Cold-Weather Cooking: Farfalle with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Roasted Red Peppers

When temperatures drop down to single digits, it’s only natural to be inclined to cook hearty dishes with rich, buttery sauces! This recipe, which uses dark meat chicken, roasted red peppers, meaty Portobello mushrooms, and fiber-packed chickpeas, is simple to prepare and immensely satisfying. Bundle up, head to the market and pick up these easy-to-find ingredients, and once you've thawed out, put this on the stove. Serve with lots of Chardonnay!


Farfalle with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Roasted Red Peppers

16 oz. / 455 g. dry farfalle
Splash olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1-2 large shallots, sliced
1 head garlic, roasted*
4-5 large Portobello mushrooms, diced
2-3 large red peppers, roasted and minced*
1 15-oz.can chickpeas (do not drain)
2 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
Pinch dried rosemary
½ c. Chardonnay
½ c. light cream
Pat butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)


Cook the pasta in heavily salted water. In the meantime, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the chicken and brown for a few minutes, then add the shallot and garlic and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Next, add the mushrooms, red peppers, chickpeas, bay leaves, cloves, rosemary, and wine. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the chicken is fully cooked, add the cream, butter, salt and pepper, and cayenne (if using). Blend well, then add the cooked pasta. Mix well, and serve piping hot.

*Note: For instructions on roasting garlic and peppers, click here. When selecting peppers for roasting, choose peppers that are long rather than round and boxy. I don’t know why, but they seem to yield a more flavorful roasted pepper!

* Nutritional info: serves six. 624 calories, 16 g fat, 75 g carbohydrates, 47 g protein.

 

Turbot in Sherry Cream Sauce with Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms

If you read Bacon, Butter & Booze on a regular basis, you know that there is little that excites me more than cooking with something I’ve never tried before. When I saw turbot featured in Mercato del Mare’s “Today’s Catch” newsletter, I couldn’t wait to try it!

Turbot is a flat fish, similar to flounder or sole, with a delicate flavored flesh and a texture similar to cod. Be careful not to overcook it, and you’re in for a real treat! Turbot is often simply cooked in a wine sauce, but I’ve dressed it up a bit in a Spanish-inspired cream sauce featuring seasonal touches of cranberry and porcini mushroom. This recipe is perfect to serve on a crisp, cold night with roasted potatoes and a glass of aged sherry.


Turbot in Sherry Cream Sauce with Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms

For the Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms:
¼ c. amontillado sherry
¼ c. unsweetened dried cranberries
1 T. dried porcini mushroom bits*

For the Turbot:
1 lb. /455 g. turbot fillets
¼ c. amontillado sherry
Pinch salt

For the Sherry Cream Sauce:
2 T. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch saffron threads*
¼ c. amontillado sherry
2 t. fresh thyme
½ c. heavy cream
Cranberries and Porcini Mushrooms, as prepared above
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

A few sprigs fresh thyme, for garnish


Start by preheating the oven to 350, then prepare the cranberries and porcini mushrooms. Heat the sherry in a saucepan or in a microwave, almost to a boil. Pour over the dried cranberries and dried porcini mushrooms; set aside.

Now, place the turbot fillets in an ovenproof baking dish. Pour the sherry over the fillets and sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the garlic and the saffron. Saute, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant and turns golden. Do not let the garlic burn! Next, add the sherry and cook for a minute or so more, stirring constantly. Add in the thyme, heavy cream, the cranberries and porcini mushrooms along with the sherry that they soaked in, and salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir constantly for another minute or so.

Next, take the fish out of the oven. Using a fish spatula or a pancake turner, lift the fish from the baking dish and place on individual plates. Pour the sauce over each portion of fish, and garnish each plate with a sprig or two of fresh thyme.


* To purchase ingredients used in this recipe, click the link(s) below:

Fungus Among Us fam001 Fungus Among Us Organic Porcini Mushrooms- 2x0.5oz (Google Affiliate Ad)

Frontier Saffron 1 gram Bottle 18401 (Google Affiliate Ad)

Nutritional info: 313 caloreies, 16 g fat, 10 g carbohydrates, 18 g protein.

Ingredient Spotlight - Chanterelle Mushrooms

This is yet another one of those occurrences in which I never intended to create a blog-worthy recipe but ended up doing so. It all started with a basketful of chanterelle mushrooms on display at Whole Foods. Being a mushroom lover and never having cooked chanterelles, I picked one up, placed it in a produce bag, tossed it in my basket, and drifted over to the jicamas and peppers…and then I inched my way back to the chanterelles, putting another large mushroom in the bag. And another. With a shoplifter’s quick hand and shifty eyes scanning the periphery, I loaded up an entire produce bag as if I was trying to get away with wrongdoing. I guess I felt kind of guilty about taking most of the Chanterelles and depriving my fellow shoppers.

