Deburgo Sauce

Before I moved to NYC in 2007, I got drunk at a favorite DSM restaurant and insisted I wasn't leaving until the chef gave me his deburgo sauce recipe. The waiter obliged my little tantrum and here it is.
Deburgo sauce is something of a Central Iowa specialty. Most people have never even heard of it. You pour it over a nice, rare steak or use it as a dipping sauce. People say it goes with chicken just as well, but I always think of it as a steak companion. Think of it as an alternative to a bechamel sauce that is sometimes served with steaks.

Ingredients

2 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp basil
1 tbsp thyme
2 oz butter
2 cups cream

Use fresh herbs for best results.

Directions

Sauté herbs with butter. Add cream and reduce mixture until desired consistency (usually reduces by half). Add salt and pepper as desired. Since you're dealing with butter and cream, low and slow is the name of the game. Keep whisking the sauce- this is one you don't want to leave neglected.
Pour over steak.

You can omit the cream if you don't dig the creamy kind and it tastes just as good. Just keep the burner on low and let the butter kind of infuse with the herb flavors for awhile.

Experimenting with Tofu

I am not what you would call a Tofu fan. I don't dislike it...I just don't like it enough to incorporate it into my regular diet. I'll eat it when I'm at a restaurant, and generally enjoy it when it's in a dish like pad thai or miso soup. I just never piqued my interest enough to try at home.
Then I met Pemble. Pemble cooks with tofu regularly. He makes this thing I'm now referring to as the Pemble Tofu Scramble, mainly because I don't know what else to call it. Pemble's signature dish consists of Israeli couscous, tofu, veggies, and various spice blends. And I liked it enough to attempt to create my own version. My version has a sauce where Pemble's is almost more of a stir fry. I used what I happened to have on hand and it turned out pretty good!

Ingredients
1 block of extra firm Tofu
Israeli (or Pearl) Couscous
Onion
Garlic
1 sweet potato
1 cup sliced Summer Squash
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
Soy Sauce
Sriracha - the garlic paste kind that comes in a jar
16 oz. (or more) Butternut Squash soup
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
Spices- Cumin, Allspice, granulated garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper - all to taste.


Steps
1. Marinate Tofu in Soy Sauce, sriracha, some garlic, and whatever spices you prefer (I use cumin, allspice, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder). Coat both sides of the block in the mixture and soak for about a half hour- flip it so the block soaks up the marinade evenly.
2. Bake in oven at 375 for at least a half hour. Baking the tofu gives it the consistency of a crispy scrambled egg. The longer you bake it for, the crispier it will be. Just leave some time for it to cook more when it's added to the other ingredients.
3. Cube sweet potatoes, soak in salt water for at least 20 min. Rinse and pat dry. This allows the potatoes to cook faster.
4. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add coconut oil, garlic, and onions. Saute until fragrant.
5. Add carrots. Add sweet potatoes. Add a little bit of water. Cover for 10 min to allow sweet potatoes to cook.
6. Add butternut squash soup, cover again, lower heat and let simmer.
7. Add couscous- if mixture is too thick, add water or more soup. Check frequently and stir to make sure couscous doesn't stick to bottom of the pan. Simmer until potatoes are almost fork tender.
8. Add squash. Cover and let simmer, again checking frequently.
9. Cube baked tofu, and add to the saute pan. Let heat thoroughly.
10. Add additional spices to taste. I found that I had flavored the tofu enough that I didn't need to add more. If you want your scramble spicier, add more now!
11. Add tomatoes, and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Mixture should have a stew like consistency. Keep simmering until it thickens. If too thick, add more water or soup.

The butternut squash soup takes the edge off the spices and gives it a, well, buttery flavor. You can easily change this up by using different veggies and soup. Or skip the soup and be like Pemble- stir fry your veggies and spices and dump on top of the couscous.
I feel like this is a pretty healthy dish since it's high in fiber and protein. A small portion really does keep you full for a long time. And the quantity above has fed me for pretty much 4 days!

Ramp Gravy

A few months back, my friend Kristin told me about Onion Gravy. This was a totally new concept for me, especially since I usually only make gravy on special occasions. Kristin serves hers on pork chops.
I took a slightly different approach to mine.
I'd been saving an Onion Gravy recipe to try someday, but never got around to it. May 4th, the first Downtown Farmer's Market rolls around, and now I have a ton of ramps and spring garlic. I had to do some research on ramps- I wasn't sure how to use them. Wikipedia told me they're a cross between and onion and garlic. Score! I'm gonna make a ramp gravy! So I did. And it was amazing! I hope the recipe holds up with just plan old onions. If it doesn't, I froze some extra ramp gravy for when I need a fix later in the year.

Ingredients
1/3 pound of ramps, white and red parts chopped; discard leaves (or use in another dish)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper

Steps
I pan fried some chicken breasts before I started the gravy. If you're serving this gravy with meat, cook that first, leave the brown bits in the pan, and start your gravy in there. Use a 12 in wide sautee pan for best results.

