Which brings me to stews. Mediterranean Chicken Stew to be exact. I found this recipe way back in college in one of the Everyday Food magazines at the checkout line in the grocery store. I used to make it a lot. Since then however, it fell out of favor and remained in the back of my recipe book.

When I used to make it, it NEVER looked like the picture. Things weren’t chopped well; it was too soupy and well let’s just say it wouldn’t be something I served to impress others.

Flash forward 4.5 years and I finally decided to make the stew again. This time, things worked. The stew reduced, the tomatoes broke down, it looked presentable (as far as stews go) and it was delicious.

Notably, I took my time while cooking. I let things simmer longer. I chopped them evenly. I used my instinct. Cooking, like lots of things, requires patience. There are tons of shows and books devoted to cutting corners while in the kitchen. We’re all busy these days (just look at the number of blog posts I’ve done over the last year!), but at the end of the day, nothing beats a home cooked meal you’ve put some effort into.

Cooking instinct also requires patience of course. No one is born an awesome chef and like most things, it requires practice. I’ve seen improvements and advancements in what I’ve made over the years. It just takes time. And patience.

So in a really cheesy ending to this post, I’m going to add being more patient in the kitchen to my list of New Year’s Resolutions. Happy 2011 everyone.

• 1 ½ lbs chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch chunks

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4-5 garlic gloves, minced

• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 1 qt cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• 1 tsp dry white wine

• ¼ c chopped fresh parsley

• ¾ cup cornmeal

• 1 tbsp butter

• ¼ grated cheese (Asiago or Parmesan works well)

Stew

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

2. In a pan, heat the olive oil and cook the chicken completely.

3. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant.

4. Add the chickpeas and 1 cup of water. Boil until liquid reduced by half.

5. Add the tomatoes, cooking over medium heat until they start to break down.

6. Add the chicken and wine and heat through, just a few minutes.

7. Stir in the parsley.

Polenta

1. Bring 4 cups of water and 1 ½ tsp salt to boil over high heat.

2. Whisking constantly, slowly add the cornmeal. Whisk until smooth before adding more.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the polenta thickens.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheese.

So since the last update:

• Graduated with my MBA from MIT Sloan
• Drove across country
• Moved to SF
• Started real life v2.0
• Been lazy about updating websites (but not about eating).

Today I woke up to pouring rain and decide to make pumpkin bread.   It was also about this time that I realized I didn’t have eggs, baking powder or half the spices needed. Phfff. Details.

Thanks to Google I learned 2.5 tbsp of ground flax seed + 3 tbsp of water can be substituted for 1 egg…so that’s what I did.  The other stuff…um, ignored.

The bread was still pretty good, I love improvising.

Pumpkin Bread

• 1 ¾ c flour
• 1 tspn baking soda
• 1 tspn salt
• 1 tspn cinnamon
• 1 tspn nutmeg
• 16 oz. can pumpkin puree
• ¼ c vegetable oil
• 1 c sugar
• 2 eggs or 5 tbsp flax seed & 6 tbsn water
• 1/3 c Chopped pecans

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Sift the first six ingredients together in a medium bowl
3. In a large bowl, add the pumpkin, oil, sugar and eggs
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix
5. Add the mix to a greased bread pan and top with pecans
6. Bake for one hour
7. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan

Almost Spring calls for Spring-time recipes, which is what led me to this risotto recipe.

The main problem I have with risotto.

Is that it is a painstakingly slow process.

And that I must fight the urge to eat the risotto right away.

Or even 20 minutes into cooking because it still tastes awful (not that I’ve tried).

Luckily, I always make a large batch, so I will be able to eat leftovers all week without having to wait as long. phew.

Spring Risotto with Peas and Zucchini

from Everyday Food

• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 to 2 large zucchini (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1. Heat broth and 2 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan over low heat; keep warm. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until zucchini is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zucchini to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Raise heat to medium. Add rice; cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.
3. Cook, adding 1 cup hot broth at a time (stir until almost all liquid is absorbed before adding more), until rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.
4. Add zucchini and peas; cook until peas are bright green, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Serve, topped with more cheese. Serves 6.

CoSkay Note:

I’ve now made this recipe twice altering the type of chicken broth used.  The original recipe calls for reduced sodium chicken broth.  The first time I used College Inn, regular because I had it in my pantry already.  The second time 365 Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth (Whole Foods’ private label) was used.  The winner: College Inn.  I’m not sure if it were the difference in brands or the reduced sodium that made the difference, but the College Inn version produced a more pronounced flavor.  I also added a cup of chopped onion instead of a half cup each time because I like onion and it produces a very subtle flavor in this recipe.

So I’m spending Friday night in the kitchen (I did also manage to complete my system dynamics homework somehow) and I’m making Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting.  Next thing I know; it’s 10 pm, my apartment smells delicious and I have eaten caramel sauce for dinner (read = not a good idea, maybe my mom was right about that balanced meal thing).

Aside from a minor stomachache, this cake was a great learning experience for me.

1.  Caramel sauce is easier than you would think to make.  I don’t own a candy thermometer, so one of the reasons this cake appealed to me is because it didn’t call for one.  Just make sure to watch the sauce because it does change color quickly.

2.  Cakes can be stubborn.  They don’t always want to get out of bed in the morning and have scheduled all their classes after 1 pm accordingly…I’m still talking about cakes here people.  Every so often you get pieces stuck in the pan…just pull them out and pop them back in.  No one will know after you ice it, unless you tell all in a blog post.

(see..can’t tell which part stuck to the pan)

3.  When something calls for using a fine sieve and you don’t have one, just use two bowls and pour out what you need.  I got some brown butter bits in my frosting, but no one could tell.

4.    Decorating cakes is hard.  I knew this already, but I had never actually “decorated” a cake. Not only did I decorate a cake, but I made it themed for Valentine’s Day.  Totally not my style.  I don’t consider V-Day important because we don’t get off from work/school, so it’s clearly not a real holiday.  My first attempt wasn’t awesome but it was recognizable, and I was pleased.

5.    Without fail, both children and adults will cut into the decorated part of the cake first.  There is something about destroying the design that is so satisfying.

6.    Specific to this cake:
-It’s dense.  A small piece goes a long way.
-I also recommend making the frosting a day ahead of time.  The taste was dramatically better the second day.  It also might be easier to just frost the cake ahead of time because the frosting does get hard in the fridge.  For those of us that don’t have microwaves to warm things up, it’s just plain easier.
-Have plenty of friends to help you finish this because there is no way one person can physically eat this by themselves.

(Recipes from Pinch My Salt)

Caramel Cake

•    10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
•    1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
•    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•    1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
•    2 eggs, at room temperature
•    splash vanilla extract
•    2 Cups all-purpose flour
•    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•    1 cup milk, at room temperature

1.    Preheat oven to 350F
2.    Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.
3.    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.
4.    Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
5.    Sift flour and baking powder.
6.    Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}
7.    Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.
8.    Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

Caramel Syrup

•    2 cups sugar
•    1/2 cup water
•    1 cup water (for “stopping” the caramelization process)

1.    In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
2.    When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.
3.    Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Caramelized Butter Frosting

•    12 tablespoons unsalted butter
•    1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
•    4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
•    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•    2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
•    Kosher or sea salt to taste

1.    Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.
2.    Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.
3.    In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner’s sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner’s sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.  Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.