Sauteed Chicken with Kohlrabi - Potato Puree and Wilted Kohlrabi and Radish Greens

We picked up a nice looking kohlrabi at the El Cajon Farmers' Market the other day. Mostly, I was curious, having never worked with one before. Kohlrabi is a cabbage that has been bred for its stem, rather than its leaves.

I've also never tried to do a puree before. I've seen enough of them on cooking shows, however, that I decided I wanted to give it a try. The kohlrabi alone would not be enough, so I combined it with some potatoes. I boiled them together until soft, then pureed them in a blender with a little butter, cream, and salt. The kohlrabi added a great flavor to the puree.

I cut up a large chicken breast into strips, then pounded them flat. I simply sautéed the strips in a little olive oil, and seasoned them just with a little salt and pepper. After removing the chicken from the pan, I de-glazed the pan with some champagne, and finished the sauce with a little butter and cayenne powder.

For the vegetable, I combined the kohlrabi greens with some radish greens. I cooked them in a little olive oil, them added a little lingonberry vinegar and let it steam for a little bit. I seasoned them with a little salt. The mild bitterness and acid from the greens made a nice contrast with the smooth, mild puree, and the chicken/

Recipes

Sautéed Chicken with Champagne Pan Sauce

1 large chicken breast, cut into 3 strips
2 chicken tenderloins
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup champagne
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken pieces between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound to 1/2 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

In a skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. Add chicken. Let cook until brown, then turn. When cooked through and brown on both sides, remove from pan.

Add champagne, and de-glaze pan. Add cayenne, and season with salt as needed. Let sauce reduce slightly.

Plate chicken, spoon sauce over meat.

Kohlrabi - Potato Puree

1 3 inch diameter kohlrabi, peeled and diced
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. butter
salt to taste

In a pot with plenty of water, boil kohlrabi and potatoes until tender. Drain vegetables, transfer to a blender. Add cream and butter, blend until smooth. Add salt as needed.

Happy Eating!

Apple - Pecan Stuffed Pork Chops with Cumin Mashed Potatoes

I had some lovely boneless, thick cut pork chops that were just begging for stuffing. I made a stuffing of coarse bread crumbs, chopped pecans, onion, and diced apple.

To stuff a pork chop, use a sharp paring knife to cut a pocket into one side of a chop. You want to cut to just about 3/4 inch from the other sides. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Press the stuffing mix into pocket, until the chop bulges a little, but the opening of the pocket will still close.

I grilled the pork chops to medium well, and finished them off with a glaze of apple cider and sweet soy sauce. I augmented the glaze with some ginger and cinnamon. Once I had good grill marks on one side, I flipped the pork chops and brushed the cooked side with glaze. I brushed the chops two or three times, before removing them from the grill.

To accompany the pork chops, I made cumin mashed potatoes. I added a little non-fat Greek yogurt and a little cream. The spouse mashed the potatoes, and had the patience to get them much smoother than I usually do.

For the vegetable, I sauteed some chard leaves in a little bacon butter. I finished the chard with a splash of apple cider vinegar.

I was really happy with this meal. All the flavors complemented each other well. I got the pork chops to a perfect juicy doneness. I was able to allow them to rest long enough to not be dry.

The bacon butter was a gift, so I do not know what the exact recipe is. One that seems like it should get the right results is here.

Recipes

Apple - Pecan Stuffing

1/2 cup coarse dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. chicken stock

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the onion in the olive oil until tender but not browned. In a bowl, mix together crumbs, nuts, onion, and apple. Slowly add stock, until mixture is moist, but not wet.

Apple Cider Vinegar - Sweet Soy Glaze

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Cook until glaze has reduced by half, and has started to thicken.

Cumin Mashed Potatoes

6 small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a stock pot with plenty of water, boil potatoes until tender. Drain, return to pot. Add yogurt, cream, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mash until smooth.

Chard with Bacon Butter

6 cups roughly chopped chard leaves
2 Tbsp. bacon butter
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

In a stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add chard, cook, stirring until chard starts to wilt. Add vinegar, and cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook until chard is completely wilted.

Happy Eating!

Salmon with Black Current Mustard Sauce

After the rush of the holidays, it was nice to get the chance to just make a simple dinner. I made pan-seared salmon with a black current mustard sauce. To go with it, I made a spinach, apple, and walnut salad with a bacon syrup vinaigrette, and baby Yukon gold potatoes sauteed with garlic.

This gave me the opportunity to use a couple of my Christmas presents. A jar of Trader Jaque's Black Current Mustard was in my stocking, and a friend gave me a bottle of Torani Bacon Syrup. Probably not surprisingly, I got quite a lot of food swag for Christmas.

The mustard sauce was simple, just the some black current mustard, some fresh dill, and a little honey. The potatoes were par-boiled, then sauteed in olive oil with a little garlic and sea salt. The salad was fresh baby spinach, thin sliced gala apple, and walnuts, with a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, bacon syrup, cinnamon, and salt.

I was happy with the meal. I thought it was well balanced.

Recipes

Pan-seared Salmon with Black Current Mustard Sauce

2 4 oz. Salmon fillets
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. black current mustard
1 tbsp. minced fresh dill
2 tsp. honey

In a small bowl, mix together mustard, dill, and honey, set aside.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook fillets flesh side down until lightly browned. Flip fillets, and cook until skin is crispy.

