Sass & Veracity

Grilled Rib-Eyes with Tomatos & Kalamatas

I have a tendancy to skip the sections in food magazines like "Quick Kitchen" in Gourmet, or "Too Busy to Cook" in Bon Appetit.  I look at the photos, am sometimes mildly curious, then realize there's nothing to do.  What is that?  Do I long for the torture that inventive recipes sometimes entail? 

Who knows, but recently a photo of steak simply displayed on a plate caught my eye.  Steak with Olives somehow got past my filter, bothering me each time I thumbed through the April issue of Gourmet until I finally gave in, realizing it was an easy way to make my husband's suggestion for a sunny weekend "Summer's Here" celebratory dinner come to fruition.

With Bellinis.

*sigh*  He said he was in the mood for a fruity drink, and this is a person who doesn't normally drink.  His comment of, "You know, margaritas..." was heard, but I'd seen something about Bellinis somewhere and had white peaches on the brain.

And I'd seen the Steak with Olives for days and days, okay, months...scoffing at me from the magazine pages, challenging me each time I searched for something more interesting.  I was winning until I found the rib eyes on sale at my grocery store.  Nothing stimulates my brain like steak, a sale, and gorgeous weather.

Well, it sounds good anyway, right?

Suffice it to say I'll look more closely at those "quickie" recipes from now on.  They're a great springboard for other things...like the other recipe I saw for Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus with Parmesan.

So this was our dinner.

Grilled Rib Eyes with Tomato & Kalamatas

4 bone-in rib eyes
4 garlic cloves, sliced
olive oil
1/2 c. pitted kalamatas, cut in half
1/2 c. flat parsley
2 T. fresh oregano
1 c. grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 green onions, chopped
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Salt & pepper the rib eyes on both sides and cover them, keeping them at room temp for 15 minutes before grilling.  Heat the grill for about 5 minutes just to get it hot.

If you're making the potatoes and asparagus, they'll need to go on the grill first because they take about 20 minutes to prepare.  While they are grilling, make the tomato & kalamata "sauce."

So here are the ingredients for the potato dish:

Potatoes & Asparagus with Parmesan

1/2 bunch thin asparagus, with woody ends trimmed
1-1/2 lb. red-skinned potatoes, cut into eighths
olive oil
1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan
salt & pepper to taste

Leave the peelings on the potatoes and trim any dark spots.  Combine potatoes and asparagus in a dish and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  (I pass the olive oil over the veggies a couple of times, nothing great.)   Using a basket or a tray for your grill, spread the veggies out, turning frequently until browned, about 20 minutes.  The asparagus will cook more quickly, so you have to watch it and move it away from the flame on your grill.  When all is nicely browned and cooked through, put in a serving bowl and toss with the parmesan.  Taste before serving and correct seasoning.

While the potatoes and asparagus are on the grill...Make the tomato and kalamata "sauce."  Using a nice skillet (old cast iron...) over medium heat, warm the olive oil and briefly saute the garlic slices.  Add the red pepper flakes and stir.  Then immediately add the kalamatas, stirring until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes.  Then add the tomatoes, doing same, making sure they don't get too soft.  Add the parsley and oregano, tossing with the other ingredients.  Salt and pepper. 

Put the rib eyes on.  I'd tell you how long to leave them on, but you probably have your own ideas.  We like ours medium to medium rare, which means that on each side they need to grill about 4 minutes, maybe 5.  I like to do the hand poke method.  Make a fist and hold your fist lightly.  In other words, don't clench it.  Now, poke the skin between your thumb and your first knuckle.  It will be a bit soft, but not too soft.  That is what the meat should feel like on your grill if you want it cooked "medium."  Less is more rare, more is well done.

If you're not as prepared, you can let the meat sit briefly, covered with foil and then make the tomato kalamata sauce. 

To serve, spoon some of the tomato kalamata mixute over each steak, and add some of the potatoes and asparagus alongside.

Lip-smacking delicious.  Seriously.

Notes:  The quick recipe excluded tomatoes, onions and oregano.  Huh?  I love olives, but come on.  Give me some substance here.  The flavor with the grilled steak on my version is excellent.  Cut down on the amount of steak and it's a nice dinner.  No need to have a whole steak.

I'm still out on what the butcher labeled these steaks.  The bone looked mysteriously like that of a T-bone, but what do I know?  I'm too lazy to look it up right now. 

Make sure your potatoes aren't too big and that you leave the skins on.  That's where all the vitamins are, right? And wonder of all wonders, I didn't choose to parboil the veggies like I normally do.  I don't like dried out grilled veggies that taste like a grill, and parboiling with a final grilling usually works wonders, but I thought, what the heck?  And thanks to the grill master, it worked.  Very nice flavor!

And the Bellinis?  Well, the peach puree I made just didn't sit right with the bubbly I purchased.  Too dry?  Probably.  I'm not one for cloyingly sweet drinks.  Good thought with some research, but I'll have to do more.  And my hunkster will have to wait for a better "fruity" drink.

I know.  Strawberry margaritas are a no brainer.

Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad: It's a Meal

My hunkster is more than a little dismayed about the weight he gained over the busy season this year, so guess what we've been eating?

Salad.  Lots of it.

But we're regular salad eaters, so this isn't dismal news.  I just make the salad the main course when we're feeling tubby.  My lanky almost sixteen-year-old son tolerates it for a couple of days and then invariably wants to know where the meat is.

Lettuce in Your Kitchen by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby was a birthday present from a good friend many years ago.  One of the most frequent ways I've used it is to get dressing ideas.  I don't have difficulty putting salad ingredients together ever.  But I do struggle from time to time with more than the same old citrus based dressing I tend to rely upon.

It had been quite some time since I made what is often referred to as a Chinese Chicken Salad, and although I was in the mood for something Asian inspired, I didn't want canned mandarin oranges, or any fruit, for that matter, in our dinner.  At least not this week.  Give us time, and we'll be desperate.

So I settled on a crunchy combination of vegetables with sauteed chicken and a dressing I altered because although I loved the sound of the ingredients, the quantities were pretty bold -- especially the sugar.  There's no point in eating salad if the dressing is loaded with calories, right?

Asian Inspired Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

Dressing
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1-2 T sesame oil
1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T fresh minced ginger
salt & pepper to taste

In a small jar with a lid, mix all ingredients and shake.  Taste and adjust flavors to your liking.  Pour over salad and toss, or pass around to pour on individual salads.

Salad
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 small head savoy cabbage, shredded
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 c. snap peas
1/2 large red pepper, sliced thin
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
4 green onions, chopped
1-1/2 c. bean sprouts
1/2 c. cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/8 c. roasted sunflower seeds

Season chicken pieces and saute in a bit of olive oil until both sides are golden brown and the meat is no longer pink.  Set aside to cool, then cut into large pieces.  Set aside.

In a very large bowl, add romaine, then savoy.  Arrange chicken pieces around the exterior, filling the center with carrots, peas, red peppers, onions, and cilantro.  Sprinkle bean sprouts around the exterior, and toss in the sunflower seeds.

Notes:  The original dressing called for 1/3 c. sesame oil, 1/2 c. soy sauce, and 1/4 c. sugar!  I should try harder to give recipes I haven't tried a break before I adjust them, but I couldn't get past so much sesame oil.  Two tablespoons added plenty of flavor without overpowering the other flavors.  And the sugar?  No comment.  If sweetness is something you enjoy, some honey would be nice in this.

This is a huge salad that nicely stuffed the four of us.  I would think that with all the chewing we did, some calories were burned in the process maybe?

Cheers!

Light & Satisfying Veggie Soup

After that last recipe filled with butter, I felt I needed to post something much, much lighter.  Now I understand that the idea of vegetable soup may not send you into a food swoon, but it is something we enjoy, and this particular recipe is easy, quick, and can be easily adapted to include any vegetable you'd prefer instead of those listed in the ingredients.  Actually, it's quite nice with the addition of chicken, or beef, or beans as well.  If you'd prefer pasta or rice, that can be added also.

And the weather is right for a nice bowl of soup that isn't loaded with calories, and can be whipped up when you need it.

Does my 15-year-old love it?  Probably not, but he eats it or else.  Actually he'd prefer that it has meat in it, or at least some pasta, but if I serve it with a salad he enjoys and garlic bread, it will keep him interested.

"Mediterranean Vegetable Soup" is from Rosie Schwartz' Whole Foods Guide, a fabulous book that contains more than just recipes.  It's a source of information about phyto foods or phytochemicals and their positive effect on our bodies in fighting cancer and other illnesses.  No, I don't work for the publisher, and I don't know Ms. Schwartz.  I'm not trying to sell anything and don't get perks from mentioning this particular book.  I'm just someone who enjoys sharing something I find worthwhile and know that as much as I enjoy it, I hope others will as well.

Occasionally, I will compare one of these recipes with something similar from another cookbook or magazine just to check on the fat content.  In this recipe, it's not even a consideration.  But I'm always pleasantly surprised that these recipes hold up.  They're tasty and good for us.  They help me get through all the other recipes I make which aren't always as healthy as I'd like!

Mediterranean Vegetable Soup

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c. carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 med. zucchini, chopped
1 c. green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
1 28-oz. can plum tomatoes with juice, pureed
5 c. vegetable broth
2 T chopped fresh basil
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 c. chopped spinach or Swiss chard
salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a  large pot over med heat.  Add the onions and garlic, sauteeing until they are soft.  Add the carrots, celery, and zucchini and cook, stirring to make sure they are not becoming too brown -- about 10 minutes.  Add the green beans, can of tomatoes, veggie broth, basil, parsley, and seasonings.  Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and simmer covered about 30 minutes.

Stir in the spinach or chard and cook an additional 20 minutes.  Check seasoning and grate some fresh parmesan over each bowl before serving.

Notes:  Rosie says that this makes 6-8 servings and that each serving is less than 80 calories!  That's amazing.  The soup is filling and flavorful.  I tried it with chard this time, but spinach is really great tasting. 

• If you're really wanting more substance, add a 14-oz. can of drained, rinsed cannellini beans.  They're really tasty in this! 
• And if you'd like to add pasta, it works best if the pasta is cooked al dente and added toward the end just to heat it up.  I add it when we have left over pasta. 
• If you want to spice it up a bit, shake over some dried red pepper flakes.  YUM.
• Shred left over chicken breast and add it at the end to heat it or saute one chicken breast when you've just begun the soup.  Let it cool, shred it into bite sized pieces and add them at the end.
• Ground sirloin even works.  Make sure it's completely browned through and through and the juices are drained.  Add the meat at the end.

Easy Lettuce Wraps

At some point, a little turkey goes a very long way.  Or perhaps it's the larger portions of food, or the dessert you forgot to send with your guests in little take away containers.

Regardless, we end up needing something light and easy for dinner so that we can recover briefly before the next round of holiday eating begins.  These lettuce wraps are perfect for that.

I think the first time I had lettuce wraps was at P.F. Chang's.  The idea of a lettuce wrap was so perfect (tasty, crunchy, not filling) that I had to try and come up with my own after I got home.  Since experimenting, I've come across other versions and try out their ideas, too.

Each time I make lettuce wraps, the recipe is a bit different because I'm trying something new, or I only have available certain ingredients.  There are a couple of ingredients we have to have each time, however, because to us, that's what makes the wrap.  Since the lettuce is a no-brainer, celery and water chestnuts are it.

Types of Ingredients

Oil:  1 tsp. peanut oil, or 1/2 tsp. sesame oil and 1/2 tsp. canola

Meat:  I usually use lean pork.  This can be in the form of leftovers, or from a lone chop in the freezer.  This time, I used very lean ground pork that Farmer John puts out.  Chicken is also good -- especially if it's been marinated.

Wrap:  Iceberg lettuce works best because we enjoy the fresh crunch when the first bite is taken.  Butter lettuce works best, however, as the pieces have more flexibility and there's less breakage and the resulting need to grab a fork to scoop up what's fallen on your plate.

Veggies:  Chopped celery, carrots, sugar peas, green onions, and bell peppers are excellent.  This time, I added both yellow and red peppers, sugar peas, and celery.

Other:  Water chestnuts are a favorite ingredient because their crunch adds nicely to the mix.

Flavoring:  Garlic! Chopped cilantro adds a nice flavor, but basil is also good.  Or neither works just fine.

Sauce:  Soy Sauce by itself is okay, but I've also tried bottled stir fry sauces and splashes of Asian-style marinades.  I usually have hoisin sauce in the cupboard or fridge, so I used it this time and think it tastes best. I've never made it before, but there's an interesting recipe here I'm going to give a go tonight just to see how it compares.

