Tag: Mama D’s Kitchen of love

Mama D’s Meatloaf Adventure of Love

The new chapter of my life is very food-centric. I’m following my passion for cooking and  beginning the journey to share it with the world. In order to share Mama D’s Kitchen with the world and get paid for it, I need to have a menu. The menu needs to have a variety of items that are consistently delicious and full of Love.

I’m all about comfort food. There are few foods in the comfort category that sound like home and unfortunately taste like boring more than meatloaf. The Kitchen of Love has become meatloaf central, because comforting, delicious, and exciting meatloaf is what Mama D wants to make.  So it begins…Research and Development.

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The first experiment was Italian Meatloaf. This was made with equal parts of Sweet Italian Sausage and Ground Chicken. Onions and garlic, Italian breadcrumbs for binding, and Parmesan cheese for flavor rounded out the ingredients.DIGITAL CAMERA

The individual loaves were served with a spicy tomato sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

I shared this with friends and family, even providing a brief survey.  Response was wonderful. This one is  keeper.

Next I tried a traditional version of meatloaf. This version used equal parts of beef and pork. Lots of onions, Montreal Seasoning, and Panko bread crumbs were the foundation.        DIGITAL CAMERAThe individual loaves were topped with a Sweet and Hot Ketchup.  While everyone liked it, it felt a little too much like something they could make themselves. So, tasty though it was this incarnation will not be on Mama D’s menu. At least not until it is tweaked to the correct level of Love.

 

Tha latest meatloaf is a Bacon cheeseburger Delight.  On the healthy scale, light it’s not, with a pound of bacon and an obscene amount of canned fried onions blended into the ground beef. This smells and tastes like a diner cheeseburger, in a good way, of course.        I served it with ketchup, but I have plans to try  a guacamole sauce as a garnish.DIGITAL CAMERARemember this is R & D so things are still in progress.

I think I’m on to something with the mini loaves. The portion size seems just about right. Everyone gets 2 crispy ends which for many of us is the best part of meatloaf. They cook quickly and freeze easily. They also look cute sitting on the plate. Just imagine when they are joined by delectable sides.

There are more meatloaf ideas in Mama D’s Kitchen of Love. Coming soon; Turkey, Daddy’s Meatball, and Vegetarian. I open this up to you as well, dear reader. What kind of meatloaf  do you like? Let me know. Let’s share the love.

A Night in Tuscany

I’ve never been to Italy. Someday (?) I hope to visit. In the meantime, I can experience the flavors of Italy in Mama D’s Kitchen…and her backyard.

The showpiece of the meal was the Il Galletto Al Mattone or Chicken Cooked Under a Brick .That is the literal preparation. Chicken is grilled with a brick on top of it. The brick weighs down the chicken and creates a crisp skin and juicy meat. Usually a whole chicken is prepared, but we did it with bone in chicken breasts.  It was simply seasoned with fresh herb salt(rosemary, sage, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sea salt). Foil wrapped pavers were positioned (with quite a bit of engineering) on the breasts. Visions of my last mammogram came to mind, but I digress. Then the grill and the bricks did the work. 

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We had an Italian side dish that actually came from Italy. We had Farro. This is an ancient grain that is grown in Italy and is now being exported to the rest of the world. If oats and barley had a love child the result would taste a lot like Farro, but it would look more like barley. This grain from the wheat family has been a staple of Italian diets  for centuries. While it has gluten the amount is slightly less than its American cousin.

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I had been noticing lots of recipes using Farro. The side dishes and salads sounded wonderful, so I set out to find this new old grain. I checked the grain section of every grocery store that I went in to no avail. I turned to the internet and found that Fruitful Yield carried it. They however were sold out…so I asked to be put on a waiting list, for Farro.

I put my dream of a romantic Italian dinner on hold and went to Meijer to do the mundane grocery shopping for the week. As I cruised past the grain section, lo and behold there on the top shelf was a bag of Farro. It was right next to the red quinoa.  I’d be willing to swear that neither were there the week before, but I have no proof. So I bought the Farro and giddily brought it home. A Night in Tuscany was back on the calendar.

So the bricks and grill were cooking the chicken and I was cooking the Farro. Like rice it cooks in water but uncovered. I kicked the cooking liquid up by using chicken stock, garlic and the usual suspects of an Italian herb cabinet. Once it was cooked, I tossed it with chopped plum tomatoes, fresh mozzarella pearls, and fresh basil. It was simply dressed with olive oil. I served it at room temperature but I think it would be good warm or cold as well.

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No Tuscan dinner would be complete without a Tuscan inspired wine. We had no Brunello, but we had a nice bottle of Sangiovese. Brunello is related to Sangiovese, which is the primary grape  in Chianti. So a California Sangiovese was a poor woman’s choice to grace the Tuscan table.

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After diner we enjoyed the early fall evening  with a fire in the pit and a little more wine.   We gazed at the stars, and planned our trip to Tuscany…whenever that may happen.

 

Are Chicken Thighs the New Breasts?

For years, chicken breasts have been the darling of cooks both on and off diets. They are nutritious, low in fat, and can be cooked in almost limitless ways. Price wise they are generally a bargain even if they are not on sale because there is little or no waste.  Chicken breasts for all their sterling merits, do have a few drawbacks. They are easily overcooked and this can result in a dry, tough, and less than appetizing results. 

20130625_172131 (1)Brined and Grilled Chicken Breast

As I shared  in a previous entry, I had all but given up grilling B.S (this is just an innocent abbreviation not a comment or reference to my subject) chicken breasts because of that overcooking issue until I discovered brining, that is. I  have however, continued to happily cook them indoors.  Sauteing, baking, even in soups and chilis, they are my go to protein.

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Lately, I’ve noticed there is a new B.S. Chicken part showing up in recipes . That would be chicken Thighs. I’ve even seen articles in cooking magazines about them.  How could this be? I ,who have always been a white meat kind of gal , have started to use B.S thighs in mycooking and more amazing still, I like it.  B.S  Chicken parts can co-exist in my kitchen . I usually use them in different preparations. The results are not always to my liking, but since this is all about the adventures of cooking I am bravely continuing to experiment. I like them best  in more highly seasoned dishes and I think they benefit from some serious browning with or without dredging.

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Tuscan Garlic Chicken Thighs

There is one place where I’ve found them to be exceptional and that is grilling. They stand up to the flame and that is something their breast brethren can’t always do (unless they’ve been brined).  Another grill plus for thighs is that they can hold their own with intense and spicy flavors. Thighs have a stronger chicken flavor that comes through even when the heat and spice is on.DIGITAL CAMERA            Grilled Chicken Thighs with an Orange Marmelade, Rice Wine Vinegar, and

Rosemary Glaze

Nutritionally,  calorie counts are almost identical for breasts and thighs (approximately 110 calories per 4 ounce serving). Thighs have slightly more fat , saturated fat, and cholesterol than breasts, but if you subscribe to the everything in moderation adage, eating them occasionally will not unbalance a healthy diet.

Where did that come from?

I do, however agree with Oscar Wilde,

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.”

 

 

The Labor Day Weekend (food) Show

Friday: The weekend started officially at 5:00PM with wine and a rain storm…Dinner was an indoor affair (by plan). I tried a new chicken dish with flavors of Tuscany and a nod to Chicken Vesuvio.DIGITAL CAMERA  Boneless skinless chicken thighs were browned in olive oil and set aside to keep warm.   Thickly sliced Klondike Rose potatoes were browned on both sides in a process that took an inordinate amount of time and required another glass of wine. Fresh rosemary, oregano and garlic were added along with some white wine and chicken broth . Everything was allowed to get happy over low heat and at the end some peas were added for color and the suggestion of a vegetable.  It was tasty and the wine pairing of an Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi worked well.

 Saturday:  In the spirit of the holiday, we had an All American Dinner of steak, baked potato, and salad. The steaks were Petite Sirloin from Meijer on sale for $4.99 a pound.011These have become the steak of choice lately. They are consistently tender and usually can be found in 6-8 ounce portions. We served it with carmelized r ed and white onions and baked potato topped with bacon and blue cheese. The salad featured butter lettuce, mini heirloom tomatoes and orange bell pepper. The dressing was Creamy  Lemon & Herb. 010 We had a bottle of 2010 Louis Martini Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. This big wine stood up to the steak but was pleasant on the palate.

 

 

Sunday: We did a fair amount of housework, including harvesting  our Cascade Hops (best crop yet thanks to the oddly  perfect weather conditions this summer.) We decided to reward ourselves by making a trip to the Village Vintner in Algonquin. This place has according to their tee-shirts “great beer, better wine, fantastic food”.  We tend to agree with that description (we are members of the Growler Club). 022 We had Spinach Artichoke Dip and Beef Brisket Quesadillas accompanied by a bottle of their awesome Zinfandel. We once again turned to the grill for dinner. Country Pork Ribs :love factor homemade Maple Barbecue Sauce,  Grill Roasted Baby Potatoes and Pearl Onions with a love factor of Rosemary Infused Olive Oil, and Grilled Brussels Sprouts with the Undisputed Queen of Love Factors, Pepper Bacon.048

Nothing very fancy, but very flavorful and satisfying oh and did I mention it was damn near overflowing with LOVE.

 

 

“Come Monday”: “ It’ll be all right” to use some of the leftovers from earlier in the weekend. We had steak and pork ribs left and feeling inspired by the Brisket Qesadillas from Village Vintner, we decide to make some quesadillas of our own.

I thinly sliced the meat and folded it with the rest of the carmelized onions into tortillas. I added some Habenero Jack and Cheddar Cheese. We grilled them and topped them with homemade guacamole and salsa. Quite tasty.DIGITAL CAMERA

So that was my Labor Day Weekend.  As the weekend winds down so do my creative writing juices.  It’s time to post this and get ready for a new week of food adventures. My weekend  was fun filled.I hope yours was, too.

What Is It About Basil? (part 2)

DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve talked about basil at length before, but I love this herb enough to do it one more time. As the summer moves on, the basil gets bigger and more fragrant. The flowers haven’t quite started yet, but the leaves are getting more fragrant and just stepping in the yard reveals a hint of the smell (if your mind is feeling right). We are still using it in a variety of recipes, but the time for Pesto making is drawing near.

I will be the first to admit that Pesto is an acquired taste. For me, I love the smell, texture, and taste of pesto. My digestive system, however, has issues….it gives me heartburn. I was faced with the quandary of how to enjoy Pesto, but not have to pay the price afterwards. I experimented with a few ideas and finally came up with what, for me, is the perfect solution: Roasted Garlic Pesto.

My interpretation of the classic Genovese recipe uses the usual gallery of ingredients, I just treat them a little differently.

First there’s the garlic. Most recipes call for several cloves of raw garlic which will send my digestive juices to a very ugly place. I opt to take a whole head (yes, a whole head) whack off the top, drizzle it  with olive oil, wrap it in foil, and stick it in the oven (350 degrees)until it gives off a sweet garlic aroma which can take 30 – 40 minutes.

While that’s happening, I like to toast the pine nuts. This is usually about 3 ounces of raw nuts. I toast them on top of the stove until they are lightly golden and smell, well, like pine trees( yes, they  are aptly named).

Basil and parsley in about a 4 to 1 ratio are combined in the processor with the garlic and pine nuts. They are processed until they are of a medium texture.  I drizzle in the olive oil until a  chunky paste forms.

No Pesto is complete without cheese. I use Pecorino Romano. This is a pungent sheep’s milk cheese, that has a slightly creamier texture than Parmesan. It is the cheese that I grew up with.  We would buy it by the half wheel and grind it in our Mouli Grater.te4867a If you haven’t tried this cheese, I would encourage you to give it a shot.  Another plus, it’s about half the price Parmagiano Reggiano.

So, I use about 3/4 of a cup of the grated cheese. This is added to the paste in the processor. Everything is blended until the paste is slightly chunky  (more olive oil can be added at this point if it seems like it’s dry) with a creamy look.

It is now ready to use in your favoite recipe or it can also be frozen in 1/4 to 1/3 cup portions for future uses that will keep for up to 6 months in freezer tolerant packaging.

Pasta and Pesto go together like Laurel and Hardy. It is wonderful on Fetuccinni or Liguine (mixed with a little heavy cream or even some red sauce). It can top fish or chicken, even a grilled steak would be happy to have it as its crowning glory.

One of my favorite ways to use it is in a Pesto Pasta Salad.Pesto Pasta Salad  I use Farfalle or Cavatapi pasta because it has lots of nooks and cranies to hold the Pesto. I toss the cooked pasta lightly with olive oil, then add the pesto a little at a time until the pasta is nicely coated. This can be served at room temperature or it can be chilled. The chilling lets the flavors get to know each other, but may require a little milk or olive oil to moisten it before serving.

So, Pesto –  the recipe isn’t an exact one, but that allows for indivdual interpretation. I hope you will find your own perfect Pesto recipe. Let me know what it is.