As I stated in my previous post, work has been keeping me pretty busy the last few weeks. Not only am I working 6 to 7 days a week, but I am also working 10-12 hours each day. That has left precious little time to do much serious cooking, though I have occasionally found the time. Where it really hurts is when it comes to grilling. My grills (1 gas, 1 charcoal and a smoker) have all remained more idle, for the past few weeks, than I like. Summer usually finds me grilling out at least a few times a week, if not more often, unfortunately that hasn’t been the case during July.

What I missed in quantity though, I’ve tried to make up in quality. This past weekend I pulled out one of my old Jerk Chicken recipes. I don’t make it often as my wife is not a big fan of really spicy foods, and for me, personally, there is no sense in making Jerk Chicken unless it is “melt your face off” hot! But, I was jonesing for a Jerk fix and seeing as I hadn’t been doing much grilling, I wanted to do something fun and beyond the norm.

While I like my Jerk extremely spicy, this recipe can easily be made without the chile peppers and it still yields a fantastically flavorful dish, so you have no excuse not to try this recipe.

Normally, I am a breast and wing man when it comes to chicken, but occasionally I prefer leg and thigh quarters. This is one of those recipes. While it works well for any piece of bone in chicken, I find leg and thigh quarters do best in this preparation.

For those not familiar with scotch bonnet peppers, they are very similar to habaneros. Like habaneros, they are extremely hot, and if you have sensitive skin you might want to wear gloves. Also do yourself a big favor, especially if you don’t use gloves when handling these things; please wash your hands numerous times before you consider going to the bathroom. I have seen numerous cooks, both male and female, fall prey to extreme burning of the nether regions because they didn’t take enough precautions. You have been warned!!!! For most people 1 scotch bonnet or habanero will provide enough heat. If you are a true chile head then consider leaving the seeds and ribs intact (this is where most of the heat is concentrated) or even using 2 peppers. If you like heat, but are still rather wimpy then consider substituting the scotch bonnet with 3-4 serrano peppers. If you are still at a loss as to how hot a scotch bonnet is, let me explain it in scientific terms. A jalapeno (which most people are familiar with) averages around 5,00-7,000 scoville units (the units used to measure the heat of a chile). A scotch bonnet can average 250,000-300,000 scoville units. Choose wisely.

Jerk Chicken

2 cloves garlic
1″ piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 orange, juiced
1 lime, juiced
4 green onions
1-2 scotch bonnets, seeds removed (or substitute-see above)
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1/2 Tbsp. whole allspice
8 each whole cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

6 chicken leg and thigh quarters
salt

Place all ingredients, except chicken and salt, in a blender and blend until smooth. Place chicken into a 1 gallon zip lock bag and pour puree over. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible and knead to evenly distribute puree over the chicken. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate overnight.

The following day, set up a charcoal grill for indirect grilling,with coals under only half the grate. When charcoal is ready remove the chicken from the bag, but do not wipe off excess puree. Place on grill directly over the coals.

Cook, turning frequently, to avoid burning, until the skin is brown and crispy. Remove chicken to other side of the grill (without the charcoal), cover and cook until -chicken is cooked all the way through, 165°F, about 20-25 minutes longer. Remove from grill, allow to rest for 5 minutes then serve with plenty of ice cold beer.

It occurs to me that I write often about the foods and drinks of New Orleans. I’m not sure why the city and its food has left such an indelible on me. I only spent about 6 months living there, while doing a culinary internship, but there is something about the food of that city that has made a lasting impression. The city is proud of its culinary heritage, a meld of Old World and New. The cuisine is a true American invention, a blend of cuisines from France, Spain, Africa, and the Caribbean along with the bounty of New World food stuffs. I think this is what has captured…and kept my interest for so long. I know of no other cuisine that draws from so many diverse cultures, blends those influences together, and creates something that is so wholly new, yet still reminiscent of each cuisine it has drawn from.

