Veal Scallopine w/ Curried Cauliflower & Mushroom Demi Glace

It's been a CRAZY week.

I left my internship at the Marriott hotel.  It just wasn't me.  Hotel food is just not me.

However, I spoke with my chef at the restaurant I work at and he is really good friends with Edward Lee (from Top Chef fame).  So he did an amazing job of setting me up a new internship at Lee's new place in Actor's Theatre, Milkwood.  I started this week and already love it.  Not only is it better hours than my normal job (I'm safely home by 10:30/11 as opposed to midnight or later!), but the food is impeccable! 

So I really haven't had much time at home this week, but was able to make this yesterday afternoon for my lunch and Andy's dinner later that night while I was away.  It came together quickly and was tasty, to boot!

Ingredients:

4 thinly sliced veal cutlets
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cauliflower:
 
1/2 head of cauliflower, florets sliced thin
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan

Mushroom Demi:

1 oz. flour
1 oz. unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup mirepoix (small diced carrots, onion, celery)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups veal/beef stock, divided
6-8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Your sauce will take the longest time, so go ahead and start with that first.  In a large saucepan, melt the butter under medium heat.  Add the flour and slowly cook under moderate heat until you achieve a dark brown roux. You'll want to stir constantly so you don't scorch the flour. 

While you're waiting for your roux to darken, in a separate saute pan, heat olive oil under medium high heat.  Add mirepoix and cook until lightly caramelized.  Add tomato paste and cook for another minute or two to incorporate.  Set aside until roux is at desired dark brown color. 

Add mirepoix mixture to roux and stir to incorporate.  Temper in 2 cups of the stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20-25 minutes.  Strain of solids, then return to saucepan.

Add remaining 2 cups of stock and reduce mixture by half. 

In a small saute pan under medium high heat, saute the mushrooms in a little bit of butter or olive oil until caramelized.  Add mushrooms to the demi and simmer under low heat for a out 10-15 minutes.

For the cauliflower:  Combine the cauliflower, curry powder, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and mix well.

Heat a medium saute pan under medium high heat and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Add cauliflower and saute until caramelized around the edges.  Finish by tossing with fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese.

For the veal, heat a large saute pan under high heat and add olive oil.  Scallopine slices are really thin so you want a really hot pan so you can get a good sear quickly and prevent any overcooking.

Season the veal slices with salt and pepper and add to hot pan.  Get a nice golden brown sear and flip over and cook just for about 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.  These guys will cook very quickly.  Remove from pan and let rest on a cutting board for about 2-3 minutes.

To plate, spread a nice amount of sauce in the center of the plate.  Place some cauliflower slices over the sauce and top with 2 slices of veal.  And bam, veal scallopine.

Hope you guys have a great week!

Secret Recipe Club: Spicy & Sweet Squash Bowl

It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day!  It's basically the Secret Santa of the food blog world.  It's always fun to discover a new blog and peruse their recipe collection!

I immediately fell in love with my blog assignment this month - The Cookin' Chemist.  Tessa is a pharmacist by day, foodie by night!  I can relate to her in a way because my original career path was to become a pharmacist... but we all know how that panned out.  But anyway, I've always loved the science behind food more than anything, so I have a feeling Tessa and I have quite a bit in common!  And plus, our husbands are our main test subjects for our dishes =)

There's plenty to love about Tessa's dishes.  You'll find anything from Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies to a Whole Grain Artesian Free-Form Loaf.  But because we've been trying to eat healthier around these parts, I saw this Spicy & Sweet Squash Bowl and knew that I'd found my choice!  I only adapted a couple of things - instead of quinoa, I used couscous.  And I had brought home some granola from school, so I used that as my crunch factor instead of some pecans.

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Cookin' Chemist

1 cup couscous
1 & 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 medium to large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
salt, to taste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly torn
1/4 cup crunchy granola

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Coat the squash with olive oil, white sugar, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon curry powder, and salt to taste. Roast until fork tender, about 25-35 minutes depending on how large you cut the squash cubes.

Place the couscous in a medium saucepan with the broth, 2 teaspoons curry, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the liquid is completely absorbed. Let sit for a few minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Mix with spinach, cilantro, and butternut squash pieces.

Divide the couscous mixture between plates/bowls. Top with the crunchy granola and dig on in!

This was so tasty!  Everything I expected and then some!  Spicy.  Sweet.  Perfect =)

Thanks for letting me stalk your blog Tessa!

This post is also featured on Danielle's blog Mostly Food & Crafts!

Indian-Spiced Lentils

This fall weather is a bit crazy.  It was a nice fall chill all last week, and now we're back to being in the 80's this week.  I just want my nice fall weather!

My half marathon is going to be here before I know it, and I've been a bad trainee.  I did something to my shoulder last weekend and it's ached all week, but starting to feel better.  So hopefully I can get back to running this upcoming weekend because I'm not going to have a very good time come October 30th if I don't!

Anyway, it's another soup-type recipe.  I've been working on slowly cleaning out my pantry for the past couple of weeks (it's nuts in there!) and noticed I had an abundance of lentils - so what better to do than make a quick curry or soup!  So I did a quick Google search and I was led to an Honest Cooking recipe that helped use up some of my CSA vegetables too!


Ingredients:
Adapted from an Honest Cooking recipe

1/2 cup french green lentils, washed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 white/yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup chicken stock 

In a medium pot, add lentils and cover with water.  Stir in tomatoes and tumeric.  Bring to a rolling boil and simmer until the lentils are soft and cooked, about 30 minutes. 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat until hot.  Add bell peppers and onions.  Cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add garam masala and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice.  Add lentil mixture and chicken stock. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for about 10 mins.

Serve with steamed rice.




Have a great Thursday guys!

Curried Chicken w/ Roasted Vegetables

I have clarification from my brother, who posted on my Facebook yesterday, that I did, indeed believe in Santa.  For a short period of time at least.  I'm glad I can count on my family to put me in check in those times of forgetfulness.

And by the way, the picture with the chocolates... nobody seemed to get the right treat (but definitely made me hungry with all of your guesses!)... but they were homemade York Peppermint Patties!  Definitely going in the goodie bags!

So for today's recipe I thought I would do something comforting and oh-so-tasty.  One of my favorite types of food is definitely Indian cuisine.  I'm a big fan of curry.  Pair it with a tasty and quick naan, and I'm all good to go.  So when I saw this recipe in November's Food & Wine magazine, I knew I definitely had to try it!

It definitely reminds me of a delicious tandoori chicken, but with a deeper curry flavor.  Without all the mess of the curry gravy (not that I mind that mess at all!). 


Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
1 lb. brussels sprouts, halved 
2 onions, cut into wedges
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
6-8 chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
Garlic naan, for serving

Preheat oven to 450 F.

In a large bowl, mix together butternut squash, brussels sprouts, onion wedges, 1/2 cup of olive oil, salt, and black pepper.  Toss until well combined.  Spread onto large baking sheet in 1 even layer.

In same bowl you used for vegetables, mix together yogurt, ginger, garlic, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken thighs and coat well with mixture. 

Place chicken pieces on top of vegetables and roast in oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until chicken is starting to develop a brown crust.

Carefully pour off any accumulated liquid in the baking sheet, then return to oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Arrange chicken and vegetables on a platter and serve with warm garlic naan and extra Greek yogurt.

I can not say how easy and delicious this meal was.  Definitely a perfect fall comfort meal and although it's not "traditional" Indian fare... the flavors are there, and it would be a great beginner dish for someone who is wary about trying new types of food!  Give it a shot because I know you'll love it as much as we did!  Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday guys, and if I don't get a chance to tell you sooner, Happy Holidays!

Chicken Curry Pot Pie

I'm glad to report that today's weather was a complete 180 from yesterday's... just sayin'. 

Anyway, today is pretty exciting because in about an hour or two, I have my first book club meeting!  Yeah, I joined a book club last month.  It's basically just a few of my girl friends getting together to eat and talk about a book of the month, but I'm hoping it'll give me a chance to do a little more reading (that's not school-based!).  

This month's book was "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen.  I must say, it was a pretty good read.  It's basically the story of an elderly man, now in an assisted-living home, who has flashbacks of when we was a "vet" for the circus.  Pretty good story, so if you're interested in a new read, I definitely recommend it!

And I posted on my Facebook and at the end of yesterday's post that I was making a chicken curry pot pie, and I got texts, blog comments, and facebook replies that I needed to share that a.s.a.p.  So, you asked for it, you got it!

Ingredients:

Adapted from Ravenous Couple's recipe

Curry:

4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk of lemongrass, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons red curry paste, divided in half
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup coconut milk
3 cups chicken stock
1 large sweet potato (I used white fleshed), peeled, cut into about 1 inch pieces
1 & 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 onion, peeled, cut in wedges
¼ cup frozen peas
¼ cup frozen corn
1 green onion, thinly chopped

Pot Pie:

 
1 sheet store bought puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbs water

First marinate the cut pieces of chicken with garlic, minced lemongrass, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of curry paste. Marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, and onion. If you're going to make the pot pie, allow puff pastry to thaw slightly at room temperature. Place your baking dish on top of puff pastry and cut around the container with a pizza cutter leaving about 1 inch margin. Return the puff pastry back to the freezer until ready for use.

In a large pot on medium high heat, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil and sautee the chicken along with remaining 2 tablespoons of curry paste. Cook chicken for about 3-5 minutes, then add coconut milk.  Stir and meld together for another minute and then add chicken stock.

Add potatoes first, and cook for about 3-5 minutes.  Then stir in carrots, onions, peas, and corn just when mixture is about to boil.  Bring to boil and reduce to low heat and simmer until vegetables are just soft but not too mushy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed. 

Transfer mixture to a large glass baking dish and preheat oven to 400 F.

Make a egg wash with 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water and generously brush the edges of the puff pastry.  Place the puff pastry, egg wash side down over the baking dish. Seal by pressing pastry edges tightly onto the glass dish. Brush another layer of egg wash on top of the puff pastry and make a small "x" in the center to let out steam. Bake until crust is golden and flaky, about 10-15 minutes.  

Ladle into deep plates and serve with a big bowl of rice!

Seriously, I'm so glad I stumbled upon this recipe!  I tweaked it a little bit, to be a perfect mixture of chicken curry and a classic chicken pot pie and it was just absolutely amazing.  Quite spicy, but I like the heat!  Definitely give this a go guys!  Enjoy! 

Oh and don't forget that Wednesday is our CSA day... here's our goodies:

 

 1 French baguette

2 butternut squashes

1 bunch of radish (I've got radish out the wazoo, so any recipe suggestions would be greatly appreciated!)

2 lbs. sweet potatoes

2 lbs. apples, 1 bunch bok choy,

1 bunch greens (forgot the name, oops!) 

Shrimp Curry

I love Indian food. I've never successfully made a curry of any kind. It's either too bland, not spicy enough, not authentic enough, something is always just... missing. When I came across this Shrimp Curry recipe over at An Edible Symphony, I had to give it one more go. And I'm sure glad I did. I finally mastered the art of an Indian style curry. The smells permeated the whole house and during out whole meal Andy kept saying "I'd order this in a restaurant"... and I felt good. I felt accomplished. I felt I could take on the world... well, maybe now I'm exaggerating... but needless to say, this was simply delicious.

Ingredients:
slightly adapted from Edible Symphony's recipe

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1-2 teaspoons ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 dried red chilies (yeah, I said 8... we like it spicy)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 lb frozen shrimp
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter

Put first 7 ingredients into food processor and pulse until resembles a nice paste. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in large pan under medium-high heat and heat dried chilies until they turn dark. Be careful not to burn them though. This should be fairly quick, no more than 1 minute.

Then add in onion and cook until they are translucent and starting to brown. Add sugar and spice paste and let cook for about another minute.


Add in tomatoes and curry powder. The original recipe called for curry leaves and I was kind of hesitant to use the curry powder. I had just got done watching an episode of "The Next Iron Chef" on Food Network and they're challenge was to cook Indian food. One of the contestants used curry powder in his dish and was completely mauled by the Indian chef judge, so I was kind of scared of the result. But needless to say, curry leaves aren't very prevalent here in Louisville (although there is an Indian grocery down the road from us and I failed to look there), I opted for the curry powder and it was still delicious. Cook the tomatoes until they lose some of their moisture and then add in coconut milk. Simmer mixture for about 5 minutes. This is when the house starts smelling REALLY good.

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the shrimp generously with salt and pepper.

In a separate pan, melt the butter and add shrimp. The frozen shrimp are already cooked so you're pretty much just heating them through.

When shrimp are hot and cooked through, add them to curry. Taste curry for salt and serve over basmati rice.

This was incredibly easy and quick. I've always thought of curry as being somewhat tedious, but this recipe is not at all. The result was some spicy, authentic-tasting, mouth watering curry. I loved every bite. A pharmacist I work with even ate the cold leftovers the next day and said it was the best curry he had ever tasted. Now if you can eat something cold and say it's the best you've ever had... that says something. Enjoy!

Thai Red Curry W/ Zucchini & Tomatoes

Curry is one of my favorite things to eat. I've never tried cooking it, so when I saw this recipe, I had to give it a go. I love the heat that enters my mouth when tasting a delicious curry. It never fails to clear my sinuses, and always pleases.


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb chicken breasts cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, sliced thin
2 zucchini cut into strips
1 cup cherry tomatoes, or roma tomatoes quartered
1 tablespoon thai red curry paste (or more if you want it more spicy)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons water
zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

I couldn't believe how easy and versatile this recipe was. Any of the ingredients could easily be substituted out. You can vary your proteins, the vegetables, and even the curry paste comes in red, yellow, and green varieties. Definitely something you can play with to find your perfect curry match!

In a large wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper and cook until white throughout. Then take chicken out and set aside on a plate.


Add remaining oil to wok and stir in onion until just soft. Then add zucchini and tomatoes and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, water, lime zest, lime juice, and bring to a simmer.


Add chicken back in and stir in cilantro. I must say, cilantro is definitely a powerful flavor, but this is one dish where it did not overpower anything. It was more of a subtle taste, and I'm glad it was, because Andy doesn't really like cilantro, and I like how I was able to sneak it in there.


And you're done! Serve over rice and enjoy!