Crepes with Mushrooms Onions and Gruyere

Posted on March 21, 2014 by jacky grace

So we’ve done Italian and Irish this week, which covers my family. So I decided it was only fair to make something from his side.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but if I haven’t, my fiance is Greek and Armenian, but the Armenian part of his family lives in France. So a lot of the food he grew up with actually has some French influence.

One such dish? Crepes.

We ate our weight in crepes when we were in Paris!

I had only ever had a sweet crepe before, but while I was there, I fell in love with the savory ones. Melty cheese, salty ham, warm crepe wrapping it all up.

C’est Magnifique!

So I decided to bring us back to the streets of Paris with dinner.

Crepes are a tad fussy, but once you get into a rhythm, and break one or two, you’re fine. And they don’t have to be perfect! When you put them on the plate and they’re all covered with cheese and mushrooms and onions, no one will know!

Not having meme’s crepe recipe, I went to the webs and decided on Alton Brown’s. Because, well, he’s Alton Brown and he can do no wrong.

And because he made his batter in a blender.

And I’m always in for using a blender instead of a bowl and a spoon.

Plus, the blender makes it really really easy to pour out the batter.

I know. Alton Brown is a genius.

For the crepes you will need:

2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter + extra butter for pan

For the filling, I used

sliced white button mushrooms
slice baby portabella mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion, fine sliced
olive oil
black pepper
a splash of white wine
gruyere

To get started, toss all the ingredients for the crepe batter into the blender.

Give it a couple of quick pulses until it is smooth and combined.

Put the batter into the fridge for about an hour to rest.

While the batter rests, we’re going to make the filling.

In a skillet, drizzle olive oil and toss in the onions.

You really want to let these cook down and get nice and caramelized. It will give the filling a flavor sort of reminiscent of French onion soup and that combines two French food favorites in one dish!

When the onions are cooked down (Maybe 20 minutes) add a splash of white wine and scrape all the brown bits up from the pan. Then add the mushrooms.

Let the mushrooms cook down. Season with black pepper. I refrained from salting because the gruyere is rather salty.

When your batter has rested, it’s go time on the crepes.

You’re going to want a nonstick skillet or griddle. I used the griddle because I found it easier to flip the crepes.

First, melt some butter on the pan. You don’t want a pool of butter, just a nice layer. So take a paper towel and wipe the butter lightly. Hang on to the butter-soaked paper towel because you can use it if the pan needs some butter.

Carefully pour the batter onto the buttered skillet and swirl around into a thin layer. Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle. None of mine were. They taste the same.

Cook on one side for about 30 seconds. Then, with a spatula, very gently lift the crepe and flip.

Cook on the second side for about 20 seconds.

Remove from the pan and set on a plate to cool. Keep cranking out the crepes and stacking them up until the batter is done.

When you’re ready to assemble your crepes, toss one back onto the pan and sprinkle with grated gruyere.

Let the cheese melt for a few seconds and then scoop some of your mushroom and onion mixture on top.

Fold one side of the crepe over.

And transfer to a plate.

And repeat!

Pour some red wine and imagine you are sitting in a small cafe on the Champs Elysees.

Oh and if you have leftover crepes, they stay well in the fridge or in the freezer.

I have a great, quick lunch idea using some that I will share soon!

New Jersey Italian Hot Dogs

Posted on March 20, 2014 by jacky grace

So this week started out with two Irish classics.

But I gotta go back to the food I love most. Sorry folks. Another Italian dish coming up today.

But this isn’t just any Italian dish. This is an Italian-American New Jersey original.

Italian Hot Dogs.

Ever been to Jersey? Ever heard of Jimmy Buff’s? If you answered yes and then no, call up whoever you were visiting in New Jersey and say “Hey, forget about it! You didn’t take me to Jimmy Buff’s?”

If you can’t get back out to Jersey anytime soon, no worries. You can make the awesomeness that is an Italian hot dog at home.

Just a few simple ingredients:

3 green bell peppers, diced

2 yellow onions, sliced into half moos

2 yukon potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks

hot dogs

Italian bread (no hot dog rolls!)

olive oil

salt

pepper

spicy mustard

Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking dish with foil. Toss the potatoes into the dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss into the oven for about 20 minutes. The potatoes take longer to cook so we’re giving them a head start.

Remove the potatoes and add the peppers and the onions, seasoning with more salt and pepper, and adding another touch of olive oil. Stir everything up, then back into the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.

You want the onions to brown up and the peppers to blister a bit.

At Jimmy Buff’s they actually fry this mixture, but 1. roasting is less messy and 2. it’s slightly healthier and 3. you don’t have to babysit a pot of oil.

When the veggie mix is nice and cooked, get your hot dogs ready. You grill them or broil them. DO NOT BOIL THEM! You need the char on the dogs and boiling will just leave them rubbery and sad.

