Recipe? I ain't got no stinkin recipe (Pollo e Pepperone)

So have you ever ordered something in a restaurant and upon the first or second bite said to yourself 'I could make this at home'? Me too. And Pollo e Pepperone (Chicken and Peppers) is a perfect example. A simple dish of chicken, green and red peppers, loads of garlic and olive oil tossed with pasta. Simple for a restaurant chef perhaps, but it proved to be a bit more challenging for me. My first stab at it I neglected to dredge the chicken in flour, so it didn't brown nicely and I didn't use anywhere near enough garlic. The second try was a bit better, but still not enough garlic and olive oil. I chipped away at it, and found that the third time was the charm, finally striking pay dirt. Although, I failed to write any of it down so now when I go six months or a year between making it, I always have to guess to get it right. I usually use linguine, but fettuccine works fine. Also, this last time I made it (for the picture) I didn't have red pepper so it is all green. Also, the restaurant version has a bit of a kick to it, that I have eliminated due to the Julia child's sensitive palette.But all in all, I have the satisfaction of deconstructing and reconstructing a recipe that other restaurant patrons marvel over. That tastes good.

1948's Treasure of the Sierra Madre - a classic, an essential, one of the finest films ever made, and the originator of one of my favorite movie lines ever: "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!" In 2005, the quotation was chosen as No. 36 on the American Film Institute list of the top 100 movie quotes of all time. Starring Humphrey Bogart as a down and out American in Mexico who goes mining for gold, strikes it rich, gets too greedy, and ultimately gets what's coming to him in the end. Unlike the young Robert Blake who has a brief appearance in the beginning of the film, who despite his Baretta mantra of "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime" doesn't end up paying. Anyway, we had the pleasure of finally seeing this film on the big screen as part of the Detroit Film Theatre's DFT 101 series and the experience was truly worth it's weight (and wait) in gold. Play the clip:

The Recipe:

Weren't you paying attention? There is no stikin' recipe, but here's my best guess at it:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
flour for dredging
green pepper, sliced thin
red pepper, sliced thin
garlic, at least three cloves either mincend or sliced very thin
olive oil, probhably at least 1/2 cup
1 pound of pasta

While the pasta is cooking, dredge the chicken in flour. In a 12 inch pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add the chicken, cooking until browned. Add the garlic and the peppers and more oil as needed to keep a pool of it in the pan at all times. Cook until the peppers a re tender. Drain the pasta and add to pan. Toss pasta with chicken and peppers and add more oil if needed so as the pasta is evenly coated. Serve your new friends, but feed the old, as one is silver and the other is gold.

Little Ricky's Nachos

Here's the story on how the idea for this blog came about. It all started in a hotel room. At a casino. In Mt Pleasant, Michigan. And a plate full of the most enormous room service nachos any of us had ever seen. Truly one of those "you had to be there moments" but, suffice it to say the hours of hilarity that ensued will never be forgotten. My sister (we had a name for her in high school: Stupid Judy) donned the nacho bounty "Littly Ricky's Cuban Nachos" and the result was several dozen TV show themed foods (like Things Chicken Fingers and Herman Muenster's Chicken in a Casket). And thus, this blog was born. It all just goes to show you how important a food group nachos truly are. And believe you me, I have eaten my share to recognize the good, the bad and the ugly ( ie, anything with liquid "cheese" like those found at stadiums). Yes, I consider myself to be a nacho afficiando. The best have a combination of stewed chicken or beef, black beans, roasted corn, black olives and enough jalapenos to give it a kick without setting off a three alarm fire in your mouth. Nachos are really the quintessential bar food (and, as so happens, room service as well). Pictured are one of my faves - Horns Bar on Mackinac Island. The key to making nachos at home is to layer the chips and cheese - don't only put the cheese on top - and to bake, not broil. Broiling burns the chips faster than you can say McGillicuddy.

