Comfort Food

Meat Sauce

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Taste buds are a funny thing. To say that I was a picky eater during my formative years is a colossal understatement. I subsisted mainly on cereal and PB&H sandwiches (honey girl all the way – to this day I do not touch jelly). Additional food groups, consumed during my youth were: meat and potatoes (English dad), tamales and popcorn (Venezuelan mom) and massive quantities of pasta (swimmer). As an early-college student I lived off of pretty pasta, cereal, PB&H, Totino’s pizza rolls, Taco Bell (a fact which is possibly one of the greatest regrets of my life to date) and Chick-fil-a. The list of foods that I would not eat was as long as the Monday after the Superbowl until my mid-twenties. On that list: any tomato-based sauce.

I never ate tomato sauce. EVER. I ordered pizza sans sauce. I pitched fits, reusing to eat anything that I even thought included tomato sauce (this lead to many full-blown tantrums over lasagna that I refused to eat even out of politeness at friends of my parents). In all fairness, my tomato sauce aversion was not irrational picky-ness. When I was 11, I got the flu after spaghetti night and threw up red sauce for three days (all over white carpet much to my mother’s dismay). From that day forth,  the sight of tomato sauce sickened me. Until the past year. I started small, eating my pizza with a light layer of tomato sauce, dipping my Rocket Pockets in Meaty Porcini Marinara and eating copious amounts of tomato soup. But recently, I have been on a full blown tomato-based sauce kick. I have experimented with Pomodoro sauce, but my biggest craving (and it is a damn strong one) has been for meat sauce. So strong this craving has been that I made meat sauce four times in five weeks (and hoarded every batch). This intense craving is [thankfully] not pregnancy craving-related, so I have only by taste buds to blame – however bewildered that makes me (and anyone who has known me longer than a year or two).

I have altered the versions a couple times and each one has been sensational. I personally like my veg to be a little less processed because I like to bite into a carrot every now and then, but feel free to process the heck out of the veggies to make the sauce more silken. I added miso paste to two batches to up the umami factor with very tasty results. Between the umami-packed miso and the Parmesan cheese rind, which lends a unique depth of flavor that cannot be emulated, the meat sauce has that awesome “Je ne sais quoi” quality that coaxes you to have bite after bite. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you (I do know that I have put on some pounds that are directly correlated to my increased sausage intake). Feel free to include miso and rinds if you have them on hand, but the meat sauce will be just as spectacular in their absence. Brief side note, you can now buy Parmesan cheese rinds at HEB.

In an effort to cut calories and ingest something of nutritional value, I typically eat my meat sauce with spaghetti squash versus pasta. Feel free to use fresh or dried pasta, squash, polenta or baked potatoes as your meat sauce vessel. I actually ate meat sauce soup on a least 10 different occasions. Don’t judge – I  love my meat.

 Meat Sauce 

Serves 4-6 (or one if you are me)

meat sauce

One medium yellow onion

One and one-half large carrots, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces

One celery stalk, cut into one-inch pieces

Ten garlic cloves

One 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes

One pint Cherry Tomatoes, divided

One-Fourth cup Olive Oil

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper To taste

Crushed Red Pepper, to taste

One-Half Cup Flat Leaf Parsley

Two Tablespoons Fresh Oregano

One pound hot Italian Pork Sausage (bulk or removed from casings)

One pound ground beef

One tablespoon tomato paste (plus a squeeze or two more)

One scant tablespoon Miso Paste (mellow) Optional

One Parmesan Rind (optional)

Two cups water (or beef stock)

One spaghetti squash, halved, seasoned and roasted

Ten Basil Leaves, Julienned

Three-fourths cup Pecorino Romano

In a large food processor, pulse onion, garlic, celery, carrot, oregano, and parsley and pulse until finely ground.  Transfer to a small bowl and reserve. Using the food processor, puree the tomatoes (juices included) until smooth. Heat oil in a large dutch oven (or other heavy pot) and add sausage and cook until browned (about four minutes). Add beef seasoned with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning (latter being optional) and brown until no longer pink. Transfer meat to a plate using a slotted spoon and reserve. Add reserved veggie mix to the pan, season with salt, and cook for about eight minutes (stir often). Combine tomato paste with one cup of water (or stock) in a small bowl and add to the pan, scraping the bottom bits. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add tomato puree, crushed red pepper, half of the cherry tomatoes, one [additional] cup water – or stock – and the browned meat to the pan and bring to a boil. Upon achieving a boil, immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Add more water as necessary to ensure that the meat remains nearly submerged the entire cooking time.

