dinner

Okay, so it’s not Sunday, or dinner, but I had to share as marinade for grilled shrimp that I discovered last night. I picked it out from AllRecipes.com after seeing that it had over 500 5-star reviews and that most of the reviews involved ALL CAPS and lots of exclamation points!!!!!!

I went in a little suspicious - I mean, it’s marinade, not some miracle drug, but I went ahead and tried it out on our new grill. I wasn’t convinced - the ingredients were really simple and didn’t seem to fit together well. And it didn’t seem to be bad enough for me health-wise or hard enough to make to taste that good.  AND THEN BEN AND I ATE THE SHRIMP AND TALKED ABOUT HOW GOOD IT WAS IN ALL CAPS FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING. IT IS THAT GOOD!!!!! AND I HATE EXCLAMATION POINTS, EXCEPT WHEN I REALLY MEAN IT!!!!!

Even putting the delectable taste of these shrimp aside for a moment, which is hard for me to do even 12 hours later, this recipe has everything going for it: it uses only “kitchen staple” ingredients (with the exception of the shrimp). It does not involve a stick of butter or deep-fried batter, like many other shrimp recipes I’ve test driven.  It cooks in six minutes. It makes you look like a  celebrity chef to anyone you have over for dinner.

In any case, without further ado, here’s the link: Marinted Grilled Shrimp.

A few notes:

1. If you want the shrimp spicy, double the cayenne pepper. As it is, the pepper only gives the shrimp a little heat.

2. If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them first.

3. Don’t marinate the shrimp for longer than an hour - the vinegar will start breaking down the meat.

I once again apologize for the absence of picture or many links - things will get better when the cable guys bring the magic of the internet into our home on Monday.

Go forth and grill shrimp!

I haven’t posted many recipes lately, mostly because I haven’t been making anything new. But today was bright and summery and my new summer copy of Eating Well came in the mail.

I just started my subscription to this magazine, and I have to say I’m in love. It’s the Middle Road of eating healthy - lots of quality ingredients and lots of whole grains, but at the same time, they’re not afraid of having an entire feature this month on types of awesome burgers (the cheddar bison burgers on whole wheat rolls that Ben made for us yesterday were delicious). They include the nutritional information but don’t go out of their way to ban “bad” ingredients from their recipes - they’re more for using small amounts. They’re also into eating green, which I like - last month they had a big spread on where and how you should buy salmon.

In any case, the weather had me wanting to make something fresh and different and Eating Well had a stupendous feature call, simply, Shrimp Fest! . I tried out their beer battered New England fried shrimp, which, although fried, involves 100% whole wheat flour and only two(!) tablespoons of oil. I thought it might be too good to be true, but really it’s just too good.

• A cup of pale ale or other light-colored beer (I used Sam Adams Summer Ale)
• A cup of 100% whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (sounds weird, tastes great)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 pound large or extra large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, but with the tails on
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil

Mix the beer, flour, mustard, and salt. Whisk until smooth. (Note: you have to do this in two batches, so you have to repeat these next steps twice) Put half of the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Hold each shrimp from the tail and dip into the batter, knocking off the excess on the side of the bowl. Add each shrimp to the skillet, making sure they aren’t touching. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until curled, firm, and golden brown. Transfer to a platter, add pepper, wipe the skillet clean, and get to work on your second batch. If you’re just cooking for two, halving the recipe makes a perfect amount of food.

I served my shrimp with baby red potatoes and green beans tossed in rosemary and extra virgin olive oil. And a Sam Adams Summer Ale. I was going to take a picture, but we, uh, ate all the shrimp without breathing in between bites. Take my word for it, though: they are pretty. And delicious.

During the week when I’m trying to write while my neighbors practice their trombones or whatever, I often turn on the Food Network Channel on low volume to drown out the noise. This week, I was working with Paula Deen on in the background when I saw her slow cook something delicious-looking called Swiss steaks. I’d never really heard of the dish, but my copy of Joy of Cooking also had their own version. I looked up a few more recipes online and came up with my own version.

It’s great to throw together Sunday afternoon and then eat Sunday night - and it’s tender enough to eat without a knife. Ready?

• 1 to 2 pounds of beef round, cut into portion sizes (some people like to use tenderized meat, but you don’t have to, especially since it’s going in the slow cooker, which makes everything tender)
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of celery, chopped into tiny pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced or shredded
• 1 bell pepper, cut into strips
• garlic, to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of beer
• whichever spices you have on hand of the following: thyme, oregano, basil, parsley

1. sprinkle the beef with flour, salt, and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the meat, a few minutes on each side. You don’t want to cook the meat all the way through, just to cook the flour on the outside, which will keep the meat moist (and thicken the sauce later). Place in the slow cooker.

2. on top of the meat, put in all of the chopped veggies and spices. Pour the beer over the top and drink the rest of the can. Cover it and get on with your day, turning it off in 4-6 hours or so.

3. Serve with mashed potatoes or turnips,  green beans, and the rest of the six pack.

I love roasting chickens, but there’s also not much need for an entire roasted chicken with two people in the house. Therefore, I’ve spent the last few weeks perfecting a roasted chicken dish for two that is super-healthy and perfect for a weeknight dinner for two.

The morning before dinner, stick a package (about a pound) of chicken tenderloins (or two chicken breasts) in a Ziploc bag. Add the following and let marinate during the day:

• 2 tablespoons  of extra virign olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped
• salt and pepper
• the juice of half of a lemon
• minced garlic (as much as you like)
• any other spices you’d like (such as poultry seasonin)

That night, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. place the chicken in an 8 inch X 8 inch cooking dish or even a deep pie dish. In a separate bowl, mix:

• one large red potato, cut into small cubes
• one or two carrots, sliced
• one small onion
• some finely chopped celery
• the same mixture used to marinate the chicken (see above)

Place the veggies over the chicken and pour about a half-cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the pan (this took me a few times to figure out — without the broth, the chicken dries out). Cover and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover after 30 minutes and cook until done (about 15-30 minutes later). Serve with a salad.

Chicken Parmesan is a weakness of mine — one of those unfortunate weaknesses that makes my ass look big. So I was thrilled to find a healthy-ish version of this usually deadly recipe in the cookbook Ben got me for Christmas, The Best of Cooking Light.

The book is really great about making “normal” dishes a bit better for you rather than just having really weirdo stuff that involves a lot of bean curd and twigs and things — and they list all the nutritional information after each dish. It’s fancy without requiring special skills or ingredients and it has pictures for most of the recipes — and I get to make a few new, awesome things every week from it. You can buy it here

Below is what I made last night, which involves Cooking Light’s ingenious recipe (with a few of my little changes).

The chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons olive oil (I needed a bit more than that)

The tomato sauce and noodles

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 big can of stewed whole plum tomatoes
• some oregano and parsley and black pepper
• lots of fresh basil
• 10 ounces dried spaghetti (we use whole wheat)
• 1 cup fresh shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (the fresh part makes a big difference

1. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatted to 1/4-inch thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin (we use a whiskey bottle).

2. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepper in a dish. Dredge each breast in flour, then dip them in the egg whites, then the bread crumbs.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 3 minutes on each side (or until done).

4. For the sauce, heat the oil and garlic in a large saucepan. add the onions and cook until clear, about five minutes. Add everything else (except the basil), bring to a boil, and then let simmer while you prepare the chicken and cook the pasta. Right before you’re done, take the sauce off the heat and add the fresh basil.

5. Cook the spaghetti and place it in the bottom of a 9 X 7 inch glass baking dish (or similar). Pour half of the sauce over the spaghetti. Place the chicken breasts on top of that, and then cover the breasts with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil for about three minutes, or until the cheese melts.

We served ours with whole-wheat garlic bread and green beans.

It’s mid-February here in New York City, and we still haven’t had a measurable amount of snowfall or any sort of cold weather. I haven’t even had to find my other glove, which has been been lost since last spring.

While this has been great as far as commuting, seasonal depression, and walking to the gym is concerned, the mild weather has really hurt my warm, hearty, comfort food output.

So being hit by a cold front yesterday had one perk — I got to break out one of my favorite dead-of-winter recipes, a mix of my mom’s and my aunt’s chicken pot pie recipe. It isn’t exactly healthy for you - it’s full of tons of lean chicken and veggies, but it’s also covered in gravy and pastry — but it will restore your will to live when the wind chill drops below zero.

