Saucy Side Dishes, Arugula Pesto

Most evenings after work, it's all I can do to make sure I make an entree for dinner. Tonight: spaghetti. Tomorrow: broiled chicken. Blah. 

After a while, it's like, "Jeeeez, let's just go out to eat." 

Orchiette Swathed in Arugula Pesto

The trick for me is side dishes, sauces, toppings, and other accoutrements that make food more, well, interesting. You'll see in an upcoming post about sweet potato soup, it's not about the soup as much as it is about the candied bacon, the rye croutons, and the drizzle of seasoned butter. 

One of the things that helps bring more characters to a boring ol' chicken breast for me is arugula pesto. The pesto is peppery but soft on the palette quenched by the other flavours that marry nicely. It can also be a garlicky fun time, if you so choose.

The recipe I'll share today is from The Blue Bottle Cookbook. My friend Emily found this gem and it's your lucky day that it's here for you. Why? Because it is simple, fast, and every time I've made it, it's been absolutely perfect.

I struggle with basil-based pestos: 

• They go brown/off-colored quickly unless used immediately. 
• I cannot keep them tasting fresh; they seem to go off quickly or the flavors fizzle in the 'fridge.
• My basil pesto rarely folds or sticks easily and nicely to the pasta.

The reason for these problems? Probably varies, but it's most likely because basil is a tender leaf that is not also chlorophyll-laden, but also vitamin- and mineral- rich. Arugula has none of these challenges. It appears to have virtually no vitamins or minerals of note. A little frustrating because I always thought arugula was healthy for you, but hey, if I'd known this about basil before I wrote this blogpost, I'd have sought out a fool-proof basil pesto recipe. As I say, I'm not aware of one that doesn't tune the pesto into a lemony culinary detour.

In the images I have included here, I've only used this over pasta as you can see. However, this pesto works beautifully over boiled and sliced potatoes. It makes a terrific cold potato salad. But as a warm pasta dish, it's unbeatable. So attractive and so flavorful. Enjoy experimenting with this.

And don't be turned off by the rosemary or the parsley. You don't taste either very much at all. And I've made the same recipe below with 3 cups of arugula and no almonds at all, and it's just as delicious. I'm not sure the nuts are required at all. The way it blends, it's perfect without.

Orchiette Lightly Touched
With Arugula Pesto

Blue Bottle Cookbook's Arugula Pesto

1/2 c almonds

1 c arugula

1 c parsley

1/4 c Parmarsan (pecorino)

Salt

2 T EVOO oil

2 to 3 inches of rosemary leaves fresh

1/4 c water

1 clove garlic

Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Done.

Happy side-dishing. This pesto will bring zing to your humdrum 

weekday dinners.

___________________________________________







Be sure to follow A Lunch Box Blog  






Twitter   *   Facebook  *  Tumblr  *  Google+

Stone Cold Fox From Chronic Cellars

What is it to be a foxy wine? "Foxy" usually means "Ewwwww, spit it out" gross. But Stone Fox is a foxy wine from Chronic Cellars, from what I believe is sourced out of Sonoma, and it stirred the French cockles of my heart (read: palette). It is quite simply a fox of a wine, like a "hot chick" or like that song from the '70s, "Sexy Lady" by the Isley Brothers. Now, why the image on the bottle has a Medusa-headed gal on it is anyone's guess. Certainly not a foxy image. But in spite of its packaging, I really enjoyed this wine.

Chronic Cellars' Foxy Lady: Stone Cold

2014 Stone Fox

Chronic Cellars

$22 online 

• 35% Grenache Blanc
• 33% Viognier
• 32% Picpoul

As Rhone-styled whites go, it's hard to beat the sensational trio of varietals that drive the wines of this region of France. So, attention new world wine makers, please help Chronic build the idea of Rhone white varietals in the states, so we begin getting better white wine blend options.

The Stoop: Grenach Blanc-heavy Whites Await

Grenache Blanc.

Viognier.

Marsanne. 

Roussane. 

Picpoul.

These grapes positively scream my name. Well, so do Alsace's Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, but I suppose that's for another blog post.