Once the meat sauce has simmered for two to three hours, add the cheese rind and miso paste if using. Check for salt and pepper content and adjust as necessary throughout the cooking process. Simmer for an additional two to three hours and remove from heat. Roast remaining cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper whilst the squash is roasting. Serve with roasted spaghetti squash (or other meat sauce vessel of choosing), topped with Pecorino Romano and Basil.

Southwest Chicken Chile Stew

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Accidents happen. Luckily, those accidents can sometimes turn out better than original intention. Take,  for example, this stew. It was an accident and the direct result of indecisiveness. It is also example of one of the [very] few times that indecisiveness has worked in my favor. Almost like the light bulb went off in the pan. To be fair, the ridiculous sale ($1.50/lb) that Whole Foods had on organic, bone-in chicken breast was also to blame as I bought enough to feed an army with virtually no free freezer space. I needed to make something that used a large amount of chicken and, preferably, something I could eat all week and freeze – most likely in someone else’s freezer –  if there was any remaining. I was torn between making a green chili chicken stew, which I love ( and also because my mom just passed off a Costco-sized jar of green chilis to me) and making something similar to Red Lentil and Veggie Soup (because it was so damn good the first go round). The result was that many of the same ingredients went into the pan with southwestern spices versus the Asian infusion that made the lentil soup delightful. That said, southwest spices are something to write home about as well so everyone wins. The addition of corn, spinach, and kale  (and my need to remove stuff from the freezer to accommodate the copious amounts of chicken I had purchased) also had a hand in steering me away from green chile chicken. However, I did use a hefty amount of green chilis in a futile attempt to put a dent in the ones given to me. In the end, the accidental stew turned out quite robust and flavorful. I hope did the Southwest proud.

Note: The reasons I did not use the same beans was because I only had those two cans and some Garbanzo beans on hand. Use whatever beans you like! Personally, I have a thing for kidney beans – but I do not discriminate. I am a bonafide bean freak. Yes I know, we all know about my obsession with beans…

Southwest Chicken Chile Stew

Serves four-six, plus leftovers

One can each Kidney Beans, Cannellini, and Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
One bag frozen corn (or canned)
Four bone in chicken breasts
Two cups frozen or fresh Kale
Three cups frozen or fresh Spinach
Six Carrots, cut into semi-thick slices
Two Onions, diced
Ten cloves garlic, minced
Two Bay leaves
Eight quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
Two tablespoons Ground Cumin (adjust to taste)
Half-tablespoon Cayenne (adjust to taste)
Two tablespoons Ground Coriander
One tablespoon Oregano
Two cups fresh Cilantro
Two cups leftover Spaghetti Squash (optional)
One can Diced Tomatoes with Garlic
One cup (to one and a half) Chopped Green Chilis
Juice of one lemon

 *I did not add celery to my mirepoix which means I must not have had it on hand. Incorporate it if you like.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper (additional spicing as desired) and brown in a good amount of  oil a large dutch oven. Once browned on each side, remove meat from pan and reserve. Add the mirepoix (carrots, onion, garlic) with a pinch of salt and sauté until onion becomes glassy. Add a cup of the chicken stock and deglaze the pot for a minute or so, then add remainder of chicken stock, the tomatoes, and the green chilis to the pot. Add the cumin, coriander, cayenne, bay leaves, oregano, a good couple pinches salt, and any additional seasoning that you desire. Return the chicken to the pot and simmer, covered, for up to four hours. Thirty minutes before you plan to remove the stew from heat, add in one cup of the fresh cilantro, beans, and the juice of half the lemon. Test for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Ten minutes before removing from heat add the spaghetti squash, frozen corn, kale and spinach. Add additional lemon juice as desired or necessary. Garnish with remaining cilantro when serving.

