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.

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.

Bridget, my wife, is the best. She’s an amazing cook, and the best thing she makes is her Chicken Kiev.

It’s like the best fried chicken you’ll eat, only filled with butter and garlic.

Here’s how she does it:

• Pound 4 chicken breasts flat (you’re going to roll them up later)
• Sprinkle with S&P
• Filling: (Sprinkle 1/4 on each breast)
  • 1 tblsp. chopped green onion
  • 1 tblsp. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 clove of garlic minced
• 4 tblsp. chilled butter (cut lengthwise in 4 long pieces)
• Add a butter piece to the filling and roll them up

Lightly coat the chicken roll ups with flour then dip in a little beaten egg.

Then dip in bread crumbs, the egg again and the bread crumbs one last time.

Chill for an hour.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.

This is one of the ways that I know my wife loves me.

Tonight we’ve discovered an amazing new concoction to add to our arsenal, the lemony-basil dressing from Giada’s Basil Chicken. When I got home from work, I marinated a whole, cut-up chicken in:

• 1/3 cup | Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup | Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. | Fennel seeds (slightly crushed)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

I placed everything in a large ziploc bag and tossed it in the fridge. I lit the grill as Bridget made the basil dressing. First, she harvested some basil from the garden. Then she added it (amount), 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tsp. lemon zest , (amount) extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. After these ingredients had been added to the blender, she blitzed it. A few seconds later, and amazing emerald potion was created.

After about 30 minutes, I removed the marinated chicken from the fridge and threw it on the grill. After it was done, I set it aside to rest under a tent of foil. While the chicken rested, I diced some zuccini and tossed it with some olive oil, and salt and pepper. I grilled it under tender crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. I also reheated some left over corn salad from Sunday night.

The plate was served as grilled chicken with the basil dressing drizzled over top, with tender-crisp zucchini and corn salad.