Appetizer: Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe

 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe

When cooking for a group I always believe having a variety of courses, no matter how large or small is important. When timing the main course I always like to put together a little something to snack on while food is being prepared.

Something that everyone loves is a spinach and artichoke dip. This is a great dish that accommodates a variety of people including vegetarians. Many people think this is something you can only get at a restaurant but I have a recipe for spinach and artichoke dip that can be prepared in 5 minutes, baked for 15 and is delicious.

 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip:

1         cup of frozen spinach
1         14 oz. can of artichoke bottoms
1          block of Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/4    cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4       cup heavy cream or whole milk
1 tsp.    minced garlic
1 tsp.    kosher salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Rinse frozen spinach in small colander until water flows clear. Drain, rinse and chop artichoke bottoms to 1/4 inch pieces.  In a large mixing bowl combine spinach, artichoke bottoms, cream cheese, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, cream/milk, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix ingredients until combined thoroughly. (I typically mix with my hands to get the cream cheese mixed completely through.) Place combined ingredients in an oven safe baking dish. Use a small enough dish that dip is at least 2 or 3 inches deep. With remaining parmesan cheese sprinkle the remainder on top of the dip. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until dip starts to brown.

 

Artichoke Hearts vs. Artichoke Bottoms






Artichoke Hearts





My preference when preparing this appetizer is to use artichoke bottoms instead of the expected artichoke hearts. When artichoke hearts are canned it can be difficult to get the canning juices to rinse out of the leaves completely. When made with canned artichoke hearts I could always taste the canning juices in the dip and it did not taste great. Then I found artichoke bottoms that only have the meat of the artichoke heart and are canned with no artichoke leaves. This solved the issue....no more canning juices!! 





Artichoke Bottoms

 

What To Serve With

For my dippables I typically choose a variety of sliced peppers, carrots, celery, tortilla chips, pita bread or will cut a French baguette into individual pieces and serve.


If there is one thing I can say about this dip: no matter how many times I have doubled or tripled the recipe I have never had leftovers!! Usually we run of our dippables before we run out of dip and this has never stopped anyone....guests just grab a spoon and finish the rest!!

Baked Cajun Fried Chicken Strips with Corn Flake Bread Crumbs

Baked Cajun Fried Chicken Strips with Corn Flake Bread Crumbs

So I am originally from Boston and there was a pathological aversion to frying in my house growing up. Since starting to explore my passion for cooking I have learned how to fry and how to make something taste like it's fried even if no oil is used.

Although we all love something that is greasy and deep friend it isn't always the best choice when watching your waist line or your health. So early on I learned how to make this recipe at a friends house and have been attempting to perfect it ever since. It tastes like its fried and is delicious! 

The key to this Baked Fried Chicken is mayonnaise. I know...nasty right? I promise you will not even taste the mayo after its cooked. 

So here it goes: 

2 pounds of chicken breasts cut into strips

1 Cereal box of Corn Flakes

1.5 cups of Hellman's Original Mayonnaise  

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Siracha hot sauce

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Wash chicken strips and dry with paper towels. Pour half box of Corn Flakes into a bowl and, with your hands, crunch the flakes until they are about a third of their original flake size. Mix the mayo, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, pepper, Siracha, and red pepper flakes in a separate small bowl. Coat each chicken strip with mayo mixture and bread with Corn Flakes you prepared. Place chicken strips in a baking dish lined with aluminum foil and greased with Pam or similar. Cook on 350 degrees for 25 mins until cooked through and golden brown. 

Spices: Use any spices you want in your mayo mixture. I have used curry, paprika, tabasco, and anything else I found in my spice drawer. 

Dipping Sauces: Mix yellow mustard with honey.....honey mustard sauce. For barbecue sauce I only use KC Masterpiece. Like ketchup to dip?.....mix Heinz original with a little balsamic vinegar!

Side Note: If it's not Heinz its not Ketchup! 

Cooking Tip: How to get Burnt Bits Off A Sauté or Skillet Pan

Cooking Tip: How to get Burnt Bits Off A Sauté or Skillet Pan

Ever had that stubborn grime on the bottom of your skillet or sauté pan? Sometimes when browning anything in a skillet pan we will get black or brown burnt remnants of the food stuck to the bottom of the pan. Frequently when using a skillet or sauté pan we like these burnt bits as it flavors and beautifully colors the food we are preparing.

It may seem impossible to remove these bits from the bottom of the pan and usually requires some elbow grease and steel wool to get the pan back too shiny and clean.

If you have ever slaved over a kitchen sink attempting to soak and scrape this off I have an easier way for you!

Deglaze the Pan!

Any liquid that has a high sugar content will work great. Wine and/or a pulp-less juice are two of my favorites to use. Here's how you do it....

