Recipe: Leicafied Vodka Cream Sauce

The first time I tasted vodka cream sauce was off my husband's plate at The Pasta Tree. It was savory, creamy and delicious.

When I finished making the fresh tomato sauce from our little garden on the side of our house, I decided to make a vodka cream sauce.

Again, this isn't the traditional vodka cream sauce, but it's just as savory and, perhaps, even more delicious!

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 lb hot Italian sausage

1/2 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP tomato paste

1 shallot, minced

1/2 c vodka

2 cups tomato sauce

6 large leaves of fresh basil, chopped

2 sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tsp dried oregano

2 TBSPs finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 c heavy cream

juice from 1/2 small lemon

1/2 lb penne pasta

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan and fresh Italian parsley for garnish

In a wide/big sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Make small meatballs from the Italian sausage (if it is loose, otherwise, if in tube form, cut into 1/2 inch pieces) and fry in the oil until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Remove most of the rendered fat except for about 1 TBSP. Add the garlic and shallots. Cook until translucent. Add ground beef and sauté until browned. Add cooked Italian sausage. Make room in the pan for the tomato paste. Add tomato paste and stir the ingredients well to coat the meat.

Turn off the flame momentarily to add the vodka. You want the alcohol to evaporate without the flambé. Once the vodka has been added, turn the heat back on and stir to incorporate everything. Let the meat absorb the liquid.

Add the tomato sauce and lower heat to a simmer. Add the basil, oregano and parsley. Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. Save about 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Once the sauce has simmered, add the cream. Season to taste. Add the pasta water and adjust seasonings. Add the lemon juice, making sure that the sauce does not boil again.

Finally, add the pasta into the sauce and stir to coat.

When plated, sprinkle parmesan and parsley on top.

It's so delicious, I'm sure you'll have seconds!

Enjoy!!

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Over the summer, my husband planted some herbs in a few pots and an early girl tomato plant in one large planter (we don't have a yard). Now that fall is here, the basil plant is almost gone, so is the Italian parsley and the tomatoes... why? I made a delicious, savory and very fresh tomato sauce from scratch. It was such a wonderful feeling using plants we've cultivated and grown.

The resulting tomato sauce became a great vehicle for other sauces, much like stock to a demi-glace.

Here is my recipe for a basic tomato sauce:

6-7 medium sized ripe tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

3-4 c prepared chicken or vegetable broth

bouquet garni of fresh basil, bay leaves, fresh italian parsley, thyme, organo

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

In a medium-sized sauce pan, heat oil. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until wilted. Add celery. Cook until slightly translucent.

Add tomatoes. Pour broth until tomatoes are just covered. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Put bouquet garni and cover pan. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes.

Once the tomatoes are falling apart and the sauce is cooked, transfer to a food mill. If you don't have a food mill (you really should get one; just check out the flea market or Goodwill), use a food processor and strain through a sieve.

Season the sauce to taste.

This sauce is a great vehicle for other tomato-based sauces. It's fresh, vibrant and, best of all, it didn't come out of a can.

It has been awhile....

Yes, yes... it has been awhile since my last post.. however, I have been trying out new recipes, restaurants and food and will post new ones very soon....

Recipe: Gourmet Hash?

Inspired by our recent trip to Sanford, this dish was cooked on the fly.

The original dish was a seared sturgeon with a brunoise of new potatoes, blanched spinach, fried capers and a caper vinaigrette. It was the third course in their 7-course tasting menu. I was amazed at how teeny-tiny the potato was cut; oh and the fried capers were out of this world.

On the Saturday evening of our anniversary weekend (4th), we found ourselves still full from a day of culinary adventures. I had marinated some chicken souvlaki and had Spanish green beans ready to be sautéed when we decided that we didn't want to eat it that evening. I already had brunoised the potato since I wanted to achieve that extremely small dice and do something with it. I looked through the fridge and found that we had prosciutto from our earlier Trader Joe's trip, a shallot and some fresh basil.

What resulted was surprising and wonderful.

Gourmet Hash

1 Idaho potato, brunoised
1 shallot, brunoised
2 slices prosciutto, julienned
1 clove garlic, minced
3 leaves basil, chiffonaded
2 tsps olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (be careful, prosciutto is quite salty already)

Blanch the potatoes in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes or until done.

In a sauté pan, heat oil. Add shallot and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add potato and gently sauté. Add prosciutto. Turn off heat and add basil. Season to taste.

It would go very well with some scrambled eggs or eggs over easy.

Enjoy!

Salmon Souvlaki with Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Wild sockeye salmon has a wonderful flavor and texture – much more flavorful with a denser texture than the pale, fairly tasteless farm-raised salmon.

I like to prepare salmon simply – using a few ingredients to highlight the vibrant flavor of the fish without detracting from its essence.

For the salmon marinade:

2 1/3lb portions of sockeye salmon
2 TBSPs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsps red wine vinegar
2 tsps lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano or 2 springs of fresh oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix together and marinate for about 20 minutes

For the dipping sauce, mixed together:

1 7oz container Full Fat (yes, full fat – it's that much better) Greek yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 TBSPS fresh mint, chiffonade
1 TBSP lemon juice

To cook the salmon, in a sauté pan, heat about 1 TBSP olive oil. Lay salmon on hot oil and cook to your desired doneness.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Satisfying Spinach Salad

Last night, still full from our Vietnamese lunch, the idea of a full meal was a bit daunting. Earlier that day, we went to the public market and bought a piece of chilean sea bass, thinking I would create a dish for the evening's main course, along with my spinach salad as the starter. In the end, we nixed the fish, reserving it for tonight (the sea bass will be served with sautéed chard, roma tomato carpaccio and a simple, tangy tomato broth). Last night was also snowy and cold and we enjoyed the salad with a vintage merlot, which paired well with the saltiness of the pancetta.

The key to the salad is using fantastic balsamic vinegar. It is essential. We have a bottle of 25-year old balsamico from Fish Creek Oilerie. If it's not possible to obtain this type of vinegar, a bit of sugar will somewhat do the trick.

Here's the recipe for my spinach salad, for 2 people:

2 oz. pancetta, cooked until crispy, drained on paper towels and chopped fairly finely

1/4 red onion, sliced thinly

a few handfuls of baby spinach, about half a package

1 TB shredded parmesan cheese

2 TBSPs balsamic vinegar

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

If using grocery store vinegar, add 2 tsps sugar

1 hard-boiled egg, cut into quarters, seasoned with salt and pepper

Assemble salad in a bowl by mixing the first 4 ingredients (pancetta, onion, spinach and cheese). Whisk together the vinegar and olive oil (and sugar, if using). Drizzle into salad bowl and toss. Portion onto plates and place two quarters of the egg per person onto the side.

Enjoy with a warmed batard and butter and a glass of wine!

Fantastic Vietnamese South of I-94???!

Why Yes! The other Vietnamese establishments we used to patronize have all but faded into the distance because Pho Binh Hai on 27th and Howard is absolutely the best. Don't be fooled by the stripmall location or the tiny dining room... or even the proprietress in a sequined catsuit. 

The pho broth is so very well balanced. It doesn't even need the usual dollop of hoisin and sriracha. It's simply mesmerizing. The broth is not greasy (Phan's Garden's broth usually has a layer of grease when it arrives). It's wonderful. What else can I say? 

Yesterday, I had the Grilled Pork Bun – rice noodles with raw vegetables, grilled pork and eggrolls. It's exactly the taste I have been looking for these past 4 years I've been living in Milwaukee. The meat is tender and lipsmacking delicious. The nuoc cham is neither too salty nor too sour. There is an abundance of vegetables, fresh and crunchy. There's no such thing as "extra meat" because they already serve you more than enough right off the bat.

I can't wait to go back and try their other offerings... I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

Recipe: Quick Dinner, Luscious Steak

This recipe, aka, last night's dinner, was inspired by our trip to the Home and Housewares Show in Chicago. Besides watching Masaharu Morimoto cook, I also saw Stefan Richter from Top Chef and Todd English. The highlight, besides being starstruck with Morimoto, though was visiting the Zojirushi booth. Zojirushi is a brand of small home appliances from Japan. Their rice cookers are the most innovative, having ones that utilize induction heating. The Zojirushi booth always has food samples, and yesterday, it happened to be a bit of rice (of course!) with a slice of grilled steak and a bit of some kind of cilantro sauce. It was very good and prompted me to cook the following recipe for dinner last night for Bone-in Ribeye with Cilantro Pesto and Sautéed Creamy Leeks and Mushrooms over steamed Jasmine Rice:

For 2 People:

Prepare the rice according to manufacturer's instructions; or, if you have a rice cooker, use it (we have the simpler Neuro Fuzzy from Zojirushi)!

For the Steak Marinade:
2 TBSPs olive oil
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tsps champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic

Mix together the above ingredients. We love bone-in ribeye steaks. A 3/4 to 1 lb piece would be sufficient for 2 people. Set aside at room temperature for about 1-2 hours. Once marinated, grill or cook on a skillet until medium rare (when gently poked, it feels like your cheek).

For the Cilantro Pesto:

1 bunch cilantro leaves

1 TB pine nuts

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
1 clove garlic

pinch ground pepper

juice from 1/4 lemon

Put the above ingredients in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Taste, taste, taste! If it's too salty, add a bit more olive oil, cilantro and lemon juice.

For the Sautéed Creamy Leeks and Mushrooms:

1 large or 2 small leeks, cleaned, with the green tops discarded, sliced thinly

8 oz button mushrooms, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB olive oil

2 tsps butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c heavy cream

Heat oil and butter in a large sauté pan. Add garlic. Sauté for about a minute, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and brown. Sprinkle a little salt to remove moisture from mushrooms. Add leek(s). Sauté until tender. Add cream. Mix and season to taste.

Assembly:

Slice cooked meat into strips. Spoon about 1/3 c cooked rice onto a plate. Lay meat on top or on one side of the rice. Spoon creamy leeks and mushrooms on other side of the rice. Drizzle cilantro pesto around the assembly.

Enjoy!!

Style for Style

The longer I've been cooking, the more I learn about my own personal style when it comes to food and cuisine. It has definitely evolved since I fired my first stove. When Ben and I were first married, I was definitely all over the place. From French to New American, I really couldn't find my palate. About two years ago, I started feeling my way through sweet-savory dishes. I loved the melding of the complexities of the sweet and salty. 

One of the first dishes I created was seared duck breast with a madeira-mango-stock reduction. The 7-course tasting menu I did for my sister-in-law (it was a baby shower gift) was definitely heavy on the sweet-savory theme.

Two years later, I seem to have evolved (laterally, perhaps) to adhering to the slow foods movement. I really appreciate the fresh, local ingredients I can get my hands on here in Wisconsin. I suppose it's because there's such a short season for things green that I now tend to make simpler foods, foregoing too many ingredients and a pretty plate for making the base ingredients the star. I've also started utilizing a lot of aromatics like lemongrass, various herbs and more South Asian spices. 

I just find it interesting how tastes change. I'm sure I'll still make my duck breasts and lamb chops once in awhile, but it doesn't really get the creative and salivary juices flowing.

I'm excited to learn where my taste buds will take me next!

Recipe: Baked Fried Chicken

Yes, it's really good. And yes, it tastes and smells like fried chicken. And yes, there's no real guilt to accompany eating it.

My husband and I looooooove fried chicken, however, we only have it very rarely. I believe the last time he ate a nice piece of bird was at the Hong Kong airport, from what he touts to be the cleanest Popeye's he's ever seen, in 2007. I last had it during Six Feet Under's series finale. Yes, that long ago.

As much as I love fried chicken, I don't like the greasy heaviness that permeates my body after consuming it. In the last several years I've been devising a way to eat flavorful, crunchy chicken without the mess and grease of frying it.

To ensure a crispy, delicious exterior, a roasting pan with an elevated rack is necessary to let the fat drip off the meat. What you're left with is crispy, crunchy and tasty chicken.

Baked Fried Chicken

Serves 2

4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs

4 bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c heavy cream

1 1/2 c panko breadcrumbs

1 c regular breadcrumbs

1 TB salt

2 tsps cumin

1 TB garlic powder

2 tsps mild paprika

2 tsps onion powder

2 tsps chili powder

1 TB curry powder

a small amount of oil for light drizzling

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix the beaten egg and cream in a big bowl.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a vessel big enough to be able to comfortably coat pieces of chicken.

Dip the chicken in the egg & cream mixture, one at a time. Then coat the chicken pieces with the breadcrumb mixture, making sure that it's evenly coated, shaking off the excess crumbs. Lay the chicken pieces on the rack for your pan. Then drizzle a little vegetable oil or brush a little oil on the chicken; this promotes browning.

Cook in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and done. Enjoy like fried chicken!

Ah, the Frustration!

When Ben and I decide to cook a special meal on a Saturday night, I generally prefer using proteins that we don't eat on a regular basis, i.e., lamb, veal, shellfish, etc. The problem I have encountered since moving to Cudahy is that grocery stores around here never carry said items. We usually have to travel across the bridge, which, normally isn't a big deal, unless, of course, there's a foot of snow on the ground. What's across the bridge? Whole Paycheck. Er, I mean, Whole Foods.

Let's see, at the local Pick n' Save, when I asked if they have pancetta, I just get a blank stare from across the counter and the words, "huh, whuut's that?" 

So today, I wanted to cook veal shanks and, guess what? No one around here carries it, not even the Italian grocer. 

Geez! 

Mexican food and Milwaukee

I have been very fortunate to have grown up in a city that had really good Mexican food. Nope, not Milwaukee. I'm talking about Denver, CO. 

With a fifth of the population comprising of Mexicans, there's a lot of good food and tasty ingredients to be had. Ben and I used to go to this hole-in-the-wall selling street-food tacos called El Taco de Mexico. The meats were so tasty, so mouthwatering, so satisfying. There were no lettuce and tomatoes over tacos here, amigo. Just chopped onions and cilantro. We always knew when our order was up (almost always carne asada tacos) because we would hear the large lady and her larger cleaver loudly chopping the beautifully marinated skirt steak. We always left satisfied and happy.

Moving to Milwaukee has not been easy when it comes to sating our craving for Mexican food. Perhaps we haven't ventured onto Historic Mitchell Street. I once asked my friend where the best Mexican food is around these parts. He mentions some street address. I asked, "oh, what's the name of the place?" He retorted, "My aunt's house." Great. Thanks. Thanks very much.

Generally, when it comes to cheap ethnic food, the more people from that particular ethnic background partaking in the shop offerings, the better. I've been to places where there were no Asians, save for the staff, in what were touted to be Asian restaurants. 

Even though Milwaukee has NO really good Japanese restaurants – Nanakusa is overpriced and overrated, with the rice lacking flavor and moisture (sushi does refer to the seasoned, sour rice, not the fish; I miss Oshima Ramen and Sushi Den), there are other options for Asian food when my body needs rice and/or noodles (and, yes, most of the patrons are Asians), like Phan's Garden on 19th & National, Tu Trinh on 27th and Lincoln, Seoul Korean on Prospect and even Bangkok House in a strip mall in St. Francis. Alas, there's no real Chinese/Cantonese restaurants around – when I crave dim sum or char siu noodle soup, I'm SOL or I have to make it myself.

