Chicken Marsala

It's wedding season. I just returned from an especially touching ceremony in the Pocono's where we had a terrific reunion of sorts while commemorating the love and commitment of a very special couple, Dan & Megan. It's particularly moving to be included in these celebrations and I am, as always, awed by the expression of love manifest not just by the bride and groom, but by all those in attendance. Deep down, I'm a sucker for ritual and my emotions run just below the surface. I left with a renewed sense of gratitude for all the love in my own life.

Another couple having just returned from their own honeymoon were looking for advice on something easy and quick to serve the in-laws Sunday evening. Both are young and inexperienced in the kitchen, but willing students, so I suggested an Italian favorite with newlyweds and anyone else with minimal skills and even less time: Chicken Marsala. Marsala wine has a very distinctive and sweet aroma that lends a unique flavor to sauces. Not counting salt & pepper and cooking oil, there are about five ingredients total in this recipe. I walked them both through the steps between holes on the golf course the morning of the ceremony.

Chicken Marsala

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded ⅛" thick ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp olive oil 4 Tbsp unsalted butter ¼ cup shallots, finely chopped 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced ¾ cup Marsala wine 1 cup chicken stock Salt & pepper to taste

If you have an Italian butcher, he'll pound your chicken breasts for you at the market. Otherwise, lay breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with a mallet or rolling pin. Heat oil and 2 Tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Put flour in a shallow dish and season with salt & pepper. You can add dried herbs to the flour as well. I like oregano or thyme. Dredge chicken cutlets in flour shaking off excess. Cook cutlets in oil until just brown on both sides, about two minutes per side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Soften shallots in same pan until translucent, then add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have browned and released their liquid. Add Marsala and bring to a boil, reducing by half. Add the chicken stock and thicken the sauce slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Lower heat to medium, and return cutlets to the pan, cooking for 5-6 minutes. Sauce will continue to thicken. Just before serving, swirl in remaining 2 Tbsp butter and top with chopped parsley. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

You'll see this dish served with every kind of pasta from penne to spaghetti. Irish/Mexican that I am, I opted for roasted potatoes. This is another meal that is all about the sauce really. A chicken cutlet is just a chicken cutlet. But you reduce some Marsala and stir in some butter, and now you're cooking with gas.

My quarterly shipment for Storrs came in just before packing for the trip to eastern PA. I threw an '04 Merlot and the 2005 Mann Vineyard Bordeaux-blend into a backpack for the post-rehearsal party Friday night, and reserved a Zinfandel and the Lester Family Vineyard Pinot for the cellar. The blend was the hit of the weekend. Everyone wanted to know about Storrs after that. The Pinot got opened tonight. Medium bodied, lots of red berries and herbs in the nose, and again the beach tar that I always seem to pick up with Pinot Noirs. The wine just expands in the mouth. The berries open up, making way for earthy, woody notes. It's complex and terrifically balanced in the finish. This one is hand-crafted, and unfortunately comes with a price tag to match ($38 at the winery or for members). However, it's still a great bargain for a special summer leg of lamb or roasted pork loin.

I've prepared hundred of elaborate meals for groups large and small. But on a Monday night with nothing but a good book for company, I can still whip up a memorable dish and feel pretty good about myself. I brown bag it, or in this case, Tupperware it for lunch at work every day. If I get past midnight without raiding the ice box tonight, I'm in for a real treat tomorrow around the noon hour.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

Pax Romana

From where do ideas spring? Are they triggered by external forces, or do they spring fully formed from the psyche? What do I know, I'm a food blogger, not a philosopher. In any event, here's how last night's menu came to be. I was at the Arthur Avenue Retail Market looking at produce. The grocer proffered a handful of yellow cherries. I popped a couple in my mouth and couldn't believe how sweet they were. I had to have a pound. While he weighed them out for me, I spied some beautifully ripe figs tucked under some herbs, and the cogs started turning...

Saltimbocca alla Romana

8 2oz veal cutlets 8oz prosciutto, thinly sliced fresh sage leaves ½ cup flour 4 Tbsp olive oil 8 Tbsp unsalted butter ¼ cup marsala wine 1 cup chicken stock Salt & pepper

Use a mallet or rolling pin to pound cutlets to ⅛" thick. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Press 2 or 3 slices of prosciutto on top of each cutlet. Stitch 2 sage leaves on top of the prosciutto and through the veal. Dredge cutlets in flour, shaking off excess, and set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil and 2 Tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook veal in batches until cutlets are lightly browned and the prosciutto side is crisp, about 1 minute per side. Move meat to a platter lined with paper towels. Repeat procedure with remaining cutlets. Discard toothpicks after cooking.

