silver palate classic chicken marbella

One of the most delicious recipes I have made for book club is the the Silver Palate's famous Chicken Marbella.  The contrasting flavors of  briny, salty and sweet are exceptional.  It was the first main course to be offered at their Manhattan store and I can't thank Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins, with their passion for good simple food, for creating such an amazing dish and the iconic cookbook to match.  Enjoy this dish served over pureed mashed potatoes (better for the pan juices to run into) and sauteed spinach! 

Original recipe--- 16 pieces.

I used 12 bone in/skin on chicken thighs to make 6-8 portions depending on appetite.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 chickens quartered  (or approx 12 bone in/skin on thighs)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley finely chopped

Directions: 

1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. 2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 3. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them. 4. Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice when pricked with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour. 5. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauceboat. Note: To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring the pieces to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, reheat it in the juices, then allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.

tyler florence does the most delicious shrimp scampi with linquini

I had a craving for scampi with linguini and decided to make it for my book group.  The problem, finding the perfect recipe for a dish that has many subtle variations.  With great success from Tyler Florence's recipes in the past, I chose Tyler's Ultimate and it was fantastic.  The wine and lemon were the perfect amount of acidity and the shallot added extra depth to the flavors.  My slight change up--I made two pans of sauce so I could fully coat the shrimp in one and toss the linguini in the other. I plated the pasta and topped it with the prawns and extra sauce--yum!  So feel free to double up the sauce recipe and be sure to serve with a crispy, crusty garlic bread.  Makes 4 entree portions.

1 pound linguini

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large shallot, finely diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes

24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

½ cup dry white wine

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

Cook pasta in salted water for 6-8 minutes.  Drain and reserve 1 cup of cooking water.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the shallots, garlic and red pepper flake until shallots soften, about 3 minutes.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan and set aside.  Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil.  Return shrimp, pasta and parsley to the pan along with reserved water.  Stir well, heat through and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil ( or extra sauce if you made it) and serve immediately.  Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

recipe for tagine of chicken

I had some friends over for dinner last week and I wasn't in the mood to turn on the oven--I wanted a meal that cooked itself on the stove with little or no need for supervision.  Then it came to me--a recipe I had written in 2006 when I gave mom a tagine cooker for Christmas.

A tagine is a conical earthenware cook pot common in Northern Africa and revered for the way it locks in moisture in its conical top creating super moist, tender and flavorful foods.  Since mom has the tagine and I don't, I used a 5 quart enamel dutch over (like Le Creuset) with excellent results. Just leave the lid on tight.

Here is my recipe for tagine of chicken with green olives.  I served it with pinenut and golden raisin studded couscous (a 5 minute stovetop dish).

6 garlic gloves, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs, on the bone.
1 8-10oz. can diced tomato
1 TBL tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
spice blend  (see below)
10 oz. approx. jar of pitted green Spanish or Greek olives without pimento
3 TBL chopped Italian parsley
Zest from one lemon
Flour
Olive oil

Spice blend:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric  (no substitution)
1/4 tsp cayenne

Remove skin from chicken.  Heat  several tablespoons of oil in dutch oven.  Dust chicken with flour and fry till light brown and set aside.
Add additional oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic. Add the chicken and the remaining ingredients except the olives, parsley and lemon.
Lower the heat, put the lid on the pan and let simmer for 1 hour.  After an hour, add the olives and parsley, and cook for 15-20 minutes more with the lid slightly ajar, letting the sauce reduce. Taste for seasoning.

On a coupe plate, place a leg and thigh on bed of couscous, spoon sauce and olives around and garnish chicken with lemon zest.  4 servings.

thanksgiving dinner

 

 

This year I cooked Thanksgiving dinner at my house--something that hasn't happened in many years.  Usually I go to a friend's or out to dinner.  I was all set to do a traditional turkey when Joseph suggested we do something different--had I ever done a crown roast of lamb?  Well, no.  But hey, how hard could it be?  Turns out it is one of the easiest roasts, as long as you have the butcher french the bones and tie up the roast.  ( I did two 7 bone racks). Then, season well and roast at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let it rest 10 minutes and slice into chops.  I served it with a wild mushroom stuffing and a cherry relish thanks to my dear friend Troy Huff's homemade cherry jam. Pumpkin bundt cake with cream cheese filling was a decadent finish.

recipe for scampi with linguini

I experimented with making a scampi with a creamy butter/wine sauce with a little zest--alot like the linguini with white clam sauce I had in Italy.  This was really delicious--but do taste for salt, I did add more at the end. Parmesan cheese is non-traditional, but a little does create a creaminess.

4 servings:

1 lb  raw, shelled, deveined large prawns (about 32)
8 oz. dry linguini
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2  shallots finely chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic 
1/2 cup dry white wine
½ cup pasta water, set aside
Red pepper flake—pinch
2 tbsp capers (optional)
Salt/freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Finely chopped Italian parsley

Cook linguine in salted water for 7 minutes.  Drain. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, in a large non-stick pan, saute shallots in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add prawns, white wine, garlic, salt and pepper, reducing the wine as prawns cook, about 2-3 minutes.  Add pasta, dash of red pepper flake, capers and Parmesan cheese tossing well.  Add the last two tablespoons of butter and olive oil and a little bit of pasta water if necessary—sauce should be loose and creamy.  Taste for more salt.

