Wait, I'm trendy? How did that happen?

My first exposure to anchovies was on a Domino's pizza when I was in college. I didn't care for them at all, and generally avoided them except in a Caesar salad for decades. Several years ago on a very snowy day, a friend served me a salad nicoise with anchovies I enjoyed quite a bit. This past Christmas at East Harbor Seafood Palace, (a delightful Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn), one of the dishes passed around was fried salt & pepper anchovies. These were deep fried anchovies and in the basket were some delicious salted chili pepper slices. I do plan to make salted chiles soon because how could I not?

Fast-forward a bit and I'm trying to a) live on a tighter budget than normal b) eat more fish.  I had recently become a fan of Trader Joe's smoked trout, and wanted to branch out a bit and use other types of tinned fish. So I found myself putting phrases like, "things to do with tinned fish" into search engines, not realizing just how popular tinned fish has become of late. One example is here on TikTok. 

I started with this recipe from the Food Network, and while my results weren't perfect, they were damn tasty, though this was fairly time-consuming. 

First and foremost, the artichokes went into a colander and I gave them a serious shaking and blotting with paper towels. Leaving them to drain,  I made the breadcrumbs.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 flat anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, drained and finely chopped (this is probably not news to many of you, but chopsticks are great for getting tightly-packed anchovies out of a jar)
• 1/4 cup panko  (I used rice cracker crumbs because my dinner guest is gluten-free. If I do this again, I will use 3 Tablespoons and use the coarsest setting on the grinder instead of a medium one)
• Zest from 3 lemons

Put the butter and anchovies in a small nonstick pan and cook over medium-high heat, swirling the butter and stirring the anchovies until the butter starts to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the panko and cook, stirring continuously and tossing, until the breadcrumbs are golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the lemon zest and set aside.  Easy peasy.

From there, I put the pasta water on to boil and while waiting for it, I grated the garlic with a microplane and chopped the anchovies for the sauce (full ingredient list below). Then I zapped the arichokes on one side in a sautée pan with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Notes for next time include a) more draining and blotting of the artichokes and b) more olive oil. 

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 flat anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, drained and finely chopped 
• 5 cloves garlic, finely grated 2 lemons, juiced (I also quartered a lemon to serve alongside, and I'm glad I did so)
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley, optional

The artichokes got a bit scorched because I stepped away a little too long, so I deglazed the pan with some Pinot Grigio before I put the butter, anchovies, and garlic into the pan to complete the sauce. Once the pasta was cooked, I grabbed half a cup of the liquid (should have put in more) and threw that in the pan as well as the drained pasta.

This was rice/quinoa pasta and it soaked up that sauce like it was a premium two-ply paper towel in a television commercial, so while the flavors were there (it needed more lemon), the smooth velvety texture you get from a good emulsified sauce wasn't. I was a bit chagrined, but it still tasted pretty good, especially with extra squeezes of lemon and some red pepper, the latter of which was nowhere in the recipe.

You'll be seeing more from me with tinned fish. How do you like yours?

Since I'm staying home, I'm cooking. Arthichoke and Spinach Pasta

Hi everyone,

It's been a while yes. Many things have happened since I last post. Let me explain. No, that would take too long, let me sum up. My apartment building was purchased and nobody's lease was renewed, so after an exhausting search complicated by issues at work, I grabbed an apartment not far from the United Nations. One of its attractions is there was enough room in the kitchen to handle all my stuff.

Then there was losing the old job (long store, this isn't the place), the stress of finding a new one. Fortunately, I managed to do both of those in the same month, so things could have been a lot worse. The  new place is fabulous.

And now, social distancing due to Covid 19. I'm an introvert most of the time, so being by myself or working from home isn't a hardship. It's also an opportunity.

When I went to the store recently, they were out of meat except for chicken wings and sausage. There was plenty of cheese and vegetables, though, so here's three of my lunches for this week.