While the pan is still hot on the stove turn up the heat and pour the sugary liquid in the pan so the entire bottom of the pan is covered. You will probably get a lot of steam rising from the pan and this is okay. With a deglazing spoon (Every chef should have one of these, it has a straight edge that easily scrapes the bottom of a pan's surface.) slowly scrape the burned bits off the bottom of the pan until they are freely floating in the remaining liquid. Once you get the bulk of the bits off discard the liquid.

To get the pan spotless use steel wool or an abrasive sponge to remove the remaining bits before letting the pan cool.

Note: Many recipes that have a sauce to prepare already incorporate the deglazing process when preparing a sauce!

Perfect Golden Brown Shrimp in 15 minutes

Perfect Golden Brown Caramelized Shrimp  in 15 minutes

Every been to a restaurant and wondered how they prepare shrimp that is a perfect golden brown? Well, I did so I started experimenting and in my first attempt I did it! Found a fool proof easy way to always perfectly caramelize shrimp in a skillet. What is the secret?.....HONEY!!!

Not only will it look great but this gives the shrimp a sweet yet mild honey taste.

My favorite use for caramelized shrimp is on a salad. Take any salad, with the exception of a salad that has iceberg lettuce....yuck! Add the caramelized shrimp and you no longer need a main course, the salad can be the main event!

This method is so easy and works every time.

1      lb of jumbo raw shrimp deveined and peeled (keep the tails on)
2      tbsp honey
3      tbsp water
1      tbsp salt
1      tsp pepper
2      tbsp butter
1/4   tsp garlic powder

Wash your shrimp in a colander and dry shrimp with a paper towel. In a separate mixing bowl combine honey, water, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk ingredients together until the honey is incorporated into the mixture. Toss the shrimp in the mixture and let sit for 5 minutes ensuring every shrimp is coated with mixture.

On medium heat melt butter in stainless steel skillet. Put shrimp in skillet and cook on medium heat until  shrimp is caramelized and golden brown.

Put directly on salad or put on a serving dish!

No only is it easy but you will impress with your perfect caramelized shrimp!

Note: Are you doing something asian inspired? Add some ginger to the honey mix and you'll get that asian flare! 

The Art of the Salad - Spring Greens, Gorgonzola Cheese, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, w/Lemon Vinaigrette

The Art of the Salad - Spring Greens, Gorgonzola Cheese, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, w/Lemon Vinaigrette

Ever been asked to someone's house and when asked to bring something a salad is requested? Well I have a salad I make often that works for any occasion and looks beautiful. Here is my general salad lesson that has never served me wrong. Recipe is at the end.

Nothing against iceberg lettuce but when someone serves a salad with ice berg, in my opinion, it always fails. So below is a great recipe for a salad that will taste great, look great, and always gets compliments.

The Lettuce 

Iceberg lettuce is a no....only belongs on burgers and thats even debatable. Use a spring mix. Usually incorporating red leaf lettuce, some spinach, and not only tastes great but looks great!
If you are feeling adventurous arugula is a favorite of mine as well, but beware it can be an acquired taste and when cooking for others you may way to stay more neutral until you understand your guest's pallets.

What to put in a salad

Always have something sweet or tart, always have something rich (cheese), always have something with a crunch.

Sweet

I love putting fruits in my salads. If you want to go the fresh route. Strawberries, apples, pears, even raspberries. Just cut them up and through in there. Something that I always keep in the house: Dried cranberries for salads is always a hit. Has an amazing sweet and tart taste that is delicious.

Rich

When incorporating something rich I always use some kind of cheese in a salad. The easiest that always tastes great, and is readably available, is blue or gorgonzola cheese. Goat cheese or Chèvre is another great cheese and almost always melts into the salad. (RULE: Do not use a creamy dressing with Chèvre. The Chèvre will coat the salad when tossed.)  Of course when nothing else is around use grated parmesan cheese, best for Caesar salads but really will go in anything.

Crunchy

Many will think I recommend croutons or some kind of bread product but this is not the case! I like to use nuts to get my crunch. Almonds and walnuts are always a great addition to a salad. Sometimes however a nut can be too soft to really provide that crunch you intend for. To combat this I always dry roast the nuts on the stove before tossing in a salad.

Dry roasting

So easy its almost stupid. Just through the nuts in a skillet on medium heat for about 10 minutes tossing them around every once and a while untiled browned. No need for oils or butter in the pan. Nuts are filled with delicious poly and mono saturated fats that provide all the grease you need for the roast.

Allergic to Nuts? Don't like them? No problem.....you still do not need croutons. 

Try wasabi beans or roasted soy beans. They are super crunchy and will accomplish what you are looking for. Go to Whole Foods and find something crunchy that you can through in the salad.