Green Chile Chicken Stew

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Green Chile Chicken Stew

D and I recently upgraded to a two bedroom – meaning my office and one bedroom – house with a yard for Foster Brown. This is an astronomical improvement over apartment living (no offense to apartment lovers – I have only lived in three apartments for a total of three years and there is a reason for that). However, the upgrade was to a house with a small, older fridge and freezer than I have had since….2001? Why did anyone every design a fridge with a freezer on top? Freezer on bottom people! Anyway,  I basically have to cook with a lot of frozen food at the moment and am slowly emptying the freezer to make room for ice trays (yes it is that old and yes I am a bonafide appliance spoiled brat). My mom gave me a bag of homemade (though what home it came from I cannot tell you) green chili sauce and it fell victim to the teeny tiny freezer. The nice thing about freezer cooking is that I basically had everything I need for what I envisioned as “Green Chili Chicken Stew” (which I have been craving since my Mom made Green Chile and Turkey White Bean Chili a few weeks ago). So Monday night after I made my actual dinner, I threw thawed chicken breasts and green chili sauce with other pantry items and let it cook on low heat overnight. Woke up the next day and the house smelled amazing and I had lunch and dinner just waiting to get in my belly!

Note: I did not do this because I honestly did not have time to get to the store, but I planned on adding cilantro and avocado as garnish. I did miss it a little bit – but I am overly enamored with both of those ingredients so you may not.  Also, feel free to use chicken thighs – you will get more flavor out of them. Breasts are a) healthier and b) were in my freezer; but, thighs are tastier and cheaper – your call.

Green Chile Chicken Stew

Serves Four

One whole chicken breast, cut into halves and seasoned with favorite season combo
Two and a half cups favorite homemade Green Chili Sauce
One White Onion, diced
Seven Cloves Garlic, minced
Half-Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper
Two Tablespoons Ground Cumin
Half Tablespoon Ground Coriander
Salt
Pepper
One half can black beans, drained and rinsed
One can Cannellini Beans (or other white bean)
Two to three cups Chicken Stock (preferably homemade)
One can Whole Kernel Corn

Sear the seasoned chicken breasts in a glug of olive oil. Remove from pan and add onion and garlic and a pinch of salt. Saute until glassy, add beans, corn, chicken breasts, green chili sauce, chicken broth, and spices to the pan. Let simmer for about twenty minutes, then check and adjust seasoning as desired. Let cook up to 10 hours.

Serve with lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream, green onions and/or avocado as garnish.

Roast Chicken

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Roast Chicken

The number of recipes that call roast chicken ‘perfect’ is astounding. Not without reason, well-executed roast chicken is the definition of perfection (the quality or state of being perfect: as. a : freedom from fault or defect : flawlessness). The simplicity of a handful of quality ingredients make roast chicken sing with exceptional flavor, tenderness and juiciness. If you want to hear it hit the Christina Aguilera notes (it is possible that I am watching The Voice in a post chicken coma – I am not actually her PR person), then take the time to brine it, air dry it, stuff it and rest it before devouring it. There were several mishaps along the way to this roast chicken. First, I have never made a whole roast chicken. I think I may have tried once years ago – with decent results – but it was when I was first embarking on my cooking journey and really just don’t remember; ergo, I consider myself a roast chicken virgin and was frantically pulling cookbooks from their current state of disarray after the move to work up a plan when I threw my hands in the air and just made my own – par for the course. Second, I was simultaneously roasting garlic to sweet, gooey perfection for a roasted brussel sprout and asparagus dish and the oil managed to seep out causing the oven to smoke profusely. Third, the oven has not been used, but once since we moved in last week and it was on a cool 500 degrees, so the gas fumes of a rusty oven were considerable. The fire alarms were going off, the dog was freaking out, there are now bugs everywhere, and – in the end – all this means that I opened the oven door more times than ideal (ideal being NONE) when roasting a chicken. You will want to cook yours less (by about five minutes) to make up for the normal Andi shenanigans.

