Reversal of Fortune, Butter into Cream.

 “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream."

 "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude."

 Quotes from the famous master chef, Julia Child

 

Depending on the recipe, there are often times that cream, whether half n’ half or heavy, can be substituted for butter.  Then again, what is butter, but emulsified fat globules from the churning of milk or cream. In using cream, there is a satisfying smoothness that coats the tongue, whereas butter can be an unsatisfactory oil.

One of my favorite recipes is piccata which, in Italian, translates to “larded”.  It is a technique where chicken or firm fish is sliced thin, coated in flour, browned in oil, and finished off in a sauce of butter, lemon juice, and capers.  What are capers? They are berries that have a lemon tang, yet the flavor of olives that have been brined, aka salty.  They are more often found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes, since they grow primarily in those areas.

However, in France, piccata refers to the word “pique” which means “sharp”, and the sauce is made with butter, lemon juice and spices; no capers. The cooking style of dredging in flour and frying though is the same.  So, whether you travel to Italy or France, definitely try piccata, but expect a sincere difference in sauces.

Now, I am not afraid of butter, as Julia Child’s quote might imply, but I do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen.  I believe most of my experiments come from, “I have this (insert name of food item) in the fridge or pantry, and I wonder what would happen if I substituted it for…?”  It is a curiosity behavior inherent in the human psyche.  How else would we have all our modern benefits, such as the wheel, exist, if we were not curious beings?

So, instead of traditional butter, and a couple of minor adjustments, my chicken piccata found itself draped in a creamy lemon sauce.  As side dishes, I took a 16-ounce bag of frozen California Mix vegetables, added a cup each of julienned bell peppers (more colors the prettier it looks) and onions.  The vegetables were stir-fried in two tablespoons of olive oil, seasoned with salt, ground black pepper and a couple of dashes of garlic powder.

The other side dish was a saffron rice; 2 cups of rice, cooked in 4 cups of chicken broth with 10 strands of saffron.   What is saffron?  A spice collected from the saffron crocus; the threads/strands are the stigma.  The taste is sweet and floral while saffron that tastes bitter, metallic, or plastic-like are cheap imitations that should be avoided.  This spice is rather expensive, so a substitute for the 10 threads is ½ teaspoon turmeric plus ½ teaspoon paprika.  The use of chicken broth diluted the saffron’s red color, so the rice allowed the vegetables to pop their colors on the plate, yet was still a delicious addition.

In one month’s time, I needed to make this dish twice, as Roy became addicted to it.  The tanginess of the lemon, the smoothness of the creamy sauce; oh yes, you will want to lick that plate clean!  Not telling if Roy did that, I will just leave it to your imagination.

 

 

Meals becoming a little boring, or need a wow factor for guests?  Try Chicken in Creamy Lemon Sauce, and wake up your, and everyone else’s, taste buds.

 

Chicken in Creamy Lemon Sauce

 Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. paprika

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/3 cup lemon juice

¼ cup chicken stock

1 Tbsp. flour

1 cup half n’ half

Preparation:

 Mix together salt, pepper and paprika and season one side of the split chicken breasts.  Heat olive oil, medium-high heat, in large skillet, and brown chicken, 5 minutes, on both sides.  Add vinegar and lemon juice, cover skillet and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove chicken to plate.

 

Raise heat to high, add chicken stock and flour, whisk till smooth. Add half n’ half, bring to boil; whisk until smooth and creamy.  Spoon sauce over chicken.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert Salad Saga – Part Two.

Nectar and Ambrosia, the drink and food of the Gods; the Ancient Greek Pantheon that is.  Sitting upon celestial thrones high upon Mount Olympus, these gods and goddesses played the humans upon the Earth as pieces on a giant chessboard.  My interest in their mythology began in elementary school; in high school though is when an English teacher asked us to make recipes of the Grecian culture.

Nectar is quite easy to create; a mixture of whole cow’s milk, honey and the stigmas (only 3 per flower) of Crocus flowers aka saffron threads.  Crocus, being a plant of the mountains is sacred to the Gods; it gives a golden color to the drink, with extraordinary rejuvenating and energizing powers.  Ambrosia, in its original form, is a honey cake laden with apples and figs; the modern version is a simple mixture of fruits, honey and Greek yogurt.

 

Ah, but now we come to the Americanized version of this simple Greek recipe; we’ve all seen it in any salad bar.  That wondrous mixture of fruits, coconut flakes, marshmallows and whipped topping; looking like a total mess, yet tasting so cool and refreshing…Ambrosia salad.  This is one of those recipes where almost anything can be added, and it doesn’t go wrong; even pasta!  That’s right, pasta, which brings me to a popular dessert salad that dates back approximately 40 years to a recipe on a box.  Acini di Pepe, also spelled Acini de Pepe (pronounced ah-CHEE-nee dee PAY-pay); "Acini" means "berries", "Pepe" means "pepper", so "pepper berries" or “peppercorns”.  If you are a fan of Italian Wedding Soup, then you have eaten Acini di Pepe; and it gives Frog Eye Salad its unusual name.

