Grilled Chicken Salad

I was, and still am, very into fennel. I didn't always appreciate the flavors though, but when I had it again somewhere that prepared it well, I fell in love almost instantly. 

I made a simple grilled chicken summer plate because I was trying to find simple party dishes where people could pick at. 

View fullsize

It's really simple. I just seasoned the chicken with my favorite Lawry's garlic salt and cracked black pepper. I sliced the zucchini and salted them to draw out the water, dab it dry with a paper towel, then season lightly with salt and pepper. The fennel I just sliced and roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper at 450 till tender and brown. I also grilled some onions just because I had some. 

That's it! super simple, but tons of flavor. And if you like, grab your favorite caesar dressing and drizzle on top.. everywhere. I like the the super garlicky - anchovy flavored ones. With extra cracked black pepper on top. One of my favorite go tos and takes NO time.

Pork Chop Agrodolce

My memories of eating pork chops are always those crispy fat edges and the leftover bone everyone eyes on. Pork chops are pretty inexpensive, so my parents would purchase them quite often. Just sprinkle with Lawry's garlic parsley salt with a dash of white pepper and we are good to go.

I'm going to share with you a recipe that's extremely simple, but will be a crowd pleaser (always important) at any dinner event. Pork Chop Agrodolce is just, pork chop for one, covered in a sweet and sour sauce. I feel like every cuisine has their own versions of a sweet and sour dish. This Italian version is one of my favorites at the moment. I am excited for it and hope you will be able to enjoy this in the near future.

Ingredients

• 3 Pork Chops - mine were around 1 inch.
• Lawry's garlic parsley salt for seasoning
• black pepper
• olive oil

Algrodolce Sauce

• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of honey (adjust to 2 if preferred)
• 2 smashed garlic cloves

Heat your pan to medium high with olive oil. Season the pork on both sides with Lawry's garlic salt and fresh cracked black pepper as you would season your meat. I am a little generous with the garlic salt.. it's my favorite.

View fullsize

Let it be for a good 4-5 minutes or so to let it get crusty. Again, this really depends on how thick your chops are.

View fullsize

Let it go for another 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed, you want to make sure both sides have browned beautifully. Removed your chops and set it to the side.

Grab a towel to dab the fat off your pan. Pour in the vinegar, honey and garlic and deglaze the pan with a wooden spatula. Make sure to get all the bits! When it starts to simmer, I added my pork chops back in and flipped them around until coated.

View fullsize

There are many ways to make this. I made this with the ingredients I had at home and it still worked out (tasted) wonderfully. Some parts of the pork may appear "pink" but pork has natural tints in some sections, and no matter how you cook it the tint will always be there. If unsure before you eat them, just stick a thermometer. USDA guidelines says cook till 145 with a 3 minute rest.

Enjoy!

Summer Brunch - Italy Inspired

I've been thinking about prosciutto lately. And when I say lately, I mean almost everyday, a few times a day. I recently hung out with a good friend of mine, Frances, who's also a total foodie freak like me. Trust me, there's a few out there that can really get down in a kitchen as well as knowing what types of food to order in restaurants. We were just hanging out the other day at a farmers market, drinking wine out of an emptied out Kern's pear juice can (don't ask) before starting our conversations about different food in different countries. One of them, was Italy.

I decided to make this brunch item after talking about my dreams of going. Who wouldn't want to go?

View fullsize

The recipe is simple though it may cost a little more than just your eggs and bacon.... toast.

Ingredients (Feeds 3):

• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry. The package normally comes with 2, save the other one for other uses. Thaw puff pastry for about 20 minutes.
• 4-5 tablespoons of unsalted butter (optional)
• 3 eggs cooked sunny side - or however you want your eggs. I use Happy Eggs.
• 1 container of Belgioioso Burrata cheese - The container I got includes one large burrata almost the size of a softball. I got mines from Vons.
• 1/4 pound of Prosciutto Di Parma - Got mine from Marcel Gourmet Market at the Grove in West Hollywood/Fairfax
• 1 cup+ of baby arugula - feel free to add more.
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

HELL YES (OPTIONAL) - ADDING EXTRA BUTTER TO YOUR PASTRY.

1.  When the puff pastry is pliable, you will notice 3 folds on the dough. Hope them up so it's one sheet. In the middle fold, place about 1/2 a tablespoon interchangeably like checkers. Fold one sheet over to cover the butter, then place the remainder of the butter on the surface that doesn't have butter underneath, interchangeably as well. So if the sheet was transparent, it will kind of look like the butter is spread out evenly. Take the other flap and close it on top of the butter. Now it should look like how it was when you first took it out to thaw. 
2. Get a rolling pin or a emptied out wine bottle like me and start rolling out your dough. I made a few folds as I rolled just like if you are to make puff pastry from scratch. I got about 10 folds or so before I started to roll it out into a rectangle (like a 12x10). I stuck this in the freezer while my oven heats up to 350 (I used my Breville Pro).
3. When your oven is ready, line a baking pan with nonstick parchment paper. Lay out your chilled puff pastry and then sprinkle a light drizzle of salt.
4. Bake for 30 minutes on 350. I ranked up to 400 degrees for an additional 3 minutes.
5. If you don't add the additional butter, just follow the box instructions to cook. I would just roll it out, and make one fold to make my rectangle shape.

Always keep an eye on your oven. Try not to open your oven. Every oven is different so just make sure you check in at the 20-25 minute mark.

