A Person Could Develop a Cold

I told you so.

Specifically, I told you that the trip to Fairbanks was the straw that broke this traveler's back.  I, who am never sick, have a cold.  A sinus-dripping, reddened-nose kind of cold. 

Miserable.

The only good thing about this is that it has led to my being home more than expected this weekend, which in turn has led to cooking.  Fortunately, I am not feeding anyone other than David (who has the same cold), so the odds of contaminating anyone with my germs are minimal.

The Great Focaccia Experiment of 2012 is continuing, with yesterday's batch with olives and rosemary--for the basic recipe, go here--and while I was going through some old magazines, I found this one.  The green onion and mustard flavors are subtle and incredibly tasty, an assessment which I trust will hold when the cold clears.

The recipe was written to be cooked on a grill, but it adapts easily to an oven.

Mustard-Crusted Chicken with Green Onions

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, August 2010

1 small bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

6 large chicken thighs, with skin

2 tbsp. fresh breadcrumbs, toasted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Stir together the first five ingredients in a small bowl.  Place the chicken thighs in a baking dish skin side up.  Brush them with olive oil and then coat with the mustard sauce.

Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and cover the dish with aluminum foil.  Cook for 25 minutes and then either slice into a chicken thigh to check for doneness or use a meat thermometer--chicken is done when it registers 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It is cold here.  Like, zero is the day's high temperature kind of cold.  The car protests when left outside at work, even David occasionally thinks it's too cold to go ski and everyone's skin seems perpetually chapped.

Then I talked to an opposing attorney in Fairbanks yesterday, and he informed me that it was 35 below.  In the middle of the day.  Talk about perspective.

Although I'm continuing to eat (mostly) healthy, I am really craving warm, hearty comfort food at night.  Not in huge portions, and not made with a stick of butter, but comfort food nevertheless.

When we made the Tuscan Chicken on Sunday night, I made a big pot of rosemary-scented polenta to go with it.  We've been continuing to eat the polenta with the leftover roast chicken, but last night I really wanted a little red meat, preferably in a red wine sauce, to go over the polenta.  I made kebabs of sirloin and braised pearl onions that were ridiculously good, and went together so fast that it didn't even occur to me to take more pictures.

The pearl onions can be either fresh or jarred.  When I went to the store last night, the fresh pearl onions were looking a little sad.  I think the same four bags had been sitting there for a while, so I went with the jarred.  If you use the jarred, I recommend rinsing and drying them before browning. 

Beef and Braised Onion Kebabs with Red Wine Jus

Inspired by a Recipe from epicurious.com

30 small pearl onions, jarred

1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 tbsp. fresh-ground black pepper

1.5 tsp. rosemary, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 lb. sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup dry red wine

Rinse the pearl onions in a colander.  In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions.  Cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown lightly.  Add the salt and pepper, cover the onions with water and turn the heat to low.  Cook for another 15 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, toss the beef cubes with the olive oil, rosemary and garlic and set aside to marinate. 

When the onions are cooked, remove them from the heat and separate the onions from the cooking liquid.  Reserve the liquid in the skillet and allow the onions to cool.

When the onions are cooled, string the beef cubes and onions on either metal skewers or soaked bamboo skewers.  The recipe is enough to make about six kebabs.

Preheat the broiler to high and place the skewers on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. 

Return the onion cooking liquid to the stove.  On medium heat, add the residual marinade from the beef and the cup of wine.  Heat to a simmer.

Broil the kebabs for two to four minutes;  they do not need to be turned.  Three minutes resulted in a nice medium-rare kebab.

Serves two;  serve with polenta and drizzle with the wine sauce.

Rosemary-scented Polenta

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, January 2009

6 cups water

1.5 cups polenta

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 cup cheese, finely shredded*

2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

Fresh-ground pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring the polenta, water, rosemary and salt to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture uncovered for approximately twenty minutes.  Stir frequently with a long-handled spoon, because it will want to stick to the bottom of the pot.

Remove the pan from the when the polenta is tender but not mushy and all the water has been absorbed.  Stir in the butter and cheese and add fresh-ground pepper to taste.  Makes enough polenta for four to six people, or enough for two with lots of leftovers.

*Be creative with the cheese, although I'd recommend using a harder cheese.  I used an aged cow's-milk cheese from New Jersey called Pawlet that my brother-in-law sent us, but a good Parmesan or Pecorino would work too.

Of Zombies, Half Marathons and Office Lunches

The words "office lunch" don't conjure up images of great food, do they?

Today we had a bosses' day lunch, which mostly meant that everyone brought bags of chips and trays of cold cuts, as well as sweets.

I like sandwiches, but I prefer something warm for lunch.  And if given the opportunity to bring food to work and cook here, sending good smells throughout the office, why wouldn't I do that?

I have a beautiful All-Clad slow cooker that I think I received as a wedding present when David and I were married two and a half years ago.  It almost never leaves its perch on the top shelf of the pantry--maybe it's been used about three times, but I can't get rid of it because it's so shiny, pretty and potentially useful.  A friend once called me a raven because I was attracted to shiny things.

I prepped everything last night, all 15 minutes of it, and started the slow cooker at 7:30 this morning.  By 10 a.m. the office was filling with the mellowing smell of onions and black pepper, and by 10:30 everyone was asking when lunch was.  It's the perfect dish for throwing together and setting aside while actual work is being done.  It's like the Filipino variant of Southern, vinegar-based barbecue:  savory, meaty and tangy.

On another note, I finished my last race of the season on Saturday, the Anchorage Running Club's Zombie Half-Marathon.  Although many people dressed up, I have wicked sensitive skin and didn't think a layer of zombie makeup would help matters any.  Here are a few friends and David just before the start of the race:



Check out my friend Arlitia and her nephew, dressed as "preppie zombies."



Although I wasn't out to set any records that day, I finished the race with a personal best time that shaved about a minute and a half off the time of my last half-marathon.  This really confirms that I'm dropping from a marathoner to a half-marathoner for future races!

Coming up soon:  The delayed reviews of three Portland restaurants--Gruner, Beast and Irving Street Kitchen--along with a recipe using this month's "mystery ingredient."

Slow-Cooker Chicken Adobo
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma FoodMadeFast:  Slow Cooker Cookbook

4 halved yellow onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1.5 tbsp. fresh-ground pepper, plus more to taste
3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of residual fat
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
Cooked jasmine rice

Add half of the onions to the bottom of the slow cooker in an even layer.  Add the two bay leaves.

Layer the chicken thighs on top of the onions, then cover with the remaining onions.  Sprinkle with pepper and add the vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce.  Sprinkle with the sugar.


I mixed the wet ingredients ahead of time, but strictly speaking it's not necessary.

Cover and cook on the high heat setting for four hours, or the low heat setting for eight hours.



OK, so the presentation isn't super-pretty, but this was all that was left after my office chowed the entire contents of the slow cooker.

 This serves 6-8 as a main course, ladeled over jasmine rice.  Your hungry office (or family) will love it.