french chicken in a pot

a month ago i picked up a martha stewart enameled cast iron casserole from macy's. i've always wanted an entire set of le crueset pots, but they're quite pricey, easily $1,000 for a set of 6 pans. the martha stewart version seems comparable except that it's much less and has no lifetime warranty. oh well. until i can afford 'em, martha will have to do.

so to break in my new dutch oven, i looked for a recipe worthy of such an honor. flipping through one of my old cook's illustrated magazines, i came across "introducing french chicken in a pot." the author of the article goes through his trial and error process in detail and then the actual recipe follows. it sounded pretty good, especially when he writes, "the meat was incredibly tender and juicy, with a rich, soul-satisfying flavor." so i decided to take a trial run.

i first prep the vegetables: 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped leek (substituted for a stalk of celery), 5 whole cloves garlic, 1 bay leaf, and 1 t dried rosemary (substituted for a fresh rosemary sprig).

i rinse a 5 lb chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. the legs are trussed together with twine. salt and pepper seasons the chicken in and out.

a tablespoon of olive oil is heated in the dutch oven until smoking. the chicken is then placed in the pot breast side down to brown. the veggies are scattered around to brown as well.

after about 5 minutes, i flip the chicken over to brown the other side well.

after the chicken and veggies are nicely browned, a sheet of foil is spread over the pot and the lid goes on for a tight seal into a 250* oven until the breast registers 160* and the thigh 175*.

after 1.5 hrs, i took the chicken out. unfortnately i waited a bit too long; the breast registered 175* and it was a bit overcooked. hopefully the semi-braising method would keep the breast meat moist.

removing the chicken proved a bit difficult, as the meat was so tender the legs and wings were falling off as i lifted the chicken out. but i got it to the carving board to rest for 20 minutes while i strained the pot juices into a small saucepan and reduced it with some fresh lemon juice.

a quick saute of some green beans with lemon juice and a toss of fresh greens with balsamic vinaigrette and feta dished up the chicken and au jus.

the chicken ended up being pretty flavorful, tender and juicy. the breast meat was a bit overcooked and slightly dry as i thought due to overcooking, but it was quite tender and not stringy at all.

like the recipe author states, this is not a crispy-skinned chicken roast; the skin was soft and a little rubbery. but, there was a lot of flavor and the meat was very moist. for future iterations, i think i'll "beef" up flavor with the addition of other aromatic vegetables like celery and carrots and a couple of lemon wedges in the cavity of the chicken while it cooks.

all in all, a pretty good first use of my new enameled cast iron pot.

casero cremini stuffed pork chops with roasted potatoes and sauteed spinach

for dinner tonite, i wanted to recreate something christien enjoyed at dinner a couple weeks ago at luna park. he had ordered the breaded pork cutlet stuffed with mushrooms and swiss cheese with mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple-cranberry sauce. i swung by lucky's and picked up ingredients that i thought would make something close to the original. so here it goes.

i started off with a half basket of cremini mushrooms, queso casero (a fresh mexican cheese that is briny and has the texture of firm ricotta), and a few sprigs of basil from the basil plant i bought from trader joe's.


these were chopped and combined in a bowl to serve as the stuffing for the chops.


i then sliced pockets into each of the pork loin chops to allow room for the stuffing.


and dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper were combined into a marinade which coated the chops. the chops were then stuffed with the mushroom mixture, lightly dredged in panko breadcrumbs, and placed on a rack over a sheet pan.


this went into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes until brown.


10 minutes earlier, i had also tossed some chopped red potatoes, garlic cloves, and red onions with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a bit of chili powder in a pan, and placed this into the oven to brown and crisp.


i also sauteed a bunch of spinach with garlic and olive oil and plated everything up with a drizzle balsamic-honey reduction.


looks hearty doesn't it? the chops were pretty good overall and the stuffing added some extra moisture and flavor. there was some room for improvement though. in order to get the panko crust to brown, they needed to stay longer in the oven which sort of dried out the chops a bit. fortunately the stuffing added some moisture, but i might look at using a cheese that melts more than the queso casera. i'd also chop the stuffing finer so it holds together better.


the potatoes were nicely roasted and seasoned, and the spinach was, well, spinach.


a couple glasses of babcock chardonnay nicely washed the potatoes and chops down, being crisp and slightly fruity. yum.


while the recipe needs some finessing, christien thought, "it was simply wonderful," and "it had a lot more meat and more stuffing than luna park's." good stuff.

mi tierra supermercado y taqueria

on our way down beautiful and winding highway 1 to the monterey bay aquarium, christien and i were both in the mood for something really good to eat. i did some quick research on chow beforehand and found some suggestions on best places to eat in the area.