•  2-3 pounds of chicken (I use boneless, skinless breasts, but you can use anything, even a whole fryer)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
  
• a couple stalks of celery (chopped)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• Enough water to cover the chicken
  
• 2 potatoes, cubed (and peeled if you’d like)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of thyme
• 1 9-inch pie crust (I buy mine at the store because I’m bad at these things, but you can make your own if you want to show off)
• 1 16-ounce package of frozen veggies (or any combination of fresh or frozen veggies that you feel like  - I do broccoli, peas,  corn, and carrots)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 1/2 cup of butter

Combine the ingredients in italics in a large dutch over or soup pot. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for an hour (or until chicken is tender). Remove the chicken, let it cool, and then cut into bite-sized pieces. discard the bay leaf but reserve the broth and veggies in the pot.

With a large spoon, skim the fat off the surface of the broth (if you used chicken breasts, there pretty much won’t be any) and bring the broth back up to a boil. Add the remaining veggies of your choice along with the cubed potatoes. Simmer until everything is cooked and tender (about 10 minutes).

Remove veggies from the broth and put aside. Measure three cups of broth and set aside. Reserve the remaining broth to make a delicious soup with later.

In the now-empty dutch over, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, stirring constantly. Gradually add the broth and the milk while continually stirring over medium heat — it should get thick and bubbly. Stir in the remaining salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir in the chicken, veggies, and eggs gently until everything is mixed. Spoon mixture into a 13 X 9 X 2 inch cooking dish.

Take your pie crust and roll it out on a lightly-floured surface so that it’s roughly a 15 X 10 inch rectangle. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Place it over your cooking dish, crimping the edges and cutting a few slits in the middle.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until crust is golden-brown.

Growing up, my favorite thing in the world was my mom’s chicken and dumplings. Notice I didn’t say my favorite food was chicken and dumplings, I said that my favorite thing in the whole wide world was chicken and dumplings.

I can still remember my anticipation for dinner on the nights when it was on the stove. And, to this day, a big pot of it awaits me every time I go home for a visit. It’s just simply that good.

Due to my well-documented fear of preparing dough and basically anything that involves cutting things into flour, I had never made the dish myself. It was almost like a mental block — how could I create something so delicious when I wasn’t my mom?

Once, a few years back, I attempted one of those short-cut recipes for chicken and dumplings that I found online — one of those cheater dishes that uses canned biscuit dough and condensed soup. The result was such a horrible travesty that I didn’t eat more than a bite. I learned my lesson well: you don’t cut corners with this dish unless you want to cut the quality as well.

Over this past Christmas, my mom walked me through the recipe, and it was surprisingly simple and straightforward. It was as if I assumed it was difficult because it tasted so good and perhaps because when I was little it seemed to take about five hours to be ready to eat.

I made it solo today, in time to eat for the Patriots game kickoff. It tasted just as it should — exactly like mom’s.

Mom’s Chicken and Dumplings

For broth:

• Use 4 or 5 boneless chicken breasts, or whole breasts with skin and bones (skin adds more fat and flavor - but I use skinless and it works fine)
• 2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 2 or 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• Several stalks of celery, cut into pieces (I put mine in a food processor)
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• Enough water to cover chicken
• 3 cups of milk

1. Add all ingredients except milk to a heavy-bottomed large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pot and cook for at least one hour.
2. Remove chicken; cool. Remove bones and skin, if necessary, and cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
3. Add 3 cups of milk. Bring to boil and add dumplings (see below) one at a time, keeping the broth at a boil.
4. Cover pot and simmer for10 or 15 minutes or until dumplings are done. Do not lift cover so that the steaming of dumplings occurs.
5. Add chicken pieces, continuing to boil gently.
6. Blend 4 T. flour and 1/2 cold water. Add to broth, gently blending in.
7. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Simmer (very faint boil) for about 1 hour.
Turn off heat and let stand for another hour.

Dumplings:

2 1/4 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
5 T. shortening (I use non-transfat Crisco)
1 egg + enough water to equal 3/4 cup

1. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in large mixing bowl.
2. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork.
3. Beat egg and water with fork until blended (about 30 seconds).
4. Add egg mixture gradually into flour mixture while blending with a fork.
5. Use hands to form into a ball.
6. Roll dough out on well-floured surface until 1/8-inch thick using a rolling pin.
7. Cut into rectangles about 2×4 inches in size using a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
8. Let dry at least 30 minutes, uncovered.

Note: You can add additional milk to this dish if the broth is totally absorbed or to achieve the consistency you like.