spots in Spain:

Sitting in the Plaza Mayor in Segovia just as the sun sets, watching the last rays bounce off the near-perfect, 2000 year old Roman Aqueduct that towers over the city.

Sitting on a terrace at a restaurant in Tibidabo at midnight, having a leisurely dinner and gazing down on the lights of Barcelona and off to the Mediterranean.

Sitting in a secluded courtyard in the old quarter of Cordoba during the Patio Festival  when every nook,  cranny, balcony and pond is filled with flowers; with rose petals gently raining down.

Sitting in the Alhambra, at dusk, watching the sun set over the Moorish carvings and formal gardens, looking out to the mountains and olive groves.

Sitting in an out-of-the-way bar in Jerez, and finding that you have stumbled into a local Flamenco celebration.

And while one is doing all of that sitting one really should be sipping: Xérès - Jerez - Sherry.

Sherry is a rich, complex fortified wine with a history dating back to 1,100 BC. 

Sipping a chilled glass of Fino, watching the evening Paseo, relishing the nuances unique to Spain....  Now, that's a romantic celebration....

Turkey with Sherry and Iberian Ham
   for two

12 oz (350 gr) turkey cutlets
4 slices Iberian ham (3oz, 90gr)
4oz (125gr) mushrooms
1 cup (8oz, 250ml) chicken stock
1/2 cup (4oz, 125ml) Amontillado (sherry)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 1 tbs water
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup small pasta (farfalle)

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Cut turkey into bite-size pieces.  Clean and slice mushrooms. Slice ham into bite-size pieces.  Heat oil in nonstick skillet.  Add mushrooms, ham and sauté 5 minutes.  Add turkey and sauté 5 minutes longer.  Add stock, sherry, rosemary and sugar, cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Uncover, stir in cornstarch to thicken.  Serve over pasta.

Light the candles, pour a glass of sherry and toast your love!

Like cooking with wine, you don't have to use an expensive, Reserve sherry, but do use something that is perfectly drinkable.  Do not, ever, ever, use 'cooking sherry'.  The only good use for that is...there IS no good use for that....

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Chris says she'll have all of the foods of love on Mele Cotte  on Feb.12....stop by!

You can see how I remember the date of our break-up, right?

Turkey and Pepper Risotto and the Weekly Menu Planner

This is such a colorful risotto, it makes me happy just to have it on the table! I used both red and green peppers, and black olives. The turkey was cutlets, sliced thin, but a small piece of turkey tenderloin would work as well.

Turkey and Pepper Risotto

3/4 cup Arborio rice (or other rice specifically for risotto - Carnaroli or Vialone Nano)
1/2 cup dry, white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 onion other half for the condimenti
2 tsp butter
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
Condimenti

Heat chicken stock and keep hot over low heat. Finely chop onion. In medium saucepan heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until transparent then add rice and sauté stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes until rice has white center. Add white wine and stir. Start condimenti. When wine is almost absorbed add a 1/2 cup of stock, stir. (No need to stir constantly but do stir from time to time.) When stock is almost absorbed add another 1/2 cup and continue adding 1/2 cup at a time and stirring. Before the last 1/2 cup taste a few kernels of rice. They should be just 'al dente' - slightly resistant to the tooth but fully cooked. If more stock is needed add it 1/4 cup at a time and waiting until almost completely absorbed. At this point risotto will be thick but not stiff - there will still be visible liquid and it will not hold its shape on a plate. Add the Parmesan and the condimenti, stir well, pour into a bowl or risotto platter and serve immediately. It will continue to absorb liquid and the leftovers (if any) will be quite stiff.

Condimenti

6 oz (180gr) turkey cutlet or tenderloin (you could substitute one chicken breast)
1/2 onion
1/3 red pepper (1/2 cup chopped)
1/3 green pepper (1/2 cup chopped)
8 - 10 olives, pitted black, Greek olives (you could use Kalamata)
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp olive oil

Cut the turkey into strips. Chop the onion and peppers. Pit olives, if needed, and cut in half. Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes. Add peppers and sauté 5 minutes longer. Add turkey and sauté until done, 7 - 9 minutes. Add olives, oregano, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to keep warm until needed for risotto. serve.  

For the week of January 25, we're having Garlicky Baked Shrimp, Artichoke and Olive Mini Frittatas, Braised Veal with Garlic (a whole head). Turkey and Pepper Risotto and Lentils, 2 ways: hot vegetable and cold salad with chevre.

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list delivered to your inbox each Thursday. (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere)

Bon Weekend!

