Ode To Cruise Food, Part I

It would appear that my brain has been on holiday for the past few weeks since returning from the cruise... Goodness gravy!

The friends I traveled with knew that I keep up a food blog, and would often say right after being served, "Here, Sarah, take a picture!"

Ergo, here is the first set of cruise food samplings and a tour around the ship and port towns where we stopped.  Try not to drool on your keyboard...

Appetiser - Chilled Strawberry and Watermelon Smoothie!  These were always available with new flavours on the menu, and quickly became a nightly favourite.

Dessert - Someone's Apple Turnover with Vanilla ice cream

Dessert - Foreground: Vanilla Gelato with Raspberry Sauce and Peaches

Background: Pistachio ice cream, Crème Brûlée

Dessert - Positively the most incredible, rich Rocky Road Gelato I have ever had in my LIFE.  Rocky Road generally isn't the first flavour I would pick in the grocery store, but make it gelato with chocolate chips, and I'd reach for that dangerous combination any day...

Fudge shoppe in rainy Juneau, Alaska.

Per recommendation from Juneau locals, we lunched at The Twisted Fish (Halibut Fish 'N Chips, Caesar salad, Alaska Brewing Company beer...).

Eggplant Parmesan

Appetiser - Shrimp and Mushrooms in a Chive and Butter Sauce

Main Course - Fresh Halibut and trimmings

Me with my favourite junior waiter of all time (hamming it up here, as you can see), on Italian-themed night.  Three cheers for Chiradet from Thailand!

Apertif - Limoncello

Dessert - Peach Gelato, from the looks of it...

 Dessert - Tiramisu with coffee (Italian-themed night)

This is the Atrium on the 5th floor, in the centre of the ship (where the dining halls, shoppes, and various events happen).

Traviata Formal Dining Room

Serenaded by live music every night -- what a treat!

Well, that is all for now.  Stay tuned for the next installment!

Roast Chicken and all of the trimmings

Ma manan Poulet Rôti.  My mother's favourite chicken.  This is what I made the other night, and it was nothing short of heavenly.  Seriously, no one wanted to stop eating!  I am excited to share the recipe with you, because I think that you'll like it, too.

Why, you ask?  Well, for one, it is light on your wallet.  These whole birds are often on sale at my local grocery stores, and they are worth every dollar for the pound.  The preparation is also very easy; your oven essentially does all of the cooking for you!

Without further ado, my mother's scrumptious Roast Chicken. (Though, I confess, when asked what I was serving, I couldn't resist replying, "Roast BEAST", with such confidence in my voice that they nearly believed me.  It's a Doctor Seuss reference, but I digress...)

Linda's Roasted Chicken

Yields: Roughly 4-5 servings, depending on the size of the chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 roasting chicken (5-7 pounds -- I cooked two in a roasting pan; firstly, they were buy-one-get-one free, secondly, this was dinner for my family with healthy appetites, and thirdly, no one in their right mind would refuse these leftovers...)
• 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
• 3-4 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary (this really tastes best with the fresh kind, but if you don't have any on hand, use dried rosemary.  Also, start with around 2 T. and see how much you need for the size bird you're cooking.  I "eyeball" with this one, because you can't go wrong with rosemary.)
• Sea salt (again, assess the size of the bird(s) and go from there...)
• Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Add-ins:

You can also add other ingredients like lemon, lemon juice, and put whole garlic cloves under the skin of the chicken (but this may add steam -- see step #4 below).
As for side dishes?  Steamed vegetables.  Herb salad with a creamy ranch dressing or mustard vinaigrette.  As you can see, I baked fries to go with the chicken (but we were out of Russets and Yukon Gold potatoes, so I used reds).  Martha's Oven Fries (or her Salt & Pepper Fries) are my favourite.  Trust me, you'll have a difficult time staying away from them!

Directions:

1. Start by turning the oven on to 450°F.
2. Remove the chicken from its wrapping. You'll need to thoroughly wash and dry the bird in the sink before anything else.  This part is kind of actually really disgusting, so don't ponder it too much, OK (the only thought running through my head was how thankful I was not to have to kill and de-feather the bird as well... Whew!)?  Besides that, we are women.  We are child bearers, which means we're strong.  We can do this -- woman up! (If you tell yourself that while you're working, it gets easier and your mind will be distracted in no time.  Or, you could put on some music!)
3. Moving on (because I am obviously past the there-is-a-squishy/slippery-dead-animal-in-my-hands fact... Obviously!), make sure you dry the bird completely (inside and out).  Place it in a roasting pan, and add the seasonings.  Once they're on, rub them in a bit.  
4. Before putting it into the oven, make sure you don't have the lid on.  This will create steam, which defeats the purpose of roasting.  My mum recommends Thomas Keller's Favourite Roast Chicken recipe on Epicurious, where he explains about the whole roasting process.
5. Pop the pan in the oven (sans lid), for about an hour, maybe more (you will want to occasionally check it).  For instructions on how long to roast the chicken, read this forum thread, consult this chart, or Google "roasting a whole chicken".
6. Use a meat thermometer to find out if the meat is done cooking.  It should be 175-180° in the thickest part of the bird (try poking the thermometer into the thigh area).

See?  Proof of its delectableness.  Don't mind a very hungry Wimbledon here... My mother did give us etiquette lessons in table manners, but I think he needs reminding (more like scolding?)!

In case that photo on the far right didn't scare you enough, here it is again.  Positively FRIGHTENING!

"He brought everything back, all the food for the feast. And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beast."

About that soup...

Uh oh... I teased with a couple of images of a glorious soup in the last post, and then couldn't find the time to write again later in the week!  That is not very nice.

Ergo, as promised...

Gluten Free Girl & The Chef's

Black Bean Soup with Red pepper Relish

Ingredients:

Red Pepper Relish

• 1 large red bell pepper, roasted
• 1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T. finely chopped green onion
• 2 tsp. grated lime zest
• 2 tsp. sherry vinegar (I used some other kind of vinegar, what was in the pantry)
• 1 tsp. thinly sliced garlic
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh chives

Black Bean Soup

• 2 T. canola oil (I prefer olive oil)
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and large diced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and large diced
• 2 stalks celery, large diced
• 2 T. chopped garlic
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted (or ground cumin powder)
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (or more, if you're like me!)
• 1 dried chipotle pepper, stemmed
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 4 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight
• 1 small smoked ham hock, thawed
• Kosher salt & cracked black pepper
• 4 T. sour cream

Directions:

1. Making the relish: Peel the roasted pepper and cut it into a small slice.  Add the diced pepper to a bowl and combine with the cilantro, green onion, lime zest, vinegar, garlic, and chives.  Transfer a quarter of the mixture to a food processor and pulse; it should feel chunky, not entirely puréed.  Add the chunky part back into the relish and stir.

2. Sautéing the vegetables for the soup: Add the oil to a medium stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes and cook until they are fragrant.

3. Spicing it up: Add the entire chipotle pepper to the pot.  Stir in the tomato paste.  When it coats everything, add 3 cups of the chicken stock.

4. Cooking the soup: Drain the beans from the water they have been soaking in.  Add them to the soup along with the ham hock.  Cook over medium heat until the beans are completely tender and the ham hock has started to peel away from the bone, 25 to 30 minutes.

5.  Finishing the soup: Remove the ham hock from the soup.  Peel all the meat away, from the bone and chop it up into bite-sized pieces.
Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender in small batches and purée; the final consistency should be just a touch thinner than a smoothie.  If the soup feels too thick, thin it out with the remaining chicken stock.
Pour the soup into the stockpot.  Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls.  Dollop with the sour cream and the red pepper relish.

My Add-ins/Suggestions:

Source: Annie Green Jeans

Begin with soaking the beans overnight.  Make sure you pour enough water over them, and place a tight cover on the top so that they'll be sealed in overnight!

With the bell peppers, I put them in the oven to roast; turning them every-so-often so that they were blackened all over, but not burned.  When they were done, I took them out, placed them in a paper bag and folded it shut, and let them sit in the microwave (not on) to steam while I took care of other parts of the recipe.

Regarding the ham, if you don't have any spare ham hocks in the freezer, you can take deli ham slices and dice them up in quarters.

"This is not a particularly spicy soup.  

