The Houndstooth Gourmet

Sicilian Chicken is one of those dishes which reminds me of the Italian restaurants from where I grew up in Philadelphia. In these ever-present establishments, simple Italian-American meals are served with a salad and a  side of plain old spaghetti, topped with spaghetti sauce and grated cheese which I won’t say is cheap but let’s just say it comes in a green can. And I love it. “Oh, that dish doesn’t come with a side of spaghetti?”. “Let me order one that does”.

Coincidentally, my favorite neighborhood Italian place in Philadelphia shares the name of my Houndstooth Gourmet cohort husband, Frank. Frank’s Spaghetti House is low on ambience, but big on value. Plastic booths and laminated tables yield to paper napkins and mismatched cutlery. Salads, which always begin the meal, are iceberg lettuce, cucumbers and flavorless tomatoes, sprinkled with shaved carrots. Bread, always gratis, is reminiscent of a Pillsbury loaf right out of the oven. The side of spaghetti, as I mentioned, is a heaping bowl of pasta, topped with sauce on top of which you can sprinkle grated powdered cheese from a glass shaker. Sprinkling it over your pasta  goes something like this-shake, shake, shake…..turn the shaker over to knock it on the table a few times (curse under your breath) to unclog the holes….shake, shake, shake.

It’s the Italian version of a meat and two and I pine for it.

Then there’s the hot cherry peppers which are so ubiquitous in Philly. Huge bowls of these little pain inducers are omnipresent  at corner hoagie and cheesesteak joints. Not just a garnish, but whole seeded peppers are a staple to put along side your sandwich on the paper it came wrapped in. Growing up, it was a badge of honor just to eat one.

Here’s a recipe for Sicilian Chicken, inspired by a beloved South Philadelphia restaurant called Villa di Roma. Villa di Roma serves up Italian-American fare in a no nonsense, no frills atmophere. The dishes are hearty and huge and you might just be called “hon” by your waitress(not servers-waitress….or waiter in ‘yo Philly).

Sicilian Chicken

serves 4

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 boneless, skiness chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 2 cups porcini mushrooms, halved
• 10-12 hot cherry peppers, seeded and cut in half
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 cup Spanish olives
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and pepper

For the spaghetti

• 1 box of spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• freshly grated parmesan or pecorino (sorry, I just can’t recommend the green can)

Directions

Liberally season chicken with kosher salt and pepper

Heat a skillet over high heat and add olive oil. When oil is very hot (starts to shimmer and smoke just a bit) add chicken. Brown chicken on both sides and remove to a bowl and sprinkle paprika over chicken. To the pan, add onions, mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Scrape up browned bits (fond) from chicken. Add capers, olives and peppers. Sautee for 3-5 minutes to heat through.

Bring heat to high and add white wine. Allow wine to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Add butter to sauce and return chicken to pan. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes to finish chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, heat your favorite pasta sauce and serve it over cooked spaghetti as a side to the chicken. Pass the grated cheese at the table to sprinkle over the spaghetti and the chicken.

* Presto Pasta Night is a really fun weekly event sponsored by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast.

Tags: Recipe, pasta, chicken by Ramona
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 Now that I’ve made a whole bunch of chicken stock-it’s time to make something with it!

Italian wedding soup is delicious anytime-but especially on a cold day with snow covering the ground. Try this one out this weekend!

For the recipe, go to DC Foodies.

Mangia!

Tags: DC Foodies entry, soup, Recipe by Ramona
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Basic stock making is essential for the professional chef as well as the home cook. Yet, many of us, including me, are intimidated by the long and seemingly elusive process. However, if you have made chicken soup-you have made stock. Stock-any stock-is bones, meat, vegetables, herbs and spices-and no salt.They are the foundation (the fond) of good cooking. Stocks can be used in their simple form in soups, and also used to flavor other dishes and sauces. Whether reduced to a glace, or used to make sauces (the French term sauce comes from the Latin salsus-to salt), stock is an essestial element, which is why it is so important to have on hand. Once you’ve made it you will appreciate the difference between the canned or boxed stuff, and the real thing. Now, I still buy premade stock when I run out of homemade-I just make sure it is good quality.