Pasta with Chicken Livers, Bacon and Sage; Chicken as Currency

Our farmer neighbor paid us for grazing privileges last week.  For allowing him to put a couple of young steers in our pasture, so we don't have to mow it, he pays us.  Not a bad deal!

He pays us in chicken.  (It's a much more stable currency than the dollar.) 

The chicken takes some adjusting to: It's a bit bloody (being freshly butchered), still has more than a few pin feathers and it's skin is tough and leathery looking.  I can't imagine it getting brown, crispy and nibble-worthy.

It has rather long, thick-boned legs and big wings, as it was close to a year old when it ceased clucking.

And it's bright yellow, not the supermarket creamy white.

Because of it's age it needs long, slow cooking.  Cooked on the barbecue it's a tough, chewy, barely edible old bird.  Made into Coq au Vin, or Poulet au Vinaigre that simmers for a few hours, it becomes tender, falling off the bone (large bones) and full of flavor not found in the cellophane chickens.

And it comes with innards.

Sophie knows me well enough that she cleans it; and keeps the head and feet for her own use; but I get the liver.

Mon mari is not particularly fond of fish.  As fate would have it, the chicken was dropped off on Friday, the day I normally do the shopping - which involves a visit to the fish market.

Never one to miss an opportunity, mon mari suggested we forego the lovely fish in lieu of the chicken livers.  Yes, my friends, given the chance, mon mari chose chicken liver for dinner over a lovely seared salmon.

Who am I to argue?

I've posted this recipe before...but it is sooooo good, this is a better photo, and now I have the opportunity to get it on the record for posterity: in Presto Pasta Nights.

Presto Pasta Nights was created almost a year ago by the lovely and talented Ruth of Once Upon A Feast.

In all that time I don't recall seeing one liver and pasta dish!

Well my friends, that's about to change!

Foie Gras aside (that's trendy, controversial and expensive, therefore desirable) I think, in general, the consumption of offal is determined in childhood.  If you didn't grow up with it, it can be a challenge to start enjoying is as an adult.

I grew up with liver and I love it.  I will, somewhat reluctantly, eat sweetbreads but I still can't bring myself to eat tongue or brains.

A nostalgic moment here: In a memorable episode of "All in the Family", Michael is eating a tongue sandwich.  Archie is appalled.  Expostulating in his usual style, he demands to know how Michael can eat 'that'.  Didn't he know what it was?  Didn't he know where it had BEEN????   (In a cow's mouth.)

Michael's response was:  "But Arch, you eat eggs...."

Pasta with Chicken Livers, Bacon and Sage
    Loosely based on a recipe from an old Williams Sonoma book.

10 oz (300gr) chicken livers
4 oz (125gr) smoked bacon, 4 - 5 slices
4 - 6 shallots, about 8oz (250gr)
15 - 20 fresh or frozen sage leaves
    substitute 2 tbs dried
2 tbs olive oil
8 oz (250gr) fresh tagliatelle

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Slice shallots. Snip or cut sage leaves in half or quarters. Trim chicken livers if needed and cut in half.
Sauté bacon in a large nonstick skillet until brown and crisp.  Remove, tear into pieces and set aside. If there is a lot of fat, remove all but 1 tbs.  Add shallots to skillet and sauté until tender and starting to brown. Remove and add to bacon.  Add olive oil to skillet.  Turn heat up to medium-high, add sage and livers to pan.  Sauté 5 - 8 minutes, livers should still be pink in the center. You may have to do the liver in batches so as not to crowd the pan.  Return all liver, shallots and bacon to the pan and heat through.  Add the cooked, drained pasta and toss in the skillet, with a tbs or 2 of water to help get the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Put onto a platter and serve.

Now, are you thinking that this is, perhaps, not the healthiest dish in my kitchen?

Well, I could eliminate the bacon and add another tbs of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt to make it more heart-healthy. 

But, the liver is good for us.  It has more nutrients per gram than any other food!   

The biggest risk of eating liver is getting too much vitamin A.  But, unless you are eating vast quantities 4 or 5 times per week and taking supplements, your risk of vitamin A toxicity is almost non-existent.
As to it being full of toxins: the liver's purpose is to remove them from the body but it doesn't store them.  Liver from a healthy animal is, well, healthy!

As to the cholesterol - it's no better or worse than eggs or shrimp.

All things in moderation...now, eat your liver!  It's good for you!

Smoked Duck Breast and Pretty Blue Flute Fountains

Country Girl City Living has been teasing us with the scent of "the most delicious chicken paprikash known to man", which started me reminiscing about our stay in Budapest and my lovely "Blue Fountain Flutes".

We were in Budapest just after the 'wall' came down.  Actually we needed a visa to get in but, 4 days later, when we left it was no longer necessary.  We did, however, have to buy currency (I think about 200 dollars worth) upon entering the country with no possibility of changing it back when leaving: spend it or lose it!