Fresh chanterelle

Other wild mushrooms such as morels, black trumpets, and truffles may garner all the accolades, but chanterelles are stars in their own right. When I took the first bite, I was overwhelmed, in a good way. The flavor was not what I expected, and the texture was absolutely delightful. Tasting a chanterelle for the first time was only comparable to meeting that one special person who cements in your mind the reason why it never worked out with any of your past loves and lovers and erases any doubts you had about whether or not you made the right call in holding out for something more congruent.

It’s no surprise that the flavor of a food that grows on the floors of coniferous forests amongst damp and decomposing plant debris would be characterized as “woodsy” or “earthy,” but I cannot think of a better description. The flavor is delicate; chanterelles are neither pungent nor musty. Unlike a porcini or a truffle, a chanterelle would not overpower other flavors in a recipe. When sautéed, chanterelles have a texture similar to slightly past its prime lemon meringue pie filling - delicate, but still firm.

Chanterelles cooking

When I cooked these, I planned on simply sautéing the chanterelles in a ton of butter with some sliced garlic. About two minutes into the cooking process, I splashed a bit of the Pouilly-Fuisse in my wine glass into the pan with the mushrooms, adding a bit more moisture and flavor to the mix. While stirring with one hand and using the other to peruse the ‘net for info on chanterelles via iPhone, I decided to add a few crushed juniper berries to the mix so that the flavor would be reminiscent of the pine forests in which the mushrooms grow. I didn’t stop at juniper berries. All these flavors needed a piquant boost; I achieved this by adding an ever-slight dash of finely ground white pepper, then I added a splash of light cream to fuse the whole dish together. This was definitely not what I had in mind as I was hoarding chanterelles at Whole Foods like a crack fiend, but it turned into a cohesive dish with flavor combinations that seemed like a big “DUH” after the fact. I am not exaggerating when I say that my eyes rolled back in my head with pleasure when I took the first bite. This is one of the best side dishes I’ve ever created. Hell, this is one of the best recipes I’ve created, period. I’m very proud of this one.

As an aside, the entire time that I was eating my ego-inflating chanterelle creation, I couldn’t stop thinking about roast chicken. This dish would pair extremely well with a very subtly seasoned roast chicken. Try this recipe if you can get your hands on fresh chanterelles! 


Chanterelles with Juniper Cream Sauce

2 T. butter
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lb. Fresh chanterelle mushrooms, sliced
Splash Pouilly-Fuisse, Chardonnay, or other oaked white wine
1/8 t. finely ground white pepper
4-6 juniper berries, crushed with the back of a spoon*
2 T. light cream
Pinch sea salt
Mild paprika, to garnish**

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for a 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic has turned slightly golden. Add the mushrooms, wine, white pepper, and juniper berries. Sauté, stirring gently but frequently, for approximately 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are no longer firm. Add the cream and sea salt; sauté for a minute or two longer. Serve on individual plates, and garnish with a dash of mild paprika. 

* If you cannot locate juniper berries, simply add a teaspoon or two of gin, or purchase them online. 

** If you have a jar of paprika that has lost its flavor, don’t throw it away - use it as a colorful yet flavorless garnish.

Cavatappi with Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Great tomatoes in January, in Boston. If you're a serious foodie, that sentence probably just made you raise your eyebrows and question my credibility; as well you should have. However, I've been buying these tomatoes for quite some time, and I've never been disappointed in them, even in January.

Grown locally by Backyard Farms, these tomatoes are packed with flavor and rival some tomatoes I've had in August. I probably go through at least one box of their cocktail tomatoes per week, if not two or three. The other day, I got the idea to roast them and make a garlicky tomato sauce, and the idea evolved into this quick, easy, and delicious pasta recipe. Try this one the next time you're able to find good tomatoes!
　

