Vegetable Pot Pie

This version of my vegetable pot pie has flavorings from Provence but with a touch of poblano, I couldn't resist. I began with a recipe from our buddy Ina Garten but it morphed into something far different. We loved it and I especially love Puff Pastry, it's right up there with cream sauces in my book. This is simple to make ahead if you are expecting company, just store them in the freezer and you can have them anytime.

Serves 4

12 Tbl unsalted Butter (1-1/2 sticks)

2 C sliced Onions (2 onions)

1 large Leek, carefully washed and sliced

1 Tbl Tarragon

1/2 C Flour

2-1/2 C Chicken Stock

1 Tbl Pernod (Pernod is anise-flavored liqueur from France)

Pinch of Saffron threads

1-1/2 tsp Grey Salt

1 tsp freshly ground Pepper

4 Tbl Heavy Cream

1-1/2 C peeled large-diced Potatoes (1/2 pound)

1-1/2 C peeled, 3/4-inch-diced carrots (4 carrots)

1 large Poblano Pepper- roasted, peeled & diced

1 sheet Puff Pastry

1 Egg

Grey Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper for garnish

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks and saute' until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour and reduce the heat to low and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, saffron,tarragon, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Poblano, the heavy cream and sea on to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the carrots to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes and carrots to the large pot with the rest of the sauce and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Roll out the puff pastry slightly and cut into 4 circles large enough to overlap sides of bowls by 1/2-inch on all sides. In a small bowl, make egg wash by beating a small amount of water into beaten egg. Brush the top edge of each bowl withe the egg wash. Cover each bowl with the circles of puff pastry, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with the egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with the Grey Salt and Pepper. Place on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Enjoy!

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Chicken Gorgonzola with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes & Cremini Mushrooms

This is one of my favorite dinners. Truly, in my opinion, EVERYTHING taste good with a cream sauce. If you need to reduce the calories in this recipe, you can cut back on the amount of butter and the heavy cream, but why? What if that truck has your name on it tomorrow, look what you would have missed? If you are a caper lover, go ahead and add them! I have made many variations of this recipe such as, skipping the pasta, lightly bread the chicken (as for picatta), omit the cream and up the lemon juice. Easy enough for week-night dinner and elegant enough for a dinner party. For a dinner party, I would probably add Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms for an appetizer, serve with a Ceasar Salad, Crusty French Bread and a Lemon Tart for dessert. Let me know what you think!

Serves 4

1/2 C Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (I use dried ones, you can also use oil-packed, drained well)

2 Chicken breast, skinless, halved & lightly pounded out to about 1/2 inch thick

1 pound fettuccine pasta, cooked according to pkg directions

3 Tbl Olive Oil

2 Tbl Butter

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 pound Cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 C canned artichoke hearts, drained & quartered

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tsp dried tarragon

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1/2 C dry white wine

1/2 C chicken stock

1/2 C crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

1/4 C Heavy Cream

1/4 Parmesan, shredded for garnish

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and saute' until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate, do not clean skillet.

Cook pasta until just tender, Drain and drizzle with tiny bit of olive oil and toss to keep it from sticking together.

Meanwhile, reheat skillet to medium-high heat, add butter. Add garlic; saute until tender. Add sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, tarragon and salt & pepper; saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice, white wine and chicken stock. Return chicken to pan together with vegetables, cover and reduce heat to medium, for approximately 10-15 minutes.

Uncover, add Gorgonzola and heavy cream, stir to combine and heat through.

Serve over pasta and garnish with Parmesan. Enjoy!

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We Rolled Away From The Table

I'm not eating again for at least a week.  So good and deliciously rich.

 Blackened Mahi mahi with fresh Crab, Shrimp and Bay Scollops with Bearanaise Sauce

4 Mahi mahi steaks about 1/2 pound each

1/4 C butter + 2-3 Tbl for coating fish

approx 3 Tbl Tony Chachere's seasoning, or your favoite cajun seasoning

1/4 C dry white wine

Juice of one lemon + 1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch chives, finely minced

1 Tbl fresh tarragon, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp cayenne

3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and devined

3/4 pound bay scallops

8 oz lump crab meat

1 recipe basic Bearnaise Sauce (you can use a package in a pinch)

Rinse and dry Mahi mahi steaks.  Spread 2-3 Tbl butter on steaks to coat both sides, season liberally with Tony's seasoning on both sides.  Heat dry/clean large cast iron skillet frying pan on high until smoking hot.  Once pan is very hot, lay filets down carefully and cook for approx 4 minutes on each side until cooked through, do not overcook, you want the fish to stay moist.  Set aside and keep warm.



Please note:  This will smoke ALOT, you need good ventilation.  If your skillet is seasoned well and hot enough your filets should not stick. 

To prepare sauce, in a separate large skillet melt butter on med-high heat, add tarragon and saute garlic until soft, do not brown.  Add lemon juice, white wine and cayenne. Cook until reduced by half to concentrate flavors.  Add shrimp and scallops, saute until just cooked through, do not overcook.  Add crab, 1/2 of chives and lemon rind, heat until warmed through.  Combine with prepared Bearnaise Sauce.

To serve, transfer filets to warm plates.  Ladle sauce over each filet, garnish with chives and serve.

I served this with Wild Rice/Wild Mushroom Pilaf and Steamed broccoli with lemon and butter.

Wild Rice/Wild Mushroom Pilaf

1 C. wild rice prepared to package directions

1 C dried wild mushrooms, hydrated

1/2 C celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 lg clove garlic, minced

2 Tbl butter

3 Tbl Teriyaki Sauce

Just before rice is ready, melt butter and saute, mushrooms, celery, onion and garlic until softened.  Add Teriyaki sauce and continue to saute until almost all of liquid is absorbed.  Add mushroom saute mixture to wild rice and toss together lightly and serve.  Serves 4

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