Ingredients for 1 pound of pasta:

Pasta Sauce 

• 6 cloves of garlic (alternately, roast a bulb)
• 1.5 cups of minced onion, or a combination of onion and shallot
• 1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts in water
• 5 oz of spinach
• 4 oz of whipped cream cheese
• 2 cups of milk
• 5 oz fresh spinach
• 6-8 ounches Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt (eliminate if you're using salted butter)
• 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence 
• zest of one lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Warm Tomato Salad (side dish)

• 1/2 to 3/4 Cup grape or cherry tomatoes per person
• Olive oil to coat (spray is also good here)
• Salt
• Balsamic vinegar to taste

Drain the artichokes well, then chop them half-inch bits or run them through the electric toy of your choice. Put back in the colander and smush the water out of them. Set aside

Melt the butter on low heat in a sauté pan. Add the raw chopped garlic (if you roasted it, add it after the cream cheese is melted), onions (and shallots if using) and cook, stirring constantly until the onions are translucent. This may take longer than you think, but the idea is to have them mostly melt into the sauce. Low and slow is the way to go here.

Add the cream cheese and let it sit in the pan for a few minutes before it starts to melt. This will be a touch annoying since, but it's mitigated by using the whipped cream cheese instead of a block. Slowly stir in 1 Cup of the milk until everything is of the same consistency.

Add the artichokes, the lemon zest, the herbs, and the salt & pepper. Stir until everything is combined. Slowly add the grated cheese. Taste to see if you'd like more pepper or herbal flavor and adjust accordingly. 

Let simmer. Stir occasionally while you do the below

Side dish time: This sauce is an awful lot of richness, so I put a side together with acid to cut that, and it's pretty easy. Turn the oven on to 425 F. 

Cut your tomatoes in half and arrange them in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you have an olive oil spray, spritz them a couple times and toss in the dish to ensure they're oiled all over. If not, start with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, and stir. Put in the oven,, uncovered, set your timer for 25 minutes.

Back to the sauce. Stir in the other cup of milk until it is incorporated fully. Add your spinach a handful at a time. Once all the spinach has been added, start your pasta water and cook your pasta according to your taste and/or package directions.

I used baby spinach and it took a while to completely wilt and get fully engaged in being part of the sauce. After the timer goes off on the tomatoes, check them. You should be able to smell them, and they should look a little dried and wrinkly. If they still look like you just cut them, put them back in the oven and check them every 5-8 minutes.

When your pasta is ready, drain well and slowly stir into the sauce. Let simmer while you put the tomatoes on a plate and put a little balamic vinegar on them.

Season to taste while eating with black pepper. Or red pepper, if you'd like a little bite.

I only used 8 ounces of pasta so I could play later. After I put aside two dishes' worth for lunches later this week, I still had sauce left over. Plans for this include a package of mushrooms and possibly a quarter pound of pancetta. 

Enjoy!

So There Was Cheese Left Over From the Polenta

The challenge: Use up the tomatoes and the Grana Padano from the polenta before they go bad. The dish must be significantly different, because I avoid being boring at all costs. Sometimes I manage to succeed, so people tell me.

So, I considered and came up with this:

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil (divided)
• 1 13-oz can of artichoke hearts in water
• 6 oz mushrooms (I get whatever it is on sale)
• 1.5 tomatoes. These fit in my hand, and were slightly smaller than a baseball. If you don't play baseball, figure your average orange. If you don't eat oranges, I'll get back to you.
• Cheese--Parm will work here. A mix of Parm and Romano would probably be delicious too. I had the leftover Grana Padano (this worked out to about 3/4 of a cup, and could easily be adjusted to more next time I make this)
• 4 shallots
• 1 pound of linguine
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Add 1 T of the olive oil in a sauté pan. Mince the shallots into very tiny pieces and add them to the oil. Bring the oil to medium heat and stir frequently until the shallots are brown. I went all the way to crispy, but this isn't necessary if you're short on time.

In between the stirring, drain the artichokes, roughly chop them (I put them in about four pieces each), rinse them and drain. Also pat dry with paper towels.

Don't forget about the shallots, give them a stir. Rinse and chop your mushrooms. Do the same for your tomatoes. Zest the lemon.

When the shallots are done, take them out of the pan and drain on a paper towel. Add the other Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and then add your chicken breasts. Turn the breasts over every 5 minutes or so, and take the temperature of each breast in its fattest part. Take them out of the pan when the temperature reaches between 160 and 165. The chicken will be starting to get brown at this point. 

Put the chicken on a plate, cover it with foil and start the pasta water. Have a glass of wine. Go wake up your significant other. Kill about five minutes so when you cut the chicken its juice doesn't go all over the place. Trust me. It's a bitch to clean up. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Before you drain, set aside about 1/2 a cup of the pasta water. This will help saucify the dish. Is saucify a word? It is now. I'm suddenly reminded of a very young Laurence Fishburne in Apocalypse Now.

Lemon and Parmesan (and its relatives) sounds counter-intuitive, but it's a really neat combination.

Once the pasta is drained, put it back in the pot and put the heat to low. Add your vegetables, stir well, start gradually adding the cheese. Incorporate pasta water a little at a time (you may not use it all), until the sauce coats your pasta and vegetables. Finally add the chicken, lemon, and pepper. Serve immediately, with more red pepper to taste.

I was really pleased with how this came out, but it definitely needed more shallots. Nexx wanted a lower pasta-to-additions ratio, and I can see his point. I like pasta with additions. He prefers meat and vegetables with pasta.

I'm considering a few variations of this. I'd like to try adding basil. Another thought is bacon or pancetta. I can definitely do more vegetables.

If you try this, let me know!

Something Different: Guest Post: Artichoke Bread Pudding

My friend Ny posted this a while back and I just had to bring it here. I haven't tried it yet, but I drool every time I read it. Without further ado:

.............................................

Okay, so this isn't the quickest or lowest fat recipe. In fact, it involves a deep frying step. But the flavor rewards are exponential.

• 6-8 slices hearty white bread or equivalent, dried out and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 cups chicken stock, veggie stock, or water
• 2 14-ounce cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup diced shallot or onion (one fat shallot)
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or less, I like nutmeg)
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 pasilla or cubanelle pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced (charred-and-peeled is optional but tasty)
• 2 to 4 sundried tomatoes, diced
• about 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper, jarred or fresh
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• 2 cups diced semisoft cheese (I used a mix of cheddar, swiss, and gouda,
• since that was what was in my fridge)
• 6 eggs, beaten
• Vegetable oil for frying

Grease a 2 quart baking pan and set aside. Turn the oven to 300F.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat 2 inches of oil for frying. When it's hot enough, add the artichokes and immediately cover with a splatter screen -- it'll sputter a lot. Fry the artichokes on medium heat until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes (watch carefully for the last 5 minutes or so, as the transformation from bubbling to golden to burnt happens rapidly)

(You could skip this step but the browned savory flavor and creamy texture is so worth it. The tinny flavor of canning is entirely evicted. If you have fresh artichoke hearts, cook them through however you want, chop them, and use them that way.)

Meanwhile, in a 10 or 12 inch skillet, melt the butter, add the shallots, and cook over medium low heat until translucent. Add the salt, black and hot peppers, nutmeg, and thyme. Seed and dice the peppers and add them, and stir a bit and let continue to cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and let cook a couple more minutes.

Get a large mixing bowl, and place the bread and broth in it. When the veggies are thoroughly softened, add them (and ALL the butter) to the bowl. When the artichokes are cooked, drain them briefly on paper towels, then add them to the bowl. (Eat a couple. They won't stay crisp in the pudding, but they will be richly flavorful.)

When ready, mix everything that's in the bowl. Add the parsley, cheese and eggs, mix again, and scrape into the prepared pan. Press parchment paper on the surface and bake for an hour, until cooked through. Serve hot or let cool and cut up into squares. This reheats very well and keeps for several days in the fridge.