Cavatappi with Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

1/2 lb. cavatappi, or other textured short pasta
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 c. butter
1 c. dry white wine
1/3 c. tomato paste
1 c. grated pecorino romano
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
generous amount coarsely ground black pepper
salt (if necessary)
handful fresh basil leaves, chiffonade-cut*
additional basil leaves, for garnish

Cook the pasta in heavily salted water. In the meantime, preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange the cherry tomatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet with one cut side down (as shown in picture above). Broil the tomatoes for 7-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes' skins have begun to blister and blacken. Remove from oven and set aside.

chiffonade-cut basil

While the pasta cooks and the tomatoes broil, combine the butter, wine, and tomato paste in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Whisk vigorously until the tomato paste has completely broken down and blended with the wine and the butter has melted. Turn heat down to low and add the pecorino, garlic, and pepper (you probably won't need salt; pecorino is a salty cheese. Taste for seasonings and only add salt if absolutely necessary). Continue to whisk until the pecorino has completely melted. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the sauce along with the roasted tomatoes and the chiffonade-cut basil leaves. Stir a few times until all the pasta is coated, then serve hot, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
　
* Chiffonade-cut is a technique often used on fresh herbs. To cut basil, stack the leaves on top of each other, roll up lengthwise, and cut into 1/8" strips. By placing the largest leaf on the bottom of the stack, the smaller leaves will be contained in the roll and the leaves will be easier to slice.

Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Champagne Cream

If I have even the slightest extrasensory perception, I'm probably picking up on someone thinking, "Gee, that would have been a great New Years Eve recipe, why wait until January 10 to post it?!?!?"  Well, kiddos, there's a method behind the madness.  This was a great NYE recipe.  However, NYE meant parties, which meant waking up on January 1 and not wanting to even type the word "champagne" until December 31. 

Now that I'm feeling much, much better, it's time to post this fantastic recipe featuring farfalle ("bowties" to the lay person) bathed in a rich cream sauce laced with luxurious champagne and smoked salmon and dotted with caviar.  Sure, you can make your own cream sauce, but when I made this, I simply used Classico brand Alfredo.  If you cannot find Classico, use a top-quality brand that is not loaded with preservatives and artificial flavorings.  This dish is sure to impress! 

Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Champagne Cream

1 lb. dried farfalle
1 jar Classico Alfredo
1/2 cup champagne
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 T. capers
dash cayenne pepper
generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper
4 oz. smoked salmon, sliced into thin strips
1 jar caviar (no need to go expensive, lumpfish works well)

Cook the pasta.  In the meantime, combine the Alfredo, champagne, peas, capers, cayenne, and pepper in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to bubble slightly. 

Add the cooked farfalle to the saucepan.  Stir to combine until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.  Now, add the smoked salmon.  Stir just until combined, then serve immediately, garnishing with a spoonful of caviar.  Enjoy!!!

New England-Inspired Pasta with Pumpkin, Cranberries, and Spice-Crusted Duck

Pumpkin, cranberry, and duck - all autumn foods, all native to New England, but not necessarily anything you’d associate with linguine and cream sauce!

My intention for tonight’s dinner was to use the pumpkin I had left over from Sunday’s broiled polenta squares. I was going to cube and cook the pumpkin, add it to alfredo sauce with a little bit of nutmeg and black pepper, and serve it over radiatore, a type of short dried pasta. Still, I felt the recipe was bland and needed a kick, but I had no clue what that kick would be. Then I saw a bag of cranberries, and I found the kick. After I threw the cranberries in my basket, I went straight for the poultry section and picked up a fresh duck breast.

I had no idea how cranberries would work with pasta, but I was willing to find out. I had a recipe in mind - which is what I’m sharing with you below - but several kitchen mishaps and zone outs prevented my final dish from coming into fruition the way I would have liked. First, as I was stirring my pasta, I managed to splash boiling water out of the pan and straight onto my hip, so instead of attending to my food I was attending to my skin. Then, I completely zoned out, and instead of waiting until the pasta was plated to add the duck, I added it with the cream sauce. Oops. Finally, when I tasted it, I realized that it was missing something - I forgot to add the salt. So, I added a generous pinch of salt, stirred, dealt with the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to take a pretty picture, and mourned for the crispy spice crust on the duck that got lost once I added it to the cream sauce. Put it this way - if Gordon Ramsay was in my kitchen tonight, he probably would have told me to piss off. That being said, he wouldn’t have spit my food out, because despite my little string of disasters, the final product was delicious!

Here is the recipe as it was intended to be. Enjoy the flavors of fall in New England!


