My name’s Shannon Muir, and you can find me partnering with Gina Ruiz over on the book review site AmoXcalli; Gina of course also runs Dona Lupe’s Kitchen.  Recently one of the books I managed to get for review was Weeknights With Giada by cooking show host Giada De Laurentiis. Gina knew that I planned to try several recipes before writing my review, though AmoXcalli focuses more on readability and usability of a book versus the details of it – especially since that site primarily reviews fiction, but is open to any good books. In talking with Gina, it seemed like a good fit to document the details of the various recipes I tried and my thoughts about them specifically here at Dona Lupe’s Kitchen as  a guest blog.

WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA

Author: Giada De Laurentiis

Publisher: Random House

ISBN-10:  030745102X

ISBN-13: 978-0307451026

ASIN: B0070O8CKY

Bear in mind that I am a very novice cook compared to Gina’s wealth of experience and her great ability to cook by instinct – I had the opportunity to see this firsthand when she cooked for me while I had to be off my feet. I’ve told her I could use some cooking lessons from her.

So here’s my insight about the three dishes I personally tried from Weeknights with Giada:

1) CREPES WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM

It’s actually of Giada’s “Breakfast for Dinner” portion of the book but due to my time constraints to try recipes I really did have this one for a breakfast meal. I’d never made crepes before, and her method of getting the batter ready really proved stress free and simple without a lot of utensils. The crepe fillings are peanut butter, fresh blueberries, and strawberry or raspberry jam. For some reason I could only find raspberry preserves, and decided to go with a reduced sugar version at that. Overall I don’t think that mattered much, because these tasted great though I couldn’t really eat more than four at a sitting… two is really what’s recommended but I had so many. This was my first time making crepes and I found it even more challenging than pancakes because of the thin nature of a crepe; out of the eight I tried to make, only seven came out solid, as the first one better resembled scrambled eggs and the second split in half. Given the insides I figured these would get gooey if I cut them and dusted any sugar before I took a picture, so I took a picture of the final results with the filled crepes still whole. I really enjoyed making these and would do it again.

These are my Peanut Butter and Jam (well Preserves in my case) Crepes before cutting them in half horizontally as recommended. I still need practice on rolling crepes.

2) SPICED PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET AND SOUR GLAZE

I’ll immediately fess up to a small alteration here. Giada recommends boneless pork chops, but I forgot to write boneless down and when I got to the market, the center cut was on sale – so this recipe was actually done with center cut. It didn’t affect the flavor, but it did mean cooking two sets of chops at a time and then starting the sauce when the second set of chops cooked. My fiance’ was over visiting for the day and we actually cooked these together. The rub for the chops finds its kick in crushed red pepper which I usually stay away from and the flavor did stay with me even after I finished eating the chop.  Initially the stove was a bit hot and we slightly burned the first two chops, but the second two turned out far better. The glaze that goes with these proved the highlight of the meal with the balsamic honey taste that dominates until that red pepper takes over. Also with the other two pork chops, it made a great marinade overnight for me to have tender leftovers for lunch the next day. Despite the red pepper, I would eat these again for sure.

Here is a spiced pork chop with sweet and sour glaze... done with a center cut chop.

3) CRISPY CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY-LEMON SALT

Essentially, these are fancy chicken nuggets (made by cutting chicken tenders in pieces) coated in cornmeal and herbs and then dipped in marinara sauce. I really liked them plain and thought they had good flavor just that way. Honestly, I found it hard to understand what the flavored salt brought to the dish because lemon zest and rosemary already were in it as part of the chicken coating. Also, personally, I’m trying to cut back on sodium so I was glad the ones I tried without it tasted good too. Probably eat my leftovers tomorrow without the salt. I’d definitely make the coated tenders again though.

Crispy chicken pieces dusted with rosemary-lemon salt surrounding marinara sauce for dip

See my review at AmoXcalli for my overall thoughts of the cookbook… and perhaps I’ll be back again with more behind the scenes from other cookbooks or getting some cooking lessons from Gina!

Antojida.

I love that word. An antojo is a craving.  Being antojida means you are seriously jonesing for something yummy.  Today, for no apparent reason I got one of those completely random antojos for some chicken flautas with guacamole, sour cream, Spanish rice, and some salsa.  I was working on something, so I kept pushing off the images floating in my head till finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore.  I put down the laptop, put on my shoes, put up my hair, grabbed my handbag and ran out the door.  Grocery list?  Pfft.  I knew exactly what I wanted.

• Chicken
• Tortillas
• Chipotles en escabeche
• chiles gueritos
• tomatoes
• avocados
• fresh thyme
• sour cream

I ran into the market (I do everything fast) and grabbed one of those little hand baskets.  I was in and out of the market in ten minutes and home in another five.  I did notice it was a gorgeous day in Southern California, but I didn’t linger to enjoy it.  I was on a flauta mission.  I couldn’t make up my mind which salsa I wanted more, so I made them both.

For the flautas:

Boil the chicken with sprigs of fresh thyme, two cloves of garlic, a quarter of an onion and some sea salt to taste.  Today, I used breast filets rather than a whole chicken because I was in a hurry.

Once the chicken is cooked, pull out the pieces and let cool.  Once cool, shred into strips.  Reserve the cooking liquid/broth.

Heat corn tortillas right over the flame or on a comal (griddle).  They won’t roll if they are cold.

Fill a heavy skillet half way with cooking oil and heat on medium.

Add some of the shredded chicken.  Not too much or your flautas will be unwieldy and too thick.  Think flute-like and elegant.  That’s what flauta means – flute.  Roll the tortilla up tight.  You can use toothpicks to hold them together.  I don’t. I use tongs and put them directly into the hot oil, one at a time.

Let the flautas brown completely on both sides until the tortilla is golden brown and crip.

Drain on a plate with paper towels to absorb the oil.

Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and rice.

They look mild, but they are HOT!

For the salsa de chile guerito:

4 chile gueritos (yellow chiles)

2 cloves of garlic

4 Roma tomatoes

1/4 of an onion

salt to taste

cilantro

Boil the chiles, onion, garlic and tomatoes in a heavy sauce pan until very soft.  Keep in mind that yellow chiles are HOT.  They look mild, but don’t let that pale yellow color fool you.  If you don’t like heat, dial it back and use two chiles instead of the four I use.

Strain and cool, reserving the water.

Peel the tomatoes and chiles.

In a molcajete (blenders make it foamy and the texture is all wrong so if you don’t have a molcajete, try a potato ricer), crush the chiles, onions, tomatoes, and garlic until you have a smooth yet rather chunky mixtures.  Add in some of the water that the chiles cooked in until you get the consistency you want.

Add salt to taste (alternatively use Knorr Pollo) and cilantro leaves.

Salsa de chile guerito

For the salsa de chipotle con lima (Chipotle salsa with lime):

1 can of chipotles in escabeche

cilantro

chicken broth

salt to taste

two cooked chile gueritos

two cooked Roma tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

juice of fresh limes (about 1/8 cup)

Peel the cooked tomatoes and chiles and crush in a molcajete or using a potato ricer.  Pour into a bowl, adding the minced garlic.  In the molcajete, crush the canned chipotles until you have a thick paste.  Add that into the bowl with the tomatoes and chiles, using some chicken broth to thin it out a little.  Add salt to taste and some fresh cilantro (about a handful). Add the lime juice and stir to mix well.

Hot, smoky, tangy and oh so yum!

For the guacamole:

This is super simple guacamole.  The purist kind.  All you do is mash avocados and put them into a bowl.  You don’t want any other flavorings, not even salt.  The salsas you serve and the chicken itself will provide lots of flavor so leave the avocado pure.  That’s it!

Time to dig in!

]]> http://donalupeskitchen.com/2011/12/chicken-flautas-with-two-kinds-of-salsa/feed/ 0 http://donalupeskitchen.com/2011/07/chicken-tostadas/ http://donalupeskitchen.com/2011/07/chicken-tostadas/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:53:04 +0000 Gina Ruiz http://donalupeskitchen.com/?p=988

It’s been crazy hot here in L.A., but that’s usual for July. My meals have been light, cold, crunchy and not cooked. Things like tostadas de atun, sandwiches, fruit or even ice cream have made their way onto my table. I had the ice cream for breakfast one particularly hot day. Hey, there’s milk in it! Don’t judge me.

Today, finally the heat broke and I wanted real food. Something that wasn’t too much trouble but also satisfying. I was craving Mexican food. Wandering round the kitchen I spotted a half of a package of *pre-made tostada shells left over from the ceviche the other day and my mouth watered thinking about the tostadas my grandmother would make. I found already cooked beans, boiled some boneless, skinless chicken with some herbs, onion and garlic then shredded it and I had the makings for tostadas.

Before too long, I served up plates of tostadas to everyone and the happy crunches made me smile. Not my grandmother’s tostadas, because we were out of a thing or two, but delicious all the same.

Chicken and Bean Tostadas

Shredded chicken
Grated cheese
Shredded lettuce
Chopped chiles gueritos
Diced tomatoes
Diced onions
Re-fried beans (por favor, not out of a can)
Tostada shells
Tapatio sauce or other hot sauce

Spread the beans over the tostada shell and sprinkle with cheese. Top with chicken then start piling on the rest. I usually put tons of toppings in bowls so that everyone can pick out what they like and make them Lucha Libre style. We like to put cheese on the hot beans so it melts and then top them off with more cheese. You can add any other ingredients you like, e.g., avocado slices, sour cream, cilantro, different types of chiles, salsa, etc. Go wild!

*If it hadn’t been July in L.A. After a long, hot week I would have fried the tostada shells myself but thank God I live in a neighborhood that has great tortillas and tostada shells that taste homemade because the market has a tortilleria in it.

My oldest son Albert is a fiend for my fried chicken.  He’s probably gonna scream and holler on the phone at me, but I call him Nano.  I never call him Albert even though he’s trained the rest of the family to do so.  He was a tiny preemie baby, nothing like the huge beast he is now and we called him Nanito, the nickname his father’s family dubbed him with the day he was born because he was so tiny.  The name stuck, he’s been Nano or Nanito ever since and he HATES it.  I can’t help it though, he’s still my baby boy that I’d do just about anything for.

Growing up, he was always asking me for fried chicken, coleslaw and mashed potatoes or my hamburgers.  When he moved to San Diego where he was stationed in the Navy, he’d occasionally show up with a pack of big Navy guys all ravenously hungry, hand me some money and ask me to make my fried chicken for his friends.  I never said no.  When he married, he asked me to teach his new wife how to make it and that didn’t go over so well, so he just had me make piles of it and he and his brother ate it all in one day.

Nano is a big old beast now - I'm sure it's partly because of the chicken

With all the health problems I’ve had over the past year and a half, I’m not eating much in the way of fried foods.  I’d mostly given it up before getting ill, but a serious illness then a gall bladder removal really have me vigilant about what I eat and how I prepare it.  Fried chicken hasn’t been on my menu in a couple of years.

I had planned on doing a chicken salad today with the fresh chicken my roommate David brought home but he asked if I wouldn’t mind changing the menu to fried chicken.  I considered and figured I might as well do him a favor and make it.  Once in a great while is okay, right?  Yeah I talked myself into it and he totally twisted my arm.  I’m laughing at myself as I write this.

I don’t know how other people make fried chicken.  The only kind I had when I was growing up was Kentucky Fried or the Mexican Pollo Frito en Salsa de Cacahuate that I make on occasion.  It wasn’t until I married that I attempted it.  The recipes I tried, I didn’t really like so I fiddled with stuff and came up with my own way.  It’s simple, tasty and the batter is light and crunchy.  Best of all, my boy loves it.  It was a hit tonight too.

Nano’s Fried Chicken

1 large chicken, cut into pieces, trimmed, washed and patted dry
Olive oil
2 cups of flour, plus 1 cup
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp Knorr Suissa
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash allspice
3 eggs
2 tbsp buttermilk

In a medium sized bowl, mix together two cups of sifted flour with the paprika, Knorr Suissa, allspice salt and pepper, making sure its well blended.  In another bowl beat the eggs with the buttermilk and in the third bowl add the plain flour.

In a large cast iron skillet add enough olive oil to fry the chicken in.  I typically fill the pan halfway.  Heat on medium flame.

Salt the chicken lightly and then dredge first in the plain flour, next the egg mixture coating the chicken completely and finally the seasoned flour.

Carefully add in the chicken one piece at a time into the hot oil.  Fry for about 15 minutes on each side till golden brown on medium, then lower the flame and let the chicken cook another 10-15 minutes to ensure it’s cooked through.

Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels or brown paper.

That’s it!  Simple but it takes a little care, watch to make sure the chicken isn’t getting too dark, don’t keep turning it or your crust will fall off and make sure it’s cooked through.

Buen provecho!