Goes Nicely With Grilled Pork Loin,
Did I Mention?

This bottle is a terrific expression of these grapes via the California terroir that ages them into this bottle. Overall, Stone Cold is a really enjoyable bottle, and it's Tuesday night sippin' wine. While the price may be above your Tuesday sippin' wine price, I think it serves nicely, given it's expression in the glass. I nursed this for 4 days in the 'fridge and was simply not disappointed.

The fresh and round shape with its fatty viscosity sidles up to a soft acidity that doesn't complicate the way a dry Riesling or a more purely floral Viognier might. I relish the way it floats on the tongue and brings simple joy to the glass.

Where I live, it's what I wanna have when I'm sitting languid on The Stoop (see picture above) watching all the girls and boys go home from work up 18th Street, back into Adams Morgan at the end of a hard day.

The Pros:

• Will please those who are accustomed to Rhone whites. 
• The silky mouth feel gives way to a pleasant punch without an alcohol burst at the finish. You can drink this without the stupor associated with higher alcohol California Chards.
• The wine is pretty in the glass; superb color, nice balance on the tongue.
• It's a memorable concoction of grapes, the Rhone white blends, so it's a new journey for friends who don't know these grapes.

The Cons:

Thank you, Wine Exchange

• Not many folks know Rhone whites, so this may be a standoffish hipster for wine newbies.
• The bottle artwork is not my cup of tea, much like I said about the company's red. Again, ideal for the Dead Head in your life who is weening himself off weed. 
• Feels like they're trying to corner the market on men looking to remember that "Stone Cold Fox" that they can still taste on their lips—like she used lipsmacker cinnamon lipstick or something. This bottle's flavors will disappoint for those chaps.
• Not sure folks will "get" the marketing of this wine, and it could die on the shelf without an awareness campaign of how special this version of Rhone white blends is.

Hope you are finding these reviews helpful and not annoying. Wine reviewing can really bug folks, I get it. But hey, I write the best I can, not the way a pro would.

Be well, drink Rhone wines like my friend Muffy taught me back in the '80s. She was right. And if you cannot afford the French ones, Stone Fox will do just fine.

___________________________________________

Be sure to follow A Lunch Box Blog  

Twitter   *   Facebook  *  Tumblr  *  Google+

Happy Norouz, Everyone!

Ali travels the world, as I was saying during yesterday’s post. As a Foreign Policy Analyst, he rarely has the time for dinners with Shane and me. But finally, we all set a date. That date was summarily scuttled when the Shane came down with some equally international bug.

But true to form, Ali wanted to impress; he knew that Shane had been talking him up as an outstanding chef and wanted me to know that where the best Persian food in the city is. Turns out Shane was right, the best Persian in D.C. can be found at their home.

And so, the date is upon us, Happy Norouz, everyone! Persian New Year begins forthwith! In fact Norouz starts at this very minute.

And Ali and Shane are healthy again, so it is time for a little Norouz-shment.

This event usually coincides with the Vernal Equinox which according to the google-o-meter says:

Originally being a Zoroastrian festival, and the holiest of them all, Nowruz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of origin. Since the Achaemenid era the official year has begun with the New Day when the Sun leaves the zodiac of Pisces and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries, signifying the Spring Equinox.

Well, I’ve always like Pisces (although, I think Ali is Gemini and Shane is Capricorn, uh, so never mind…) At any rate, I watched Ali make possibly the most tasty chicken thigh dish I can imagine. And this sort of cooking magic compels me to share the results with you.

Nothing special seemed to go into it, though. So, while I’ll tell you what he did, I must confess, I’m not sure why it tastes so excellent. Perhaps because the meat perches atop a bed of Javahar Polo or “jewelled rice.”

Javahar Polo

1/2 c sugar and 1/2 c grated carrot and orange zest boiled for 10 minutes to get the bitterness out. Create a simple syrup.

1 chopped large onion

olive oil for quick frying

1/2 c sultanas (golden raisins)

a couple fistfuls of slivered almonds and chopped pistachios

1 c barberries

4-5 c rice

1 t ground saffron in 1/2 c water and 1/2 c olive oil

First create the simple syrup as above. Set aside. Bowl rice with about 1″ of water above the rice in a Dutch oven with salt. Boil 6-7 minutes. Don’t cook more than 10 minutes, whatever you do. Drain.

