Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork cutlet)

My friend Ray grew up in Japan and was talking about this during a chat on Adam4Adam. He used chicken breasts, but I had this pork tenderloin in the freezer and thought I'd take a stab at it. He liked it.

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Growing up we would always have this casserole after Easter to stretch out the left over ham (there were 7 kids in the family) But mom would just sprinkle flour and bits of butter between each layer and it always seems a little oily and slippery/slidy - I like this version better (sorry Mom - but you inspired me!)

3 Tbsp of butter
3 Tbsp of flour
1 cup of chicken stock
2 ½ cups of milk or half and half
3 large russet potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced -don't rinse
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1/3 cup of minced curly parsley
12 oz. of left over ham, tore up into bite size pieces
2/3 cup of shredded cheddar
2/3 cup of shredded muenster (helps make it creamy)
Salt, Pepper, crushed carraway seed

Preheat oven 350°

Butter a baking dish. In a saucepan melt 2 tbs of butter, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute to make a roux. Remove saucepan from heat and wisk in liquids. Return pan to the heat and bring to a simmer while stirring. When sauce has thickened add seasoning and set aside.
Peel and slice potatoes, drop them in the water to keep from browning but don't rinse. The starch helps hold the casserole together - so if you can go from slicing to assembly, all the better.
In a skillet cook the onions until golden and beginning to carmelize, add the garlic. Season with salt & pepper.
Spread 1/3 of the white sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and top with half the potatoes, onions, ham, cheese and parsley. Add another 1/3 sauce and the rest of the potatoes, ham and parsley - reserving the cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and top with remaining cheese, bake until golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and cool until set, about 20 minutes.

Bottom Line: It's a casserole bound with a white sauce. Slice pototoes just prior to assembly and don't rinse so that the starch help keep the whole thing together. Adding the Muenster or Jack helps make it creamy - all cheddar can sometimes end up grainy.

Sloppy Joes
(Not Summer Camp, not Manwich, not your Moms)

I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives the other night and got this massive boner for something that you used to be able to get at the Little League snack bar. I'm not sure this is it - I think their Sloppy Joe mix came out of a #10 can, but this one is tasty.

3 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 chopped onion
1 lb. Ground Beef
Salt and Pepper
1 can of Hunts Roasted Chopped Tomatoes
½ box of V-8 Roasted Red Pepper Soup
1 Tbsp of cumin
1 Tbsp of ground garlic (not garlic salt)
1 Tbsp of ground Ancho chili
1 tsp of paprika
1/3 cup of Smokey BBQ Sauce
¼ cup of A-1, or Worcestershire sauce (whatever you have on hand) ¼ cup of plain mustard
Optional: Some Salsa to taste

Heat heavy pot. Add the oil and warm, sauté onions until they begin to caramelize.
Add ground beef and brown, breaking up. Salt and Pepper.Add tomatoes and ½ a box of the soup and simmer until tomatoes have broken down.
Add seasonings, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire, Mustard and let simmer on low about 30 minutes.
Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t dry out and scorch, if it needs more liquid add more Red Pepper Soup.Taste, and if you think it deserves a little punch add the salsa, if you need it a little sweeter add ketchup or BBQ Sauce.

Serve on really nice big hamburger buns with a little shredded cheese. Even better the next day.

Bottom Line: The roasted red pepper soup just makes it interesting, you can substitute tomato sauce. The second day it tasted a little spicier to me, so depending on your heat threshold, you may want to be a bit more cautious with either the Ancho Chili or the Salsa. Then again I might just be a sissy. (Ancho Chili is a dark sweet chili made from smoked pasilla chili peppers - usually more sweet than spicy)

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large shallot, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sweet Marsala Wine
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup finely chopped parsley or basil leaves
¼ cup of thinly sliced white mushrooms

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have just turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. Add the ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour into the simmering sauce. Whisk to thicken. Return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Add more of the reserved pasta water if necessary. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

Mom's Fried Chicken (sorta)

