General Tso's Tofu

I have found that no matter how I’m going to prepare tofu it’s best to start by crisping it up first.  Remove the firm tofu from the package and let it drain for at least twenty minutes by simply standing it up on a plate so the water can run out.  Heat a little vegetable oil in a pan, slice your tofu, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  When your oil is hot toss a few slices of tofu at a time in a bowl of flour knocking off any excess flour before frying.  Make sure you don’t crowd them in the pan as you want them golden brown on both sides, it should take about four or five minutes per side.  Once cooked set them on a paper bag to drain. 

Last night I sautéed some vegetables, added a jar of Trader Joe’s General Tso’s sauce, then when the sauce was hot I stirred in the cooked tofu, simmered for five minutes, and served with rice.  Black bean sauce is another favorite convenience item I buy locally.  The tofu is also great right out of the hot oil with chopped scallions and soy sauce or your favorite hot sauce.  Not sure I've ever had anything that's been fried in oil that I didn't like.

Quinoa with Tomatoes and Scallions

There’s a lot about Quinoa I really like, short cooking time, great texture, flavor, and super versatile…not to mention the fact that it’s super healthy.  You prepare it as you would rice but with one and a half cups of salted water to one cup of Quinoa.  Simply bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover for fifteen minutes.  Last night I stirred in some chopped tomatoes and scallions at the end and let it sit for five minutes with the heat off before serving.  It’s endless what else would have worked, mushrooms, celery, bell peppers, pine nuts, olives, dried cranberries, mint, or feta…great opportunity to get creative…and use that can of palm hearts that’s been on the shelf of your pantry for years.

Mushroom Pesto

This is perfect for when you get the call saying, “we’ll be by in ten minutes for a glass of wine.”  Chop two garlic cloves with a dash of kosher salt in the Cuisinart before adding a small container of mushrooms, I like the baby bellas but white mushrooms are fine.  Also, I find it helps to chop the mushrooms first so they puree evenly.  While running the Cuisinart slowly pour a steady of stream of extra virgin olive oil into the mixture until you get a pesto consistency, not too runny.  Add some pepper, additional kosher salt, and either grated parmesan or pecorino to taste, pulse a couple of times, then cork your wine, you’re ready to go.

Roast Beets with Balsamic Fennel

I love roasting beets simply with a little olive oil and salt, but last night I got a little crazy and added some sautéed fennel and balsamic….really special.  After preheating the oven to 425 degrees cut the ends off of your beats, peel or cut away the skin with a paring knife, cube, then toss with a little olive oil and kosher salt.  Roasting takes about 45 minutes to an hour.  Twenty minutes before serving sauté a chopped fennel bulb until it’s soft and starting to brown around the edges.  Add a chopped garlic clove and a half cup of balsamic vinegar to the pan along with a couple tablespoons of sugar.  When the liquid is reduced by half and starting to get syrupy simply toss together with your roast beets.  If fennel isn’t your thing you could easily substitute an onion or use the balsamic reduction on it’s own.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Why buy canned soup when you can easily make a better and healthier soup for a lot less.  I always keep a jar of condensed Better Than Bouillon chicken stock on the door of the fridge so I don’t have to plan, you never know when you’re going to need a bowl of chicken soup. 

Start with the fresh vegetables, chop them up, and sauté in the bottom of a soup pot with a little bit of oil; Onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, fennel, cabbage, whatever you like.  If you use arugula or escarole, or frozen corn or peas, you should add them to your soup at the end.  After ten minutes add your raw meat cut up into small pieces; Chicken, sausage, beef, pork, again, anything goes.  If you’re using leftover meat that’s already been cooked do not add it until the end. 

Add a couple of cups of water per portion of soup and figure about a teaspoon of stock for each cup of water.  Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer before adding your leafy or frozen vegetables, cooked meat, canned beans, or dry pasta.  For the pasta make sure you simmer long enough to cook through.  I broke a small handful of angel hair pasta into one inch pieces this time around.  This is also the point at which you scour the fridge for suitable leftovers, chop them up and throw them in, very satisfying.  Now all you need is some great bread…soups up.

Creamy Chicken Polenta

You know when you haven’t made something in a while and then when you do you say, “why don’t I make that more often?”  Polenta is one of those things, such a great comfort food.  In a large frying pan sauté an onion and some sliced mushrooms in a little bit of oil for a few minutes.  Slice your chicken breast into one to two inch chunks and brown them for a minute on each side in the pan with your vegetables.  Once browned add a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, I prefer Rao’s Marinara.  While your chicken mixture is simmering, in a small pot add a teaspoon of chicken stock to three cups of water, bring to a boil, add a cup of dry polenta, then turn down to simmer.  I find it definitely helps to stir the polenta often but it only takes a few minutes for it to reach oatmeal consistency.  At this point turn off the heat, add a one inch slab of butter, a generous amount of grated parmesan, and a little salt…stir then cover until you are ready to serve.  I know, “why don’t I make this more often?”