Heat:  Mixing a bit of chili paste into the soy sauce usually heats things up enough to satisfy the palate that needs a kick of spice.  Chopping up 1 T. of jalapeno, habanero, or Thai chili and adding it to the saute pan also works well.

Directions

I don't have a wok any more, so just use a very large saute pan.  It's easy to put all the ingredients in it, let them soften and brown, and then stir gradually to incorporate them into the filling.

After the mix has been created, I add about 2 T. of hoisun sauce, stir well, and then add the cilantro.

To get the lettuce ready, cut the end of the lettuce out of the head and carefully pull and entire leaf away from the head from the bottom instead of peeling from the top.  This helps to keep the leaf from snapping.

The wraps work best if they're not overloaded with filling.  A couple of heaping tablespoons (tableware) work just fine.

It's a good idea to serve rice or noodles with these, as the men in the house usually look at me and wonder where the rest of the food is.  But I enjoy them because the flavor is outstanding, there's much to crunch, and they're healthy!  Plus, the possibilities are endless for the filling.  Experiment with the flavors and ingredients you enjoy best.

Cheers!

Taste & Create: Goat Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Peppers

What a completely exhausting weekend.  Fun, but butt whoopin' exhausting.  It's all my fault.  I should know by now when the alarms go off several days in a row (in my head) that I need to NOT do what I've planned to do.  Especially with Thanksgiving looming in the near distance.  Jeez.

Friday, I was going to have a leisurely time in the kitchen preparing a dish as a part of Taste & Create, a blogging event hosted by Nicole at For the Love of Food.  But I got such a late start, I had to put that fun off until Sunday.  So much for dinner on Friday.  *sigh* I was able to prepare the layers of a cake I was going to take to a dinner party on Saturday.  Then Saturday, I would take care of the latest Daring Baker Challenge.  Finally, I'd frost the cake and be off to the dinner party.  At the crack o' dawn on Sunday, I was going to get up and have some fun with cyber baking buddies on Yahoo Messenger while we cooked.  Uh.....Nope.  Software, Beta versions, PC's vs. Macs...You name it and it all conspired to keep us apart.  So very sad since I was really looking forward to seeing just how gunked up my keyboard would get cooking and IMing.

But  few weeks ago, I discovered ustream.tv, so I figured at least I could broadcast myself while I was cooking and maybe a few buddies could text while they were laughing their butts off over my "show."  More on that some other time.  Suffice it to say it was a lot of fun, but totally the reason I'm tired.  I made some cinnamon rolls, and finally, the feature of this post: Goat Cheese Ravioli with Bell Peppers & Brown Butter, the dish I was supposed to have for dinner Friday.  I was so out of time considering I had to make it, eat it and post about it by the end of today!  Nothing like being seriously late.  It's not the first time, however.

Katie of Other People's Food was matched with me for the Taste & Create event I mentioned above.  If I remember correctly, Katie won the very first blogging event I entered: Hay, Hay, It's Donna Day where we all had to make chocolate mousse.  That was back in April of this year.  Goodness, how time flies!

So for Taste & Create, Katie and I had to peruse each other's archives, choose a dish, cook it, and create a post about it.  All in all, a pretty great idea.  I chose the Ravioli linked above from her archives because I love the combination of the flavors.  Katie's homemade ravioli are so cute perched atop the colorful peppers with just the perfect sprinkle of fresh parmesan. Since I'd never made my own pasta, I thought, "Sure!"  Uh-huh.  Right.  A couple of funny things happened on the way to the completion...

Outside of talking to those people who tuned into my ustream.tv broadcast, and dealing with cinnamon rolls, rolling pasta was, erm...challenging.  I don't have an attachment...SANTA!!!!!!!! so couldn't quite get it thin enough.  How did people do this without all the nifty gadgets that now exist?

I don't want to hear anyone say anything about what this reminds them of.  Like my husbink just did.  This is a FOOD blog.

