I got this crazy idea from a chef named Chuck who has a new show on the Cooking Channel. This guy is an absolute animal and I was cleaning the house the other day while watching him deep-fry a soft boiled egg. I got to thinking about the age old saying, “What came first? The chicken or the egg”?
I was immediately inspired to create a dish involving both parties. I picked up some cornish game hens which are essentially, baby chickens. I had the idea to pair baby chickens, fresh from their hatched eggs, with a chicken egg, that was undercooked and that in a way, represented an underdeveloped bird. In this sick and twisted, dream of a concept that formed in my brain, a beautifully structured dish was formed.
I did some butchering work on these baby birds that were about the size of a softball. I made an incision along both sides of the spine, de-boning the breasts but leaving the leg and wing in tact. I seared the half-birds, skin side down to obtain a super crispy crust and then finished them in the oven.
Meanwhile, I worked on my delicate soft-boiled egg thanks to Chuck. I simply boiled a dozen eggs for roughly four minutes before transferring them to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
The next step is the “do or die” moment of the process. Cracking and peeling soft boiled eggs is like open heart surgery. One misstep and your sink basin is filled with runny yolks and slimy membranes.
It took me at least half a dozen broken eggs before I settled down and channeled my inner Dr. Douglass Ross. Finally, I successfully peeled a few orbs and dredged them in flour, egg, and eventually breadcrumbs.
On the back burner, I had some heavy cream reducing into a thick, creamy sauce that was soon to be added to a mixture of sauteed shallots, garlic, and spinach.
Once the leafy greens got “creamed”, I hit the pot with a squirt of quality Dijon mustard to give it a slight kick of heat and intense flavor. After the cornish game hens were cooked throughout, I plated them in a bowl atop the Dijon creamed spinach and drizzled a quick herb oil onto the crispy skin.
It was a combination of chopped basil and parsley with some extra virgin olive oil that boosted the flavor of the baby bird. For the icing on the cake, I took the breaded, soft-boiled eggs and deep fried them briefly to ensure a crispy crust before adorning each half bird with a whole egg. Right before I served the dish, I took a pairing knife and made a small incision to release the creamy yolks that poured down the sides of the crispy hens and melded with the succulent spinach.
The dish was a mockery of chicken birth but a complete success when it came to flavor and texture. Each bite was loaded with the crispy, meaty chicken, topped with rich spinach and a seductive yolk that drooled all over every morsel.
The crispy skin and crunchy egg added a phenomenal contrast in texture to the moist poultry and smooth greens. I paired this dish with a 2007 Pierre Morey Bourgogne Blanc from Meursault, France. This 100% Chardonnay was lightly oaked but had tons of natural weight to the wine. It was light and fruity on the initial sip, but then finished with a full, creamy and sensual conclusion. The flavors of spiced apple, pear and buttered toast transformed into a finish with loads of acidity that cut right through the creamy yolks.
The young Burgundy was a perfect match with the youthful hen and the mature egg. But the question still remains… which one came first???
Now that there’s less than six months to our wedding, we jumped on the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon and started our “wedding diets” in order to shed some of the holiday flab. Our goal is to cook healthy, protein-rich, intensely flavorful dishes that won’t turn our weeknight meals into boring routines. There’s nothing worse than eating “health food” that doesn’t taste good. It makes you feel as though you’re eating just to stay alive as opposed to eating for pleasure.
Thankfully, the nutritional value of one of my favorite foods is off the charts.
Broccoli contains a cancer-blocking compound called sulforaphane that works at it’s highest ability when the vegetable is steamed. It is also high in Vitamin C as well as dietary fiber. These tightly packed, bouquets of dark green florets not only block Cancer forming cells, they also taste great!
One of my all time favorite side dishes and flavor combinations in general is broccolini with crushed red pepper flakes, crispy, paper thin wafers of toasted garlic, and a squirt of lemon.
The rich, bitter greens are beautifully balanced by the spicy chilies, pungent garlic, and the acidity from the lemon. It was this flavor profile that I used to create this super healthy dish for Day One of the “walking down the aisle diet”.
I started off by butchering six massive heads of broccoli which I decided to cook three separate ways.
The majority of the florets were blanched, dunked in an ice bath and then transferred to the blender to which I added some lemon juice, salt, and a few spoonfuls of fat free, Greek yogurt. I let the machine rip and after a few moments I had a broccoli puree that was a pastel green straight out of a Vineyard Vines catalog.
I refrigerated the puree to retain the bright color while I prepped the rest of the meal. I spread some of leftover florets on a baking sheet and roasted them at 420 degrees along with an entire head of garlic. I have to admit, this is my favorite way to prepare broccoli.
The stalks get so sweet and caramelized and the florets get nice and crispy burnt. Most people discard the handlebar stalks but try peeling them and eating them raw. The bitterness is toned down and they contain a lot more moisture than the rest of the vegetable. It almost tastes as if a broccoli and a cucumber had a baby.
As for the chicken, I simply sprinkled it with crushed red pepper flakes and a little salt. I am usually “that guy” at the table that takes the crushed red pepper flake jar and violently performs my ShakeWeight impression over my plate. I love fire and I’m not afraid to burn my tongue to some extent. I went easy on Siobhan’s chicken breast but covered mine to capacity before searing them in a cast iron skillet. Simply standing in the kitchen made my nostrils burn and my taste buds salivate.
I finished the chicken in the oven and made a quick aioli in the blender with the eight mushy cloves of sweet roasted garlic. I tossed only two tablespoons of the creamy sauce with my julienned broccoli stalks and used it to garnish the plate. I placed the fiery breast on the cool broccoli puree and adorned it with the “slaw” and crispy roasted florets. The entire dish was hodge podge of flavors, textures, and temperatures.
The cool, yogurt-laced puree and the raw stalks cooled down my mouth from the crushed red pepper flakes and Siracha border. The bird was so crispy on the outside, I didn’t even miss the fatty skin. I opened up a bottle of off-dry Riesling from Down Under to compliment my creation. The 2009 Yalumba Riesling from South Australia is impeccably aromatic. It exudes waves of citrus, lime zest in particular with interesting notes of metal and perfum-ey jasmine. Sip after sip wipes the palate clean of all flavors but leaves a semi-sweet tropical fruit note with lavender undertones.
This wine is really intriguing and I think that it works really well with this spicy dish. The citrus flavors add to the flavor profile and the sweetness plays with the bitterness of the broccoli nicely.
This was a great start to 2011 and a great, flavorful meal that was easy on the waistline. Even Siobhan (the only person I know that doesn’t like chicken), cleaned her plate… probably because she knew that “no ice cream sundaes” was in the New Year’s Resolution clause.
The past two years, Siobhan and I have split time between two Thanksgiving feasts. We travel to Bridgewater to her aunt and uncle’s house for lunch and then shoot down 95 to my parent’s house in Wellesley for dinner. The two meals are spaced out just enough, and we have learned to pace ourselves so that we can manage to enjoy both without gaining 500lbs. The two gatherings are so incredibly different, yet similar in so many ways. Siobhan’s family is huge…so huge that this was the first year that I actually remembered everyone’s name.
We walk into the house and we’re greeted by parents, aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins, grandparents, dogs, you name it… everyone’s there. All running around, eating, drinking, dancing and laughing. It’s like one big house filled with love and controlled chaos. The long, rectangular dining room table is always the center of attention (when the cousins aren’t singing) because of the hours and hours that Siobhan’s aunt puts into decorating it.
Every year it is breathtaking. This year, the colorful china was set with miniature pumpkin name tags, and above our heads dangled hundreds or burnt orange leaves. The leaves were hand picked from her backyard and hung from the ceiling with invisible string, all floating in mid air at all different heights. Illuminated by the chandelier, the autumn leaves made it feel as though we were eating in the middle of the forest, or in a scene from a Harry Potter movie. When the food is ready, all twenty-five of us rush into the dining room and cram into our seats. Siobhan’s grandfather says grace, and everyone goes around the table reading a passage about giving thanks while the smells of roasted turkey, and sweet potato pie fill the air.
When it’s “go time”, a whirlwind of serving bowls fly through the air, spoonfuls of stuffing are being tossed across the table, the wine is flowing, and for the first two bites of food, everything is quiet. All the hustle and bustle of passing, serving, and pouring comes to a halt to take that first chomp into the turkey. Then it all goes back to normal, and by normal I mean chaotic in a fun way.
Everyone is talking to everyone, and in order for them to hear one another, they talk louder. It was quite intimidating my first year but now I’ve accepted that I have to just yell to be heard. My favorite part of the meal is when the three different stuffings come out. They always serve a traditional oyster stuffing, an Italian stuffing, and a Portuguesse stuffing. All three are delicious and have something unique and special about them. I also always try to fulfill my dark meat craving in Bridgewater because I know that my mom has a turkey breast roulade in the oven and there won’t be any dark meat in sight.
I grab one of the legs and start to slice the succulent meat off the bone with my silverware before I give in and just pick it up with my hand as if I was at the Medieval Manor. The loud conversations at the table are pleasantly interrupted by clinking wine glasses and heartwarming speeches by certain family members. After everyone is stuffed, the men get up and watch football in the den while the women clear the table and do the dishes; after all it is a very traditional Italian family. I don’t complain.
Right before I start to doze off into a Tryptophan coma, we say our goodbyes and head to the car. I typically make it Braintree before I have to unbuckle my belt because I’m stuffed from the stuffing sampler.
The main difference between Siobhan’s Thanksgiving and the one at my house is numbers. This year we only had five at our table in Wellesley. Don’t be fooled though because it is equally as loud and chaotic, between my brother telling jokes, and me and my mom running around the kitchen.
This year, my mom tried out a new recipe where she butterflied, and deboned a massive turkey breast, and stuffed it with Italian sausage, pine nuts, dates, figs, and herbs. Siobhan and her rolled it up tight and tied it off with butchers twine, leaving the skin on the outside to get crispy. The result was by far the best turkey that she has ever made to date. As soon as the first slice fell onto the cutting board it was apparent how moist and juicy this bird was going to be.
We carved it into thick slices and surrounded it with her famous mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and silky gravy. The combination of the crackling skin and the juicy turkey in every bite was amazing.
The roasted brussel sprouts are Siobhan and I’s favorite vegetable so we gobbled those up quickly. I was shocked to see that even my dad has some color on his plate, but later realized that the single green bean was being used as a divider to make sure that his potatoes didn’t touch his turkey.
We opened a bunch of different wines, but the highlight of the night was the 2005 Neely’s Picnic Block Pinot Noir from Santa Cruz, California. It was the ultimate Thanksgiving wine. Perfectly balanced fruit and earth, with a touch of oak in the background. It was pure velvet on my tongue. The singing and dancing still echoed in my ears from before, but at this table the only noises were “mmmmmssss”, and the clinks of serving spoons diving in for seconds. For dessert, we struggled to force down some pie and these bite-size fudgie pepperment patty bars that Siobhan made.
By the time I couldn’t physically eat anymore, I changed into sweatpants and we set off for our home in South Boston. We are so thankful to have such great families that take such different approaches to the holiday. In Bridgewater, it’s a party and a celebration, and in Wellesley it is a time of relaxation. We are so lucky to have the best of both worlds and that the main component in each home is love and thanks.
Creating a new chicken dish seems as simple as placing the name of a specific liqueur, ingredient, or a fancy name for a country infront of the word, “chicken”. We have Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmigiano, Chicken Francaise, Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken Kiev, Chicken Picatta, and the list goes on and on. Are chicken recipes really the most boring sounding recipes in the world of food? I fell into the repetitive trap and created a chicken roulade dish around the radioactive-looking Italian liqueur called Galliano.
Galliano is a sweet, herbal liqueur that was created in 1896 in Livorno, Tuscany. The bright, neon yellow spirit is named after Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian war hero, and the vibrant color represents the gold rushes of the 1890′s. This liqueur takes the typical anise flavored drink to the next level. It is created by blending over thirty different herbs and spices native to Italy and other parts of the world.
Anise, juniper, ginger, lavender, peppermint, cinnamon, and vanilla are just a few of the ingredients that compose this aromatic digestif. The most prominent flavors that I can detect are the anise and the vanilla which pose for great enhancements to a delicious sauce. I started off by pounding down some boneless, free-range chicken breasts into paper thin cutlets.
