The Weird Pizzas Just Keep A-Comin:’ Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

One of the reasons I love making pizza is that a crust is like a blank canvas, limited only by your creativity and palate. I enjoy the challenge to see just how imaginative I can be within the bounds of deliciousness. Last week I came up with yet another not-your-mother’s-pepperoni-pizza. Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza, that was outstanding. True to the real thing, this pizza uses chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, with a creamy mustard sauce.

So what exactly is cordon bleu? “This was originally a wide blue ribbon worn by members of the highest order of knighthood, L'Ordre des Chevaliers du Satin-Espirit, instituted by Henri III of France in 1578. By extension, the term has since been applied to food prepared to a very high standard and to outstanding cooks. The analogy no doubt arose from the similarity between the sash worn by the knights and the ribbons (generally blue) of a cook's apron."
---Larousse Gastronomique

Pretty fancy, and French, right? I’ve always natively assumed CCB had its origins in that cuisine. But according to the Food Timeline, it is an American creation from the early ‘60s, first made with veal, based on chicken kiev, and considered very gourmet and exotic. I read numerous accounts on the Web that it was featured in an ad as a meal option (or top sirloin steak) in Blue Carpet Service (coach) for United Airlines prepared by French-trained chefs. Imagine that.

Back to our pizza. This reflects the essence of CCB, but with a few riffs, namely caramelized onions, diced red bell peppers, and mushrooms. Craig thought I overdid the amount of onions, but Connor and I loved it. No such thing. It is a unique pizza, but tasty. Caramelizing the onions takes a good 20 minutes, but otherwise it’s pretty easy, especially if you have leftover chicken. We didn’t, so Craig grilled two smallish, bone-in chicken breasts, which gave it a slightly smoky flavor addition. This is a keeper.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

Pizza Crust

2 T butter
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 C red bell pepper, diced

1 C button mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

1/2 cup sour cream
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T Herbs de Provence

1 C diced, cooked chicken
1 C diced ham

1 C grated Swiss cheese

Preheat oven and pizza stone at 450 degrees.

Caramelize the onions in butter for about 20 minutes, until they begin to brown. Add bell pepper and mushrooms and sauté until softened.

Roll the pizza dough into a round shape on parchment paper that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Trim the paper around the dough so the paper does not burn.

Mix the garlic, sour cream, mustard, and Herbs de Provence in a small bowl. Spread the sauce on the dough, spreading to the edges of the dough. 

Cover with the cooked vegetables, chicken, and ham. Evenly sprinkle the cheese over the entire pizza.

Transfer to the pizza stone and bake 10 to 12 minutes until the cheese has melted.

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You Really CAN Make Delish **Baked** Egg Rolls

One of my guilty indulgences is egg rolls. I readily admit I love them with a capital L-O-V-E. I *could* eat egg rolls every day. Great egg rolls are crispy, crunchy, and slightly chewy, never greasy, and plump with lots of seasoned veggie and meat filling.

Doing some quick research, I realized the egg roll concept, meat and veggies rolled in dough and fried, is prepared and eaten around the globe. Of course, there’s the skinnier cousin, the non-fried spring roll, found in Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisines. In Mexico, it’s a chimichanga, burrito, or taquito, familiar to most Americans. In India, it’s kolkata, a fried egg cooked with and rolled into unleavened flat bread, paratha, and served with onions, chilis, and sometimes ketchup. In other English speaking countries, an egg roll refers to an egg, either fried or hard-boiled, in a mayo-spread bread roll. No thanks, not quite so appealing.

Until this weekend, I never imagined a home cook could make a reasonable facsimile, especially without frying. And that kind of frying does not happen in our home. Craig gave me a doubtful look but nonetheless jumped in and undertook the job of folding them. We were both surprised how great they turned out. Really surprised. I meant to eat only one, but since they easily met my criteria for a great egg roll, I ended up eating a second. Oops. Imagine the calories saved since these golden beauties are baked. Other than chopping the veggies, these are extremely easy to put together, and from what I’ve researched, unbaked egg rolls freeze very well. I’m seeing us taking a few hours and making a big batch of these for future indulging. Maybe I really can eat egg rolls every day.

The original recipe is from Being Mrs. Jones - Not Your Average Housewife. The recipe below reflects the changes I made. We ate them Vietnamese style, wrapped in lettuce with cucumber slices, sliced green onions, and shredded carrots, and Nuoc Cham, a spiiiiiiiiiiiiicy dipping sauce. Enjoy.

