Weave a Thousand Flavors

Pollo Alla Diavolo {Devil's Chicken} - Dijon-Pepper rubbed Roast Chicken served with Jalapeno Chile Oil

Some days I feel like the Chicken in Chicken little screaming away that the sky is falling! On such days when nothing goes your way and the stars seem out of alignment, there is not much you can do except go with the flow and hope that the day reaches a close with some rapidity. 

It is on such days that I always make Devil's Chicken - yes there is some irony to that and I realized that just as I was writing this. This recipe has been on my monthly roast chicken rotation for nearly 5 years now and I stumbled upon it quite by accident.

We were on our annual, 'week on the beach' vacation in Emerald Isle, North Carolina and it had been raining all week. Can you imagine, being rained in for the whole week, the one week you, Mr. Hubby, the kids and Sydney, our faithful Golden Retriever head for the beach?

I refer you back to line 1, para 1 of this post. 'Nuf said.

Anyway, it was our last night there and we so needed a pick me up. So I am in the kitchen wondering what to fix for dinner and I come across some recipes stuffed in one of the drawers. The owner of the beach house obviously was a foodie herself because I loved her kitchen - it was always immaculate and beautifully stocked.

So anyway, I came across this hand scrawled recipe for Pollo Alla Diavolo, (no measurements mind you)  and it had only needed a few ingredients to fix. Most of which I had and I was sure I could convince Mr. Hubby to prance in the rain to the car and do to grocery run for me. Which he thankfully did and let me tell you - when we took the first bite into this chicken, there was complete silence on the table. No one said a word, not even the kids, we just kept going till the only thing left was the carcass of the bird.It was so good! And it was just we needed.

It must be the essence of Jalapeno chile (which is very different to the heat of the chile by the way) that  works so well with the flavors of the chicken that rendered us absolutely speechless.  Since then its been my rock of Gibraltar in the kitchen on 'such' days.

Over the years I have come across many recipes for Pollo Alla Diavolo - some with red pepper, some with hot sauce and some even where you beat the chicken with a brick!

It was recently, when I received one of Mario Batali's books as a gift that I noticed the similarity between the recipe I make, to the recipe in his book. However this version is all mine - I follow my own measurements & cooking method.

May be one day I will try and make it Batali's way but then again, if it ain't broke why fix it?

So here goes ~

 

N'awlins Oyster Po' Boy on a Brioche Bun

I had an ulterior motive making those  Mississippi style fried oysters the other day - they were the means to an end. The end being these mouthwatering Oyster po' boys.

A po' boy is a traditional sub sandwich from Louisiana and almost always  consists of fried meat or seafood on a french baguette. 

However, I've grown attached to those brioche buns we made and so I thought to myself - "What better a way to  have cornmeal crusted fried oysters than on some homemade brioche buns"? To that add some yummy zingy Remoulade sauce and I think we've got us some very delicious and messy eats.

 This recipe for oyster po' boy is actually the point of assembly for 3 recipes previously posted - you'll need to refer to (and print out)  -

• Mississippi style deep fried oysters
• Zingy Remoulade sauce
• Magnificent Brioche burger buns
  

I know some of you are letting out an 'aw shucks' just about now but seriously, the best way to do this was to place each component in its own category because they're all actually very good recipes even by themselves and I'm sure we'll be referring to them again in the future.

Once you have prepared your Remoulade sauce, brioche buns and oysters in that order, assemble each of the po' boys.

Slice the ham burger buns with a bread knife. Liberally apply Remoulade sauce  on the base.  Mound oysters on the sauce - The oysters I used were pacific oyster so they were very large and I needed only 2-3 per person.

Layer with some fresh lettuce and a slice of tomatoes. My husband preferred his without the tomatoes so feel free to make adjustments depending on your taste.

You can also make these quite successfully with deep fried scallops or shrimp using the same recipe as for the oysters.

However, I would  make these on a weekend and not on a working day. If you want to do this right , you'll need the time to make each of these components slowly, without rush and without feeling like you've spent all day in the kitchen.

 
We found that these make a refreshing change to usual meat hamburgers. I made 2 batches of oysters & we had some just as is for an appetizer and then continued on to the po' boys. Awesome with ice cold beer and I think it would work quite well for an informal evening with friends.

Enjoy!

