By request, here are a few of our favorite dishes.
Enjoy!
Southwest Tortilla Chicken Soup
After living down in Dallas for the last 2 years we came upon many variations of this soup. We basically took all the best attributes out of the samples we had and created this soup. After only making it a couple of times, we had many requests to make it again or pass on the recipe. So here it is. This is one of the positive experiences that we are taking from Texas. It is good for you too!
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10 oz extra virgin olive oil 1 package of soft thin corn tortillas 1 red onion coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 bay leaf 6 cups basic chicken stock 1/2 bottle of beer 8 oz can tomato sauce with diced tomatoes 1/8 teaspoon, dave's insanity sauce or equivalent habanero paste. 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon white pepper pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups corn kernels 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast 1 fresh avocado Sour Cream Sharp Cedar Cheese - shredded |
1.
With your largest frying pan (a Wok will work too), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cut all the tortillas into thin strips. Fry tortillas in the oil for about 1-2 minutes. Drain Tortillas on paper towel.2.
Transfer 2 tablespoons of the tortilla oil into a large pot. Add onion and sauté over medium heat until tender; about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf. Sauté for 1 minute. Add beer, chicken stock, tomato sauce, dave's insanity sauce, salt, sugar, pepper, and bring to a boil. Add Chicken. Cover pot and simmer (on low heat) until chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes.3.
Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate and cool slightly. Cut the chicken into little cubes or shred finely.4.
Add corn to soup, 5 minutes later add the chicken back to soup and simmer for 1 minute.5.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Top the soup with cedar cheese, sour cream, , sliced avocado and finally the fried tortilla strips.Enjoy! Let me know what you think.
Robbo's Famous Chicken Paprikash- Csirke Pörkölt - Cooking time 1 hour
This recipe has gone through many variations to get to this point. This is a Hungarian specialty first made by my grandmother (she is Italian, but my grandfather was part Hungarian). My mother then made it for me, since it became my favorite dish as a child. After making this dish so many times I have always experimented and brought in new ingredients, changed the measurements of ingredients and used many substitutions. The final recipe was highly influenced by my friend Joe Kulari from Budapest. This dish is simple to make and can be done in less than one hour.
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4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 pounds of chicken thighs 2 LARGE white onions, minced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1/2 bottle of beer 5 tablespoons Hungarian paprika 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 jalopeno pepper, chopped 1/8 teaspoon, dave's insanity sauce or equivalent habanero paste. 1/2 tablespoon WHITE vinegar 16 OZ Sour Cream - the good stuff salt and white pepper to taste extra wide egg noodles - large bag |
1.
With your largest frying pan (a Wok will work too), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil for about 7-8 minutes on each side to brown; remove chicken from skillet and set aside.2.
While chicken is browning, begin to chop the onions and garlic. Once you have remove the chicken add the onions and garlic to the oil in the pan. Stir continuously for the first few minutes. Then spread out the onions onto the pan to brown, 7-8 minutes or until the onions become translucent.3.
While onions are browning, chop the peppers and tomatoes. Once the onions are translucent, stir in a 1/2 bottle of beer (do not add more than 6 oz, otherwise the dish will be too thin), peppers, tomatoes, salt and white pepper, dave's insanity sauce, and the all important 5 tablespoons of Hungarian paprika. Stir and mash the tomatoes into the mixture.4.
In a large pot 1/2 full of water, turn on heat to high. This is for the egg noodles.5.
Add the chicken back into the mixture. Stir well. You should almost be able to fully submerge the chicken into the mixture. Cover the mixture and turn down the heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes.6.
As soon as the large pot of water comes to a boil, add the egg noodles. The egg noodles should be ready once the mixtures is finished simmering. Then drain the egg noodles, do not rinse.7.
In the large pot (over no heat), add back the egg noodles, then pour the entire mixture into the pot. Stir. Then add the sour cream and white vinegar. Stir well. You are ready to eat! I would recommend serving each of the dishes from the kitchen.Enjoy, and let me know how it came out. This dish is also great for vegetarians. Just replace the chicken with zucchini.
Poached then Roasted Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing and Crandberry-Grand Marnier Sauce - i.e. Robbo's favorite Thanksgiving Day meal - stolen from Georges Perrier's famous Le Bec Fin Restaurant (one of the best restuarants in the world).
Warning: This is an awesome meal, but takes 2 days of prep and cooking time and about $300 in booze to make (some acutally goes into the bird). Have fun and good luck!
You will need: A 4 to 5 gallon pot to poach the bird, a meat grinder, a large needle with cotton thread, and a roasting pan with high sides for the bird, wine and juices. The Crandberry-Grand Marnier Sauce
The Court-Bouillon
The Stuffing
The Turkey and Sauce
The most underappreciated great white wines of France are from Vouvray, and it would be hard to find a wine that works better with turkey. The Clos Baudoin 1999 would be excellent. |
Service for 12 guests - please read entire instruction before preparing. You will need to prepare some of the item more than 24 hours before the meal.
Making the Crandberry-Grand Marnier Sauce The day before serving, place the cranberries, zest, juice, sugar and Grand Marnier in a food processor. Finely chop, then chill overnight to ripen the flavors.
Making the Court-Bouillon Place the carrot, celery, onion, and bouquet garni in a stockpot large enough to hold the turkey. Add enough cold water to half fill the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours. Strain and set aside while you stuff the bird.
Preparing the Stuffing Start this dish early in the day. Allow about 6 hours from start to finish. Remove the neck and giblets from inside the turkey and set aside for the sauce. (reserve the turkey liver for another day - which means through it away.) Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the veal, pork, and shallots. Cook for 10 minutes, but do not brown the meat. Meanwhile, soak the bread in the milk until soft, then squeeze out and discard the excess milk. Put the mixture through the fine holed cutter on a meat grinder. Beat in the egg, cognac, parsley, and seasonings. Gently mix in the whole chestnuts.
Stuffing and Poaching the Turkey Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the large cavity, then sew closed using a large needle and cotton string. Truss the turkey as desired, leaving enough string from the trussed drumstick to tie onto the handle of the pot. Place the turkey in the court-bouillon. Add enough cold water to cover and bring the liquid to a boil, skimming as necessary. Cover, bring back to a simmer, reduce the heat as low as possible, and poach for 1 and 1/2 hours. The liquid should never boil, rather it should tremble with just an occasional bubble coming to the surface. To remove from the court-bouillon, insert a carving fork into the underside of the bird while carefully pulling up on the string. Place the bird in a roasting pan along with the giblets and neck.
Roasting the Turkey Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast the bird until evenly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove the giblets and neck from the pan, chop them up finely and set aside for the sauce. With the bird still in the pan, add the cognac, wine and Demi-Glace to the pan, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cover the bird with foil and continue to roast for about 2 hours. Baste the bird every 10 minutes with the juices in the pan. It is done when the meat thermometer inserted into the THIGH JOINT measures 165 to 170 degrees. For God's sake and the enjoyment of your guests, do not over-cook the bird!
Finishing the Dish Remove the bird from the roasting pan and keep it warm. Pour the liquid through a strainer into a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce over high heat until slightly thickened. Season with salt and white pepper and then whisk in the butter. Strain and add the reserved chopped giblets and neck. Serve the carved turkey accompanied with a sauceboat of the Crandberry-Grand Marnier Sauce.
Chef's Truc USING FRESH CHESTNUTS: Choose heavy, hard chestnuts with shiny brown skin. To peel, use a small sharp knife to make cross-cut slits on the domed side of the chestnut. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the chestnuts for 5 minutes. Remove the water, cool slightly and pull off both the outer shell and the inner skin. If the inner skin is damn stubborn, place the shelled chestnuts back in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, that will teach them. The chestnuts should be plump and whole with the inner skin completely removed, including any skin between the walls where the nut splits. Cut away and discard any moldy spots. Chestnuts are graded A, AA or AAA, the largest and the fanciest. (Please take some pictures so that I may add them to this page!!!) |
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Tournedos de Boeuf, Sauce Jumilla
Fillet of Beef in Jumilla Wine Sauce
Highly prized tournedos are cut from the center of a tenderloin of beef. This cut deserves good wine - USE GOOD WINE and you'll have a good sauce, because cooking accentuates the intrinsic qualities of the wine. In this preparation I use a 2000 Jumilla from Spain. Casa De La Ermita. You will want to drink the same wine that you are cooking with in this dish.
The Sauce Jumilla
The Fillet of Beef
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Service for 4 Making the Sauce Jumilla Heat the butter and olive oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the shallots, celery, bay leaf, mushrooms, thyme, and crushed peppercorn. Saute together until browned. Add the wine and sugar and heat slightly. Add the Demi-Glace and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and set aside.
Preparing the Fillet of Beef In a heavy saute pan, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter until sizzling. Sprikle the beef with salt and white pepper. Saute until well-browned on both sides. Remove the fillets from the pan, keeping them warm on a plate. Add the wine, reduce slightly and add the sauce. Reduce again until the sauce coats the spoon. Beat in the remaining butter and season with salt and white pepper to taste. Pour any juices on the plate from the fillets back into the sauce. Arrange the fillets in the center of 4 large heated dinner plates and ladle the sauce around. Serve and eat immediately. IDENTIFYING MEDIUM-RARE BEEF: When the beef is medium-rare, beads of red juice from inside the fillet will appear on the surface- that's the time to remove the beef from the pan. Remember, as with all meats, it will continue to cook even off the heat.
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World's Best Crab Cakes
Sauteed Crab Cakes Pommery Sauce - better than sex
Ingredients:
Crab Cakes
3 cups fresh Crabmeat, excess water removed. (Phillips Seafood has a fresh canned version. Use a combination of their selection bought at a trustworthy seafood supplier).
1/2 cup green peppers, fresh, diced fine
1/2 cup red peppers, fresh, diced fine
1/3 cup celery, diced fine
3/4 tsp. shallots, minced
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup clarified butter
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce and a dash of hot pepper sauce
2 tsp. chives, fresh minced
2 tsp. parsley, fresh, chopped fine
2 tsp. basil, fresh, chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 cups flour
2 cups egg wash (1 beaten egg and 1 oz of water)
4 cups breadcrumbs (the good stuff bought at the same place you got the crab meat.)