Chicken Enchiladas with Peas, Almonds and Raisins
My grandmother Lupe was famous for her cooking in our neighborhood.  Even within our family of excellent cooks, she stood out and everyone loved her cooking.  Today at the hospital, I saw two of my mother’s cousins 2nd cousins, Angie and Louise whom I hadn’t seen in years and they were talking about the enchiladas she made with chicken, almonds, raisins and peas.  I has almost forgotten about those.
The enchiladas are made with shredded chicken, jack cheese, slivered almonds, raisins and fresh peas.  The chile is red, smokey and the perfect compliment to the mild flavors of the filling.  I know it sounds odd, but they were delicious enchiladas and ones that everyone talked about for days after eating them for how unusual and good they were.  She would do some with corn tortillas and some with flour tortillas.  I liked the ones done with flour tortillas especially because they simply melted in my mouth.
Grandma Lupe’s Enchiladas with Almonds, Peas and Raisins
2 pounds of shredded chickentortillas (corn or flour or both if you like)oilred chile sauce (see recipe below)1 cup of slivered almonds1 cup of raisins2 cups of fresh shelled peas 1 onion diced1 pound of jack cheese
Fry the tortillas in hot oil until softened on both sides, and set aside.
Dredge a tortilla in the red chile sauce, fill it with chicken, cheese, a sprinkle of almonds, peas, raisins and diced onion then roll it and place into a baking dish.
Repeat until all your chicken or tortillas are used up, top the enchiladas with more of the cheese and sauce, bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.
Serve.
Red Chile Sauce for Enchiladas
1 packet powdered chile California1 bay leafflourchicken broth

Brown about two tablespoons of flour in a cast iron skillet, add the packet of powdered chile California and the bay leaf, slowly add in the chicken broth whisking the mixture constantly so it doesn’t clump up.  It’s almost like making gravy.  You don’t want it too thick, just a velvety sauce so if it appears too thick, add in more broth.

Arroz con pollo

delicioso!

Today, Marissa and the kids came by and I decided to give it a shot.  I pulled out rice, onions, garlic, red peppers, the Bijol (a Mexican spice blend), saffron and oregano.  I didn’t have peas but Marissa doesn’t like them anyway, so I figured we were good to go.

I handed Marissa the camera and got to work chopping onion into nice thick squares, slivers of garlic, rounds of red pepper.  Jasmine and Aiden started to get excited and Aiden helped pour out the oregano.  I only know my grandmother’s recipe, which is no recipe – it’s a handful of this, a bit of that, un poquito aqui, un manito aya.  I hope my readers can figure it out from the pictures and the story because this time, this time it was like my memories of a fluffy mound of golden delicately flavored rice that melted on the tongue and the tenderest, chicken falling off the bone and flavored with the soul of the crocus.  It was magical.

Arroz con pollo/Chicken with rice

One cut up chicken
Enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large frying pan
1 onion
five cloves of garlice, sliced thinly
chopped red peppers (not the hot kind)
dos manotes de arroz (two big handfuls of rice)
a manito (little handful of oregano) I think this ended up being about a tablespoon
un poquito de saffron (a little bit of saffron) like a pinch
un poquito de Bijol (about a ¼ tsp)
salt and pepper to taste
peas (optional)
chopped tomatoes (we were out of fresh so I used a 16 oz can of stewed)
water

Coat the frying pan with olive oil and let it heat on the stove.  Not too high a flame, you don’t want smoking oil.  Just get it nice and hot.

Wash the chicken pieces and pat them dry.  Season with salt and cracked pepper.

Add the chicken to hot oil and let fry till crispy brown on one side, then turn and do the same with the other side.  It takes as long as it takes.  Use a lid or it will pop all over.

Once the chicken is browned completely, scoop it out and set it aside on a platter.

Drain the oil from that pan and pour it into another large skillet (one that has a tight fitting lid).

Add the oregano, garlic, saffron, and peppers to the same pan and deglaze it with about a cup of water.  Set that aside.

Heat up the oil in the second skillet.  Add in the onions and about two cups of long grain rice and let brown completely, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

When it’s all browned, add the water and spices from the deglazed pan to the rice. Add salt to taste, I’d say about a teaspoon.

Add the chicken pieces one by one, skin side up around the pan.  Add just enough water to be about a half inch from the top of the pan.  Cover, lower flame to the lowest it will go and then simmer for about 40 minutes.  The rice should be fluffy and golden and the chicken so tender it falls apart at the touch of a fork.  All the water should have been absorbed by the rice.

Serve and enjoy!

Buen provecho.