Sausage risotto with parmesan and scallion

I found a great-looking sausage at The Fresh Market a few days ago and I've wondered what I should do with it.  With such a chill in the air (finally), a risotto sounded great.

Sauteed onion, butter (lots!), risotto, 3 cups vegetable stock, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 3 large scallions and of course, the sausage ... 

It takes a while to make a risotto the traditional way - stirring and stirring and adding stock slowly while the rice soaks up all the tasty goodness - but it's a Tuesday night and I had the time.

After I cooked the rice to just a bit past al dente I added the sausage (which I'd sauteed earlier to give it a little color and flavor), cheese and scallion, pulled off the heat and let it "sit up" (as my Grandma might say).

YUM - it's a cool night outside - what better than a warm, hearty dish for supper!

A New (at least, for me) Take On the Hushpuppie

I met some people for a friend's birthday supper last night (Happy Birthday Fred!) at a seafood restaurant out on the west-side.  It was a haul for me (almost far enough I felt I might need my passport) but the promise of catfish and the celebration a friend's birthday lured me.

We met at Bay Breeze. http://www.baybreezeofatlanta.com/index2.htm

If you're in the mood for fried seafood (and some fresh-water) and aren't put out by the room temperature bottle of tartar sauce, it might be worth a drive out - but not for the reasons you might think (see more below).

It reminded me of somewhere you might find in the old section of a beach town - lots of older people (it was very inexpensive), no alcohol (yes, NONE ... nothing ... couldn't get a cocktail), families and many large parties.  Damn near everything that swims in the water and isn't too exotic (no shark or octopus) is available, pretty much fried or broiled.

Lots of "platters" -

I had fried catfish with fried popcorn shrimp (I decided to go safe and not order something that isn't made that often) and combined, they were your standard, common fried fish plate.  The one thing about Bay Breeze that piqued my interest and made me smile was the hushpuppies.

They were circular - like little doughnuts.  I'm sure the kitchen has a doughnut dropper that they use with hushpuppie batter and drop into the oil.  I've never seen hushpuppies made like this and actually, I thought I had been served three little onion rings when my plate arrived.

The hushpuppies were tasty - simple, but they had a good onion flavor and were crisp on the outside.  When I think about it, taking into account the unexpected shape, they were REALLY good.  Not worth a FREQUENT drive out, however once in a while I'd be willing to take a journey to get ahold of the little devils!

Let's Go Bistro - Supper for a Friend

My favorite thing in the world is cooking.  Cooking for myself, cooking for others ... be it a group or just one person, I rather like making people happy by serving something tasty.  Tonight, I made supper for a friend.  

I wanted something simple but still kinda elegant and ... well the only word I could really come up with is "bistro".   

A bistro is a small, moderately priced restaurant focusing on simple dishes - mostly "entree-of-the-day" type dishes.  A typical example would be the sidewalk cafe, with tables street side and a small dining room inside.  Braised meats, potato dishes, fowl, cassoulets ... these are bistro dishes. 

At home, one of the easiest bistro dishes is steak with roasted potatoes.  It's place among the classics in nearly every cuisine is secure - so that's what I chose.

I roasted the potatoes in quarter slices with salt, pepper, olive oil and a small bit of garlic.  When I removed them from the oven I cut the wedges into bite-sized pieces.  I decided on a garnish of sauteed onion and parsley.

The steak was a flat iron (my new favorite cut) and was salted, peppered and seared on the stove top for four minutes on each side.  

Served "stacked", I was able to spoon the onion/parsley garnish over both the steak and the potatoes.  My friend loved it.  *I* loved it.  

Cavatappi with sage sausage tomato sauce

Basically, it's a fancified peasant dish but OH so tasty.  Cavatappi (spiral, ridged noodles) with a tomato sauce (stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt & pepper) and sage sausage.

I tried a trick I picked up from a friend's mom by seasoning the pasta with a dried herb blend just after I drained it.  It smelled wonderful when the herbs hit the hot pasta but I'm not sure it added anything to the final dish.  Possibly if you're doing a butter sauce or something light like a pesto or a saute it would be a bit more pronounced but I think my sauce recipe (especially with the sausage) gave it a back seat.

I cooked the sausage just as I would have browned ground beef except I left it in larger chunks.  I didn't want it to disappear in the tomato sauce - by the time you finish the sauce, it's quite thick and rich - so I left it larger for a larger profile.

To finish the dish I added just a bit of fresh chopped parsley for a little color and a bit of fresh herbage.  It never hurts!  

A crusty Italian bread completes the meal ... 

And for the first time in Smiley Eats! history ... an "aftermath" photo!

Brown Butter Chicken

It was one of those days ... rain for nearly 24 hours ... of course I woke up late and, instead of a leisurely "work at home" day I had to rush to the office for a 10am meeting.  On the way out, I put some chicken in the fridge to defrost.

I thought all day long about that chicken.  Using my Grandma's skin-it-then-bread-it-then-fry-it method I was going to whip up some fried chicken (one of my favorite comfort foods) and watch Pushing Daisies.

The weather was still awful when I got home so I put on some flannels, took my contacts out and started putting my fried chicken together.

What???  No oil?  Of any kind?  Nothing?  Nothing but butter???!!!???

Of all the luck ... so like any good cook in a pinch I switched gears and decided on just searing it in a little butter.  I had defrosted chicken in the fridge and needed to use it.

Then I remembered a tip I picked up about the nutty, hearty flavor of browned butter. Basically, just-under-burnt butter.  The butter morphs into something warm and wintry and T-A-S-T-Y.  So that's what I did ... I browned about two tablespoons of butter and added my (non-floured since I wasn't frying it) salted, peppered chicken to the pan.

Seared, really pan-fried, for five minutes on each side and I wound up with a wonderfully crisp exterior but still quite moist chicken.  A few quick-steamed veggies and a lemon squeeze and I was happy.

Not fried chicken happy, but happy. :)

BaconLuv - for my friend Jen

These photos are dedicated to my friend Jen ... in celebration of her love (and mine!) of bacon.

They're from a breakfast-for-supper I had a few weeks ago:

Tomato and Rice Soup

It's cold, wet and dreary in Hotlanta today.  The kind of weather that breeds severe lethargy (read:  laziness) and, a hankerin' for soup.  

So I made one.  Tomato and rice with sweet corn, ham and onion.  

Soups are really easy - pretty much it's a throw-it-all-in-a-pot dish.  I started mine by browning up some ham trimmings (left over from Thanksgiving) and adding them to a chicken stock base with two pints of stewed tomatoes and one can of tomato paste.

Then I added some rice (risotto, actually - I like the creaminess of it), sweet corn, and chopped onion.  Brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to medium low and let it cook for an hour and a half.

All the different flavors melded together - the risotto plumped up and the rest, as you'll see from the below pictures, is soup-making history.

Oh - and I threw together a cornbread (didn't deviate from the recipe this time - last time I tried to make it I decided to give it my own flair and it bombed) to have with my soup - Cornmeal, flour, eggs, milk, a little salt ... pretty tasty!!

A Different Kind Of Omelet

When most people think of omelets, they think of the pervasive French variety (of which I am a HUGE fan) ... a pan-full of eggs, cooked to just under-done and then folded onto a plate.  Add filler ingredients if you wish.

But I recently discovered a version that predates the French omelet - and from what I understand is the first discovered version of an omelet.  A Turkish variety that's similar to a pancake. 

Well it's not really an omelet, but it's thought that the Turkish people were making these eggs dishes well before anyone else.  A hybrid of what we would think of as a French omelet, an Italian frittata (omelet baked in the oven), and a pancake (is that a tri-brid?), "kaygana" are egg dishes cooked on top of the stove and laced with minimal ingredients.

Kaygana are traditionally filled with simple flavors - feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, honey. 

In MY case, I chose leftover steak and broccoli.  :) 

Of course, as with nearly every egg dish, I started by bringing the eggs up to room temperature and beating them until smooth.  Added a dash of pepper.

Over medium low heat (these are not scrambled eggs, OK?)  I sauteed the eggs, stirring frequently until about 50% of their volume was cooked (see below).  At this point, I began lifting the sides of the omelet and letting the uncooked portion flow to the sides and bottom of the pan. This helped to quicken the "set" of the eggs and to strengthen the bottom of the omelet so it can hold the weight of filler ingredients.

I added leftover flat iron steak and broccoli and a scant bit of cheese and turned the heat down to low to let the eggs finish setting.  Basically a frittata cooked on top of the stove, my Turkish-influenced omelet was pretty - and really tasty!

Flat Iron Steak, Lemon Broccoli and Pommes Frites

I love the flat iron steak.

It's a relatively new cut of beef, taken from the top shoulder portion of the cow near the chuck cuts.  It's pretty tasty and best of all - inexpensive.  I bought a steak big enough for two people for 3.99.  

I rested it, coated with olive oil, ground black pepper and kosher salt, for about an hour before I started cooking it.

While the steak was resting I ran some russet potatoes through a mandoline to make thick cut potato chips.  I added salt and pepper and fried them in canola oil until they were JUST ABOUT crispy.  This gave me sort of a hybrid between potato chips and french fries ... pommes frites, I believe the French call them.  Oooh La La.

