Cheese on Toast

Growing up, we called it "more, more, more": a slice of white bread folded in half, a slice of American cheese melted inside, thanks to the microwave. The thought of it conjures up my earliest memories of cooking with Mom. No matter how sophisticated my palate becomes, my mouth will always water when I think of more, more, more.

Only recently was I introduced to a slightly more upscale version of my childhood favorite. Popular in the U.K., cheese on toast is a winner for breakfast that keeps me full for hours. All you need is hearty, high-fiber bread and the strongest, sharpest cheddar you can stand. Toast the bread or place under the broiler, flip, top with cheese and toast or broil until melted. When I'm feeling a little more grown up, I top with preserves and fresh herbs -- the combination of apricot and basil is perfect.

An Addendum

My friend and colleague greeted me today with the words, "I am so disappointed in you." He went on to explain that he and his wife, who happen to follow this blog from time to time, were surprised to know that I used bacon -- real bacon -- in the chicken stew (see previous post). I figured I needed to defend myself, publicly. Yes, generally speaking, turkey is a good substitute for fatty pork products. However, it is imperative that you compare food labels. For example, one slice of Trader Joe's turkey bacon contains the same amount of fat and calories as two slices of Trader Joe's regular bacon. Frankly, I'd rather have the real thing. Another thing: the recipe calls for four slices of bacon, and serves four very hungry people. Just one slice of bacon once in a while can absolutely be a part of a healthy, balanced diet. Especially when the remainder of the recipe calls for healthy ingredients (tomatoes, chicken breast, beans). Of course, if you find a very lean brand of turkey bacon, it would be a great substitute for bacon. I hope this information helps to clarify any sort of mischief you assumed I was conjuring up in the kitchen. Thanks to you, Haidar, and your wife for reading!

Chicken Stew

Every once in a while, things come together in the kitchen. It's as though the culinary gods fall to earth and use your body as some sort of living cadaver to create something magical. Okay, perhaps that's a bit dramatic. But for my last adventure on my culinary staycation (see below post), I prepared a humble chicken stew that practically outshone everything else I prepared that week.

Begin by cutting 4 slices of bacon into small pieces and cooking them over medium-high heat. Remove bacon and place on a plate lined with papertowels to soak up the excess fat. While the bacon is cooking, dredge 2 pounds of chicken breasts with flour, dried oregano, salt and black pepper. Shake off excess flour and then cook briefly, about 1 minute each side, in the bacon fat, adding olive oil as necessary. Do this in batches until all the chicken is cooked, transferring them to a plate once done.

Saute one large onion, diced in the remaining fat, adding 4-5 garlic cloves, minced once the onions become translucent. Cook for about 30 seconds.

Deglaze the pan/pot with approximately 1/2 cup of dry white wine, scraping the bits stuck to the bottom of the cooking vessel. Once the wine has evaporated a bit, pour in one 28-ounce can of Italian plum tomatoes and 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth. Throw in 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 fresh bay leaf and about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

In goes the chicken and bacon back into the pot. Cook for about 45 minutes over low heat, maintaining a soft simmer. Add 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed well and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste and serve over rice.

Culinary Staycation

I recently made travel plans which had unexpectedly gone awry. I found myself in my parents' house for a whole week with no plans. Yes, I did sulk -- it was not the type of vacation I was hoping for. But I was still off from work, so I took the opportunity to enjoy an airy kitchen with room to move and enough counter space for me to make a beautiful mess. First was a green bean salad with homemade roasted red peppers and cannellini beans. A simple dressing of shallots, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper made it a bright and colorful side dish. Serendipidously, the next night was my parents' 26th wedding anniversary. I prepared tomato fennel soup (http://lettucetalkfood.blogspot.com/2009/12/fennel-and-tomato-soup.html), a simple salad of mixed greens and lightly steamed asparagus, and onion tart. For the latter, I slowly sweated onions with butter, oil and fresh thyme until almost falling apart. Puff pastry made for a rich, crispy base for the sweet onions.

I prepared homemade ricotta cheese, made in the microwave with a touch of salt and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It took a ton of milk to yield a modest amount of ricotta, but the flavor was incredible.

I made radish sandwiches with homemade thyme butter (below), sea salt and toasted baguette.

Here is the plain butter...

And the one with fresh thyme.

Oh -- and there was dark chocolate sorbet. I (surprisingly) followed a recipe, but decided that following the ice cream manufacturer's instructions was unnecessary. This lead to confusion, frustration, and a hell of a lot of effort, but it was incredibly rich and worth the stress.

And of course, since it was vacation, there were cocktails. Bloody marys made with vegetable juice, horseradish, Worchestershire sauce, lemon juice and vodka.

I guess this post serves a selfish, cathartic purpose. I realize that it's not where you are, but what you do -- and who you do it with -- that ultimately makes you happy. I was not expecting to spend my vacation this way, but I'm glad I did.