Chicken Potpie

Saturday dinner was a promising menu.


- Chicken Potpie

- Celeriac Mash

- Strawberry Panacotta

How did it turn out? The panacotta was rubbery, like milk Jell-O. Celeriac root mash is no substitute for mashed potatoes. The chicken pot pie, although had a delicious filling, could improve with a higher filling to pie ratio.

Panacotta! After reading numerous claims that it was the easiest dessert to make- boil milk and cream, add unflavored gelatin and that you would have a fool proof Italian dessert – I wanted to try my hand at it. I had some fresh strawberries, which I bought from the farmer’s market in the morning, thinking that this might be a great vehicle to highlight the berries. In my quest, I trudged to the supermarket looking for unflavored gelatin where I searched high and low until I saw little sachets of Knox unflavored gelatin winking at me from the corner of the Jell-O rack. After I got back at home, I boiled 2 cups of milk and cream, added ¼ cup of sugar, heated it all, and finally added the vanilla essence. It was supposed to be simple- add the gelatin, pour in little ramekins, refrigerate for a few hours, and then unmold perfect lovely mounds of creaminess accentuated by macerated strawberries. It all seemed great; I could unmold the panacotta very easily, almost pulling it out with my fingers that seemed eerily easy to me. When I dug my fork eagerly in anticipation, I was so disappointed. The texture of the panacotta was rubbery, almost like a milk Jell-O and even the fresh beautiful strawberries could not rescue the mess. It was time to Google and check proportions. Hah! I had used 2 and half sachets of gelatin for 2 cups of milk and cream; that is actually accurate for 4 cups. I should have used half the amount of gelatin!

Next, celeriac mash. I saw celeriac mash at the farmer’s market. I boiled celeriac mash and potatoes, pepped it with buttermilk and butter. It just did not taste good! I guess, I did not care for the flavor. Nevertheless, I am staying true to my promise to work with seasonal vegetables- if I do not like some; it is not because I did not try.

Chicken pot pie actually turned out well. I recued it from blandness by roasting the chicken and the vegetables, adding mustard, garlic and paprika to the sauce, and using thicken thighs. I do not use chicken stock, which you could instead of water. I just find the flavor of stock too overpowering.

So here goes the recipe.

5-6 chicken thigh pieces boneless
1 cup of mixed vegetables (corn, beans, carrots) – You may increase the proportion
4 tbsp. flour
1 ½ tspn mustard
2 tspn paprika
1 medium white or yellow onion – finely chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 cups water
Salt and black pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 pie crusts ( store bought dough)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken with kosher salt. Roast chicken and vegetables for around 20 minutes.

2. Tear the chicken to bite size pieces when cool. Mix with vegetables and keep aside.

3. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add garlic.

4. Add flour and sauté for a few minutes.

5. Add paprika and sauté to get a more intense flavor.

6. Add milk bit by bit. Add mustard. Keep sautéing.

7. Add the cream. Add water bit by bit. You can add more liquid if you want to.

8. Add some salt and black pepper. Taste seasoning but wait for final seasoning until you add vegetables and chicken.

9. Keep simmering on low heat until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add chicken and vegetables. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

10. Take a 9” pie dish. Spread a layer of the pie dough on the pan. Add the filling while trying to heap it in the center. Cover with second layer of the dough and crimp the edges. Make some vents on the top for air to escape.

11. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Cover the sides with aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking so it does not overcook.

12. Let the pie rest for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Cajun Pasta

I went to New Orleans two weeks ago. I started eating sea food a few months ago and I was on a food quest in New Orleans. I tried it all – seafood jambalaya, gumbo (at Mother’s), Cajun shrimp, shrimp and crawfish etouffe, beignets (at Café Du Monde) etc. I had two great versions of shrimp and grits – one was at Café Amelie’s and the other at some restaurant in Bourbon Street. The first dish was shrimp and grits served with a spicy corn maque choux. The second dish was a combination of fried green tomatoes, grits, and shrimps served in a spicy butter sauce. The tomatoes and grits were layered over each other, in a pool of buttery sauce, with the shrimps at the side. Another great meal was a brunch at John Besh’s Luke where everything was cooked to perfection. I ordered an omelet with a filling of crabmeat, mushroom, peppers, and fromage blanc. Served with lacy potato chips called gaufrettes.

