Mushroom Leek Sauce

Project: I wanted to learn how to prepare and use leeks. I also wanted to try making a sauce by deglazing a pan and reducing the wine.

My ingredients: Leeks, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, white wine, evaporated milk. Notice the parsley in water, thanks to Special K.

Flour and Susie Q on the chicken breasts.

First flip

Pull the chicken out, turn the heat up, add, in order, white wine, shallots and garlic, leeks, then mushrooms.

Reduce by simmering. Add parsley, salt, pepper. Spoon over chicken to serve.

Surprisingly, this was a pretty bland, watery sauce. Comments:

I suspect that I needed more salt, but I added a lot! Next time, I'll use chicken broth and reduce it longer. 

I'll slice the leek lengthwise  before chopping so that there aren't those concentric rings.

Evaporated milk gives a sweet taste and buttery aroma.

Taco Bar

When everything's already prepared, all you have to do is sautee the meat and microwave the tortillas.

Jamie Oliver's Baked Pasta

This barely needs a recipe. Layer sauce, pasta, and cheese. Bake/broil. Eat. But when things are this simple, it's really important that a few items are perfect. Key steps:

1. Undercook the pasta. Really undercook it. I used penne from Trader Joes with a recommended 9 minute cook time. I boiled it for 7 minutes, but I wish I'd gone closer to 5 minutes. I've never baked a pasta that wasn't just a little mushier than I would have liked. That was a supremely confusing sentence. Kind of mushy. Like the pasta.

2. Mix the pasta in sauce before layering.

3. Don't use shredded cheese. (Actually, just never buy shredded cheese again. Shred it yourself.) I used fresh mozzarella and put it through an uneven chop. This technique came up over and over again in various recipes, and after this go, it's easy to see why. Instead of a brown, scabby layer of  mozzarella on top, you'll have pockets of gooey cheese throughout.

4. Don't skimp on basil. Or salt.

Speaking of basil, would you look at this!

This crisp and vibrant sprig has been sitting on my counter for over a week. A week! And without a shrivel or brown spot in sight. I love basil, but every bunch I've bought has been doomed -- destined for the trash after a few days, mottled and gray. This little article was a major game changer.

Mozzarella Chicken

Mozzarella Chicken

Ingredients: Chicken breasts, cherry tomatoes, shallots, basil, breadcrumbs, garlic, flour, one egg, fresh mozzarella.

Chop garlic, shallots, and tomatoes. Saute in olive oil in a pan. Add basil near the end. 

Chicken breasts: Butterfly cut. Season. Flour. Egg wash. Breadcrumbs. Pan sear. 

Top with sauce and mozzarella. Bake 10 min at 350F. 

Complete time. Notice the lack of browning. 

Some tips:

1) Fresh, whole milk mozzarella: If you are making your own food, you're pretty much guaranteed to be healthier than restaurants. This is how I justify the extra saturated fat in this cheese. But with the higher fat/water content, it responds differently to heat. Don't expect to have that nice brown, toasted cheese that you get with shredded and nonfat cheeses. This is more of the gooey, deep-dish pizza kind.

2) The thinner the chicken, the better. The ones in this pic were a little too thick and they came out slightly raw. While the microwave fixed that quickly, it also messed up the cheese. Next time I'm going to pound the chicken flat.

3) The garlic and shallots were chopped pretty coarsely here. In that shape, they make for pretty strong bursts of flavor. Next time, I'll cook them first before adding the tomatoes and basil.

Thanks to Kira for providing the recipe and the tongs!

Fish tacos

Although mahi mahi is the most popular choice for fish tacos, any white flaky fish will work. For best results, let the fish come to room temperature before you cook. Bonus: I feel better about leaving these out in the open because they're individually vacuum wrapped.

Rub and season both sides with salt and pepper. Panfry with canola oil on medium heat, about 3 min each side. Watch the cooking progress on the side of the fish. When it hits about 2/3 of the way to the top, flip.

Fresh corn tortillas. Microwave covered for 30 sec. Double wrap.

If you live in California, you have a Mexican market nearby. If you live in SD, well, you're even better off. Find it! You can get amazing ingredients for low prices. A 50 tortilla pack is $3. A pint of salsa is $2.

For lemon juice: Push down and roll the whole lemon around on the counter until it gets soft and squishy. Then chop off one end and you have a lemon juice dispenser.

 

I lacked the "proper" condiments of cabbage, cilantro, lime, etc. But this was absolutely delicious and filling, so I'm not complaining.