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By J.Ho, March 8, 2006 11:05 am

Since half of my heritage is southern, what better time to reminisce about home cooked southern food than on a cold day in New England?

It ain’t steak and it ain’t chicken. So what is it? Chicken fried steak is a slice of tenderized beef round that is dipped in egg and flour, then fried and smothered in a creamy, peppery pan gravy. Like grits, if it’s made right, it’s heaven. If it’s not, it’s awful. This is THE dish that cast iron skillets were invented for. No matter where my travels take me, I’m on a never ending quest for delicious chicken fried steak. Four out of five times I’ll order it somewhere, it’s not all that great. Three out of five, it’s downright awful. But that one in five, or sometimes, one in ten, it’s magical!!!

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons of flour
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable shortening
4 8-oz pieces trimmed beef top round, pounded to ¼ inch thickness
Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Put 2 cups of flour into a wide, shallow dish and generously season with salt and pepper. Put eggs, cream and ½ cup of the milk into another wide, shallow dish and beat well.

Heat oven to 200°. Melt shortening in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot or about 360° on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, working with one piece of meat at a time, lightly season both sides with salt & pepper. Dredge beef in seasoned flour, shaking off excess, then dip each side into egg mixture, then dredge in flour again, shaking off excess. Fry meat, turning only once, until dark golden brown on each side, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat seasoning and cooking process with remaining meat and flour and egg mixtures, transferring meat to oven to keep warm.

Discard all but about 3 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add remaining flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add remaining milk, whisking constantly. Season gravy with cayenne and ½ teaspoon of black pepper and cook, whisking constantly, until consistency is slightly thicker than that of heavy cream, about 1 minute. Season to your liking with salt. Divide chicken fried steak between four plates and spoon plenty of gravy over each.

Serve this with buttered corn, green beans, biscuits and mashed potatoes … wash it down with some lemonade or a Southern Cherry and you’ll be in heaven.

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By J.Ho, March 8, 2006 7:59 am

I can’t wait for the arctic weather in the Boston area to leave.  This is one of my favorite summertime grill foods.  Nice, sweet, plump scallops … marinated and skewered … Addictive!

1 pound (or more) of large sea scallops (fresh or frozen, thawed)
18-20 fresh white mushroom caps
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
3 medium bell peppers (1 green, 1 yellow and 1 red), cut into 1-inch rectangle pieces (stem and white inside part removed)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
12 slices bacon
Set of metal or wooden skewers

Place scallops, pineapple chunks and vegetables in a large, shallow container. Wisk together the remaining ingredients, except the bacon.  Pour over mixture in container and mix well with the scallops. Cover and refrigerate for 1 ½ hours, stirring frequently.

Fry bacon until almost cooked, but not crisp. Cut each slice in half widthwise.  Remove scallops, pineapple and vegetables from marinade, reserving marinade. Thread one end of each strip of bacon on a skewer, then a scallop and a pineapple piece. Bring the bacon round the scallop and pineapple pieces with the skewer.  Then add a mushroom cap and bell pepper to the skewer.  Alternate till you have three or four scallops on each skewer.

Grill kebabs on a hot grill, turning and basting frequently with the marinade, for about 15 minutes or until bacon is crisp and scallops are completely white.  Serve on a bed of steamed sticky white rice.

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By J.Ho, March 8, 2006 7:15 am

Go away or I shall I taunt you a second time-ah!

Most Monty Python purists should catch that one. Recently a friend and I were loosely discussing planning a trip to Paris. Living in Europe for many years I got to visit Paris several times. I’d love to go back and I think we’re serious about it this time. I dusted out my trusty old French Provisional cookbook and sliced and diced through it to find some great recipes that I’ve tried in the past. The ones that follow are simple and awesome. For the record, I love French cooking! I don’t speak French, however, I do kiss that way.

The steak:
1 pound of top sirloin (one large piece preferably)
Salt and crushed black peppercorns
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brandy, warmed (zap it in the micro for 10-15 seconds)

Season the steak with the salt and peppercorns and brush it with a little oil. Heat the butter and olive oil in a heavy pan. When it’s very hot add the steak. Cook the steak, turning only once, to your desired doneness. Remove the pan from the heat, pour the warmed brandy over it and ignite. When the flames have died down, transfer the steak to a serving dish and keep warm.

The sauce:
6 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoon butter
1 large clove garlic, crushed and minced
4 teaspoons fresh tarragon or dill, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Pour off the liquid from the steak into a small saucepan. Add the garlic, herbs and mustard to the saucepan, whisking well. Add the cream, and heat over very low heat, whisking all the time until the sauce is very hot, but not boiling. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the steak, against the grain, into ¼ inch slices. Pour the sauce over the steak and serve with Lyonnaise potatoes and leeks in white wine sauce.

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By J.Ho, March 8, 2006 5:57 am

An Indian girl I used to date introduced me to authentic Indian cuisine, spices and cooking techniques. This is one of the few dishes that I made often. One thing is for sure, I really miss the India Clay Oven restaurant I lived near in San Francisco. So, this is my best shot at Indian food. As always, I’d love to learn more.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon ginger, finely minced or grated
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for chicken. Add chicken and toss till well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3-6 hours. Longer marinating will result in stronger flavor. After marinating, place chicken on wooden skewers for cooking. You can also marinate whole chicken pieces. This marinade makes awesome chicken wings!

Two ways to cook this style of chicken: broil or grill. If broiling, place in a lightly greased baking dish and heat under a broiler for 20 minutes or so. For grilling, cook on a grill or a cast iron grill pan, turning often, for about 20 minutes or until done. Serve with Spiced Basmati Rice.

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By J.Ho, March 7, 2006 4:44 pm

Rich and creamy, sweet and succulent.  Scallops are one of my favorite foods.  This dish is simple as it is unique.

1 pint sea scallops
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup cream
¾ cup milk
½ cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400°.  On the stove, melt butter in an oven proof sauté pan and add scallops.  Stir well and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour and blend well.  Slowly add cream and milk.  Cook while stirring often until slightly thick.  Season with salt & pepper.  Cover with the bread crumbs and transfer to the oven.  Bake in oven till crumbs are browned, about 10 minutes.

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By J.Ho, March 6, 2006 10:31 pm

When I lived in San Francisco, fresh halibut was readily available in many local markets. On a good day you can find large halibut cheeks which were always my favorite. Halibut is an often overlook white fish that has an excellent taste and delicate texture. This recipe is one that brings both those qualities out in smashing style.

2 tablespoons butter
1 large red onion, chopped
4 to 5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
½ to 1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 lemons zested and grated, plus juice from ½ lemon
½ teaspoon chopped dill
¼ to ½ cup white zinfandel
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons capers
1 pound halibut cheeks or filets

Heat the grill. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the salt, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and wine and reduce by half. Add olive oil and capers and stir. Remove from the heat.

In a large aluminum foil grill pouch place a spoonful of sauce. Add 1 piece of fish, cover with more sauce, and wrap tightly. Repeat with the remaining fish. Place the packets on the grill and grill for 3 minutes on each side.

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By J.Ho, March 5, 2006 4:42 pm

Deviled Chicken

1 fresh spring chicken, split into halves
6 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup butter
2 large garlic cloves, mashed
½ cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pound chicken halves with a meat mallet.  Place a large heavy skillet over moderate heat and add the olive oil.  Heat the oil, butter and garlic.  Add the chicken halves, breast side down.  Increase the heat and brown the chicken on each side for 10 minutes (20 minutes in all).  Season with salt & pepper.  Lower the heat and add the win and lemon juice.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Uncover and cook for 10 minutes longer.  Baste well and check for doneness.  Chicken juices should run clear.