I bought some Cajun seasoning from an obscure store. The woman at the counter asked me to smell it and added that her partner made the blend. It was divine. So here I am back in San Francisco with this liovely Cajun seasoning and a quest for recipes, which will bring out the best of this spice blend.


1 pound of fettuccine
3 Tspn Cajun seasoning
Black pepper
1 cup of heavy cream
Parsley
Vegetables
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper
1 red onion
5 cloves of garlic
3 Roma tomatoes
Meats
1 breast chicken
1-2 sausages

Boil the water, add salt, and cook the fettuccine. It should take 10-11 minutes.
Cut the onions and bell pepper into strips. Dice the tomatoes. Mince the garlic.
Cube the chicken and sprinkle Cajun seasoning on top of it. In addition, slice the sausages.
Heat the oil and brown the chicken and sausages. Remove the meat.
The flame should be on high. Add the garlic, pepper, and onions. After a few minutes, add the tomatoes. Add 2 Tspn Cajun seasoning and salt.
When the vegetables are soft, remove them from the pan.
Add some water to the pan and boil, to concentrate the flavors of the vegetables and meat in the water.
Now add the cream. Add loads of black pepper. Add the vegetables. Stir the sauce.
Add pasta to the sauce and cook it for a while. Let the pasta rest for at least 5-8 minutes after cooking to absorb the sauce. Garnish with parsley.

Buttermilk Mashed potatoes

4 yukon gold potatoes – boil, mash and mix with the following
¾ cup of warm buttermilk
Salt and black pepper

Additional touch – Add a little (1 tbsp.) ghee in a pan. Add some paprika and cumin seeds to the ghee. When it splutters add to the potatoes.

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

This was my first attempt at roasting chicken. I looked at this recipe which looked fairly foolproof.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/01/buttermilk-roast-chicken/

Marinade

Marinate 6 chicken drumsticks for at least 24 hours in the following marinade. Throw the chicken together with the marinade in a Ziploc bag.
2 cups buttermilk
5 cloves of garlic
2 Tspn salt
Loads of black pepper
1 Tspn cayenne pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Throw the chicken in a baking dish and bake for 30 almost minutes when the chicken starts browning.

Mix some salt and pepper in some olive oil.

Crank up the heat to broiler. Now line a baking sheet with foil and put the chicken pieces on top after basting with oil and salt mixture. Watch the chicken closely. When you get the desired crispiness take it out. I turn it over a few times.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

My partner got back from Thailand, pretty sick. Cooking anything almost seemed like a waste. I can eat anything and he could eat nothing. I felt sad for him and just wanted to make something he could eat irrespective of nutritional content. After the fondue party, there was so much stuff in my refrigerator and pantry – blanched broccoli, chicken sausage, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, pineapple, strawberries, marshmallow, wafers, croutons, loaves of bread, opened white wine. I had tons of pasta in my pantry and some pre grated cheese (gasp, horrors of horrors). This was looking like mac and cheese, albeit a version closer to the blue box than Martha Stewart’s version. I knew I could definitely use the cherry tomatoes; I was iffy about the broccoli. At this stage it was like – Just eat anything so you don’t get sicker, greens be damned! I couldn’t argue with a sick fussy eater about broccoli.

I think you could populate a whole book with various versions of mac and cheese. My earlier version is a baked version, which s therefore a little drier, with a panko bread topping. This version is a quick easy version, no cheese to grate, no ovens to pre heat, no bread topping. This is simpler, quicker, and creamier. I had some sausages leftover from the fondue party, so I just threw them in the mix. And I am proud to say that it gives great competition to the blue box.


1 onion finely chopped
1 tspn Dijon mustard
Less than ¼ cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups pre grated Italian cheese blend
¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
½ pound macaroni
½ tspn cayenne pepper
Black pepper
10 cherry tomatoes – halved
2 tbspn butter
Olive oil
Nutmeg

1. Heat the milk.
2. Boil pasta water with salt. I like to salt the water till it is “as salty as the sea” as the Italians say. The pasta should be boiled for 7 minutes.
3. Heat the butter. I add some olive oil so that the butter does not melt.
4. Sauté the onions till they are translucent.
5. Add the flour and sauté till it turns blonde.
6. Add mustard and cayenne pepper.
7. Add milk, little at a time, till it is fully incorporated.
8. When the sauce looks and smells perfect, add the cheese.
9. Turn off the flame. Add the pasta and cherry tomatoes. Add black pepper and nutmeg.
10. I added sausages.