Pour off the cooking fat and return pan to high heat. Deglaze with marsala, scraping up browned bits. Reduce wine by half. Add chicken stock and reduce again. Stir in remaining 4 Tbsp of butter and reduce heat to medium. Return cutlets to the pan and cook until sauce thickens, turning veal occasionally.

What of the figs you ask? I made a reduced syrup of 1 part Balsamic vinegar and 2 parts honey that I drizzled over quartered figs for a simple, elegant dessert. Toasted, shaved almonds sprinkled about added a nice crunch.

A 2007 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio made for a fine addition to the meal. Fruit forward, apricot notes in the bouquet and on the palate. Great balance and a beautiful finish with more fruit and spice. Mount Carmel Wines sells it for $24. A worthy companion with veal, poultry and saltier seafood dishes. Veal is such a light, airy meat. It's more a blank canvas for inspired sauces and simple techniques. Whichever Roman chef came up with saltimbocca needs an award named in his honor. One that rewards excellence in simplicity and flavors. I paired my saltimbocca with another Italian favorite, broccoli rabe. You've seen it here before. It's bitter and salty and garlicy and I just love it. All this because I chanced upon some figs at the market. I think it best not to analyze these things too thoroughly, but I suspect figs reminded me of prosciutto and melon, and prosciutto lead logically to veal. There, I just showed you the man behind the curtain.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

An Experience in Immortality*

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." ~ Charles Dickens When snow flurries greeted my awakening Friday morning, I had to bury my head under a pillow in denial. Only in the East can March be so taunting and cruel. But the first day of spring dawned clear, bright and temperate; a very good start to a very great day.

I started the day with some pampering. A pot of freshly ground French roast coffee, a light breakfast of sliced tomato and La Vache Qui Rit on a toasted English muffin, and a junkie's fix of the Food Network. Charged and ready to meet the day head on, I whipped through the bathrooms making them sparkling clean, showered and headed to the Botanical Garden to satisfy another addiction: books. The manager there knows me by face if not name and remarked on my prolonged winter absence. I let him know that with spring finally in the air, I would again become a frequent visitor.

Mt Carmel Wines hosts a tasting every Saturday afternoon. I made a detour there on my way to the market and made some very productive discoveries and in fact, brought two of them home. At the market, I decided to atone for last night's rich dishes with some roasted root vegetables and a simple pasta. Easter and Passover are quickly approaching, and along with Spring, guilt is the other fragrance wafting into the nostrils.

This here is just a teaser. I've written about my pasta salad before. It's a summertime favorite around these parts. The green grocer was just putting out fresh hothouse basil when I arrived at the produce stand, and the fine day made me so giddily optimistic that I just had to pick up a bunch for the first pasta salad of the season. I had some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano so tangy and salty that all I had to do practically was wave it over the noodles. It was a great starter. Sweet extra virgin olive oil; bright, clean basil; sweet nuts, woody olives and acidic tomatoes. I could have easily had seconds and then thirds.

I wish everything were as easy to prepare as roasted vegetables. Pick your favorites or whatever's available at the produce market. This was eggplant, carrots and a fennel bulb. Cut everything to roughly comparable sizes, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt & freshly ground pepper, toss and roast for 30 minutes in a 425° oven. Give a shake in the pan half-way through the roasting process. After roasting, I tossed mine with some feta cheese, a little thyme and red pepper flake and just a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Roasted carrots taste almost candied. It's amazing. Eggplant turns magically from an insipid watery sponge into a complex, creamy delight. For once, I pushed away from the table not stuffed to the gills but pleasantly satiated.

I mentioned a discovery or two from Mt Carmel Wines earlier this afternoon. One was a Bordeaux-style blend from seven French winemakers who've emigrated to Argentina to produce something new and exciting from the promising microclimates at the foot of the Andes. The Clos de los Siete Mendoza is already a phenom within the industry. The 2006 vintage (50% Malbec, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Syrah), is a heavyweight at the ripe age of three, and will only improve with cellaring. The wine is an inky, dark red color; full-bodied and subtle at the same time. Lots of floral red fruit in the bouquet with rich ripe plums, caramel & vanilla in the mouth. Tannins come through in the finish to balance out the flavor. Clos 7 is a young winery with old world sensibilities. What makes this wine truly jaw dropping is its price: $19 retail. I'm heading back to Mt Carmel tomorrow for a case which temptation will no doubt prevent me from storing for any length of time, but what the hell.

And so ends the first day of spring 2009. I hope wherever you are reading this that your day was just as awesome, and you too have a contented sense of accomplishment and satisfaction if only for this brief respite.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

*Henry David Thoreau

A Mexican Getaway...

...Day Two.

It was glorious Sunday, nearly 60°. Folks were running around as if it were a balmy day in May. I was out there myself most of the day, the heavy coat left in the hall closet, my favorite Samuel O'Reilly's hoody a perfectly adequate substitute. I hit the bookstands at the Botanical Garden shop, ran errands I'd put off because of the weather, watched a pick-up game of touch football in the school yard. I didn't even think about what to do for dinner, and do you want to know why? Because it's Sunday, and what do we do on Sundays around here? Leftovers, that's what, or haven't you been paying attention. Well, there was plenty of shredded pork from Saturday to make at least one more dinner, and probably a couple of lunches as well. So, I says to myself, "Self," I says, "how 'bout some tasty pork tostadas tonight?" I said it just like that! And here we are.

Tostadas started life as an economical way of saving stale tortillas from going to waste. Now, they're rock stars in their own right and like many dishes of humble origin, have evolved into almost unrecognizable celebrities. Since you all know I'm never one to put on airs (ahem), we'll be staying true to our Mexican roots. Here's what you'll need for BOF's authentic pork tostadas: Vegetable or peanut oil Corn tortillas Black beans Shredded pork Cilantro Red onion Avocado Queso fresco

Soaking Black beans

Start with dried black beans. Sort through them, picking out any foreign objects, i.e. small stones, soil particles, etc., that you wouldn't care to eat. My grandparents always seemed to have a big pot of beans on the stove during my childhood, and I can still see my Aunt Donnie picking through pinto beans on an old Formica table. Rinse your beans prior to cooking as an added precaution. Now soak your beans: To ½-lb of dry beans, add 3-4 cups of hot water. Boil for 2 minutes, then set aside for one hour. Drain and rinse the beans one more time.

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Cooking Black beans

½-lb soaked beans 2 Tbsp olive oil ½-cup yellow onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dry oregano 1 tsp dry cumin 1 Tbsp cider vinegar Salt & pepper to taste Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cooking until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Add soaked, rinsed beans and 4 cups of water or stock to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 3 hours. The house is gonna smell like a holiday with the cider vinegar wafting through the air. Once they are of soft, remove the beans from the heat but keep covered.

Tostada assembly

Heat about ¼ inch of peanut oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat for the tortillas. Fry one tortilla at a time in the hot oil, flipping a couple of times until they are slightly crisp, but still just pliable. Drain them on paper towels. Spread a thin layer of black beans almost to the edge of a fried tortilla. Next pile warm shredded pork on top of the beans. Add a couple of slices of ripe, soft avocado. Sprinkle with diced red onion, chopped cilantro and crumbled queso fresco. If you fancy a little extra heat, go for a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce.

My father sometimes reads this blog, so I pledged never to swear in my writing, but holy smokes, this was no peasant meal. There was so much going on. I have to admit to cheating by adding a little of last night's reduction to the pork as I warmed it up on the stove. What an addition. Rich, sharp sweetness from the leftover pork; a nutty base note from the black beans and that tablespoon of cider vinegar would have been missed had it been omitted. Queso fresco has a saltiness and tang that should only be combined with raw onion and fresh cilantro. It all came together like... like a firework display on the 4th of July Cinco de Mayo. I'm embarrassed to admit this publicly, but anyone who can cook this good ought to be able to quit his day job in exchange for a gig as executive chef on a Mediterranean yacht or at a Deer Valley ski lodge.

This is one dish that qualifies as a snack, appetizer, or meal in itself. I wouldn't serve a side unless one considers a frosty cold Mexican beer or glass of wine a side, in which case, go for seconds! Because I just can't help myself, I opened a bottle of 2 Brothers '05 Cabernet Sauvignon. 2 Brothers is the reserve label for Big Tattoo Wines. Theirs is a touching story and one that you should take a moment to learn. What's that? Oh, the wine, you say.

Well, it's a young wine. I don't think any Cab should be opened before its 10th birthday, but not many winemakers can afford to age Cabernet for any length of time anymore, and so blending &  barreling tricks are employed to move the grape along. The nose or bouquet is what usually gives a young wine away for me. Vintner sleight of hand cannot mask the alcohol in a young wine. It can remind one of a trip to the free clinic. Still, 2 Brothers, I must say, has put out a very excellent reserve Cabernet. Once it opened up (about an hour after removing the cork), there were deep, black cherry and ripe red fruit aromas in the nose. A rich, full-bodied structure in the mouth with lots of ripe plum gave way to tobacco and a raw vanilla finish. I was frankly surprised at the complexity from such a young vineyard. And to think I shelled out 13 bucks for the bottle. Well, that made it all the better.