After draining the potatoes - excuse me, pommes frites - and allowing them to cool, I did a quick sear on the steak of about 5 minutes per side.  Pulled it off the heat, and let it rest while I quick steamed some broccoli in the microwave.  YES.  The microwave.  It's perfect for such things and par-cooking and quick steaming (as well as the ubiquitous popcorn).  Plus, you get to keep the bright green color that is most times lost when steaming on top of the stove.

As soon as the broccoli finished ... voila!  A great dinner that took all of 30 minutes (not counting steak resting time).  Rachael Ray ain't got nothing on me, baby.  :)

Cold weather, hot breakfast

It's not porridge - not oatmeal - it's grits.  Get it straight.  We're in the south. Land of all things corn.  We say "Bless Your Heart".  We eat grits.

*I* eat grits.  Love 'em.

I consider myself a grits purist.  I don't go for the sugared or garlicked type - you're changing a staple of southern tables from something pure and revered into something else.  Something fancy.  Something unholy, one might say.

That said ... I have no issue dressing up grits.  

It was FREEZING (literally) this morning when I got up.  

Now I'm not normally a make-breakfast-during-the-week kinda guy - I'm usually running out the door late.  But this morning I decided to work a bit at home before I drove to the office and once THAT decision was made, I had a hankerin' for breakfast.  SO I made some grits.

As any true Southerner should feel, I don't believe in "instant" grits - for that best-bowl feeling, you gotta cook 'em a while.  On low.  Stir frequently.  OH, and add just a bit of butter.

But when you're done, dressing them up with bacon and a little ground black pepper is TOTALLY acceptable.  And yummy.  And with a big bowl of grits in your belly you're probably not going to need lunch until mid-afternoon!

Abattoir - Meat and three? NO! Meat and Thee!

As a confirmed carnivore I get excited about meat.  Steak, pork, lamb, venison, duck (ok that's fowl but whatever) ... all favorites.  I love to cook meat - I love to eat meat.  I REALLY love to eat meat.

There's nothing quite like the feeling of grinding, or as the fancy-folk say, "masticating" a tender, buttery, rare steak between my teeth ... the juice flowing down my throat and sometimes, my chin ... the heady cave-man rush of flesh-eating ... ooh ... I need a sweat rag just thinking about it.

SO any time I get the chance for a meat-centric meal I get all a-flitter.  Now, my favorite Atlanta chefs from some of my favorite Atlanta restos (Bacchanalia - Floataway) are opening Abattoir.

And honey, I couldn't be happier.  From the article (copied below from AJC dining critic Meridith Ford Goldman) I gather this is going to be a rooter-to-the-tooter kinda place, using as many parts of the animal as possible, and more importantly, the parts that are REALLY tasty.

I grew up watching my Grandpa eat various offal - and I never really dug it all that much but as I've matured - and my tastes as well - I've come to appreciate a good innerd when I get it.  

And I can't wait - anyone wanting to go just shoot me a message and we'll plan a first-look when it opens!

Abattoir restaurant to open in early 2009

Bacchanalia owners’ new eatery will focus on ‘whole animal cuisine’

By MERIDITH FORD GOLDMAN

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Bacchanalia chef-owners Ann Quatrano and Clifford Harrison have announced that Abattoir, their “meat-centric” concept inside the old meat packing plant in the White Provision development near Bacchanalia, will open in early 2009.

“Abattoir” means “slaughterhouse” in French.

Joshua Hopkins, who has worked as part of the Bacchanalia family since 2005, will helm the new restaurant’s kitchen. He will serve as business partner of the new concept as well.

Hopkins’ most recent post for the James Beard award-winning couple has been as chef de cuisine of Bacchanalia; he has deep roots in Charleston, S.C., where he worked at two of that city’s most popular and prominent restaurants, Slightly North of Broad and High Cotton.

The concept for the restaurant revolves around what Quatrano calls “whole animal cuisine,” using locally raised (when possible) and freshly butchered fowl, fish, beef, pork and game, with a focus on using the whole — so expect to see (and taste) every part, from tongue to foot.

Pushing Daisies - romance with eggs and toast

Yeah, it's another breakfast post but I don't care.  

My new favorite show is Pushing Daisies (on ABC Wednesdays at 8).  It's a fairy tale, it's a murder mystery, it's an (sometimes) acid trip but it's also a love story.

Ned, a pie maker, has the ability to bring people back to life with just a touch.  He uses this ability to help his friend Emerson, a private investigator, solve murder mysteries.  The drawback to Ned's ability is that he must touch the person again and return them to death within a minute of reviving them or they stay alive and someone else (generally someone close by) will die.  Kind of a death-must-be-avenged thing.

So when Ned comes across his childhood love, Charlotte (Chuck), dead - he can't resist bringing her back to life.  And letting her live (thankfully, the person who had to die was an evil undertaker).

But now, Chuck and Ned are in love but they can't touch each other, ever, or Chuck will return to her dead-ness.  So the show spends a lot of time, mostly very sweet and cute gags, keeping Ned and Chuck from touching but still having them fall in love.

ANYWAY - that's just a set-up for the eggs and toast - Chuck is living with Ned and decides she needs to be independent and moves out, albeit to the apartment next door.  They're both miserable but neither will say it and one morning, they meet leaving their apartments and Chuck comments that she "smells eggs and toast and though of you (Ned)" to which Ned says "well, I was making eggs and toast for breakfast".

It was sweet.  REALLY sweet.  And I'm not a sweet kinda guy so you know it has to be terribly sweet.  ANYWAY - I was feeling weak and romanticky so I made eggs and toast.  :)  And here are the pictures:  eggs, scrambled and a scant bit of cheddar shredded on top and whole wheat toast with Plugra butter - mmmm.

Breakfast Scramble for Dinner

I love having breakfast for supper.  It started back in my childhood when my Mom, I'm sure out of exhaustion or frugalness or a combination of both, would serve us grits and eggs and bacon for supper.  It was cheap, easy and we all loved it so EVERYBODY was happy at the Smiley ranch.

SO I've continued that tradition into my adult life, but with some variation on the grits/eggs/bacon theme.  My sister sent me a box of Vidalia onions and one of the first dishes I wanted to make was a breakfast-supper dish - onions with potatoes and sausage.

I started by par-cooking the potatoes (after cutting them up) in the microwave for ten minutes or so to get them soft, then sauteeing 1/2 an onion in a little oil with kosher salt to which I added the potatoes and some leftover sausage.  

A few spices, a bit of pepper, and a grate of aged parm and voila! - a great cold-weather dish!  Easy, quick and economical - Mama would be proud.

Biscuits, but more importantly, jelly

I'm not a baker - I'll be the first to admit it.

I'll spend hours on a braise or slow-cooked stew or preparing just the right julienne - but baking?  I don't do it.  So I'm not even going to pretend that the biscuits below are "mine".  They are the individual frozen ones from the regular supermarket (and, in my absence of ability to cook them, they're pretty good too).

The purpose of the pics is to express my delight with blackberry jelly.  My Mom's blackberry jelly, actually.  She's made it as long as I can remember.   And, as evidenced in the pictures below, it's FANTASTIC.  It tastes even better than it looks.

Mmmmm ... cupcakes ...

Tonight I spent the evening at my buddy Ken's house.  We had decided earlier in the week that we wanted to get together and try this recipe from an old church cookbook that my Mom and Grandma gave me years ago.  

This idea morphed to a lets-get-together-and-play-showtunes-and-cook-all-night kinda night.  Which was FINE BY ME.  We made the cake (from the old cookbook) and he had pre-made cupcakes before I arrive and we made fresh pasta, from scratch, rolled it, pressed it, cut it, cooked it ... and ate it.  

I took tons of photos and I'm in the process of going through all of the pasta photos and editing them trying to find just the right ones - in the meantime I wanted to share our cupcakes.

The frosting was a ganache really, made from cocoa, powdered sugar, heavy cream and a little vanilla.  Because the cream was whipped in, the frosting had a really light and fluffy texture and the good (I think it was kinda spendy) cocoa gave it a wonderfully deep chocolate flavor.

Here are some pics:  

Cocktail, anyone?

Just a quick post - no long diatribe about how I feel about it or the history of it or how my family used to make it.  Just some really pretty pictures of the vodka tonic I made tonight to watch the Project Runway finale!

REDUX - Me and Joe are A-OK

A little over a year ago I wrote about my giddy delight with Trader Joe's - you can read about it here:

http://smileyeats.blogspot.com/2007/05/me-and-joe-are-ok.html

Suffice it to say, I'm still in love. AND, I still have a major crush on the Tarte d'Alsace.

I'll not go into how much I don't "do" frozen, prepared foods (except in the case of an extreme comfort food craving I have for chicken fingers) but even after a year of trying Trader Joe's prepared meals, with very few misses, I still enjoy the tangy tart.

A flatbread, almost filo, with creme fraiche, ham, Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions, this French-inspired "pizza" takes only 8-10 minutes in a 475 degree oven. The crust is crispy and light and with really amped up flavors like the onions and Gruyere, it satisfies a gourmet taste, without the fuss and mess.

I love it. If you have a Trader Joe's near, give it a shot - it's really inexpensive and a great go-to-I-don't-wanna-cook meal.

Here's some shots: