The Fumbling Foodie

White Wine and Shallot Potato Salad

I'm on Gourmet Magazine's email list and the other day it contained this recipe. We tried it and will definitely serve it again.  One nice thing about it - besides tasting good and easy to make - is that it is elegant enough to serve in more upscale situations:

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

1/3 cup dry white wine

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 lb small (2-inch) red potatoes

1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

Boil the potatoes until just tender enough to pierce with a fork, but still firm.  Remove them from the heat and let them cool just long enough to handle and cut.  Halve or quarter the potatoes depending upon their size.

Combine shallots, wine, vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and add the potatoes.  Toss to coat.  Set them aside and let the potatoes cool until just warm.  Stir in the parsley, oil, and a couple grinds of pepper.

Serve warm.

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Baby Dutch Potatoes and Sirloin Strips

We have a bumper crop of Swiss Chard. I was afraid that row in the new garden wasn't going to give us much but the weather warmed up a little and BAM! After looking at it in the morning, I new that I would be preparing Swiss Chard for dinner.

The internet abounds with sauteed Swiss chard recipes - I wanted to try something a little different. Could I come up with an all-in-one dish? My Sweet Lady Wife is a meat-and-potatoes gal, so I needed to figure out how to put those in there as well.

Time for an experiment. No recipe. Totally winging it. TIme to put on the helmeet, goggles, and parachute. They don't call me the Fumbling Foodie for nothing.

And for added measure, I decided to live stream this experiment via ustream as well as record it. 'Why?', you ask. For the same reason they have a camera on the EOD guys when they work: If something went wrong, at least someone might figure out what it was. Unfortunately the sound volume is a little low. Next time I'll fix that.

The results were outstanding. We loved it. Here's the recipe. SInce I didn't really measure anyting, the quantities are approximate:

Enough Swiss Chard leaves to fill an 8qt bowl
2 slices applewood smoked bacon
1 small boneless sirloin, filet mignon, or other high-quality beef
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 can low-sodium beef broth
3/4 pound Dutch baby potatoes, peeled.
1/4 cup white wine
1/8 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes.

Slice the beef into very thin strips.

Wash the Swiss chard. Cut the center stalk out of each leaf and then tear the leaves into chunks about 2-inches square.

Fry the bacon in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. When the bacon is crisp, remove it from the pan. Add the garlic. Let the garlic sauté just until it starts to brown, then remove it from the pan and discard it. Add the beef strips. Cook for about 2 minutes then turn each strip over and cook for one minute more. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Add the wine to the pan and deglaze. Add the beef broth and potatoes. Bring the broth to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook off almost all the remaining broth.

Begin adding Swiss chard a handful at a time. As it wilts down, add another handful. Repeat. When you have two handfulls left, add the beef and bacon back into the pan. Add the sun-dried tomatoes with the last handful of Swiss chard.

Serves about 4

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

This is my favorite recipe for mashed potatoes.  Unfortunately, it's not my wife's favorite.  

You see, to her, mashed potatoes must have lumps.  If not then the the consistency reminds her of the mashed potatoes you get by using those gawd-awful potato flakes that come in a box.  I'll admit, those are truly bad.

These are different. They have a rich flavor that can come only from gobs of butter and cheese.  Be sure to use authentic imported Parmigiano Reggiano. And use Yukon Golds instead of Russets to avoid ending up with a gluey mess.

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

3.5 - 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, and rinsed

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1.5 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Salt and pepper

Put the quartered potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. partially cover the pot and bring to a boil. Uncover, add the kosher salt, and reduce the heat so the water boils gently.  Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile heat the milk and cream in a separate saucepan until hot but not boiling.

When the potatoes are done, drain them and return them to the still hot pot you cooked them in for about a minute - shaking the pot occasionally - to dry them.  Use a ricer or food mill to mash the potatoes.  Blend the butter and Parmigiano into the potatoes. Gradually add the hot milk/cream mixture until you reach the desired consistency.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Braised Green Beens with Pancetta and Mushrooms

Even people who don't like green beens love this.