I could eat a hundred roasted chickens, this coming from a girl who really does not care much for chicken. Every recipe is different and every recipe is amazing and I feel like posting roast chicken is somewhat offensive to other chicken roasters. But then, no cookbook is complete without it. The art of chicken roasting depends much less on adherence to recipes and much more on feeling the food, adapting as necessary. Your cooking time will be different with different sizes, as will your seasoning amounts. Brining is an essential part of the roasting process. The longer the better. Overnight is ideal, up to two days just makes it better. After brining, you want to let the chicken air dry in the fridge overnight, up to a day and a half. Both of these steps will help you yield a perfect crispy skin. About an hour to an hour and a half (two depending of chicken size), pull the chicken from the fridge and let sit at room temperature to allow chicken to cook properly. After cooking, you must let the bird rest for at least twenty minutes so that the juice redistributes and you don’t lose all that drippy magic that is soon to be running down your chin.

Use the juice in the pan to make a gravy or just drizzle over the chicken as is. I roast my birds over parsnips (sometimes with the addition of beets and carrots), garlic and onions. Parsnips are better much the best root vegetable in the world and when they cook in chicken fat, they will blow your mind with just how luscious and dang tasty they can be. If I can save any whole ones from my mouth whilst the chicken is cooling, I like to make a parsnip puree to place the chicken atop of – perhaps with some roasted garlic and fried sage and caramelized onion. Drool. Feel free to add carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, or potatoes to your “chicken bed;” alternately, use a roasting pan and rack and avoid the veggies, reserving the jus for gravy.

Note: I used a four pound, organic whole chicken. I also kept the onions and garlic from the roasting pan and made then into a sandwich accoutrement the next day. Toasted whole grain, arugula roast chicken, roasted garlic and onion marmalade sandwiches don’t suck. At all. And now I am drooling again. 

 Roast Chicken

Serves Four, plus some leftovers

Brine

One quart (four cups) hot water

Three Quarts cold water

One scant cup Kosher Salt

One fourth cup Sugar

Boil one quart water, add salt and sugar and allow to dissolve, add cold water and the chicken. Squeeze a tad bit of fresh lemon if desired.

Chicken

Inside

One onion, sliced 

Three celery stalks, sliced

One whole head of garlic, cut in half

Half bundle of Thyme

Three sprigs Rosemary

Kosher Salt (about five tablespoons)

Black or white pepper (around four tablespoons – to taste) 

Two Lemon Halves

Mix all in a bowl well and stuff inside the chicken. Use a toothpick or kitchen twine to close the opening with a small braid or by tying the legs together.

Outside and under skin

Five Sprigs thyme and some chopped rosemary (to taste)

Half stick butter, room temp

Kosher Salt (about four tablespoons)

Black or white pepper (around four tablespoons – to taste) 

Juice of one lemon

Roast garlic-rosemary compound butter would be wonderful if you have some

Combine the butter, herbs, three tablespoons salt and three pepper and mix well. Lift chicken skin and rub the butter mixture all over chicken. Apply rest of salt and pepper to top of skin and spritz with lemon.

Chicken Bed

One white Onion, thick slices

One head garlic, in skins

Four celery leaves, rough chop

Three to Four Large Parsnips, sliced into quarter inch pieces (half the larger pieces near top)

Tablespoon butter

Three tablespoons (heavy) olive oil

Heat roasting pan in the oven at 500 degrees. Add the oil, butter, and veggies (salt slightly). This will sizzle, stir, then top veggies bed with chicken and return to oven. Add broth (or butter) as necessary to avoid burning the veggies (though some caramelization is ideal).

Remove pan from oven after about 45 minutes (a thermostat should read around 160 when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken). Allow to rest for twenty minutes at a minimum to allow juices to redistribute. Carve and serve drizzled with the pan jus (and the onions) as desired.

Beef and Barley Soup

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I love beef and barley soup. I usually just buy a cup or two from Central Market (who makes a dang good version), but, during a recent freezer inventory I realized I had a lot of rump roast that needed using and opted to make my own version. You can add more (veggie wise) to this hearty soup  to up the nutrition ante, if you like. It is filling and perfect for cold winter nights. If you have homemade, good quality beef stock – this is a great showcase for it. If not, make sure to use a good-quality boxed broth (and/or some demi glace) for good depth.