Anyway, I suppose I took Mexican food for granted since I was able to easily obtain it in Colorado. I really miss the availability of green chile (it's everywhere over there). I miss the fact that the Mexican food aisle in a given grocery store is more than just one section next to Pace salsa.

So it was a very nice surprise to learn that the neighborhood we moved to had several Mexican restaurants less than a mile down the road. We, of course, proceeded with caution. I didn't want some sit-down version of Taco Bell.

The first one we tried was La Serenata on Packard Ave. Stepping inside, I realized that we were the only non-Mexicans, which was a good thing. Then I read the menu. It had Spanish translations. Another good thing. They serve Menudo. Yet another check mark.

The first thing I ordered was the pork tamales plate. I cautiously tasted the beans....GOOD! The rice....GOOD! The tamal....GOOD! Then Ben ordered his staple Beefsteak tacos... GOOD!! It still wasn't as astoundingly good as El Taco de Mexico's, but for the first time in almost 4 years, we were getting closer. 

We've since returned numerous times, ordering other items, like the gordita with pork, which was just decadence; the sope with steak, which was also very good, the burrito suiza, another good one!

Ben and I usually dine out on Friday nights, since we dine in from Sunday through Thursday. We wanted to try a different place, venture out into the streets of Bay View. Someone has mentioned that the Riviera Maya was pretty good, so we decided to try it. I ordered a peanut-based mole dish and Ben, his combination-meat tacos. First of all, there were no other Mexicans dining in the whole place (which was big). Can we hear the "wrong answer" buzzer?!

My dish was tasty, but it wasn't something I've never had before. The taste was akin to African groundnut stews. Ben's was dry, dry, dry. I suppose it was also the rather trendy atmosphere that we always try to avoid, but I don't think we'll ever go back.

To redeem ourselves on Saturday afternoon, we decided to try La Salsa (no, not the chain) on Layton Ave. It was just a quick snack, so Ben ordered three (but only ate two and took home one) beefsteak tacos and I had two chicken tacos. Boy, was it delicious! Well seasoned, well balanced flavors. I wanted more, but I couldn't since we were cooking a large dinner.

I think we'll definitely be going back.

Recipe: Quinoa, Chicken & Leicafied Nueva Vallarta Sauce

Quinoa (Kee-no-wa) is a wonderful grain to always have in the pantry. It's ridiculously easy to prepare; it's healthy and delicious. Quinoa is a great vehicle for sauces and proteins. I generally like pairing it with heartier, creamy sauces since it has a (now it may sound like a paradox) soft-chewy texture. 

One of the sauces I pair with quinoa is a riff on Rick Bayless' Nueva Vallarta. In his recipe, oysters and their juices are used as the main liquid. Since my husband doesn't particularly like fishy odors in food, I did my own variation using chicken broth.

I use a tenderized and simply seasoned chicken breast as the main protein for this dish.

For 2 people

Quinoa:

1 c quinoa, soaked in water for 15 minutes, then washed thoroughly and drained

1 1/2 c chicken broth

4 oz button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly

2 tsps butter

2 tsps olive oil

juice from 1/4 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Put the quinoa and chicken broth in a small sauce pan, put over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a small sauté pan. Add sliced mushrooms and brown. Season with a pinch of salt to remove excess moisture. Set aside.

Once the quinoa is cooked, fluff with a fork and add the sautéed mushrooms, olive oil, lemon and seasonings.

Nueva Vallarta Sauce:

1 TBSP olive oil

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 medium white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 1/2 c chicken broth

3 TBSP (or more, to taste) sour cream

1/4 tsp cumin

pinch of hot paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes and bell pepper. Sauté until softened. Season with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken broth. Let it reduce for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Chicken Breast 

2 pounded chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin and garlic powder. Grill or sauté.

I like assembling the dish on a plate using my makeshift ring mold (a short, wide can with both the top and bottom taken off). I put the quinoa at the bottom, unmold, then gently place the chicken breast on top, then drizzle the sauce on top of the chicken and scattering some of the veggies around. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!