...I want the food to taste like itself, not just heat.  It should have a little kick, but not too much.  I don't want a soup to punch me in the mouth!"

– Shauna "Gluten Free Girl" Ahern

Apparently, I must have missed the above, since my brain underwent a momentary lapse and I ended up pouring in an ENTIRE CAN of tear-inducing chipotle peppers (sorry, family!).  The result was perfectly spicy soup for me (think Goldy Lock's response when she finds the Little Bear's porridge), while everyone else thanked me through stinging eyes and dripping noses; saying it was "really delicious, *cough sniffle cough*, despite".

I also added some cayenne pepper and chili powder, and put out both sour cream and plain yogurt as toppings.

A perfect side dish would be quesadillas (or buttered tortillas), for dipping into your bowl.  Oh, and don't forget the enselada verde!

As always, with soups, they are even better the next day (that is, if you have any left over)!

Indian-Style Crock Pot Curry

I was looking for a simple meal that could cook all day and be ready to serve—in all its delectableness—at the end of it.  Cue this yummy curry that was featured on Rachel Ray's show and also on Stephanie O'Dea's Crockpot365.
The entire house had a wonderful aroma of warm, exotic spices to it, and I found myself wondering how quickly dinner time would come around!


Indian-Style Crock Pot Curry

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
• 1 T. tomato paste
• 2 T. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• A few dashes of hot sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 large eggplant, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 medium sweet potatoes (I sliced them into cubes)
• 1 14-oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 2 lbs. bone-in skinless chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• White rice
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to garnish
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, to garnish
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, to garnish
• 1 cup chopped toasted peanuts, to garnish
• 1/4 cup mango chutney, to garnish

MY ADD-INS:

• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cardamom
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1-2 tsp. Garam Masala

I don't think that you can go wrong with adding additional Indian spices, so if you feel like putting in a dash of clove with some red pepper flakes for extra spiciness, do so!

Although, apparently I must have been a little heavy-handed on the heated ingredients in my family's opinion, because tissues were their best friend during the course of the meal... Kind of funny, really!

notes:

The recipe doesn't specify whether to cube the pieces of chicken (boneless breasts work just as nicely as thighs) or not.  I defrosted mine and left them whole (placed in the bottom of the crockpot), and am very happy to report they turned out very moistly and fell apart perfectly on their own after 8-9 hours of slow-cooking.

I used red bell peppers and added additional sweet potatoes and chick peas since I didn't have either the eggplant or the green bells.  'Cooked Basmati rice in 20 minutes, and served the curry over it in bowls (since the curry was on the liquid-y side).

It will be interesting to mark how this dish turns out next time, with different ingredients!

Directions:

In the bowl of a crock pot combine the coconut milk, tomato paste, curry powder, coriander, cumin, and hot sauce. To that add the onion, garlic, ginger, bell pepper, eggplant, sweet potatoes, chick peas, and chicken. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and then turn the crock pot on to high heat, cover it, and let the curry stew for about 4 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the curry with prepared rice and garnish with lemon wedges, scallions, cilantro, peanuts and mango chutney.

(Sketch courtesy of Natalie Dee, which expresses just how I've come to feel about crock pots! I wouldn't necessarily call this manner of cooking the very "best", but it is pretty fantastic when you can toss a bunch of ingredients into a pot and have them do the rest of the work for you, don't you think?)

I'm simply mad about curry dishes (and Indian food, on the whole!).  We should christen a weekly Curry Night in my house, they're that good.

Who else has a thing for saucy, shredded meat?

Evenin', y'all!  First off, let me tell you that this week sure is a challenge, because I'm on the Master Cleanse for at least 7-10 days (which means a diet of a Purified H20/Lemon Juice/Maple Syrup/Cayenne Pepper drink - not terribly satisfying as a meal replacement, but the benefits are worth it!).  However, if you need a dinner idea for this week, here is one that is very easy, filling, and oh-so-tasty!  What more could you ask for?

I bring you Rachael Ray's Shredded, Saucy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches!

