New Marinade, New Way to Cook

One inconvenient aspect of living in an apartment is I can't grill.  I hate seeing delicious grilling recipes online and in magazines when I can't make any of them because I don't have a grill or a yard to put one in.  I can use the sauces and the marinades, but what I cook won't have that same chargrilled quality.

Recently I saw a recipe for a Thai style grilled chicken that sounded so delicious, and while I knew I could replicate the flavors, I knew ordinary roasting wouldn't give me that caramelized flavor you get when the sugars in your marinade take on the heat of the grill.

I started to wonder how much of that quality I could obtain if I tried using my oft-neglected broiler.  I've never tried broiling chicken before.  Would I end up burning it to a crisp, or would I have something closer to the taste and texture I'm looking for in a grill recipe?

Still keeping the magazine recipe in mind, I devised my own "Thai" marinade.  I stuck some skinless chicken thighs (I was never in the habit of ripping skin off chicken, but I am making more of an effort to do so these days, which sometimes feels like ripping out my own heart) on a broiler pan and hoped for the best.

INSERT PHOTO HERE

(Sorry folks.  There is a photo.  For some reason Blogger will not allow me to upload it.  I'm afraid this is a photo-less blog.  After trying for two days straight, I decided I really just wanted to get this blog posted, so sorry for the lack of photos.)

I was pleased with how these came out.  I definitely had some nice browned (but not burned) edges and the marinade kept everything from drying out.  I served them with forbidden (black) rice, which complemented them nicely.

Thai Style Broiled Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tbl gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 Tbl rice wine vinegar
• Few drops sriracha (or to taste)

Combine coconut milk, cilantro, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar and sriracha in a non-reactive bowl.  Place chicken in the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Preheat your broiler.  Place your oven rack 5-6 inches from the heat source (the top rack position of your oven should do just fine).  Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess.  Place on a broiler pan and broil 12 minutes.  Turn thighs over and broil 12 minutes more.  

Sorry, but It's Another Meatloaf Recipe

I know I did meatloaf pretty recently, but I was inspired to do it again.  There is a story behind this one.  Sometimes you do it out of love.

This weekend Kevin and I were having dinner at our new favorite local spot 360.  He was really looking forward to the Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf.  It's good stuff.  It's nice and spicy and saucy and doesn't contain any blue cheese.  Imagine our surprise when we looked at our menus and saw it was no longer there.  They still had their beef meat loaf, but the chicken one was gone.

Later on in the meal the chef came by our table to ask how things were.  We told him we enjoyed our meal as always, but we wanted to know what had happened to the Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf.

He apologized for it going missing, but there just wasn't enough consistent demand for it.  He uses ground beef in multiple dishes, but ground chicken only gets used in meatloaf.  Then he said if we really wanted the chicken meat loaf that if we called ahead of time and let him know that's what we wanted, he would grind the chicken thighs and have it ready for us.  Now that's what I call service!

Knowing my poor husband really missed his chicken meatloaf, I decided to do my own version for dinner this week.  I lightened it up by mixing in lots of vegetables.  I used the traditional celery, but I also added shredded carrots.  I used almond meal instead of breadcrumbs to keep it gluten free.  I also used just ground chicken breasts.

When I went to start cooking I realized that I had no Frank's.  How could I be out of hot sauce?  I had sriracha, but I didn't want to use it since it would only tempt me to make the meatloaf more Asian than Buffalo.

I came up with a perfect solution.  I made my own hot sauce.  I had some dried guajillo and arbol chiles, so I soaked them in boiling water, whirled them in a blender, and added some salt and vinegar.  Problem solved.

Mine was not as good as 360's.  It wasn't as saucy or as spicy (in other words mine needed more sauce).  It was also kind of dry.  Well, I did use breast meat instead of thigh meat, which is what they use at 360 plus it has lots of vegetables in it.

I had plenty of time to set up the light box, but I didn't.  I wish I ate dinner early enough so that I would just have natural light to photograph my dishes with.  This is great with green beans and sweet potatoes.

Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• Salt to taste
• 2 packages ground chicken breast
• 1 cup almond meal
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup hot sauce, plus more for spreading on top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a loaf pan.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add onions.  Cook until soft. Add carrots and celery and cook until they are mostly soft.  Adjust for seasoning. Allow to cool a few minutes.

Mix vegetables with chicken, eggs, almond meal, and hot sauce.  Pack into pan.  Cover the top with additional hot sauce.

Bake for about 60-75 minutes.

So What Have I Been Eating?

I mentioned in my last blog that since I've been on the Lean Eating program I am more concerned with cooking according to my nutrition guidelines than I am about creative recipes.  The silly part of that line of thinking is that creative and healthful cooking are somehow mutually exclusive.  My Lean Eating habits include eating lean protein at every meal, eating five servings of vegetables a day, and eating "smart" carbohydrates?  Why am I being so silly in thinking that I can't make creative recipes along those guidelines and share them on TERP?

Today's post is about lots of food, but only one recipe. I'll share a little bit about what I'm cooking and eating these days with a few photos.  Some of the things I have been cooking are simply slimmed down versions of foods I have cooked before. 

"Supershakes" - That's why the coaches call the smoothies we make for snacks or breakfast.  Mine always consist of two or three fruits, a vegetable, coconut milk, and plain whey protein powder.  I might also add some flaxseed meal, vanilla, or a spoonful of nut butter.

This shake had mixed cantaloupe and honeydew chunks along with a half a cucumber.  I blended that with coconut milk, a handful of fresh mint, and a scoop of protein powder.

I also do shakes where I mix frozen berries and occasionally peaches with spinach or kale and mix that with protein powder and either cashew butter or flax seed meal.

Lentil Soup - I made a great lentil soup this week.  I started by caramelizing two onions and then mixed them with cumin, garlic, and ground coriander.  Then I browned some chunks of spicy chicken sausage in the mix.  Finally I added a bag of lentils and four cups of water along with a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes.  At the very end of the simmering I threw in a block of chopped frozen mustard greens (I wanted more veggies in the soup and I just happened to have the greens in the freezer).  It was the best lentil soup I ever made.

Turkey Chili - I used my Almost Perfect Chili recipe, but I modified it a bit.  I used just one pound of turkey meat and no sausage.  Then I threw in an extra can of pinto beans instead.  It's still a little farther from perfect than the original since I like a meaty chili, but I keep the same tasty flavor profile in there, so it's not so bad.

Cauliflower and Leek Puree - I roasted a chicken on top of a bunch of leeks.  I cooked cauliflower florets in boiling water until they were tender.  I whirled them in the food processor with the cooking liquid and the leeks until smooth.  It was a great substitute for mashed potatoes to have with the chicken.

Garlic Roasted Carrots - I prefer my carrots raw, but I decided to experiment with giving them a long, slow roast.  I like to roast heads of garlic now whenever I have the chance so I always have some garlic puree to smear on various roasted dishes.  I smeared it on carrot sticks and roasted them at 400 degrees until they were nice and caramelized.  It's a nice variation on raw carrots and hummus.

Frittata - I bake them in muffin tins so I have a nice portion size at the ready that I can just warm up and eat for breakfast on the go. These have bell peppers, ramps, and a little goat cheese.  My teammates call them "egg muffins".

Pasta - I made my homemade turkey bolognese and served it over zucchini "noodles".  I simply shave the zucchini with a vegetable peeler.

New Recipe 

This is another slimmed down version of something I made in the past.  Years ago I roasted a chicken with orange and sage and it involved lots of butter.  Now I use chicken cutlets and cook them with a pan sauce of orange, sage, and a little wine.  I served them with those garlic roasted carrots and spinach sauteed in a bit of coconut oil and tossed with some sesame seeds.

Orange Sage Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

• 2 pounds thin chicken cutlets
• 2 shallots, minces
• Juice of one orange
• 1 orange sliced
• 1 Tbl chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 Tbl olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large pan.  Add shallots and cook until fragrant.  Brown chicken cutlets well on each side, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove from pan.

Add juice, sage, and wine to the pan, scraping up any bits from the bottom.  Return the chicken to the pan with the orange slices and cook another 5-10 minutes. 

New Kid in Town - Club Car

I'm sorry I haven't posted much.  I even missed my 6th Blogiversary (Blogaversary?  How do you spell it?), which was the day after my last post!  I have been simplifying my cooking lately due to my new fitness program.  I suppose it should inspire me to be creative and still eat within my plan's parameters, but I don't always make the effort. 

Anyway, I will present today's blog - a restaurant review.

Over the past decade the Metro North train line has been closing all of its train stations and replacing them with automated ticket machines.  While this may be seen as a great cost-cutting and efficiency measure, it does present a problem.  The old train stations are large, lovely buildings and many are historical landmarks.

The solution has been to convert them for other uses.  Their convenience to the train (and thus to NYC) makes them an ideal location for restaurants, stores, food concessions, and offices.

Here in town the station house sat empty for a while until Chef/Owner Brian McMenamin restored the building and converted it into a restaurant.  Last year we welcomed the new restaurant Club Car into town. 