And as they say in New Orleans, Let the good times roll ~

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

Zingy Remoulade Sauce

 

There are a million versions of Remoulade sauce. It is essentially a jazzed up version of tartare sauce. The original being invented in France, it has taken a life all of its own and that's what makes it fabulous. 

We all have our own favourite versions and there's no right or wrong way to do it. You just taste as you go - a little bit of this & a little bit of that (isn't that a song?) But I think the one thing we can all agree on is that when it comes to mayonnaise based sauces and dips, this ones a keeper.

It is particularly good with fried seafood like deep fried oysters, on sandwiches and subs. I keep a jar on the ready in my refrigerator for those days when all rational thought has fled my mind and nothing seems to make sense for dinner. It's on those evenings that a little Remoulade goes a looonnggg way.......

Serve It Up ~ Mississippi Style Deep Fried Oysters with Zingy Remoulade Sauce

 
I have always loved my oysters raw, on a half shell, chilled with dash of horseradish and a touch of cocktail sauce. Anyone who's eaten at the Grand Central Oyster Bar at New York City knows what I'm talking about.

On the odd occasion I may be convinced to eat a plate of Oysters Rockefeller but that's about where I drew the line. Until I moved to the Southern United States....You see in the South they sure like their food fried.  It doesn't matter if its okras, tomatoes, chicken or seafood. Dip it and fry it! And the deeper you get South the more so it holds true.

On a trip to Shreveport, Louisiana - this little town in the boondocks that boasts a floating casino on the Mississippi river is where I tried my first plate of deep fried oysters sitting right next to that plate of blackened alligator - blackened now, not fried.

I think my eating habits embarrass my folks some, because they're not sure what I'll be  urging them to try next and in what company!

Anyway, back to those oysters - southern style oysters are nothing like batter dipped fried fish or shrimp. They are in fact fried in cornmeal and seasonings which give them a coarse and crusty coating. This contrasts well with the moist juicy flesh of the oyster inside.

Subsequently, scallops and shrimp are also fried the same way. Now I don't make these often but they make a nice change and addition to ones Oyster repertoire. They are delish when served with a Zingy Remoulade sauce

Goodbye! Pre-packaged Hamburger Buns & Hello! Magnificent Brioche Burger Buns

  
Let me remind you of this age old adage that one either has the propensity to be a cook or to be a baker.  Now, I have said it before,  I am a cook who dares to bake!

For me, this loosely translates into spending endless hours  in search of a perfect recipe, comparing it with other such recipes in my cookbooks, jotting down notes and finally settling upon a course of action, which is then executed - on the wings of a prayer of course.

One would think that such ministrations would naturally lead to astounding results. Well, lets just say, I am still recovering from one such endeavor on a Thanksgiving morning several years ago, when all the family had gathered  and the clover rolls, that should have risen and  resembled snow clouds in fact looked like door knobs adhered together with super glue.

At this point I did what any cook/daring baker would have done. I promptly sent my husband to the frozen section of the nearest grocery store for dinner rolls and proceeded to shred the clover rolls recipe with certain barbarity.

I also affirmed that I would stick to my true and tried, dog-eared, curry stained, baking recipes and would venture into the unknown world of new recipes...shall we say... gradually.

So when I wanted to bake some light, warm and rich buns for sandwiches I am planning to prepare , that is exactly where I went! For all you purists out there who are wondering if I've finally gone off my rockers to attempt serving sweet brioche as a burger bun - No worries mate! I removed the honey & drastically reduced the sugar quantity from a regular brioche recipe.

 

Co-Hosting an Online Class - Creating An Efficient Kitchen with Motherhood.com

~Dear Friends ~

 

Just a little birdie whispering in your ear that I am co-hosting an upcoming class in the Web’s first-ever virtual cooking school, Cooking Connections. No way am I implying that you aren't a Kitchen Diva, or lack the home-maker gene to turn Martha Stewart blue in face, all I am saying is that with all of us collective minds brainstorming and discussing all things food and kitchen, it is to be expected that some little beneficial pearls of wisdom will definately float through the ether and settle around you.

And that, just might be a good thing!

The class I am co-hosting is called “Creating an Efficient Kitchen,” and it is hosted by Jodi Grundig (Mom’s Favorite Stuff), Sommer Collier (A Spicy Perspective) and Tricia Callahan (Once a Month Mom).  During the class, all of us will share tips and tricks on topics ranging from efficient grocery shopping to creating delicious and inexpensive meals to stockpiling food and freezer meals. 

