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JANUARY/FEBRUARY
FOOD
CATCH A COOKING CLASS WITH TRISH
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2004
CENTRAL MARKET COOKING SCHOOL
6:30-9 P.M.
for more info, hit the On Tour Page...
MENU FOR FEBRUARY 9 CLASS
Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Served with buttered toast and a Coke)
Pan Roasted Chicken with Sauterne and Rosemary Oven Roasted
Potatoes Fagiolini al Pomodoro Pound Cake with Zabaglione
and Fresh Berries
I don't know what to make of the current Low Carb epidemic,
but you know, whatever works. We faddy Americans always need
an excuse to sell new products to each other. The Italians
don't seem to have much of a problem with their rather
doughy diet of pasta, risotto, polenta and bread, so I can't
draw any educated conclusions; as for me and my friends,
we're content to eat like truckers and submit on the back
end to workouts like Pre-Dawn Boot Camp and Ass-Obliterating
Yoga. It alters your definition of what's survivable and, as
a special bonus, creates endorphins you didn't know were
legal. What are we doing it for, we ass-kicking, enduring
camionistas of the new milennium? I'm not sure yet, but for
now it's pot-pie season, and I'm staying in the moment.
CHICKEN POT PIE
makes two, each serving 6 people
two boxes Pillsbury pie crusts (4 crusts in all)
one whole natural fryer, neck and organs removed
four to six carrots
four stalks celery
one small onion
1 small potato
1 cup frozen green peas
four tablespoons butter or margarine
4 heaping tablespoons flour
pepper and salt
Rinse the chicken and remove the neck, liver and gizzards
from the cavity. Discard these or save them for another use.
Place the chicken in a large, deep cooking pot with the
breast facing down. Add water to barely cover the chicken
and place the pot over medium heat. Add a stalk of celery to
the cooking water along with a teaspoon or more of salt and
a pinch or two of green herbs if desired (thyme and parsley
are good). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to
simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, loosely covered.
Meanwhile, choose two deep 11" pie dishes or two round pans
at least 1-1/2 inches deep. Have the pie crusts at room
temperature. Unwrap two crusts and carefully lay one in to
the bottom of each of the pans, pressing them down and up
the sides. Set the other two crusts aside. Peel and dice the
carrots, potato, and onion. Heat the butter in a large deep
skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and continue
to cook and stir briefly until the flour is well
incorporated. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for about
10 minutes or until the celery and onion have become
translucent and slightly soft, stirring frequently. Be
careful not to let the flour burn or scorch at the bottom of
the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Transfer the chicken from the pot into a colander or bowl,
saving the cooking liquid. When it is cool enough to handle,
remove and discard the skin and bones (they should slide off
easily) and any gristly or fatty portions of the meat. Chop
the meat roughly into bite-size pieces, and divide it evenly
into the two prepared pans. Then preheat the oven to 400F.
Return the vegetable and flour mixture to medium heat.
Measure out about 3-4 cups of the cooking liquid from the
chicken. Slowly whisk the cooking liquid into the vegetable
mixture, stirring constantly to eliminate any lumps. Bring
to a simmer; the mixture will thicken as it cooks. Add the
frozen peas and pepper and salt to taste. Divide the
vegetable mixture evenly between the two pies, and top each
pie with one of the remaining pie crust circles. Fold the
overhanging edges of the crust up toward the center. Using a
fork, press the top crust into the edges of the bottom
crust, sealing the two together against the rim of the pan.
Make four cuts in the center of each pie crust with the tip
of a sharp knife. Place side by side on a large cookie sheet
to catch drips. Bake for 45 minutes or until the crusts are
golden brown and the pies are bubbling. Cool for 10-15
minutes before slicing and serving.
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WINTER PASTA GRAVY
makes about 8 servings
1/3 cup good extra-virgin olive oil
2 center-cut, bone-in pork chops or 1 bone-in shoulder pork
steak 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon each of pepper and salt
1/2 of a large onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, pressed finely
2 large cans crushed tomatoes (28 ounces each)
Combine the flour, pepper and salt on a large plate. Rinse
the chops and coat them well on both sides in the flour.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large deep
skillet. Add the chops to the hot oil in the skillet and fry
until very brown on one side. Turn the chops over and add
the onion and garlic to the skillet. Fry for two more
minutes. Add the tomatoes all at once to the skillet along
with a half can or more of water. Reduce the heat, cover
loosely, and allow to simmer slowly until the pork chops are
fall-apart tender, about 2 hours. Serve with tagliatelle,
papardelle or wide egg noodles, and plenty of freshly grated
Parmesan cheese.
MY MOM'S BREAD PUDDING WITH VANILLA
SAUCE
6 to 10 slices of buttered bread (use unsalted butter)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
4 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cups of milk
Preheat the oven to 350F. Layer the bread, buttered side
down, into a square baking pan with the sugar, raisins and
cinnamon. Pour the egg mixture over it and bake for 50-60
minutes. Serve warm with warm vanilla sauce (recipe
follows)
VANILLA SAUCE
Heat together in a heavy sauce pan until bubbly:
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk (**not sweetened condensed milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
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