"You may want to choose places off the beaten path to avoid crowds. With that in mind: There are many many good taquerias in the Seaside and Marina areas which are just minutes away from the fairgrounds. Very casual (plastic chairs and tables, no table service) pero, la comida es muy autentico. Cruise Fremont and you'lll see. For quick bites, almost any Mexican market will have a small deli grill dispensing tortas, burritos and taco."

we drove up and down fremont street noting each tacqueria along the way and finally settled on mi tierra supermercado y taqueria, my land supermarket and taco stand.


with its long length and barrel-vaulted ceilings, the market looked like army barracks gone cinco de mayo.


inside, to the left, and all the way in the back by the produce section...


was a small "deli" with a couple of guys working the service counter. the tacqueria served up usual fare on its menu: tacos, burritos, tortas, and sopas. everything looked incredibly good, fresh, and cheap! i assume they benefit from having market-fresh meat and produce right there.


christien ordered his favorite, menudo, or beef tripe soup, which came with hot tortillas and garnishes for the soup. it was a beautiful red-orange color and had great body and flavor depth.


i ordered a torta de carnitas, a grilled roll with beans, carnitas (deep fried pork), avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa all slathered together into a toasty hot package. the meat was perfectly seasoned, tender, moist and extremely tasty and hearty.


we also shared tacos al pastor (bbq pork) and tacos carne asada (beef), both of which were delicious as well, but were a little skimpy on meat.


and a couple of large agua frescas washed the food down, papaya and horchata. the agua frescas here were very well made with fresh and strong flavors. highly recommended.


christien has been on a hunt for quality menudo ever since moving to california. i'm happy to report that mi tierra tacqueria's menudo ranked amongst the best he's had here, due to the caldo (broth) which was extremely rich and flavorful to begin with. the lime, cilantro, onions, and oregano that one usually adds to the soup to spice up the flavor weren't necessary to make the menudo taste good. but of course, he adds them anyway. this, he says, is how it's supposed to be and just like grandma makes it.


overall, a very, very good experience and i would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in taking a side trip from touristy monterey bay and sampling what authentic fare local latinos have access to in the area. don't expect tables and chairs, it's not that kind of scene. we were literally sitting right next to the apples and oranges. but if you're into food as much as i am, you'll know how to appreciate the food at mi tierra supermercado y taqueria.

iron chef america - battle garlic

i'll admit, i'm not the biggest fan of the food network's iron chef america series. compared to the original japanese version, the american version just isn't as exotic in ingredient choice, inspiring in creative dish, nor as dramatic in action. i'm sure the fact that the japanese series being dubbed from a foreign language and the humor inherently "lost" in translation contributes to my love of the this version. but from what i've seen, the american version just doesn't measure up. it just turns out hokey. that, and i really don't care for bobby flay.

sitting here at home, flipping through the channels, i came across iron chef america - battle garlic, with iron chef mario battali versus san francisco's chris cosintino of incanto fame in noe valley. i put down the remote because i do respect batali and a recent trip to incanto over the holidays yielded an amazing holiday meal with christien. i was pretty curious how this battle would turn out.

the secret ingredient was garlic and the chefs were presented with a fantastic variety of them. 60 minutes and a flurry of activity later, here is what the chefs presented to the panel of judges (and i've tried to capture everything hereas accurately as possible):

chef chris cosentino's platings

crositini of ricotta w/baby rapini and rubbed garlic
sea scallop crudo with garlic
garlic pasta with sliced snails
garlic roasted squab with sauce royale and garlic flan (includes squab brain and other offals)
eighty clove braised pork belly and tripe chips
garlic infused honey mousse with garlic brittle

iron chef battali's platings

garlic bruschetta with lomo, branade stuffed picadillo pepper and tortilla espanola
garlic stuffed langostine wrapped in caul fat
cod with green garlic emulsion
hot sopa de ajo and cold gazpacho garlic soup with shaved lily bulb and orange
lamb chop with escalvida and garlic mojo zuchini blossom

both chefs put on a pretty good show, exhibiting some techniques i hadn't seen before. cosentino was definitely more rushed and seemed a little flustered with his sous chefs. baatali was just more comfortable and relaxed. understandable, given an unfamiliar kitchen. and 60 minutes goes by SO fast in the kitchen. at the end, even though cosentino garnered high originality points, iron chef batali won in taste and plating, 46 to 44.

