Roast Chicken and Vegetables w/ herbs de Provence

If you have already cooked all day at your job, like me, or worked all day at your job and you are tired and want to relax, yet you have to feed your family and as long as you are going to eat you want to eat well, then one of my favorites is to do the one pan roast dinner.

Beef or venison is great roasted along w/ potatoes, carrots, onions, celery. But the red meats take two or three hours, depending on their size.

Do chicken. Put it in a preheated black cast iron pan w/ olive oil , onions, carrots celery, and potatoes. Season all w/ herbes de Provence(bo't as a blend it includes basil, fennel seed, lavender,marjoram,rosemary, sage,summer savory and thyme - according to the Food Lover's Companion) which are to be strewn moderately over the chicken and vegetables. Add salt, pepper, garlic. Place in a 350 degree oven for about one hour, and all are done simultaneously. Vegetables should be fork tender. Chicken's juices should run clear when pierced w/ a knife or toothpick or should be 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.

The secret of this dish is no secret. You do not want to over cook the chicken, nor under cook it. The simplicity of this meal is that the vegetables and chicken are done at the same time - about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Beef or venison will take 2 to 2/ 1/2 hours, covered, and you have to add the vegetables to the pan for the final 45 minutes of cooking.

The chicken is simple, rich, and delicious. You can make a pan gravy after removing the meat and vegetables, by adding enough flour( a tblsp or 2) to absorb the fat in the pan along w/ red or white wine or brandy( cognac) and some water and whisk. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

It is so good and so simple. Bon Appetit!

Mn Bouillabaisse After The Workout

I worked out at Downsize Fitness in Pierz today - getting in beach shape for a trip to San Diego - and craved a healthy, balanced , restorative meal afterwards,

I made a soup w/ carrots, celery, onions( the mirepoix of French cooking - pronounced mihr-PWAH) w/ the addition of chicken for protein. Chicken stock, bayleaf, garlic, black pepper, Herbs de Provence, v-8 juice, and some crushed red pepper for spice. Olive oil, too, to saute the chicken and vegetables in before adding the stock and water. Add brown rice already cooked at the end.

Rich, delicious, healthy. Serve w/ artisinal bread of your choice. New French Bakery has great frozen bread products available in all of our local supermarkets, I think. They are all good. Use your favorite.

It is not unlike a bouillabaisse, but w/ chicken instead of fish and seafood. You could add Mn fish or/ and shrimp, mussels, etc to this soup towards the end to gently poach, after the vegetables and chicken are cooked, if you are a fish/seafood lover. This is one of my favorites - a one dish meal , simple, that is a feast for a family, friends or even a wedding.

If your timing is right , you can do this in 20 minutes. Terve' tuluoa!

Corrections to Previous post. Plus Pasta Carbonara

It is chef Glenn D'Amore ( " love " in French). What a name for a chef. He did have/has a gifted palette, I suppose if you think of the big "picture" of food.

He also has a gifted "palate," which was my intended meaning in the previous post.

He did teach me how to make pasta alla carbonara( charcoal maker's pasta) with pasta of your choice, including bacon ( pancetta), cream, stirred eggs, parmesan cheese, black pepper and garlic.

Chef Mario Batali does a version w/ rigatoni , pancetta, and the rest, including olive oil and green peas. and plenty of shredded Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese, his all time favorite.He uses water to bring the pan sauce w/ pasta included to the right consistency.

When you are looking for something quick and delicious to make for your family or friends, you should remember this recipe. You can use American bacon instead of the Italian pancetta, and we all love what bacon does to a dish - exceptional flavor w/o too much meat. We eat plenty of meat in America, already.

Here the meat is used for flavor rather than as the "meat" of the meal. Don't forget the green peas.

Fettucine Alfredo Glenn's Way

I worked w/ chef Glenn D' Amour from the Italian restaurant in the Fitger's bldg in Duluth, also the chef at the original Grandma's in Duluth and the chef at the mexican restaurant downstairs from Grandma's in Duluth.

He has a gifted palette, and an unwavering dedication to the authenticity of regional cuisine. Blessed w/ the financial benefits of the owners of Grandma's, he studied in Italy., as well as in Mexico.

In Italy he learned that a true alfredo sauce was made simply w/ the addition of asiago cheese and water to pasta ( fettucini) in the saute pan along w/ butter, garlic and fresh ground black pepper. It was perfect; exquisite. So simple. So perfect.

Cook your pasta. Drain it. Do not rinse it. Return to the saute pan. Add butter, milk ( or water) and garlic and parmesan cheese to the right consistency, toss, and serve w/ New French Bakery baguettes that you can buy at your local store.

Fast Food Mistake

The 3rd mistake was ordering extra crispy, the 2nd was the mashed potatoes, the 1st being the decision to pick up supper at a fast food restaurant.

I had not eaten any of the burger fast food places in years after getting food poisoning at a Burger King in Brainerd about 6 or 7 yrs ago.

Did I get food poisoning last night? Not really, but I am not used to eating that type of food. Sodden, stuffed, slugged I fell asleep early on the couch after a very disappointing Gopher men's basketball game.

Greasy chicken, tasteless fake mashed potatoes, white biscuits, empty calories. Brain and body crashed.

That is why I cook for myself and my daughter from scratch at home. Don't forget it, Captain.

Chili Encore

Spread cream cheese on a soda cracker or a cracker of your choice, top with a dollop/ spoonful of cold chili. A great late night snack.

Chili with Polenta

A great companion to your favorite bowl of chili is 1 /2 inch cubed polenta strewn on top. Add plenty of garlic and cheese of your choice to the polenta when boiling it. Place in an oiled pie pan, chill, cube and top your chili with it. It looks great and tastes great. Cold cubes in the hot chili is a nice contrast.

Polenta is just corn meal mush which you can flavor in any way you like. You can use regular corn
meal like Quakers in the cylindrical container. There is a recipe for corn meal mush on the can.