I have to tell you, it has been one rewarding weekend. The next time someone turns their nose up at your grandmother's handed-down recipes, or shows contempt for that hole-in-the-wall diner you love so well, point them to this blog entry, and politely suggest they pull their head out.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

A Mexican Getaway...

...Without Leaving Home. I haven't been home or not hung over (or both) for several weekends now, so I've been looking forward to a clear-eyed Saturday getting reacquainted with my kitchen. I even went so far as to remove some meat from the freezer before work Friday morning enabling me to hit the ground running without impinging on my pot of coffee and morning papers.

It's been a Mexican-Free Zone for an alarming stretch of time now and something simply has to be done about it. So, since I'm purposefully and blissfully alone this weekend, why not another installment in the solo meals series. Today: spicy pork fajitas and a chili corn side. Although the braising takes several hours, the prep work is a snap and after that, it's pretty much a hands-free work environment. In fact, I'm juggling iTunes, the Buick Invitational, the New Yorker and this blog entry while the pork is slowly breaking down into its tender goodliness.

My last pork entry was a honey & mustard-glazed roast, and I admit to being something of a student of the hot/sweet school, so this time it was a chili and brown sugar coating. Why brown sugar? Well, the molasses and trace minerals added to unrefined sugar undergo mysterious transformations in the presence of amino acids (protein) and all those wonderful pork juices. Don't ask me to elaborate, I can't. Let's just say it tastes bloody good, and leave it at that.

So I started with an inventory of the cupboards and, as usual, went with what I had on hand: onion, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, chili powder, brown sugar and some other spices. I played around with measurements that looked right (I hate measuring, but will provide estimates later in the post), tossed everything into the food processor and broke it all down into a chunky paste.

The paste got rubbed into the pork roast, and worked into the meat thoroughly. I set the roast into a Dutch oven with one cup each of chicken stock and white wine. Covered, the pot went into a 300° pre-heated oven for four hours. Every hour, I turned the meat and kept the level of the liquid from completely evaporating.

After three-and-a-half hours, I started checking the roast for tenderness. Once it began to fall completely apart at the slightest touch, I removed the roast from the oven and let it rest loosely covered for 15 minutes.

While the meat rested, I moved the Dutch oven to the stovetop and reduced the juices and residual liquid over a medium low flame. While the sauce reduced, I heated sweet corn in a Tbsp of olive oil for about ten minutes. I added some minced roasted red peppers, chili powder, cumin and some red pepper flake, since I had no cayenne in the house. After about five minutes, I tasted for salt and removed from the heat.

The pork shredded effortlessly and needed no dressing short of some of the reduced broth from the Dutch oven. It remained juicy throughout the meal. There was a perfect balance of sweet and spice. A Mexican futbol goal!

Heap shredded pork on a serving platter and decorate with lime wedges. Serve with warm flour tortillas and sour cream or pico de gallo, or tomatillo salsa. Whatever you have on hand. If I had had company, I would have grilled whole scallions to serve with the pork and made fried plantain strips to serve on the side. Pile the juicy pork in a tortilla and add your favorite topping before wrapping it up and eating with your hands.

Only because I thought the label was cool, I picked up a Longboard Vineyards 2006 Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River Valley. It was a great food wine. The spices in the meat and corn complimented subtleties in the bouquet and taste. Here were my tasting notes without and then with food: Nose: floral soap, herbal tea Mouth: dry, acidic, green apple and grapefruit flavors. Balanced finish. With food: Herbs come through in the bouquet. Citric complexities in the finish. Tartness without the pucker. Sorry for the shorthand, everyone has their own way of articulating the ephemeral. But it was a fine wine with spicy food. Longboard is a bit of an upstart with minor touchy-feely aspirations. Their website is good for a chuckle or two, especially if you've grown up around surfing. I wonder if sometimes I sound as big a tool!

As promised:

Brown sugar and chili paste: (for a 3-4 lb pork roast) 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1½ Tbsp white wine vinegar 4 cloves garlic 4 Tbsp olive oil ¼-cup dark brown sugar 1 medium yellow onion Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until the onion is broken down and a thick paste forms. Rub all over your pork roast.

Chili corn: 16 oz sweet corn kernels ¼ tsp ground cumin ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp chili powder 1 Tbsp olive oil ¼-cup roasted red pepper, finely minced. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add corn and heat through for about 10 minutes. Add the spices and peppers and cook through for five minutes. Season to taste and remove from heat.

Any guesses on Sunday's menu? Shredded pork tostadas with black beans and queso fresco!

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food

The Contrarian, Or The Art of Tailgating

There is something you should know about my boy Whogus: the man is a sports freak. Oh, not your everyday garden variety sports fan. He is a savant. But you'll never seen him glued to the TV in his dingy apartment, or high-fiving total strangers in some cheesy sports bar. Nope, Whogus will be at the epicenter of every major sporting event in the greater Bay Area: The Tailgate Party. He may not know which team is playing, or even what sport he's attending, but he'll know to within a half degree the ambient heat of his four barbeque grills, the precise BTU output of his six-burner portable stove, and the exact temperature - in Celsius, no less - of his beer cooler.

Actually, none of that is true, and he would probably kill me if he ever bothered to read this blog (we're not all that close, really). He thinks people who watch sports instead of playing them are pathetic. He's quite opinionated on the subject. But the man can grill. Instead of rattles and teething rings, Whogus played with spatulas and tongs as a toddler. His destiny was sealed at an early age. When not hobnobbing with his high-society friends or throwing back G&Ts on the lawns of his parents' estate, Whogus will have his "Kiss the Cook" apron on, charcoal chimney at the ready.

During my holiday visit he picked up a tri-tip of beef, some green & red bell peppers and asparagus, and informed me that he would be manning the grill that evening. Not one to be excluded, I volunteered a marinade for the roast, and a warm potato salad to which my father had introduced me over Christmas. Whogus is a wine merchant, so I knew we were in for one of his singularly indulgent late nights.

With lots of advance notice, a good marinade can really flavor a cut of meat. Salt and a good olive oil will help it retain moisture once it hits the grill. Here's what I came up with:

½ each red and green bell peppers, de-seeded and membrane removed, finely minced ¼-cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely pressed dash Worcestershire and soy sauces fresh ground pepper Combine all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to incorporate the oil and the liquids. Pour over top of the tri-tip, flipping the roast to marinate both sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I had six). Turn the beef occasional to keep the entire cut marinating. I omitted the salt in the marinade, as there is plenty in the added sauces.

When Whogus returned from work that evening he donned his BBQ holster and fired up his Weber 3000, and I prepped the vegetables. In a more perfect world, there would be two ways, and two ways only to eat vegetables: raw, or hot off the grill. Grilling caramelizes some of the sugars found in almost every vegetable, bringing out a sweetness one would never suspect of a pepper or root. The beautiful charring is always eye-catching, and just makes for an agreeable presentation.

One should make larger cuts when prepping vegetables for the grill. They're more manageable on the grates and resist their natural urge to fall into the fire. You can always cut them in smaller pieces once they've finished cooking.

Toss prepped vegetables in a light coating of olive oil, and add them to the grill about halfway through cooking time for the beef. Keep and eye on them. You want nice sear marks, not charred lumps of pure carbon.

I mentioned a warm potato salad my father made for me over Christmas. It was so simple and delicious, I knew it was gonna end up in my repertoire. Dad gave a red onion a medium chop, and 4 or 5 gherkin pickles a rough chop by way of prep work. Some quartered Yukon Gold potatoes were set to the boil. Once the potatoes were fork tender, Dad drained them, added mayonnaise and the chopped ingredients and mashed them! I should have known. Nothing with Pops O'Food is straightforward. I was ready to turn my nose up at them, but couldn't believe how much I enjoyed them. His secret ingredient was pickle juice from the jar. Here's my variation:

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, quartered, skins left intact 2 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced 1 medium red onion, medium chopped 4 gherkin pickles, quartered and roughly chopped 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill ½-cup yogurt ¼-cup mayonnaise Salt and freshly ground pepper

Set potatoes to boil in plenty of salted water in an un-covered stock pot. Once potatoes are fork tender, drain them and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the yogurt, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix gently to incorporate. Add the onion, pickle and dill and mix thoroughly, and again gently. The mixing will break down the quartered potatoes but still leave some lumps for texture. Layer slices of boiled egg over the top and serve.

Back to the Tri-tip:

Remove the bell peppers once they've developed nice sear marks and before they begin to wilt. Once your cut of beef reaches an internal temperature of 140° (medium-rare), remove from the grill, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Slice the tri-tip against the grain at a bias into thin strips. Layer on a dinner plate, top with the bell peppers, the asparagus spears on the side. Spoon a generous mound of potato salad to one side and tuck in. A Storrs 2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Petite Syrah would in no way be objectionable with this meal. Nor would a second bottle for that matter, and then a glass of 20-year old tawny Port with a piece of dark chocolate for dessert. I warned you things would get decadent.

Thanks for taking the time - Blog O. Food