3/4 pound fresh green beens

1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons brandy

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

KOsher salt

6-8 ounces button mushrooms, thickly sliced

2-4 ounces pancetta (substitute thinly sliced ham or bacon if desired)

3-4 sprigs  fresh thyme, tied into a bunch

3 tablespoons heavy cream

freshly ground black pepper

Cut away any brown spots form the beans and trim the ends.  Combine the broth and the brandy, set aside.

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon oil in the saute pan over medium-high heat.  When the milk solids in the butter are just starting to turn a nutty brown, add the beans and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Toss and then arrange the bean in a single layer.  Cook without stirring until the bottom side of the beans are nicely browned. TUrn the beans over and cook for another approximately 2 minutes to brown the other side.  TRansfer the beans to a plate.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the saute pan.  Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt.  cook the mushrooms in batches if necessary.  If you crowd them they will steam instead of saute.    Cook without stirring until the mushrooms are nicely browned on one side, 2-3 minutes.  Add the pancetta, and cook for 2-3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. 

Return the beans to the pan.  Add the thyme.  Toss and add the chicken broth-brandy mixture.  Immediately cover the pan and simmer until the liquid is almost completely reduced.  Uncover, add the cream and a little pepper.  Cook just long enough to allow the cream to thicken a little and coat the beans.  Remove from heat.  Remove the thyme, and serve.

Serves 4

Maple-Glazed Carrots

THis one is a favorite around my house.  A trick I learned to enhance the presentation is to use a roll cut. Cut the carrot crosswise on the diagonal.  Roll the carrot 180 degrees, move the knife 1 inch up the carrot and cut again on the diagonal. Repeat.  

Maple-Glazed Carrots

2 pounds carrots, peeled and trimmed

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon salt

Cut the carrots using a roll cut.

Put the carrots in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover.  Add the butter, maple syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. reduce the heat to medium and cover, shaking the pan occasionally.  Cook at a steady boil until the carrots are tender but not soft.

Uncover the pan and raise the heat to high and rapidly boil off the water so that you are left with a syrup.  Shake the pan so that the carrots are evenly covered with the syrup.  Serve.

Serves 4

Milles-Feuilles Asparagus

I am learning great things from Chef Bernard Chirent. A couple of days ago, he gave another cooking class at Plate It Up! and once again I learned to make some magnificent dishes that are easy to prepare.

Milles-Feuilles is French, meaning "thousand leaves" - referring to the many many layers of dough and butter in puff pastry. The puff pastry used here was simply purchased from the local supermarket. Believe me, it doesn't get much simpler than this and the presentation and flavor are impressive.

Milles-Feuilles Asparagus

1 sheet of puff pastry
1 bunch asparagus
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons cream
1 cup white wine
curry

Cut the puff pastry into 1-1/2inch x 3-inch rectangles and bake it according to the directions on the package - or about 425F until puffed and golden.

Saute the asparagus for 2-3 minutes in hot olive oil.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce the wine until there is only 1-2 tablespoons left. Add the cream. Then add the butter a bit at a time, whisking furiously. Add just enough curry so that you can barely taste it - Don't add so much that the curry overpowers the other flavors.

Pull each puff pastry apart. Place the lower half on a plate. Pile a few asparagus spear on it, pour a little of the sauce over the asparagus, then place the top half of the puff pastry back on. Serve.

I learned to prepare several other dishes as well, including the most scrumptious Lemon Curd, but those will have to wait for another time.

Elise's Chicken and Molly's Corn

If you haven't been here for a while, let me fill you in: My Sweet Lady Wife and I are 'between houses'. The old house has been sold. We close on the new house December 5 (16 and a wake up). Meanwhle, we are living in this little two bedrom apartment. The aparment is nice, as apartments go - it is clean, quiet, and safe. For a Foodie, however, the kitchen leaves a lot to be desired: there is about two square feet of counter space. Two of the stove's four burners actually work well enough to almost boil water.