Raw Butternut Squash Salad

Who would have thought, butternut squash, raw?  The texture reminds me of a green papaya salad.  Start by soaking your raisins of dried cranberries in a small bowl of rice wine or white balsamic vinegar.  Peel and seed the squash and shred into a bowl with a box grater.  Before serving toss with your soaked fruit and vinegar, pine nuts or slivered almonds, a few splashes of extra virgin and olive oil, and kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Don’t hesitate to add additional vinegar if you think it needs it.  Crunchy, sweet, sour, and totally refreshing…a great winter salad.

Kale Caesar Salad

The kale is a nice for a change, especially this time of year.  After deveining and chopping the kale into small pieces it’s all about the dressing.  In an empty Ball or peanut butter jar add one whole egg, a chopped garlic clove, an anchovy or squeeze of anchovy paste, a dollop of Dijon mustard, and a half inch of extra virgin olive oil.  Insert your stick blender so it’s resting on the bottom of the jar and blend on high while slowly lifting the blades up through the mixture.  Once it starts to thicken add another half inch of oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and lemon juice, then blend for another ten to twenty seconds.  You could probably use the same technique in a blender or Cuisinart but I've never tried.  Regardless, it’s important to let it sit for fifteen minutes before tossing with your kale, parmesan, and croutons.  You will never buy another bottled Caesar or go to the trouble of whisking again.

Nachos Supreme

With the final two weekends of football upon us nachos should be very much on your brain.  Amazing nachos are all about the layering, you don’t want any naked chips.  Start by preheating your oven to 450 and then combine a can of enchilada sauce and a can of pinto or black beans in a small pot on low heat.  In a frying pan cook a pound of your meat of choice; ground beef, braised brisket, chili, or Italian or pork chorizo sausages.  I simply split them down the middle to remove the casing and they easily broke apart while cooking. Turn off the heat once the meat is cooked. 

There’s going to be two layers, begin by covering the bottom of a cookie sheet or large oven proof dish with your favorite tortilla chips.  Following, spoon about half of both your enchilada bean sauce and meat mixture evenly over the chips in addition to a little shredded cheese, I like the Cabot Fancy Blend of Mozzarella and Cheddar.  Pile on the rest of your chips then spoon out the rest of your sauce and meat before covering completely with the shredded cheese, and I mean completely, no skimping on the cheese.

Bake for ten to fifteen minutes then when the cheese has completely melted finish off under the broiler for just a minute.  Serve with sour cream, chopped scallions, avocado, and your favorite salsa.  If you like your nachos on the spicy side add some hot sauce to the enchilada sauce and beans, this way the heat will be spread throughout.

Smoked Paprika Fried Chickpeas

These are amazing in a salad, I tossed them with some chopped cabbage, cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and rice wine vinegar…the combination of flavors and textures was fantastic.

Strain a can of chickpeas then roll and let them dry for half an hour in a dish towel.  While they are drying heat an eighth inch of veggie oil in a pan until it’s hot enough for a pea to sizzle when it hits the oil.  In a large bowl combine a half teaspoon of salt with a teaspoon of El Rey smoked paprika, half dulce and half picante if you like a bit of a zip.  They have both here at the East Warren Store and most finer food stores.  After testing your oil to make sure it’s hot enough add the peas and roll around occasionally for ten minutes or until they are slightly browned and crispy on the outside.  Remove the peas from the oil and let them sit for a minute on a brown paper bag.  Then it’s just a matter of tossing them in the bowl with your smoked paprika mixture until they are evenly coated.  I actually used two cans of chickpeas so there would be leftovers, it just took a couple of minutes in the toaster oven to crisp them up again the next day....great snack with a drink or perfect in my squash curry soup.

Egg Pizza

This one came out of no where, a pizza ball I had pulled out of the freezer two days before, and a few hungry teenagers for breakfast.  After sautéing up some onions and mushrooms and preheating the oven to 500 I cut the pizza ball up into lime sized balls.  I then rolled them as thin as I could one at a time with a rolling pin, brushed them with olive oil, covered with a little shredded mozzarella and kosher salt, and spread the mushroom and onions out making sure to leave a space in the middle for the cracked egg.  After dropping the egg I quickly and carefully transferred them one at a time to my hot pizza stone and baked for ten to fifteen minutes.  They were a huge hit, would work just as well with arugula, peppers, or just the cheese.

Lemon Caper Anchovy Chicken

Last night it was a lemon, caper, anchovy sauce but with this classic preparation it could be made a lot of different ways depending on your taste and what you happen to have on hand.  Start by cutting your boneless skinless chicken breasts in half then pound the pieces out to half their thickness by individually placing them in a clear plastic bag and flattening with a meat pounder or rolling pin.  After salting, peppering, and dusting each piece in flour brown them on both sides with olive oil in a large frying pan then set them aside before they cook through.  Turn heat down to medium then add your capers (I prefer the ones packed in salt rather than vinegar), minced anchovies or a squirt of anchovy paste, and lemon juice;  or sliced mushrooms and scallions;  or chopped olives and shallots…you get the idea.  Sauté for a few minutes then add a cup of liquid: white wine, chicken stock, marsala, or sweet vermouth.  Let the sauce reduce for a couple of minutes, salt and pepper to taste, then return the chicken to the pan long enough to heat through.  Serve with the sauce, and if you really want to get fancy garnish with some chopped parsley.