Beef and Barley Soup

Serves Four to Eight 

One pound rump roast, cut into half-inch dice
One and one-half cups Hulled Barley
Six carrots, cut into large dice
Two yellow onions, cut into large dice
Twelve garlic cloves, minced
Two bay leaves
Five sprigs fresh thyme (more if desired)
Two sprigs fresh oregano
Three fresh sage leaves
Three celery stalks, cut into thin dice
Four tablespoons crushed red pepper
One pound mushrooms (I used white), quartered
One pound butternut squash, cut into quarter-inch cubes
One to two cups robust red wine or Burgundy (or white wine)
Three to Four quarts beef stock
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toss beef cubes with a good amount of salt, pepper, Italian herb blend, and cayenne. Heat a glug of olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Brown meat on all sides and remove from pan. Deglaze pan with a bit of red wine, beef broth, or Burgundy wine – scraping the brown bits on the  bottom up. Add onions and garlic (with a pinch of salt) and saute until glassy. Add celery, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes and about a cup of red/white/or Burgundy wine. After about five minutes, add the beef broth, the reserved meat, mushrooms and barley. Turn heat to simmer and let it cook away for at least three hours. Taste occasionally and season to taste. About one and a half hours before serving, put butternut squash in the pot and stir well. Feel free to add peas or spinach in the last five minutes before serving if you wish to use them.  Serve with crusty bread.

‘Garlic Nation’ Cornbread

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My friends and I had our Girls Christmas party this past weekend and it was wonderful! The food-theme somehow migrated to “Cajun/Southern” during our lengthy email chain (for which I am truly thankful) and it was Delicious! Our resident NOLA queen, Bonnie, made delicious gumbo; my favorite red-head Candice, made some pretty awesome Red Beans and Rice and brought some outstanding Venison boudin. And my favorite Bota-Box representative (aka Susanna!) asked if I could make cornbread (hence why I classified the theme as “/southern”). She has been unable to get her hands on her favorite recipe because the source refused to part  with the recipe (like me and my enchiladas). I told her sure thing, vaguely remembering a recipe for corn muffins that had appealed to me in Giada de Laurentiis’ Giada’s Kitchen cookbook. I decided I was going to make a whole corn, sun-dried tomato, hatch green chili cornbread with some cheese and played with the idea of adding bacon to the batter. This corn bread earned the name ‘Garlic Nation’ Cornbread after Sus dubbed it as such. What can I say, I love garlic and it was girls night so no pesky boys could tease us about our garlicky breath. I actually lost count of the number of garlic cloves I used (really I was just not paying attention), but it was somewhere in the vicinity of ten.

This was my first time making cornbread (at least in the past four years) and, honestly, I do not know why considering how delicious it is and how well it freezes. Clearly, I must remedy this…and maybe that batch will have some bacon in it.

Note: You can use your favorite cornbread cooking apparatus for baking this (i.e. cast iron, Pyrex, muffin tin, etc.) – I used a cast iron.

‘Garlic Nation’ Cornbread

Serves eight to ten

adapted from Giada’s Kitchen

17 ounces of favorite corn muffin mix
Three cups frozen corn kernels
One cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
Two-thirds cup aged cheddar cheese, shredded
One can of hatch green chilis, chopped
Ten garlic cloves, finely minced
Pinch Salt
Black Pepper to taste
Two eggs
Two-thirds cup buttermilk, plus two or three tablespoons more if needed
Two-thirds cup sour cream

In a large bowl combine the corn mix, corn, salt, pepper, sundried tomatoes, cheese, garlic and chilis and mix well. Add in the eggs, sour cream and buttermilk and stir until all elements are well incorporated. Grease a cast iron skillet and pour the cornbread mixture into it. Bake for about 25 minutes on 375 degrees (NOTE: Bake time will depend on baking vessel used and oven type – general rule is to bake until the top is golden brown, then check the inside with a toothpick. It should come out relatively clear). Cut into pie pieces and serve.

