Rao's Famous Lemon Chicken

April 22, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Restaurant Rules”

The Set-up: Ina’s cooking restaurant dishes at home and getting some tips from her chef friends.

The Menu: Prosciutto Roasted Bass with Autumn Vegetables, Skillet Brownies, Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone), Peas and Prosciutto

0:44 – Ina says she typically avoids restaurant style cooking at home because it’s just too complicated. Amen. There’s a reason chefs and professional cooks need so much training!

1:26 – She’s breaking the rules today with a simplified version of a dish she had at Spago in LA: Prosciutto Roasted Bass.

2:15 – First up, roasting a ton of root vegetables – parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash.

3:03 – Now Ina is wrapping squares of sea bass in sheets of prosciutto. Why is it that anything “wrapped” immediately seems special?

4:26 – Oh to be Ina’s assistant, treated to dinner at Spago at the end of every book tour.

5:39 – Final step is melted butter flavored with rosemary and lemon. I trust that literally anything doused in this concoction would taste amazing.

6:01 – Time to plate, the roasted fish placed on a bed of root vegetable and dressed with the flavored butter sauce. Now, Barbara, we feast!!

10:28 – Ina says she first tried Skillet Brownies at the Standard Hotel in New York and couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of the idea herself.

11:15 – Random Side Note: I love recipes with odd measurements, like the sugar (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) here. Maybe this is faulty logic, but it tells me that it’s been tested and tested until it’s Baby Bear level “just right.”

12:32 – Time to bake the brownies and Ina has the most adorable miniature cast iron skillet. Seriously, these babies are ridiculously charming.

13:47 – While the brownies bake we get some kitchen tips from chefs: Kevin Penner recommends covering scales with plastic wrap to prevent cross contamination, Oliver Quignon suggests a new take on plating an iceberg & blue cheese salad.

14:09 – A few more – Julia Turshen uses tongs as a press to juice citrus; Joe Realmutto sautés dried herbs in olive oil to release their flavors before de-glazing with the tomatoes.

15:11 – Brownies are out of the oven – a little underbaked, so they’re still super gooey – and Ina’s serving them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Honestly, people would pass out from the cuteness (and the sugar high) if you served brownies this way.

19:36 – Field trip time! Ina is in East Harlem at the legendary Rao’s, notable for the cooking, but also it’s old-fashioned approach to dining. One seating, not open on weekends, and tables are held for regulars – you can see why a reservation might be just a wee bit challenging to secure.

20:48 – We’re in the kitchen with Frank Pellegrino, the restaurant’s owner to learn how to make a family recipe (70 years!!) called Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone).

21:14 – The cooking takes place in stages, first broiling the chicken, then making a vinaigrette type sauce with lemon, garlic, oregano, and red wine vinegar.

22:37 – Frank says “we don’t do complicated.” The chicken goes under the salamander/broiler for 2 minutes and “voila, lemon chicken.”

23:19 – Ina gets a taste (natch) and says it’s so, good, so lemony. I’m intrigued by the red wine vinegar…

27:34 – We’re back with Frank to make Peas and Prosciutto which starts with sautéed garlic and onions. I’m on board.

28:23 – Now comes the prosciutto into the pan and I can see why Frank says this is their most popular vegetable. Then the peas are stirred into the cooked onions and then everything gets a ladle of chicken stock.

29:05 – This dish is pretty unusual - somewhere between a vegetable side dish and soup.

29:40 – Ina and Frank belly up to the bar to chat and eat, and laugh and have a fabulous time.

Final Thoughts:
Ordering dishes in restaurants that I know I can’t make at home – fancy technique, unique ingredient, etc. – is always my strategy.

I like Ina’s approach to drawing inspiration from restaurants but in a simplified version.

One year to get a table or thirty-five years I’m still jealous of Ina eating at Rao’s!

Lessons Learned:
I decided to make Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone) because I can never have enough chicken or lemon or lemon chicken in my life, and, because I’d never cooked an entire chicken under the broiler.

