Sauteed Feta Cheese with Parsley, Raisin, Caper & Pine Nut Sauce for Tyler Florence Fridays

It was a fun and crazy week and now it is Friday and time again for Tyler Florence Fridays.  I wanted an easy, low effort, big flavor pay off for dinner last night and Tyler's recipes for Sauteed Feta Cheese topped with a Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pine Nut Sauce from Eat This Book, sounded like just what I needed. The cheese was inspired by a marinated sheep's cheese he ate in France.  The sauce is one of several delicious sounding Fresh Chopped-Herb Sauces that Tyler has in the book that he uses with different dishes

Sauteed Feta Cheese

Eat This Book,  Tyler Florence

30 minutes / Serves 6-8

1 large block (1 1/2 lbs) feta cheese

1 cup all-purpose flour

extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

1 recipe Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pine Nut Sauce (see recipe below)

Cut the feta into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Put the flour on a large plate.  Put a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with a 2-count of oil. When the oil is smoking, dredge the cheese slices as will comfortably fit in the pan.  Brown about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown.  Squeeze some lemon juice over them, then use a spatula to carefully transfer to a platter. Repeat with the rest of the cheese, adding a little more oil to the pan if you need to.  Spoon the chopped herb sauce over the cheese and serve.   

Parsley, Raisin, Caper, and Pine Nut Sauce

Eat This Book, Tyler Florence

Makes about 1 cup

1/4 cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped

3 Tbsp capers, drained and coarsely chopped

3 Tbsp pine nuts, coarsely chopped

3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

1/2 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Stir up all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

The sauce was the favorite part of the dish for me.  Lest you eyeball the list of ingredients and say "Gross!  Anchovy and Raisins!?!", let me assure you it is excellent--salty, savory, sweet and tangy all at once. I am not a fan of whole anchovies but since they are finely chopped, they are mixed in and all you get is the great savory flavor. I would use the sauce of veggies, pasta and fish. The cheese is very good too. My trial and error tips are use a feta that is pressed tightly together, cut the slices thick and make sure the pan is hot enough and you have enough oil.  My first two in the pan, I had some challenges and lost some of the flour coating but I got the hang of it.  I served it on baguette slices  but it would also be nice over salad greens.  I liked the combo of the feta and sauce and would make the dish or either component again.  

Check out the other TFF Bloggers' recipe picks here and also find the details of how to join us!

Coq Au Vin--Barefoot Bloggers

December's first Barefoot Blogger's recipe was Coq Au Vin, selected by Bethany of This Little Piggy Went to Market....  I have to confess that this recipe was one I was "lukewarm" about cooking.  Chicken is not my favorite protein to begin with and something about cooking it in red wine and brandy wasn't really doing it for me. However, since I had never tried Coq Au Vin and so far Ina has come through for me with consistently great recipes, I forged ahead.  It was also a little intimidating cooking a classic French dish when my friend Yoko, who is from Japan but has spent the last four years living in Alsace, France would be sampling it. On the other hand, it was nice to have her input, support and familiarity with the dish. 

This recipe can be found here at Food Network or in Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics, on page 116.  

Coq Au Vin

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Ina Garten

2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 ounces good bacon or pancetta, diced
1 (3 to 4-pound) chicken, cut in 8ths
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup Cognac or good brandy
1/2 bottle (375 ml) good dry red wine such as Burgundy
1 cup good chicken stock, preferably homemade
10 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 pound frozen small whole onions
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside. Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac and put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot.

Notes/Results:  I squeezed this recipe in on Monday night after a long day that began with an early morning hike up Diamond Head and most of the afternoon in Waikiki and I was pleasantly surprised that it went together pretty easily and didn't use the plethora of dishes, pans, and cooking gear that many of Ina's more involved recipes seem too.  I made it pretty much as stated with a dry red wine, brandy, bacon instead of pancetta, and I could not find any frozen pearl onions (or non-frozen pearl onions for that matter) so I used the scant 1/4 of a package of some I had in the freezer from the pot pie we made previously.  The very nice, young guy at the meat counter at Whole Foods was kind enough to chop my free-range chicken into 8 pieces but from the jagged edges, I won't say it is his best skill--although I am not sure I would have done any better.  

I do have to say that I am not sure how Ina got the wonderful color of her soup liquid in the photo in the cookbook, following the recipe given as mine was much lighter and a bit more purple than brown.  (Is it the miracle of photo shop or did I do something wrong?  I can't wait to see the other BB's broths to compare).


We served it with butter-parsley egg noodles and a simple salad of local greens and tomatoes, tossed with chopped rosemary marcona almonds and a simple vinaigrette. The flavor of the chicken and sauce was excellent, the chicken was moist and perfectly cooked and the broth was yummy (Sickly purple-brown but yummy--which is why it doesn't show much in my pictures!). Good as it is, I am not sure that this would be a recipe I would make again. Yoko mentioned that since Alsace is known for their Riesling, they often make the dish as Coq Au Riesling there, using a white wine and that I might try. It was also nice to have a warming bowl of the leftovers after a long day trip to Maui's cooler up-country yesterday.

I am glad that Bethany picked this recipe as it gave me an opportunity to cook something I have never tried before which I love and is one of the reasons I joined the group.  You can check out how the other Barefoot Bloggers fared with their Coq Au Vins here.

Sauteed Winged Beans

Having a friend and house guest visiting from Japan is fun but we have been spending so much time out doing things (North Shore, hiking Diamond Head Crater, shopping, day trip to Maui, eating, etc), it has been hard to find the time to post.  I thought I would do a quick one on some Winged Beans we bought at the farmer's market on Saturday.  Winged beans (also known as the Goa Bean in Malaysia), if you have not seen them before are a type of green bean that are a bit larger than your normal green beans and have four frilly "wings" running along the edges.  They are grown in tropical, humid areas and are used in cooking much like beans are and the shoots and flowers are often used in cooking too.  (You can read more about them here and here).  I had seen them before but had never tried them. The woman at the farmer's market said to trim the ends and saute them in garlic, soy sauce and oyster sauce so that is what we did.

Sauteed Winged Beans

1 lb winged beans or green beans, cleaned, ends trimmed

2 Tbsp chopped garlic

3 Tbsp soy sauce (I used low sodium soy sauce)

2 tsp oyster sauce

black pepper and salt to taste

Saute garlic over medium heat, until lightly browned. Add beans, soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix. Cover pan with lid and cook over medium heat until beans are tender but not mushy, about 5-6 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes/Results:  The flavor is similar to green beans, they just look a bit different and as Yoko says "they are entertaining and good!"  The sauce adds a lot of flavor and we cooked them slightly "al dente" as we both like our beans a bit firm.  We were hungry and I just threw these into the saute pan, although a quick blanch first, would have kept the green color a bit more. We served them with all the leftovers we had in the fridge--beef adobo, garlic jasmine rice, chickpeas and tom kha gai soup.  (Very International of us!)

Hope you are having a good week!  I plan on posting some of our adventures this weekend and next week.

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai) for Souper Sundays

I really love all of the flavors in Thai food, the lime juice, coconut milk, ginger, cilantro, and other fresh spices. When I want a light feeling, but still satisfying meal, I like Tom Kha Gai soup, the gingery, coconut milk based "cousin" of Tom Yum soup. I was flipping through the December issue of Sunset Magazine and found this recipe in the "Fast & Fresh" section which looked quick (under 30 minutes) and easy. It seemed like the perfect "Souper Sunday" pick when busy hosting a house guest.

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

Jiranooch Shapiro, Anchorage, Sunset Magazine

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk, 1 can (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth, and 6 quarter-size slices fresh ginger. Cut 1 stalk fresh lemongrass into 1-in. pieces and add to pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1-in. pieces; 1 cup sliced mushrooms; 1 Tbsp each fresh lime juice and Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce; and 1 tsp each sugar and Thai chili paste. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is firm and opaque, 5-10 minutes. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbsp each of fresh basil leaves and cilantro. Discard lemongrass. Serves 4.

Notes/Results: I made the recipe as written except I used "lite" coconut milk (it is slightly thinner than regular coconut milk but it reduces the fat content by about 60% and I like to cut where I can). I also added some kaffir lime leaves for even more of the tangy lime flavor, and some salt and black pepper. The soup goes together quickly and easily and with lots of flavor. You could easily add more vegetables if you have them hanging around, corn, baby corn, snow peas, red pepper, etc. You can also adjust the amount of heat--I like mine to have a little kick so I used a bit over the teaspoon called for in the recipe. I like this soup by itself but it goes well with a salad or some spring rolls too. I have another recipe for Tom Kha Gai that I have used in the past, that is similar and I think this one, with a few less ingredients is just as tasty. I will make it again.

It seems like soup is warming up lots of people this week and we have a great group crammed into the Souper Sunday Kitchen with lots of yummy recipes to try:

First up is my good friend Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness, home of my favorite gathering, Blog Party. Since I head over there each month for that event, I am excited to finally get Stephanie over here into the Souper Sunday Kitchen. She is a lot of fun and I know she will bring some great music with her. Stephanie cleaned out her pantry for her Refrigerator Soup and I love the combo of vegetables, black beans and barley she came up with. These spur of the moment combos are always my favorite soups and I covet the red soup bowl her tasty brew is in too!

Another one of my good friends doing a little soup magic in her kitchen is Kat from Our Adventures in Japan.  Making the most from a great vegetable sale at her local grocery, Kat blended them with some miso to create her Simple Soup.  The fact that she does all her cooking in one big pot in the kitchen (to conserve space in a small area) is amazing. This soup, served with a fresh carrot  and bean salad and some rice, was the perfect simple, warming dinner on a cold night in Japan.

The delightful Gloria from Cookbook Cuisine popped by with some timely and colorful Christmas Chicken Chili to share for the holiday season.  Full of bright colors and flavors and tons of yummy vegetables and marinated chicken, a bowl of this sounds perfect after a day of braving shopping at the malls! (Especially with the cheesy quesadilla she served with it)

Christine from Kit's Chow is visiting Souper Sundays again with an incredible-looking Goat Curry.  Following a line at the butcher that turned out to be for goat meat, inspired her to grab a couple pounds and make a curry full of delicious exotic spices.  Although the cut of the meat had a bit of bones and wasn't the most delicate thing to eat, Christine thought the flavor was delicious.  We don't see a lot of goat meat here in Hawaii so this curry would be fun to try.

Last, but of course not least is the ever faithful Natashya, of Living In the Kitchen With Puppies, my best pal coming from the cold north of Toronto and ducking in with a warming bowl of Tomato Onion Soup, straight from her slow cooker.  How yummy does this soup look, with not only the tomatoes and onions but potatoes and caraway seeds and garnished with cheese.  Not only that, she made a loaf of bread to accompany this wonderful brew.

Thanks for stopping by Souper Sundays everyone!  What a great group of Bloggers and friends to hang out with and all with incredible soup and soup-like creations to try. Stop by their blogs to give them a little love and see their recipes up close!

If you have a soup (or stew, chili, slow-cooker delight, or other soup-like creation) you want to share at Souper Sunday, email me or leave a comment and I'll add you to the line up.  We will be here every Sunday for the next few months.  (Not that you have to make your soup on Sunday, that's just when I do the round-up each week!)  

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Filipino Modern: Beef Adobo Salpicao & Garlic Fried Jasmine Rice

Hawaii is a melting pot of all sorts of food, especially of course, Asian cuisine. Filipino food is not one of the cuisines I am most familiar with or have even cooked before, but I thought these recipes for Beef Adobo Salpicao and Garlic Fried Jasmine Rice in October's Sunset Magazine sounded good.  Filipino food has a strong base in Spanish, Mexican and Malaysian cuisines and is also influenced by Arab, Indian, Japanese, Chinese  and American dishes. Adobo, usually meat cooked in garlic, soy sauce and vinegar, is a popular dish, as is garlic rice, which is often eaten for breakfast.  The chef for these recipes,Tim Luym, from Poeng Lounge in San Francisco, cooks traditional dishes but adds his own modern spin.

Beef Adobo Salpicao

Tim Luym, Sunset Magazine

Serves 4

1 cup thinly-sliced shallots (4-6 large)

1/4 cup each canola oil and olive oil

1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-in. chunks

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp coconut vinegar* or 4 tsp cider vinegar

In a 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, cook shallots in oils, stirring often, until deep golden, 7-8 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer shallots to paper towels.  


Discard all but 2 tbsp oil from pan.  Increase heat to high.  Add beef to frying pan, cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in garlic and bay leaf.  Turn meat, when second side is brown , stir in pepper, soy sauce and vinegar.  Boil until reduced by half , 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon meat into a bowl and top with shallots.  

*Look for coconut vinegar in the Asian food aisle  of your grocery store or buy it at an Asian market.  

Garlic Fried Jasmine Rice

Tim Luym, Sunset Magazine

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups brown jasmine rice*

1 1/2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp canola oil, divided

1 Tbsp minced garlic

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse rice thoroughly in a fine strainer under running water, then pour into a medium saucepan with 1 3/4 cups water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 15-18 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes.  Pour rice into a rimmed baking pan.  Let cool, then chill, uncovered, until firm and dry, at least 2 hours.  Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add rice and heat, stirring gently, until hot, 1-2 minutes.  With a wooden spoon, clear a space in center of pan; pour in 1 tsp oil and stir garlic into oil.  Let garlic sizzle for about 30 seconds, then stir into rice to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

*Find brown jasmine rice alongside other rices at the grocery store.  Make ahead:  Cook rice through step 2 up to 1 day before using; chill, covered.

Notes/Results: My friend, house guest and sous-chef Yoko and I cooked these recipes pretty much as written with the exception of not cooling the rice for the two hours specified.  The brown jasmine rice felt plenty cool and dry enough after about 40 minutes in the refrigerator and cooked up well.  I was able to find the coconut vinegar in an Asian market here, but you could substitute regular cider vinegar as the recipe states.  The flavor of the beef was excellent, savory, peppery, lightly tart from the vinegar.  Both the beef and rice were good and garlicky--no chance of vampire attack here.  We liked the chewy nuttiness of the brown jasmine rice and the crispiness of the scallions in the adobo.  We both would make these recipes again.  Yoko felt that the adobo dish had a lot of flavor for going together so quickly and not having to marinate the beef.  She mentioned she would add a bit more soy sauce and vinegar and maybe some mushrooms as well when she makes it. Served with Tyler's chickpeas and a salad made of local organic greens, it was a hearty, delicious meal, perfect after a long day at the North Shore.

Chickpeas Marinated in Olive Oil, Whole Cumin, and Chile for Tyler Florence Fridays

Once again, "God Bless the chickpea!" and bless Tyler Florence for the recipe I picked for Tyler Florence Friday's this week: Chickpeas Marinated in Olive Oil, Whole Cumin and Chile from Eat This Book,(pg 105).  I think that Eat This Book may just be my favorite of Tyler's cookbooks as I love his emphasis on global flavors.  This recipe comes from Spain and is a not necessarily quick (the chickpeas need to soak over night and take a while to cook) but still very easy recipe, perfect as an appetizer or side dish. 

Tyler says:  "I picked up this recipe at a restaurant in Valencia on the coast of Spain.  I had ordered the chickpeas to tide me over while waiting for my dinner to arrive. They were creamy and spicy and went really well with the wine.  They were served with toothpicks so you had to spearfish the chickpeas, one by one, out of the bowl.  In Spain they eat so late--I was famished and ate three bowls."

Chickpeas Marinated in Olive Oil, Whole Cumin and Chile

Serves 8

1 pound dried chickpeas, picked through and rinsed

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp whole cumin seeds, toasted (not ground)

1 Tbsp paprika

1 fresh Thai bird chili or other hot green chile, chopped

Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water to cover. Drain.  Put the chickpeas and bay leaves in a large pot.  Cover with cold water and put the pot over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. About halfway through the cooking, season with salt and pepper.  This gives the chickpeas time to soften so that the seasoning can penetrate.  Check the water periodically  and add more if necessary to keep the peas covered.  Drain the chickpeas , discard the bay leaves, and transfer to a serving bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss well.  Season generously with salt and pepper and taste for lemon. Hit it with a drizzle of olive oil before serving. 

Notes/Results:  I tried to make this recipe as written, but my visiting friend Yoko and I were at the North Shore all day (I'll post about that later) and we ended up cooking the chick peas only for about an hour or so.  After testing them, we decided we liked the texture, slightly chewy but still nice and creamy on the inside (and at that point we were very hungry too!)  so we pulled them off the heat and tossed them. I couldn't find a Thai bird chile in two stores so we used a jalapeno pepper instead  Also, in the craze of cooking it, along with two other new dishes I was trying from a magazine, I missed adding the 1/2 cup of olive oil to the beans with the spices and just ended up drizzling some over the top.  We are not sure that it really needed the extra 1/2 cup and it was delicious with the lemon juice and spices.  Next time I will try adding it to compare. This dish is really good, nicely spicy and tangy, but still creamy and satisfying. Although we served it with a Filipino beef adobo dish, garlicky brown jasmine rice and a simple green salad, I would be happy eating this on it own for lunch or dinner.  I will make this again, and my sous-chef Yoko said she would definitely make it again too.  Another success for Tyler!  

If you are a Tyler Florence fan(atic) and want to join us on Fridays, by choosing a Tyler recipe you want to make, come visit the TFF site here. The round up will be posted there each Friday so come see what recipes the TFF members made and how they liked them.

Feeling soupy? (or noodle-y, or stew-y) and want to drop by and share your comforting creation? Join me for Souper Sundays! All you need to do is make a soup, stew, chili, slow cooker dish, etc. (Really almost anything that is served in a bowl will work!)  Send me an email or leave a comment before Sunday and let me know you'll be stopping by and I'll add you to that week's round up so you can share your souper creation. You can make and post the soup any time, I just round them up on Sundays.

Grilled Brioche "S'mores"

When life gives you marshmallows, or marshmallow cream or you make your own marshmallows, you should definitely make these! After catching them on an episode of the Food Network show, Rescue Chef, and wondering what to do with my leftover marshmallows (a girl can drink only so much hot chocolate), I thought Danny Boome's Grilled Brioche "Smores" were a great way to go.

On a mini-croissant, with bittersweet chocolate and a sprinkling of sea salt, these are not your Mama's S'mores. The wonderful combo of chocolate and salt, is equally good with some fluffy melted marshmallow--it cuts the sweetness a bit and takes it to a whole new level. You can make them on the grill, as Danny did on the show, or use a grill pan on the stove, or eventually get lazy like me and pop it in the microwave.   (You can find the recipe and learn about the show on Food Network, here)


Grilled Brioche "Smores"

Rescue Chef, Danny Boome

Serves 4

4 mini croissants, sliced in 1/2
1/2 cup marshmallow cream
4 thin squares good-quality bittersweet chocolate
Coarse sea salt

Over a heated, medium-low grill, toast the croissants for 1 minute. Remove from the grill and spread 2 tablespoons marshmallow cream and 1 chocolate square onto each croissant. Sprinkle with coarse salt and place the top slice of the croissant back to make a sandwich. Place the toasts back on the grill. Close the grill cover and allow the chocolate to melt, about 30 to 45 seconds.  Remove the toasts from the grill and serve warm.

This is a quick post. I am crazy busy trying to finalize some work things and preparing for my good friend Yoko to visit me from Japan. She is a world traveler, a foodie, a coffee and wine connoisseur and a whole lot of fun to hang out with so I hope to have some adventures to share with all of you as we cook and eat out way through the island this week.