Chicken Paella, Andalusian Style

Paella is powerful dish. The kind of dish who’s deep flavors and traditions have the ability to transport you to another world or time. Each bite connects you with the long history of humanity, like the smoky voice of passionate flamenco singer. It can seduce you into a wild love affair with its exotic spices and complexities. Ok, enough with the dramatic hyperbole. It’s yummy and deeply satisfying.

Chicken Paella

7 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp slivered blanched almonds
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced parsley
¼ teaspoon crumbled thread saffron
¼ cup dry sherry or white wine
1 chicken, cut into pieces
5 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bay leaf
¼ lb smoked sausage, sliced into coins
28 oz can whole stewed tomatoes
1 ½ Cup sliced mushrooms
2 ½ cup Arborio rice

Serves 6-8

In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and sauté the almonds and garlic until golden. Transfer to a food processor, add the parsley and saffron, and process to a paste. Stir in the sherry.

Cut the chicken into 2 inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper

Pour the broth into a sauce pan to keep warm over the lowest heat.

Preheat the oven to 400°

Heat the remaining 6 tablespoons oil in a paella pan measuring 18 inches wide. Sauté the chicken over high heat for 5 minutes browning the chicken. Remove to a platter. Reduce the heat and add the onion, green pepper, bay leaf and sausage, and sauté until the onion and pepper are slightly softened. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, and sauté 5 minutes more

Stir in the rice, coating well with the man mixture. Pour in the hot broth and bring to a boil. Add the almond mixture, taste for salt and continue to boil, stirring and rotating the pan occasionally. Add the chicken pieces and any juices from the platter.

Cook uncovered, until the rice is almost al dente, then place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes until the rice is cooked to taste. If you like peas in your paella add them when the paella comes out of the oven. They will come to heat and maintain their bright green color.

This recipe comes from the classic cookbook: Paella! By Penelope Casas. I recommend this book to any cooks library.

A Tale Two Pâtés

Chicken liver pâté can be a lonely item on a buffet. Even I, as an adventurous eater would often pass over the pâté for safer conquests of mini quiches and cheese straws, but a few years ago emboldened with a glass of pinot I jumped head first into the world of pâtés and I’ve never looked back.


Chicken Liver Mousse

1lb fresh chicken livers
1 Cup cold unsalted butter
2 small shallots, chopped
4 tbsp brandy
1tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Pick over the livers, removing the stringy bits. In a large saucepan, melt 1tbsp butter over medium-high heat, add chopped shallots, and sauté about 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add livers and cook just until they lighten on the outside, a scant minute per side. Pour brandy over livers and tilt pan so the brandy pools in one corner. Ignite brandy, allowing flames to swirl over the pan’s edge. Flambé livers, shaking the pan for about a minute, then immediately transfer livers and brandy into a food processor. (livers will still be undercooked; the hot liquid will finish cooking them.) Add salt, pepper and process until smooth. Press the mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Cover and chill overnight.

In a separate bowl, beat remaining cold butter with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Beat in a quarter of the liver mousse at time, scraping the bowl frequently. Transfer mousse to ½ cup ramekins and chill, covered, until ready to serve. Makes about 2 cups. This recipe originally came from Robert Reynolds and was published in Portland Monthly: November 2008.

Porcini and Pecan Pâté


1 Cup pecans

½ Cup dried porcini mushrooms

1 Cup boiling water

½ lb Portobello mushrooms, stemmed

2 tbsp tamari

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ tbsp. nutritional yeast

½ fresh lemon, juiced

1 tsp chopped rosemary

1 tsp light miso

2 dry-packed sun-dried tomato halves

Salt


Put the pecans in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a small heatproof bowl, cover the porcini with the boiling water and let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Rub the porcini to remove grit; transfer them to a small bowl. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Cut the Portobello caps in half and, with a sharp paring knife, trim off the dark gills on the underside of each one. Slice the caps into ¼-inch-thick pieces.

In a bowl, whisk together the tamari, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, rosemary and miso. Add the sliced portobellos and toss to coat thoroughly. Let stand for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

In a small saucepan, combine the soaked porcini and sun-dried tomatoes. Slowly pour in the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit at the boil, cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are tender, about 4 minutes.

Drain the pecans and transfer them to a food processor. With a slotted spoon, transfer the porcini marinated portobelos, and tomatoes to the processor; puree to a coarse paste, adding about 14cup of the porcini cooking liquid. Add a little more of the porcini liquid if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt.

Chill overnight.

The Perfect Pear

In my opinion cocktails fall into a three categories; booze, magical combinations and life imitating art. Here is what I mean. A good example of a booze cocktail is a Sazerac were the primary flavor of the cocktail is the whiskey. In the magical combination category I think of a lavender gin gimlet, were the lavender and lime bring out unique flavors in the gin. The third category brings together ingredients in order to duplicate something in nature and sometimes hides the flavor of the alcohol. A good example of this type of cocktail is a lemon drop.

The Perfect Pear cocktail falls deeply into the “life imitating art” category. Sipping this cocktail is like closing your eyes and biting into a cold juicy Bartlet pear with the juice filling your mouth and dripping down your chin. Well, hopefully not dripping down your chin, but you know what I mean.

The Perfect Pear

1.5 oz pear brandy

1oz triple sec

.5 oz lemon juice

2 oz pear nectar

Shake.