Roasted Cauliflower with Bread Crumbs

Cauliflower is a divisive vegetable; it has ardent admirers and devout haters. I think a good cauliflower dish is highly dependent on getting the texture right. Vegetables like potatoes are more forgiving, but a mushy cauliflower is almost inedible, in my opinion. It tastes and smells very differently from a crunchy crisp floret of cauliflower. So for me cauliflower should be crisped, steamed soggy cauliflower is a big no-no.

This recipe was inspired by a posting on Huffington Post.
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7015_roasted_cauliflower_with_gremolata_bread_crumbs


Mix the following together and throw in a 425 degree oven. Bake till the cauliflower looks roasted and brown. It should take around 20 minutes.

1 cauliflower head cut into florets
1 tbspn olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Meanwhile in a small pan take the following:

1 tspn olive oil
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
Red pepper flakes
Salt

Roast till bread crumbs are light brown.
When the cauliflower is done, just add the bread mixture and add the zest of ½ lemon. You could also add some parmesan cheese, but it is strictly optional. Garnish with parsley leaves.

Perfect Grill Cheese Sandwich

Take a table spoon of butter and add a pinch of paprika. Microwave for a minute.
Heat grill to medium.
Grate ¼ cup of smoked cheddar and ¼ cup of gruyere or gouda and 1 tbspn parmesan. Alternatively use two slices of your favorite cheese. However, this does not taste as well as the above mentioned grated cheeses.
Brush one side of each slice of bread with the butter. Toast the butter side on the grill; add half the cheese on each slice. When the cheese starts to melt, cover one slice with the other. Grill on both sides till done.

Mac and Cheese (serves 4)

I use three cheeses- sharp white cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan for the topping. The sharpness of the cheddar is balanced by the nutty sweet creaminess of gruyere. However, make sure you use a young gruyere, since aged gruyere is more earthy and complex. I also like to compliment the sharpness of the cheese with the heat of cayenne pepper, pepper flakes, black pepper, and mustard powder. This version of Mac and cheese has a kick! I like a crusty topping, so I use panko bread crumbs. Panko crumbs are used in Japanese cuisine and are lighter, airier, and crisper than western bread crumbs.

Ingredients

3 cups of milk (at least 2%)
½ pound of Barilla elbow macaroni (half a pack or 2 1/2cups of pasta)
2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup of grated gruyere
¼ to ½ cup of parmesan
¼ cup of flour
4 tbspn butter (1/2 stick)
1 bay leaf
1 tspn cayenne pepper
½ tspn mustard
Nutmeg
Salt to taste (1 tspn)
Black pepper
2/3 cup of panko bread crumbs

1. Heat the broiler to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the milk in a saucepan with the bay leaf.
3. Boil water and then add the noodles. If you are using Barilla pasta, boil for 4-5 minutes. You want to boil the noodles for a time period that is 3 minutes lesser than the manufacturer’s instructions. You want the pasta to cook to a lesser extent than the normal al dente. When you drain the pasta, immediately shock it with cold water to stop the cooking. Run it under cold tap water till it cools down.
4. Take 3 tbspn butter and heat on a pan. When the butter is frothy add the flour. Sauté the flour for around 2minutes, till it turns blonde and smells buttery.
5. Add the cayenne pepper and mustard. Sauté for a few seconds. The flour will turn a red, and turn pink when you add milk.
6. Add a little milk slowly while you keep whisking the flour and the milk in the pan. Slowly add all the milk and remove the bay leaf. Keep whisking to make sure you do not end up with clumps.
7. Cook the sauce till it bubbles and become thick.
8. Now remove the sauce from the heat and add the cheddar and gruyere.
9. Add black pepper. Grate some nutmeg on the top and stir in.
10. Adjust the thickness of the sauce. I end up using a little pasta water to get the right consistency.
11. Add the noodles to the sauce and adjust the salt. I prefer to add salt only after I add the cheese and the noodles to avoid over salting.
12. Pour the needles to four mini gratin dishes. I use 13 oz gratin dishes because I get a better crust with these and the presentation is better. Alternatively you could use a 1.5 quarts casserole dish. Butter the dishes/dish with the remaining (1tbspn) butter.
13. Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs and the parmesan on the top. Cover a sheet pan with tin foil to catch any spills from the mini gratin pans/ casserole dish.
14. Bake till the crust turns golden brown. Should take 15-20 minutes.