Orzo with Chicken and Asiago - Just Like the One You Saw in the Grocery Store Line

If this recipe looks familiar, there may be a good reason for that. This easy Orzo with Chicken and Asiago recipe is from the website myrecipes.com, which is published by Time Inc., the creative force behind all those cooking magazines you thumb through while standing in line at the grocery store.

Time Inc., which publishes the popular periodicals Southern Living, Cooking Light, Sunset, and Real Simple, recently contacted me regarding there new recipe website. They asked me to check it out to see what I thought.

I decided to surf the site as if I was looking for an easy weeknight dinner recipe. I found this Orzo with Chicken and Asiago recipe and decided to give it a try, pretty much as printed. It came out very well, which for many recipes printed online, is a rarity.

I really like how the site is organized, and I encourage you to check it out. I may actually be doing some guest blogging for myrecipes.com, and hopefully I can eventually publish some videos for them.

So, check out this recipe, and for the full, written recipe with ingredients, go to myrecipes.com. Tell’em Chef John sent you. Enjoy!

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Uh-Oh! SpaghettiOs

Denise from the blog ChezUs has posted a “gourmet” homemade version of the retro classic, Chef Boyardee SpaghettiOs, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t look at a picture of SpaghettiOs without smiling.

I don’t even remember if I was fed SpaghettiOs as a child. I’d ask my mom, but like any good Italian she would probably never admit to it. Regardless, I’ve always been fascinated by the SpaghettiO. Why hasn’t the ring caught on as a pasta shape?

You would think that the shape’s popularity as a canned foods staple would have caught on with pasta makers, homemakers, and chefs, but that hasn't been the case. Did Chef Boyardee have a gang of thugs from Piacenza, Italy, that “recommended” others not use it? Since there’s no way to know for sure, let’s assume he did.

Anyway, I applaud Denise and her fearless attempt to bring SpaghettiOs into your lives sans cans. Her recipe looks delicious, and I’m sure it will be making an appearance here in video form someday. Get the recipe, and read her post here. Enjoy!

Photo (c) ChezUs

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Eggplant Parmesan Casserole - Killing Two Food Wishes with One Delicious Stone

I've received a ton of requests for eggplant Parmesan, and I finally got around to filming my "low-fat" version. Speaking of requests, the most common request I get is for fried foods - fried chicken, onion rings, tempura, french fries, et al - and I always send the same basic reply; great fried foods requires a large commercial deep fryer to really give you the results you crave.

You can do a few things small scale at home with a fry-daddy, but for the most part those deep-fried delicacies you want me to demo are best ordered out. Normally, eggplant Parmesan would fall under this "needs to be fried to be good" category, but in this video recipe you'll see my method for a much easier casserole-style version.

One problem with eggplant is they soak up and incredible amount of oil. They can't help it, it's their nature. To counter this, we reserve the crispiness for the top crust. By using a nice thick layer of crunchy Parmesan breadcrumbs, we get a very similar fork full of food, but at significant caloric savings. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 eggplants
olive oil as needed
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup shredded pepper Jack
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 cups tomato sauce (prepared pasta sauce is best)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
for the topping:
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbsp olive oil

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Rocket Beans - Soaring into the Side Dish Stratosphere

Over the last few years, Arugula has gone from rare and exotic, to common and mainstream. Bags of baby arugula line almost every lettuce case in the country, and it appears on restaurant menus with such frequency one could make the case it's over-used.

Another, infinitely cooler, name for arugula is Rocket. My sources deep within the European foodie subculture report that this is the term most commonly used. That's where this lovely, and extremely easy bean side dish gets its name.

While rocket is a wonderful green for salads, I really enjoy using it as an herb in hot dishes like this one. The secret is a very, very brief cooking so it keeps its fresh spicy flavor, and bright color.

This makes a great side dish for so many main courses, and in the video you'll see it next to a maple-brined pork loin that I'll be airing soon. By the way, don't let the bacon fat in this recipe scare you. Believe me, it's way more afraid of you than you are of it. Enjoy!



4 strips bacon, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
15 oz jar or can butter beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, minced
large handful arugula, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced

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Pasta Primavera - Do Hotel Chefs Know that "Primavera" Means Spring?

Pasta primavera is quite a straightforward recipe - spaghetti or fettuccine tossed with an array of fresh spring vegetables. When done right, this is one of the year's great seasonal recipes. This looks, smells, and tastes like a cool, sunny spring day.

The thing I can't figure out is how chefs, particularly one running large hotel kitchens, came to call any pasta with vegetables, "pasta primavera." If you order this dish in one of those establishments, you will probably get a plate of pasta, with a heavy cream sauce, some black bits of oxidized basil, and large, undercooked chunks of vegetables, usually of the summer and fall variety.

Unfortunately for many chefs, this recipe serves as a way to clean out the walk-in of past-their-prime vegetables (Mmm…old squash and bell peppers), instead of what it should be - a celebration for the return of fresh green veggies.You will see a great "chefs secret" in this video recipe for keeping the basil bright green. In fact, the second photo here shows the leftovers after 24 hours. They are still beautiful, and didn't turn that nasty grey-green-brown hue that affects leftover basil-based sauces.

I like to choose as many different green vegetables as I can get my hands on for this dish. I managed to include seven varieties, and could have added a few more without a problem. I'll admit, this one does take much more slicing and dicing than I usually subject you to, but the effort will be rewarded with a pasta worthy of its name. Enjoy!
 


Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil plus 2 tbsps
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 large leek (dark green parts trimmed off and discarded), chopped, washed thoroughly
2 jalapeno, diced
1 bunch basil
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic
2 green zucchini, diced
1/2 cup freshly shucked peas
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 bunch asparagus, stalks diced, tips left whole
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, or as needed
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 pound fettuccine

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Timeshare Turkey Bolognese - Cooking Without

The good news about staying in one of these timeshare hotel suites is they usually have full kitchens. The bad news is they don't have any supplies or pantry with which to work, so planning a nice meal can be a bit challenging.

This Timeshare Turkey Bolognese video recipe is a good option since it doesn't require many ingredients, or a whole lot of slicing and dicing. Every one of these types of kitchens has the same exact knife set - flimsy, jagged-edged, plastic-handled, Ginsu-wannabes.

These knifes are not only dangerous to use, but make even the most basic cuts virtually impossible. You'll actually see me resort to a pair of scissors to cut the parsley. This recipe was nice because even the most poorly chopped onions and garlic will still work in this sauce.

Keep in mind as you prepare to comment, this is not my usually Bolognese sauce - so questions about why I didn’t add something, etc., will all get the same answer - I'm cooking on the road. I may (for a nominal fee) be making that much sought-after video recipe available soon, but for now this very crude version will have to do.

All in all, it was a great tasting meal, and my two customers seemed very happy with it. I hope those of you with access to fully stocked kitchens and pantries will take this very basic recipe and run wild with it. Enjoy!

Tech note: This was filmed without my usual studio equipment, so the audio is pretty rough.



Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
dried Italian herbs to taste
1/2 cup milk
1 28-oz jar marinara sauce
2 cups water, more as needed
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
grated Parmesan cheese

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One Potato Gnocchi - Just Because

I don't know how I missed it, but there it was, sitting at the bottom of the white plastic bin where I store my potatoes and onions…a single russet. A single potato is never a good thing. Do you wait to buy more, and hope it blends in? Do you waste all that gas and heat, cooking one single potato? One of the few practical uses for these rogue spuds is to make a small batch of potato gnocchi.

Let me disclose right up front that I really don't like gnocchi that much. They're "Aight" as Randy Jackson might say, but I never go out of my way to eat them. However, I love to make them. This is an interesting recipe to make, and just about the most fun thing you can do with a single potato (assuming you lost your Mr. Potatohead parts long ago).

There is no such thing as an exact recipe for gnocchi. If you don’t like cooking by feel, and need exact measurements before attempting to cook something, this recipe is not for you. Potato sizes vary, the starch/water contents vary, how you cook it, and how much flour you add not only depends on the aforementioned factors, but also on the desired texture/density of the gnocchi.

I like a very potato'y gnocchi, so I go with just enough flour to form the dough. Other people prefer a denser, more pasta-like dumpling, and use much more flour. I know many of you hate it when I say this, but you'll just have to figure it out as you go. The good news is, figuring things out in the kitchen is fun. Enjoy!

Tech Note: I'm having a sound issue with the videos in Vimeo with the Mozo pre-roll at the beginning. I'll continue to work on it, but until I figure it out here is a low-res YouTube version to hold you over.



Here is the Vimeo version, and you can hear the sound distortion problem. They are working on this issue, and hopefully it will be fixed soon.



Ingredients:
1 large russet potato
1 egg
1/2 to 3/4 cup flour depending on a wide array of factors
sauce to cover

Check out these other Italian-American recipe videos:
Italian-style Cabbage Rolls
Chicken Cacciatore
Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine
Beef Braciole
Chicken Parmesan Casserole

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Creamy Cauliflower Spaghetti Alfredo - Delicious and Not Scary

Those nutrition labels on food do not easily frighten me. But, one label that always takes my breath away is that of heavy whipping cream. The fat and calories are staggering, yet nothing compares to its indescribable effect on a recipe.

Those of you who made the chocolate mousse know what I'm talking about. It's the quintessential special occasion ingredient. So, when the craving struck for a nice spaghetti with Alfredo sauce recently, I decided to try an alternative to the 4,000-calorie all-cream version, and grabbed a head of cauliflower.

If there was a game (called "Oppafoodosites") where someone yells out a food word, and you have to yell back the complete opposite - "cauliflower" would be my response to "heavy cream." But, as you'll see in this video recipe, the creamy cauliflower puree, with just a small splash of cream, makes a beautiful sauce.

I also love the dusting of crispy Parmesan breadcrumbs that top this delicious pasta. I used the very fine, dry breadcrumbs instead of the larger homemade crumbs you've seen me use in other videos, since I wanted a very fine, almost gritty texture to top the creamy sauce.

This cauliflower spaghetti Alfredo is a great "bridge" recipe, helping us transition from rich, decadent Valentine's offerings to much leaner winter fare. This tastes and feels very rich, but is actually quite light. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 head cauliflower, cored, cut in large pieces
1/2 tsp dried Italian herb blend
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
for topping:
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/3 grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
2 tbsp any chopped fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, oregano, basil, etc)
14-oz box spaghetti, cooked and drained
1/2 lemon, juiced

For another similar, and equally delicious cauliflower pasta video recipe, check out this oldie, but goody: Cauliflower Spaghetti “Aglio Olio"


* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

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He Tells of Michele's Seashells with Sicilian Sausage by the Sea Shore

I just had to post this picture of a pasta Michele made for her sick chef a couple nights ago. I get emails once in a while asking if and what Michele cooks and why don’t I film her.

She does cook - when she can get in the kitchen, which I'm usually occupying. I would film her, but her rates are very high and we haven't been able to agree on a price.


It's a super simple recipe, which goes as follows; sauté sausage meat until brown, add some garlic and sauté in the fat for a couple minutes. Throw in a bunch of broccoli rabe, some pepper flakes, and enough chicken stock to cover.

Simmer until the broccoli rabe is tender. Boil shells and add to the sauce with a splash of good olive oil and a handful of real Pecorino Romano cheese. Yes, I will be filming this someday.

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No-Knead Ciabatta - Bread You Can Believe In

Okay, enough with the inaugural tie-ins. Here's the promised ciabatta video recipe. It came out beyond delicious. It was other-worldly, sublime, ethereal, and several other adjectives I would have to look up before using.

It was the perfect marriage of a crisp, light crust outside, and a chewy, yet tender inside. The no-knead part is just a bonus, and only adds to the perfection of this loaf. As you'll hear in the video, I'm a bit under the weather, but even at half-speed this was a simple and enjoyable task.

All I will say is you really need to make this bread. Pretty soon we'll be thinking of romantic, sexy recipes to seduce our Valentines with. Keep this video in mind, for what could be better than having someone bake you a fresh loaf of Italian bread, then slowly buttering and feeding you a still warm slice?

Sorry, I think I took too much cough medicine. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour (I used 3 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup wheat)
*Note: you can use All-purpose flour if you want
1/4 tsp yeast
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt

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A Successful Ciabatta Experiment?

Ciabatta bread, which according to Wikipedia literally means, "carpet slipper," (as opposed to hardwood floor slipper) is one of my favorite breads. I've wanted to try a loaf using our no-knead dough and I think it worked. I made an extra wet and sticky batch of dough and here you can see the before and after photos. I will reserve final judgment until slicing however. More later.

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Sloppy Giuseppe - The Silent Movie Version

I just found some footage shot after the Pork and Beans and Greens video recipe, which shows how I used some of the leftover spice-rubbed pork shoulder to make a delicious Italian version of the venerable Sloppy Joe. Of course, I had to call it a Sloppy Giuseppe.

I'm still in New York and since I didn't bring proper recording equipment, I'll do the narration for this when I get back. I hate how the mic on the laptop sounds, so in the meantime I decided to post a silent movie version complete with classic silent movie soundtrack. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
no-knead dough made into rolls
cooked spice-rubbed pork shoulder, chopped
hot pepper flakes, to taste
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
tomato sauce as needed
splash of water

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

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Another "Chef John is Traveling" Rerun: Cabbage Rolls a Mother Knows Best

Hello from freezing western New York. It looks like I'm probably not going to have time or the opportunity to film any video recipes while I'm here, but here is a winter classic that I'm posting along with an important update to the procedure.

My mother had some amazing cabbage rolls waiting for Michele and me upon our arrival. As we ate I could tell by the look in my wife's eyes she was thinking, "yours are good, but these are better." When you've been together as long as we have, you can actually read each others minds.

After a brief conversation it was discovered that while I use the same ingredients as mom, she cooks hers an additional hour. This explained the extra tender filling, and even sweeter, more tender cabbage. So, here is my cabbage roll recipe video (inspired by my Aunt's recipe - you can read that original post here, and get the ingredients) and as you watch please take note the cooking time is not 2, but 3 hours. Thanks mom. Enjoy!

Update to the Update! After further discussions with my mother, and my aunt who I credited with the recipe, it seems that I'm using several ingredients not officially sanctioned by the family elders. Apparently they don't use Parmesan or egg in the mixture, and it been "suggested" that if I continue using those ingredients I should stop telling people it's their recipe!

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Pork Barrel Spending and Beans

In honor of the presidential inauguration, the title of this recipe, "Pork and Beans and Greens - Good Luck Making This," has temporally changed to this more Washington-esqe one.

As many of you foodies already know (it's on the entrance exam), a very traditional southern New Years meal is black-eyed peas, or some other type of bean, and greens. Eating this meager meal on New Years day is supposed to bring you great prosperity for the rest of the year.

This video recipe is a lighter and easier Italian take on the classic, and is topped with some crusty, caramelized roast pork. Speaking of the south, you'll see me use a spice rub (a wet rub, aka "wub") on the pork before roasting for a sort of Italian barbecue effect.

All in all, this is an odd recipe. The pork is not slow-roasted, but cooked at a higher heat for a crusty finish. The greens are not slowly braised, but just wilted. The black-eyed peas have been replaced with cannellini beans. And, I can't guarantee it will bring you the same prosperity as the traditional version. Having said all that, I thought it tasted excellent and I hope you give it a try.

By the way, I will also be doing a traditional version that - with any luck - you'll see before New Years Day. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
4 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast, cut in large pieces
for the wet rub:
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 rounded tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil

1 large bunch arugula
1 14-oz jar cannellini beans
1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves sliced garlic

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

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Mascarpone Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage - It's the Best Thing Since Wonton Skins!

If I suggested you make homemade butternut squash ravioli as an appetizer for your holiday meal, what would you say? You'd say no. That's because you would envision some long complicated process fraught with disappointment.

People throw around the "best thing since sliced bread" line for all kinds of things, and rarely do they deserve such a tribute. Ready-to-use wonton skins, however, are not only the "best thing since sliced bread," they are better than sliced bread…much better.

Anyone can slice bread (except those cooks on Hell's Kitchen), but how many people make paper-thin, perfectly round wonton skins. Hopefully this video recipe shows you just how easy ravioli can be when using this easy-to-find, and very liberating product.

I've used them for tortellini, pierogi, dumplings, ravioli, and yes, even wontons, all with terrific results. There are eight million known ravioli fillings, so once you get this simple technique down you have a lot of recipes to try. I've also posted a few (very) old videos that use the same product. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 cup cooked butternut squash
1/2 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
1 package round wonton skins
butter, garlic, and sage as needed

More Wonton Magic - click on title to read original post
(Warning: old videos with minimal production value)

Wonton Soup



Salmon Ricotta Tortellini with Spring Peas and Lemon

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Chicken Cacciatore - The Official Recipe of Bad Italian Hunters

For decades I've made and enjoyed chicken cacciatore without ever realizing what a terrible name it has. Chicken cacciatore basically translates to "hunters-style chicken." So, what's wrong with that you say? What kind of lame-ass hunter settles for chicken??

Are you telling me the proud, cunning hunters of Italy have allowed their official dish to use chicken as the main ingredient? Where's the dangerous wild boar? How about hard-to-shoot pheasant? I mean how hard is it to hunt chicken? My hunting skills are only slightly better than Paris Hilton, yet I could shoot a damn chicken.

Sorry to have to call you out, Italy. Don't feel too bad; you still have your cooks, artists, lovers, and opera singers to be proud of. All that being said, chicken cacciatore is a very delicious dish, and this video recipe shows my favorite version. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 whole roasting chicken, cut in quarters
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion, sliced (so they hold together, slice the onions "with the grain" in the same direction as the lines of the onion, instead of across the onion like they are usually sliced)
8 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 springs rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 green bell peppers, sliced

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

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No-Knead Mania Makes Previously Posted Pizza Dough a Dinosaur

My love for the no-knead method has now been extended to my pizza dough recipe. You know the saying, "if it's not broken, don't fix it?" Well, when it comes to my pizza dough I'm glad I ignored that chestnut.

My pizza dough recipe wasn't broken, but I fixed it anyway, and am very glad I did. As I expected, the magic that is no-knead bread, adapted beautifully to this purpose.

After one day, and almost no effort, I had enough soft, and supple dough for 2 regular, or 4 small pizzas. As you see in the video recipe, I ended up making a "white" garlic pizza, which was one of my childhood favorites as prepared by my grandmother.

This pizza, made from not much more than garlic, olive oil, and cheese, really shows off the character of the dough. Give this dough a try, and maybe even give white pizza a spin. Enjoy!





Dough Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup wheat flour
2 1/2 cups AP flour
cornmeal as needed

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By Very Special Request - Great Grandma C's Pane di Granoturco

I was speaking with my mother, Pauline, last week, and she told me about a bread she used to eat at her grandmother's house. She said it was basic Italian bread, but had some cornmeal in it, and was one of her favorites.

She wanted to try and make a loaf to resurrect this family heirloom, but she wasn't sure of the recipe. She had tried one she found online, but while the cornmeal to flour ratio was good, the texture was off, and it was cooked in a bread machine, which we were both fairly certain Great Grandma C hadn’t used.

I love to play food detective, so I took her description and went to work. Since she had done the hard part and had a basic cornmeal ratio, the rest was just applying it to a recipe for rustic, Italian bread. I believe this is pretty close to what she remembers, and even if it's a bit off, it was still delicious.

By the way, the name, Pane di Granoturco, is what popped up when I did an online translation for "Italian cornbread." I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as "Pane di Granoturco" in Italy, so save those "this is NOT an Italian bread" comments. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 pkg yeast
1/8 tsp sugar
1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup warm water
...then:
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 to 2 cups bread flour, as needed

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Coming Soon: Great Grandma C's Pane di Granoturco

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Creamy Mushroom Pasta Yan Yan - Asia's Top Blogger's Food Wish

Last week, while looking at my traffic stats, I noticed an unusually large number of visitors from Singapore. I followed the trail to a blog called Xiaxue, which had linked to my chocolate lava cake video. As I read the post, I was shocked to see the blog's author, Xiaxue, had sent me a comment, but that I never replied!

Even worse, I noticed the website had received numerous awards as Asia's top blog, and that Xiaxue was a bona fide Internet superstar. As you know, I religiously answer every single comment and email I get (except for the ones I don’t), so I quickly emailed her to find out about her ignored comment.

She quickly replied and said she wrote this long teary comment about how my recipe had aided in her quest to get hitched, and she told me to keep on blogging. I was so excited to get an email from such an important person for a change, instead of the usual stuff I get from you people.I thanked her, and offered to film any recipe she wanted. She asked for creamy mushroom pasta that she gets out, but wants to make at home. So, this video recipe was her food wish. I watched a couple of her videos and learned that she likes to be called Yan Yan, which explains the recipe's name.

By the way, she said that Xiaxue is almost impossible to pronounce if you're not Chinese - which I took as a challenge, and as you'll hear in the clip, I try on several occasions. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 lb white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
2 oz sherry wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh chive
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
8 oz fettuccine

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