One of my favorite dishes, from New Orleans and Cajun folk who settled in the area, is Gumbo. A combination of European and African technique, along with the foods of Africa and the New World, this soup is the apex of that melding of so many cuisines and cultures, in my opinion. In fact, the word gumbo, itself comes from Africa and is an African word for okra, a traditional thickener used in the soup.

Gumbos come in a wide variety of styles, some containing only seafood for the protein, some containing chicken and andouille (sausage), while others contain all three, and some, eaten during lent are completely meatless. Some contain tomatoes while others do not. The creole versions tend to use a lightly browned roux, while Cajun versions use a very dark roux that adds an incredible depth of flavor to the dish. Traditionally okra or file powder (ground sassafras leaves) were used as the main thickener, though traditionally cooks always used one or the other, never both. Seafood gumbos were usually thickened with okra while chicken and sausage gumbos were thickened with file. This had more to do with timing than any great culinary revelation. Okra was available during the summer when one could go crabbing and shrimping. In winter, when okra was not available file was used, a time when chicken and sausages were easier to come by then seafood.

The version I offer up below, is a Cajun style gumbo using shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage. It’s a rich,and hearty soup but not overly thick so while it will warm you up in winter it is not too heavy to enjoy in summer. In other words it makes a great meal year round. Ladle it into a bowl as is, or spoon it over rice for a more “stick to your ribs” meal.

Gumbo
serves 4-6

1 pound shrimp (2 pounds if you can get head on shrimp)
8 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups flour
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, diced
1 pound andouille sausage (if you can’t find andouille a spicy smoked sausage such as kielbasa will do)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
hot sauce
salt
1/2 pound okra, sliced

Peel the shrimp, removing the tails also. Place the shells, tail, and heads (if you got head on shrimp) into a pot and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the flour to make a roux. Stirring almost constantly cook the roux until it is dark brown.

Do not allow the roux to burn or the gumbo will taste bitter and burnt. Also, they don’t call dark roux “Cajun napalm” for no reason. This stuff is HOT and it sticks like crazy. Getting this stuff on you burns like crazy so be careful! Once you have achieved the color above add the vegetables and cook 5 minutes longer.

Strain the shrimp shells from the stock you just made and add the stock to the pot, discarding the shells. Add the chicken, sausage and seasonings, adding salt to taste. Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add the okra and cook 15 minutes longer. If the shrimp are large cut them into bite sized pieces, if they are small just add them as is along with the hot sauce to taste (gumbo should have a little kick to it, but it shouldn’t be overly spicy). Allow to cook a few minutes longer, just until the shrimp are cooked through, then serve

It’s the first week of March and the weather has taken a decided turn towards spring here in Wisconsin. What that means exactly is that the thermometer has finally risen above freezing. I’m not getting my hopes too high yet, as there is still a very good chance for, at least, 1 or 2 more good snows, and even the possibility of a late winter, early spring blizzard, but there’s something in the air. I can feel it, and it is Spring.

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I’m not one of these people that hates winter. In fact, I rather enjoy winter, though there are things about it I don’t like, such as driving 30 minutes to work on snow covered roads. I’m someone who loves all the seasons, although I have to admit that fall is by far my favorite. For me, autumn is the only season with no drawbacks. Winter, spring, and summer all have their positives, but they also have their downsides. Spring is starts off muddy, rainy and dreary, Summer can get too hot and humid, while Winter can get too cold and the snow can be a danger, at times, but I wouldn’t give up any of them.

I always look forward to the change in seasons and this year, I have to admit, I”m really ready for spring. It’s a gamble though, in Wisconsin, as to when spring will really arrive. Some years it can be as early as mid March and in others as late as late April or early May. It’s always a crap shoot, but I’m hoping for an early spring this year.