Linguine with Spice-Crusted Duck Breast, Pumpkin and Cranberries

10 oz. Linguine
1 duck breast, skin removed and reserved
½ t. nutmeg, separated in half
½ t. finely ground black pepper, separated
2 T. butter
2 cups cubed pumpkin
2/3 cup cranberries, halved
1 T. grappa
1 cup light cream
½ c. grated pecorino
Salt to taste

Cook the linguine. In the meantime, heat a heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Once it is hot, place the duck skin in the pan and cook it for 2-3 minutes until the fat begins to melt and coat the pan. While duck skin is cooking, rub the duck breast with ¼ t. of the nutmeg and ¼ t. of the pepper.

Remove the duck fat and place the duck breast in the pan. Cook each side for approximately 4 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside. Lower heat, add the butter and stir until it melts, then add the pumpkin, cranberries, and grappa. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the cranberries have begun to break apart. In the meantime, slice the duck breast crosswise into 6 slices approximately ½” thick.

Next, add the cream and pecorino, stirring until the cheese has melted into the cream and the sauce has thickened. Add the remaining nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste, stir a few times, then add the cooked pasta. Cook for an extra minute, then serve, dividing pasta into 3 portions and topping with 2 slices of the cooked duck breast.

Battle of the Butchers

How many of you purchase your meat from butcher shops? I’m guessing not many. Old-school butchers seem to have gone the way of the dinosaurs and the Zack Morris cell phone, but I stumbled across two butcher shops in Boston’s North End - DiPaolo & Rossi and Sulmona‘s. I had to stop into both and decide once and for all who gave me the best steak.

I’ve shopped at a real butcher’s before - Hill’s Meat Market in the Wesleyville neighborhood of Erie, PA, my hometown - and I consider myself lucky to have grown up with the experience of walking into a small, family-run store and hearing my mom ask, “What’s fresh today?” and planning a meal around Donny’s recommendation. Sure, my mom and I also shopped at supermarkets and other specialty retailers, but as a kid, I remember our meat wrapped in thick paper the color of Crayola’s Burnt Orange crayons; no Styrofoam tray, no moisture-absorbing paper, no plastic wrap.

My Godfather Joe owned Joe Zak’s Market, a neighborhood grocery store in Pittsburgh with an on-site butcher (read more here). Although I was only three when Uncle Joe retired and closed the store, the article from the Pittsburgh Press style section reporting on the closing hangs in my kitchen, and I get to look at Uncle Joe and Aunt Eleanor while I prep. The article talks about the history of the store and the neighborhood’s reaction to the closing, and talks about how pro baseball players used to help Uncle Joe prep the turkeys for delivery. You’d never see an article like this about the local Stop & Shop going out of business.

 How did I evaluate DiPaolo & Rossi vs. Sulmona’s? At each store, I bought a 6 oz. Sirloin steak approximately ¾" thick. I cooked them at the same time, in the same pan, for the same amount of time per side, and with the same seasoning and sauce (recipe below). I allowed the flavors to speak for themselves, and I found that DiPaolo & Rossi’s sirloin was more tender, while Sulmona’s was tougher but more flavorful.

So who won? I’ve got to give them a tie - the only logical way to solve this dilemma would be a dance-off. In the big picture, the winner is the customer - buying meat from a local proprietor who cares about his/her product really does make a difference. Small, independent shops may not have the selection that big-box chains offer, but at the same time, you know the product hasn’t been sitting in a freezer case for months hoping to be thawed, and you won‘t smell more plastic wrap than meat when you open your package. The butcher will cut the meat as small or as large as you’d like, and you’re not going to be stuck cutting away ginormous chunks of fat. When you buy from a butcher, you get meat your way and you’re not at the mercy of some corporate store manager more concerned with administrative BS than what’s in your shopping bag. The best part of neighborhood shops is that while they don’t always have what you’re looking for, you know that if you ask for it, they will get it for you, or you could challenge yourself, walk in and ask, “What’s good?” and then base a meal around what they offer you - not so unlike a Top Chef challenge!

Obviously, steaks were on the menu, and I decided to base the meal on seasonal ingredients, using pumpkin, porcini mushrooms, kale, and a touch of bacon, butter, and booze. Serve these steaks with broiled polenta squares over braised kale. Complete the prep work ahead of time, and you can fix this meal in about ten minutes.

Sirloin Steaks with Whiskey Cream Sauce

2 oz. pancetta or uncured bacon
2 6 oz. sirloin steaks, approx. 3/4" thick, rubbed with salt and pepper
1 T. butter
1 shallot, finely minced
1 1/2 oz. whiskey
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 T. reconstituted porcini mushrooms, finely minced (see below)*
1 t. fresh thyme leaves

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron is preferable) over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pancetta or bacon and fry until crisp. Remove from the pan and place on paper towels to absorb grease; pour grease off pan (I save bacon grease, it makes a great soup base!) When the pancetta or bacon has cooled, crumble it into small bits and set aside.