Side note: I had the opportunity to go to the Clear Creek Distillery to purchase the pear brandy. While I was there I got to taste their new Doulas Fir eau de vie. I was looking forward to it because it reminded me of the Douglas Fir Branch Water this artist used to bring into the Heathman. After talking with the taster, I learned this eau de vie is in fact based on the branch water Dennis l Cunningham makes and they even had some of his art hanging on the wall in the tasting room. Small world…

Apple Tartlet

When I’m planning a dinner party I always like dreaming up a desert. Unfortunately I don’t always have time to whip something up. I tend to like desserts that involve lots of complicated steps, so sometimes a quick and simple dessert is great to have in the repertoire. This one has a lovely combination of tart apples and buttery puff pastry. To finish it off I spooned a little caramel over each of the tarts. This apple tartlet was the perfect end to a great Sunday dinner.

5 Granny Smith apples diced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter

1 package puff pastry
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375.
Sauté the apples with the cinnamon and sugar in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once they are tender set them aside to cool. Roll out the puff pastry and cut out 6” circles. Place the puff pastry in molds and fill each with two tablespoons of the apple filling. Brush the pastry edges with egg wash and bake till golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Rediscovering Gravlax

Gravlax is a uniquely Scandinavian take on Salmon. It’s tender, sweet and lightly spice cured. Gravlax can be hard to categorize. The fish is not smokey or salty enough to be called salt cured. Nor is the fish cooked, but it can’t be mistaken as raw.

Kenny and Zukes has incredible house cured Gravlax. A few weeks ago, Nick picked some up on our way up to the cabin. The next morning we had great bagels with the best gravlax I’ve ever had. Since then it’s been bagels every weekend.

Isreali Couscous with Butternut Squash

This week is all about fall. On Sunday I made roast duck with a pomegranate reduction, and when Peter and I were planning dinner we came up with this great side dish. Israeli couscous has quickly become one of my favorite ingredients to play with. You can treat it just like risotto, but it’s much easier to make. This one has the great combination of sweet roasted butternut squash and savory couscous.

1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous
¼ c. toasted slivered almonds
½ onion, small dice
1 clove garlic
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
Zest of 1 lemon
2 T lemon juice
olive oil
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper
3 T minced Italian parsley
½ cup shredded parmesan
1 butternut squash cubed

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the squash into 3/4" squares. Roast the squash on a sheet pan for 20-30 minutes untill soft.

Saute onions and garlic with a pinch of kosher salt and chili flake on medium heat until softened, 3-5 minutes. Turn heat up to high and add couscous and almonds. Continue to sauté until the couscous and almonds begin to brown. Add white wine to deglaze, then add stock and lemon zest. Bring to a boil and cover, turn heat down to low and simmer until almost all liquid is evaporated, 15 -18 minutes. Add half the parmesan, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons parsley and a tablespoon of EVOO and stir. Stir in roasted squash. Garnish with remaining parmesan and parsley.

Radicchio Caesar Salad

A couple of weeks ago I was at Nostrana for a luncheon and I had their Radicchio Caesar salad. I had forgotten what a wonderful salad it was. The creamy citrus dressing foils the bitter radicchio. In a world of ubiquitous Caesar salads this one will get your attention.


1 head Radicchio
1 Cup picked parsley leaves
2 green onions
croutons

Caesar Dressing
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
the zest and juice of one lemmon
½ cup olive oil

For the caesar dressing combine the garlic, anchovy, egg yolks, Dijon, vinegar, zest and juice of a lemon and grated parmesan cheese. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil in a small steady stream. The dressing should come together into a creamy dressing. Taste the dressing and add salt and pepper as needed.

Wash the radicchio and toss it with the parsley, green onions, croutons and dressing. Garnish with grated parmesan.

Portobello Mushroom Lasanga

This week for the debate Peter and I made dueling Lasagnas. Peter made his family's sausage lasagna and I made Ina Garten's mushroom lasagna. I like this lasagna because it's rich and creamy and you don't miss the meat in anyway.


Portobello Mushroom Lasagna
From Ina Garten

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
4 cups whole milk
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly ground Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.


Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.


To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Kick'n it Jamie Oliver Style

Peter made these amazing baked onions served with tomato sauce and polenta. We saw these made earlier this summer on Jamie Olivers new show. The cheesy creamy onion filling was the best part.

BAKED ONIONS
Ingredients
4 good sized white onions, peeled
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
4 twigs of fresh rosemary, lower leaves picked & chopped
8 tbsp double cream couple of handfuls of grated Parmesansea salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon rashers

Method
1 Boil the onions in plenty of water for 15 minutes until slightly tender. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
2 Then, with a sharp knife, remove the top 2.5cm/1" of each onion, finely chop and place to one side. If need be, slightly trim the stalk end of the onions so that they will sit flat on a roasting tray.
3 Cut about a heaped tablespoon out from the inside of each onion, keeping the outside intact. Finely chop and add to the rest of the chopped onion.
4 Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Heat a frying pan and add a little olive oil, your garlic, the chopped onions and just a little chopped rosemary.
5 Fry for a couple of minutes until softened, then turn the heat down, add the cream and remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and season.
6 Wrap a nice slice of pancetta around the middle of each onion and just spike it in place with a sharpened twig of rosemary.
7 Place the onions on to a roasting tray and spoon some of the chopped onion mixture inside each one. Bake in the preheated oven for around 25 minutes.

Golden Pineapple Tomatillos

This week I discovered some Pineapple Tomitillos at the farmers market. Somehow I have never seen them before. They are like small golden firm grapes with a sweet citrus flavor. They are great eaten all by themselves or they can be used anywhere you would like a sweet tart flavor. I ended up using these in place of mangos in a jicama salad. Unfortunately I found these on the last week that they were in season, but I’ve set a reminder in my calendar for next year. I’m looking forward to experimenting with them more next year.