BLOGHUNGRY

Crock Pot Braised Beef with Gorgonzola Sauce

This was a comfort food wet dream that I made last night for a group viewing of Tyler Perry's Why Did I get Married Too. Both the dinner and the movie blew my mind. I served it with a side of polenta to help soak up the juices, but mashed potatoes would also be great. The "chili sauce" is not hot sauce, but a condiment found next to the ketchup that is labeled "chili sauce". Note: For those of you that complain that I only eat meat and cheese, we also had a spinach salad with fresh strawberries.

Crock Pot Braised Beef

3 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
1 (3 pound) beef brisket
1 cup beef broth
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Lightly salt and pepper the roast on all sides. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Put roast in the skillet and sear the meat on each side for 1-2 minuted or until lightly browned. Place the roast into a slow cooker. Pour beef broth in the skillet with the juices from the seared meat, stir it around to incorporate any browned bits from the pan and pour the juices over the meat in the crock pot.. In a medium bowl, mix together the chili sauce, onion soup mix, and garlic powder. Pour over the brisket. Cover, and cook on the Low setting for 8 hours. Pull meat apart into equal-sized juicy-chunked servings. Drizzle with Gorgonzola sauce and serve.

Gorgonzola Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour 
2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
4 oz Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese crumbles
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional)

Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium flame. Whisk in the flour and cook the flour-butter mixture (roux) for about 1 minute. Do not brown.

Whisk in the cold milk all at once. Continue whisking as the milk comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir in the salt, pepper and cheeses. Whisk and simmer until smooth. Season to taste and add extra milk if it becomes too thick. Serve warm.

Cazwell "Ice Cream Truck"

Buffalo Sloppy Joes with Blue Cheese and Dill Pickles

Sloppy Joes got a bad rap in cafeterias. When made well they are sweet, savory, and satisfying. Add the heat of wing sauce with some blue cheese crumbles and diced dill pickles and you've got a sandwich that deserves your respect.

Buffalo Sloppy Joes with Blue Cheese and Pickles

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
2 carrots, chopped or grated
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup wing sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
1 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 large dill pickles, chopped

Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile sloppy Buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

Lemon Broccoli Rabe

I love a little lemon, garlic, and heat with my broccoli. This is a quick and easy way to throw together a green veggie for dinner.

Lemon Broccoli Rabe

2 bunches broccoli rabe, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan
1 lemon, zested
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large sauce pot, bring 1 gallon of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Allow garlic to brown.

Add broccoli rabe to skillet with toasted garlic. Toss to combine. Toss in Parmesan and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Sausage, Carrot, and Roma Tomato Jam Rigatoni

As much as I enjoyed making Roma tomato jam, the recipe made a ton and there is only so much sweet and fruity tomato jam I can eat. Tonight I decided to balance the sweet fruitiness with some carrots and spicy sausage and put it over pasta. It turned out pretty tasty. I'd recommend it for anyone with too much tomato jam on their hands.

Sausage, Carrot, and Roma Tomato Jam Rigatoni

about 4 cups leftover Roma tomato jam
1 lb ground sausage
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 Tblsp olive oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb Rigatoni

In a large pot Boil pasta until al dente. Add olive oil, red pepper flakes, and carrots to another pot over medium high heat. Sweat carrots 1-2 minutes, add sausage and cook until browned. Add leftover tomato jam and simmer until heated though. Serve over pasta.

Lily Video: August 2010

Hang With Lily from Michael on Vimeo.

Chicken and Rice Soup with a Lemon-Egg Sauce

This recipe is a quicker version of a Greek soup called "Avgolemono", that I can't pronounce. I love the concept of an egg-lemon sauce thickening my chicken soup and I have a pantry full of rice, so here we are...

Chicken and Rice Soup with a Lemon-Egg Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
1/2 cup long-grain rice
3 eggs
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 tablespoon dried dill weed

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onions. Sweat the onions until clear. Add the broth, bay leaves, water, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts to the pot and simmer until they are just done, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the pot; when they are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, stir the rice into the simmering broth. Increase the heat and boil until the rice is almost tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible temperature.

In a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, beat the eggs, lemon juice, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt until frothy. Remove about 1 cup of the hot broth from the pot. Pour the hot liquid in a thin stream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pot and stir until the soup begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Do not let the soup come to a simmer, or it may curdle. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the peas and dill. Season to taste.

Chicken, Fig, and Fontina in Pastry

This combo of Fontina and fig spread is AMAZING. It's so good that I think next time I'll skip the chicken and make them into danishes or purses of pastry. My chicken came out a little dry so be careful how small you cut the pieces and how long you cook them in the pan.

Chicken, Fig, and Fontina in Pastry

4 pieces skinless chicken breast, boned (about 8 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 sprigs fresh finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 sheets puff pastry
8 slices Italian fontina cheese, slices should be 2 to 3-inches square and 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick, cut in 1/2
1/2 cup fig preserves
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and rosemary. Cut each piece of chicken in half across the breast giving you 8 equal portions. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the chicken on both sides, 5 minutes total. Remove from heat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pastry into 8 pieces. Place a piece of cheese on each pastry square and top with spoonfuls of fig preserves and the chicken pieces. Pinch and seal the dough up and over the meat and cheese, seal with egg wash, flip the pastry packets over and brush the tops with remaining egg wash. Bake 12 to15 minutes, until golden.

The Nickel Diner

Popmuse and I took Lily out to a tasty downtown diner for breakfast this morning.

The Atmosphere: It's a smallish downtown diner that feels like it's straight out of Brooklyn. The decor is full of retro murals, wallpaper, and exposed brick. The clientele is made up of full of tattooed foodies and locals.

The Food:  Fresh and slightly upscale diner food with pastries made from scratch. My stand out favorites were the 5th and Main: Spicy BBQ pork hash topped with 2 poached eggs, and the homemade pop tart: A pocket of homemade pie crust filled with fruit pie filling and drizzled with frosting.

Bloghungry Rating: A-

The Nickel Diner
524 S. Main St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213 623-8301

Steve's Chicken Skewers

This recipe is from my good friend Steve and is completely genius. It makes a tasty dinner or an easy party finger food when you want some flavorful chicken on a stick. It's best to let the chicken marinate over night, so plan to prep them the night before and pop them in the oven or on the grill last minute.

Steve's Chicken Skewers

1 Tbsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
3/4 cup peanuts
olive oil
2 lbs. chicken breasts, cubed
bamboo skewers
humus, for serving

Place ingredients in food processor, pulsing and adding oil slowly until the mix becomes a chunky paste consistancy. Rub paste on up to 2 pounds cubed chicken and marinate over night. Skewer meat on skewers.

In Oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay skewers across a foiled and lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.

To Grill: Make sure to oil the grill grate. Grill on skewers over medium-hot heat until cooked through.

Serve with humus.