 

 

The original name of the recipe was “Ambrosia Salad with Acine di Pepe”, but as it made its rounds through home kitchens, it picked up the name of “Frog Eye Salad”.  How is a good question, but the only guessed at reasoning was that someone’s child must have said, “Yuck, that looks like frog eyes in there!”  As the recipe was passed along, the nickname stuck as it traveled throughout the United States, and to the dessert salad loving state of Utah.  The first time I’d ever heard of, or tasted, it was at an annual holiday party; the pasta being a chewy addition to the salad.  The consensus is, some love it, some hate it; some don’t care, its food, so just eat it.  Personally, I didn’t see the point of adding the pasta while my husband enjoyed it; so to each his/her own.

One recipe I found was supposedly from the original box of pasta put out by the Ronzoni Company.  I contacted them for verification, but, as yet, they have not bothered to respond with an answer.  So, I’m using a recipe from The Salt Lake Tribune’s “What’s Cooking in Utah Kitchens” cookbook (no date) which is extremely close to the other recipe I found.  It also makes a quantity that could feed a small army (about 20 servings), so cut the recipe as needed.

Frog Eye Salad

(page 66, by Donna Kastler)

 Ingredients:

1 and ½ cups (12 oz. box) Acini de Pepe (macaroni product)

2 quarts boiling water
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. oil
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 and ¾ cups pineapple juice
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (20 oz.) chunk pineapple, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup coconut
1 carton (9 oz.) frozen whipped topping

Preparation:

Cook Acine de Pepe in boiling water with the 1 teaspoon salt and oil for 8 to 10 minutes.  While macaroni is cooking, combine the sugar, flour, ½ teaspoon salt, eggs and pineapple juice; cook until thick, stirring constantly.  Stir in lemon juice.  Cool and pour over well drained macaroni.  Stir and refrigerate overnight.

Several hours before serving, add the mandarin oranges, pineapple, marshmallows and coconut.  Stir well; add frozen whipped topping.  Fold together.

 

Mary Cokenour

Paella, the Party in the Pot.

Originating in Valencia, on the eastern coast of Spain, Paella can indeed be considered a party in a pot; everything and anything can be invited into this dish. Recipes from olden times list rabbit, chicken, snails and beans; it was the Arabic influence which introduced rice and spices, like saffron, into the party mix. As more and more outside influences entered Spain, the recipes for Paella became varied.

When making Paella, the most important element is the rice; Spanish rice is perfect, but not available everywhere. A short grain rice is the best substitute, like Arborio rice which is used in Risotto making. The Spanish or short grain rice absorb large amounts of liquid, but does not become mushy; on the contrary, it becomes plump and tender. The liquid used is also an important factor as it, not only cooks the rice, but adds flavor to the entire dish. Fish stock is the number one liquid used and usually freshly made; chicken stock is second, especially in regions where seafood is not plentiful or readily available. Depending on the recipe used, sometimes the pan is left on the burner long enough for the bottom layer of rice to toast before serving.

Adding some heat to the dish can be achieved two ways, using chile peppers or, as a meat component, a spicy sausage such as Chorizo. If using sausage, be careful of the seasonings that might be in the meat mixture to make sure it doesn't clash with the overall dish. Saffron, the stigmas of the Saffron Crocus flower, gives food a yellow-orange coloring; the taste is similar to a grassy honey. Just a pinch goes a long way and good thing too as this spice is expensive due to limited availability.

When using seafood in your Paella, stick to species that will cook well together time wise, and hold up well in structure, not fall apart. Shrimp, scallop, squid, octopus and firm white flesh fish such as cod or halibut are examples. Clams, mussels and oysters are also perfect for a seafood or varied Paella. How many of these elements you incorporate into your recipe is up to you. I wanted a simplified version, so used only three proteins; shrimp, scallops and chicken. I only used 12 ounces of each; always try to use equal amounts of the proteins and adjust accordingly to accommodate the size of your pan. While I used a short grained rice, I made the mistake of not checking the rice to liquid ratio on the package; some have a one to two ratio, some have a one to three ratio.  It was slightly soupy, but still delicious; the extra liquid did absorb well when leftovers were reheated the next day.

A Paella pan looks similar to a giant Wok, but with lower sides and a larger, flat base to sit on the fire. Like the Wok, it distributes the heat evenly to ensure proper cooking of all ingredients without having to worry about overcooking or burning. I used my Calphalon Everyday Pan to make my Paella. With all the ingredients I managed to put into the pan, it did not boil over.

Basically, this type of dish is great for a get-together and ensures that everyone will get a little something of everything that's put into it.  The simplicity or difficulty is entirely up to the recipe that you follow.  Try it and enjoy!

 

Paella

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
2 cups Spanish or short grain rice
Fish or chicken stock (check rice package listing for correct amount, plus one cup to accommodate other ingredients)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of saffron
12 ounces extra large shrimp
12 ounces sea scallops
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup thinly sliced colored bell peppers (do not use green bell peppers)
1 cup diced tomatoes

Preparation:

On medium-high heat, saute' together oil, onion, mushrooms and chicken until chicken begins to brown; mix in rice.  Add stock, garlic, paprika, black pepper, red pepper flakes and saffron; mix together.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes; adjust heat if necessary to keep at a simmer, not a boil; stir occasionally.

Mix and immerse the shrimp and scallops into the rice mixture; sprinkle peas and bell peppers evenly over top and press down slightly into rice mixture.  Cook for 10 minutes; add the tomatoes, mix and cook another 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and let pan rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour