Chicken with Artichokes and Capers

Oh my gosh, I had never tried to make this, but I will have to say kuddos for me! lol

First I started by pat drying a chicken breast, then with a very sharp knife I cut open the breast into one big thin piece. (My technique, cut 1/3 on the top not getting to the edge of the breast, open it like a book and then from that same end cut another fillet to the opposite end, again not getting to the end)

Season the open breast with salt and pepper, with the mallet gently hit the breast to make sure the thickness is even all around. Set aside and sprinkle olive oil.

Cut 2 garlic cloves in small squares, use 3 table spoons of capers and 1/3 of a can of artichoke hearts, cut one lemon in 4 pieces. (For the artichoke, i like to cut the top part off, to make sure you are only getting the softer ends of the heart)

In a medium size skillet drizzle a little bit of olive oil, mix the capers and artichoke hearts with the garlic and saute for 4 minutes, then squeeze the lemon juice on top of them and add 1 table spoon of butter, keep sauteing for another 3 minutes and add a tiny bit of all purpose flour to add thickness. Afterwards add 1/4 of a cup a heavy whipping cream, and whip it!

In a separate pan put the other garlic clove with a little bit of olive oil and cook the chicken breast, about 5 minutes on each side, or until you see a little bit of brown in the meat. Add the mix of capers and artichoke with it's juices and keep cooking the chicken breast for another 4 minutes.

And voila! It is ready to serve!

Stone Crabs @ Trulucks

If you are in the Houston area on a Monday night, you HAVE to stop by Trulucks! They have $60.00 all you can eat fresh Florida's Stone Crabs!

I have been craving stone crabs for a while so yesterday I asked my husband to take me there, we were so impressed, not only we had to wait for 15 minutes for our table cause on a Monday night at 9 pm, the restaurant was full! Wuju! guess the recession passed through Houston without much damage... But the atmosphere was very cheerful, the piano was playing, jazz in the backgrounds, drinks everywhere and medium size stone crab claws floating around!

We sat down, and you have a choice of soup or salad, or both to start with, portions are very generous, and when you are ready to attack the stone crabs, a group of broken claws come your way, between 8 - 7 on the first serving, giving you enough to cover the $60.00 right there. You also have a choice of any of their side dishes, we choose sweet potato fries that were delicious! and grilles asparagus. After you are done with your first tray, the server asks you if you would like some more and brings smaller servings of 3 claws at a time until you satisfy your appetite. I made it through 13 of them...

We enjoyed a bottle of sauvignon blanc, and finish our evening with a delicious carrot cake! The service was excellent and the environment was fabulous! Highly recommend it!

My Super Special Turkey Recipe!

Thanksgiving time again, and everyone is very vero excited! This is our traditional turkey recipe, I wanted to share it with you!

For a giant turkey you will need lots and lots of herbs (thyme and rosemary)! Butter, garlic salt, pepper, some fresh garlic.

First pad dry the turkey with paper towels! Very important!

Get like 8 little boxes of the thyme and 6 of the rosemary, take out the steams of the middle and chopped very very finely, put in a bowl with fresh ground pepper and garlic salt. Then also chopped 6 - 8 garlic cloves and add in the bowl.

Leave 5 - 6 butter sticks out so they are nice and soft to be used, cut 1/2 an inch squares, one by one dip them in the spices until they are entirely covered and then with a knife go to the rear end of the turkey and cut the skin open, in a way that with your hands you can lift the skin and place the butter squares with spices ALL over the place! Top and bottom...

In a separate bowl melt half a butter stick and mix with some of the spice mix from the previous bowl and you use this to brush the outside of the WHOLE turkey.

Fill the turkey cavity with white onions, chopped celery, carrots, full thyme and rosemary, shallots, it gives aroma, flavor and prevents for the turkey to dry!

Preheat the oven at 350 degree and cover it while cooking for 3.5 hours!
NOTE: every hour you want to go back to the oven uncover the turkey and brush some more melted butter and spices over the skin...

Then uncover the turkey and cook for another 45 - 60 minutes... Make sure to keep an eye on it so the skin won't burn, you just want it nice and brown...

Cooking with Andy...

This past week my husband and I were in Arizona for an oil and gas conference, the committee surprised the wives of the attendants with a private cooking lesson with Chef Andy Broder! We were so excited about it, we certainly did not know what o expect, but the class was so much fun, we actually got to cook our food, we learned a lot a easy to apply tips for our daily cooking, and we got detailed recipe instructions to take home!

Andy graduated from law school, majored in literature and minored in psychology, after practicing for several years in the court room, he decided it was time to follow his true passion, cooking.

He enrolled in the Scottsdale Culinary Institute and graduated with a 4.0 GPA, then interned in Los Angeles Times as their food section editor and finally he decided to share with us his marvelous recipes! He specializes in giving group lessons at his studio located at:

7000 E Shea Blvd # 1740
Scottsdale, AZ 85254-5289
For more information you can contact them at (480) 951-2400

To find out more about Andy and how his private lessons click here, you'll enjoy their site!

Here are some pics from our amazing lunch: Guacamole with goat cheese, home made tortillas, Southwestern Chicken with lime, fish paddies and mixed green salad, and some Mexican chocolate cheesecake cups.

This is the amazing set up, we had all that we needed set up in stainless

steel prepping tables and enlarged step by step instructions to help

us follow each recipe

Chef Andy giving us some helpful tips to make our lives in the 

kitchen not only better but shorter too!

Our corporate group had sent us some vino to enjoy

with our fabulous meal!

I think all of us had an amazing afternoon cooking, talking, 

and learning a little more about Southwestern cuisine in a

very unique way.

Thank you so much Andy and all the wonderful staff for your time,

I will highly recommend anyone who stops by Scottsdale to try and 

visit the cooking studio, and set up a private lesson, it is soooooo worth it!

Thank you to all the wonderful ladies who gratefully allowed me to

take all this pictures of them while they cook and use them for my blog.

If anyone would like a printable copy of any of the pictures just send me 

an email to Veronica Schiller, I will gladly email you back!

Dinner at RDG

Last night I had dinner for the first time since Cafe Annie became the new RDG, I have to tell you my first impression when we pulled into the valet was great environment! The decor was very modern, loved the long stairs with dim lights overlooking the wine cellar. One little detail though, the bathroom is tucked behind those two flights of stairs, hmmmm I don't know how that works after a couple of martinis!

We sat down at the patio area and we got our cocktails promptly, we put an order for some appetizers that came really quick, guacamole and homemade chips that was very fresh and flavorful. And we also ordered some crab and avocado tartar that was.. one word, AMAZING! So far so good, we enjoyed our appetizers over a glass of champagne, and after we were finished the empty plates sat in our table for almost 25 minutes... when we finally could flag a waiter over, we refilled our drinks and got our entrees ordered.

Because of the delay on placing our orders, we had to wait another 20 minutes before our entrees made it to our table. The food was nicely presented and perfectly cooked... but our waiter had trouble remembering who had what... I mean, we were only 3 people at the table! how hard can it be?
 don't they have to put numbers on every seat so they don't get confused? At this point we ordered some water for the table, that, well, never made it....

Anyways, I ordered the Grilled Red Fish with a lemon/butter sauce and steamed asparagus, it was delicious! We also had a couple of petite fillets topped with some crab meat that were very nicely seasoned. After we finished with our entrees we were ready for dessert, we placed our order and since we have been waiting for so long, we decided to get the check as well, we hand our credit card and start wrapping out the night. For dessert we ordered fresh strawberry cheese cake and an apple crisp with dulce de leche ice cream, they were really great!!! We were done with dessert after another 15 minuets or so, and we prolonged our conversation for a while, when we finally found someone to come attend to us, we ask for our check, and they bring the itemized receipt, we remind them that the waiter had already taken our card 20 minutes before, and they returned 10 minutes later with the copy for us to sign....

It was a nice gastronomical experience, but the fact that we never had any personalized service, and we had to flag waiters to come and get empty plates and new drink orders kind of takes the joy our of eating on a restaurant... I don't think I will go back, it was a wednesday night with not 100% occupancy, I can not even imagine how it would be on friday or saturday?!

Short Rib Lasagna

This is an amazing recipe I found on the September issue of Bon Appetit Magazine, it took me forever to prep for it, but the flavor of the finished product is just amazing! I could not get enough of it and neither my guests! This recipe makes 8 to 10 servings (Any leftover meat sauce can be spooned over pasta later in the week.) 

• PREP: 1 hour 40 minutes
• TOTAL: 5 hours (includes braising time)

Recipe by J. Paul Higgins

Ingredients

Short Rib Sauce

5 fresh thyme sprigs plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 fresh parsley sprigs
1 Turkish bay leaf
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
4 pounds meaty beef short ribs
1 cup all purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup ruby Port
2 cups dry red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel)
2 1/2 cups low-salt beef broth
6 garlic cloves, peeled

Lasagna

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
18 5 3/4x3 1/2-inch sheets no-bake lasagna noodles (from two 9-ounce packages)

Special Equipment

Cheesecloth 

Ingredient Info 

Dried porcini mushrooms are available in the produce section of many supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

Preparation

Short Rib Sauce

Tie all herb sprigs and bay leaf in cheesecloth for bouquet garni; trim excess cheesecloth. Set bouquet garni aside. Place mushrooms in heatproof bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water; cover and let stand until mushrooms soften, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to work surface; chop. Reserve mushroom soaking liquid.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°F. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Place flour in medium bowl. Dredge ribs in flour, shaking off excess; place on rimmed baking sheet. Reserve flour. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook ribs until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Return ribs to baking sheet.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; cook until softened, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped mushrooms. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon reserved flour over vegetables (discard remaining flour). Add tomato paste; stir until tomato paste begins to brown on bottom of pot, about 1 minute. Add Port and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Add red wine. Pour in reserved mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sediment behind. Bring to boil; simmer until reduced by about 1/3, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Add broth, garlic, and bouquet garni. Return to boil. Return ribs to pot, arranging meat side down in single layer. Cover pot; place in oven and braise ribs until very tender, about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

 

Using tongs, transfer ribs from pot to rimmed baking sheet to cool. Discard bouquet garni. Shred beef; discard bones. Spoon off fat from top of sauce in pot; discard fat. Boil sauce until reduced to 51/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Return meat to sauce. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped thyme. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.

Lasagna

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Cook until light golden brown, whisking frequently, about 6 minutes. Add milk; bring to boil, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute. Add nutmeg. Season béchamel to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly; cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Spoon 1 cup meat sauce over bottom of dish; spread in thin layer. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over. Arrange 6 lasagna noodles over to cover (noodles may overlap slightly). Drizzle 1 cup béchamel over noodles, spreading in even layer; sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over. Spread 2 cups meat sauce over. Repeat with noodles, béchamel, cheese, and meat sauce. Cover with remaining 6 noodles. Spread remaining béchamel over noodles. Sprinkle remaining cheese over.

 

Bake lasagna uncovered until edges are bubbling and top is golden brown in spots, about 45 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes.

Spaghetti with Meat Balls

This past weekend we had to serve dinner for 12 people at the ranch, we were not sure what would be easy enough to cook in large quantities and also make sure the portions were enough so everyone could satisfy their appetites... So what better than italian food...

This is a dish you can prepare with the whole family, it takes a while to prep so you will be able to enjoy some wine and appetizers while you cook; and the flavor is so casual you would never order it in a restaurant ever again!

It takes a while to make so plan ahead and assume you'll spend between 3 - 3 1/2 hours in the kitchen, patiently waiting for the veggies and meat to be perfectly chopped and cooked!

Ingredients for the meatballs:

3 pounds of ground 80% leans beef
2 pounds of ground veal meat
1 large white onion
5 eggs
5 tbs of chopped fresh italian parsley
5 tbs of chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 cup of italian style bread crumbs
4 pieces of white bread with no borders
7 garlic cloves
5 tbs of chopped oregano
2 shallots
Olive Oil

Meatballs Preparation:

In a large bowl mix the ground beef and veal with the eggs, chopped the onion as thinly as you can and introduce to the mix together with the chopped parsley and thyme, add 1/4 of a cup of salt and pepper, and keep mixing the meat with your hands; add the bread crumbs and the pieces of bread, make sure you break the bread into small pieces so people won't get chunks of bread in their meal.

In a small sauce pan drizzle some olive oil and heat it, add the chopped shallots, garlic and oregano and sautee for 5 minutes, then add to the bowl with the meat.

Preheat the oven @ 375 degrees.

After making sure that all the ingredients are perfectly mixed with the meats, get 2 baking sheets and make some medium size meatballs, rolling them with the palm of your hands. Once you are finished making approximately 36 - 40 meatballs place the baking sheets in the oven for 40 - 45 minutes.

(By the time the meatballs are baked, there should be a lot of juices in the baking sheets, let the meatballs cool down for a couple of minutes before mixing them with the tomato sauce)

Ingredients for the Tomato Sauce:

3 celery sticks
3 medium size carrots
1 medium white onion
6 garlic cloves
3 shallots

3 large cans of peeled tomatos
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil

Sauce Preparation:

Chop all the vegetables in very small pieces. In a large sauce pan drizzle some olive oil and cook the chopped garlic and shallots, make sure they don't burn. Add the celery, carrot, and onion to the heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes.

Open the canned tomatoes add the liquid on the heating pan and with your bare hands squeeze the tomatoes and brake them into pieces and then mix them with the cooking vegetables, bring to a boil then lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat, let it cool off and then using the mixer start blending the sauce, do it by batches you don't want to get burn by the sauce... Place the mixed sauce in a even larger sauce pan that could hold the meatballs as well.

In medium low heat cook for another 25 minutes the meatballs completely covered by the tomato sauce.

In a medium sauce pan boil some water and make some spaghetti with salted water and some olive oil. When done use a bowl to mix the cooked pasta with some tomato sauce before mixing the meatballs. Ready to serve, make sure you shave some parmesan cheese on top! Enjoy!