Red-Eye Poutine

here's to Dad...

When I think about my dad and the things he likes they include: house projects (he's the ultimate fixer-upper), TV (he's master of the controller), hamburgers/hot dogs/chicken patties (he's pretty much a simple meat guy), and coffee. When I was growing up that was a very familiar smell to me every morning and on evenings when we had family or friends over. I have grown to love coffee myself (must have every morning to function!) and that started at a very young age. So, for this next series I'll be focusing on coffee and at the same time creating Dad-worthy dishes.

This dish is an appetizer my dad is sure to love - poutine. Poutine is a Canadian-born concoction of french fries, gravy, and cheddar cheese curds. If you've never had it or heard of it, check out this article. I'm twisting up this classic dish by adding coffee. I was inspired by "red-eye gravy," which is typically served with ham. My dad loves gravy and biscuits and loaded cheese fries, so I think I have a winner here. Celebrate Dad today, make this dish. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 6-8
1 (32 oz.) Bag Frozen French Fries
4 T Unsalted Butter
1/4 C All-Purpose Flour
1 Shallot, minced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 1/2 C Low-Sodium Beef Broth
1 1/2 C Brewed Coffee
2 T Ketchup
1 T Cider Vinegar
1 T Black Pepper Corns
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
10 oz. Cheddar Cheese Curds

Directions
Make the fries: Follow the baking (or frying) instructions on the bag. If baking, keep the oven warm. If not, heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Meanwhile, make the gravy: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and flour and whisk to make a roux. Add the minced shallot and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the beef broth and coffee, whisking. Whisk in the remaining ingredients, except for the cheese curds. Increase the heat to med-high and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Keep warm. Optional: Strain the gravy to remove the peppercorns.

Make the poutine: Put the fries in a shallow dish, top with the gravy and cheese curds. Put into the warm oven and bake until warmed through and the cheese begins to melt, 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately. Make this Dad-worthy meal today.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Zucchini "Pasta" with Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce

lighten up...

Naturally the summer brings with it fresh fruit and produce and with that also comes lighter meals. I tend, at least, to cook with more of these fresh ingredients and less with comfort type foods. However, there's one comfort I'm not willing to give up - even in summer - and that's pasta. So, for this post, I'm lightening up an easy pasta dinner by subbing in half of the pasta I would normally use for zucchini.

To make this meal possible you will need one bit of special equipment - a julienne peeler (or maybe your food processor). I ordered this tool on Amazon at the same time I ordered my Popsicle molds (remember I said I would feature another tool!) and have yet to use it. This was the perfect meal to try it out! Overall, it was pretty easy to use (once I got the hang of it), but beware, the blade is sharp and you won't be able to julienne the entire zucchini, just use as much as you can. Anyway, once the zucchini is prepared, the rest of the recipe is quite easy to make and sings summer. I serve this with crusty bread and have no guilt - hey, I cut out half my carbs already by subbing in zucchini! So, lighten up and make this summery pasta dish. Here's how...

Ingredients
2-3 Zucchini
1/2 Box Whole Wheat Spaghetti
2 T Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Shallot, minced
2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes
1/3 C Dry White Wine
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
1/2 C Fresh Basil, chopped
1 T Fresh Oregano, chopped
1/2 C Grated Parmesan Cheese, more for topping
To Serve: Crusty Bread

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Prepare the zucchini: Using a julienne peeler (suggest OXO), cut the zucchini into long strands (like pasta). Put the cut zucchini on a paper towel lined plate, season with 1 tsp. salt, toss, and allow to stand for 10-12 minutes. Then, squeeze dry (there will be lots of liquid) and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a large high-sided skillet, heat the oil over med-high. Add the garlic and shallots, cook for 1 minute. Then add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Next, add the wine and season with a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the tomatoes burst, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid and reduce down into a thick and paste-like sauce, about 5 more minutes.

Cook the "pasta": Generously season the boiling pot of water with salt and drop the whole wheat pasta. Cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the zucchini to the sauce and some of the pasta cooking water. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the zucchini begins to soften. Add the drained whole wheat pasta and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, adding more pasta cooking water as needed. Add the basil, oregano, and cheese and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Plate the pasta: Serve the dish immediately sprinkled with more Parmesan cheese and crusty bread on the side for sopping up the sauce (and have no guilt!). Enjoy this light and summery pasta. Mangia!

Caramelized Shallot & Fig Jam

jam session...

I'm not sure if I can convince you that this is a dessert, but it is a sweet treat, and in France would be served along side cheeses and breads apres (after in French) dinner. So, I'm going to count it (my blog, my rules)! Now that we've gotten that out of the way let's talk about this pretty purple jam.

It's really quite a simple recipe, requiring only butter, shallots, figs, red wine, salt, and sugar. What makes it so good is the time taken to develop each layer of flavor. First, you give the shallots plenty of time to caramelize in the butter. Then, you reduce the wine and infuse that flavor into the figs. Finally, you sweeten the deal by adding the sugar and allowing that to cook down into a syrupy, jammy consistency. So, if you have the time, try out this recipe...

Ingredients - Makes ~16 oz.
2 T Unsalted Butter
3-4 Shallots (~1 C), thinly sliced
10 oz. Dried Black Mission Figs, stemmed & halved
2 C Dry Red Wine
Pinch Kosher Salt
1 C Granulated Sugar
To Serve: Buttery croissants, biscuits, and/or bread

Directions

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat. Add the sliced shallots and cook until soft and caramelized, 20-25 minutes.

Next, add the wine to deglaze the pan. Add the figs and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. Cook until the figs absorb most of the wine and become plump and soft, about 20 minutes.

Then, smash the figs with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up a bit. Stir in the sugar and cook an additional 20-25 minutes over low heat, or until the desired jam consistency is met. Cool and store. Serve with any buttery bread; I suggest croissants or biscuits. Bon appetit!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Sweet Shallot BBQ Sauce

sweet and savory...

This was an easy recipe to create, write, and make. I've made many different versions of BBQ chicken sandwiches. Typically though, I use a bottled BBQ sauce. One of my favorites is Sweet Baby Ray's. Inspired by the sweetness in that sauce, I've created this caramelized shallot version. Of course the shallots make this BBQ sauce different, but so does the green apple. Not only does it provide texture, but it provides a nice balance to the sandwich as a whole.

If you are going to use this BBQ sauce in a different way (say with ribs, pork, etc.) you might consider pureeing it after it has been cooked and cooled. The apples mostly keep their shape and that might prove troublesome if you use the sauce to grill (it's almost that season!). Anyway you choose to enjoy the Sweet Shallot BBQ Sauce, do it soon, it's really delicious. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 4
2 T Unsalted Butter
4-5 Shallots, thinly sliced
1 Green Apple, peeled & diced
1 C Ketchup
1/3 C Molasses
1/3 C Brown Sugar
3 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T Whole-Grain Mustard
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
~ 2 C Poached Chicken, shredded
4 Whole-Wheat Buns, split & toasted
Coleslaw (optional)

Directions

Poach the chicken: Put ~1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken in a pot. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Optional: Add 2 bay leaves, 6-8 black pepper corns, and 1/2 T kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool. Shred the chicken and set aside.

Meanwhile, caramelize the shallots: Heat a large high-sided skillet over medium. Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the shallots. Cook 2-3 minutes, then reduce the heat to med-low and cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Make the BBQ sauce: Next, add the apple to the caramelized shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer over low for about 20 minutes. The apples will soften and the flavors will meld.

Plate the dish: Mix the shredded chicken into the BBQ sauce. Put one toasted bun on a plate and top with the saucy chicken. Serve with your favorite coleslaw and another side (we chose chips). Enjoy!

Wedge Salad with Creamy Shallot Dressing & Crispy Shallot Topping

veggie wedge salad

A traditional wedge salad is served with lots of bacon. Obviously, for me this isn't an option. But, I love everything else about a wedge, so for this post I've made a vegetarian friendly version. The star of my salad is arguably the crispy fried shallots, but the dressing is quite good too. If you haven't guessed, I'm focusing on shallots for this series of recipes.