Incorporate the carrot/orange peel mixture by laying it in the rice in layers. Replace the rice into the pot layering with the peel. Now pour the saffron/water/olive oil mixture into the hot pan on low heat and pour the berries and nuts in. Quickly fry these first until the nuts are lightly browned. Remove the berries and nuts. Pour the oil and syrup mixture back over the rice. Cook through. The oil, sugar and starch create that incredible tahdig or “bottom of the [rice] pot” crust that is so popular in middle eastern cuisine. I find it utterly indispensable for making flavorful rice and just wish I could make it every time I make rice.

Jewelled Rice

While you are making the javahar polo, begin preparing the entrée. Fry 8-12 boneless and skinless thighs on one side for about 15-20 minutes in some olive oil and the juice of two lemons in a regular (not a non-stick) pan. Add 1 medium onion, chopped, and 4-5 cloves of roughly chopped garlic near the beginning of the process. Salt and pepper the chicken as you go. Flip the chicken and cook through; you may need more lemon juice as you go, so the chicken stays in a moist lemony bath. After about 45 minutes, you’ll have dinner.

Sprinkle the berries and nuts over the top of the rice. And then place the browned chicken thighs atop the rice. Let the oooooohs and aaaaaaahs begin.

On a side note, Shane brought a little bit of home (Upstate New York, that is) to the table as well, taking this most Islamic affairs to a decidedly secular level with a Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Fingerlakes white varietal called Rkatsiteli. Crisp and clean, dry and not overly-alcohol-y, this vineyard is one of the very best in the Fingerlakes region.

2009 Rkatsiteli

Dr. Frank's Fingerlakes White

Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyards

12%

Hammondsport, N.Y. 

I’d never had such an obscure varietal, which according to Wikipedia is a Georgian grape, and prior to the fall of the Soviet Union was the most widely exported grape in the country. Dare I say it: count on Shane to bring it! Who knew that a Persian/ Georgian mash-up was to be the order of the day.

Until our next Persian meal of veal shoulder, lava beans, and dried fenugreek herb, Happy Nourouz, everybody! And as Ali says, Noushe e Jan (roughly “Bon Appetit” or “To your life’s enjoyment!”)

___________________________________________

Be sure to follow A Lunch Box Blog  

Twitter   *   Facebook  *  Tumblr  *  Google+

balsamic roasted butternut squash

Written on November 24, 2013, by Nicole Cibellis in Slow Food on the weekends

I used to make this recipe for soup, but it is so good by itself, that I have made it my Thanksgiving side dish. It is amazing how the sweetness of the balsamic and molasses caramelize the squash into this savory dish. It is shear perfection. This recipe also easily evolves into many of my favorite left over dishes such as, Ravioli’s or Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.  

Soaking the Butternut Squash in the
Melted Butter and Balsamic/Molasses
Means you can Cook it When You are Ready

Recipe by Michael Chiarello

Servings: 12+

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

·         1 large butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded** and cubed

·         1 stick of butter

·         2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

·         2 tbsp sugar

·         1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

·         1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses

DIRECTIONS

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.     Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned light brown, pull pan off of heat and add: sage, sugar, vinegar and molasses. (Stand back – it can splatter), Mix well and let simmer for 2 minutes.

Basic Ingredients Providing a Not-So-Basic Taste!

3.     On a tin foil lined pan, pour sauce over squash and mix thoroughly.

4.     Cook in oven for 1 hour or until soft.

5.     Garnish with sage

** When peeling a butternut squash, it is easiest and best to use a serrated peeler. To cut the squash, use a sharp serrated knife.

Red Lentil Soup—A Zillion Times Better Than it Sounds!

Cook's Illustrated is my go-to when I'm just plumb out of ideas for meals. How often have you returned home from work and thought, "Good god I do not want to cook anything. Everything that tastes good takes too long."

Today's blogpost will help to alleviate this recurring, weekly annoyance.

