quick – THE DUDE OF FOOD

Did someone say Cacciatore?

The old adage about ‘nice guys finish last’ comes to us from the world of baseball by Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher in 1946. In the cooking world it’s a bit different as a nice dish can finish first and be very popular. Having just returned from 2 weeks of hell in the Pacific Northwest I was craving a nice, easy home cooked meal and decided a chicken cacciatore style plate is what I’d like to eat to bring some joy back into my life.

Many things in life start with desire and once I set my mind on this plate it was easy to pull together.

Sauce is a big part of a pasta dish and making a good one from scratch usually takes the better part of a day or a second day to have it set right. I decided to cut corners and use Private Selection sauce made in Italy and distributed by Kroger of Cincinnati. I actually used 2 jars of sauce. The first jar was Porcini Arrabbiata and the second jar was Tomato and Black Truffle.

Below is the simple ingredient list and procedure for preparation.

Kroger Private Reserve sauce – 2 jars
1 Porcini Arrabbiata and 1 Tomato Black Truffle
1 chopped yellow onion
6 chopped garlic cloves
1 tray of rubbed chicken: 8 legs
salt
pepper

Mushrooms, grated carrots, celery, olives or any other favorites are ingredients that could also be added to this dish.

Start by chopping up the onion and garlic. Put a small amount of wine in a pan and warm. Once the wine has warmed and the alcohol will lift. Then add a little olive oil into the pan with a touch of butter and salt and the onions. Simmer the onions on low to medium heat. When the onions begin the clear up add the garlic and let them warm up. Once the garlic has had a chance to expand and begin to release its flavor it’s time to add the 2 jars of sauce. Stir, cover and let simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

As the sauce does its magic it is time to start heating the rubbed chicken. Get another pan and add a small amount of olive oil and a touch of water and heat. As the pan heats add the 8 rubbed chicken legs, lightly salt and cover. Pan fry the chicken on stove top over low to medium heat. You are trying to heat the chicken thoroughly but not overcook or dry out. Low and slow is the way of the heat.

Time to check the sauce and stir.

Next add a pot of water to the stove top to boil the pasta and begin to heat. Salt can be added to this water if you salt your pasta water. Some folks do.
Boil enough water for 1lb of fettuccine or your favorite noodle shape.

Now you have all the moving parts working and it’s time to clean up as you monitor and stir the heating pans.

The noodles will be ready first. Drain the pasta and add a little of the starch water to the sauce. Cover the drained noodles and let sit.

Once the sauce has simmered enough to be considered ready and the chicken is cooked enough to eat turn all of the heat off and prepare to plate these items.

Start by adding a lump of pasta in plate center.
Surround pasta lump with chicken legs.
Scoop sauce over noodles with plenty for the chicken too.
Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese and serve.

Bon appetit.

Easy 1 pot Chicken with Mushroom Rice

Ingredients:

1 six pack of your favorite beer or 1 bottle of favorite wine
1 cup rice
6 chicken thighs
8 oz tub of diced baby bella mushrooms 
1/4 onion
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon minced garlic or 2 chopped garlic cloves
Olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
  1 cup heavy cream - optional
  chopped parsley - optional
  1 cup peas - optional
Salt and black pepper
Herbs  (thyme, sage, tarragon, rosemary, paprika)

Preparation:

Pour your favorite beverage into a glass and collect your ingredients including pans and utensils. Remember to pick a pan large enough to hold everything at the end as we’re doing 1 pot style.

Open the package of chicken and individually rinse each piece in cold water and dry with a paper towel.

Season your chicken with salt, black pepper, herb mix. Some folks put everything in a bag and shake the dried chicken in the bag. Dealers choice here but if your chicken isn’t dry it just makes a mess. I prefer the sprinkle on both sides method. Also don’t neglect your drink. Your beer might be getting warm.

Pour enough olive oil to barely or lightly cover surface of pan and heat on medium-high heat. When
oil is hot, carefully place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the hot oil and leave to fry for roughly
5 – 6 minutes. The chicken skin should not stick to the pan if cooked right. Flip and continue to fry
on the other side for another 4 – 5 minutes. Both sides should be lightly crisped.

Remove seared chicken from oil, letting the oil drip back in pan, cover and set aside for now. Do not refrigerate the chicken. Now is a good time to sip your drink or refill if needed. I always keep my beer close so I am easily reminded.

Turn the heat down just a bit and in the still hot and now empty oiled chicken pan add garlic, butter, parsley and onions and simmer for 6 minutes or so. If adding peas add them now too. Still frozen is OK but I prefer if the peas have sat out on the counter for a bit and thawed. Once the peas have simmered for a couple minutes you can add the mushrooms and continue to simmer until the onions are soft and
nearly clear.

Add washed rice on top of the simmering veggies and stir. After the heat has toasted the rice for a couple minutes pour chicken stock into the mix. The thing to do is de-glaze the pan as you stir in the added stock to the rice by giving it a gentle stir. Remember not to scrape metal spoons on pan bottoms when stirring. Use a wooden spoon to stir. I try not to use plastic utensils although I have a good one just in case.

After about 10 minutes or so place the chicken on top of the steaming rice in the pan and reduce the heat. Now would be when you would add the heavy cream if choosing to do so. Let the whole thing simmer together for another 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is soft. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top, stir, cover and let sit for a couple more minutes while you top off your drinks.

Darned good.
Enjoy,
the Dude of Food

Champion Breakfast Sandwich

Roast Beef with Tomato, Egg and Cheese is tasty.

Toast some bread in the toaster. While it’s toasting heat up a pan for some sliced roast beef. When the toast pops, spread mayo on the bread and add some sliced cheese on one side and some sliced tomato on the other. When the pan gets warmed up, put some sliced roast beef in it and heat it for a minute then flip it and heat the other side for a minute. When the roast beef is warmed up stack it on top of the cheese that’s on the bread. Then while the pan is still hot cook a scrambled egg in it and put the egg on the sandwich too. It is delicious, easy to make and gives you a great start to the day.

Buddhist Delight Stir Fry

Easy. Quick. Delicious.

Take the bok choy, grape tomatoes, broccoli, green or white onion and other desired veggies from the fridge, wash and dice to desired size. I like the bok choy whole so I don’t bother chopping it or the tomatoes, but please yourself.

Put some olive oil in a pan with some soy or teriyaki sauce over medium heat.

Add veggies and cover, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and promote even heating. Cook for 10- 15 minutes depending on heat level.

When it looks ready to eat, scoop a heap on a plate over some warm rice and serve. For a lovely extra flavor, stir in drained pineapple chunks to the pan about 5 minutes before removing from heat.

Sit. Eat. Enjoy. Be happy.