Today’s dish is a quick pasta, that can pretty much be done in the time it takes to bring water to a boil and cook your pasta. Something you’ll hear from me quite often is that good food doesn’t always have to take lots of time. Don’t worry, I’m not turning Rachel Ray on you, but I do think that there are plenty of wonderful dishes out there that take very little time.

This pasta, while short on cooking time, doesn’t skimp on flavor. Paired with a salad, some garlic bread and a glass of wine, this dish is a perfect late winter dinner, both when time is short and when you want to impress.

Farfalle with Red Chard and Chicken
-the amounts are for 1 serving, but this dish easily scales to just about any number of servings

4 oz. farfalle pasta
6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2-3 oz. Cremini mushrooms
1 cup chard (swiss, red, rainbow your choice)
1/2 shallot
1 clove garlic
3/4 Tbsp. rosemary, fresh
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
salt
pepper

Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and the shallot. Chop and rinse the chard, stems included and finely chop the rosemary. Add the pasta to the boiling water. Preheat a large skillet and add the olive oil. While the skillet is heating dice the chicken breast. Add to the hot skillet and season. While chicken is cooking slice the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms when the chicken is 3/4s of the way done. Saute until the mushrooms start to wilt then add the garlic and shallots. Continue to saute for 4 minutes longer then add the chard. Toss a couple of times then add the wine and rosemary. When pasta is done (about 11 minutes cooking time depending on brand) drain, reserving a couple of tablespoons of cooking water. Add pasta to the skillet,then add the butter and parmesan. Remove from heat and toss and stir until the butter and parmesan have melted into the remaining liquid to make a smooth creamy sauce. The pasta should be lightly coated with the sauce. If a little too dry add a tablespoon or 2 of the pasta cooking liquid. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Roast chicken, a dish so simple yet so difficult to master. When I was in the restaurant business roasting a simple chicken was often used as a test when hiring a new chef. At a glance roasting a chicken is one of simplest things in the world, but really think about it. How often have you had a truly great roasted chicken? So often the breast is dry or the thighs are undercooked, the skin never takes on that great crispness, or the whole thing just tastes rather bland. Yes, it’s simple to roast a chicken and yet so difficult to make it great. Roasting a chicken takes a lot of skilled technique and it is difficult to cover up if you have made an error at any point. That’s why so many people use it as a standard to measure chefs by.

Believe me, I have roasted countless chickens in my time. In the beginning it was a hit or miss proposition, but slowly I learned a few techniques that helped me conquer this foe. Search the internet and you will find a number of “fool proof” ways to roast a chicken. Let me tell you, first off there is no fool proof way. It takes diligence and missing that mark will definitely mean undercooked thighs or overcooked breasts. Some methods will have you rub butter over the flesh, under the skin. This is a great method but time consuming and a pain the ass if you aren’t careful as you can easily tear the skin. Also what about the wings and legs and thighs, it’s pretty hard to get under the skin on those.

All good methods will have you truss the chicken, pulling all the meat in tight to the body. Many people kind of tune out when they hear the word truss, thinking it is some difficult task better left to butchers and chefs. Not so! It is relatively easy and I will show you, step by step, how it’s done.

If at all possible start with a good quality chicken. At least try to find an organic bird from a small producer, or better yet source chicken from a local farmer if at all possible. Your last resort should be any of the large named producers. These birds are filled with antibiotics and hormones and in general are quite tasteless compared to locally raised birds.

Finally, we come to seasoning. A good roasted chicken requires copious amounts of salt and pepper to make a flavorful bird, both on the outside and on the inside. Beyond that the choice of herbs and aromatics is yours. Personally, I like to keep it simple, oftentimes, flavoring the bird with garlic only, though adding lemon or orange wedges to the cavity imparts some wonderful flavor as well as herbs such as thyme, rosemary, tarragon or others, whatever suits your tastes.

Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken (4-6 pounds)
1-1 1/2 Tbsp. butter*, softened
2 heads garlic
salt
pepper

Remove the giblets from the chicken and save for another use. Rinse the chicken under cold running water, then pat dry. Allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature to take the chill off (don’t worry about letting it sit out, it’s not sitting out long enough for it to be dangerous). Meanwhile break apart the heads of garlic and peel the cloves. To make the job easier, lightly crush the cloves with the flat side of a knife. The skins should then pretty much slip off. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Once the chicken has rested, pat dry again and season the cavity with plenty of salt and pepper, getting your hand in there to run the seasoning into the flesh. Add the garlic cloves to the cavity. Next fold the wing tips underneath the bird.

Take an 18″ piece of butcher’s twine, find the center of it and wrap it around the neck of the bird, making one complete loop to secure it. Bring the two ends of the string up alongside the bird and over the thighs.

Loop the string around the end of the legs and have the ends cross in the center.

Next loop the strings all the way around the bird, underneath the tail, again meeting in the center, pulling them tight and tying them off.

Season the outside of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Use more than you think you need. Finally, take the softened butter and rub it all over the outside of the chicken. Place the chicken in a pan on a roasting rack. If you don’t have a roasting rack, peel 1 or 2 onions and cut into 1/2″ slices. Place the slices in the pan and place the chicken on top of that. Place the chicken into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 425°F. Roast for approximately 45-55 minutes or until an instant read thermometer, stuck into the thickest part of the thigh registers 162 degrees (I prefer to use a digital probe thermometer that I leave in for the entire cooking process. I set it so that an alarm goes off when it reaches the proper temperature). Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Many recipes will tell you to cover the bird during this rest, but I find this to cause the skin to get soggy and one of my favorite parts or roast chicken is the crispy skin. Giving the chicken this resting time will allow the meat to relax, which in turn will allow more of the juices to stay in the meat. Carving before allowing this rest period will cause the chicken to expell much of its juices and moisture. This resting period goes for just about any large cut of meat. Carve and enjoy!

*I often use butter, but many fats can be used in place of the butter. Olive oil is probably the other most popular choice although I have used both duck fat and goose fat on numerous occasions. Bacon fat allow would be too strong and overpowering, but if you want the additional flavor cut 1 part bacon fat with 2 parts butter or oil.

Puff pastry should be a staple in everyone’s freezer nowadays. It can be found in virtually every grocery store, in the freezer section so there’s no excuse to not keep some around. Of course, if you are feeling ambitious you can make your own, but it is a time consuming endeavor. Making your own is well worth the time as anything you would make at home will always trump the stuff that you can buy, but in today’s age it can be hard to find the time, and it is certainly something you can’t do “at the last minute.” I encourage everyone to try their hand at making puff pastry once in their lives, but until then buy a box or 2 and keep them in the freezer.

Puff pastry is a very versatile product. It is used in many desserts, from traditional Napoleons to various tarts and galettes. It can be used to create edible “bowls” to place various foods or small shells that can be filled with an endless array of foods to make little hors’doeuvres, or it can be used to wrap various ingredients in flaky, buttery crust.

One of the best things about puff pastry is the way it can elevate a rather simple dish into something elegant and special. The recipe I offer up today is the perfect example of this. Without the puff pastry I’ve offered up a simple chicken breast topped with mushrooms, ham and swiss cheese. Wrap the whole thing in puff pastry and you have an elegant dish that you can impress friends and loved with.

A couple of things to keep in mind when working with puff pastry, either store bought or homemade. When working with it don’t allow it to get too warm or the butter will begin to melt prematurely. This is no good as you want the butter in there when it bakes. As the butter melts it produces steam and this is what gives puff pastry its puff. It shouldn’t be cold or it will crack, but should remain cool to the touch. When cutting puff pastry use a sharp knife and make sure you make clean cuts and don’t mash the edges as you cut. This will inhibit rising. Also when using an egg wash to help get a nice shiny golden color, try not to let the egg drip onto exposed cuts, this will also inhibit its rise.