Plating

1. I grabbed a wooded cutting board
2. Spread 1/2 of the burrata onto the pastry
3. Top with arugula, drizzle with a little olive oil. salt lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Top with the rest of the burrata with dollops interchangeably.
5. Top with your eggs the opposite way, interchangeably.
6. Layer your Prosciutto

View fullsize

With a sharp knife, cut through in a rocking motion so you won't tear the pastry. You want to make clean cuts. Enjoy this with your beverage of choice. Had this with my legs kicked back, a cup of coffee, and just watched the birds chipper.

Enjoy!

Summer Salad - July 4th

Today is probably one of the busiest days for all cooks out there. Just thinking about what kind of meat stresses me out. I take that back. Thinking of how many pounds of something I should be buying freaks me out. For the past few years of hosting July 4th at our house, I've made sure to always over order. You can always freeze your meats if you have some that were not used.

Besides making a whole grill filled of meats, I wanted to share with you a salad I've been making recently that will make all your guests say this was the memorable dish of the day. Not in a bad way. Everyone [most] loves meat. So having a great salad really; 1. throws people off guard and 2. makes people eat veggies.

Below you will find a recipe for 2 people. But in a party, keep in mind people will take less. So the recipe below can probably feed 4-5. I had about 15 people over so I made this x 3.

Ingredients

1.  1 Leafy or Heart of Romaine.
2. 2 thin cooked leftover chicken breast or Salmon filet (If you can get salmon, do it.)
3. 1 fennel bulb (save the fennel fronds)
4. 1 Can of corn drained.
5. 4 pops of Hot & Sweet Cherry peppers from Trader Joes (tastes amazing, but optional if you don't have any)
6. Your favorite Caesar dressing.

I've preheated my Breville to roast on 450 before starting. Trim of the top and bottom of the fennel before slicing. I've been super addicted to fennel lately. If you are sensitive to the flavor of anise, roasting it really tones it down a lot. Save the fronds, the top leafy things, and cut your fennel as shown. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and I love a generous amount of cracked black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until they turn a nice golden caramelized color. Feel free to flip if needed, really depends on how the oven is behaving.

With your romaine, trip off the ends if necessary, but I like to keep it intact. The lettuce is cut in half and drizzled lightly with olive oil before searing it on high. Let this go untouched for 1-2 minutes before moving. I top the charred romaine with a little fennel fronds to heat up the anise essence.

View fullsize

Drain out one can of corn.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Mixed all your ingredients in the bowl. The peppers are cut in 1/4's. Chicken is also diced. I've made this with salmon before which is what I prefer. But I had chicken leftover so that's what I used for this recipe. If you want to use salmon, I would cook it low and slow in your oven at around 275. Depending on size, I've got about 18 oz before and cooked that for 25 minutes then roasting on 450 for about 5 minutes to sear the bottom of the skin. Let it cool before flaking off the chunks (salmon can make more than 1 head of romaine depending on preference). Going back to the chicken, it is mixed with the corn, cherry peppers, and about a quarter cup of Caesar with a lot of cracked pepper. Mix!

View fullsize

Top your salad with the mixture, then lay your roasted fennel on top with the fronds as garnish.

View fullsize

Leave a side of caesar for people to add more if they want. I love my salads creamy, but I know that's not the healthiest... but enjoy and have a happy 4th!

Salted Eats

I've never used a meal kit service before so when I was asked to try Salted Eats I was more than stoked. What's unique about Salted Eats unlike other prepared meal kits out there is that the recipes are created by LA's best chefs. Each meal also comes with a tutorial by the chef themselves on how to prepare the meal.

The meal I received to share with all of you is the "Porcini-crusted Rib Eye with Mushrooms and Thyme" from Butchers and Barbers with Chef Luke Reyes. Out of a few items I could pick from, I chose the steak because I am a huge lover of rib eye. And every time I do cook my steaks, it's always the same way. Seasoned with Lawrys garlic salt with big cracked pepper. A little olive oil on a high sear. Making a steak with sauce, herbs and butter is something I would never do or at least be comfortable with doing. The recipes are simple. I recommend you watch the video tutorial and read through the instructions before starting to better prepare.

View fullsize

Like all meal kits, the items are bundled and delivered in an insulated bag to keep the ingredients fresh. In this Porcini Rib Eye meal, the items that come with are:

• 1 Dry Aged Rib Eye (16oz)
• 1 tablespoon of maldon salt
• 1 tablespoon of Porcini Powder
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 3 garlic cloves
• fresh thyme
• 3 types of mushrooms: Hen-of-the-woods/chanterelle/cremini (about 2 oz of each)
• 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar

The steak is rubbed with olive oil, then liberally with the porcini powder, salt & pepper, and maldon salt. The steaks are then seared on high heat until both sides create a nice crust/color. Steaks are then removed. Now, you can follow the instructions and stick the steaks in a 400 degree oven to cook for 6 minutes, but I just let the steaks rest to the side.

View fullsize

I've had a lot of experience cooking steaks, that's why I chose to not stick the steaks in the oven. But if you are an amateur, I recommend you follow the recipe since these are prime ingredients. The butter is thrown in with the garlic and thyme. Once the butter is heated up, place your steaks and base. By the way, the recipe you see is for one steak. I had a few orders since there was a group that came by for dinner. I based the steaks for a good 4-5 minutes or so before removing them to rest.

View fullsize

The 3 mushrooms are thrown in to saute. Add salt and lots of cracked pepper to season. The sherry vinegar is added with a little water to thin out the sauce a little.

Perfect medium rare steak gradation throughout the cuts.

View fullsize

Top your steaks with the mushrooms and garnish with fresh thyme. The steak was cooked perfectly. The porcini powder was not as abrasive as you think considering how strong it smelled. The sherry vinegar added a much needed acidic cut through the richness of the butter that was used. I made a simple mashed potato and roasted Brussel sprouts to serve with the steak.

A definite crowd pleaser. Find out more on Salted Eats.