Blake Makes

Sandwiches are one of the greatest inventions ever- a whole yummy meal you can hold right in your hands.  I’m always on the lookout for new sandwich recipes because we eat them so much at our house, and as I was browsing through the May issue of Bon Appetit, I thought the Chicken Breast Sandwich with Caramelized Onions, Watercress, and Paprika Aioli sounded so delicious I should make it the next day.

I made this sandwich for a lovely picnic we had in our backyard (okay, that’s not quite true– Blake was dirty from doing yardwork so I made us eat on a blanket outside so as not to track his dirt into the house), and we both raved over it.  The paprika aioli was especially good- it had a wonderful tangy spiciness that went really well with the sweetness of the onions.  I used the leftover aioli on turkey sandwiches later in the week and it was still just as tasty.  This sandwich will probably become one of our weekend lunch faves, and I know Blake can’t wait for me to make it again.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika* (note- I couldn’t find Spanish paprika, so I used hot Hungarian paprika)
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing on rolls
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds onions, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise (about 7 cups)
• 3 8-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise in half
• 6 sourdough sandwich rolls or twelve 1/2-inch-thick slices sourdough bread
• 3 cups (lightly packed) watercress or arugula

Directions:

• Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Gradually whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover prepared aioli and chill.
• Heat vegetable oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt, and cook until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until onions are soft and deep golden brown, stirring often, about 20 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Caramelized onions can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound with mallet to 1/3-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface. Brush cut side of rolls with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill rolls, cut side down, until grill marks appear, about 1 minute. Spread rolls with some of aioli. Assemble sandwiches, dividing chicken, caramelized onions, and watercress among rolls. Serve warm.

I’ve made my mama’s meatloaf forever. The meatloaf’s pretty simple (the loaf itself), but the sauce we put on top makes this (and has always made this) dish special. In other words, it’s not your basic Brady Bunch fare. When I was a kid, meatloaf was always my favorite, and I loved to swirl the sauce into mashed potatoes. OMG, I feel dirty knees and a milk mustache coming on.

When we made this recently, I had put the meatloaf in the oven, and then realized that I had no brown sugar for the sauce (glaze). I immediately jumped into the pantry. I needed something sweet. Should I use honey? No. Jelly? Heck no! Then, there it was. Staring me right in the face: balsamic vinegar.

Let me first tell you about this sauce. It’s a lot like sweet, tangy barbecue sauce. I add about a cup to a cup-and-a-half of ketchup to a sauce pan. Next, 1 tblsp. of yellow mustard, plus another tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Finally, 2 to 3 tblsps. of brown sugar (and some nice cracks of black pepper).

Heat until bubbling (careful not to burn), and set it aside.

Okay, so this time I didn’t have the sugar, so I reduced some balsamic vinegar and added it in. I guess I had about 1/2 to 3/4 cups, and I just let it simmer slightly for about 10 minutes until thick and syrupy. Do it low and slow.

It was sooooo good. It added the sweetness I like, plus it turned the normally ruby-red sauce a deep almost purple color. I may do this from now on.

For the meatloaf

The recipe is hard because I don’t measure anything any more, but here goes.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re always on the lookout for meals that are [a] healthy, and [b] easy. This dish easily falls into both categories. Bridget found this recipe for Fish Fillets in Parchment with Asparagus and Orange while flipping through bonappetit’s latest edition (April 2008).

I think she thought it would be something I would love (and love to cook). She was right. The snob in me loves how elegant this dish feels. The workaholic (who has no time) loves its speed.

Simply cut four large squares (mine were 12×12) of parchment, and place them on the counter. Rub the parchment with a little butter.

Place a 5 to 6 oz. fillet of halibut or cod (we used halibut) on top of each square. S&P on top.

Cut some asparagus, and arrange the pieces around the fish (we used about 3 stalks per parcel). Lay 3 tarragon leaves on top (as beautifully as you can), and spoon over 1 tblsp. of orange juice.

Add 1/2 tblsp. butter (not melted) on the tip-top, and seal this baby up. I guess I should have mentioned this earlier, but position the fish on one half of the parchment square. That way, when you’re ready to seal it, just fold the other half on top (like closing a book).

Start on one side, and roll (crinkle) the package closed. You don’t need an airtight seal, but get it as contained as you can because you want the fish to steam inside.

Then it’s just 400 degrees for 17 minutes. Done and yum! Mashed sweet potatoes were our side.

Something about brown paper just makes me swoon. These packages weren’t tied-up with string, but this is one of my new favorite things (I couldn’t resist). Try it, blog about it and let us know what you think!

Here’s the complete recipe.

Last year we took a trip to Washington, D.C. to visit our friend Norisha and we had a delicious meal at Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown. I loved the egg they added to the pizza midway through cooking because it added a creamy richness to the pie. Tonight, Blake has a late dinner meeting, so I decided to stay home, watch a girly movie and make a pizza that reminded me of our trip to D.C.

We had an unopened package of turkey bacon and leftover smoked mozzarella, so I decided to make a bacon, egg and cheese pizza. This took me almost no time to make and it turned out so well. Blake ended up eating half before his night out and declared it incredibly delicious!

My only regret was that I only used one egg; next time I’d use two so each half would be covered in delicious, sunny yolkiness (as seen below!). Now, I’m off to watch Nancy Drew!

Ingredients:

• Ready-made pizza crust (I like Boboli because it’s cheap, keeps awhile in the pantry and tastes good.)
• Marinara sauce
• Mozzarella (I used a combo of leftover bagged cheese and deli smoked mozzarella- the smoked cheese added tons of flavor, so I would definitely mix this in again.)
• 3 strips bacon
• Handful chopped Fresh flat-leaf parsely
• Salt and pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Cook bacon, crumble and put to the side.
• Spread thin layer of marinara over crust, and add a few handfuls of mozzarella. Bake pizza on the rack for about 4 minutes.
• Pull out oven rack, and make sure it’s level. Crack egg in center of pizza and add a little salt to yolk. Push over rack back in, turn on broiler and bake for an additional 5-6 minutes, until yolk has thickened but is not hard (sunny-side up).
• Add bacon, parsely, grated Parmesan and black pepper to taste.

Blake and I both love Indian food (coconut naan and lamb tikka masala- yum!); unfortunately, New Orleans is severely lacking in good Indian restaurants. I can only think of two, both of which are really out of the way for us. We usually only get to enjoy good Indian when we travel, so we try to make it at home every once in a while. I like this recipe because the house doesn’t get as pungent with the smell of curry and it’s not overpowering with spice. It’s also relatively easy as there’s not a ton of actual work involved.

Adapted from a recipe in The Naked Chef Takes Off.

Ingredients:

• 1 T Garam Masala
• 2 T butter
• 2 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 lbs skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• salt and black pepper
• lime juice to taste
• 2 inches peeled fresh ginger
• 2 small red onions, peeled
• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 fresh red chillies, with seeds
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Chop the ginger, red onions, garlic, chillies and cilantro roughly then add to food processor along with Garam Masala. Puree in food processor to make a paste.
• In a large casserole, fry the curry paste mixture in the butter for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the tomatoes and the stock. Bring to boil, cover with aluminum foil and place in oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and continue to simmer on the stove until it thickens.
• Sear the chicken in a little olive oil until golden, then add to the curry sauce and simmer for 1 hour until tender.
• Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and stir in the yogurt. Season to taste and add squeeze of lime juice. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

Salmon is one of my favs- it’s filling, delicious and incredibly healthy. It’s always such a treat for me to prepare salmon because we have to drive across the city to get it (at the crack of dawn Saturday morning for the best choice, I might add), so I usually stick to tried-and-true recipes. This is a great recipe because it’s so easy– it literally takes, like, 15 minutes. Blake isn’t a huge salmon fan (he’s weird sometimes; he also doesn’t like avocados- no guacamole for us…sigh…), but he really likes this dish.

Recipe courtesy of The Gourmet Cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 T plus 1 tsp packed light brown sugar
• 4 (6 oz) center-cut pieces salmon fillet w/skin
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tsp vegetable oil

Directions:

• Stir together vinegar, water, lemon juice, and brown sugar in a small bowl.
• Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Increase heat to high, add salmon skin side up, and sear until well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn fish over and sear until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more.
• Transfer salmon to plates and carefully add vinegar mixture to skillet (liquid will bubble vigorously and steam). Simmer, stirring, until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Spoon glaze over salmon.

During the busy work week, I want meals that are delicious but incredibly easy to make. There’s nothing worse than having a long, stressful day and knowing you have to come home and start cooking (and then the dreaded clean-up afterward).

This salad is so simple and is a good way to use up any barbecued or grilled chicken you might have leftover from the weekend. I usually just buy a barbeque rotisserie chicken to make this meal even easier. You can also vary the salad ingredients to use up any veggie leftovers you might have on hand because what makes this salad great is the poblano dressing– it’s creamy and smooth with just enough spice.

Recipe courtesy of Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking.

Ingredients (Salad):

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced bbq chicken meat, from leftovers or a store-bought roasted chicken
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels,, thawed, or 2 ears corn, grilled in the husk then shucked and cut from the cob
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery or celery hearts
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 head Bibb lettuce, broken into leaves, washed and dried
• Creamy Poblano Dressing

Directions (Salad):

Toss all ingredients except dressing in a salad bowl, then toss in the dressing or serve it on the side.