i would've eaten any of those dishes. yum.

spaghetti and meatballs

with all the fancy ethnic recipes i've featured here on wednesday nite dinner, i decided to do something very traditional and familiar to many, if not all, of us. may i present, spaghetti and meatballs! this recipe for italian meatballs is taken directly from the bible of all cookbooks, the joy of cooking, and is followed to the t.

i first prepped a batch of "quick tomato sauce" found on page 562, which includes softening a small minced onion in olive oil and then simmering 1 can of 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 t sugar, 1 t salt, and 2 t dried basil and oregano.


while that was simmering, i combined the following in a large mixing bowl: 1 pound ground beef, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 c chopped parsley, 1/2 c grated parmesan, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 c bread crumbs, 1 beaten egg, 2 T tomato paste, 1 t salt, 1/4 t black pepper, 1/2 t dried oregano.


careful not to overwork the mixture, as handling and compacting the meat too much makes for tough, chewy meatballs, i delicately formed eight 2" meatballs.


the meatballs were then dredged in flour and browned on all sides in olive oil. what i do recommend here is watching your heat level as the excess flour in the pan started to burn by the time the 2nd batch of meat balls were added.


once browned, the meatballs went into the tomato sauce to simmer and cook through. be careful when transferring the meatballs as they are quite heavy and have a tendancy to break apart in the process.


a pound of barilla spaghetti, drizzled with some good olive oil, make the base and 2 meatballs with with a scoopful of tomato sauce make the topper. for veggies, i halved a romaine heart and topped that with feta, balsamic, and olive oil.


this joy of cooking recipe yielded incredibly moist and flavorful meatballs and was surprisingly easy to make. there is a bit of prep time due to all the chopped ingredients, but you could easily cut down on time if you're okay with bottled pasta sauce. and considering we are all a bit short on time during the weeknights, that is a very good idea. just doctor up the sauce with some fresh italian parsley and chopped garlic. the flavorful, chunky meatballs will do the rest.

mango-tamarind baby back ribs

there are few things more carnivorously satisfying than ripping tender, moist flesh from a rack of delicious ribs sucked dry of dark red bbq sauce. i'm sorry if you're pro-animal and for this graphic simile, but for the rest of us, nothing quiets that animalistic craving for red meat except for, well, red meat, and in this case, fresh off the bone.

take a look at the plethora of dedicated cookbooks, competitive showdowns on the food network, and the number of local smokehouse establishments in your area and you realize modern man has worked hard to emulate that perfect carnivoristic moment of gnawing tasty meat from bone through countless recipes and techniques for roasting those perfect, fall-off-the-bone barbequed ribs.

i love ribs like any other carnivore and yes, i'm the guy at the table next to you dipping the once-twice-cleaned bones in whatever bbq sauce is left on my plate only to suck it dry thrice. i've had many a good succulent rib as chewy, stuck-in-your-teeth ribs in my day and know the difference between the good and bad. the chef in me long ago decided to try my hand at the perfect rack of ribs but lacking a smoker and giant bbq in the backyard, i've only recently succeeded in finding techniques appropriate to the average kitchen in creating something closer to perfection.

while my first inclination is to keep my secrets to myself, i've decided i should share my developing recipe with you all. if you have any tips to improve my slightly less than perfect ribs, please post and we'll share in the millions we'll make when we sell the recipe to trader joe's.

i start my recipe with a dry rub vs. wet marinade. i know others use everything from soy sauce to beer and wine, but there's merit in the power of ground spices seasoning meat that is so successful in other cuisines like indian food. so here's my mix as it is now:

1 t salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1 t ground coriander
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t cinnamon

mix this well and you have enough to season one rack of ribs.


the ribs are thoroughly rubbed with the spice mix and this sits in the fridge for a while to let the spices permeate the meat.