I softened some pungent goat cheese and infused it with a handful of freshly chopped herbs (rosemary, thyme, and oregano).
The herbed goat cheese mixture was then evenly spread on top of the chicken, followed by a slice of salty Prosciutto. It was a good thing that I bought some extra Prosciutto because a few of the slabs mysteriously melted away on my tongue as I was layering the roulades.
I rolled the cutlets into tight little cylinders and tied them off with some butcher’s twine. I dusted and seasoned the chicken before searing them on all sides in a large dutch oven. I was going for a dark, crispy exterior and a moist, succulent inside, where the chicken could cook quickly enough without allowing the goat cheese to melt and ooze.
I sauteed the roulades along with some sliced mini portobello mushrooms until the chicken was cooked through. I then removed the chicken from the pot and deglazed it with the bright yellow Galliano. As soon as the luminous liqueur hit the scalding pot the aromatics came to life. The alcohol quickly reduced as the flavors of herbs and spices intensified. I mixed in some chicken broth and a touch of butter to finish the sauce that was then spooned over the sliced spirals of chicken, Prosciutto, and herbed goat cheese.
Along side of the Chicken Galliano, I served a handful of sauteed baby arugula with toasted garlic. The garlicky, bitter greens were a great contrast to the sweet and silky sauce.
I opened a bottle of 2005 Le Piane Colline Novaresi which is a small production red from northern Italy, comprised of the long lost Bonarda grape. Bonarda is a varietal that was once exclusive to Piedmont but is now grown throughout South America.
The medium bodied wine is somewhat similar to a Barbera but has the distinctive earthy qualities that great Nebbiolo possesses. Low in alcohol, and high in acidity, this red has tons of character and components that make it a great food friendly wine. The dried cherries and tobacco nose followed by the crisp finish made this unique red a great match for the Chicken Galliano. The vanilla in the liqueur-laced sauce married with the richness in the wine.
As typical as this chicken dish turned out, the surprising twist of flavors by using Galliano instead of Marsala was a supreme treat. Next time you time travel back to the 70′s, hold off on your third Golden Sombrero and use the leftover Galliano in your chicken dinner.
This past week, I’ve been on vacation spending some relaxing time down the Cape with ”Hurricane” Earl and hanging out in the city. Even though Cape Cod is as far south as I’ve ventured this past week, the other night I whipped some a good ol’ southern chicken n’ biscuits to get ready for the New Orleans Saints NFL kickoff game of the week. I figured that it was blog-worthy since they are the defending Super Bowl Champions (now I’m starting to think that I jinxed myself because Tom Brady got into a car accident this morning).
Being away from work all week is boring as hell so I spent a greater portion of the afternoon making homemade pickles and braising chicken thighs.
Chicken and biscuits (or chicken and waffles) is a southern tradition that usually involves frying the chicken. I wanted to put my own spin on the dish by making it a bit healthier and a tad more interesting by taking the it to the island of Jamaica mon.
I went to the store and bought a jumbo pack of chicken thighs for about $1.69. I love chicken thighs because the meat is darker and more flavorful than the breast meat. When you slow cook the thighs in their own juices, the meat takes on a rich duck-like flavor.
I simply seasoned the thighs, with the skins still attached, with salt and fresh cracked pepper before searing them in a screaming hot dutch oven. The fat in the skin and bones releases into the pot and makes the skin golden and crispy. Just when I obtained a quality sear, and crunchy skin, I removed them from the pot partially cooked. I then cranked up the heat and threw in my mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onions) along with some smashed garlic cloves and let it sit in the pot to get some nice color.
Eventually, I was going to strain everything in the pot to make my sauce, so I wanted as much flavor to caramelize on all of the veggies as possible.
Once soft and dark, I deglazed my pot with some white wine, letting it simmer away to concentrate flavors. I did the hokie pokie and put all the thighs back in, almost covering them with some chicken broth.
A few torn basil leaves, and the basil flowers went in as well before I popped the lid on and threw it into a 325 degree oven to braise away. Slow and low with help the meat tenderize and fall off the bone with ease. In the meantime, I got started on my pickles.