 Pour onto large pasta plate and garnish with parsley.

10th anniversary party

I helped Joseph Leon and Dan Jordan celebrate their 10th anniversary a couple of weeks ago and had a lot of fun doing a few dishes and helping set up the buffet in their beautiful home.  Joseph had a special request for classic chicken salad with sliced almonds and quinoa tossed with lemon vinaigrette, spinach, feta and avocado.

easy changes to some homecooked classics

Mom is here visiting so I spent last week doing a little meal planning.  She thinks it is alot of work, but for me, it a chance to try out a few dishes and I get great enjoyment from seeing people enjoy my food.

I have been kind of fascinated with an Italian dish, veal Milanese.  This dish usually features a veal chop pounded very thin, sometimes still on the bone, breaded, fried, and topped with a thick tomato ragu or just lemon wedges.  My version is a chicken breast, pounded very thin, egg washed and breaded in panko crumbs seasoned with parsley, garlic, oregano and Parmesan cheese. I lightened it up by topping it with a salad of arugula tossed with sherry-lemon vinaigrette. A squeeze of fresh lemon on the meat really works, too.  I made a side of shallot sauteed carrots and the meal was a hit.

Last night I made an easy (cheat) version of arroz con pollo (chicken and rice).  First, I seasoned 2 chicken breasts with salt, pepper and chili powder and lightly browned them in olive oil in a cast iron skillet.  I set them aside and in the same pan--no cleaning, want those good bits--I added a package of Spanish rice mix and cooked 25 minutes per the instructions.  In the meantime, I sauteed one whole yellow onion, sliced, till soft.  In a French white medium casserole dish with glass lid I placed the chicken breasts, half a jar of salsa (use your favorite) 2 TB of butter, and all the onions.  Trick--I microwaved the dish for 3 minutes. Easy.  Spoon rice onto the plate, top with chicken breast and spoon onions and pan juices over the top.  I garnished with a little chopped green onion.  Sour cream would be good, too.  Chicken was as tender and juicy as if I had simmered it for an hour.

So what's up next?  I think a little pre-Easter dinner Saturday night with baby lamb chops on a bed of Parmesan risotto.  Sounds good.

christmas dinner at joseph leon's

This year, I stayed in SF for Christmas.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I was really excited to be invited to Joseph's and Dan's for Christmas dinner.  Well, a good thing too, because Joseph loves great food, but truth be told, cooking is not his thing. 

When I arrived (early, to help) he had a frig full of delicious Whole Foods ingredients and,  like an episode of "Chopped"  all we needed to do was put them together and create a great meal!  A bag of green beans became roasted green beans with Parmesan cheese, baby carrots were candied in brown sugar and butter, potatoes mashed with sour cream and stuffed chicken breasts roasted, sliced and smothered with wild mushroom gravy. Scott started us off with baked brie with roasted garlic and crisp Granny Smith apple slices. All that and the beautiful table scape and great company made for a wonderful and memorable Christmas dinner.

key lime pie highlights recent dinner party

Earlier this month I had a little dinner to celebrate Joseph Leon's birthday.  I started with cream of broccoli soup (you've seen that one before, last Thanksgiving) a Florentine lasagne which is made with spinach and bechamel and for dessert, key lime pie.  The food was good, the company even better, but the pie is worth sharing.  Here is the recipe:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick melted butter
2 14oz cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of fresh lime juice  (I squeezed 8-9 limes to get this)
2 whole eggs

1 tbl lime zest

Whip cream / powdered sugar / lime slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix the graham cracker crumbs sugar and butter and press into and up sides of 9"  glass pie pan.  Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove and cool. Lower oven to 325 degrees.  Mix condensed milk, eggs, lime juice and zest.  Place in cool crust and bake for 15 minutes.  Chill for 2 hours before serving.  Dust plate with powdered sugar, top with whip cream and lime slice.

homegrown heirloom tomatoes highlight a san francisco dinner party

I had the most wonderful dinner recently at the home of Steven Oliver. Steven, a restaurateur, wine aficionado and all around foodie writes a web column for the Nob Hill Gazette, called “Taste.” But many a moon ago Steven and I went to high school together in Del Norte county. Steven got a lot of his good taste from his parents, Clyde and Sharon Oliver.

Long before Steven and I moved to San Francisco, Sharon Oliver was the premier pastry person in Crescent City. To say Clyde and Sharon have a love of the outdoors, gardens, everything food and all things gourmet would be an understatement. A visit to their home is a delight to the senses as well as the palate.

Steven carries on the tradition with a terrific eclectic apartment in San Francisco with high ceilings, textured paint, leather, mohair, hunting trophies and an extraordinary wine collection.
There, on the window sill, the heirloom tomatoes sit like eye candy with their little bumps and nubs, swirls of color and irregular shapes. My brother and sister-in-law, Rick and Donna Parker, also from Crescent City, sip wine while we all watch Steven make dinner appear effortless, with a roast pork tenderloin on Asian scented pasta, grilled vegetables and of course the heirloom tomatoes from Clyde and Sharon's garden tossed with fresh buffalo mozzarella.

I was lucky, they saved a batch of these last of summer beauties for me.