Ingredients (Dressing):

• 1 poblano, roasted and peeled
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 2 T chopped scallion greens
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup Mayonnaise (I used light mayo)
• 2 T sour cream or buttermilk (I used light sour cream)

Directions (Dressing):

Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

I love cheese enchiladas- they are my most favorite food ever, ever. Well, actually, cheese is my most favorite food. But, when you stuff it inside corn tortillas and bake it to bubbly perfection, it doesn’t get much better.

I stumbled across this recipe for veggie and cheese enchiladas when I was skimming through Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking, and the photograph looked so mouth-watering, I had to try to make them myself.

I will warn you that the enchiladas do take a while to make, but you can make the sauce a day ahead and save yourself some time later. Having made these before, you would think that I would do that, but, alas, I am a procrastinator. (Blake, don’t you and my mom always say the Johnson motto is “Why do today what you can do tomorrow?”; Guess it’s in my blood.)

The time it takes to make these, however, is totally worth it. They are so yummy and satisfy all my Tex-Mex cravings. Plus, the veggies actually add nutrition to my favorite meal! Yay!

Read the rest of this entry »

This past Christmas, I was super excited to get Blake an autographed copy of Chef John Folse’s The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine. Since we both grew up in North Louisiana, we didn’t have a lot of exposure to this type of cooking, so I was looking forward to learning a thing or two from Folse (who’s also an old favorite on Saturday morning PBS). He certainly didn’t disappoint - this cookbook is truly an encyclopedia of everything anyone would want to know about the cuisine of South Louisiana.

His recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo was a little different than other gumbos I’ve had in the past (mushrooms??), but it was wonderfully rich and delicious (and the mushrooms were great).

Ingredients:

• 1 (5lb) stewing hen
• 1 lb smoked sausage or andouille (I like to use both and prefer Manda brand if you can find it.)
• 1 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 cups diced celery
• 1 cup diced bell peppers
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 24 button mushrooms
• 2 cups sliced green onions
• 1 bay leaf
• sprig of thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped basil
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• Louisiana hot sauce to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• cooked white rice (we will use brown if going more healthy)

Directions:

Using a sharp boning knife, cut hen into 8-10 serving pieces. Remove as much fat as possible. Cut smoked sausage or andouille into 1/2 inch slices and set aside.

In a 2 gallon stockpot, heat oil over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until golden brown roux is achieved. (Do not walk away during this process unless your kids are bleeding.) Stir in onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Blend chicken and sausage into vegetable mixture, and saute approximately 15 minutes. Add chicken stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 1 hour.

Skim any fat or oil that rises to top of pot. Stir in mushrooms, green onions, bay leaf, thyme and basil. Season to taste using salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook an additional 1-2 hours, if necessary, until chicken is tender and falling apart. Stir in parsley and adjust seasonings. Serve over hot white rice.

NOTE: You may wish to boil chicken 1-2 hours before beginning gumbo. Reserve stock, bone chicken and use meat and stock in gumbo.

Hello Blake Makers and Sooper Heroes! Wowsers, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. There are tons of posts and information coming about the next round of PBDDL and more (and different) free food on Soopz, but I want to post some food! I will, however, direct you to Say It On BlakeMakes.com if you’ve gotten your free PBDDL and would like your blog featured on Blake Makes.

Enough dulce for now. We live in New Orleans, so let’s talk about Poboys!

Yes, we actually eat them on a regular basis down here. No, they’re not just some touristy treat, but I will say that we rarely make them at home.

To get really good poboys, you’ve got to go out for them…like to a gas station, or some nondescript shack somewhere (that’s where you’ll find the best).

I wrote about a poboy like this months ago when I discovered the Banh Mi at the New Orleans Poboy Preservation Festival. It was my favorite of the fest because it was daring and different (I get really descriptive in my Serious Eats post).

Bridget and I decided to make these at home, and they turned out great! We grabbed the recipe from Epicurious.com.

To be honest, I was a little uncertain because of the combination of:

• Asian fish sauce
• Daikon
• Cilantro
• Liverwurst

But, they’ve been doing this in Vietnam for centuries, so of course it turned out spectacularly. Everything blends together in your mouth, and it was sublime. My favorite part is the pickled carrot and diakon salad - it’s sweet and sour at the same time.

(Bridget told me my Nesties are going to be hungry for more than just dulce soon, so in addition to being for everyone else, this post is especially dedicated to my Nestie readers! Hello!)