The consensus from my huzbink and middle son after tasting the completed dish was that the ravioli needed to be cooked longer. (Think chewy...) And last but not least, while I was yammering away on ustream.tv, I guess I picked up my salt container and confused it with the measured amount of salt I'd set aside for the pasta.  Thankfully, it wasn't that much more, but it did cause my pasta to be more salty than we like. *cough -- water!*

Fortunately, I also made a few of the ravioli with won ton wrappers which is what the original recipe called for.  These turned out very nicely flavorwise. *whew*  And they were definitely easier to make since I lacked the pasta experience.

The roasted pepper tomato sauce was excellent.  It would be fabulous on regular pasta.  The richness of the peppers combined with the cheese and fresh herbs (rosemary, chives, oregano, sage, thyme) in the ravioli is quite pleasant.  The bit of chopped nicoise olives and toasted pinones were a very nice touch as well.  (I will confess I added a roasted Green Chili to the pepper mixture.  I couldn't resist, as I love the flavor and heat. And I had one sitting in my veggie bowl just waiting to be used...)  Here's Katie's recipe if you missed it above.

The moral to this story is, don't bite off more than you can chew!  Not a new lesson, is it?  Still, I'm learning that with time and planning, there are excellent recipes to be tried from other's blogs simply because they've tried it themselves and can share their learning.  Another no brainer, Kelly.  D.U.H. 

I think there's a bathtub and some bubbles upstairs with my name on it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow.  And then the Thanksgiving prep begins....Oh. My. Goodness.

Thanks, Katie, for the recipe!  I will be using the pepper & tomato combo as well as the cheese & herb mix for bruschetta in the near future.  It will be totally scrumptious, don't you think?

And thanks, Nicole, for a fun event.  Expect to see me again!

Poulet a la fermiere or Gratineed Chicken in Cream Sauce

I decided to take pity on folks in the Blogosphere and move past the last Daring Baker's Challenge I had posted.  At some point, I'm sure the calories in that Bostini would begin to ooze through the screen and into my unsuspecting rear end.  Believe it or not, I only had one piece.  Truly.  Okay, I did eat a bowl of the custard as well, but that's all.  *sigh*  How sad is that?  Until next month...or sooner if I lose my will power.  We'll see.

So moving right along, it's back to the savory dishes.  And this one is great.  I've been doing some searches for recipes with ingredients I have on hand.  Quite an original concept, don't you think?  *erm...not exactly...*  My refrigerator and pantry are usually stuffed a la "you ARE your refrigerator" and quite scary looking, so it isn't difficult to come up with a recipe quickly, and with a few changes, it's dinner.

"Gratineed Chicken in Cream Sauce" was originally a Gourmet magazine recipe published in March of 2001, and is now available at Epicurious.  It is housed safely in my recipe box there which comes in very handy after I've been surfing for a recipe and find yummy sounding others I want to tuck away for later. 

Here's my rendition of "Poulet a la Fermiere:"

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
1 T olive oil
6 flat leafed parsley sprigs, 2 fresh thyme sprigs, & 1 bay leaf tied together into a bouquet garni
6 small carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
A few snap peas
A few baby zucchini split in half lengthwise
1 lg. shallot sliced
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/3 c. beef broth (sorry, it's all I had...)
12 small red skinned potatoes, peelings on and quartered
2/3 c. sour cream
1 c. coarsely grated Dutch goat's cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan, and brown chicken on all sides, adding salt and pepper during the process.  When brown, remove chicken and set aside.

Place carrots and herbs in the same pan, stirring a bit to coat with the browned bits in the pan.  Add the wine over high heat to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom as you stir.  Reduce the liquid to half -- about 2 or 3 minutes. 

Add broth and return chicken to the pan with the rest of the veggies.  Simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, and potatoes are tender.  While simmering, preheat broiler.

Discard bouquet garni and stir in sour cream, turning contents of the pan to coat.

Sprinkle on goat's cheese and broil close to the heat until warm and beginning to melt, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle on some chopped parsley and enjoy.

Notes: Make sure you cook this in a pan that can serve both on the stove top and then under the broiler.  The vegetables all retained their own distinctive flavor, which was very good.  The carrots got a bit too soft for our liking, but not so much that we didn't enjoy the dish.  It was actually very good.  The Dutch goat's cheese was purchased at Trader Joe's and has the consistency of mozzarella, but with much more flavor. The original recipe calls for chicken pieces with skin, and although I do know that all that crunchy browned skin can add terrific flavor to a dish, it also adds quite a bit of fat that has to be  spooned off before serving.  I purchased the small carrots, peas, and zucchini packaged together and the flavors worked out quite nicely.

