Deconstructed Chicken Parm and Brussels Sprouts with Port-Balsamic Reduction

Today was a lazy football Sunday. You're lucky I cooked anything, because there was a serious temptation to spend the whole day eating nachos and napping on the couch. This dinner was cobbled together out of necessity, as I did not feel like going to the store. There was some freezer and cabinet scrounging involved, and things turned out pretty well.

Menu:
Deconstructed Chicken Parmesan
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Port-Balsamic Reduction
Quinoa


Deconstructed Chicken Parmesan



serves 2

1 bone-in, skinless chicken breast
2 T kosher salt
2 T sugar
1/4 c white-colored vinegar, flavored if available (I used citrus champagne vinegar)
1/2 c jarred pasta sauce (I used Muir Glen Tomato Basil)
1 oz part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 oz shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the grill to high with the coals moved to one side.
2. While the grill is heating, brine the chicken: Dissolve the salt and sugar in enough water to cover the chicken in a bowl. Add the vinegar and chicken.
3. Sear the chicken over direct heat, about 3 minutes per side. Then move it to indirect heat and cook until done, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and slice. Place slices over quinoa (or rice or pasta) and top each serving with pasta sauce and half of each of the cheeses. If you're feeling really ambitious, heat the plate in the microwave to melt the cheese.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Port-Balsamic Reduction

This was very tasty, easy, and Nate-approved! The reduction probably could have gone without the honey, since the it ended up quite sweet, likely due to the port. We brought a lovely blackberry port wine back with us from Salt Spring Island and I'm glad I finally broke it open. Probably any port or red wine would work here.



1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1/3 c port wine
1 T honey
1 lb brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 of a medium onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Bring the vinegar and wine to a boil in a small sauce pan.
2. Stir in the honey.
3. Boil until reduced to a thin syrup; it will thicken as it cools.



4. Combine the brussels sprouts, onion, garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a large piece of foil. Fold it up into a packet and place over high heat on the grill.
5. Roast, stirring once halfway through, for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked and there are a few blackened bits.
6. Serve with drizzles of the balsamic reduction.

Quinoa

makes 4 servings, 1/2 c each

1 c quinoa
2 c water or broth

1. Bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa.
2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.



Suspicious. But hungry for tasty morsels.

It's important to have cookies in the house at all times.

My mom says so. So what did I do on this brisk autumn day of 105 degrees? I baked. And it was really hot in my kitchen. I like to think I was sweating out the calories.

I baked because I have a serious condition called Bittmanopathy. I am completely incapable of NOT making a recipe that Mark Bittman posts in the NY Times. Yesterday he posted a recipe for Savory Cheddar Biscotti, and wouldn't you know it, now they are cooling on my counter.

Fie on you, Mark Bittman! Fie!

I made a savory and a sweet version, and they were both fabulous. AND, I used all whole wheat pastry flour, because YES, I'm still trying to use up that gigantic bag. I've made biscotti before, and I forgot how easy they are. Aside from the long cooking time (they are twice baked), they are a cinch, and it's simple to make small batches of different flavors. I look forward to making more.



And then eating them.

Jalapeno Cheddar Biscotti
adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe in the New York Times

makes 8 cookies

1 egg
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c plus 1 T whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 small jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and minced

1. Heat the oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whirl the egg and the cheese together in a food processor until golden and smooth.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the egg mixture and pulse 3-4 times until just incorporated.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until you can shape it into a log. It will be crumbly at first.
5. Place the log on the parchment paper and flatten it slightly.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until firm to the touch.


After the first bake.

7. Cool for 10 minutes, slice on the bias into 1/2" slices, and arrange them in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip them over, and bake for 15 more minutes or until hard and lightly toasted.





Almond Cardamom Biscotti

makes 8 cookies

1 egg
1/4 c sugar
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 c sliced and toasted almonds
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whirl the egg and the sugar in the food processor until golden and smooth.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse 3-4 times until just incorporated.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until you can shape it into a log. Add more flour as needed.
5. Place the log on the parchment paper and flatten it slightly.
6. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until firm to the touch.
7. Cool for 10 minutes, slice on the bias into 1/2" slices, and arrange them in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip them over, and bake for 15 more minutes or until hard and lightly toasted.