McMenamin has owned other restaurants in the area.  He once owned a popular restaurant, catering facility, and cooking school years ago called McMenamin's Grill.  Once upon a time McMenamin's was one of my favorite restaurants.  Then it went downhill.  The menu didn't change, but the food seemed sloppily prepared.  The service, once friendly and efficient, became indifferent and slow.  In the old days McMenamin himself would stroll through the dining room chatting with customers.  I never saw him in those days when the restaurant was gasping its last breaths. From what I understand, there were mismanagement issues and legal troubles.  I don't know the whole story.  I suppose it doesn't matter anymore anyway since the place is long gone.

I wasn't sure what to think of Club Car when it first opened.  Did I want to try it or didn't I?  Would it recall McMenamin's glory days, or would it be more of the same? Would the owner give it the same attention now that he has other places to worry about? 

I finally had my chance to try it this weekend.  It's a bit pricey, so it's more of an occasion restaurant than a place for a casual weekend dinner.  We did have a special occasion this weekend since my brother-in-law was visting from Chicago.

Outside the architectural integrity of the building has been well-preserved.  It's a great old building.

 Inside, the old wood wood floors and ceiling beams have also been preserved, but everything has been fancied up with chandeliers and artwork.  They really managed to preserve the lovely historic quality of the interior and still make the place look like a restaurant instead of like a train station.

Online review sites have been criticizing the reservation and seating policies, so I worried if we would be seated quickly, but there were no problems at all.  We were seated quickly at a nice table.  We  had someone at our table to take drink orders in good time.  Service was very friendly and helpful.

The wine list wasn't huge, but it had a nice selection.  I hate really big, multi-page wine lists anyway.  They're too intimidating.  We really enjoyed the pinot noir we drank.  They ran out of that wine before we could have a second bottle.  Our server recommended a nice Barolo to replace it.


My meal started simply with a mixed green salad.  Greens were fresh and varied and nicely dressed.  It's kind of hard to really screw something like this up.

The women's side of the table ordered lamb shank with vegetables and polenta.  The men's side of the table had sole meuniere.  My lamb shank was huge.  I ordered it because it was one of my favorite dishes at McMenamin's.  In the new restaurant it's still good.

Kevin and I split a chocolate cake for dessert.  Somehow we ended up with a banana pudding brulee` on the table even though no one ordered it.  I found I liked that dessert the best. 

We started the meal late, and as it drew to a close, we experienced Club Car's main drawback.  Club Car isn't just a restaurant.  It is following the rather unfortunate neighborhood trend of also trying to be a nightclub.  After a certain hour the bouncers come out and the music grows louder.  If you have a late reservation and you want a quiet dinner, you're out of luck.  They had a band the night we were there and while they were on the other side of the dining room, they definitely made our dinner a little shouty.

I suppose this is where I take out my soapbox and rant about how more restaurants are trying to do the nightclub thing in this town.  The awful Molly Spillane's has set an unfortunate precedent.  Now more new restaurants are trying to get in on the action.  I don't think our little suburban bedroom community has any need for nightclubs.  Local residents want to sleep at night and they can't because of these places.  These restaurants are fighting to extend their cabaret licenses to allow music pretty much 24 hours a day.  The neighbors of Club Car are complaining about the noise now just as those of us next to Molly Spillane's have been complaining for the past five years. 

My brother-in-law had no such complaints that night.  He wanted to stay and hear the band.  Our server was kind enough to get a table for us on the bar side.  Kevin and I begged off as we needed to wake up early to be with the horses the next day.  We headed home while the rest of the family enjoyed their evening.

I will definitely keep Club Car on my roster of occasion restaurants.  I will just make sure I make early reservations if I go on a weekend.

Not Quite In Time for the Holiday...

It's funny that I have been craving lamb stew in the past week.  St. Patrick's Day was last weekend.  Lamb stew just sort of makes sense.  Well, I should say it made sense.  I spent St. Patrick's Day eating leftover chicken meat loaf and drinking whatever bizarre cocktails I could coax from my liquor cabinet. 

March has not come in like a lion this year.  It has come in like an entire pride - likely the pride Simba left behind in Scar's care where food has become scarce and those lions are hungry.  The official start of spring is only 3 days away and there is no sign of the angry, wintry weather ever letting up. 

Since March isn't going out like a lamb, I might as make like a lion and just eat that lamb myself.  St. Patrick's Day might be over, but I'm going to combat this endless cold, rain, sleet, and snow with some lamb stew.

Let me point out before we begin, that there is nothing Irish about my lamb stew at all.  My stew had a Middle Eastern flair to it.

I started with lamb neck bones.  I sprinkled them with salt and pepper and browned them well.  I wanted to find some shoulder chunks instead, but the store didn't have any.  The neck bones looked good for stewing.

I cooked some onions and then added garlic and finally some chunks of carrots.  I seasoned everything with cumin, ground coriander, and cinnamon.



I added the lamb back to the pot with some beef stock mixed with tomato paste, a cup of frozen chopped spinach (fresh would have been fine, but I had frozen on hand), a can of chickpeas, and a cup of golden raisins.  Then the whole pot went into the oven for about 90 minutes.

 
You would not believe how good the house smelled while this was cooking!
 


I served it over rice, although I suppose couscous would have been more appropriate.  It was a truly delcious stew either way.  I wasn't really crazy about the lamb neck bones though.  They have too much connective tissue on them.  I had the same issues with them that I had with beef shanks - they're a little chewy.  They probably needed much more cooking.  I hope I can find shoulder the next time.

Lamb Stew with Spinach, Chick Peas, and Raisins

Ingredients

• 4 pounds lamb neck bones
• Salt and pepper for sprinkling
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 quart beef stock
• 3 Tbl tomato paste
• 1 15 oz. can chick peas
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the meat.  Brown well on all sides over medium heat.  Remove.

Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.  Add the carrots and cook until they begin to brown a bit.  Add cinnamon, cumin, garlic, and salt.  Make sure they coat the vegetables well and cook until fragrant. 

Mix together beef stock and tomato paste.  Add to the pan along with the lamb bones, the spinach and the chick peas.  Cover the pot and place in the oven.  Cook for 90 minutes or until lamb is tender.

Serve over rice or couscous

Salsa Meat Loaf for a Guiltless Friday Dinner

Sometimes Friday are "casual Fridays" where I want to make the easiest dishes that require the least amount of thought and effort. 

Sometimes Fridays are a little fancy.  After all, the weekend has arrived and I should celebrate.

This Friday was in between.  I wasn't looking for something extraordinary, but I had enough energy to put some time and effort in the meal.

I guess one could say the meal I ended up making was just sacreligious.  I think I felt my grandmother turning in her grave as I cooked and ate last night.  I do occasionally remember that it's Lent.  Much to Grandma's ghost's dismay (as well as to some of the rest of my family and friends) I'm afraid I don't observe that sort of thing anymore.

Still, it's hard not to think about how much it would have distressed Grandma to see me thumb my nose at the rules.  I remember eating dinner on Lenten Fridays at her house while I was growing up.  The meals were never very substantial.  It was always tuna salad (the only fish I could choke down in those days) or grilled cheese sandwiches.  I don't know why it never occurred to her to make something like a meatless pasta dish.  I would complain bitterly and ask why the Protestants ate what they wanted during Lent and presumably weren't sent to Hell for it. 

After taking that trip down memory lane, I feel a little guilty.  I don't feel guilty for what I had for dinner.  I feel guilty for not feeling guilty.

Anyway, after all of this pointless babble, what did I have for my not-fancy-but-not-overly-simple dinner?

Meatloaf!

Every time I ask my husband what he would like for dinner, if he can think of an answer, it's almost always something that contains ground meat.  He wants turkey burgers or chili or spaghetti and meatballs.  I thought it would be fun to combine some of those foods in to one new dish.  The blog needs a new recipe.

I mixed the best elements of chili - meat, chili powder, tomatoes, hot pepper, onions, and cumin - into a loaf form and baked it up.  It took less time than making a pot of chili (especially the way I make it) but it did take some effort with the chopping, shredding, and sauteeing needed to put the whole mess together. 

There are other many other recipes like it, but this one is mine.  I use ground chicken with almond flour as a binder.  If you prefer beef and more traditional bread crumbs, please feel free to experiment.  My meatloaf is quite soft.  My hatred of meatloaf in my early childhood came from the fact that I wasn't fond of those dry bricks of beef (even if the crispy edges were good).  I only liked meatballs because simmering in the sauce softened and flavored them more.  This is a very soft meatloaf due to eggs and a binder that isn't very dry.  If you like a firmer meatloaf, then definitely take to heart what I said about bread crumbs.

I liked this, but I thought it could use a little more spice.  I might double the amount the next time I make it.  Maybe I'll add another chili pepper or some chipotle powder.

Salsa Meat Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground chicken 
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded* and finely diced
• 2-3 carrots (depending on size), shredded
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan.  Add onions and cook until soft.  Add garlic and cook another minute.  Add carrots and jalpeno.  Mix together cumin, chili powder, oregano and salt.  Add to pan and coat vegetables well, cooking until they are very fragrant and softened.  Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes.

Mix the onion mixutre together in a large bowl with the tomatoes.  Taste for seasoning here.  Make sure you like the amount of salt and spice and then add the chicken and the eggs.  Mix gently until combined.

Grease a loaf pan and gently pour your turkey mixture into it.

Bake for for about 75-90 minutes.

New Kid in Town - Fiamma Trattoria

Fiamma is one of those restaurants that have opened in town fairly recently and opened with little fanfare or publicity.  One day the place just appeared.  There was no grand opening, no website, and no indication what type of Italian restaurant it would be.  It sits in a small place on the corner of one of my favorite streets in town (a historic residential street that is filled with gorgeous Victorian homes and doesn't turn commercial until the street terminates) in a space once occupied by a Mexican dive bar.  My husband, always suspicious of new establishments (I don't call him Sir Pickypants for nothing), started out very reluctant to try it.  The memories of the previous tenant were still in his head and he wondered if Fiamma was going to be a little trashy.  I suppose I can't blame him.  Fiamma was determined to fly under the radar and not announce to the world what it was all about.  What was it hiding?

I don't like to ignore new restaurants. I hate to think I'm possibly passing over something wonderful.  In that spirit, I became an internet detective and began searching every site I could think of to find more information.  I started seeing stuff in dribs and drabs.  Everything I was reading about it was positive.

It took a few months before I finally was able to go myself.  It helps to have SPP's sister-in-law around.  She is separated for weeks at at time from her home in Chicago.  She can feel a bit bored and lonely at times.  She's also interested in exploring everything her temporary New York home has to offer.  We made a date to try the place this week. Kevin even decided he wanted to join us. 

There is a reason they don't post their menu online.  The menu changes every day.  The restaurant is so small (maybe 10 tables) that the chef has to buy everything fresh.  He goes to the market daily and gets what looks good and then creates that day's menu from it.  Each night the menu is posted on the blackboard.

When we entered we saw it was fairly busy for late on a Tuesday night.  Even so, we were greeted warmly and seated promptly.  The hostess explained the menu to us.  Certain dishes are served every night.  If you're not adventurous, you can always have tagilatelle bolognese, pork chops with vinegar peppers, or chicken or eggplant parmigiana.  Salads and side vegetables aren't listed on the menu, but they are quick to point out you can have one with your meal if the appetizer selection doesn't tickle your fancy. 

They started us off with the bread basket.  Rather than butter they brought us a bottle of olive oil and a small container of tomato topping.  (The server called it "bruschetta" but I refuse to use that word to refer to tomato topping.  The word bruschetta referrs to grilled bread - not what one typically puts on top of it.)

 Please forgive the quality of the photos.  I forgot my good camera and had to use my phone all evening.

Although Kevin and his SIL had salads, I was very keen to try the homemade mozzarella.  There are plenty of places to get homemade mozzarella in my neighborhood, but I can never resist it when someone offers it.  I was not disappointed. 

Next was the main course.  My dining companions stuck with the homemade pasta dishes.  I was an even bigger doodyhead and forgot to take photos of them.  Kevin had a dish with lobster and crab in pink sauce. 

I chose a braised pork shank.  This was like a pork club.  I could have used it as a weapon (along with the parsnip).  I never needed my knife to eat this.  It just fell off the bone in lovely, succulent chunks.  The light tomato and mushroom sauce combined perfectly with the creamy poltenta beneath it. 

For dessert we had zeppoli.  The word zeppoli has multiple meanings here in the NY area.  Zeppoli can be more like cream puffs with pate a choux dough and either fried or baked and filled with cannoli cream (which makes them St. Joseph's pastries).  They can also be fried pizza dough doused in powdered sugar, also called pizza fritta, which are more of a carnival food. 

Fiamma's zeppoli were more like the latter version than the former.  Unlike carnival zeppoli, and more like the bakery pastries, these had a filling.  They were filled with Nutella.  Since they come four to an order and we were sharing them, they offered to fill half with Nutella and half with cannoli cream.  The cannoli cream ones also had chocolate chips in them.

These were ridiculously good.  They were so delicious and fattening they should have been illegal. 

Since I usually don't like to drink on weeknights (I'm a chronic insomniac and alcohol disrupts my already fragile sleep), I don't know what their wine offerings were.  They had a "wine cellar" (labelled as such with a wooden sign), which was a very large rack covering a large part of one wall.  I will have to go back on a weekend to try out their offerings.

We left feeling happy and well fed.  We really do want to come back again.  I do most of my eating out on weekends, so it will be interesting trying to go back.  They don't take reservations for fewer than six people.  If they're busy on a Tuesday, I can imagine the wait for a table on a weekend would be long.  Oh well.  It might be worth the risk.