Turn the heat up to high. Add the steaks and cook for approximately three minutes per side for medium rare. Once the steaks are cooked, remove them and set aside on a plate. They will continue to cook and distribute their juices, do not disturb the steaks while they rest.

Now it is time to make the sauce. Remove the pan from the burner for a minute or so to reduce the heat so that the sauce ingredients do not cook too quickly and burn. Next, place the pan over low heat, and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the shallots and saute them for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Now, add the whiskey, cream, mushrooms, and crumbled pancetta or bacon, stirring constantly until all the ingredients are blended. Remove from heat, pour sauce into a small bowl, and add the thyme, stirring until blended. Spoon a small amount over your cooked steak and serve.


Broiled Polenta with Pumpkin and Pecorino

several pieces dried porcini mushrooms*
water
1 cup polenta
salt and pepper
2 T. butter
1 cup shredded raw pumpkin
1/2 cup shredded pecorino romano
2 T. crumbled pancetta or bacon

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water to the porcini mushrooms. Soak for 10 minutes, then remove the mushrooms, chop finely, and set aside. Pour the mushroom soaking liquid into a large saucepan with 3.5 additional cups of water and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

When water has reached a rolling boil, slowly pour the polenta into the water, stirring quickly and constantly. When all the polenta has been added, continue to stir. Do not stop stirring, or the polenta could come out lumpy. The polenta will begin to thicken; keep stirring for about 5 minutes, until the polenta becomes very thick. Add the butter and stir until it is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, then pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish, spreading with a spatula so that the polenta forms an even layer approximately 1/2" thick. Set the polenta aside to cool, once it has cooled to room temperature, place it in the refrigerator to set for at least an hour. This step can be done the night before.

Once the polenta has set, cut it into 12 squares (for a nicer presentation, use a cookie cutter and cut them into rounds, saving the leftover polenta for a random snack). Place these on a baking tray, and preheat the broiler on high. Next, sprinkle the shredded pumpkin on top of each polenta round, making sure all the pumpkin is used. Repeat this step with the pecorino romano cheese, with the crumbled pancetta or bacon, and with the minced porcini mushrooms.

Place under the broiler for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted. Serve on top of a bed of braised kale.

* If you cannot find dried porcini mushrooms, they can be purchased online.


Braised Kale

Lacinato kale is also called Tuscan kale, dinosaur cale, or cavolo nero. Curly kale can be substituted if lacinato kale is not available.

1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, chopped into 1" thick strips
4 sprigs fresh thyme
pinch salt and pepper

Rinse the kale in water; do not dry. Add the wet kale to a large pot with a lid with the thyme, salt, pepper, and approximately 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium low heat, until the kale begins to wilt. Serve, season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Bacon and Butter and Booze, Oh My!

Bacon and butter and booze, oh my! Don’t forget cream, olive oil, and radicchio, one of my favorite vegetables. Yes, this recipe contains a lot of dieting no-nos, but calories are not a valid reason to miss out on something this delicious. Deprivation is not the key to anything, except maybe bingeing and unhappiness. If you’re really concerned about calories, keep in mind that this recipe makes four servings, so each portion only contains a teaspoon or so of the high-fat ingredients. Also keep in mind that our bodies need fat to function, and it’s much better to get your fat from a beautiful, flavorful pasta dish than from some chopped, formed deep-fried by-product garbage procured from a drive-thru. This dish is not one to miss!

The bacon, butter, cream, and wine make this a very, very rich dish, but the richness is balanced out by the bitterness of the radicchio. When choosing radicchio, select firm heads with white stems and tightly packed leaves. This tasty and versatile vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked, and is delicious quartered, grilled, and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Linguine with Radicchio and Cream

12 oz. linguine
Splash olive oil
6 oz. Uncured bacon or pancetta, sliced
1 small onion, minced
1 head radicchio, quartered and shredded into ¼” strips
¼ c dry white wine
½ c grated pecorino romano
½ c heavy cream
2 T butter
Salt & pepper
Chopped parsley

Cook the pasta. In the meantime, prepare the sauce.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and the onion, cook until the bacon is starting to crisp and the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.

Next, add the radicchio and the wine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the radicchio is wilted. Stir once or twice.

Add all the remaining ingredients, stirring constantly until the butter an cheese have melted. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the radicchio, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Divide among 4 plates and serve.