Little Ricky Ricardo - in some ways the original Cousin Oliver. Written into the finest television comedy show in the history of television comedies, I Love Lucy, as cover for Lucille Ball's own pregnancy, Little Ricky never really fit into the show's premise. Beginning with the fact that the network censors would not allow the use of the word "pregnant" on the show, Lucy had to cleverly tell Ricky that she was expecting. Tried as she might, she ended up at The Tropicana Nightclub and requesting the song "Were Having a Baby, My Baby and Me" as the way of letting big Ricky know a Little Ricky was on the way. After the birth, the Ricardos went out of their way to avoid Little Ricky, always conveniently leaving with the the old lady neighbor Mrs. Trumball  - even when they drove across country with Fred and Ethel on the the big trip to California (granted, who could stalk William Holden with a kid in tow?). From 1951 until 1957, Lucy revolutionized television, from on the first on-air pregnancy to the birth of the rerun. Seriously, where would we be without reruns (and no, I don't mean the character from "What's Happening") ? I hope we never run out of reasons to love Lucy.

The Recipe:

Restaurant quality tortilla chips (no crap chips, like tostitos)

Chicken or beef, cooked and simmered in taco sauce or some other mexican seasoning

Shredded cheese, preferably a mix of Monterrey jack, sharp cheddar, Asadero and Queso Blanco

Roasted corn (can be salsa, but not dirty dancing)

Black beans

Black olives, sliced

Tomato, chopped

On a cooking sheet or round pizza pan layer ingredients (except tomato) evenly distributing the chips, cheeses, meat and veg. Bake in a 400 degree oven just until cheese is melted (5-8 minutes). Remove from oven, garnish with tomato, crack open some cervazas and enjoy. Serves Lucy, Desi, Desi Jr and Lucie Jr.

King Creole Jambalaya

I love, love, love me  tender some jambalaya. Surprisingly, New Orleans is the one major US city that I have never travelled to, to sample some authentic creole cooking. Nevertheless, this recipe comes via the New York Times food section and it is one that I have been making for years. Jambalaya is lot like paella, in the sense that it is chicken and sausage and rice and spices - only here we are using white rice instead of Valencia or arborio and no saffron, thank you very much. I've had to adjust the heat level over time as the Julia child is less than tolerant of a hunk of burning food on her palette - it leaves her all shook up. It is an easy go to recipe that's always on my mind. Wise man say only fools rush in, but Jambalaya, I can't help falling in love with you. Sure beats a fried banana and peanut butter sandwich.

King Creole, the 1958 tour de force for Elvis, starring opposite Carolyn Jones (aka Morticia Addams) and Walter Matthau in a gritty musical drama set in a French Quarter nightclub. Gangs, guns, and tainted love become our hero's downfall. This film is as good as it gets for Elvis. Only Jailhouse Rock comes close to demonstrating the real talent Elvis had for acting. After that, Colonel Tom Parker, his "trusted" manager,  signed him to do fluff beach blanket movies where Elvis' character characteristically was always named Rick and most certainly always got the girl. No wonder Elvis was depressed, on drugs, and so over weight he had to wear full-figured karate-like jump suits on stage. Gone was the fun loving, husband of a 14 year old Priscilla, buy every one a Cadillac, Elvis. On a college road trip/pilgrimage with three cohorts to Graceland in 1986, the stark contrast between Elvis the man, and Elvis the performer were on display. Especially in the Jungle Room, where a young happy go lucky Elvis selected all of the furniture in under 15 minutes from a Memphis department store. ( Being 20 at the time, our gang of four may not have been as reverent as some of the other visitors, up to and including when I sarcastically inquired to the young woman whose job it was to point with a flourish at fat Elvis' jumpsuits "How do you get a job like this?" Her most serious southern retort: "You apply"). Gone well before his time (if you believe he's dead - I think he wasn't until Lisa Marie married Michael Jackson and that's what killed him), Elvis truly was King, blue suede shoes and all.



The Recipe:

3/4 cup long-grain rice
4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
4 oz low fat (you know, like young Elvis) spicy chicken sausage, sliced thin
16 oz red & green peppers (4c) chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs thyme, washed, dried and chopped
2/3 cup no-salt added (to avoid bloating) tomato puree
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/8 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine rice and 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed (17 minutes). While rice is cooking, in a 3 qt pot, saute chicken and sausage in sausage's own fat until chicken is browned; remove and set aside. Wipe out but a thin coating of fat from pot. Saute peppers about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomato puree, wine, stock, hot pepper flakes and thyme along with the chicken and the sausage. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and continue to cook until flavors are completely blended, just a few minutes. When rice is cooked, add to pot and stir in. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a hunka, hunka crusty bread. Serves one for the money, two fro the show, three to get ready, and four cats go.

