Sunday, December 31, 2006

HOLIDAY PIGGY ROLL (CRANBERRY STUFFED PORK LOIN)

INGREDIENTS
Pork
1 4 to 5 lb boneless pork loin roast
butcher’s string (100% cotton, not dyed)
salt and pepper

Stuffing
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
3 to 5 cloves of garlic finely minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic or herbed vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
2 tbsp raw honey
6 to 8 oz dried cranberries

Gravy
10 oz chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp pre-sifted flour

PREPARATION
Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the onions become golden brown at the edges. Add the garlic, reduce heat to medium and continue stirring for five minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer for five minutes. Add the red wine, honey and cranberries and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the pork.

Preheat oven to 325°. Butterfly the pork loin as if you are opening a book flat. Use the smooth end of a meat hammer to flatten the loin until it is 1” thick. Salt and pepper the fat side and flip over so that the unseasoned side is up. Spread cranberry mixture all over the unseasoned side. Roll the loin from the long end and use the butcher’s string to tie about every two inches. Place pork roll on rack of roasting pan and roast uncovered for about 1.5 hours, turning once during cooking.

Remove the roast from the pan and wrap in aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy. Strain the liquid from roasting pan, being sure to remove any loose cranberries or chunks that are burned or may burn easily. Pour the strained liquid back into the roasting pan and make the gravy right there in the roasting pan on your stovetop over medium heat. Add the presifted flour to the liquid until it’s blended. Add the chicken broth and scrape all those lovely brown bits on the bottom of the pan into the broth. Add the white wine and reduce for about ten minutes. Add the honey and reduce until the gravy is slightly thickened and syrupy in texture.

Cut the strings out of your pork loin and slice into 1” thick sections. Let your eaters ladle their own gravy to their individual tastes.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Santa left a little Better Homes and Gardens cookbook in my stocking this year and I came across a recipe for a stuffed pork loin. Of course, I had to monkey with the recipe and make it my own as I always do—and the results were really excellent. The biggest challenge for me was that I had a head cold and could barely taste anything. But both my mother and brother were happy to help me out in that department. This dish would make an excellent substitute for the traditional holiday turkey or ham. I served it with salad, soft dinner rolls, homemade gravenstein applesauce and oven-roasted Yukon gold potatoes. The gravy was a great accent for the potatoes too. It was a real crowd pleaser and will probably usurp the turkey at Christmas dinner next year.

CHEF’S NOTES
Depending upon the length of your loin roll and the dimensions of your roaster, you may have to cut the roll in half.

For those of you who worry about undercooked meat, feel free to use a meat thermometer. Pork should reach 155° while cooking. If you are cooking a smaller or larger roast, a meat thermometer will help you adjust the cooking time.

DIETER’S INFORMATION
This is a fairly low fat dish, especially if you opt for a leaner loin cut. It’s also fairly low on carbs so it would work well as the entrée in a low carb dinner—try serving it with grilled asparagus and a big salad.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

BRUISED APPLE PIE

INGREDIENTS
For Pie Filling:

10 medium-sized (about five cups) peeled, cored and sliced gravenstein or granny smith apples
1 to 1 1/2 cups whole blackberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 to 3/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 tbsp lemon juice

For Pie Crust:
2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.2 tsp salt

PREPARATION
For Pie Crust:
Mix all dry ingredients. Combine vegetable oil and milk to dry ingredients just until incorporated. Split dough in half and roll out one half of the dough between two sheets of wax or parchment paper to the shape of your pie pan. Turn out dough into pie pan and cook for fifteen minutes at 350°. Set aside crust to cool. Roll out second ball of dough between two sheets of wax or parchment paper to the shape of your pie pan. Remove top sheet of paper, place back on the dough and flip. Remove paper and cut venting holes in the middle of dough.

For Pie Filling and Pie Cooking:
Mix all filling ingredients except blackberries in a large bowl. Pour filling into cooled bottom crust. Add blackberries to the top of the rest of the filing. Apply top crust and bake in 350° oven for 30 to forty-five minutes, until crust is golden brown and you see the filling bubbling up through the vents.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
I was a willful child. Once I had decided I was ready and really wanted to do something, there was no stopping me. When I was eight, I started harping on my mother about letting me cook. She told me I was too young, but her real concern was the state in which I would leave her kitchen when I was done. My mother has a touch of OCD so you’ll have to forgive her this concern. Also in her defense, she was also responsible for cooking meals for her family at a very young age and didn't want me to have that same level of responsibility.

I waited for a Saturday when she was out shopping, leaving my father in charge (which meant he was getting drunk in the garage while “fixing” a car and afforded me a lot of freedom). I called my grandmother for her pie recipe. Grandma and Grandpa had 12 1/2 acres that included gravenstein trees, blackberry bushes and walnut trees—and my Grandma was the best cook I knew. A parent during the Great Depression, my grandmother was the original innovative cook. She discovered through necessity, how to incorporate foods easily available to her—so began her blackberry-apple pie. When I called her, she didn’t ask any questions—she knew I was ready to cook, and as grandma, wasn’t concern about the details.

By the time my mom returned home from shopping, there were two bruised apple pies cooling on the counter. The smells of the kitchen were so inviting and the smile on my face was so broad that she noted, but instantly dismissed the fact that she would spend an hour cleaning the flour and apple juice from me and her kitchen.

I was now allowed to cook under direct supervision.

CHEF’S NOTES
If you are vegan or dairy intolerant substitute rice milk for the milk in the pie crust.

Gravenstein apples are in my opinion the best apples in the world. They are the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, and the flesh is firm, but not too tough. I love them for sauce, pie and just for eating. The closest substitute is granny smith.

My grandmother’s recipe included 2 tablespoons of tapioca to help the filling gel and keep from soaking the bottom crust, which she didn’t bake and cool before adding the filling as I do, so if you want to skip a step and save some time, add tapioca.

DIETER’S INFORMATION
As far as desserts go, this one is definitely low fat.

HOMEMADE SIN (CARAMEL SAUCE AND CARAMEL CANDY)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup heavy (whipping cream)
1 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract

PREPARATION
It’s very helpful to have a candy thermometer with this recipe but not essential. Place butter in small sauce pan and melt over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn heat to high. Stir frequently until mixture has reached 200°. If you don’t have the thermometer, watch for the boil. Once the mixture has reached a boil, turn the heat one notch below high and stir swiftly and constantly.

To make a caramel sauce, you only need to boil the mixture for about two minutes and it will be ready to drizzle over anything.

To make caramel candy or a dip for caramel apples, you must continue to stir swiftly and frequently until the temperature reaches 250°. Then continue to stir and cook for another seven minutes. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, continue stirring and cooking until the bubbly mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the sauce pan (about fifteen minutes after the mixture has come to a boil).

For caramel apples, dip or pour mixture over the apples as soon as the mixture has stopped boiling.

For homemade caramels, pour the mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper or into paper candy cups as soon as the mixture has stopped boiling.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
I love caramel. I’d watched a million cooking shows where desserts were topped with lovely caramel sauce, but it was always previously made so one night I looked up the basic ingredients and started experimenting with ingredients and length of cooking time. It turned into a kind of chemistry experiment—the texture of the caramel changes depending upon how high the temperature gets. By my third attempt, this recipe yielded my favorite results. Yummy, creamy, chewy caramel.

CHEF’S NOTES
When making caramel candy, the mixture should be left on the counter to cool completely before refrigerating for long-term storage. This is so the sugars don’t crystallize and the candy has a smooth, silky texture.

If you like hard caramels, this recipe will work too—you just have to cook it longer and above 250°. Just be very careful to stir like mad so that you don’t burn the mixture. Experiment until you get the best results.

You can also create, paler softer caramels by substituting 1/4 cup of the maple syrup for another 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Follow the same steps, but bring the temperature up to about 240° and cook there for three minutes.

DIETER’S INFORMATION
Well, if you dip an apple in the caramel and only eat one apple—it’s not such a bad diet deviation.

Monday, December 18, 2006

WINO'S DREAM CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
1 large chicken breast, halved
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season chicken
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium size shallot cut into a small dice
1 1/2 to 2 cups wine (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir)
1 to 1 1/2 cups red or purple seedless grapes, or black (cassis) or red currants, sliced
1 to 2 tbsp raw honey
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

PREPARATION
Caramelize diced shallot in the olive oil over medium heat (about seven minutes). Strain olive oil from the shallots back into the pan to use when browning the chicken. Set the shallots aside. Salt and pepper the chicken and brown on both sides in the shallot-rich olive oil (about seven minutes per side). Set chicken aside with the shallots. Add wine, honey and rosemary sprigs to the pan and reduce by half (about twenty minutes). Remove rosemary stems then add sliced grapes or currants to reduction and simmer for about five minutes. Add shallots and chicken to rewarm (about two minutes).

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
I was visiting my sister and it was a rare occasion because she hadn’t planned dinner—it’s not that she always has to have a plan, but my nephew’s were very little and had many allergies, so cooking wasn’t so simple. Before she ran off to the grocery store, I asked her to let me take a look in the fridge to see if I could come up with something, dashed out back and picked some fresh rosemary and VOILA! Wino’s dream chicken was born.

CHEF’S NOTES
Any white wine or red wine will do, but I recommend using Sauvignon Blanc with grapes and Pinot Noir with currants. White wine will make a lighter, sweeter reduction; red wine will make the reduction full-bodied.

You can leave the chicken and shallots in the pan while you reduce, but the chicken will be more stew-like and you won’t get the same layers of flavor.

Adjust amount of wine, grapes or currants, and honey to your specific tastes

DIETER’S INFORMATION
This is an excellent low fat recipe—especially if you pair it with some rice pilaf and a green salad with vinaigrette dressing.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

DRAGON'S BREATH

INGREDIENTS
8 OZ Cream Cheese, Neufchatel or Mascarpone
1 to 3 cloves of very finely minced garlic
1 to3 tbsp minced fresh or dried dill (fresh is best)

PREPARATION
Cream cheese should be soft, room temperature. Add garlic and dill and stir well. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours so that the flavors blend. Serve with focaccia bread, crackers or veggies.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
My friends and I had a favorite haunt in college called Espresso Delicioso. It was a coffee house and restaurant that was once a brothel, with huge chandeliers and interesting dining spaces. My favorite thing to order was this dill spread with focaccia bread. I created this recipe from the memory in my taste buds. It is not for the faint-hearted. The raw garlic gives it a serious bite and leaves you with fiery breath—hence its name.

CHEF’S NOTES
Fresh dill will blend better (giving the spread a light green sheen) and tastes fresher.

Start with one clove of garlic and one tablespoon of dill. Blend and taste—add more garlic and dill until you’ve reached the flavor intensity you prefer.

DIETER’S INFORMATION
The dip is low carbohydrate; you can keep it that way by paring it with veggies instead of bread. You can also lower the fat by using a lower-fat soft cheese.

PHAT ASS PORK CHOPS


INGREDIENTS
4 Pork Loin Chops
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/4 cups water
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup apple cider or homemade apple sauce
1/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream

PREPARATION
Simmer (medium-low heat) all ingredients but the cream in a covered pan for forty minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and continue to simmer (medium heat) for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to low, add the cream and cook for about ten minutes (until the sauce has thickened a bit), stirring frequently.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
My mother always made delicious, tender pork chops in an electric skillet—it was one of my favorite meals. I started experimenting with my own recipes. Pork chops need to be brined, cooked for a very short period of time or cooked a long time to come out tender. I also went back and forth between a soy-cream sauce and a soy-apple sauce. I finally threw them together and found I liked this best.

CHEF’S NOTES
I think pork chops with bones are more tender and flavorful than boneless.

I specify homemade applesauce because store bought applesauce is bland and flavorless. If you use store bought applesauce you need to add honey and lemon juice to turn up the flavor.

Apple cider is a better substitute for homemade applesauce—it’s also a good choice if you want a smoother texture.

DIETER’S INFORMATION
This isn’t a low carb or low fat recipe. To make it low fat, use lean pork and cut the butter and cream from the recipe. To make it low carb, use a low-carb replacement to the applesauce or apple cider.

my profile photo

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

HAIRY FUNGUS CHICKEN (MY VERSION OF HUNGARIAN CHICKEN)

INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1tsp black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms (crimini are my favorite for this dish)
2 tbsp fresh or dried dill weed
2/3 cup white wine (chardonnay is best)
2 tbsp raw honey
1/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Mix the flour, salt and pepper and dredge the chicken through the mixture until lightly coated on all sides. Heat the olive oil on the stovetop at medium heat. Place chicken in the hot oil and brown on one side (approximately five minutes) then add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender (about five to seven minutes). Add white wine and reduce for another five minutes. Turn chicken, add heavy cream, dill weed and honey and simmer while stirring frequently until sauce has thickened a bit. Taste and add salt and pepper until your taste buds sing!

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
I fell in love with Hungarian mushroom soup and decided that I could use the flavor in an entree form to turn it into a meal. You should note that I LOVE dill weed and your taste buds may decide I’m a little heavy-handed with it so do what I do with anyone else’s recipes—adjust it to your own taste.

CHEF'S NOTES
Whenever you are working with dairy at boiling temperatures, you want to be sure to keep an eye on it and stir it frequently—scorched or burnt dairy is not a pretty taste.

DIETER'S INFORMATION
This is another good one for the low carb dieters. Again, you can always skip the flour dredge and cut the honey to further reduce carbs.




GROUCHY CHOWDER (MY VERSION OF CRAB CHOWDER)


INGREDIENTS
1 cup Dungeness crab
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 tbsp unsalted, sweet cream butter
1 tsp lemon juice
2-4 boiled, medium-sized red, parsley or fingerling potatoes cut in a medium dice
3 cloves finely minced garlic (try using The Garlic Twist)
1-2 finely diced shallots
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp fresh or dried rosemary
1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Heat the butter on the stovetop at medium heat until it melts. Add crab, garlic, lemon juice and shallots. Sauté, stirring frequently for five minutes. Add white wine, herbs and honey. Simmer, stirring occasionally for ten minutes. Add boiled potatoes, milk and heavy cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally for ten minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Even though I grew up on the coast, my father was a boater and I’d fished before I could ride a bike; I had always wrinkled my nose at the fishiness of fish. When I was in college, I began to get a little braver about trying different fish and preparations. Once I discovered Dungeness crab I knew I could find my own answer to chewy, fishy clam chowder.

CHEF'S NOTES
You can peel the potatoes if you wish, but the peel of all three varieties of potatoes is pretty delicate and adds color to the chowder.

Lemon juice is a wonderful addition to any fish dish to help cut the fishiness. Of course, the fresher the fish, the less intense its fishiness.

Feel free to add more crabmeat for grouchier chowder. I call for Dungeness crab because I think it is the best crab in the world, but feel free to substitute your favorite crab or other fish or shellfish.

DIETER'S INFORMATION
This dish is neither low fat or low carb. Sorry dieters but remember—indulging in moderation won’t give you a big butt.

CHOCOLATE ORGASM CAKE


CAKE INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package install chocolate pudding mix (3.9 oz size)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted, unsalted, butter

EASY ICING
Drizzle warm cake with chocolate syrup.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS
8 OZ Cream Cheese, Neufchatel or Mascarpone at room temperature
1/3 unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract
2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 cup baker's (superfine) sugar

CAKE PREPARATION
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, butter and vanilla. It isn’t necessary to use an electric mixer to blend this batter—five minutes with a large fork or whisk will do the trick—but feel free to use the gadget if you want to save your wrists or about three minutes preparation time. Pour batter into greased and floured cake pan. Bake at 350° for 25 to 40 minutes (depending on the shape and depth of your cake pan). Once you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and it comes out clean, it’s done. Cool for ten minutes then turn out of the cake pan. Drench in chocolate syrup and serve warm. You’ll see why I call it Chocolate Orgasm Cake.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING PREPARATION
You will need an electric mixture to get this frosting smooth and creamy. Beat all ingredients with an electric mixture for five minutes. Chill in refrigerator for one hour prior to frosting the cake.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Baking is not my forte. Entrées that allowed me the freedom to experiment catered better to my temperament. I found baking and it’s need for more exact amounts of ingredients, temperature and cooking times tended to cramp my style. But as my sister started asking for recipes and then struggling to prepare them because she couldn’t follow my instructions which were often vague (a dash of this, cook until it seems right, add this spice to your taste) I found by paying attention to what and how much I added while cooking not only gave me the opportunity to write recipes she could follow, but opened my eyes to the beauty of baking.