As a result, dinners must be simple. (And add to this the fact that I have a cold this week). A couple of weeks ago, Elise posted a scrumptious chicken recipe and Molly wrote about her Brown Buttered Corn. I had a menu.

I don't believe I have ever had a simple corn dish that tasted as good as Molly's Brown Buttered Corn. The thyme really gave the butter some flaver and it transfers to the corn wonderfully. My Sweet Lady Wife - who is a Wisconsin farm girl and a corn connoisseur - loved it. Definitely a keeper.

I modified Elise's chicken recipe to be more 'saucy' (A little more vermouth and cream in the pan sauce). I also used applewood-smoked bacon instead of the pancetta. It was excellent. I think it's really difficult to turn a naked chicken breast into something really tasty but this certainly was.

Sauteed Corn-Pancetta Wraps

Corn, Leeks, Mushrooms, and Pancetta Sauteed and Wrapped in a Warm Tortilla

Inspired by a recipe in the September 2007 issue of Fine Cooking, this was unbelievably tasty. My ingredients and quantities were a bit different from the the Fine Cooking version:

2 Tbs olive oil
3 oz thinly sliced pancetta
3 Leeks, white and light green part only, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups coarsly chopped cremini mushrooms (they call them Baby Belle around here)
2.5 cups frozen corn kernels
2 Tbs choped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 Tbs chopped thyme
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1/8 cup white wine

Over low heat, saute the pancetta in 1 tbs olive oil until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and let drain on some paper towels.

Add 1 Tbs of butter to the pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. When the butter has stopped foaming add the leeks and 1/2 tsp of salt. Saue until the leeks have softened and have lightly browned.

Add 1 Tbs of butter and 1 Tbs of olive oil. Add the mushroms. Cover and cook until the mushrooms have release their liquid. Uncover and saute until the mushroms have browned slightly .

Add 1 Tbs butter and the corn. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the corn is tender. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Let the wine reduce a bit.

Trn the heat to low. Add the cream, thyme, and parsley Crumble in the pancetta. Add pepper to taste. Let the cream reduce a bit.

Remove from the heat and spoon into warmed large tortillas. A little Picante sauce or salsa on top would be good

Summer Southwestern Meal

OK, so what do you do when the outside temperature is 197 in the shade? Grill, of course!

I made these kabobs with just large shrimp (16-20 count) and mild Italian sausage.

Inspired by a recipe in Vegetarian Southwest by Lon Walters, I made these polenta-stuffed peppers. The original recipe called for adding mole (a Mexican spicey chocolate sauce), but being German, I have a very conventional view of chocolate so we skipped the mole. (I still think Belgian chocolate is the best)

Polenta Stuffed Peppers

2 Red Bell Peppers
2 cups cooked polenta
4 green onions, green part diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 of a 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Reheat polenta in a saucepan, adding a little water if necessary. I used a tube of pre-cooked polenta found at the local Sprouts market. The objective is to get the polenta to the consistency of a thick milkshake.

Add the green parts of the green onions, cumin, pine nuts, chilles, and 3/4 of the cheese.

Cut the tops off the red bell peppers and clean them out. Fill with the polenta mixture. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 350F. Top with the remaining cheese and let make long enough for the cheese to melt.

Roasted Red Onions

This was the only saving grace from tonight's dinner. I initially decided to prpare them because they would add some color to the presentation of tonight's meal and because my wife loves onions. Surprisingly, they were as sweet as candy. This was definitely good enough to make again, good enough to serve to guests even.

Roasted Onions

6 medium - large red onions
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Peel the onions, quarter them, and trim the ends. Salt and pepper the cut surfaces. Heat about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, one cut side down and saute until golden brown. Flip each onion so the uncooked cut side is down and saute it too (about 4 min per side).

Put the onion quarters, skin side down, in an oven-proof baking dish.

Mix the honey and vinegar in a small bowl and drizzle it over the onions. Bake foe one hout. Every few minutes, baste the onions with the honey-vinegar sauce from the bottom of the dish.

Remove from the oven and serve.