|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2002 link
Along with practicing cake recipes for months, getting ready for Jennifer & Aaron's wedding, my dad also practiced his jambalaya recipe. All the practice was worth it. Here's the recipe:
KENNY K'S WEDDING JAMBALAYA
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 oz. andouille sausage, sliced
1 cup uncooked rice (*converted is better - Uncle Ben's)
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 to 1 tsp of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning* OR a mixture of salt, pepper, thyme, paprika & cayenne
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups chicken broth*
1/2 cup diced tomato (optional)
Brown chicken in olive oil in a heavy, wide pan. When the chicken is brown on both sides, take it out and put it on a plate. Add the sausage to the pan, brown it slightly, then add the onion, celery & bell pepper. Cook over medium heat. When vegetables have softened, add the rice, bay leaf, garlic, and seasonings. Cook for a few minutes, then return the chicken to the pan. Add the chicken broth and tomato, bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed.
*NOTE: Converted rice is not something that I've ever purchased, and I was pretty skeptical about this ingredient. But my dad was right - the rice came out fluffy, with each grain separate.
Tony Chachere's is spicy seasoned salt. It's good, but if you use it, you really need to watch any other salt that you add to the recipe. (If you use canned chicken broth, for instance, make sure you get the unsalted kind.) If you don't want to use Tony Chachere's, season the rice with the mixture of spices to taste - generously with the pepper, cayenne, and thyme, a little easier on the salt and paprika.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WEDNESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2002 link
Doubling or tripling or quadupling recipes isn't always a good idea. I thought that four cups of sugar might be too much to carmelize, especially in the pan I was using, but I went ahead and did it anyway. Stupid! Instead of a lovely golden amber syrup, I ended up with a potful of brown lumps. So, I'm swearing, sweating (not wanting to take off my long-sleeved sweatshirt because I was worried about burning myself), and generally complaining very loudly, when Catherine demonstrates what a kind, supportive, and helpful partner she can be:
"That's funny - it doesn't look like that when Jamie Oliver does it."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2002 link
We spent the night at my parents' house last night. I love going home for dinner. My mom made fried chicken and gravy, with greens and coleslaw. She makes her coleslaw differently than I do - green onions instead of red, no vinegar, but a little mustard. I can't believe that I used to dislike coleslaw. What's not to like? And gravy.... Rice and gravy, or potatoes and gravy, or stuffing and gravy - they're all on my list of favorite breakfast foods.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2002 link
The rain is wonderful, but makes me very lazy. I failed a class in college one very rainly quarter, because all I wanted to do was read mystery novels (Simenon, at the time), drink tea, and watch the rain in the redwoods. I'm already planning all the lovely things I'm going to do this weekend - bake cookies, go to the library, and then sit and watch the rain and read.
Some treats:
Upton Tea Company - I have a Chatsford 4-cup teapot, which is perfect for two people. I'm thinking of buying myself a 2-cup one, also, because Catherine doesn't always want to have tea. If you're not used to drinking loose-leaf tea, try one of their sampler sets (especially their "Introduction to Fine Tea) to find out what you like. There's a huge range of flavors, colors, strengths.
Duchy Original Oaten Biscuits - not too sweet, perfect with blue cheese, or honey, or both.
Point Reyes Blue Cheese - yummy raw milk blue cheese.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WEDNESDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2002 link
They say that the first storm of the season- the first rain since May - is coming this week. The sun is still shining outside, but I hope the weatherpeople are right. Now that the wedding is safely over, I'm ready for some cozy rainy weather. I've been thinking all morning about what kind of soup to make. What I really want is cabbage and white bean soup with duck confit, but duck confit isn't something that I come by very easily since I stopped working at Carried Away. Barbara Kafka or Lulu might be able to help me think of something equally rich and gelatinous and satisfying.
I'll let you know what I come up with.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MONDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2002 link
We had come friends over for dinner this weekend. I've tried to tone down the food I make for dinner parties - it's more fun if the food isn't so complicated; I can spend more time talking and less time worrying. So my new pork chop recipe fulfills the rules of being yummy but easy. Here it is:
PORK CHOPS WITH ONIONS AND SAGE
Make a simple brine with 6 c. water, 1/2 c. kosher salt, and 1/2 c. sugar. Put 4 pork chops in the brine and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Drain & rinse the chops, then pat them dry. Brown them on both sides in olive oil in a large skillet. Remove the chops to a plate, then pour out any fat in the pan. Add to the pan: 2 T. butter, 2 T. olive oil, 2 onions that have been thinly sliced, and 10-12 sage leaves that have been sliced. Sauté over medium heat - the juice from the onions will begin to deglaze the pan. When the onions have begun to soften, add 1/2 c. water to the pan, and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the chops to the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Let simmer for 25 minutes, then turn the chops over and simmer for another 25 minutes. (Check the pan once in a while to make sure that there's still a little bit of liquid - you don't want the onions to burn.) After 50 minutes, the pork chops should be very tender and the sauce reduced and brown. There should be a few tablespoons of sauce per serving; if necessary, remove the chops and turn up the heat to high to finish reducing the sauce.
That's it - it takes some time, but it's a very easy dish.
|