Pulled Duck, Lamb and White Bean Stew

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Recently (technically November 16th), we went to a lovely local bistro called Blue Dahlia for my dear friend Sarah’s birthday celebration. Their special for the evening was a play on Cassoulet (a classic french dish that can cure just about any ailment). It was a thick pulled duck, lamb sausage, white bean stew with a wonderfully spicy tomato-based stew pungent with fresh herbs (though had markedly less broth than my version). Even though I am dieting and trying to reduce the amount of food I eat, I at EVERY bite and then proceeded to lick the bowl. Clearly, I would have to replicate this dish (if possible). Luckily, they were gracious enough to tell me the main ingredients. Eventually, I will confit the duck and make an actual cassoulet, but right now I am changing jobs, preparing for the holidays, and trying to bang out my last papers of grad school so cassoulet will have to wait. Not that I mind much; the stew turned out quite amazing and I could smell it cooking down the hall from my apartment. It was so good in fact, I ate my first bowl with a few hard beans in it because I could not take the smell of it anymore.

Pulled Duck, Lamb and White Bean Stew

Serves at least Four

Two Duck Leg quarters
Half pound of Lamb shoulder, cut into one inch pieces (or one link Hot Italian lamb sausage)
Two Cups Great Northern or Navy Beans, soaked overnight
Three large tomatoes, quartered and roughly seeded
Three tablespoons crushed red pepper
Two Tablespoons Black Pepper
Salt to taste
Two tablespoons demi-glace du canard
One Large white onion, roughly diced
Bouquet garni of fresh Thyme Sprigs, Oregano, Sage, and Rosemary
One head garlic, roughly chopped
One cup dry white wine
Four cups Chicken Stock
One tablespoon tomato paste (more if desired)
Parmesan Rind (if you have one on hand)
Additionally garlic or garlic powder if desired

In a large dutch oven, sear the duck and lamb after seasoning it with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and heat onions and garlic until glassy. Pour in wine and just boil off. Return the meat to the pan and add crushed red pepper, bouquet garni, stock, tomato paste, demi glace, black pepper, a couple good pinches of salt, beans, and tomatoes. Let it hang out in the pan on a low heat for about 6 hours; it will start smelling all kinds of amazeballs. Taste test occasionally and add seasoning as desired. Serve with fresh herbs of choice and some crusty bread for soaking.

Spicy Veggie and Chicken Minestrone

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Recently, I made minestrone from a special diet cookbook. This was a first for me and, after making it, I cannot understand why. I sent that soup home with its intended eaters and immediately decided to make a large batch for myself for the week. This made a ton of food (I froze half) and was healthful and satisfying. Feel free to adjust depending on what you have to use up, after all the soup is designed to use up everything in season in an Italian’s kitchen. I wanted to use whole wheat Gemelli, but had regular Penne on hand so that was what went in. Feel free to use your favorite pasta, rice, grain or even gnocchi.

Spicy Veggie and Chicken Minestrone

serves 8-10

One Frozen Parmesan Cheese Rind
One-half pound pasta of choice
Three cups shredded chicken
One bunch Swiss Chard or Kale, washed, stemmed and cut into strips
Two Cups Zucchini, diced
Two cups Yellow Squash, diced
Three Cups Onion, diced
Two Cups Celery, roughly diced
Two Cups Carrot, peeled and roughly diced
One head garlic, minced
Four tablespoons crush red pepper
Two tablespoons each: oregano, fennel seed, black pepper, thyme (use more or less according to taste preference)
One Ham Hock
One can kidney or cannellini beans
Two quarts good quality chicken stock
Two boxes of crushed tomatoes with juice
Two cups frozen peas

Heat about two tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven. Once hot, add onions and garlic and saute until glassy (with a good pinch of salt). Add celery, zucchini, carrots, squash, crushed red pepper, and all spices cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add ham hock, Parmesan rind, tomatoes and broth (adding additional broth as necessary). Simmer for about an hour, then add chard , peas, shredded chicken, cooked pasta, and beans. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Simmer another 10 minutes or so and serve with crusty bread and a sprinkling of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.