A quick dish that was a pleasant surprise for the little time spent on it.

Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!

So Cal Sarnie: Roasted Veggies & Goat's Cheese with Arugula on Ciabatta

Several factors have led to my interest in cooking.  Interest was first.  I've always been drawn to cookbooks and loved to look at the only one we had in the house.  Yes, I mention it all the time -- that old Betty Crocker Cookbook that I still have.  It was the photos.  They opened up a world I would have not been privy to with the staples my mother created.  It's where I first wondered what popovers tasted like, what Baked Alaska was, and how those flames could be on that "Peach Jubilee Dessert." 

Noticeably missing was a section with photos of sandwiches.  Maybe no one really thought it was necessary.  After all, sandwiches were something made with leftovers, or jam and peanutbutter from a jar, right? 

Today, a good sandwich constitutes a whole meal as far as I'm concerned, and we do have them for dinner.  Although I'll look at a recipe occasionally if the ingredients are unusual, it's fun to just figure it all out.  I'm not just talking about roast beef and cheddar with a bit o' mustard, here.  I'm talking about knowing which combinations of flavors you like, and that compliment one another to make a really great sandwich.    Mmmm...do I have a sandwich for you.  Or is it a sarnie?  Well, in this case, it must be a sarnie, because it's my entry into "Show Us Your Sarnie!" being hosted by Marie at A Year From Oak Cottage.  What a great idea!

A perfect combination of flavors is roasted peppers, sauteed portobellos, and grilled onions.  The sweetness of the peppers, rich caramel of the onions, and earthiness of the mushrooms really works.  In fact, the combination is excellent for a pasta dish or a salad as well.  But to really get my heart singing, two more important ingredients are necessary....goat cheese, and arugula.  You have to try it.  But don't get fussy about quantities, because that's not how this works.  You have to be adventuresome.

Although my sandwich is meatless -- yes, and it's excellent -- this combination would work very well with beef or chicken.  It just isn't necessary with these gorgeous mushrooms. 

So Cal Sarnie:  Roasted Veggies and Goat's Cheese with Arugula on Ciabatta

Ingredients:  Crusty bread such as a whole ciabatta, two very large portobellos, three bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), goat's cheese, dijon, fresh arugula, sweet white onion, olive oil, salt, pepper.

To begin:  roast the peppers. You can do this on the open burner of your stove whether gas or electric.  Just lay them on there until they're black and blistered.  Make sure to turn on the fan because their fragrance is quite strong and will hover in your house...not something you want to smell in the middle of the night.  Next, place the peppers in a paper bag or closed container and let them sit for at least 15 minutes.  Remove them, and with you fingers, remove the blackened skin, the membranes, stem and seeds.  DO NOT RINSE OFF THE PEPPERS.  Sorry for yelling, but you want to retain the lovely oils and flavor from the roasting.  Set aside.

Next: While the peppers are sitting, cut thick slices of onion.  Keep the slices together, and place in a skillet with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat checking occasionally to see how they're browning.  Flip them over after they've browned to your liking.  Remove them from the pan until you are ready to use them.  You can break them up if you wish from the beginning and really cook them down to caramelized rings -- quite tasty as well -- but it's your choice.  Keeping the rings together provides more of a bite on this particular sandwich er, um sarnie.



Now: Slice a couple of very large portobello mushrooms.  Mince some garlic as well.  Put a few splashes of olive oil in another skillet (the onions are in the other) and add the garlic when the oil is hot.  After a minute, place the mushroom slices in the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook on one side to brown, then turn to brown the other side.  This takes longer than you would think.  You may need to add another spash of olive oil to get the brown you want.  But avoid soaking the mushrooms in oil.  You don't want an oily mess.

Okay: After you've removed the onions, wipe out the pan (or whip out your still new Panini pan that you got for your birthday) and place the ciabatta sections face down to brown them just a bit.  Then spread a bit of dijon on one piece, and softened goat's cheese on both.


 

Ready? Place several mushroom slices on one piece, topped with roasted peppers, then onions.  On the other slice, load the arugula.  Carefully slap the two pieces together, then place in the panini pan.  Make sure the lid has been sitting in the pan while it's heating so that it's hot, too.  Place the lid over the sarnie and let it sit for a couple of minutes.  If you're brave, turn it over and let it sit for another minute.