Plate fillets, spoon sauce over fish.

Bacon Syrup Vinaigrette

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. bacon syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk vigorously, until well emulsified.

Happy Eating!

Grilled Bourbon Marinated Skirt Steak with Garam Masala Potatoes

This September is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record in San Diego County, so we are still grilling pretty much every meal possible. Tonight I made bourbon marinated skirt steak with garam masala grilled potatoes and chili oil brushed grilled zucchini.

 

I marinated the skirt steak for about one half an hour.  The bourbon added a nice flavor to the steak. You want to grill it to just medium rare to medium, which with thin skirt steak doesn't take but a few minutes. Let it rest about five minutes, then slice thinly, across the grain.

 

The potatoes were sliced about one quarter inch thick, and tossed with olive oil, garam masala, and kosher salt. I grilled them first, getting them golden brown, then moved them to the upper rack of the grill to bake while I did everything else.

 

The zucchini were sliced about one half inch thick, and sprinkled with salt. I let them sit about ten minutes to release a little excess moisture, then brushed with chili oil. I grilled them to just tender.

 

Recipes

Bourbon Marinated Skirt Steak

1 1/4 lbs. skirt steak

1/2 cup bourbon

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cayenne powder

 

Place all ingredients in a sealable plastic bag, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for at least one half hour. Grill to medium rare to medium. Rest for five minutes, slice thinly across the grain.

 

Garam Masala Potato Slices

4 medium russet potatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. garam masala

2 tsp. kosher salt

 

Cut a thin slice of skin from either side of each potato, then cut potatoes into one quarter inch thick slices. In a large bowl, mix oil, garam masala, and salt. Toss potatoes slices in oil spice mixture until liberally coated. Grill on both sides until golden brown, then place on upper grill rack to back until tender.

 

Happy Eating!

 

 

Three Meat Loaf with Yogurt - Dill Mashed Potatoes

 

Last night I was in the mood for comfort food. Being raised by a single mother, we were frequently cash-strapped.  Meatloaf was a way to stretch cheap meat even further. But, like a lot of less expensive things, it is also a vehicle for great flavor.

I like to use a mix of ground meats in  mine. This one had chicken, beef, and mild Italian sausage.  I used the course bread crumbs collected the last time I cut up old bread. I like herbs in my meatloaf, so there is rosemary, time, basil, and oregano in  it. To add umami, I like to use mushroom ketchup, but Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, even various fish sauces work as well.

I added non-fat Greek yogurt and dried dill weed to the potatoes.  It made them creamy, and the tang was a good match for the meatloaf.

For greenery, I made a salad with heirloom yellow tomato, banana and cherry peppers, celery, and mixed sprouts.

Recipes

Three Meat Loaf

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground chicken
1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage
2 medium eggs
1 cup course bread crumbs
2 Tblsp. mushroom ketchup
1 tsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. kosher salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients, press into an ungreased non-stick loaf pan.  Bake 45 minutes, or until completely cooked.  Remove from pan, let rest for 5 minutes, slice on the bias to serve.

Yogurt - Dill Mashed Potatoes

4 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2/3 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tblsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. kosher salt

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Drain, return to pot. Add yogurt, dill, and salt.  Mash to preferred consistency. I prefer mine a little rustic, so I can tell they were real potatoes.

Happy eating!

Hash and poached eggs

For breakfast I decided to make hash and eggs. Our CSA had provided us with quite a few peppers We had a lot of potatoes from Golden Share, with which we also participate.

I'm still working on poaching. I'll get it down, eventually. I was using too narrow a pan.  I'll try a larger pan next time.

For the hash, I diced three small red skinned potatoes, one half a small yellow onion, one small red bell pepper, one small green bell pepper, and one each of a cherry pepper, a banana pepper, and a Serrano chili. In a medium-hot pan, I started frying the potatoes. Once partially cooked, I added the peppers and onion.  Cooked everything for a bit then added about a tablespoon of minced garlic, one quarter teaspoon each of cumin and chili powder, and kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until potatoes are tender.

Plate the hash, then gently place the poached eggs on top.

Happy eating!

Grill Night!

Last weekend, finally cleaned off the back patio, so I can get to my grill again.  Summer in San Diego, most meals are on the grill, so I don't have to heat up the kitchen.  Monday was the first grill session, and was grilled top sirloin with berra berra - cumin butter, grilled sweet corn, and spicy grilled potato wedges. 

Grilled the steaks medium rare.  I grill the corn in the husks, it prevents them from getting too charred.  The compound butter was 1/2 stick of butter, 1/2 teaspoon each cumin and berra berra (berra berra is a hot Ethiopian spice mix, you could substitute chilli powder), and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.

Spicy Grilled Potato Wedges

3 medium russet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tblsp. each garlic powder, onion powder, paprika
1/2 Tblsp. kosher salt

Wash potatoes.  Cut in half, then into 1/4 inch wide slices.  Place in bowl with oil, spices, and salt.  Toss to evenly coat. Grill on both sides until brown and crisp.

This is one of my favorite replacements for french fries.

Happy eating!