Cooking My Way Out Quarantine

This quarantine awoke in me this need to do some creative cooking! yesssss cooking, something I don’t generally have the time to do and kind off, grew to hate. But without the possibility of going out to a restaurant to eat fancy or tasty dishes, I have had to get on the duty to start cooking. From a simple pasta carbonara to an elaborated Coq Au Vin, I feel I have done it all already (not even close but now I feel like a pro chef)

COQ AU VIN

I work with what I have available so don’t think for a minute I run outside to get stuff to cook a dish! For example, how did I came up with a Coq Au Vin? I had a lot of chicken breasts (I am not the biggest chicken fan) and a fairly expensive bottle of cork Rioja I didn’t want to just toss away.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil

• 4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced

• 1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8ths (I had chicken breast)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I use Himalayan pink salt)

• 1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces

• 1 yellow onion, sliced

• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

• 1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy (I didn’t have this)

• 1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy (I had a cork Rioja)

• 1 cup good chicken stock, preferably homemade

• 10 fresh thyme sprigs (I didn’t have thyme I had leeks)

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 pound frozen small whole onions

• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (I don’t have one of those so I had to get creative with a pyrex and a wok). Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

3. Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

4. Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place it on top of the stove.

5. Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot.

CARAMELIZE ONIONS

I was making fish wraps and it occurred to me to add a little something-something for the extra flavor.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. 

• Butter

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until starting to soften. 

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring often, until deeply golden and a jam-like consistency, 45 to 60 minutes.

PASTA CARBONARA

One day I saw a blogger cooking one that looks so delicious and simple to prepare that I had to have it.

PASTA CARBONARA

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 (16 ounces) package pasta

• ½ pound sliced pancetta, chopped

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Whisk together the eggs and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Blend thoroughly, and set aside.

2. Cook the pancetta and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper medium-low heat until almost crisp, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente, or for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, then return it to the pot (off of the heat) and cover to keep warm.

4. Combine the pasta, onion, pancetta, salt, and pepper in the same large skillet over low heat. Slowly stir in the egg-cream mixture, tossing gently so the eggs don't scramble. Cook until just heated through. Remove from heat and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

YANIQUEQUES

I didn’t have these in yeeeeeeaaarrrrrrsssss, and since it is great comfort food (fried food you know) it was perfect for this weirdness we are living in.

Ingredients 

·       1 teaspoon of salt

·       3 tablespoons of water at room temperature

·       1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (plus 3/4 cup to use as needed)

·       3 tablespoons of salted butter at room temperature

Preparation:

1. Add all the ingredients in a bowl, mash them until you form a nonsticky mass. Add flour as needed, until it has a proper consistency. A little trick, if you can let the mass rest wrapped in a plastic bag for an hour even better.

2. Cut the mass in medium size balls and then with a grinder or a rounded bottle if you don’t’ have one, extent the mass as thick as you want, I personally like thin, for crunchiness but it cant be too thing. 

3. Add plenty of oil in a skillet. When the is really hot start adding your wheels, the fire should be medium. Flip, flip, and flip for about 2 minutes and voilà! 

POTATO LEEK SOUP

Ingredients

• 8 cups chicken stock

• 6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

• 4 leeks (whites only), thoroughly washed and sliced

• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup heavy cream

Preparation

1. Put the chicken stock, potatoes, leeks, celery, bay leaf, and thyme in a large pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Boil until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor), blend the soup until smooth. Pour the soup into a medium pot; add the cream and simmer until the soup has thickened, about 20 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower

I had a cauliflower head in the fridge and it was time to cook it and since I am not exactly a fan of them at least not boiled, I decided to make it more editable and looked for a recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds OR 1 kilo), cut into florets

• 1 large onion sliced or chopped

• 6 cloves garlic smashed with the back of a knife (or minced)

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan cheese,

• 2 teaspoons salt to taste

• 1/4

  teaspoon

  crushed red pepper

• black cracked black pepper, to season

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet. Combine cauliflower, onion, and garlic on the baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper(s) to evenly coat. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and toss through the cauliflower. Return to the oven to bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the cauliflower is caramelized on the edges and fork-tender.

Baked Whole Red Snapper with Garlic

A random day I went to the fish market and saw these beautiful and fresh red snappers and bought them!

Ingredients

• 1 2-to 2 1/4-pound whole red snapper, cleaned

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 3/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces

• 6 fresh thyme sprigs

• 6 thin lemon slices

Preparation

1. Place a 24x18-inch piece of foil on a heavy large baking sheet. Butter foil. Place fish in the center of foil. Season cavity of fish with garlic, lemon juice, and seafood seasoning. Dot cavity with butter. Arrange thyme sprigs inside the cavity. Sprinkle outside of fish with salt and pepper. Top with lemon slices. Fold edges of foil over fish; seal. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate.)

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake fish until cooked through, about 45 minutes. Transfer fish to a platter. Open foil.