Five O’Clock

La Quinta, California: Since there isn't much happening these days, due to excessive heat, I thought maybe I could write a column about what I'm cooking? Even if there would have been a flurry of activity, at five o'clock everything comes to a halt, our day is done, a martini is shaken, appetizers are set out, and we discuss the important issues of the day like two people from the 50's (which, incidentally, we are).

There is still the same struggle with planning the weekly menus. Why? I have over 100 cookbooks, there must be a zillion recipes on the internet, and I subscribe to the New York Times Cooking website. (Actually, subscribe is the wrong word. I joined the New York Times Cooking site before it went behind a paywall, so was grandfathered-in!) So many websites are now featuring Autumn recipes, butternut squashes and stews in crockpots. It is only 108° today, but I am trying to get in the mood.

Anyhoo, here are a few notable things prepared over the past month in my air conditioned kitchen:

Crispy Tuna Cakes

The Crispy Tuna Cakes recipe is from the New York Times Cooking website (and may be behind a paywall). It is supposed to be an easy "things you already have in your pantry" recipe to whip together when you return home exhausted after day of meetings? I prepared a half-portion of the recipe, but followed it exactly, using buttermilk and panko bread crumbs. The results were okay, but if your day of meetings was especially taxing, there is no reason you couldn't just use the Ranch dressing you bought the last time your grandchildren were visiting, instead of going to all the trouble of making the dressing in the recipe. Anyway, we really didn't like these cakes. (DT rated them 6-out-of-10.)

Duck Confit with Potato Gratin

Partial cheat. Dave drove me to the fancy Jensen's in Palm Desert to buy frozen duck legs. I wanted to make duck confit and the recipe is a 3-6 day process (depending upon how long you let the duck legs "rest" in their own poaching fat). After inspecting the frozen duck leg selection, I discovered a package of two already cooked/confit legs. Hmmm. Thaw and brown. Boom! That was an easy decision. The directions called for baking/roasting the thawed legs in a hot oven to warm, then broil for a bit to brown. That is certainly not how to brown duck legs that have been poached in duck fat - so I browned them in a cast iron pan, like any decent French chef.

The duck legs were served with a potato gratin that I make all the time, but never use a recipe... but usually it is 2-3 Yukon Gold potatoes (not peeled, sliced thin, and blanched for 3-5 minutes until tender but not breakable), tossed with cream, salt, white pepper, fresh or dried thyme, and a pinch of nutmeg... then tossed with freshly grated gruyere cheese. Baked at 375° about 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. DT liked this meal, but felt my home-made 3-6 day duck confit tastes better. Maybe I use different herbs? Who knows, as I rarely would use the exact same herbs each time.

Wasserzooi

I really can't go down the rabbit hole of Wasserzooi history, but it is a famed Belgian soup, probably from Ghent and was originally made with fresh-water fish that were plentiful in the local river. The word means something like boiling water in the local Flemish. Now it is a creamy (usually) chicken soup with leeks and carrots, served with boiled potato halves and slices of chicken breast. I first tried this soup years ago in Bruges, and again last year at Aux Armes de Bruxelles - famous for their Wasserzooi - in Brussels , and again a few days later in Ghent. The Aux Armes de Bruxelles (my photo below, from 13 September 2023) is simply delicious. The lower photo is my version, created from taste memory, a few weeks ago.

To prepare the soup: saute the white parts of two leeks (cut into thin half-rounds) in butter. When they are soft, toss-in two peeled and sliced carrots. Add two cups chicken stock, two small potatoes (peeled and quartered lengthwise), and 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon. Let this come to a simmer and cook until potatoes are nearly cooked through. Add four chicken tenders (or one boneless, skinless, chicken breast cut into four slices length-wise). Let soup continue to simmer for a few more minutes until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender. Finish the soup with 1/2 cup cream. Salt, to taste. Divide into two bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Teriyaki Chicken

The package of chicken tenders needed for the Wasserzooi had about ten tenders, so I chopped the remaining six pieces of white chicken meat into bite sized chunks, covered it with purchased Teriyaki Sauce, then popped the sauced chicken into a vacuum-sealed bag for the freezer. When needed, the bag is easy to thaw in a bowl of water. The thawed chicken was placed on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and roasted in the toaster oven. When beginning to char, the chicken was spooned over Calrose rice, topped with green onions and served with a cucumber salad. Since I also used the rice cooker, this was a super-easy meal.

Detroit Style Pizza

The Ducks were playing Michigan State on October 4th. Often I will plan our tailgate menu around the opposing team's location/foods. Only thing I could think of for Michigan was fudge from Mackinac Island, and pizza I had never tried from Detroit. With a little research, it seems the dough is baked in a pan (ala focaccia), the cheese is put on top of the dough, then the toppings, and the sauce is the last topping. I used this recipe, making the full dough recipe in a food processor. I froze half the dough for another use and baked the pizza in an 8x8 metal cake pan. For topping (more poultry!) I used Applegate's Turkey Pepperoni, and hand-cubed low-moisture mozzarella. The sauce was Rao's Pizza Sauce. This pizza was quite good. Crispy edges, crispy crust bottom, the Ducks beat Michigan State, and there is crust for another pizza in the freezer.

Spiced Roast Chicken With Tangy Yogurt Sauce

Can you handle any more chicken? Sorry, this one is from mid-September, but thought it worth mentioning. Another one from the New York Times, this is supposed to remind the eater of Halal street stalls in New York City. Don't know, but it sure was good. This Spiced Roast Chicken With Tangy Yogurt Sauce recipe (paywall?) calls for roasting chunks of marinated chicken thigh (much like the method used above for the Teriyaki Chicken). The hot chicken is served with a creamy yoghurt sauce with iceberg lettuce (like the tuna cake recipe above). This was quite nice as well, but a lot of spices required. Again, I prepared a half-recipe.

Cacio e Pepe Risotto

Not gonna lie, this was one of the best things to come out of this kitchen in weeks. I have fallen into the habit of making polenta and risotto in the Instant Pot. Easy. Quick. NO STIRRING INVOLVED. This time, I stirred it on the stove, sipping my martini, while DT watched some sort of sports on television. The thing that made this dish was the homemade chicken (of course!) stock from our Rosh Hashana bird. Maybe it was the rosemary? Not sure, but this stock was (is - two quarts remain in our freezer) simply outstanding.

I boiled two cups of the stock, added 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Polenta and stirred and stirred and stirred while the polenta slowly bubbled. Then, I stirred more. After about 30 minutes, I needed to add more stock, and when the polenta was soft and creamy, I added about 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese, a lot of freshly-cracked black pepper, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter and a splash of cream. The polenta was placed in bowls, then topped with a little left-over marinara sauce found floundering in the freezer. Dang, if this wasn't delicious and we almost ate it all. I'm looking forward to making mushroom soup with this stock before our Yom Kippur fast.

We also had Panzanella, Black Bean Enchiladas, roasted cod, and just a plate of appetizers over the past few weeks. One night, after a big lunch out, we had popcorn. I'm only one woman.

If you would be interested, I will continue this "Five O'Clock" (slight nod to Jimmy Buffett) column. Maybe you will find something to try? Please comment below.

Until my next update, your "sprouting feathers" correspondent.

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