Dressings

MAKE YOUR OWN - ITS SOOO EASY
Making your own dressing is super easy and is always a better alternative to dressings in your fridge. Choose a vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and zest, dijon mustard, large grain mustard, and whisk together. These are the best basic ingredients and will never fail. Want to make your dressing creamy? Use sour cream, a little sour cream in your home made dressing will increase its viscosity and give you the creamy taste desired.  See a detailed recipe below.

If You Need To Buy It
If you need to buy a dressing I always stick to a vinaigrette. When choosing a salad dressing however I never go to the isles. I always choose a dressing from the refrigerated section. My favorite is Cindy's kitchen basic balsamic vinaigrette. (RULE: I rarely buy a creamy dressing. Many times I believe creamy dressing cover up the tastes of the salad and contain preservatives that stabalize the milk products in the dressings and ultimately ruin the salad....stick to refrigerated vinaigrettes.)

Serving Ware

Many times I will use my large Le Cruset dutch oven to serve a salad. Although these are cast iron high temperature pots they are large, look great, and perfect for big salads. Also, buy some kind of fancy salad serving. I have a pair with wooden handles that my mother handed down to me and it makes the salad look great!

Ok enough of my salad 411....here is my salad recipe. Its simple, easy, and beautiful.

1     large container of spring mix lettuce
1     cup of dried cranberries
1     cup of gorgonzola cheese crumbles
3/4  cup of dry roasted almonds

To prepare the salad layer the ingredients in your serving dish in the following order. Lettuce, Cheese, Nuts, Cranberries. Do not toss until you dress the salad with your salad dressing.

The dressing - This is a basic flavorful dressing that never fails. Thanks to my friend Mrs. Sarah Marshall who always prepares this and is her recipe.

The zest of one lemon
The juice of two lemons
1/3   cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4   cup of white wine vinegar (Champagne vinegar if you can find it)
1      tsp of minced garlic
1/2   tsp pepper
1      tsp salt
1      tbsp dijon mustard
1      tbsp whole grain mustard

Whisk together and dress your salad to taste!

This will never fail and feel free to alter the ingredients to your liking. Sarah and I always taste before we toss and never follow an exact recipe.

I promise this salad will always look great, taste great and present well. Please please please! Don't show up to a party with iceberg lettuce. Unless you have kids iceberg is never an appropriate lettuce to use!

Correction: In speaking with my friend Chelsea, the one who turned me on to Uchiko brussel sprouts, she reminded me there is one appropriate use of iceberg lettuce that is acceptable.....THE WEDGE SALAD! But seriously folks, use iceberg sparingly and make sure you can back up your justification for this tasteless watery leaf.

The Flavor of A Lemon is in the Zest - Lemon Juice

Ever tasted a lemon dish and wished for just a little more lemon taste?  Ever think that lemon taste is muted or drab? 

It is my biggest annoyance when someone advertises a lemon dish and you can barley taste the lemon! How do you solve this?

There might be some scientific reason for this but the taste of a lemon exists in the skin of the lemon. This is where the oils, sour and tart tastes exists. Once I invested in a lemon zester my lemon flavors jumped off the plate. If ever a recipe calls for lemon I always add zest!

So the rule: When ever using lemon juice always use some amount lemon zest. If you think a recipe needs more of a lemon kick? Don't only increase the lemon juice in the recipe, increase the zest!

My Favorites Uses of Lemon Juice/Zest:

- Salad Dressings - (Use a ton its delicious)

- Drinks - Put some fine zest in a mixed drink, lemon with vodka is a magical combination. Also, ice tea with zest and lemon juice....delicious.

- With Potatoes - Lemon and potatoes are fantastic. It also gives the potato an incredible flavor and you     can reduce the typical amounts of butter, cream, and salt used to flavor the potato.

- White Fish - Lemon in a fish dish is amazing. Just keep it coming on anything from the ocean.

Red Skin Mashed Potatoes with Green Onion

Red Skin Mashed Potatoes with Green Onion

Mashed potatoes are a love of many when it comes to an amazing side dish. As one of my favorites as a kid I wanted to create a recipe to represent this dish that goes with any meal. This recipe is so flavorful and delicious I promise you will never make mashed potatoes differently.

The Potatoes: I always and only use one type of potato for mashed potatoes. Red skins. Part of what I believe makes mashed potatoes is when you can incorporate the skin and provide the tasty texture of a potato skin.

Milk or Cream: In my opinion always use cream. If you are looking for a lighter fare use 2% or whole milk. If you are entertaining and want to richen your dish, heavy whipping cream is a must.

The Green Onion: My mashed potatoes incorporates minced green onions. This lighter onion no only flavors the potatoes but gives the dish a little green that makes the presentation incredible.

There are no measurments in mashed potatoes: Mashed potatoes includes cream, butter, salt, green onions, and pepper. I will provide a general guide as to what is needed but you can always adjust the measurements to make your perfect mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

4     lbs. of red skin potatoes
1     stick of butter (8 tbsp)
1     cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2  cup of minced green onions
1     tbsp of kosher salt
2     tbsp of garlic salt
1     tbsp of ground pepper

Wash the potatoes in cold water and remove any spuds or brown spots. Boil potatoes in a large stock pot until soft. (I use a thin knife to tell if the potatoes are cooked, put the knife through a larger potato. If you need to apply any amount of pressure to push through the potato they need more time.) Approximately 20-25 minutes.

USE A MIXER: My preference is to use a mixer to get the majority of the lumps out of the potatoes. In this method you will have a little texture in the potatoes. I happen to prefer this although there are many confilcting opinions on whether mashed potatoes should be completely smooth or have texture. (Texture not to be confused with large lumps.)

USE A FOOD PROCESSOR: For those who NEED their mashed potatoes completely smooth. Put the cooked potatoes into a food processor until they are the consistency of sand.

Once you choose your method mix butter, cream, garlic salt, salt, pepper, and potatoes until smooth. After combined, mix the green onions into mashed potatoes as a final touch. Mix first on a slow speed and for a final touch increase mixer speed to high for tasty whipped potatoes.

Remember: Adjust the proportions to your liking. This is a guide and proportions can be adjusted.

Optional: If you are looking for a little extra flavor cook some bacon on a skillet and cut into little pieces. Add to potatoes when you add the green onions.....bacon always makes everything a little better.

Uchiko Brussel Sprouts Recipe - Sweet Thai Chili Brussel Sprouts

So in the Spring of this year I traveled down to Austin, TX to visit a good friend who was preparing for her wedding. In meeting with some of her friends I discovered the amazing culinary culture this Texan town has to offer.

The most momentous of the trip was a visit to the renowned restaurant Uchiko, which sampled a menu of asian inspired small plates and unique flavors. The members of the group who had already dined at Uchiko mentioned an amazing brussel sprout dish. To be honest, I had a strict aversion to brussel sprouts ever since I was a kid. My mother would always steam them in the microwave and season with margarine and vegisalt. For me this method of cooking never seemed to get that strange bitter cabbage taste out of them.

So with hesitation, I ate Uchiko's brussel sprouts. I can officially say my opinion of this green vegetable has changed. The brussel sprouts had an amazing crunch with a tangy, soy salted taste, and a glaze that was delectable.

After my inspired visit I decided this was a recipe I had to find. Of course being Uchiko this recipe was locked tight in their food vault so no secrets could be shared. Instead I started googling around and found a bunch of authors also attempting to duplicate this recipe. Some were very simple, some wanted me to buy exotic ingredients at my local asian food market, UGH.....NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

The following recipe contains a trial and error of the different recipe's I found and the concluding method I believe most closely matched the famous Uchiko Brussel Sprouts small plate. To be clear, I am not one to do anything with cooking that I feel will take too long or requires me to go to every grocery store in town to find the right ingredients. Instead I attempt to make good food my guests that will be easy to make and delicious!

The Recipe - Sweet Thai (Uchiko Inspired) Brussel Sprouts :

Ingredients:

2      lbs of raw brussel sprouts
2      tbsp olive oil
1      juice and zest of one lemon
1.5   tbsp brown sugar
1      tbsp salt
1      tbsp pepper
1/2   cup of sweet thai chili sauce (found at any grocery store)
2      tbsp fish sauce
2      tbsp of soy sauce


Although this is my preferred method of preparing this dish just flash fry the brussel sprouts for 1 minute at a high oil temperature 350 degrees. The sprouts should be raw with the bottoms cut. Remove excess oil and toss with the sauce preparation below! NOTE; BEWARE OIL WILL BOIL VIOLENTLY FOR THE FIRST 4-8 SECONDS!

Flash Fry:
Flash fry roasted sprouts in a light frying oil. I prefer corn or peanut oil for frying. Remember flash frying means hot hot oil (between 375 and 400 degrees) and only for a few seconds until lightly browned and crisp. 20-30 seconds. If you fry to long the sprouts will get soggy. After frying place the sprouts on paper towels to drain excess oil.

How to Flash Fry

(For those that do not have a deep fryer, I do not either, use a stock pot or WOK to fry. Use a candy thermometer to measure oil temperature. Be careful though, when you through the sprouts into the oil it will boil high so make sure you have room in the pot for the oil to rise and watch for splatter.)

Sauce:
Combine sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, and soy sauce in small sauce pan. Heat on medium until simmering.

Toss sprouts and sauce together by spooning sauce over sprouts. How much sauce you use is completely up to you!!

Enjoy!! These guys will disappear quick so double or triple the recipe!!

Additional Notes:
 - Use chop sticks.
 - Try and an appetizer or a side dish! Great with a stir fry.
 - The sauce prepared is great for egg roles, spring roles, dumplings, or any other asian dippable.