Poulet En Croute

2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (about 5-6 oz. each)
4 oz. white mushrooms, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 slices prosciutto
2-4 slices Swiss cheese, Emmentaler, or Gruyere, thinly sliced
1 sheet puff pastry, store bought
4 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 egg, beaten

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan, add half the oil and sear the chicken breasts until cooked 3/4′s through.

Remove the chicken, add the remaining oil and the mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes then add the garlic. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the mushrooms have given off most of their liquid and it has evaporated. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and cook until the cream thickens and most of the liquid has reduced. Allow both the chicken and the mushrooms to cool to room temperature. Cut the puff pastry sheet in half. On each half layer, in order, the cheese, the ham, the mushroom mixture and finally the chicken breast, laying everything lengthwise along the pastry sheet, and leaving as much of a clean border around the pastry as possible.

Brush the exposed puff pastry with the beaten egg, just to moisten the pastry. Gently pull the pastry up over the chicken so that the pastry completely encloses the chicken. Don’t worry about making it look pretty, just make sure that it is well sealed and that you didn’t tear any holes in the pastry. If you did tear a hole just rip off a bit of the excess and use that to repair it. Flip the package over so that all your seams are on the bottom and gently smooth out the pastry.

Don’t worry about them looking perfect, once they puff up in the oven many of those small imperfections will disappear. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the pastry to set up again. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375F. When the pastry has chilled brush the top and sides and the beaten egg and place package on a slightly greased baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the heat and bake for 20-25 minutes longer or until a thermometer, stuck into the middle of the chicken breast reaches 165F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 7-8 minutes before serving.

My family isn’t super big on breakfast, at least on the weekdays. It’s usually a grab and go affair as both me and my wife would rather spend the extra few minutes in bed than get up and make something substantial, although we always see to that our daughter gets a good breakfast. Things change on the weekends. If we don’t go out for breakfast then we will usually cook a substantial meal. My wife usually does the cooking in the morning as I am not much of a morning person, though I do a fair share of the breakfasts as is evidenced by the number of breakfast food posts I have done.

It was Valentine’s Day today so I decided that for one of my gifts to my wife, I would do breakfast. I love to make hashes of all kinds and thought hash and poached eggs would be a great choice for the day. Hashes, traditionally, have been a way to use up the previous night’s leftovers, and I find them a great way to clean out a fridge and turn those leftovers into something tasty and useful. Hashes are a great way to stretch out meat since hashes oftentimes rely heavily on potatoes and vegetables.

The has I created for our Valentine’s Brunch did not incorporate any leftovers but was still rather economical and full of great flavor!

Smoked Turkey Hash with Sweet Potatoes
serves 4

2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/4″ dice
2 cups Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/4″ dice
2 cups smoked turkey breast, from the deli counter, cut into 1/4 -1/2″ dice
1 small onion, minced
1/4 cup green or red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2
Tabasco to taste
salt
pepper

Bring 2 pots, with a quart of water in each, to a boil. Cook the potatoes, separately, for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil and 1 Tbsp. of bacon fat (you can use all vegetable oil if necessary). Add the onions and cook 1 minute. Add the potatoes, turkey, and bell pepper.

Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 & 1/2 and tabasco. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium high and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Gently press down on the hash and allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Gently flip the hash and press down again so that as much of the hash can come into contact the with bottom of the skillet as possible. Cook 4-5 minutes then flip again. Continue this process until the vegetables are tender and you get the hash as crusty as you like.

Divide among 4 plates and serve topped with 2 poached eggs.

I have a confession to make. I’m not much of a sports fan. Sure I love to go catch an occasional Major League Baseball game, and I can, occasionally, be found spending a Sunday afternoon watching football, but that it about it. I can’t spout off each players statistics. Heck, I usually don’t keep up with who is even playing for what team. When asked my opinion I usually just BS my way through and hope I don’t say anything too stupid. It’s not that I don’t like sports, I’ve just got better things to do with my time than sit around watching them, and have way too much going on to try and bother with keeping up with all the players stats.

That being said, I do jump on the Super Bowl bandwagon. It is the one televised sporting event that I really look forward to watching. First of all more often than not, I can expect a great game, then there are the commercials, and yes I am one of those that pays attention to the commercials during the game as much as the game, but mostly I love Super Bowl for the parties and the food. Where else can you overindulge in cheese, bacon, pork fat, fried foods, more cheese, spicy foods, more fried foods, and beer and not be considered a glutton?! Yes, it is a beautiful thing! I’ve been to upscale Super Bowl parties, and they just don’t seem “right.” Sure I love crabcakes, smoked salmon, and carpaccio, but that’s not Super Bowl food. When I’m watching the Super Bowl, I want artery clogging and tongue burning, and don’t even think about serving me vegetarian or chicken chili!!!!

This dip is perfect for a Super Bowl party as it mets at least 2 of the qualifications for being good Super Bowl food; it’s spicy and loaded with cheese. It can be served with tortilla chips or I’ll even allow celery to grace the platter, as I’m sure any health benefits provided by celery are more than negated by the rich cheesiness of this dip.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2
12 oz. cream cheese
6 oz. blue cheese crumbled
1/3 cup of hot sauce (or more if you like it really spicy)

Gently poach the chicken breasts in seasoned water until just done. Cool and then either dice finely or shred the chicken. Meanwhile heat the 1/2 & 1/2 in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Add the hot sauce and blue cheese. Gently heat until the the cheese is melted, stirring regularly so that the sauce doesn’t burn. Do not allow the sauce to boil. Add the chicken meat and heat through. Place into a small crock pot or warmer and serve warm with tortilla chips and celery sticks.

It’s just a few days away from the Super Bowl and with the Saints headed to the big game my thoughts have once again turned towards my time in New Orleans and the foods of that town and region. I spent my first culinary internship at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, in the French Quarter. There I experienced a wide range of the foods New Orleans has to offer. At Begue’s, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant I was taught many of the more refined creole dishes from Oysters Bienville and Shrimp Etouffe to modern twists on things such as Shrimp and Grits, Tomato Tasso Bisque, and Souffles. Desire oyster bar, with frontage on Bourbon St., gave me a crash course in all things cajun, from oysters on the half shell to corn meal crusted fried oysters, to jambalaya, gumbo and po boys. It was here, in New Orleans, that my life long love of all foods Southern (from the BBQ and tamales of Texas to Red Eye Gravy to Frogmore Stew of the Low Country) got its start. While Southwestern cuisine may play a more important role in my style of cooking, it is the food of New Orleans though that captivates my heart.

There are so many great foods that come out of the cajun and creole tradition, but my two favorite are gumbo and jambalaya. Of course there are also Muffulettas, one of The Best sandwiches in the world. A true New Orleans tradition, but not cajun or creole, instead coming from the Italian part of New Orleans history.

While all of these deserve a blog post, and believe me, I will get to each one in due time, it is Jambalaya that I had a craving for this week. Jambalaya is New Orleans answer to Spanish Paella. It’s a wonderful rice dish studded with sausage, seafood, vegetables and, oftentimes, chicken. Unlike paella, it doesn’t rely on saffron for it’s flavor, instead relying on the Trinity of cajun and creole cuisine (onions, celery and peppers). A good jambalaya also has a nice amount of heat provided by cayenne, hot sauce or both, though the heat is usually more on the mild side. Jambalaya can either be cooked on the stove top or in the oven like a rice pilaf. I’ve seen many recipes for both, though people will fiercely defend (and oppose) one or the other.