No panini pan?  Using a cast iron skillet works just fine.  Sit something heavy on the sarnie and then turn it over and do the same thing.

No cast iron skillet?  You're kidding, right?  No comment, but, wrap the sarnie in foil and pop the whole thing in a preheated oven for about 5-8 minutes.  The arugula will be wilted, but that will be just fine.

Some variations: 

• Use fresh mozzarella if you want a more mild tasting cheese that will melt a bit.
• Use any kind of pesto you enjoy and spread that on instead of the dijon.
• Use blue cheese instead of goat's cheese and skip the peppers, but add tomato and switch the arugula with fresh spinach.

Have fun and enjoy experimenting with my version of a sarnie!  Oh, and chop up the leftovers and saute them with some pappardelle the next day.  It's even better.

Soy Chicken with Ginger Steamed Bok Choy

Okay, time's up.  You've had enough dessert lately.  Goodness knows I have.  So for a change of pace, I'm going to try and get some of the dishes I've made out of my photo files where they've been sitting.  It's about time!

I've been really enjoying the recipes I've made from Donna Hay's magazine and cookbooks.  They continue to amaze me with not only their simplicity, but excellent taste.  I haven't found one yet that we haven't liked.  Yes, my 15-year-old will leave a veggie or two here and there, but for the most part, he cleans his plate.  If that's not a vote of favor, nothing is.

Recently Hay's "Soy Chicken" recipe caught my eye.  It's not typical for me to take a second look at a savory recipe that has brown sugar and cinnamon in it, but the combination of flavors in this was very appealing -- beautiful to look at as well.  A quick scan of the ingredients list showed that I'd only have to make one or two substitutions -- not bad considering it is an Asian-inspired dish and I don't often cook anything beyond fried rice.  It seems we usually do take out when it comes to Asian cuisine. If I steamed some baby bok choy and cooked those rice noodles I've had in the cupboard for a while, dinner would be fairly quick.  I was set!

Soy Chicken

4 c. Chinese cooking wine (Shao Hsing)
3/4 c. dark soy sauce
8 c. water
1 c. brown sugar
3 sticks cinnamon
4 star anise
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3/4 oz. ginger, sliced
2 green onions, chopped
4 pieces orange peel
2-3/4 lb. whole chicken

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F.  Place the Chinese cooking wine, soy, water and sugar in a large saucepan over high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Reduce the heat to low, add the cinnamon, star anise, garlic, ginger, green onions, orange peel, and chicken and simmer for 30 minutes.

 

Carefully remove the chicken from the soy mixture, place on a roasting rack in a baking dish and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy.  Chop the chicken into pieces, place on a platter and spoon over the soy mixture to serve.  Serves 4.

To prepare the rice noodles, I soaked them in water for 15 minutes, then cooking them in the broth for about 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:  I halved this recipe for the three of us.  I used three rather hefty skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken and reduced the cooking time to about 20 minutes.  I substituted 4 whole allspice berries for the star anise and used one large piece of cinnamon stick.  Since the chicken meat did not have skin, the finished baked chicken lacked the glossy, caramel coat the photo showed, but it certainly didn't lack for flavor, and I didn't miss all the fat that comes with chicken skin.

Ginger Asian Bok Choy
1/2 oz. ginger, sliced
2 "heads" baby bok choy, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 c. dark soy sauce
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. roasted red pepper oil

Place a steaming basket in a large saucepan filled partially with water.  Place sliced ginger in the basket, and place the bok choy on top.  Cover with a lid and heat over med-high heat until steam cooks bok choy to tenderness, about 5-7 minutes.  While cooking, mix soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper oil.  Spoon sauce over bok choy and serve with chicken.

Notes:  I've presented the recipe above as I made it.  The original called for a vegetable called choy sum and the use of a steamer which I don't own.  We liked the flavor of the sauce, and I plan to try it with other vegetables such as napa cabbage or snow peas.

This meal was very satisfying and light.  The aroma of the chicken in the broth was exceptional, and the texture of the meat quite tender. I'd like to try it again, but with a whole chicken as the recipe calls for.