Pommery Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Shallots, minced
1 tsp. Butter
3/4 cup white wine (same stuff that you are drinking).
1/4 cup Pommery or stone ground mustard
2 1/2 cups Chicken stock, lightly salted
1 cup heavy cream
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian Parsley, fresh, chopped fine
Kary's Louisiana Dry Roux to thicken (see Chef's notes)
Makes 8-10 2 oz crab cakes
In a saute pan heat 1 oz of butter over medium heat. Add peppers, celery and shallots. Saute until tender, remove from heat and cool under refrigeration. In a mixing bowl, combine crabmeat, mayonnaise, seasonings, herbs, and cooled sauteed peppers / celery mixture. Incorporate breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly. Season to tast with salt and pepper.
Portion into 2 oz. cakes; and bread by dredging in flour, dipping in egg wash and covering with breadcrumbs. Heat clarified butter or oil in a large saute pan and cook crab cakes until golden brown on both sides. Remove from heat and serve with Pommery Sauce.
Pommery Sauce
In a sauce pan, heat butter, do not burn. Add shallots and saute briefly. Add white wine and reduce (simmer until liquid is reduced by 1/2). Incorporate pommery mustard and continue to cook. Add chicken stock and cream; bring to a simmer. Add rouz to thicken to desired consistency (coats your spoon). Season with salt and pepper, finish with chopped parsley. Serve over the crab cakes.
Chef notes:
A roux (explaination for the yankees) is used to thicken sauces. A flour roux is made with equal parts of flour and melted butter combined to form a thicken pasted. Add roux gradually to avoid over thickening. The most used and available is Kary's Louisiana Cajun Dry Roux.
Wild Mushroom Soup
Another one of my favorites! The key is finding all of the different types of fresh mushrooms.
Ingredients:
2 ounces onion, diced, yellow
1/2 ounce butter
1 pound mushrooms white, sliced
1/2 ounce porcini mushrooms, dried
1/2 ounce porcini mushrooms, fresh
1 ounce chanterelle mushrooms
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
3 quarts organic vegetable stock
1/2 cup of white wine (same as you are drinking)
1 tablespoon cognac
1 tablespoon of white truffle oil
Salt and white pepper to taste.
Serves 6
In a stock pot, melt 12 ounces butter (reserve 4 ounces to saute wild mushrooms later). When butter is foamy add onions, saute over medium high heat, stirring frequently till onions are caramelized. This is very important for color and flavor. Add regular mushrooms all at once. Cover pot and let simmer till mushrooms have sweated out most of their liquid. Remove lid and increase heat to high and reduce mushroom liquid till almost a glaze state. Reconstitute porcini mushrooms in hot stock and set aside for 30 minutes. Add wine and cognac and continue to reduce on high heat. Add White Truffle Oil and reduce again until mushrooms are glazed. Add vegtable stock and bring to a boil, reduce and simmer 1/2 hour. Add reconsitituded porcini and their liquid. Blend with hand blender if desired. Melt remaining four ounces butter in saute pan. Add fresh chanterelles and mushrooms, saute 10 minutes, add garlic and saute 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add sauteed mushrooms and parsley to soup. Check and adjust seasoning to taste.
Chef's note:
You can also replace the white wine with a nice soft red if that is what you prefer to drink. I made this with a Badia Coltibouno Chianti Classico 2001 and it was magnificent!
Subject: Cajun recipes
Carrot Soufflé
1- Steam 1 lb. of peeled carrots until soft. Drain and Mash.
2- Add and beat smooth but not runny:
3- 1 cup of sugar
4- 1 tsp. of vanilla
5- 1 tsp. baking powder
6- ½ tsp. of cinnamon
7- Then Add and Mix:
8- 1 ½ Tbsp of flour
9- 3 eggs
10- 1/3 cup of melted butter
11- Bake in greased 8 x 8 pan at 350 for 35 minutes
12- Let cool then eat!!!
Cornbread
Sautee 1 medium onion and 2 jalapeño peppers—Sometimes I also brown one pound of ground beef with this part, but that is optional
Mix 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix with the ingredients that it calls for (I think you will need one egg and maybe some milk for each box)
Combine the onions, peppers, (browned ground beef), cornbread, and:
1- 1 16 oz can of cream-style corn
2- 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese
Bake in a greased casserole pan (is that 9 x 13 in???) at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Which in my experience takes more than 20 minutes so leave extra time.
Praline Sweet Potato Casserole (very popular)
1 quart (4 cups) of mashed yams
2 eggs
½ cup of sugar
½ cup of brown sugar
2 tsp of vanilla
½ tsp of cinnamon
½ tsp of ginger
½ tsp of nutmeg
5 ½ oz of evaporated milk
4 Tbls of melted butter
***Mix (with a hand mixer until smooth) and put into a 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Topping:
Mix :
1 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of flour
1 cup of chopped pecans
1/3 cup of melted butter
***Mix the sugar, flour, and pecans with the butter and spread it evenly over the part that you just baked and put it back in the over for 20 minutes at 375 degrees