meanwhile, i start up the bbq sauce which requires extracting fresh pulp from a tamarind pod.


for those that have never encountered this before, you first crack and discard the shell (which is similar to a peanut shell) and place the solid pulp into a small saucepan with just enough water to cover. simmering the pulp for 10-15 min will allow you to scrape the softened pulp from the stringy, root-like structure and its seeds (which you both discard) and then disintegrate into the water creating a sweet and sour starter for the sauce.


i then add ketchup, unsweetened mango pulp, dark brown sugar, worcestshire, cayenne, and honey to the pot and simmer for 20-30 min to really develop the flavor and consistency.


the ribs themselves are popped into a 350* pre-heated oven, tightly covered with foil, and baked undisturbed until super tender for a couple of hours. i then fire up my propane grill, brush the ribs generously with the bbq sauce, and grill on both sides with several coats of sauce.


doing so develops a beautiful, crusty caramelization on the ribs.


to accompany this grrrrrrrreat meal, i whipped up some fluffy mashed red potatoes and christien sauteed some great mixed dark greens for those vitamins and omnivores in us.


the ribs are tender, juicy, and the meat slides right off the bone as you bite into it. the bbq sauce is tangy, tropical and spicy, with just the right amount of sweetness.


and to celebrate a fantastic meal, we broke open a bottle of montes alpha cab i recently scored, perfect to wash down bold bbq flavors leaving no trace of tongue-sticking tannins behind.


traditionalists may say ribs should be slow-cooked in a smoker or over fiery charcoal for hours. i'm sorry. i don't have that much time. a dual-step process in which you bake the ribs to tenderness in the oven, then fire up with sauce on an easy-to-use propane grill saves time and effort and mimics event the best tender and succulent but crackly flavorful and caramelized recipes out there.

anyone know someone in the trader joe's buying department?

my 100th post!

didn't even realize it, but this entry marks my 100th wednesday nite dinner post! woo hoo! it's gotten tougher to keep up regular blogging over the past few months due to work and other priorities, but i'm happy to have made it thus far. and i have no intention of ending the blog anytime soon. cooking, dining and food in general are still my passions and that'll never change.

so to celebrate my 100th post, i thought, what better way to do that than to share a recent "wednesday nite dinner" that was basically a reprise of a dinner i cooked for a friend's "au revoir" almost 2 years ago on march 31, 2006. that evening, i prepared an elaborate vegetarian dinner for my friend, jenny chu, and 3 others as we wished her good luck and farewell as she embarked on a journey to beijing for work.

this dinner was months before i had even given interest in blogging and archiving my food adventures, let alone cook a gourmet meal for friends on a weeknite. interestingly, when i look back on photos from that night, they look identical to the wednesday nite dinner series i did for a few months at the end of 2006. here's a quick look at that evening...

the menu


table setting with platter of asiago zucchini and chinese eggplant frites


plated belgian endive, watercress, and red radish dressed in a sake wasabi vinaigrette


tower of portobello and truffled celery root puree with a red pepper balsalmic reduction, served with roasted mixed grape tomatoes with garlic and basil, and toasted pine nut couscous with thyme


it was a grand ole time and the food was great. and jenny felt that was the best vegetarian meal she's ever had in her life.


fast forward 23 months or so, jenny is back in the states, visiting friends and family for the chinese new year. one of the things she absolutely wanted to happen was to have me prepare her another vegetarian meal. and so this is what i came up with for a party of 3 that night.

1st course: broiled stack of eggplant and beefsteak tomatoes with aged gruyere


2nd course: hearts of romaine with crumbled feta and eggplant chips drizzled with balsamic and extra virgin olive oil


3rd course: soft parmasean polenta with vegetable ragout - a blend of zucchini, eggplant, roma tomatoes, mushrooms, sun-dried tomato tofu sausage, and port


a bottle of fruity and hearty old moon zinfandel from trader joe's rounded out the bold and acidic flavors in this meal. and for only $4.99 a bottle too.


while not as elaborate as the previous dinner, this turned out pretty well. and i still hold my position as one of the best vegetarian chefs, according to jenny.


jia jien jenny!

and thanks everyone for your support over the past year and a half. it's nice to know you guys still read this! and that definitely keeps me going...