And Nobody wants a sad hot dog.

Okay ready?

Italian bread.

Spicy mustard

Hot dog

Potato, pepper and onion mix.

Nom.

Guinness Shepherd’s Pie

Posted on March 19, 2014 by jacky grace

One day is just not enough time to try out all the Irish goodies I found while perusing the webs.

Guinness chocolate cake, Guinness beef stew, Guinness ice cream!

Are you seeing the pattern here?

So here’s another Irish meal. Warm. Hearty. Filling. Cheesy. Oh. And boozey.

Yea. I added Guinness.

I couldn’t resist!

This was actually easier than I thought it would be to put together. I usually shy away from multi-step, multi-method cooking, but for a holiday, I always throw caution to the wind. And, this somehow manages to still only be a 2 pot meal!

This involves making mashed potatoes, sauteeing meat and vegetables, and then assembling and baking. You can easily make the mashed potatoes ahead of time. Or use leftovers if you have them handy.

For this recipe you will need:

1 yellow onion, diced
1 pound of ground beef
1 cup each of frozen peas, carrots and corn.
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup Guinness
2 tablespoons flour
olive oil
butter
salt
pepper
cheddar cheese (if you’re feeling indulgent)

Start by setting the potatoes in a pot of water and bringing to a boil. I read somewhere to always start boiling potatoes in cold water, rather than adding potatoes to already boiling water. I don’t know why. But it has stuck with me and I always do that.

While the potatoes boil, drizzle some olive oil into a pot and add the onion and a touch of butter, maybe a tablespoon. I cooked the filling in an oven-proof cast aluminum casserole so I could just transfer from burner to oven. If you don’t have something that would work, sautee in a frying pan then transfer to a lightly buttered casserole.

When the onions turn translucent, add the ground beef.

Let the beef brown with the onions. When it is about halfway cooked, pour in some Guinness. I used about a 1/2 a cup. You can use as much or as little as you like. Or you can use beef broth instead.

Add about two tablespoons of flour to the pot to help the juices firm up a bit.

Give the pot a good stir and season with salt and lots of black pepper. The add in your frozen vegetables.

Meanwhile, your potatoes should be fork tender by now. Drain the water and place the potatoes back in the pot.

Add some butter and start mashing! You can add a touch of milk if you like. I leave a bit of water in the pot to help the potatoes along. I was trying not to add too much richness. Since I’m going to dump some cheddar cheese into the pot in a second.

Yup, there we are. Shredded cheddar into the potatoes. And lots more coming up on top.

When your meat is cooked and your veggies are nice and defrosted, layer the potatoes over the filling.

And top with cheese.

Yup. There it is. There’s why I didn’t add milk to the potatoes.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about thirty minutes, until everything is all golden and bubbly.

Scoop out heaving platefuls.

And get ready for a nap!

Tuscan Sausage, Bean, Tomato Stew

Posted on March 14, 2014 by jacky grace

So after a glimmer of Spring, we’re back to the arctic blast, or the polar vortex, or Mr. Freeze or whatever.

Just when I was dreaming about lemon cakes and avocado and shrimp salad.

So back to the hearty and warming dishes we go.

This one comes from watching Extra Virgin on Cooking Channel the other day. We saw it and both had the same reaction: when can we have that?

Well the answer is now.

This is a super simple and super rustic Tuscan-style dish that is hearty and filling and warming and oh so yummy.

And simple.

Did I mention simple?

Like 3 ingredients (plus olive oil and salt and pepper) simple.

All you need are

Sweet Italian sausages (figure two links/person)
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes (1 can worked for the two of us. multiply as appropriate)
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
olive oil
salt
pepper

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot and add your sausage. Cook over medium, turning to brown all sides.

You aren’t looking to cook them all the way through, just get a nice crust on the outside. When all sides are brown, remove from the pot and place on a dish for now. We’ll get back to them.

In your pot, you’ve got all this yummy oil that’s been flavored by the sausage. To that, add the can of whole tomatoes.

Let these simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. They will start to break apart.

Help them along with the back of a spoon. Season generously with lots of black pepper. I salt moderately because my mom always did. But I can hear the Chopped judges yelling to salt your food properly.

Add the cannellini beans to the tomatoes and give a big stir.

Let these cook together for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, slice up your sausage.

See how it’s still a touch pink? Well, we’re going to fix that.

Into the pot they go.

Let the sausage simmer in the tomato and cannelli beans for about 20 minutes. The longer it sits, the more the broth becomes infused with the sausage flavor. I actually made this for myself when I got home, then left it on the stove, covered, on low heat for a few hours until my other half got home.

Sprinkle with parmesan if you like.

See that? Sausage, beans, tomato. That’s the perfect forkful right there.

I forgot one important thing to add to your grocery list.

Some crusty bread to mop up all those juices.

Don’t you feel warmer already?

Note: this is making its way into our goto recipe rotation.

Spinach Artichoke Quiche

Posted on March 13, 2014 by jacky grace

Spinach Artichoke dip is one of the greatest food inventions. Ever. Period.

However, it can’t be consumed in large quantities. Or with great frequency.

Especially not when your waistline is still recovering from the croissants and the crepes and the baguettes from your trip to Paris.

With Paris still on my mind, I started thinking about the fantastic foods we ate and I landed on quiche. My fiance’s cousin made an absolutely fantastic traditional quiche lorraine for us while we were there, loaded with cream and cheese and ham and a buttery crust. I knew my tummy couldn’t handle quite the same flavor bomb, but I thought I could lighten it up and mash it up with spinach artichoke dip.

And that’s how spinach artichoke quiche came to be.

This quiche doesn’t have a crust, which helps eliminate loads of calories right there, and is jam packed with spinach and artichokes, so the filling is more veggie than egg and cheese.

For this recipe you will need:

1 bag of spinach
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained
olive oil
salt
pepper
4 eggs
grated gruyere (I leave the amount to you)
parmesan cheese (again, I will never limit your cheese intake)

Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly butter a 9 inch pie pan.

In a large skillet, drizzle some olive oil and sautee the spinach and the artichokes. I just broke up the artichoke hearts into chunks with my hands. You can chop nicely if you wish.

When the spinach is nice and wilted, season with salt and pepper and then transfer the mixture to the pie pan.

In a large bowl, crack four eggs and toss in the gruyere and the parmesan cheese.

Using a fork, stir to combine.

Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the spinach and artichokes and add a sprinkling of parmesan to the top.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the eggs are set.

Slice it up and enjoy the mash-up of a quick Parisian meal with your favorite bar snack.

Moroccan Memory

Posted on March 11, 2014 by jacky grace

Hello again blogosphere!

I’ve been away from you, traveling through London and Paris, and regaining my culinary verve!

In looking back at some of my last posts, I can see I was in a cooking rut. Making dinner had become a chore instead of the hour of relaxation and decompression it had previously been for me.

I was definitely in need of a break.

But now, I’m back in my itty bitty city kitchen with new culinary inspiration!

In London I stumbled upon a fantastic little Moroccan restaurant in the Leicester Square area. And I had one of the most amazing plates of food I have ever experienced. It could have been the charming waiter. It could have been the thrill of being to dinner by myself in a foreign city. Or it could have been the best darn cous cous I have ever had.

Whatever it may be, I was craving it when we got back. So I set to work to recreate the meal.

Moroccan food is my new obsession. The way the vegetables are roasted to tender perfection, the pairing of sweet and warm and savory spices, the burst of dried apricots nestled amongst the squash and sweet potatoes… Drool worthy.

This might not be authentic Moroccan, but it captured the essence of the meal.

This made enough for the two of us for dinner and extra for two or three lunches. The best kind of recipe!

You will need

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 yellow squash cut into 1 inch chunks
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
a handful of shredded cabbage
a handful each of dried prunes and dried apricots, chopped
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
couscous

Once all of the ingredients are chopped, it’s just a matter of layering all of the flavors in a big pot and letting them cook together.

Start by drizzling a big heavy bottomed pan with olive oil and tossing in the onion.

When the onion is softened, add the garlic, tomato paste and cinnamon.

Give a big stir and add about a 1/2 cup of water, stirring to combine the tomato paste.

Let this cook together for about 5 minutes, and then add the sweet potato, squash, carrots and cabbage.

Give the pot a big stir and add the apricots and prunes.

Give it another big stir to combine and then add about a cup and a half of water

Cover and let simmer over medium heat for about an hour, stirring twice.

After an hour, add the chickpeas and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, prepare the couscous. The chickpeas just need a few minutes to warm through. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Serve up big bowls of couscous and ladle the vegetable mixture over top.

Eating it I was back in the restaurant watching people walk around London…

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Posted on February 10, 2014 by jacky grace

We’ve been on a soup kick lately.

It’s funny, when all he could eat was soup, we both grew tired of it, but with a wide array of dinner options, we now turn to it.

Go figure.

But it does make sense. It’s warm. It’s comforting. It’s easy. And there are just so many choices!

Tonight’s?

Chicken Tortilla Soup.

This recipe came from America’s Test Kitchen, but admittedly underwent a few tweaks.

You need

1 small white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pablano pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
salt
pepper
4 cups chicken broth
Avocado for serving

Start by drizzling olive oil in your soup pot and tossing in the onion, garlic and pablano. Cook over medium until the onions are soft.

Add the chicken broth.

And the chicken breasts, letting them simmer in the broth for about twenty minutes, partially covered.

The chicken will turn whitish when it is done.

Remove the chicken from the broth when it is fully cooked and shred it. Add the diced tomatoes and the beans to the pot.