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 20 min | DifficultY: Easy | Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 bottle Mexican beer
  
• 4 pieces, 6 ounces each boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
• 1 T. hot sauce (e.g. Tabasco)
• 2 T. grill seasoning blend (e.g. McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• 3 T. dark brown sugar
• 4 T. tomato paste
• 1 large sour deli pickle, chopped
• 6 to 8 slices sweet bread and butter pickles, chopped
• 6 soft sandwich buns (e.g. soft burger rolls), split

Directions:

1.  Bring liquids to a simmer in a small to medium skillet and slide in the chicken breast meat. Gently poach the chicken 10 minutes, turning once about after 5 minutes.

2.  While chicken poaches, heat a second medium skillet over medium low heat. To hot skillet, add extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and onion and gently saute until chicken is ready to come out of poaching liquids.

Combine the next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and reserve.

3.  When the chicken has cooked through, add 2 ladles of the cooking liquid to the bowl, combining with the sauces, spices, brown sugar and tomato paste. Once the liquids and seasonings are combined, remove chicken, slice it, and transfer to the medium bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken and combine with the liquids.

Add the shredded chicken to the onions and garlic and combine well. Simmer together 5 to 10 minutes, using extra cooking liquids to make your chicken as saucy as you like.

4.  Combine sour and sweet pickles in a small bowl. Split rolls and fill with scoops of shredded chicken. Top with pickle relish and serve.

I happened to have savoury black beans and rice left over from the other night, so those served as the base for my shredded chicken instead of bread; 'topped with a handful of shredded cheese.  Mmmm, terrific!

What to do with leftovers: Fajita Fix

Traditionally, this ethnic dish is made with cuts of Skirt or Flank steak, but since I had some Tri-Tip steak left over from the other night, I decided to make Steak Fajitas!

For a basic marinade, have a look at Tyler Florence's.  My mojo included:

• Lime juice (freshly-squeezed or whatever is in your refrigerator)
• Ground cumin
• Ground oregano
• Chili powder
• Chili paste
• Chopped garlic
• Salt & Pepper

Sauté the chopped onions and bell peppers together until soft (not to the point of being mushy, though).  Pick out your favourite tortillas for the Fajita base; I served both corn and whole wheat flour tortillas.  Typical condiments for this dish are sour cream, diced tomatoes &/or salsa, shredded lettuce (I made a full-on salad because my family are serious salad eaters), pico de gallo/salsa fresca, and of course, you cannot forget the cheese and guacamole!

Two perfect side dishes are beans, &/or rice (typical, I know... But they were muy delicioso!).  My arroz was cooked with salsa in (giving it a nice Mexican flair), and los frijoles negros were very aromatic with cloves.

 (Unfortunately, I didn't capture the salad before it left the well-lit kitchen into the candle-lit dining room!)

¡Buen provecho!

The Autumn Season...

Autumn is probably my favourite season of all, and one of the benefits of the cooler weather (after the few typical weeks of "Indian Summer") is that it is perfect for hearty hot meals (and, if you're like me, you're totally craving something warm to fill you up by the end of the day).  This means it is officially Soup Weather!

Dear readers, I now bring to you Sherried Tomato Soup from the lovely Ree "Pioneer Woman" Drummond.  Believe me, this recipe is completely worth dying living for.

(Note: I didn't end up using the tomato paste... I guess I pulled it out in case the soup needed extra thickening, but it was fine without it!) 

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 20 min | DifficultY: Easy | Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 6 T. Melted Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
• 2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
• 1 T. (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
• 3 T. (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1 cup Cooking Sherry
• 1-½ cup Heavy Cream
• Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Chopped Fresh Basil

Directions:

 

(Yes, that is garlic you see accompanying the onion.  This recipe just begged for the addition of fresh garlic!)

Dice the onion (and garlic :)) well.

 Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. 

Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir.

Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

Adjust other seasonings and serve (suggestions: fresh herb salad, your favourite bread)...

I made grilled cheese Parmesan bagels for part of my family, and grilled cheese quesadillas (I know those sound like the strangest pairing to go with the soup, but they went really well!) for the gluten-free eaters.

Now, make sure you dip your bread into this amazing soup, and eat them together (yes, together; sorry to those strict, compartmentalised people -- you'll have to break out of your mold for this one!).  Trust me, you won't regret it!