Their kitchen-tested (sometimes tested to death) recipes engage me tremendously, probably because I've tried so many of them, and they work. They also tend to be crowd-pleasers, which for someone like me who often cooks for others, is a major plus.

Some of their spicing of food is just not my speed, but their January/February 2016 issue really grabbed me with this simple soup that I wowwed my family with at Christmas time. It's a 15 minute boiled soup, after you've done the work of chopping the onion and prepping the spices and other ingredients.

I cannot recommend this soup highly enough.

Chef's Suggestion: Serve in espresso shots at parties, drizzle with the melted spice butter and watch the faces light up. My sister Tamara pointedly said, "Oh, I'm not staying for dinner; I don't really like lentil soup." And then she smelled the air in the house within about 10 minutes of boiling the broth, and said, "Hey, ya mind if I try some of that?" One bowl later, and she was hooked. It's soup as crack cocaine.

Serve in espresso cups for the "shooter" effect like you get at fancy parties. You can buy those little cups for a song at kitchen outlet stores everywhere.

Andrea Geary's Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients
2 T unsalted butter (I've slightly adapted this, using oil for the "spiced butter" you see below)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 T tomato paste
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of 1-2 lemons (2T lemon juice, plus extra for seasoning)
4 c chicken brother
2 c water (I did add in 2 t of "Better Than Bouillon" chicken broth.)
10½ oz. of red lentils (I had about a cup and  ¼ c of lentils leftover in a jar that I threw in.)

Spices
¾ t ground corriander (I used my mortar and pestle, courtesy of Bret and Frank to crush the seeds; the fragrance was out of this world!)
½ t ground cumin (I always recommend keeping your cumin use to the bare minimum; do not use any more than this.)

¼ t ground ginger (I actually substituted 1½" of finely sliced fresh ginger which was terrific.)

⅛ t cinnamon (I substituted a single 3" cinnamon bark stick which I tossed into the boiling broth.) 

1 t salt

¼ t ground black pepper

Spiced butter for Drizzling

2T butter (I used 2T of fruity extra virgin olive oil.)

1½ t dried mint

1 t of paprika (I only had smokey paprika, or pimenton, and it was loverly.)

Garnish

¼ c cilantro

This is why you need a subscription to Cook's Illustrated.
They make all the mistakes for you.

Instructions

1. Melt 2 T of the butter in a large saucepan over media heat. Add in the onion and the salt stir and saute for about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the remaining spices above, cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, cook for another minute
4. Pour in the broth, water, and lentils, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Whisk soup vigorously for approximately 30 seconds or until it is coarsely "pureed" without putting in a blender. Stir in extra lemon juice to taste. Cover and keep warm. This soup can remain in the fridge for 3 days or more. I had it a week later, and it was still outstanding.

Making the Spice Butter: Melt the remaining 2T of butter (or use 2T of fruity extra virgin olive oil) and stir in the mint and paprika. Drizzle over the hot soup in the individual bowls, after you portion it out to your guests. I won't lie, I tossed these three ingredients together into a bowl, microwaved it for 30 seconds, stirred it and served. It was cooking for the brain dead, and it smelled heavenly. 

Garnishing: Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top of each bowl. (You could use parsley in place of here for a different flavour profile, a more middle eastern profile. And in Iranian/Persian cooking they so a ½ & ½ parsley/cilantro garnish that would work well, too).

And one final shout out to Cook's Illustrated: directly from their website...

___________________________________________

Be sure to follow A Lunch Box Blog  

Twitter   *   Facebook  *  Tumblr  *  Google+

Baked Chicken in Cardamom-Coconut Ragu

Today's entry was my first blog post on my sister’s site, "A Family That Eats Together." While she's busy raising baby #2, she's taken a mental (not culinary) hiatus.

But it was very exciting to be able to contribute to her exceptional blog! So until she's up and running again, this one's for you, sis.

Ready for Lunch
the Next Day

Baked Chicken in Cardamom-Coconut Ragu
(Accented with a yellow/red bell pepper-and Vidalia onion-curried dressing)

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 mintues
Cooking Time: 40-60 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken baking dish
4 chicken thighs (boneless will cook at 375 in 40 mins; bone in, you cook 425 for 60 mins)
1c coconut milk (don’t use light coconut milk)
1c pureed tomato (canned works great, but you can use chopped fire roasted tomatoes)
1 ½ T cumin seeds
½ T celery seeds
1T coriander seeds
4t paprika
1" to 2" inches of grated ginger (approx ½” in circumference)
2 chopped Thai finger peppers or similar peppers
1t salt
6 cardamom seed pods (whole or cracked, if you like)
5 cloves
3-5 garlic cloves peeled and chopped

For the dressing/topping
4-6 chopped whole fire roasted tomatoes
¼ – ½ c of ghee or if you prefer, use first-press peanut oil will give you the best flavor, but you could use regular canola if you don’t particularly care
½ T cumin seeds
1 ½ c Vidalia onion sliced wafer thin
1 chopped Thai finger pepper
½ t ground turmeric
½ t paprika
½ t black mustard seeds
1 ½ red or yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced or cut into squares
Chopped topping of cilantro or green onion tops

Preparation:

Toast the Spices in the Pan Over Medium to Low Heat

For the Chicken—

1. Toast the cumin, coriander and celery seeds for about 2-5 mins in a skillet; pour into a coffee grinder and turn into a powder. Pour into baking dish (If you don’t have the time, just use pre-ground spices).
2. Roll/dredge the chicken thighs in the spices. Remove from baking dish, put onto the back of the lid.
3. Combine the coconut milk into all the remaining spice ingredients into the baking dish. Fold the chicken into the liquid, cover, and put in oven at 425 for 45 minutes to an hour if they are bone-in.

Make the dressing—

Dredged Chicken

1. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat, add in the mustard seeds until they begin to pop.
2. Add in cumin seeds on a lower heat, so the mustard seeds do not burn. 
3. Then add in the onions and pepper at the immediate moment the seeds have NOT yet burned. 
4. Carmelize for about 5 minutes on medium-low
5. Add in the chopped tomatoes and all the juice from the tomatoes that comes out or add in a little water if there isn’t much juice. I added in about ¼c of the tomato water from the can that I’d used for the chicken. 
6. Add in the bell peppers and cook until soft. 
7. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish the dish—

1. Pull chicken out of the oven, open lid, top the chicken in the baking dish with all of the dressing. Then top with cilantro or chopped green onion tops. 
2. You can leave on the stove with the heat off for the night, I did. The juices and flavors should meld nicely.
3. Serve over a bed of basmati rice.

Were it not for my Camera,
This Picture Would Convey Just a Beautiful Final Product

Matthew's Famous Reheating Tips for Office Gourmands™
Ever wonder how to effectively reheat last night's dinner in a microwave? So often microwaves can destroy food. You pop it in for 4 minutes, walk away, hope for the best. This is the way of failure.

For your lunch the next day at the office: you should consider heating the chicken piece(s) first in a series of short "zaps:"

• 30 seconds on high covered with an inverted bowl. 
• Wait a full minute. 
• 60 seconds on high. 
• Wait a full minute. Remove the chicken piece(s) from the plate, Lay the plate with basmati rice. 
• Position the pre-warmed chicken on top of the cold rice. 
• Cover as you would envision serving the meal. Then cook on high for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce begins to spatter the inside of the inverted bowl. 
• Be careful! The inverted bowl will be extremely hot inside. 
• Instead of lifting that lid, let this sit in the microwave for about 1-3 minutes further. Go check email.
• Depending on the strength of the microwave you are using, you may need to continue heating for 1-3 minutes for the ragu to warm completely through. 
• Then pull out, let sit on the table, and rest for 30 seconds. Devour.

Chef’s note: To simplify the recipe, ya know, you could just cut out all the toasting of the spices and buy powdered, dry spices. I just happen to like toasting spices in a skillet; it makes my house smell amazing. My upstairs neighbors all talk about how the house we share smells like a fine dining restaurant! (Or a fragrant Indian restaurant) And I’m a sucker for the compliments.

___________________________________________

Be sure to follow A Lunch Box Blog  

Twitter   *   Facebook  *  Tumblr  *  Google+