I love chocolate cake, especially at a particular time of the month. I also prefer scratch recipes to box mixes for their freshness and flavor complexity. But many scratch recipes can be a little dry. Not this cake—I think the secret is in the pudding.

CHEF'S NOTES
If you are intimidated by baking, this is a great first cake to make.

Try adding one tablespoon instant espresso dissolved in one tablespoon water for a more complex, darker flavor. You can also substitute the same amount of melted baker’s chocolate for the cocoa powder—this will make the cake denser in texture.

I almost never use white sugar. I find that raw sugar, brown sugar and honey have more flavor and I like that they are less processed. But the cream cheese frosting really needs to be made from white sugar to have that silky texture.

I always use vanilla paste rather than vanilla extract in the cream cheese frosting because the vanilla beans add those dark flecks of color to the otherwise white frosting.

DIETER'S INFORMATION
Forgive me—I don’t intentionally create low carb, low cal or low fat desserts. I think desserts should be decadent. I believe the best diet allows you to indulge in moderation.

BUTTLOAD OF BEEF STEW


INGREDIENTS
2 lbs beef: feel free to use any cut of beef you like, don’t limit yourself to the stew cut in the grocery store.
24-36 oz domestic beer: I like Rolling Rock or Session best
2 lbs potatoes:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut in a medium dice
1 large russet potato, unpeeled and cut in a rough chop
3 small Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut in a medium dice
3 small red potatoes, unpeeled and cut in a medium dice
1/2 finely diced medium-sized white or yellow onion
5 cloves finely minced garlic (try using The Garlic Twist)
2 finely diced medium-sized shallots
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, washed but on the stem
2 tbsp dried Italian herb blend
2 tbsp raw honey
6 oz tomato paste
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Cut beef into bite-sized chunks and place in a stockpot with the beer, uncovered over medium heat until the mixture reaches a boil. Lower heat, cover stockpot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sweet potato, Italian herb blend, honey, onion, garlic and shallots. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the potatoes, the fresh rosemary sprigs and tomato paste. Simmer for another 20 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove rosemary stems before serving.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
I always loved beef stew, especially in the fall and winter when it gets cold. Nothing sticks to the ribs and is as satisfying than chunky beef stew, crusty sourdough bread and a crisp salad. But I always found myself frustrated with how little meat there was in canned beef stew—I wanted meat in every bite! And I have some weird aversions to the mushiness of cooked carrots and other typical stew vegetables so I created my own version. This is a great dish to cook on a cold Saturday afternoon and it freezes beautifully.

CHEF'S NOTES
I don’t recommend using microbrews because they tend to have too much hoppiness or other flavors that translate into strange and bitter aftertaste in the stew.

To truly make this a big ass beef stew, you want to portion your beef and potato poundage equally.

Do you love carrots in stew? Parsnips? Green beans? Then throw them in! Just remember that if you are adding a lot of other vegetables, you show increase the amount of beef or decrease the amount of potatoes proportionally.

Are you in love with your crock-pot? Throw all the ingredients in at once and crock away.

DIETER'S INFORMATION
The only fat in this dish comes from the meat, so the leaner the cut; the friendlier it is to the low-fat dieter.

GARAGE KITCHEN CHICKEN (MY VERSION OF CHICKEN CACCIATORE)


INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
3 tbsp olive oil
8 oz finely diced mushrooms (white or crimini are best)
2 stalks finely diced celery (medium-sized stalks)
1 finely diced Anaheim pepper
1/2 finely diced medium-sized white or yellow onion
5 cloves finely minced garlic (try using The Garlic Twist)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine (chardonnay is best)
10-15 oz tomato sauce
3 tbsp unsalted, sweet cream butter