I freaking love pickles… not just your typical pickles, but pickled everything. What most people don’t realize is that you can pickle all sorts of other vegetables such as onions, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus… you name it. You can even pickle fish and eggs if you want to. The act of pickling is a form of preservation as well as flavoring. Not only does it give veggies a sweet, tangy, acidic snap, but it also makes them last for weeks! As basic as possible, a pickling solution is sugar that is dissolved into vinegar, boiled, and steeped over whatever it is you want to pickle.
The proportions vary, as well as other ingredients that you can add to give your pickles flavor, spice, sweet or sour.
For this dish, I made pickled red onions, for their beautiful pink color and tang, and pickled chilies for some heat. I boiled some white wine vinegar, white wine, sugar, black peppercorns, mustard seed, coriander seed and a few dried bay leaves until all the sugar was dissolved. I tried smelling the concoction but it burns your nose and makes your eyes water.
After five minutes of simmering, I let it cool slightly and poured it over my red onions and chilies. The pickles take on the flavor of the concoction the longer they sit in the brine, and the chilies lose some of their power, but still pack a mean punch. I wanted some type of vinegary pop to the slow cooked, braised chicken that would give it some life that it needed.
A few hours in the fridge and they were good to go. After an hour of waiting impatiently for my chicken thighs, I pulled it from the oven and threw the pieces into a bowl to cool down. I took all of the natural jus that was left in the pot and strained it through a fine mesh strainer and into my sauce pot.
The braise yielded about two cups of liquid which I was very excited about. I let it simmer away and reduce to concentrate the natural chicken flavors. Even without making a quick roux, the sauce was thick, dark and gravy-like. Instead of finishing the sauce with some Cognac (like I do at Thanksgiving) or Marsala, I opted for the Rastafarian route. My friend Chris just returned from Jamaica a few weeks ago and brought me back a rare Jamaican dark rum called Blackwells.
This rum is the brain child of famous record producer Chris Blackwell, the man who found and produced Bob Marley. From Reggae to Rum, Chris has transitioned smoothly. His rum is aged and as golden as some of Bob’s records. The smooth, fragrant rum has flavors of coconut, molasses, and flambeed brown sugar.
I poured about a half of a cup into my natural chicken jus and let it simmer away to incorporate the flavors. The result was a trip! The authentic, warming flavors of homemade chicken soup combined with some sweet island flare. I couldn’t wait to pour this all over my pulled thigh meat! I removed the skins from the thighs, and thinly sliced them into fine strips.
I got my hands dirty, fishing around for bones and cartilage, and successfully managed to remove everything from the succulent meat. I have never seen chicken so moist and flavorful in my life. Just to add another twist on the southern treat, I folded in a handful of torn basil leaves to the chicken meat. The combination of fragrant basil and juicy chicken was awesome, especially when I dipped a chunk into the rum laced jus. The combination of basil and coconut flavors in the rum was reminiscent of a Thai curry.
Since my baker was back at school this week, I relied on the Pillsbury Dough Boy for my baking portion of this meal. One thing I am good at is following directions on the outside of a metal tube. I sliced the warm, flaky biscuits right of the oven and adorned a half with a mound of my pulled chicken thigh meat. I went into a trance while spooning the aromatic jus over the top, watching it slowly drip down the side and become absorbed by the biscuits like a sponge. Fresh from the fridge, I topped the chicken with a heaping handful of tangy pickles and cracked open a 16oz. “tall boy” of Red Stripe Lager. The braised chicken thighs literally melted in my mouth as the Jamaican Jus kept the meat damp and flavorful. By the time I got down to the foundation biscuit, it had transformed into a sponge that tasted like a rich rum drink. “Could this be Love”, I thought as I washed down my Jamaican brew to aleve the fiery kisses of the pickled chilies. Man I can’t get enough…. kinda like Chicken & Biscuits!
On another note… my friend Leigh from Nella Pasta was selected by Daily Candy to be a finalist in a small business entrepreneur contest. Her homemade pasta company that her and her partner Rachel started about a year ago has really taken off. They focus on using all organic ingredients from LOCAL farms. If you get a chance, please vote for them here… so that their dreams of making it big can come true.