On our first day, walking around town, we passed a shop selling beautiful hand-cut, jewel-colored, crystal goblets, decanters and bowls.  I drooled at all the gorgeous pieces in the window and finally got the courage to go in. 

The store was practically empty, all of the merchandise appeared to be on display in the window or in one glass encased shelf.  There were no other customers in the shop but there were 5 store clerks, all leaning up against a long counter.  Women of indeterminate age, they were dressed alike in straight, black skirts, white cotton blouses and sturdy black shoes with white anklets.

They stared. 

I looked through the glass at the goblets.

This went on for a bit (at which point mon mari went wandering off).  I finally walked over to the friendliest (not) looking woman and mimed that I would like to look at the merchandise.

She heaved a big sigh, gave a long-suffering look to her colleagues and a glare to me, went behind the counter and grabbed a set of keys. We went back to the cabinet and I pointed at the glasses I wanted to look at.  She unlocked the cabinet, took out one red wine glass, re-locked the cabinet, handed the glass to me and walked back to her spot at the counter. 

By this time I wanted to look at a different glass.  I walked back to the counter, to the same woman, and mimed that I wanted so see a different glass.

She heaved a big sigh, gave a long-suffering look to her colleagues and a glare to me, and stomped back to the cabinet.  She unlocked the cabinet and took the red wine glass away from me.  I tried to explain that I actually wanted to look at the two together but she wasn't having any of that!  She put the red glass back, selected a blue one, re-locked the cabinet, handed the glass to me and walked back to her spot at the counter.

Damn, but wouldn't you just know....now I wanted to see a green bowl.  Back to the same counter, same woman, same mime routine. 

She did the same look, the same glare, the same stomping back to the cabinet.  Unlock, put one piece back, get one piece out, re-lock, return.

We repeated the procedure so I could admire the gold water goblet.

I was really starting to get dirty looks from the other clerks.  I was still the only customer in the shop.
I was starting to get a little nervous so I made my choice.

Back at the counter once again, I mimed that I wanted to buy 4 blue champaign flutes.  She assumed I wanted 4 of the gold water glasses in my hand.  After much arm waving, pointing, locking and unlocking of the cabinet she understood, I thought.  Apparently I wasn't to get the glasses in the cabinet, though,  because she took off through a door in the back.  About 30 minutes later she was back with a box taped shut.

I wanted to look in the box.  She didn't want me to.  I mimed that I wasn't going to pay until I looked in the box.  She mimed that she really didn't give a rat's ass if I bought them or not but she wasn't opening the box.  I tried another tactic.  She glared harder.  Mon mari finally wandered back in the shop.  When I explained the problem, he just took the box and opened it.  Inside were the 4 blue champaign flutes I wanted.  She put her hands on her hips, tapped her foot and glared some more.  I paid.

Capitalism hadn't exactly gotten a toehold in the prior 24 hours...Not only was the customer never right, if said customer was allowed to buy anything at all, said customer should just take it and be grateful!

Three weeks later, back home in the Midwest, mon mari popped the cork on some bubbly and poured it into my cherished flutes. 

That's when I discovered that they were gorgeous blue fountains.

The artist doing the engraving had cut just a wee bit too deep in places. 

Champaign was squirting out of the sides of the glasses.

 

Sigh......

What's with the duck?

Earlier this fall there was a sale on duck breasts.  They came in packages of three and one breast was a bit small for a main course.  Mon mari came up with the idea of smoking it.  Best idea he's had in years.... years and years... It was a really good idea.

We did nothing to it but score the fat, put it on the smoker and ignore it for 2 hours.   We took the fat off before slicing.  It was perfectly done, smoky and wonderful.  It needed nothing. 

Never one for leaving well-enough alone.....

Stuffed Mushrooms Caps

8 large button or cremini mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 carton soft goat cheese 
2 tbs Greek or plain yogurt
2 - 3 slices bacon
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Clean mushrooms, removing stems.  Sauté bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove and crumble.  Pour off all but 1 tsp of fat.  Add olive oil to skillet and return to heat.  Add mushroom caps and sauté until light brown, 5 minutes, turning once.  Remove and place on a baking sheet.  Put goat cheese, yogurt and garlic powder into a bowl and stir to combine.  Add bacon bits and mix.  Spoon into the mushrooms caps, mounding slightly.  Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 12 - 15 minutes, until they are light brown. 

We had wonderful duck and goose and Budapest!  Some of the menus even had English translations...sort of:  "Duck with rancid fat" was a big hit...

Bon Weekend!