1 'Best of Fryer' Chicken
2 eggs beaten
1 cup of flour
Salt, Pepper, Sage

When you buy a Best of Fryer it's already cut up, but in my house everyone wants a breast (odd really when you think about it) So I take the breast and cut it in half so there are 4 pieces instead of just two. Anyway, wash and dry the chicken. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Add to the flour more salt pepper sage or whatever green spice you have in the cabinet, it's all good. Take a big zip lock bag and shake the chicken pieces in the flour mixture. Set them on a plate or cookie sheet. Roll each piece in the beaten egg mixture and then shake each piece in the flour again. Set them out on the cookie sheet again for about 15 minutes or so. This sort of drys & hardens the coating mixture so it doesn't all fall off while frying and burn in the oil. (not good)
Get a big skillet and warm it up, add the oil and fire up the flame. When you toss a piece of bread and it fries ferociously it's up to temperature, if it just sorta foams you have a bit more heating to go. Add chicken in batches being careful not to crowd the pan (and lowering the oil temp) If it's browning too quickly turn down the heat, you don't want to scortch it. [ this is one time when being a naked chef is hazardous - fyi ] As the chicken browns, remove, keep warm on a plate loosely covered with some foil and finish the rest of the pieces. (They won't be cooked through yet) When all is done, put it all back in the skillet, doing your best to fit it all in - put the wings on top if you have too, and cover. Turn the heat way down low and just let it continue to cook. About 30 minutes, turn them over half way. [Time for a cocktail, you've earned it.]
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Now let's make the potatoes. Definitely get your friends helping here, after one go round, you can let them handle this whole part and finish your cocktail in the spa. At my house my roommate Rosie handles this job - expertly.

1½ russet pototo per guest, peeled and cut into chunks. Add to boiling salted water. Cook for 30 minutes or until they pierce easily with a fork. Drain. Add ½ cup of milk, about a half cube of butter sliced up, salt and pepper. Mash up, season to taste with salt and pepper. Once you get the hang of it you can start adding garlic powder, ranch dressing, shredded cheese, bacon bits - go crazy.
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Okay, back to the chicken. They've cooked low and slow for thirty minutes or so, time to take off the lid and raise the heat a bit. The crust got a little soft from the steam, and the higher temp will crisp it back up in no time. Once that's done, maybe ten minutes or so, remove to paper towels and let cool a bit. ... and now the gravy.

We used to call my Mom's gravy, 'wiggly gravy'. I think it was because she would just add flour to the whole batch of oil with milk and hope for the best. It's time for some kitchen chemistry here. Pour out all the oil into a glass measuring cup. Keep all the brown bits in the pan. Add some water or canned chicken broth to the skillet and scrape up as much of the browned tasty morsels as you can, pour this into a bowl. Add back 2 tbsp of the oil and heat, add 2 tbsp flour and mix up until the flour is getting golden. Remove from the heat and slowly add two cups of chicken broth and whisk contantly to incorporate. You'll notice it thickening immediately. Return to low heat and continue to whisk while adding back the scraped up bits. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper or whatever -- you've got mad skills, go for it.

Just remember that as the gravy cools it will thicken further, so best to have it a little thinner in the skillet, than becoming sludge on top of your potatoes.

Billy de Chile Colorado

3 cucharadas de Aceite de Oliva
1 cebolla picada
4 dientes de ajo picados
1 Chuck asado - alrededor de 2 ½ libras.
Sal y Pimienta
1 lata de tomates picados Cazas tostado
1 lata de caldo de carne
1 cucharada de comino
1 cucharada de orégano
3 cucharadas de chile Ancho terreno
2 cucharadas de chile chipotle en tierra ***
Tortillas de maíz
Queso, tomate picado y crema para adornar

Cortar el asado en cubos de 1 pulgada, se sazona con sal y pimienta. Coloque un poco de harina en la bolsa y agitar la carne en cubos de la bolsa. Calor pesado bote. Añadir el aceite y cuando casi de fumar, añadir la carne de vacuno que algunos pedazos en un momento y marrón en todos los lados. Hacerlo en los lotes por lo que no es multitud la sartén. Cuando todo se hace quitar su sofría la cebolla y el ajo hasta que empiezan a caramelize.
Regresa la carne a la olla y añadir el asado picado tomotoes y de caldo de carne y condimentos, llevar a hervir y cubrir.
Deje que la carne cocinar lentamente hasta que estén tiernos, aproximadamente 2 horas.
Comprobar los condimentos, la adición de más chipotle si necesita un poco más de calor.

Servir recién fritos sobre tortillas de maíz con un poco de queso rallado, tomoto y crema.

Tasty Chicken Cordon Bleu
So in my dreams I went to the Culinary Academy, like my friend Sean, and I came up with this.

2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/4 inch
flour, oil
Garlic, Shallots, Onion, or whatever you have laying about
Sliced smoked ham
Sliced swiss cheese
Can of Chicken broth
A carton of mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup of sherry if you have it, or white wine
It tastes really good with home made stuffing. so if your up for it..

4 pieces of bread. crusts cut off and given to the dog. cube and toast. Chop 1 onion, and 2 stalks of celery. Saute the veggies in some butter until tender. Season with salt pepper and carraway if you have it. (you'll like the crazy nutty flavor it has - i have some if you wanna borrow a pinch) Add the toasty bread cubes and toss, douse with a bit of chicken broth just to moisten and put in a baking dish, bake while you are making the chicken.

Cut the pounded chicken breasts into serving sizes, put some seasoned flour in a plastic bag and toss the chicken breasts. Heat oil in a skillet and once hot brown the chicken in batches. Don't overcook - it will finish cooking in the broiler. Remove to a plate, cover with foil and keep warm.

If using wine, add to the pan and let it reduce until it's just a thick broth, (if using sherry just throw it all in!) add onions, mushrooms and sweat until tender. Remove to the chicken plate. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour and cook slightly until toasty. Pour a can of chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Add some seasoning. go crazy, you know what to do. (Thyme, Tarragon, Herbs de Provence) Return the mushrooms and onions and chicken breasts and the liquid from the plate.

Plate one breast, one slice of ham, and one slice of swiss cheese. Place under a broiler until the cheese melts. Serve with sauce and stuffing.

mmmmm.

Venezuelan Empanadas
Well, I've never been to Venezuela (yet) but if all the food is as tasty as this, I'm on my way

For the Filling:
1 1/2pounds beef blade roast, chuck roast, seven bone roast – trimmed of fat and cut into 2 inch chunks
4 bay leaves
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
1 scallion, chopped
¼ cup of currants
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons powdered Adobada seasoning (Spanish seasoning blend, found in the spice aisle)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground pepper
For the Dough:
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 stick of cold unsalted butter cut into ½ inch cubes
• 2 ¼ cups of all purpose flower
• 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup of ice water
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar

For the Sauce: (optional, they’ll be gone before anyone finds out there IS a sauce)
• 1 bunch cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 4 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Make the filling: Trim up the beef of fat and season with Adobada. Chop vegetables. Heat oil in pan and sear the beef, adding ½ of onions, bell pepper, 2 crushed/chopped garlic cloves and simmer until translucent. Add a can of beef broth and enough water to almost cover, add bay leaves and an handful of cilantro. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the meat is almost falling apart, about 2 hours, adding more liquid as necessary. Transfer the meat to a bowl and let cool. Shred with a fork, and mince finely. Reserve the broth, skim whatever fat off, return to medium heat and reduce to 1 cup, or add liquid to make up a cup.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion, bell pepper, garlic and shallot; cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallion, paprika, oregano, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the beef and 1 cup of the reserved broth and cook over medium heat until liquid is mostly absorbed, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Make the dough: Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Or just pulse it in a food processor.
Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.)
Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle, cut in half and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.
On a floured board roll out dough to 1/8 inch, using a 1 pound coffee can, cut out 4 inch disks. Make up an egg wash with one beaten egg and a tablespoon of water to seal the seams.
Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet until it registers 365 degrees, while oil is heating fill the empanadas. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle, brush the edges with egg wash and fold over crimping with a fork.

Fry the empanadas in batches until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet; keep warm in the oven.

Make the sauce: Combine the cilantro, olive oil, avocado, bell pepper, scallion, vinegar and garlic in a blender. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper and puree until smooth.

Chicken Pot Pie
Hmm. Another recipe with pastry and a savory filling, I'm beginning to see a trend. This is really tasty and the veggies are big enough to hold their shape after baking.

1 bunch parsley
1 3–4-lb. chicken
1 pint pearl onions, blanched and peeled
2 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2" slices
1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2" dice
1/4 lb. sugar snap peas, trimmed, cut in 1" dice
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 lb. white mushrooms, quartered
4 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
1 recipe Pot Pie Pastry
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water

1. Chop enough parsley to fill 1/4 cup; set aside. Place remaining parsley, chicken, and half the onions in a large pot with water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes. Remove chicken; cool. Pull off meat in like-size pieces; place in a large bowl. Return bones to pot; simmer 1 hour. Strain stock; return to pot over medium heat. Cook carrots, potatoes, sugar snaps, and remaining onions in stock, in batches, just until tender, adding as cooked to chicken.

2. Preheat oven to 450°. Cook garlic and mushrooms in 1 tbsp. of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add to chicken mixture. In the same skillet, melt remaining 3 tbsp. butter and sprinkle in flour. Stir constantly over medium heat, 2–3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup stock until thickened. Remove from heat and add cream. Add chopped parsley, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Gently fold sauce into chicken mixture.

3. Prepare pastry. Line a 9" pan with pastry, fill with chicken mixture, and cover with top pastry. Crimp edges, cut a vent in top, and brush with egg wash. Bake

For the Pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chilled shortening

1. Sift flour and salt into bowl of a food processor. Add butter and shortening, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 5-6 tbsp. ice water, until dough just holds together.

2. Divide into 2 uneven balls: two-thirds for the bottom crust and one-third for the top. Pat each into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the dough to rest.

3. Roll out on a floured surface to fit a 9" pie pan. Fill and bake according to pot pie recipe.