And then add the shredded chicken back in.

Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for about ten minutes

Serve in bowls topped with avocado slices and strips of tortillas or crumbled tortilla chips.

Portabella Eggplant Stacks

Posted on February 5, 2014 by jacky grace

This is a super easy, super light, super healthy dinner that was almost no effort at all.

I love eggplant parm., but boy can it be a process. If you don’t believe me, check it out here. Don’t get me wrong, on a lazy Sunday I have no problem hanging in the kitchen and frying up slices of eggplant.

But on a weeknight I just can’t see coming home from work and spending the time at the stove. Everything has its time and its place and the same is true for food.

So when I saw Giada making eggplant and portabella sandwiches on Food Network, I knew I had found the week night eggplant fix.

I eliminated the sandwich portion and instead made bigger stacks to make this a hearty and filling, yet healthy meal.

There is no frying. And the eggplant and portabella leaves you feeling full and satisfied, even without any meat.

For this recipe you will need

1 eggplant sliced into 1/2 inch thick discs
2 portabella mushrooms, stems removed
Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
flour (for dredging)
mozzarella cheese
marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 425.

Lay out your veggies.

And set up a dredging station. Flour, Egg, Breadcrumbs. Place a lightly oiled cookie sheet at the end of the assembly line.

Take a piece of eggplant and start by dunking it in the flour

then into the egg

then into the panko bread crumbs

Continue until all of the eggplant slices and the portabellas are coated and lined up on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 20 minutes.

Plate up the stacks and top them with some mozzarella cheese and some marinara sauce.

Portuguese Baked Eggs

Posted on January 30, 2014 by jacky grace

I’m not usually one to complain, but I’m tired, I’m stressed and I’m over this whole wedding planning thing.

One word.

Elope.

And I don’t know if I ever told you this, but I work with lawyers. And man can they be cranky!

So comfort food is in order. More specifically, super simple, no fuss comfort food is in order.

We were watching The Best Thing I Ever Made and Anne Burrell was on talking about her best brunch dish, Portuguese baked eggs. Peppers. Onions. Garlic. A spicy tomato sauce. Ricotta Cheese. Runny yolks.

Oh man was I all over this.

This recipe is one part Anne Burrell’s, One part Bon Appetit’s and one part mine.

You will need:

2 bell peppers chopped
1/2 a white onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 fresh chopped tomato (you don’t need to but the contrast is nice)
4 eggs
ricotta cheese
sharp cheddar cheese
olive oil
salt
red pepper flake

Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle olive oil in an oven proof skillet. If you don’t have one, then use a skillet and have a 9×13 baking dish ready to transfer everything into.

Add the peppers, onion and garlic and cook until the peppers are soft.

Add the tomatoes and cook for about ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper flakes.

If your skillet is not oven proof, transfer this mix to the baking dish now. Otherwise proceed in the skillet.

Make four divots in the peppers and fill each divot with a scoop of ricotta cheese. You can add as many as your pan will hold. Figure 2 eggs per person when you serve.

Carefully crack an egg in a small bowl. And then carefully tip the egg into one of the ricotta divots.

Continue until there is an egg in each. And then top each egg with some sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.

Grab some bread and get ready to mop up all that yolky-tomatoey goodness.

Potato and Leek Bisque

Posted on January 20, 2014 by jacky grace

So we’re getting ready for the polar vortex take two or the arctic blast or Mr. Freeze or Jack Frost or whatever it is that the weathermen are saying.

Which means I’m in soup mode.

I love soup. I could eat soup every night. I can even eat it when it’s hot out. But I especially love it on those chilly nights, ladled out in a coffee mug so you can curl your hand around the warmth as you eat and the liquid warms you from the inside.

This is one of those warming recipes.

It’s super simple too. Added Bonus

You will need

3 leeks
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 cup milk (I used 2% but use whatever you have)
olive oil
Salt
pepper
water

Start by cleaning your leeks really well. We fill a big bowl with water, split the leeks in half, cut them into chunks and then plop the chunks into the water. The sand and sediment will fall to the bottom while your clean leeks float to the top.

Drizzle olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and add the leeks. Cook over medium until the leeks are soft. About 10-15 minutes.

When the leeks are soft, add the milk and the potatoes to the pot, then add enough water to cover the potatoes and the leeks. The milk gives the soup a nice richness and creamyness, but thinning it out with the water keeps it from becoming too heavy.

Let this cook over medium, stirring, and checking that the milk does not boil. You want to keep it at a simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife.

Once the potatoes are tender, remove the mixture from the heat, season with salt and pepper and blend.

Spoon into bowls. To cut the richness, top with some sharp cheddar.

Itty Bitty City Kitchen

tiny kitchen, BIG CULINARY ASPIRATIONS

Category Archives: Weeknight, One or 2 Pot Wonders