Chicken Cacciatore

Last night I wasn't in the mood for a lot of cooking. Putting something in the pot and letting it do it's thing was the answer. This might not be an original Cacciatore recipe but it is damn good. Give it a try.

1 3-4 lb chicken, back cut out
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. oil
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
1 tbsp. oregano
1/2 tbsp. thyme
1/2 tbsp. basil
Several grindings of pepper
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar

Put the onions and mushrooms in a pot, big enough to hold the chicken, with two tbsp. of oil. Saute over medium heat until onions are soft, then add the garlic. Cook two minutes more then add the wine. Add the herbs and and vinegar. Let reduce a little, then add the crushed tomatoes, sugar and the beef and chicken stocks. Let it simmer a while then add the tomato paste.

Meanwhile, take your chicken and flatten it, oil it and pepper it. Put it in a pan under a broiler just long enough to brown the skin. Remove the chicken and add it to your sauce. Cover the pot, put the temp on medium low and let cook for at least an hour, turning occasionally. Remove the chicken and degrease the sauce using a spoon. Place chicken back into sauce and allow to cook, on low, while you prepare the rest of the meal. This is great served with pasta topped with the sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

Non-Posting

Hi, Folks:

I haven't posted recently because I have been dealing with a problem with the advertising portion of the blog. As I said up front, I am new to this blogging thing and I didn't know it was a bad thing to ask readers to click on ads. The advertising portion of my blog has been suspended/canceled due to "inappropriate click activity". That is my fault, as I asked people to click on ads. It is OK to click on ads, just not the same ones every time, every day. I am in the process of revamping the blog, or at least the advertising. I hope to be back up soon. If you e-mail me, I will let you know of any changes.

Thanks,

Walt

Spinach and Scallop Salad

There is a great restaurant in San Diego called the Fish House. It is in the downtown area located right on the bay. Every seat in the house offers a gorgeous view. This is a salad that I had there and loved so much that I went home and experimented with it until I got it right.

For two:

1 bag spinach, stems removed
1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices thick cut bacon
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
12 sea scallops
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil

Cook bacon in a saute pan until crisp. Remove and add olive oil to the bacon drippings. Over medium heat, cook onions until they are soft. Push your onions to one side of the pan. Turn the heat to medium high and add scallops. Add the black pepper at this point. Brown the scallops on one side, quickly, turn and add garlic. Brown the other side of the scallops and remove from the pan. Add the vinegar to the pan and once heated, toss the onion, garlic and vinegar mixture with the spinach along with the blue cheese. Divide amongst two plates, crumble the bacon over the top and place 6 scallops on top of each salad.

Sauces and Gravies

Sauces and gravies, to me, are two different animals. As a general rule, in my opinion, sauces are reductions and gravies are made with a roux. Sauces can be made by deglazing and adding rich stock or demi glace. They are usually thickened by reduction and maybe the addition of what they call a liaison, usually butter, a flour and butter mixture, cream or egg. Gravy, on the other hand, is usually made with the addition of flour to the cooking oil after the meat is removed, creating a roux. All too often, cooks remove the meat, add flour to make the roux, then add water or milk or stock. They season it with salt and pepper and what you usually end up with is a gravy that is bland and salty. The better way to make a gravy is to remove the meat from the pan and then pour off the oil to another pan. Deglaze the cooking pan with a little liquid, wine or stock, then add stock and let it reduce. Reduction is key to all stocks and gravies, but remember, if you start with something salty, reduction will make it saltier. While your stock is reducing, make your roux in the other pan with the oil from cooking. Once your roux is ready, whisk it into your reduced stock, a little at a time, until you've almost reached the desired consistency. Let it cook a little longer and it will thicken nicely. I guarantee this will make a great gravy.

Black Bean Soup - Continued

Okay, so the beans are cooking along with the pork. They need an occasional stir and additional water sufficient to keep the beans and pork covered. When the pork is falling off of the bone tender, remove it and as much meat that has detached itself from said bone, to a platter. Then add the following ingredients to the pot.

1 large ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
2 cups rich chicken broth
3 tsps Pequin peppers, crushed (or your favorite pepper for flavor and heat)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Oregano
Several grindings of black pepper

Let this cook at a little more than a simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Scoop out the solids and process them through a food mill, add back to the broth then shred the pork and add to the soup. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. We like to enjoy it with freshly made corn tortillas and Pico De Gallo. A little avocado doesn't hurt my feelings either.

Sopa de Frioles Negro con Carne

I have always cooked black bean soup since my son was just a baby. We had him in a restaurant in San Diego and he was in a high chair. I had the soup as an appetizer and gave him a spoonful. I ended up giving him the whole bowl because he liked it so much. Bean soup all over his face and everywhere else, but he did eat a lot of it and has loved black bean soup ever since. Recently, I made a batch and decided to add meat (pork) to it. I don't quite remember how I did it but I am trying to recreate it today. This recipe is an ongoing progress. I will update as I fiddle and let you know the results.

As yet:

1 lb. black beans, rinsed
2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3-4 lb. pork, Boston butt, with bone, fat trimmed

Place all ingredients in a pot big enough to them along with enough water to cover. Place on stove and set temp to medium. This is going to cook long and slow.

Spicy Cilantro Pesto

Pesto is a wonderful Italian sauce used for pasta. This recipe has a Latin touch. It is another recipe I got from a great chef in San Diego. It goes well with chicken or fish. Toss it with some hot angel hair pasta, lay a sauteed fillet of snapper on top and you have a delicious, spicy meal. If you want more heat, use habaneros.

1 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and dried
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp water
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 jalapenos, roasted and peeled
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp cumin

Place pine nuts, garlic and shallot in a blender along with the olive oil. Blend until smooth and add remaining ingredients. Blend, scraping down sides of the container, until the sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste