Meat, in terms of both quality and variety, is an unfortunate casualty of the modern grocery mega-mart and the demand for cheap. Unless you know a good butcher or shop at a higher-end chain store, certain cuts or types of meat are virtually impossible to obtain. Don’t believe me? Try buying fresh rabbit for an authentic paella. In Los Angeles county you can supposedly buy rabbit from Bristol Farms, but the prices at said store are very steep and cater to the wealthy rather than the everyday cook. What about fresh (not frozen) cornish hens? Or more esoteric ingredients, like goose liver or sheep’s stomach? Good luck.

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Chicken Marsala

Modern chicken marsala is usually prepared using chicken breast, which is then butterflied or pounded with a mallet.  However, I find the richness and sweetness of the marsala wine perfectly complement the depth of flavor in dark meat; chicken thighs are also conveniently the right thickness for this dish.

4.64 lbs chicken thigh
1 lb 9.8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
homemade chicken stock
Florio sweet marsala wine
Ruffino Orvieto Classico 2008

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The inspiration for this dish came from the popular Greek savory pastry spanakopita and it’s lesser known cousin the kreatopita.  Instead of lamb or spinach, however, poultry is the main star in this recipe; I also went with leeks over onions for a more subtle flavor and added feta cheese for extra richness.  Google tells me the result is appropriately referred to as “kotopita.”  As I’m not fluent in Greek, however, I can’t verify.

3 lbs ground chicken
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 small boxes, reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
1 bag spinach, washed
1 large leek
2 cloves garlic, minced
rosemary, chopped
white pepper, ground
salt
phyllo sheets, thawed

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The cool weather in northern Pennsylvania was a good excuse to revisit this wonderful, rich and hearty soup. There’s not much in the way of broth—at least when I prepare it—but if thick and chunky isn’t your style, you can easily change the consistency by adding more milk, cream, and roux. This recipe is easily one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.

5-7 pieces of thick cut bacon
2½ lbs chicken breast
1½ lbs chicken thigh, with skin and bone
2½ tsps salt + extra
fresh ground pepper
1 white onion, chopped
6-8 stalks of celery, chopped

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Making fantastic ribs isn’t all that complicated. The purists will say you only need two components: a great cut of meat and the right cooking method. The meat is usually pork (either spareribs or baby backs) but I’ve heard glowing reviews about beef ribs as well. For this dish, as well as others where meat is the central ingredient, I recommend visiting a good butcher; nothing will ruin ribs faster than starting out cheap. My personal favorite butcher’s shop, Marconda’s Meats, is a little far away, but well worth the trip. In the future I may also try Manhattan Meats.

How do you prepare your newly purchased prize beauty for consumption? First, pat in a spice rub. You can use whatever combination suits you best, but I like to go with salt, pepper, cayenne powder, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, paprika, cumin, and maybe a little ancho chili powder or chipotle powder.

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As the end of summer approaches, the juicy, ripe nectarines and peaches are fast disappearing from the farmer’s market. The heat wave, however, is still here; so this week I decided to celebrate the passing of the summer produce season with a cold chicken salad and caramelized nectarines. To be fair, I must credit the idea of caramelizing nectarines with onion to the folks at Christine’s. The nectarines at said restaurant were plated with a fish entrée, and at the time I thought to myself, “This would be great with a salad.” So here’s the breakdown of my procedure:

Breaded Chicken
chicken breasts, 3 lbs
leftover panko breading from the freezer (see my article on the ono)
egg
vegetable oil
cayenne pepper

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Beef stroganoff is one of those faithful staples of the hearth I turn to when I need a break from fancier fare. My old trusty recipe, handwritten on a wrinkled, water stained piece of typing paper, went something like this:

egg noodles, prepared
2 lbs stew meat, cubed
? white onion, chopped into squares
1? (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, fat free
? cup water
¼ cup fresh chives, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1? cubes beef boullion, crushed or minced to powder
? cup white wine, dry
1 (8 oz) container low fat sour cream
? cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large box fresh mushrooms, cut in half, lightly sautéed

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I purchased a beautiful 1.56 lb hunk of fresh Ono from the farmer’s market this weekend. I came home and thought to myself, “This would be wonderful with macadamia nuts and mango.” Doing a search on google led me straight to Beverly Gannon’s fantastic recipe. What a find! The breading provided a crispy crust with a subtle nuttiness; the mango butter was a sweet and creamy complement to the delicate white flesh of the fish; and the garlic chile paste in the mayonnaise spread added just a touch of heat. Perfect! What follows next are a few procedural notes for future attempts.

1. This was an enormous amount of fish for two people. I could serve three or even four people if I had a side dish of vegetables. So, if you can, limit yourself about a 0.5 lb per person for a nice sizeable meal.
2. I had a bit of trouble maneuvering the fillets—first into the pan and then onto the roasting tray. To move the ono into the pan, just use your hands to lift the fish (breaded side up), then quickly but gently flip the fish onto the hot surface. Don't try to use a spatula or grab the fillet pincer-like with your fingers; you'll get breading and mayonnaise sloughing off everywhere.

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Bobby really delivers two more winners with his Bulgur Salad and Tandoori Spiced Chicken Breasts with Grilled Tomato Jam and Herbed Yogurt. The bulgur salad packed a punch with the acidity of lime juice and the brightness of the serrano chile; the grilled tomato jam with balsamic vinegar and saffron took an ordinary dish to above-ordinary levels. The only real flaws were ones of my own making:

• Use canola oil or a good (but not extra virgin) olive oil! The olive oil should not impart much flavor to the dish.
• Store the dressing in a separate bottle and apply as necessary. Do not drizzle all the dressing over the bulgur salad or you will turn a fluffy bulgur salad with crisp fresh veggies into a soggy mess.
• I doubled the tandoori spices, which turned out to be a mistake. Way too much for 4 lbs of chicken!

The Crab

3 live Santa Barbara Rock crabs from Quality Seafood
2 12 oz bottles of Red Stripe Jamaican lager
2 12 oz bottles of hot water
12 oz white vinegar
Penzey’s Shrimp and Crab Boil
Old Bay Seasoning

1. Fill the yellow stockpot with ice, layer a bit of plastic on top, then drop in the bag of live crabs. Put the lid on but leave it slightly ajar so the crabs can breathe.
2. In the red stock pot, place the steam basket upside-down and add lager, water, vinegar, and crab boil spices. Cover and bring to a boil.

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