With spring comes lots of different types of onions - green, chives, ramps, etc. Shallots are one of many, but they are the only ones that are purple! Of course, they don't uncover their beautiful light purple color until the skin is peeled away. This recipe calls not only for shallots, but also for a little red onion and chives. All other traditional wedge ingredients like iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and blue cheese are included. Make this veggie wedge salad even if you aren't a vegetarian, it's quite tasty. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Wedge Salad
1 Head Iceberg Lettuce, core & cut into quarters
1 C Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/4 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced
4 oz. Crumbled Blue Cheese

Creamy Shallot Dressing
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1/2 C Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 C Sour Cream
1/2 C Butter Milk
1 T Chives, chopped
1 T White Wine Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Crispy Shallot Topping
Canola Oil, for frying
4 Shallots
2 T All-Purpose Flour
Smoked Salt (or Kosher)

Directions
Begin by heating a large skillet (suggest cast iron) filled halfway with oil to 350 degrees.

Make the dressing: Combine the shallot, yogurt, sour cream, butter milk, chives, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Whisk together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make the crispy shallots: Slice the shallots into thin rings. Separate the rings and put them in a bowl with the flour. Gently toss to coat. Shake off any excess flour and put half of the shallots into the preheated oil. Fry the shallots until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Don't over cook, they will become bitter. Remove the crispy shallots to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with the smoked salt. Repeat until all of the shallots have been fried.

Build the salad: Put one iceberg wedge on a plate cut-side up. Top with some of the dressing. Then, add the tomatoes, red onion, and blue cheese. Finally top with the crispy shallots and more black pepper. Serve with extra dressing. Enjoy!

Winter Pesto Pasta Bake with Shrimp

an Italian Christmas feast...

Some of my family came over yesterday to celebrate Christmas. We opened gifts, played games, and of course had lots of food. My husband is Italian, so naturally we served an Italian feast. He made his family's sauce, meatballs, and served it over rigatoni. I went a different direction and created this baked pasta dish. Both were well received by the fam, but I think most were pleasantly surprised by my dish.

I begin by making the pesto. I call this a winter pesto because I don't use basil (very summery) but instead use arugula and baby kale. I also use almonds instead of pine nuts. And, Romano in place of Parmesan Cheese (Romano is nuttier). The pesto is then mixed with cooked penne pasta, sun dried tomatoes, and raw shrimp. The whole dish is baked and ready to serve when you are. It was the perfect make ahead for a day like yesterday - one meant to be spent with family. Make this dish for yours, here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 8
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Shallots, minced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 C Sliced Almonds, toasted
1 1/2 C Arugula
1 1/2 C Baby Kale
1/2 C Flat-Leaf Parsley
1/2 C Grated Romano Cheese, more for topping
1 (7 oz.) Jar Oil-Packed Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped (reserve oil)
1 Box (14.5 oz) Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
1 lb. Raw Peeled & Deveined Shrimp, tails removed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350. Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.

Begin by making the pesto: Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes in 1 T olive oil until soft and fragrant. Place in a food processor and add the almonds, arugula, kale, and parsley. Pulse a few times to combine.

Next, add the cheese and pulse a few more times. Scrape down the sides. Then, with the motor running pour in the reserved olive oil from the sun dried tomatoes. As needed, add more extra virgin olive oil to create a smooth pesto.

Once the water comes to a boil, salt it and add the pasta. Cook for about 7 minutes, the pasta should be under done as it will finish cooking in the oven. Reserve 1/2 C of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

Put the pasta back in the pot and add the pesto, chopped sun dried tomatoes, shrimp, and the cooking water. Stir together and ensure everything is coated well with the pesto.

Put the mixture into a large casserole dish and cover with foil. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through. Remove the foil and top with more Romano cheese. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the top is browned. Cool for about 5 minutes and then serve. Enjoy!