 I’ve been making chicken stock for a while now, and while I’m the first one to improvise in the kitchen, I thought it would be a good idea for me to make a batch of chicken stock according to a more classic method. Although I feel my previous efforts, which involved placing all ingredients into a pot and simmering for hours, yielded good results, I made some observations with the following method. First, the scum/protiens/impurities which float to the top once a boil is reached were much more intense when the chicken cooked first without any other ingredients. Once the initial scum was removed, the stock remained without scum and had minimal foam throughout the remainder of the cooking. Second, while I did refrigerate the strained stock overnight to allow the fat to congeal, the fat was remarkably minimal. Third, I placed the strained stock into an ice bath to minimize the possibility that bacteria would grow as the chicken slowly cooled. Bacteria grows between 40 and 45 degrees Farenheit. My stock reduced in temperater from the mid 90 degrees to 60 degrees in about 20minutes (stirring occasionally)before I refrigerated it. Fourth, placing the herbs and spices either tied together or tied in a bouquet garni and placing them in after I skimmed the scum allowed all of the flavors to stay with the stock and not get taken in the process of removing impurities.

Overall the end result was deep in color with minimal cloudiness. A consume-it is not-but perhaps there is a method to the more meticulous madness of allowing the bones to be placed in cold water and allowed to heat gently (thus the rising of slowly coaguated proteins to the top) . Additionally, simmering the stock gently over a few hours keeps the proteins/scum from churning back down into the stock, and makes it easier to skim.

Basic White Chicken Stock

yields 6-8 quarts, depending on the size of your pot

Ingredients

• 2 1/2-3 lbs. chicken wings
• 2 lbs. chicken necks
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
• 2 onions, first layer of skin removed and halved
• 1 leek, whites only, thoroughly washed and cut into 2 inch slices
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 Tablespoons dried thyme, or one bunch fresh thyme
• 1 Tablespoon peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, washed and tied with kitchen string

Directions

Fashion a bouquet garni for the thyme, peppercorns and bay leaves. To do this, cut a sqaure piece of cheesecloth and place ingredients in the middle. Bring the sides together and tie the top with kitchen string to make a sac.

Place chicken and bones into stock pot and fill with cool water to cover by 2 inches.

Slowly bring water to a slow boil.

Allow scum to form on the surface and skim thoroughly

Add vegetables, parsley (tied), and bouquet garni

Bring stock to a simmer and place lid on as to allow steam to escape

Simmer for 3-4 hours.

Skim scum as needed

Gently and slowly strain stock. If your solids are in a basket*, remove basket and strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth lined collander, or chinois.

Place strained stock into an ice bath and cool.

Store covered in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours, or overnight preferably.

Skim solidified fat that has risen to the surface

Store stock in individual containers or plastic bags and freeze.

*see pictorial-I use my large pasta pot with insert to make stock.

Tags: stock, Recipe, chicken, Uncategorized by Ramona
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Last Saturday, Grape + Bean on South Royal Street, in Alexandria’s Old Town section, opened its door and welcomed customers. The beautiful town home space, owned by David Gwathmey and Sheera Rosenfeld, is now a now a shop for oenophiles, coffee enthusiasts and more. A sun-lit bar and counter area meets you as you enter, while breads, cheese and olives invite grazing. On the counter top, cured meats, Kingsbury Chocolates and fresh breads from Restaurant Eve are displayed in rustic baskets and echo the feel of the warm brick walls, beamed ceiling and wooden floors.

On the left side is a counter upon which sat a red and white wine, along with glasses for sampling. You can also sample coffee made with their Clover coffee machine- the first in the area. The Clover allows serious control over a serious cup of coffee. At Grape + Bean, they use Counter Culture coffee beans in their Clover. A coffee menu offers their selection of coffees to enjoy in or take home.

In the back of the store, wines are available with special attention paid to small producers and sparkling wines. Across the aisle is a large refrigerator which holds, among other things, chilled wines and cheeses such as Humboldt Fog and Rosso di Langa- a soft cow’s milk cheese from Italy, similar to Epoisse, but milder and more buttery. And to help you prepare and enjoy these comestibles in style, there are high quality supplies such as coffee presses, foamers, cheese boards, knives and stemware.

On our visit, Frank and I took turns handing off our dogs to one another as each of us went in to peruse through the shop and speak with the owners, both life long residents of Alexandria who are kind and enthusiastic and obviously support other local businesses around them. They hope to make Grape + Bean a neighborhood place to hang out to enjoy coffee or sip wine while sampling savory goodies. We really enjoyed their recommended wine and cheese pairing of Rosso di Langa cheese and D’Arenberg 2006 Viognier/Marsanne McLaren Vale The Hermit Crab, once at home. The white wine remained cold from their refrigerator, while the chill came off the cheese, allowing it to ooze and spread over rustic bread.

I’m so happy to see more and more quality independent businesses like Grape + Bean opening and filling a needed niche in Old Town. I believe the community will support them in their success.