Chicken Cooking – First lesson, make sure the broiling drawer and/or oven is super clean or you’ll fill your kitchen full of smoke like I did. Not so good. When broiling isn’t an option, turn the oven up to 500 degrees. I dried the skin with paper towels and used a cast iron skillet to get the kind of heat retention and sear I was looking for. Problem solved!

Sauce Prep – Just a little bit of mincing, juicing, and measuring; all standard cooking techniques. The recipe as originally written requires two different pans, one for broiling the chicken the first time and a separate pan to cook the chicken in the sauce. I love a pan sauce, and it’s simpler to use the same one so I did. Frank will probably come and hunt me down for messing with his recipe, but I stand by my choice.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, 100%. I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet, tongs, a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a table fork for whisking. That’s it!

The Verdict:
Mike and I both love a good roasted chicken, but the sauce is what really sets Rao’s Famous Lemon Chicken (Pollo Al Limone) apart. On the surface it’s incredibly simple and really not terribly fancy – dried herbs, some lemon, etc. – all ingredients that are accessible to the home cook at a moment’s notice. The combination, however; is greater than the sum of its parts. I served the chicken straight from the skillet and we both found ourselves going back to the proverbial well to soak up more with every bite. Addictively delicious and I will never cease to be amazed at the magic of red wine vinegar. Don’t skip it! Do make this recipe!

Crispy Pork Schnitzel

April 20, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

I can only think of two occasions when I’ve eaten schnitzel in restaurants, but both were memorable. I’ll also admit that the first time I tried it I wasn’t overly impressed – it seemed a little heavy and not overly flavorful, but Mike won major points by ordering it in a restaurant on an early date just so I could try it, even though it was August and he probably would have preferred something else.

Not an especially auspicious beginning, but fast forward several years to our trip to Vienna last spring. Our Austrian friends confidently recommended dinner at Figlmüeller a restaurant famous for their schnitzel, and I figured there was no better time to try it again than in the heart of schnitzel territory. The schnitzel was in a word: glorious. Deeply flavorful, about the size of a medium thin-crust pizza, and perfectly accompanied by fresh lemons and a glass of gewürztraminer – the experience rekindled my interest in German food.

Brief nerdy side-note: wienerschnitzel is a protected term and means specifically schnitzel made with veal. The word schnitzel is broader and encompasses both pork and veal. Similar to say, Champagne vs. sparkling wine.

Crispy Pork Schnitzel (serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 (4-6 ounce) boneless pork loin chops
1 1/2 cups plain dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 lemon, cut in wedges
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Instructions:
Trim the boneless pork loin chops of any fat before placing them between two large sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet to pound each piece until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Generously sprinkle both sides of the pork with salt and pepper.

Measure out the flour and breadcrumbs onto two large plates. On a third large plate, carefully beat together the egg and water to create an egg wash. Dredge each piece of pork in the flour, followed by the egg wash and lastly the breadcrumbs. Gently press the breadcrumbs to help them adhere to the egg wash.

Place the breaded pork on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. This step will help the breadcrumbs to adhere and prevent them from falling off during the frying process. It also gives you a few minutes to clean up and start heating the oil – multi-tasking!

Next, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Carefully place two pieces of breaded pork in the hot oil at a time. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Remove the cooked schnitzel to another parchment lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while the second batch sautés.

Drain the cooked schnitzel on a paper towel briefly and serve immediately with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of parsley.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Fairly, assuming you have enough large plates. I used a rolling pin to flatten the pork loin chops, three dinner plates, two baking sheets, one medium sauté pan, a small cutting board, a chef’s knife, metal spatula, and both dry and liquid measuring cups and spoons. An instant read meat thermometer offers peace of mind.

The secret weapon of this recipe: clear plastic wrap. It turns your counter into another plate and prevents contaminating a clean. Second runner up: parchment paper. Makes clean up easy and helps keep the breading crispy in the oven.

The Verdict:
Mike and I both have German/Austrian blood, respectively, running in our veins, so maybe that’s why we liked this so much? But really, who doesn’t like tender meat in a crispy coating lightly dressed with lemon juice? Schnitzel is perfect with a simple arugula salad, and extra bonus: a short cooking time coupled with a breading process than can easily be done ahead of time means dinner can be on the table in well under an hour. Works for me!

Apricot Peach Oatmeal

April 17, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

It’s practically May and while the afternoons have been beautifully warm and sunny perfect for people watching in the park it’s still pretty chilly on my morning walks with Maddie-pup. Not that I really need an excuse to continue my morning oatmeal ritual well into spring, especially now that I’ve begun to mix it up with some alternate summery fruits.

It’s still early for any stone fruits to be in season, but I’ve found that jarred peaches in 100% fruit juice work well in a pinch and let me pretend that it’s July without any of that pesky peeling to do.

Side Note: elementary-aged me thought that since raisins = dried grapes and prunes = dried plums, that logically apricots must be dried peaches. It took me years to discover that they were a related, but totally different fruit. I can’t be the only one, right? More info on stone fruit here compliments of Food52.

In any case, I like the contrast in textures of the dried apricots and crunchy almonds against the warm oatmeal and sweet peaches. I’ll be back to apples and cranberries in the fall, but for now this bowl of golden colors is my go-to breakfast and it could be yours too!

Apricot Peach Steel-cut Oatmeal (yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:
2 cups 100% apple juice
1 cup water
1 cup McCann's Quick & Easy Steel Cut Irish oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup diced dried apricots
1 cup (1 medium) diced fresh or jarred peaches

Instructions:
Heat the apple juice and water in a medium sauce pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Add the ground cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and kosher salt to the hot apple juice mixture.

Next, sprinkle the Irish steel cut oats into the spiced apple juice and swirl the pan to gently stir. Reduce the heat to low.

Meanwhile, drain the extra juice from the peach slices and dice into 1/4 inch pieces. Chop the dried apricots and after the oats have cooked for 1 minute, add them to the pan.

Simmer the oats and apricots for another 3-4 minutes until the oats are al dente, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula to prevent the oatmeal from sticking to the bottom of the pan. In the last minute of cooking add the diced peaches and stir into the cooked oats.

Serve immediately and top with the slivered almonds and an additional sprinkle of cloves.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
This is super simple and definitely small kitchen friendly. I used a small sauce pan, a small cutting board, chef’s knife, dry and liquid measuring cups and measuring spoons. A rubber spatula will also be your best friend when it’s time to stir and serve!

The Verdict:
Mike isn’t fond of oatmeal, so this is something I cook purely for myself and to my own taste every morning. I personally like the depth of spice that comes from layering cinnamon, allspice and cloves - and what’s a little spice without the accompanying sweet (but not too sweet) fruit and apple juice? Thanks to my own handiwork over the stove I’m now one of those people who looks forward to eating my oatmeal. You’ve been warned: there’s rarely a day when I’m not wishing for “seconds.”

Pan Sauted Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce

April 15, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: Laura Messersmith — Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Mustard Sauce | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Episode: “Fast and Fabulous”

The Set-up: Ina’s friend Frank is coming for dinner and she’s cooking up a feast in no time flat.

The Menu: Mustard Roasted Fish, Dill Fingerling Potatoes, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with Raspberry Sauce

0:24 – We start out with a little trip to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for dinner. I spy heavy cream, berries, and potatoes.

1:03 – Ina says she has two rules for fast dinners: 1. Really easy recipes and 2. Ingredients found in any typical grocery store.

2:41 – Naturally even though this dinner is coming together quickly Ina is still doing flowers.

3:13 – We’re back at the barn to work on dessert: Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc with a homemade Raspberry Sauce.

4:29 – I’m always fascinated to see the ways cooks use pre-made ingredients to perk-up their recipes. In this case, an entire jar of seedless raspberry jam (Tiptree Farms in case you’re wondering) helps thicken the sauce.

5:46 – Now for the fromage blanc which Ina is thinning non-ironically with heavy cream to make it somewhere between the consistency of pudding and softened ice cream.

11:07 – Ina is plating the “layered dessert” – fromage blanc, berries, raspberry sauce – and it looks so fresh and delicious. Perfect for summer.

12:45 – Just realized that Ina is wearing a beautiful white shirt while cooking bright red berries – this woman is brave!

13:38 – Time to set the table and for a simple dinner Ina has quite a lot going on – a bowl of apples, candles, flowers. I’m lucky if I can remember to put the salt and pepper shakers out!

14:22 – We’re moving on to the Dill Fingerling Potatoes and Ina is cooking them by part steaming, part sautéing in a large dutch oven. I tried this once and it does work, but it takes some patience.

15:17 – Onward to the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli and I can 100% vouch for cooking broccoli this way. It’s hands-down our favorite way to eat our veggies.

16:44 – The premise of this episode is that Ina is making a last minute dinner and usually I’m suspicious of so-called 30 minute meals, but so far I actually believe that this dinner could come together in an hour or so.

21:30 – Now for the main course: Mustard Roasted Fish, which involves cooking filets of red snapper under a sauce of crème fraiche and mustard.

22:19 – Ina says she got the recipe from the coat check attendant at her Parisian hairdresser. Naturally.

23:41 – The red snapper is in the oven with the broccoli and it’s time for a finishing sprinkle of fresh dill and salt on the potatoes. I love how golden and lightly crispy they look.

27:05 – Final touches on the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli – cheese, pine nuts, fresh basil, lemon zest. Sounds awesome.

28:26 – Dinner is plated up and ready to go just as Frank arrives right on time.

29:38 – He marvels at Ina’s ability to whip up dinner in under an hour, honey, she’s not the Barefoot Contessa for nothing!

Final Thoughts:
Ina touched on this briefly, but there’s a lot to be said for dishes that cook at the same temperature (ie. the fish and the broccoli.) Hello multi-tasking!

I love fresh herbs, but I’m a little concerned about the competing flavors (mustard, dill, basil, and parmesan?) I tend to stick to one flavor “palette” but maybe I’m not adventurous enough…

I’m with Ina on the need for great dinners that don’t take hours to make – the less prepping the better!

Lessons Learned:
I took some liberties with Ina’s Mustard Roasted Fish recipe to make my own version using greek yogurt instead of crème fraiche and cooking it on the stovetop in a pan, rather than in the oven. I discovered last year when I made Caesar Roasted Salmon (please forgive the less than awesome photos, I was still learning!) that roasted fish is pretty soft and with a creamy sauce there isn’t quite enough contrast in the texture to suit Mike and I. Pan sautéing the fish was my solve to that issue and since it only takes 5-6 minutes total it’s still a really quick meal.

Pan Sautéed Red Snapper with Creamy Mustard Sauce (yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:
4 (8-ounce) red snapper fillets, or other firm white fish
8 ounces Chobani 4% Plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons Gulden’s spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Maille Old-style whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon Coleman’s English mustard powder
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:
Combine the 4% Chobani yogurt, spicy brown mustard, whole grain mustard, English mustard powder, minced shallots, drained capers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Set aside while you cook the red snapper filets.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high-heat. Brush both sides of the red snapper filets with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the fish fillets skin side down in the hot skillet.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Turn with a flexible metal spatula when the cooked portion reaches about halfway up the filet and it’s easy to slide the spatula between the skin and the pan. The thickness of the filet will determine exactly how long, but the fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.

Serve immediately with the mustard sauce spooned over the top and a small sprinkle of capers.

Inspired by and adapted from Ina Garten’s Mustard Roasted Fish.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, indeed. I used an 8 inch cast iron skillet (2 filets at a time), metal spatula, small cutting board, chef’s knife, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a tablespoon for mixing. That’s it!

The Verdict:
Pan sautéing is my favorite way to cook fish because it adds great flavor and texture and in this case the red snapper works perfectly. It’s mild so the mustard sauce really shines – a little bit spicy and creamy it’s a perfect foil. The sauce pretty much enhanced everything I’ve served it with and I’m already planning new ways to incorporate it with other recipes.