Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens (14 page)

4
While the chicken is in the oven, reduce the marinade by half in a 1-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Spread What's Right White Rice (p. 176) over a serving tray. Top with chicken. Drizzle the reduced sauce over the jerked chicken.

I Got Sole Meuniere

Serves 6

A very traditional French dish, you should pair sole meuniere (muh-nYAIR) with very delicate sides such as steamed spinach or a light salad such as This Salad Bites (p. 80), and arrange everything in elegant little separate piles on the plate. Every item on a gourmet French-style plate should coordinate, yet deserves its own gourmet spotlight.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 6- to 8-ounce Dover sole or flounder fillets

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 lemon slices, cut extremely thin

4 garlic cloves, smashed

3 tablespoons drained capers

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup dry white wine

½ cup vegetable stock

3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1
Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 4 tablespoons butter. Season the fillets lightly with salt and pepper, and dredge them in the flour. Once the butter is melted and foaming, dust any excess flour off each fillet as you lay them in the pan, being careful not to let them touch.

2
Allow this side to brown for about 4 minutes, and then turn them to cook for another 2 minutes. Move the crispy fillets to a sheet tray, set a piece of foil loosely over them, which will keep them warm without trapping in any steam, and repeat the cooking process with any sole that wouldn't fit in the first batch.

3
When all the fish are crispy, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the sauté pan. Once the butter has melted, add the lemon slices and garlic, allowing the lemon to lightly brown. Place 2 lemon slices over each fillet, and add the capers, lemon juice, and white wine into the sauté pan. Bring this to a boil and reduce by half. Now add the vegetable stock and allow it to thicken for about 2 minutes.

4
Stir in the chopped parsley and taste the sauce to see if it needs salt or pepper. Plate the sole with a tall, thin hill of steamed spinach or even a mound of salad. Spoon the sauce evenly around each fillet and serve immediately.

I'm a Softy
for Soft-Shell Crab

Serves 8

Eat your soft-shell crab from stem to stern with some salad and Chipotle Aioli (p. 198). No chance of crappy little leftovers here!

1½ cups vegetable oil

8 soft-shell crabs, blue crab variety, preferably live and never frozen

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 cup Bock beer (for its caramel flavor to compliment the sweet crab)

3 eggs

2 cups cornmeal

1 recipe Chipotle Aioli (p. 198)

1
You can ask your seafood purveyor to clean your crabs for you, or, if you're feeling assiduous, you can clean them yourself. Put them in the freezer for 10 minutes and they'll go right to sleep. Preheat your oven to the lowest setting possible. Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add 1 cup of oil. Take a crab and a pair of kitchen shears and cut off the head, just behind its eyes. On the right and left you will see a pointed flap. Lift that up and scrape away the gills that are inside using the outside of the kitchen shears. Twist the tail until it breaks off and slowly pull it away from the crab to remove the vein. It should slide right out.

2
Season each crab evenly with the sea salt and black pepper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the Old Bay seasoning and smoked paprika. In another medium bowl, whisk together the beer and eggs, making an “egg wash.” Put the cornmeal in another bowl. Now your “breading station” consists of the seasoned flour, the egg wash, and the cornmeal.

3
Lightly dredge four crabs in the flour, and shake off any excess, then dip them in the egg wash, and then the cornmeal. Use your tongs to carefully place each one top-side down in the hot oil and allow the crabs to gently fry for a full 2 minutes before turning them over. Cook another minute and place the golden brown crabs into your warm oven. Add the rest of the vegetable oil to the pan and repeat this step with the final four crabs. Serve immediately with the crabs sitting high on top of a fresh salad like a Caesar (p. 78) or the Poblano Slaw (p. 84) and dolloped with Chipotle Aioli (p. 198).

Sweet Merciful Scampi

Serves 6

Perfect for summer entertaining, toss this with some Sautéed Vegetables (p. 170) and fresh pasta (p. 172), and serve it with a dry white wine. Buying your shrimp already peeled and deveined not only saves precious time but precious space, dishes, and frustration—making this dish a breeze to prepare.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced shallots

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 teaspoons chopped flat leaf parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1
Place your 8-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil. When it heats up, add the garlic and shallots, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and allow them to soften for about 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the white wine, raise the heat to medium-high, and allow it to reduce by half. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and continue boiling until almost all of the liquid is gone. Transfer to a medium bowl and allow it to cool 10 minutes.

2
Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter and half of the seasoned mixture that you made. When the butter has completely melted, toss in the shrimp. Arrange them evenly in the pan and cook on one side for 2 minutes. Turn them over and add the rest of the white wine and lemon juice. Bring this up to a simmer and add the fresh herbs to steep for 1 minute.

3
Use your spider or slotted spoon to remove the shrimp scampi and place them piled high in the center of a serving platter. Then add the remaining seasoned mixture to the pan. Whisk the butter and the mixture together, and taste it to see if it needs more salt or pepper. Pour it over your shrimp and serve immediately.

Make-You-Want-to-Marry-Me
Mussels Marinara

Serves 6

With the high quality of canned plum tomatoes, you can whip up a spectacular marinara sauce in almost the amount of time it takes to open a jar of inferior prepared sauce. Not to mention the mussels steam open inside the sauce, making it a one-pot wonder!

5 pounds Prince Edward Sound mussels

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

35-ounce can crushed plum tomatoes

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1
Discard any mussels that remain open when you lightly tap them against the counter or sink.

2
Put your 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil. Allow it to heat for a few seconds and add the garlic. Brown it for less than 10 seconds (if it gets too crispy, garlic will have a bitter taste) and add the tomatoes and red pepper.

3
Add all of the mussels to the pan. When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium and cover to cook for 10 minutes.

4
Then remove the lid, and allow the tomatoes to cook down for 5 to 10 minutes while you inspect the mussels. Using your tongs, remove and discard any unopened mussels.

5
Add the basil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and then toss the mussels through the sauce. Pour the entire dish into a serving bowl, garnish with the chopped parsley, and serve immediately.

How to Clean Mussels

Purchase mussels with unchipped shells that are tightly closed. Unwrap and store them in a bowl in the refrigerator so they can breathe until you are ready to prepare them. Before cooking, soak the mussels in fresh water for about 20 minutes. As the mussels breathe, they filter water and expel sand stored inside of their shells. Use your hands to lift the mussels out of the dirty water.

Remove the beard by grasping it with a dry towel and yanking it out toward the hinge end of the mussel, which will prevent the mussel from dying. Scrub the mussels to remove any additional sand or barnacles, then rinse them under cool tap water, and set aside. Dry with a towel before cooking.

Pad Thai Perfection

Serves 4

Quite foolproof and bursting with flavor, make this recipe a regular part of your gourmet cooking rotation.

8 ounces dried wide rice noodles

¼ cup fish sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons cane sugar (may substitute light brown sugar)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced red Thai chili pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, diced

6 cups thinly sliced

Napa cabbage

1 bunch fresh cilantro

½ cup toasted and chopped unsalted peanuts

1 lime, cut into wedges

1
Put the rice noodles in a large bowl, and pour over enough boiling water to cover them and soften for about 20 minutes. Put the noodles into your steamer basket and allow them to drain. In a small bowl, whisk the fish sauce, vinegar, and cane sugar until the sugar dissolves, and set it aside.

2
Place your 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the ginger, chili, and garlic, sautéing for 1 minute. Add the diced chicken and sauté until completely cooked, about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, half of the cilantro, half of the peanuts, and the fish sauce mixture. Sauté for 2 minutes or until the cabbage begins to wilt.

3
Add the noodles, and toss together until they are warm and coated with sauce.

Serve immediately. For individual plates, use tongs to twist high piles of the noodles in the center of soup bowls and garnish by pushing a small “bush” of cilantro into the side of each pile of noodles, a lime wedge to the side of that, and an even sprinkling of peanuts over the entire top. The exact same presentation will work for a large platter.

Superlative Stuffed Chicken Breast

Serves 4

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare with a small list of ingredients that takes you to gourmet heaven even if you think you're living in CLK hell!

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces French goat cheese

4 airline chicken breasts

4 slices Prosciutto, paper thin

8 sage leaves, large

Sea salt, to taste