PREPARATION
Heat the olive oil on the stovetop at medium/medium-high heat. The higher the heat, the quicker this dish will brown and reduce, but it will require more stirring. Place chicken in the hot oil and brown on both sides (approximately four minutes per side). In a large bowl, mix the mushrooms, celery, pepper, onion and garlic. Add mixture to chicken, turning chicken and stirring vegetable mixture so that all vegetables begin to reduce (approximately ten minutes). Add chicken stock and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring and turning chicken occasionally. Add the white wine and simmer for about ten minutes, stirring and turning chicken occasionally. Add tomato sauce—start with 8 ounces and simmer for five minutes, taste. Add additional tomato sauce until you like the flavor best. Reduce for five more minutes, turn off the heat and add the butter. Once the butter melts, stir it into the sauce and you’re ready to serve!

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
When I was in eighth grade, my 4-H club offered a Commercial Cooking class taught by the parent of some club members, Mr. Colburn, who was a professional chef. I jumped at the class because I loved to cook. This was the first dish he taught us to make—with a student’s kitchen set-up in his garage. I have made some changes to it over the years to suit my taste, making it more of a ragu, stew-like dish; but it remains a foundational dish in my recipe box and marks my birth into gourmet cooking.

CHEF'S NOTES
With all the vegetables, I usually use one large and one medium-sized sauté pan to cook this dish. If you don’t want to work with multiple burners or worry about split would be to use a wok or even a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or chili pot.

I typically use about 12 ounces of tomato sauce—but since you are using fresh vegetables and different brands of tomato sauce, the water content of the vegetables and the intensity of the tomato sauce varies, so that’s why I suggest you add, taste and then adjust. You don’t want the tomato flavor to overpower the sauce.

It is ESSENTIAL that you use unsalted butter. Margarine and olive oil won’t create the same flavor and texture. If you are cooking for someone with dairy allergies, opt for olive oil rather than margarine.

This dish really doesn’t need any added spices, salt or pepper. It is really easy to overdo the salt in this dish as several of the ingredients have sodium in them and there is a lot of reduction involved.

Are you cooking for finicky eaters? You have found the dish that everyone will love. I have several mushroom haters, a chicken hater, as well as several celery and pepper haters in my circle of diners and they all love this dish. With the long reduction and the finely diced vegetables, the flavor and texture of this dish is well balanced and unlike its individual parts.

Do you love peppers? Then experiment. The original recipe called for bell peppers, but I like more flavor so I’ve tried several different peppers as settled on Anaheim as my personal favorite, but feel free to experiment.

DIETER'S INFORMATION
This is not only a dish to please all palettes, but it is loaded with vegetables, low fat and low-carb. Yet it tastes decadent—a real treat for all dieters.

I LOVE THIS F&*#!?@ CHICKEN


INGREDIENTS
6 chicken thighs
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves finely minced garlic (try using The Garlic Twist)
2/3 cup white wine (chardonnay is best)
2 tbsp raw honey
1/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/3 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION

Mix the flour, salt and pepper and dredge the chicken through the mixture until lightly coated on all sides. Heat the olive oil on the stovetop at medium heat. Place chicken in the hot oil and brown on one side (approximately five minutes). Before turning the chicken to brown on the other side, sprinkle in minced garlic. Now turn the chicken to brown on the other side for about five minutes. If you like, you can now drain off the olive oil. Next add white wine and honey, bring to a simmer and reduce for about five minutes. Add heavy cream, turn heat to low and heat for another five minutes. Finally, turn off heat, sprinkle with Parmesan, cover the pan and let sit until the Parmesan has melted. Serve Hot.

THE STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

This dish is how the foulmouthed chef was born. I cooked this for a boyfriend and he went crazy for it. He asked me what it was called and I told him it didn’t have a name that I had just made it up based on what I had in the refrigerator. He insisted something that tasted this good had to have a name so I told him he should name it. After thinking for about ten seconds he looked at me and said “I Love this Fucking Chicken.”

CHEF'S NOTES
It is important to note that if you cook at a higher heat you can easily burn the garlic.

You can also try Asiago, Romano or any other hard cheese with a sharp flavor.

DIETER'S INFORMATION

If you’re watching carbohydrates, this is a great dish—feel free to skip the flour, salt and pepper dredge and use one tablespoon of honey.