Southern Comfort

Oh dear, Poor Elaine must be positively wasting away on her diet of corn cobs and dirt while I neglect my duties to feed her....Sorry, E, it's been a busy few weeks. We've been eating, and even cooking some, but what with vacations, work, house stuff, and the general silliness that is the way-too-short-24-hour-day, I just haven't had the motivation to report.

But I'm back on the wagon, and it is good.

I was craving some Southern homestyle food last night for who knows what reason, so I whipped up a mighty tasty cornbread pudding with greens, cooked Southern style (i.e., to death), and topped the whole mess off with some grilled shrimp. Honestly, the shrimp was such an afterthought compared to the substantially filling pudding that next time I wouldn't even bother.

And, ooh! I was just brilliantly inspired! This would probably make a fabulous stuffing for Thanksgiving: omit the milk and eggs and moisten everything with broth before stuffing the bird. Drool.

I'm a little proud of this one, I have to say. Enjoy.

Menu:
Smoky Cornbread Pudding
Steamed Greens
Sliced Tomatoes

Smoky Cornbread Pudding

This was a star. Not only was it beautiful and scrumptious, but it necessitated coming up with my very own cornbread recipe that rivals any store-bought version. AND I used some of my bottomless supply of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, so I give myself points for that.

I had originally made a batch of cornbread using some cornbread mix I had in the cupboard. It tasted kind of bitter and dry after baking, and when I checked the expiraiton date on the bag, it was 2 years expired...now, I'm not usually one to get all hot and bothered over a little thing like an expiration date on a dry good, but I had already had two servings of milk from a jug in the fridge that both Nate and I agreed had gone bad but kept drinking anyway, and even though I have (so far) survived that gastric challenge (it was a whole gallon! What a waste!), I didn't think I should push it with the Bad Food Gods. So I tossed the cornbread and scrounged for another option. And here it is. Love.

My Very Own Cornbread

makes 16 pieces

2 eggs
1 T canola oil
2 T honey
1 c buttermilk
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c stone-ground cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and honey.
2. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
3. Pour the batter into an 8x8" baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.



Cornbread Pudding

This is a dry-ish bread pudding, which I thought was fine. But if you prefer a moister, less crumbly version, try increasing the eggs and milk and letting the bread cubes soak in the egg/milk mixture for a few minutes before mixing everything together.



serves 6

4 c cubed cornbread
7 oz turkey kielbasa
1/2 of a medium onion, sliced into fat rings
1 poblano chile pepper
2/3 c skim milk
1/3 c packaged egg whites, or the whites from 2 eggs
corn kernels from 1 cob, about 1 cup
1/4 c cilantro, minced

1. Heat the grill to medium. Place the poblano chile, sausage, and onion over medium heat and grill until char marks appear (the chile should be lightly charred and blistered). Remove from the grill.
2. Peel the skin from the chile, remove the stem and seeds, and dice.
3. Dice the sausage and onion.
4. Toss the cornbread, corn, sausage, chile, onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Transfer to an 8x8 baking dish coated in cooking spray.
4. Stir together the milk and the egg whites and drizzle over the cornbread mixture.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20 minutes.



Steamed Greens

I usually like my greens lightly blanched and still mooing when I eat them, but sometimes I have a hankering for Southern-style stewed greens. Tougher greens like collards or chard hold up a little better, but this work for spinach, too.

serves 4
3 cloves garlic, minced
cooking spray
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 c chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
8 c chopped greens: collards, mustard, kale, chard, spinach, or a combination

1. Saute the garlic in the cooking spray for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the red pepper.
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add the greens, a few cups at a time, cover the skillet, and let them cook down for a minute or two until you have enough room to add more. When all of the leaves have been added, cover the skillet and turn the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until uniformly dark green and very very soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.