Grilled Chicken with Kale and White Bean Hummus

I was in the mood for Mediterranean flavors, so I whipped up my take on hummus with Cannellini beans, garlic, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.  I went with grilled chicken for my protein, and I finished it off with some kale sauteed with more garlic and lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes for some heat.  The star of the dish was definitely the hummus - the lemon juice was a perfect hit of acid to cut through the olive oil, and the garlic added a nice punch.            

Shrimp and Polenta

Shrimp and grits is an all-time classic in the South, and I decided to take this dish in an Italian direction by substituting polenta for the grits (they're basically the same thing, but by calling it something else I can now say it's a fusion dish and charge you $23.99).  Anyway, I made the polenta by boiling some water and then stirring it in with some Parmesan cheese, milk and plenty of salt, and I sauteed the shrimp separately in a pan with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Finally, I heated up some leftover marinara sauce and then combined everything in separate layers with some scallion for garnish.  Not bad for a spontaneous weeknight dinner.  The polenta was nice and creamy, and the shrimp were cooked just about perfectly.   

Orecchiette with Italian Sausage and Peas

I had a variation on this dish many years ago at Osteria Mozza, and I've been making it once in a while ever since.  My version is made with my house made Italian sausage (ground pork, ground fennel, chopped garlic, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and S&P) crumbled and browned in a frying pan.  In the meantime, I boiled the oricchiette and added the peas to the water for the last 2 minutes of cooking, then combined everything in the pan and tossed it together with a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil for a minute or two.  For a finishing touch, I grated some Parmesan cheese over the top.  The original version pairs the sausage with a bitter green like broccoli rabe, but I hate broccoli and its relatives with a passion, and the sweetness of the peas works just as well with the spiciness of the sausage.  Another option is spinach...that's the beauty of cooking; you can always substitute ingredients to your own personal taste.   

Oven Fried Chicken

My cooking inspiration usually comes from something I read or see on tv.  I recently read that the secret to KFC's spice mix is coriander, which was surprising, so I had to try my own take on it.  I learned the technique of oven frying a few years ago, and it is really fool proof - perfectly fried, crispy results with little hassle or mess to clean up, plus you don't need gallons of oil.  So I first prepped the chicken (thighs) by dipping it in a egg wash and then dredging it in a mixture of AP flour, fresh ground coriander, paprika and granulated garlic.  In the meantime, I preheated the oven to 350 with a baking sheet and a shallow coating of canola oil inside to get it screaming hot.  Once I finished dusting my chicken, I set it on the tray - you should hear an immediate sizzle when it hits the tray - and baked it for a little over an hour, turning it a couple of times until it was golden brown.  I have to say that the coriander really did remind me of KFC, but my version was not greasy or gristly at all.  On the side, I steamed some fresh corn on the cob that I picked up at the farmer's market last weekend and paired it with a Mexican and Cape Cod-inspired dipping sauce made of mayo, lime juice and Old Bay seasoning.  As I was eating this meal, I felt like I was at a summer picnic in the South.    

         

Martini Manifesto

There's nothing wrong with a fruity drink once in a while, like maybe when you're on vacation on a tropical island, but I am all about the classics, and it doesn't get more classic than the martini.  However, this iconic cocktail has been bastardized over the past decade to the point where most people have no idea what the original is supposed to be.  First and foremost, it is made with gin, not vodka.  By analogy, a hamburger is made of beef.  That makes the vodka martini the equivalent of a turkey burger, which isn't a bad thing, but it's not a hamburger.  Second, it needs vermouth to balance out the gin/vodka, so don't just coat the inside of the glass and pour the rest out like you see some so called "mixologists" do.  Another tip is to chill the glass with ice water before you pour the drink.  The one rule that I admittedly break is that I shake my martinis rather than stir them.  Technically, you only shake a drink with some type of fruit juice in it to get that frothy effect, but I think shaking gets it colder than stirring does.  Finally, I prefer mine with a twist, but knock yourself out with olives (please, just no bleu cheese stuffed), and remember that if you want it with cocktail onions, that's called a Gibson. 

Indian Chili

Indian cuisine is all about spices, and the Fisher Price "My First Indian Spice Mix," which includes cumin, coriander and turmeric (I added some cayenne pepper for heat), is a solid foundation for any amateur Indian cook build on.  My version of Indian chili was inspired by channa masala, which is chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) in a tomato-based stew.  For my version of Indian-inspired chili, I first sauteed chopped brown onions, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, zucchini and chickpeas in a Dutch oven with canola oil until just tender (but not mushy).  I toasted the spices in the canola oil for a minute before I added the vegetables.  I then deglazed with some crushed tomatoes and added salt to taste, then let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors develop.  This was good.  I didn't miss the meat at all because the mushrooms added a nice beefy dimension on their own.  It could have used a dollop of sour cream to balance out the heat from the cayenne, but I didn't have any on hand.

Korean Short Ribs

Went back to the trusty pressure cooker for a Korean-style short rib dish.  The braising liquid was similar to the one I used for the braised ox tail (see post from July 8), except that I used apple instead of pear.  I also sauteed some oyster mushrooms in butter and canola oil and served them on the side.  I am a hard core mushroom fan, and Korean grocery stores seem to have the best variety and prices in town, as noted by many of LA's top chefs.  The beef came out perfectly fork tender, and the mushrooms were nicely browned.  The key to cooking mushrooms is to use some butter, don't overcrowd the pan and don't move them around too much once they're in.