Like so many of the recipes I offer, as is the case with many family style, peasant type foods, there are a million recipes out there, each family having their own, and each family claiming that theirs is the proper way to make the dish. The recipe I offer below is a great all round jambalya recipe. It contains sausage, chicken and shrimp and has a fair amount of heat to it. You can easily tone the heat down by omitting the cayenne and decreasing the amount of hot sauce used, but leave it with a little kick to it or the dish just seems to lack that something.

Jambalaya

2 medium onions, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
12oz. Andouille sausage, large dice
1 pound chicken breast, large dice
1 28oz can diced tomato, with juice
2 1/2 cups rice, long grain
3 cups water
2 Tbsp. hot sauce (New Orleans style such as Tabasco, Crystal, Louisiana, etc.)
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves

In large pot over medium heat, heat 2 Tbsp. of oil. Add the vegetables and saute until starting to wilt. Add the sausage and garlic, cooking until the vegetables are tender, but not allow them to brown.

Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients.

Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is done and all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff the rice and serve.

Late Harvest (or Fall) raspberries are just starting to make their appearances here in Wisconsin. If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I love raspberries and the fact that they are harvested twice a year thrills me. While the nights are getting cool, days can still be warm so I still, occasionally, enjoy an entree salad for dinner. This salad is bright, refreshing, and a great reminder that summer isn’t over just yet.

Spinach & Raspberry Salad

1 1 1/2 pounds Baby Spinach
6 slices Bacon, thick cut, diced
2 each Chicken breast, cut into strips
1 each Leek, white and light green parts only
3/4 cup Raspberries
1/3 cup Raspberry Vinegar
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup Pecans, toasted and chopped

If spinach is large, remove the stems. If it is tender baby spinach you can leave the stems intact. Place spinach in a large bowl. Place bacon in a saute pan and cook over medium high heat until rendered and crisp. Remove from pan, pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of bacon fat and and saute the leeks over medium heat until tender and just slightly browned around the edges. Remove leeks from pan and add the chicken. Again saute until until done then remove from pan. Add the raspberry vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat and stir in the vegetable oil. Season with a few grinds of black pepper. Add the bacon, leeks, and chicken to the spinach and drizzle with the warmed raspberry vinaigrette (you may not need all of the vinaigrette). Toss to mix and divide among 2 plates. Garnish with the fresh raspberries and toasted pecans.

It’s a sad state of affairs, but, believe it or not, chef’s don’t often eat well.  Working around food all day, constantly tasting and sampling, we often find we miss meals and aren’t really all that hungry anyways.  Even when we are hungry we rarely have time to sit down and enjoy a meal.  Most of our meals are eaten “on the fly” which usually means throwing something between 2 pieces of bread and wolfing it down between tasks.  Despite that fact, I love sandwiches.  The variety is endless and a well crafted sandwich can be a work of art, in my opinion.  Of course most people go through life not giving much thought to the lowly sandwich.  We “slap” sandwiches together because they are easy, we’re in a hurry, or we don’t know what else to fix. It’s too bad because with just the smallest amount of work sandwiches can be so much more than just quick fuel. With this blog I hope to help combat that mindset. Sandwiches, in all forms, will make their way into posts here as I have lots of great, satisfying sandwich recipes to share. Don’t worry, this isn’t turning into a “sandwich” blog. I still plan tackling plenty of other foods and topics, but expect to see sandwiches appear here regularly. Today’s recipe is quite simple but makes a great luncheon entree when served with a small salad.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich
2 stalks celery, small dice
1/2 medium onion, small dice
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, small dice
1/4 cup Raisins (preferably golden raisins, but regular works well also)
2 1/2 cups Chicken breast, cooked and diced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup Pecan pieces
1 Tbls. Curry powder
salt
pepper
Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce
12 slices Whole Wheat or 7 Grain Bread (any hearty, whole grained bread works best though any bread is fine)

Toss diced apples with lemon juice. Toast the pecans on a sheet pan until starting to brown. Allow the pecans to cool and mix all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among six slices of bread. Top with lettuce then the other slices of bread