Grape + Bean
www.grapeandbean.com
118 S. Royal St.
Alexandria VA 22314
(703) 664-0214
Map

Hours:
Monday- Closed
Tuesday-Thursday- 12pm-6pm
Friday- 12pm-7pm
Saturday- 8am-7pm
Sunday- 12pm-5pm

Tags: coffee, wine, gourmet shops, Alexandria, cheese by Ramona
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While Washington D.C. is often referred to as Paris on the Potomac, Alexandria has one more reason to draw Francophiles to the other side of the river. Passing by (the space formerly occupied by The Tea Cosy And British Connection )on a recent chilly evening, I noticed Fontaine Caffe & Creperie had begun to serve their promised sweet and savory crepes in the days prior to the grand opening on Feb. 5th. From the street, I noticed a wood beamed ceiling with small chandeliers illuminating a front dining room, painted in a playful yet warm blue color. Diners inside were tucked into their bistro chairs, chatting intimitely over the small cafe tables while sipping coffee from cafe cups. As I mentioned in a previous post, the menu is filled with food that would transport anyone to a sidewalk cafe in Paris, and I planned to visit soon after their grand opening.

Frank and I visited for brunch on Sunday. Entering into Fontaine, I looked through the glass topped and eponymously embossed wall which separates the entrance from the dining area (a fabulous idea considering the chill I got dining near the door at Jackson 20), to see the Blue Room, with mirrors on one wall and French inspired artwork on the other. We were warmly greeted right away and asked if we wanted our coats hung on the wall by Sunyi, half of the duo behind the new eatery. Sunyi’s sister, Chef Kyong Yi is the owner and chef at Fontaine. Chef Yi, who started cooking for her family at age 12, graduated from the California Culinary Academy of San Fransisco in 1995. She has previously worked at highly regarded D.C. restaurants such as Galileo, Teatro Goldini and The Ritz-Carlton.

From the brunch menu, I orderd the Tuscan crepe-filled with Italian sausage, tomatoes, canellini beans, sauted bell pepper and onions. In a word-delicious. The fennel laden sweet sausage was remarkable to Frank and me- who hail from Northern NJ and Philadlephia, PA respectively- where Italian sausage tastes just like this. Cannelini beans were tender and made even better from steeping with the tomatoes, bell peppers and sausage juices. Salad, included with the savory crepes, consisted of mixed greens dressed lightly with a simple vinaigrette. I enjoyed my salad more and more as I ate because the vinaigrette warmed up a bit and wilted the lettuce as the salad sat next to my crepe.

Frank ordered the Moroccan crepe- filled with spinach and feta cheese and topped with a mint-yogurt sauce. Frank’s crepe came enclosed like an envelope with a balsamic reduction drizzled on top. The crepe was densely packed with feta and spinach and based on how quickly Frank ate it, I’d say he really enjoyed his crepe too. I did get a bite offered to me to sample, and would highly recommend this one.

While we were waiting for our crepes, Frank enjoyed a strong but not bitter coffee. Refills were offered throughout our meal. I ordered the French Cider which came surprisingly in a cafe cup too. The cider was nicely sour which offset the sweetness of the apples. It had low carbonation compared to regular sparkling cider (not a bad thing-I thought it would be more like a sparkling wine). I’d also like to point out that each table has salt and pepper shakers-I find that to be a nice homey touch that says “I want you to enjoy yourself-season your dish as you like it”.

After our savory crepes, Frank and I split a lemon cream crepe which was served with fresh strawberries and blueberries and given a healthy dusting of powdered sugar before it arrived at our table. Creamy light yellow and slightly tart lemon filling oozed out of the crepe and short of licking the plate, we obviously loved it.

After our meal I excused myself to the restrooms in back, and got a chance to see the back room, or Gold Room. Intimate and cozy with a window looking in back of the building, I saw Chef Yi serving and chatting up the smiling customers herself . Bar seating (4-5 seats) is also available in the back of the Blue Room. Stocked with wines, French Cider and a huge coffee machine, the bar was tended by Sunyi who was serving a patron and handling beverage service.

Speaking of wines, there was a fairly extensive list of wines on the back of the menu, priced from the mid $20’s to the mid $40’s.

Feeling sated but not too full, we left really happy with our food and service. We felt comfortable and welcome. Fontaine’s stated mission is “to ensure that each and every customer will return, again and again”. Mission accomplished.

Fontainne Caffe & Creperie

119 S. Royal St.
Alexandria, VA 2231
(703) 535-8151
http://fontainecaffe.com/index.html

Tags: Alexandria, Restaurants by Ramona
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