These knowledgeable foodie moms in TheMotherhood just may transform the way you operate in the kitchen, so I would love for all of you to join us! 

Here’s what you need to know to participate:

When: Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 1 p.m. ET

Where: TheMotherhood – here is the link to the page where the class will be held: http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62133

And here is the registration page for all Cooking Connections classes: http://www.themotherhood.com/cookingconnections

The class is sponsored by ConAgra and hosted by TheMotherhood.

My other fabulous co-hosts are:

Angie Knutson, My Four Monkeys, http://www.myfourmonkeys.com
Carolyn Ketchum, All Day I Dream About Food, http://dreamaboutfood.blogspot.com/
Diane Campagna, Main Street Mommy, http://mainstreetmommy.com/
Jenn Fowler, Frugal Upstate, http://www.frugalupstate.com/
Kate Miller, Stolen Moments Cooking, http://stolenmomentscooking.com/
Melanie Feehan, Coupon Goddess, http://www.thecoupongoddess.com/
Priscilla Willis, She's Cookin', http://shescookin.com/
Silvia, Mama Latina Tips, http://www.mamalatinatips.com/
Sylvie Shirazi, Gourmande in the Kitchen, http://gourmandeinthekitchen.com/

Valentine's Day ~ Sinful Orange Burst & Chocolate Ganache Cake

 

 
My older son always gets the coolest cakes on his birthday.

Since his birthday falls in the vicinity of Valentine's day, invariably, we roll the dessert into one. And yes, this poses it's own challenges - not only must the dessert be chocolate, it must have all the sophistication of a Valentine's treat and all of the yumminess to turn little boys giddy with excitement.

When it comes to turning grown men, women and little boys and girls giddy with excitement, few things hit the spot like the combination of orange and chocolate. For me this fascination began young - right about the time I learned to smack that orange globe hard on the ground so it falls apart to reveal chocolaty orange segments. Please tell me you know that of which I speak?

For those of you who claim indifference to the combination of orange and chocolate, I have only this to ask - are we speaking of the same thing? And are you sure you've actually tasted said combination?

No brain-er people, this right here is a gateway to all things sinfully delicious. (What else you do with ganache, is entirely up to you....)

And now that we've got food for the belly and senses out of the way, this Valentine's day let me leave you with Lord Byron, a famously romantic poet - 

'Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.'

And here's my two cents worth -

We are not here on Earth only to achieve things. Nor are we here to be solely efficient. We are here to experience, to share and to celebrate happiness. Let's remember that this week and then look at the people we are closest to.

Despite their (and our) faults or failings, aren't we lucky to know them?

 

~OH WAIT! JUST A MINUTE~

I’m THRILLED that thanks to Sommer at A Spicy Perspective, I will be a co-host on an online cooking class through themotherhood.com on Wednesday, February 16th at 1 pm EST.

Please mark your calendars and check out their website for more information!

 

Mini Salmon & Asparagus Fish Cakes with Red Pepper & Yogurt Aioli

  Who says that just because Super Bowl Sunday is all about large, beefy,  sweaty guys who often end up like 5-car-pile-ups throughout the evening, that the eats can't be flavorful morsels of fish and herbs?

 The road to culinary delights are often the result of these things:

1) A perusal of ones refrigerator

2) A determination to not waste food therein

3) The need to feed

It's always fascinating to me the speed with which I turn from bored frump to speeding kitchen diva when the future of a salmon fillet or a bunch of greens rests in my hands. All of a sudden the vast space between my ears becomes a humdrum of nervous energy much like cranking up an old industrial machine with belts and wheels that I can literally see the sparks fly and resonate in the space between my ears.

Fortunately, as spontaneous as the method of salvaging the remnants of my refrigerator may be, the results are often far more elegant and tasteful than the process might entail. Such was the case when I decided that not only to bring a large English trifle to the potluck this evening but also fix some dainty salmon things just so none of the goodies in my refrigerator & freezer would suffer an untimely death.

It was thus the combination of salmon and asparagus in a fish cake was born. As it turns out, so welcome were these that they're now making an appearance on Super Bowl Sunday too. 

WORD OF CAUTION - EAT a few while you are flipping them over in the pan or else you may be left licking an empty platter! As soon as these were unleashed on the buffet table to the ravenous crowds, these little fish cakes were the first to disappear.  Need I say more?