Light Stunt: Broccoli with Beef

Light Stunt: Broccoli with Beef

It came as a surprise to me recently that when I was in the produce section at the supermarket with my daughter when she pointed and exclaimed, Broccoli! I like that stuff! When I inquired, she told me that her school cafeteria serves it frequently so I promised to prepare more dishes with broccoli.

Over the last several months, I've gotten to know the staff at the local supermarket so I had them slice a couple of sirloin steaks so that they would be suitable for a stir fry and the prep for the garlic, ginger and broccoli took less than 20 minutes which makes for a great weeknight dish.

The Challenge

Measure my daughter's taste for broccoli.

The Source

The only place where I deviated from my source was in the garnish (I added sesame seeds) so I'll refer you to epicurious.com for the recipe.

Successful?

As I'm finishing my dinner, I look over to my daughter's plate to see most of the beef gone, but only half of the broccoli eaten. She eventually finished the beef but left about one-third of the broccoli which is more than I expected, however I'm now on a new quest to find a broccoli dish that she will completely eat. You can bet I'll be consulting The Flavor Bible.

Light Stunt: Weeknight Porchetta

Light Stunt: Weeknight Porchetta

If you hadn't noticed from the picture above, I went rustic with this dish.

Porchetta is a traditionally an Italian dish that originates out of central Italy and is traditionally a boneless whole pig, gutted, seasoned with garlic, rosemary and fennel, and slow roasted on a spit over an open flame for several hours. This dish version is considerably faster without sacrificing flavor.

The Challenge

It's been a while, so I thought I'd use this space to explain a Light Stunt. The dishes I publish under this category are quick but flavorful dinners, similar to a #WeekdaySupper.

The Source

Adapted from page 30 of Bon Appétit magazine's January 2015 issue but I also found the recipe reprinted on their website.

Ingredients

8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1-pound pork tenderloins
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 slicers bacon
2 heads garlic, halved through the equator

Method

1. Season the pork. Before you head to the office in the morning, combine the minced garlic, chopped rosemary, fennel seeds, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl. Rub this mixture on all sides of each tenderloin. Cover, and refrigerate until you get back from the office in the evening.

2. Roast the pork. Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Scatter the rosemary sprigs in a large baking dish, then place the seasoned pork on top of the rosemary. Wrap each tenderloin in 4 slices bacon, pushing the ends of the bacon slices underneath the tenderloin so they stay in place, then place the garlic heads around the pork and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Roast in the oven until the internal temperature of each tenderloin reaches 145° Fahrenheit, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Once finished, transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board and let them rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Analysis

This dish is very satisfying for a cold winter evening and, from a technique standpoint, is very creative with the use of bacon. As the bacon cooks, it's rendered fat is soaked up by the tenderloin, thereby keeping it moist and adding flavor.

Light Stunt: Penne alla Caprese en Crudo

Penne alla Caprese en Crudo

Hello from metro Seattle!

The #WeekdaySupper dish I published a couple of weeks ago was technically done so as a Washington resident, however it was prepared while I was still in California. This dish has the distinction of being the first dish prepared for publication in my new residence.

The dish itself? Pretty simple to prepare which is the reason why it qualifies as a Light Stunt. You can complete your prep work as you wait for your water to boil. The sauce, in this case is raw (i.e. en crudo), taking advantage of fresh tomatoes with their season just ending.

There is also a bit of Murphy's Law at work here because I was just finding a comfort zone with my pictures while I was a California resident, but that has been upset since I moved to Washington, so I am using this dish to experiment with my food pictures.

The Challenge

Find the optimum environment to photograph my dishes.

The Source

Taken from page 54 of Lidia's Favorite Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali.

Ingredients

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more for seasoning the pasta water
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a chef's knife
1 pound penne pasta
10 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
1/2 pound bocconcini, halved

Method

1. Season and marinate the tomatoes. Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper in a large bowl. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice while you cook the pasta.

2. Cook the pasta and finish the dish. While the tomatoes marinate, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook until al dente (I recommend one-third less than the box instructions. For example, 6 to 7 minutes if the box instructs 9 minutes). Once the 30 minutes have expired, remove the garlic. Drain the pasta once cooked and add to the tomatoes along with the bocconcini. Toss, then garnish with basil and serve in warmed bowls.

Successful?

I'll confess that this was the second time I prepared this dish within a week. I over-seasoned the pasta water the first time so I prepared it again. I also substituted mozzarella sticks for the bocconcini simply because I couldn't source it. From a photography standpoint, I'm still working on a best time and place to take pictures of my food.

Light Stunt: Piccata di Pollo plus a Giveaway!

Piccata di Pollo

It's funny how things come together sometimes.

One recent evening I happened to be on twitter when I saw a tweet from Chef Fabio Viviani that read something like "Come get a signed copy of my new cookbook" but what caught my attention was the location was only about a 30 minute drive from home. So after getting the expense authorized by the CFS Finance Department (i.e. Mrs. Stuntman), I will be giving away a copy of Fabio's Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani with Melanie Rehak autographed by Fabio Viviani. Details are below.

I've only recently become a fan. I started watching Top Chef in season 7, so I missed his initial appearance in season 5 but caught him in season 8. Apparently the man has many female fans due to his good looks, but I'm a heterosexual male and I've always said I wouldn't know a good looking man if one came up and slapped me along side my head.

It's okay because I've found other reasons to admire the man. I've watched his web show Chow Ciao! with some interest because I profile a lot of Italian dishes here but what really impressed me was his temperament on the first season's sixth episode of Life After Top Chef. Chef Viviani catered a charity dinner but his sous chef got to the site two hours late with the food. Chef Viviani kept his cool and his guests didn't know his world was falling apart behind the scenes. Honestly, I don't think I would have acted in a similar manner.

I also picked up a copy for myself, and while thumbing through it on my way home, found this recipe that utilized the boneless skinless chicken breasts I had sitting in the refrigerator.

The Challenge

This dish is essentially a seared protein with a pan sauce which makes it perfect for a weeknight meal, so I have categorized it as a Light Stunt. Chef Viviani pairs it with radicchio Treviso, but I decided to take the dish in a different direction.

The Source

Page 178

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons capers, drained or rinsed if salted
1 lemon, sliced into 1/6-inch rounds
Cooked pasta of your choice

Method

1. Pound each chicken piece between two sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Then season on both sides with the salt, pepper and paprika.

2. Place 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides.

3. Add the lemon juice, chicken stock, capers, the remaining butter, and lemon slices to the pan and reduce until the sauce thickens.

Giveaway Details

I am giving away 1 copy of Fabio's Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani with Melanie Rehak autographed by Fabio Viviani. The contest will end on May 17, 2013 at 12:00 Pacific Standard Time. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Light Stunt: Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Soft Polenta with Olive Oil plus a Rant

Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Soft Polenta with Olive Oil

Sorry I've been so absent lately. My daughter recently had a birthday so I was caught up with preparations for her party. Also, I haven't prepared anything blogworthy lately. This past weekend was Saint Patrick's Day, so I hope everyone enjoyed green Guiness, Baileys, and/or corned beef and cabbage. For me, this past weekend was filled with food highs and lows, as I was reminded why I loathe chain restaurants. This dish was definitely a high. More on the low later.

So this is my version of the Southern staple shrimp and grits, only with an Italian twist on the dish. It's hardly original, but I have a tough time making shrimp the focal protein in a dish. For me, shrimp is best complementing other ingredients (such as in a pasta sauce, part of a surf-and-turf, etc.), or on it's own as an hors d'oeuvres because of it's size. I know it's psychological. If I can pick up the protein with my fingers and eat it without cutting it into pieces, I feel like I'm missing something.

The shrimp component came togther rather quickly which qualified it for a Light Stunt. I've also updated the polenta method primarily because the version I published last December yielded too much for my family of three.

The Challenge

Get past my mental issues with shrimp and attempt an alternate method for preparing polenta.

The Source

I adapted the polenta recipe from Michael Chiarello's Soft Polenta with Greens and Basil Oil which can be found on page 129 of Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking by Michael Chiarello with Janet Fletcher. The shrimp recipe I took from page 147 of the recipe guide of Top Chef University DVD set.

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups chicken stock
kosher salt
1 cup corn meal
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
24 medium sized shrimp, peeled, deveined, but tails left on
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade for garnish
prosciutto bits, for garnish

Method

1. Start the polenta: Bring the chicken stock to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan and add kosher salt to taste. Slowly whisk in the corn meal. Once the corn meal has been added and the mixture thickens, switch to a wooden spoon and reduce heat to low and maintain a bare simmer. Cook, stirring often until thick and creamy, about 40 minutes.

2. Prepare the shrimp: While the polenta cooks, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Season both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a large sauté pan over high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once the oil starts to smoke, add the shrimp and garlic. Toss the shrimp to coat them in the oil and garlic and remove them to a plate once the shrimp turn pink and are slightly curled, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the heated pan and swirl to melt, thereby deglazing it with any residual shrimp and garlic flavors. Add the lemon juice and white wine and let it reduce for a minute or two. Fold in the parsley and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Return the shrimp to the pan and toss the to infuse the flavors of the sauce with the shrimp. Remove from heat.

3. Finish the dish: Once the polenta has reached the desired consistency, stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove from heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stirring to melt. To plate, add the polenta to warmed bowls, top with shrimp, garnish with the prosciutto and basil, then drizzle with olive oil.

Successful?

Be sure to stir in the corn meal slowly. In my rush to get started with the shrimp, I added the corn meal too quickly and it started to clump together so I had to aggressively stir the mixture to break it apart. In addition, most polenta recipes I've reviewed advise to heavily season the liquid before adding the corn meal but I'd advise caution if you're using chicken stock because the stock could already have a high sodium content. This is especially true if you use store-bought stock. As I noted above, the shrimp component cooked very quickly so I was unfortunately unable to take pictures. I still have issues with shrimp entreés, but this did help in alleviating the problem.

Finally, I'd like to ask those reading this that are in the food service industry professionally a question. My food low this past weekend occurred on Saturday night when my disdain for chain restaurants was reinforced. My daughter and I went to the nearby location of said chain ahead of Mrs. Stuntman, who was meeting us there from the office. We arrived about 7:30pm and was told there would be a 45 minute wait which I thought was reasonable for a group of three at a popular restaurant, given the time on a busy Saturday night. A few minutes before my name was called, I spotted Mrs. Stuntman circling the parking lot trying to find a space. When I got to the hostess stand, I explained that my wife was just parking and would only be 5 minutes behind. The hostess refused to sit me and my daughter but noted that once Mrs. Stuntman arrived, they would seat us when the next table became available.

Huh?

I understand that an empty table at a restaurant doesn't generate revenue, but I don't understand why it wouldn't seat a group when the most of them are present. Let's say the business gave my table away to someone else and then two tables later, my wife arrives which means that we would be cutting in front of someone else. Why should that other customer be penalized because I was late? Theoretically, wouldn't it be fairer to send my group back to the bottom of the list? Secondly, we're talking a mere 5 minutes. I already knew Mrs. Stuntman's drink order and she would have caught up easily when she got to our table, however, this particular chain decided to make a point and the position of the hostess was later confirmed by the front-of-house manager. I would be willing to bet that if the size of a group was twenty but were only missing two, it would be seated.

Given the extremely competitive nature of this industry (There are at least a half dozen other chain restaurants in the same parking lot alone.), I was more than a little surprised by the actions of this business. I must admit, I lost my cool, yelled at the manager, waited outside while Mrs. Stuntman and my daughter ate inside and got a drive-thru grease burger on my way home.

What am I missing here? Food service prefessionals, I would appreciate if you can enlighten me. Please leave a comment below.

Light Stunt: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

One of my goals in 2013 will be to start a monthly series where I publish a dish suitable for weeknight dinners: quick but flavorful. (Think Rachael Ray, only not as easy on the eyes but better food) I'll call it Light Stunts.

To kick off this series, my original plan for this dish was to film me preparing it during halftime of the NFC Divisional playoff game this upcoming Saturday, which is a span of 12 minutes. I was going to start halftime with my salted pasta water at a rolling boil and a completed mise en place, with the challenge to serve the dish by the start of the third quarter. This was going to be a dry run, so I didn't take pictures along the way.

I saw this dish in Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking, and again in America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Third Edition. So when I was thumbing through Lidia's Favorite Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianicn Manuali, it finally sunk in that this dish is a staple in Italy, but why hadn't this dish become more familiar to Americans?

The Challenge

Successfully complete a dish from start to finish during halftime of an NFL game.

The Source

Adapted from page 52 of Lidia's Favorite Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali.

Ingredients

Kosher salt, to taste
1 pound spaghetti
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring frequently until the pasta is tender but still very firm, about 6 minutes.

2. While the pasta is boiling, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the red pepper flakes. Add about 1 1/2 cups boiling pasta water into the sauce, then the parsley, remaining olive oil and salt to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil.

3. When the pasta has cooked, drain. Then add to the sauce in the skillet, bringing to a simmer and tossing to coat the pasta with the sauce, cooking for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and toss the pasta with the grated cheese. Taste and add salt and/or red pepper to taste, if necessary. Serve immediately in warmed bowls.

Successful?

As I plated the dish, I noticed my stopwatch. I had started once I dropped my pasta in the water and started to heat my olive oil in my skillet which reported approximately 19 minutes. From this standpoint, I was not successful. However, my mise en place took ten minutes to complete so it would be perfect for a weeknight because it can be easily prepared within an hour.

As I sautéed my garlic, Mrs. Stuntman came into the kitchen asking what smelled so good. We were pleasantly surprised because the simple preparation of the dish yielded incredible flavor. This leads me back to my original question: Why aren't American's more familiar with this dish?