Baked Shrimp and Veggie Egg Rolls

Makes approximately 8 egg rolls

1 pound finely chopped, cooked shrimp

1 T finely minced garlic

2 t grated fresh ginger

2-3 cups finely chopped green cabbage, Napa Cabbage, or coleslaw mixture

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup diced bell pepper

1/3 cup minced carrot

2 t sesame seeds

1 t freshly ground black pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1/4 cup of soy sauce, preferably low sodium

2 T sesame oil

7-inch square egg roll wrappers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a large skillet, sauté the onion until it turns translucent, but do not allow it to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds. Add remaining vegetables and cook until softened. Season with black and red peppers and add sesame seed. Add cooked shrimp and combine.

Once the shrimp is hot, add in soy sauce and cabbage, a handful at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once the cabbage has wilted, remove the skillet from the heat.

To assemble, lay out an egg roll wrapper on the counter. Place about 1/3 to 1/4 cup of the shrimp and veggie mixture onto the wrapper. Fold in the left and right side corners towards the center, and then fold up the bottom corner. Roll from the bottom up, so that the filling is contained. Brush the remaining (top) corner with a little water and roll.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Spritz with oil and continue baking until slightly browned, another five minutes.

Nuoc Cham
USE WITH CAUTION: Craig said this numbs your tongue and lips. It is hot, but in a good addictive way.  

1/4 C sugar
1/2 C water
1/4 C fish sauce
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 C rice wine vinegar
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Thai chili or jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced, seeds removed to tone down the heat - or not

Combine first five ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add garlic and pepper.

This keeps well refrigerated for some time.

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This month's Secret Recipe Club

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Jenny’s Savour the Senses blog. Jenny is a relatively new but prolific blogger, with a variety of recipes, from tasty breakfasts, interesting appetizers, lots of fish recipes, fun guest blogs (her mom was a longtime IBMer like me, now turned chef, my dream!), beautiful photos, and lovely quotes. It was fun to read her recipes and challenging to decide what to select and make.

I originally planned to make Jenny’s Loaded Baked Potato Soup, but I ended up making too many changes, all good, but didn’t feel it kept in the spirit of the original recipe (my soup). No problem, I easily decided on one of her many fish recipes, Mahi Mahi and Creamy Polenta with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette. Unfortunately in landlocked St. Louis, fish options are limited. Whole Foods had no mahi mahi, but the fishmonger suggested swordfish as a nice alternative. Sold.

This recipe is spot on in taste and texture. The cooking time for the fish is FLAWLESS. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked fish so perfectly, with the key being to take it off the flame when it is pink. Really pink. It DOES continue to cook to the just the right doneness. Jenny’s recipe uses asparagus, which Craig doesn’t care for, so I subbed fennel that she says was used in the original Emeril recipe. I roasted half an onion with the tomatoes and fennel, a nice addition, threw in a big spoonful of capers, and used red wine vinegar in the vinaigrette. I had leftover polenta in the ‘frig from my favorite polenta recipe from Frank Stitt, so I didn't make Jenny’s recipe, which I’ve included here. I’m sure it’s great. This is a keeper dinner.

Swordfish and Creamy Polenta with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

(recipe reflects my changes)

Serves 2

1 1/3 Cwater

1 1/3 C low-fat milk

1 T butter

2/3 C polenta

2 T Creme Fraiche (or low-fat sour cream)

1/3 C parmesan cheese

1 1/2 T olive oil (plus extra for cooking)

Half a large onion, sliced thickly

Fennel bulb, sliced, core discarded

3 ripe roma tomatoes, sliced in half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh rosemary

2 t dried thyme

Spoonful of capers

1 1/2 T red vinegar

2  6 oz. swordfish fillets

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

For the polenta:

In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk and butter to a boil, then add 1/2 tsp salt to the mixture. Quickly whisk the polenta into the mixture, stirring constantly until any lumps are gone (about 4 minutes). Reduce heat and let the polenta simmer, partially covered, stirring every 10 minutes, until the polenta is smooth and thick (about 45 minutes).

For the fish:

While the polenta is cooking, cover a sheet pan with heavy duty foil and spray with olive oil. Arrange the onions, fennel, and tomatoes (cut side down and at the end of the pan), and on the pan and sprinkle with capers. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, 1 tsp thyme, salt and pepper.

Bake at 350F until the tomatoes are very tender (about 20-25 minutes). Set aside three tomato halves for the vinaigrette and cover the pan with foil to keep warm.

For the vinaigrette, process 3 tomato halves, 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, vinegar, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in a food processor until smooth.

Once the polenta is thick and smooth, add the Creme Fraiche (or sour cream) and parmesan, then stir until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm over low heat.

Season each fish fillet with salt, pepper, thyme and chopped rosemary.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a sauté pan and sear the fish until cooked through, 3 minutes per side. USE THE TIMER, AND DO NOT COOK ANY LONGER, because it will cook longer as it rests and you plate up the rest of the dinner.

Split the polenta between two dishes, top each with a fish fillet and drizzle the tomato vinaigrette over each. Place the roasted vegetables around the fish and serve. 


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Our Super Bowl Food - MUSSELS!

We certainly didn’t have traditional game day food for Sunday’s Super Bowl, but I’ll take mussels steamed in white wine over chicken wings (yuck!) or potato skins in a heart beat. Mussels are one of my favorite foods from childhood. They were only eaten in a restaurant, Diablo-style, where their unique taste was often lost in the spicy tomato sauce. Fast forward 30 years to my own kitchen, a refined palate, and an appreciation for the light, sweet, meatiness of good mussels. These black beauties are not fishy in the least, but they do have an ocean essence and are ever-so-slightly chewy but nothing like clams. If you haven’t prepared mussels before or think you don’t care for them, give this recipe for Mediterranean Mussels with Farro and White Wine a try. It’s easy enough to make for a weeknight supper, but pretty and sophisticated to serve to company. Farro is an ancient grain, popular in Europe, particularly Italy, and is now becoming more fashionable in the U.S. Being a whole grain, it has a nutty, earthy flavor that is a nutritional powerhouse and works well with mussels. Loaded with vegetables, the dish is exceptionally healthy.

It seems I’ve been posting a lot recently from cookbooks and about cookbooks. Admittedly, I am a cookbook cook. While I rarely prepare a recipe as written in a cookbook, I seldom just throw something together without a recipe as a guide. With that introduction, this recipe is from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More, a 2011 NY Times Notable Cookbook, by Maria Speck. It has recipes highlighting grains for all courses, breakfast through dessert. The photos are lovely, recipes clearly written, easy to follow, and none are complicated. I’m trying to cook more Mediterranean so it’s a nice addition to my collection. Be sure I’ll post more recipes from this five-star cookbook. The recipe below reflects the changes I made, namely the addition of fennel, which I think is a natural in a Mediterranean stews, and I used chicken broth in lieu of water. As Anne Cori from the Kitchen Conservatory wisely teaches, water has no flavor. Why cook with it in something like this?

A note:  if you have Wholes Foods near you, buy mussels there. Their mussels are farmed raised and ready to cook, with those nasty beards removed and cleaned of sand and residue. Best of all, no waste. I have never had a mussel from Whole Foods not open, which just doesn’t happen if purchased elsewhere.

Mediterranean Mussels with Farro and White Wine

Original recipe from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More

Serves 3 to 4 as a main course or 4 to 6 as a starter

For the Farro
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup farro
1 small bay leaf
2 whole peppercorns
Pinch of fine sea salt

For the Stew
2 pounds fresh mussels in their shells
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 small)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots (about 2 small)
1 cup thinly sliced celery stalks (1 to 2 pieces)
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
2 tsp. minced dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. red chili flakes, or to taste
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh or diced canned tomatoes with their juices, (one 14-ounce can)
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. sugar 
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

To prepare the farro, bring the water, farro, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the grain is tender but still slightly chewy, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, drain any remaining liquid, and set aside.

While the farro simmers, rinse the mussels under cold running water, brushing to remove sand and residue on the shells. Remove the beards (hairy clumps around the shell) with tweezers or a sharp knife. Discard chipped mussels. Tap any open mussels and discard if they don’t close. Set the cleaned mussels aside.

To make the stew, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, the bay leaves, chili flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add 1/4 cup of the white wine, and cook until syrupy and the liquid is almost gone, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the stock, the remaining 11/4 cups white wine, the pepper, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, at a lively simmer until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar.

Add the mussels and the farro together with the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and steam over medium to medium-high heat, shaking the pot once or twice in between, until the mussels open, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and discard any unopened mussels.

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Book Clubs and Food

About a year ago, Judy Gelman contacted me about contributing to her revised The Book Club Cookbook. We exchanged a few emails, and when she learned my book club had read – and lovedlovedloved – South of Broad, we were set. When it’s my chance to host, it’s a good bet that we will read something Southern, and Pat Conroy is my favorite author. Coincidently, I had recently read The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes and Stories of My Life for the monthly Kitchen Conservatory book club, so I thought it would be fun to cook from that as well. While my revised Pat Conroy gumbo recipe did not make it into the Judy’s book, she did include a nice quote about my book club, affectionately named Book Club Girls Club.

My book club has been together for over ten years, a group I started with some moms from Connor’s Montessori preschool, a neighbor, and a friend Connor introduced us to after starting up a conversation with her and her husband at a local Mexican restaurant (he was about seven at the time). We started out as a book club but have evolved into much more, thus, the “girls club” addition. We’ve been through a lot together, watching our kids grow up, health and job successes and challenges, and through it all, a lot of great food moments (and more than a few bottles of vino too). We allow our husbands to join us for a multi-course dinner around Christmas, which has always been a fun evening of fine dining.

(Apologizing in advance for the poor (scan) quality, couldn't figure out how to save the file as a .jpg!)

I would highly recommend Judy’s book, and more than just for recipes. Many of personal  favorites are highlighted, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Kite Runner, and The Red Tent. It’s a terrific reference for choosing books with an extensive list, from newer fiction (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, Freedom ), to classics (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which was the first book the BCGC read, Anna Karenina, The Great Gatsby), and interesting titles that even the most well-read may not be familiar with – atleast me (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Mama Day). And then there are the recipes – fabulous. They wonderfully coordinate food with the theme of the book, and sometimes that means restaurant dining (one of our members would highly recommend this approach – NOT!). The “Novel Thoughts” sections present specific thoughts on the book from featured book clubs, which run the gamut of life:  women/moms like my book club, those that read a single author or only the classics or mysteries, men only (really, men read other than on vacation?), some clubs together for decades, but almost all have one thing in common: an escape from our real lives, and overall – just fun. Like ours, food is likely a powerful connector, not just of books but relationships and life.

Boozy Banana Bread that's OHHHH So Good

Last week I was in the mood to bake, a feeling that doesn’t come to me often. When this happens, I typically turn to a quick bread recipe because that’s just what it is – a snap to pull together and pretty much guaranteed to be a hit. We had bananas that needed to be used, but I wanted something new, and no chocolate, just not in the mood. In perusing old Cooking Light annuals, I came upon a new-to-us banana bread that was a bit edgy for something as staid as banana bread. How so? Because it had booze in it. Drum roll, please, as I present Bananas Foster Banana Bread.

This is absolutely delicious. Some online Cooking Light reviewers complained it was too boozy, but we didn’t find the flavor overpowering in the least. I used banana liqueur since that’s what I use in bananas Foster. The bread was moist and the glaze gave it a dessert feel rather than a humble breakfast bread. You begin by caramelizing the bananas in brown sugar, butter, and the liqueur, similar to preparing real bananas Foster but with no risk of burning yourself while flambéing. With that combo, it does not taste light. I successfully substituted half white whole wheat pastry flour for half of the all-purpose flour, and you feel good about all the omega-3s you get when eating this thanks to flaxseed. This may become our new fav banana bread.

Banana Foster Bread

Originally recipe from Cooking Light

About 12 servings for real people

1 1/2 C mashed ripe banana

3/4 C packed brown sugar, divided

6 T butter, melted and divided

1/4 C banana liquor (or cognac or dark rum), divided

1/3 C plain fat-free yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt.

2 large eggs, room temperature

3 3/4 ounces white whole wheat pastry flour (about 3/4 cups)

3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cups)

1/4 C ground flaxseed

3/4 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/8 t ground allspice

Cooking spray

1/3 C powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.

(Yes, this really is mashed bananas, not sure why it came out so yellow.)

Combine banana, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 3 tablespoons liqueur in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed.

Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, remaining 1 tablespoon liqueur, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.

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My FAV Soup When I Was a Kid – Cream of Celery

I was not your typical tomato soup kid. Maybe it’s because I remember eating cream of celery soup for lunch in kindergarten (I went to a Montessori-like school) so it evokes a sense of nostalgia. Celery’s flavor is mild and pretty humble, certainly not trendy or sexy like kale, broccolini, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts. Celery is clean-tasting and so versatile, essential in soups, stews, salads, or simply braised. In this straightforward preparation, it results in a creamy, light, highly satisfying soup and can easily be adapted to any vegetables you have in the frig. Using an immersion blender, no cream is needed (skim milk actually) so it’s easy on the waist line too. A splash of sherry just before serving adds elegance and updates it from the red and white can you remember from childhood.

Cream of Celery Soup

Serves 2 generous bowls

1 small onion, diced

5 large celery stalks with leaves, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1 cups low-sodium chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 heaping tablespoon all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper (white pepper for a more elegant presentation)

1 cup milk (skim is fine)

Dry sherry

Croutons for garnish

In a medium pan, add a good swirl of olive oil and sauté onions over medium-low heat about five minutes. Add celery, carrots, and mushrooms and continue cooking until softened. Add the chicken stock.

Whisk together flour, salt, pepper, and milk. Add it to the pan. Simmer until thickened. Using an immersion or conventional blender, puree until smooth. Add a splash of sherry, garnish with croutons, and serve immediately. **Bacon would also be a wonderful garnish!

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