Gnocchi on Wood

What is this you say, another post about gnocchi - is she out of her mind, or terribly forgetful? No, I say. I know I have gnocchied before, but consider this a better take on gnocchi. Ok, so here's the story about a lovely gnocchi board. As my regular readers know, I have been making gnocchi with Nonies meat sauce for eons (see Gnip Gnop Gnocchi). But recently, I noticed my foodie friend Phil posted a pic of his gnocchi and I instantly could tell he used a special device to get the crevices on the dumplings to look so uniform. Upon further investigation, Phil revealed his use of a gnocchi board, obtained on a trip to Italy, no less. (Secretly, I would love to get him to guest blog here, as he is lover, not a fighter, of both food and pop culture.) Anyway, it was then that I knew I had to have one. Luck would have it that Christmas was on the horizon,  and I put an Italian gnocchi board on my list, (it's really a little wooden paddle with ridges) as well as Lidia Bastianich"s "Favorite Recipes" book. Having been a good girl all year, I received both and to my surprise Lidia had a recipe for gnocchi the likes of which I had never heard - she boils (not bakes) her potatoes first. Yes, that's right, she boils baking potatoes. She also puts the cooked potatoes through a ricer, instead of merely mashing them. This I had to try. And, armed with my trusty gnocchi board I set to work. Generally, I shy away from kitchen gadgets that have but one use, but this one makes making gnocchi child's play, gnocchi for dummies if you will. The gnocchi came out lighter, fluffier and prettier than my old recipe and I will never look back. The Julia child's exact quote (not wanting to put words in her mouth) upon her first bite: "Heaven".

Gnocchi isn't the only thing for dummies. No, there is actually a museum (the world's largest and only) ventriloquism museum, aptly named Vent Haven, located in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky (just over the bridge from Cincinnati). Founded by a nut job named William Shakespeare Berger (W.S. to his "friends") who began his dummy collection in 1910 with the purchase of Tommy Baloney. His obsession, or hobby, led him to the high ranking position of President of the International Brotherhood of Ventriloquists. Lucky for us, as we were able to visit  his "museum" in 2011 (by appointment, mind you), he left a foundation to care for his 700 "friends". Words cannot adequately describe the experience. Just try and explain to your 21st century child that at one time the most popular form of entertainment was listening to a ventriloquist act on the radio. You decide who the real dummies are in this picture....

The Recipe: (courtesy of Lidia Bastianich)

6 Large Idaho or russet potatoes

2 tablespoons, plus one teaspoon salt

Dash of freshly ground white pepper

2 eggs, beaten

About 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Grated Parmigiano cheese for serving

Boil (yes, boil) the potatoes in their skins for about 40 minutes, until easily pierced with a skewer (or when you can stick your hand up their back). When cool enough to handle (about 30 minutes), peel and rice the potatoes, and set them aside to cool completely, spreading them loosely to expose as much surface as possible  to air (but not so much that you can see your lips move).

Bring 6 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons salt to boil in a large pot. On a cool, preferably marble (although I used my wooden pastry board) work surface, gather the cold potatoes into a mound, forming a well in the center. Stir the remaining teaspoon of salt and the pepper into the beaten eggs, and pour the mixture into the well. Work the potatoes and eggs together with both hands, gradually adding 3 cups of flour. Incorporation of the ingredients should take no longer than 10 minutes (it only took me three, but I am a quick study) - the longer you work it, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become.

Dust the dough your hands, and the work surface lightly with flour and cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Using both hands, roll each piece into a rope 1/2 inch thick, then slice the ropes at 1/2 inch intervals (this is where the gnocchi board really comes in handy, as it also cuts the dough). Indent each dumpling with the tines of a fork or roll on a board. Place on a lightly floured cooking sheet.

Drop the gnocchi into boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they float to the top (like a wooden dummy). Remove with  a slotted spoon. Add sauce, cheese and bueno appetitio!

Serves 6.