1. Add Butter and ramps in a skillet, over medium heat.
2. Stir freqeuntly until ramps are browned and softened.
3. Add flour (to create a roux) and stir until combined.
4. Stir in Water, broth, Worcestershire, and pepper.
5. Bring to a simmer, while stirring. Scrape up any brown bits.
6. Keep at a simmer until gravy has thickened to desired consistency. Then serve!

Since I was making chicken along with the gravy, I tossed the chicken breasts back in the pan of gravy for another 10 minutes. It finished off the chicken nicely and the gravy got nice and thick.

I'm definitely not a vegetarian or vegan, but I suspect that this type of gravy would be great for those who are! Just use a vegetable broth and some kind of butter substitute and you're in business! 

Original recipe I used as inspiration: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Onion-Gravy-231663?mbid=ipapp

Oaty Balls

My love of food has led to lots of snacking over the years. In an effort to clean up my snacks,  make them more healthy, and cut out processed foods, I started researching some alternatives. One recipe I found really appealed to me. Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter? I've only ever met one person who doesn't. These little balls are fantastic and filling. The original recipe claims they are some kind of energy type snack. I dunno about that. What I do know is that I feel less guilty about eating these vs eating a candy bar! Below is the recipe for the modified version I make.

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup peanut butter (I use for a natural peanut butter, with no added sugar)

1/2 cup coconut flakes (make sure they are just coconut, nothing added)

scant 1/3 cup of honey

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds

heavy 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I go for semi-sweet or dark chocolate)

1 tsp vanilla (make it a really good, vanilla. Not a fake extract!)

Steps

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, really well. Make sure the solids are all nicely coated and the mixture is sticking together. Add more peanut butter and/or honey, if needed. 

2. Using a cookie scoop or Tablespoon, shape the mixture into balls. 

3. Refrigerate for at least an hour. 

4. Once cool and solid, I portion the balls out into baggies. You can also keep them in any kind of air tight container, as long as you keep them refrigerated. They do freeze well if you want to make a large batch. 

It takes maybe 10 minutes to make these. I think they're a great afternoon snack or pre-workout snack. Kids seem to like them too. If you don't like flax seeds or almonds, mix it up and try some other ingredients. You could easily make a variation with dried cranberries or cherries instead of chocolate chips too. This is an easy recipe to experiment with and figure out what you like! There's nothing to mess up here- as long as they keep a ball shape, you have succeeded! 

Original recipe: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/

Avocado Chicken Salad

I'm feeling adventuresome tonight so it's time to try a new recipe. I found a recipe on Pinterest for Chicken Salad that uses avocado instead of mayo or yogurt or sour cream. The original recipe was pretty open ended. So I'm putting my own spin on it.

I'm baking the chicken in a lime, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil based marinade. I used sea salt, granulated garlic, white pepper, cumin, medium chili powder, and dill for the seasoning.
The recipe called for raw onion, which I'm not a fan of. Instead, I finely chopped a shallot, then soaked it in lime and salt.
When the chicken was done, I shredded it and let it cool.
Cube the avocado as you would for guac. Mix the ingredients with a squeeze of lime. You can add cilantro if you like. (It tastes like soap to me, so I usually leave it out!) I added more salt and a bit more dill to the mixture.

This was pretty quick and easy to make. The most intensive part was baking and shredding the chicken. Turns out this is Paleo or 4 hour body acceptable recipe as well! A healthier chicken salad for summer. Next time, I think I'll try putting some fresh corn or cut up a hard boiled egg in it!

Thanks to the original author for the inspiration! Original recipe can be found here: http://relishscd.blogspot.ca/2012/11/avacado-chicken-salad-scd-paleo.html

Roast Chicken

My friend Joel once told me that everyone needs to know how to cook a whole chicken. Joel is a smart guy so I took his words to heart. Turns out roasting a whole bird isn't as hard as I thought. I've tried several methods over the years, but this is still my favorite.

Pick your chicken

Get a roasting chicken. I prefer getting one with all the inside bits removed. I have no use for a chicken neck and never will. Aim for about 2 pounds a person, and remember that the bigger the bird, the longer the cooking time.

Special Equipment

Probe thermometer - if you don't have a meat thermometer yet, now is the time to get one. Invest in the leave in kind that just beeps at you when the bird has reached desired temperature.

Roasting pan with a rack - it's just easier if you have a pan with a rack.

Carving and boning knives - Learning to carve a whole chicken can be tricky. But with practice and the right knives, it's no big deal at all. Make your life easier and get the right knives. Yes, you do need a boning knife and a carving set.

Brining bags - giant ziploc type bags that are super sturdy. If you're going to brine, you need these bags.

Brine and Bird prep

I love brining birds! I do it for turkeys as well as chickens. It's pretty much the guaranteed way to end up with a juicy chicken. You can buy a premixed brine or make your own.

1. Boil whatever your brine mixture you use. I let it go until it reduces about half an inch to an inch down the side of the pot.
2. Let it completely cool! Put the pan in a bath of cold water and ice if you're in a hurry. You don't want warm brine water partially cooking your bird. 
3. Rinse your bird off. Pull anything out of the cavity (warning, the neck or guts might be in there) and rinse out the inside of the bird too.
4. Put bird in brine bag. Put bird/bag combo into a large container (I just use the roasting pan). Carefully pour the brine mixture into the bag. Go slow, and use a measuring cup with a pour spout if it's easier. Fill up the bag until the bird is covered. If you run out of brine mix, just add plain old cold water (or even cider) until it's covered. 
5. Seal the bag. Put the whole thing in the fridge for a minimum of 6 to 8 hours (I just do it overnight).
6. When you're ready to cook, take the bird out of the brine. Get rid of the brine. Rinse the bird again, very very thoroughly.

Cook the Bird

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Stuff the bird with peeled and smashed garlic cloves, quartered white or yellow onions, and lemon halves. Then throw a hand full of spices into the cavity (usually same blend used in the brine, no salt tho). 
3. Then butter the entire outside of the bird. I use a softened butter mixed with the same herbs I used previously. Just rub the chicken down with the butter-herb mixture. I even pull up the skin a bit and stick some butter under there. 
4. Put that sucker in the oven for a half hour. This is when your skin is gonna get nice and golden. I put it in upside down. 
5. After the first half hour, turn it over, and let it cook the rest of the way. 
6. Chicken is done when it's no longer pink- 165 degrees minimum. This will usually take nearly 2 hours for a 4 pound chicken. Use a meat thermometer to be safe. Cooking time depends entirely on weight of the bird!

If you don't have a rack in your roasting pan, you'll want to make sure there is at least a little bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan. Or you can do a layer of potatoes and onions and other veggies, then set the chicken on top of that.

If you brine your chicken, you shouldn't have to baste it or anything. Unless you want to. And you definitely won't have to salt it. Sometimes I toss a little white wine over it, just for fun.

If the bird gets too brown on the outside but still isn't done on the inside, make a tin foil tent- that will save it from burning the skin.

Garlic Roasted Chicken Breast

This recipe is one of my favorite weeknight dishes. It doesn't require a lot of ingredients, effort, or time. I love this recipe particularly because it's a meal for two. It can easily be doubled or tripled for a larger family meal. Just use a bigger pan, and make sure the chicken isn't crowded during the cooking process.
The recipe does call for a dry white wine. I'm usually a sweet wine person, but trust me, you want a dry white wine with this recipe. An inexpensive one will do. I usually use Barefoot Pinot Grigio because it's usually on sale.
Be careful when you remove the pan from the oven and put it back on the burner to make the pan sauce. I will forget that it has been in the oven, grab the handle, and burn myself. I can't tell you how many times I have done this, even though I know better. It's not fun, but will teach you a lesson in home burn care.


Special Equipment
A medium sized oven proof saute pan (or frying pan with a good sized sides). This means no plastic handles, no non-stick coating. Use a regular stainless steel pan.

Ingredients
2 boneless chicken breasts (skin is optional)
1 1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves (about 15 pieces)
1/2 cup of dry white wine

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pull chicken out of package and pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with sage, salt, and pepper.
4. Heat the oil in the pan (on the stove top) over medium heat.
5. Add chicken and saute until brown. About 3 minutes per side.
6. In a saucepan, blanch the garlic for about 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water. You can skip this step and continue to the next step if you like. Or instead of blanching, use lightly roasted garlic cloves.
7. Take the garlic cloves and arranged them around the chicken in the saute pan.
8. Poor wine over chicken and garlic.
9. Cover the chicken, place pan in oven, and bake chicken for 10 minutes.
10. Uncover and baste the chicken. Continue baking chicken, without the lid on the pan, for another 8 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.
11. Pull the pan out of the oven. Use tongs to remove chicken and put on plates.
12. Put the pan back on the burner (use hot pads!!) and set it to high. Stir to scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
13. Boil the pan juices until it's slightly thickened. About 2 to 3 minutes. Stir often, but don't get over aggressive about it. The liquid will reduce some as it thickens.
14. Taste the sauce. Add salt or pepper if you need more.
15. Spoon over chicken when ready.

The pan sauce the garlic and wine produces is amazing! The original recipe suggests using it as a gravy for mashed potatoes. I tend to roast fingerling potatoes and throw the sauce over them. It's good over broccoli rabe too. Actually, I haven't found anything that this pan sauce isn't good on. If you want to make more sauce, just add more wine during step 12.



Recipe Source: Epicurious.com "Garlic-Roasted Chicken Breasts" Appeared in Bon Appetit, March 1997. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Garlic-Roasted-Chicken-Breasts-3173