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Classic Rice Pilaf and Little White Lies

You’re a great cook. You know it, and so do all your friends. There are no techniques or recipes you haven’t mastered, well, except for one… you stink at making rice. Sure, when it comes up in conversation you lie and say your rice rocks, and offer advice to your unsuspecting friends, but we know the truth.

It’s okay. You’re not alone. Cooking a perfect batch of white rice without a rice cooker can be a challenge. I attempted to solve this issue in 2007, when I posted “How To Make Perfect White Rice,” but if for whatever reasons you still can’t do it, no problem! We’re simply going to have you do what so many great minds over the centuries have done in these situations…give up.

That’s right, we going for forget about cooking rice on the stove, and show you the incredibly delicious and absolutely foolproof world of pilaf! Because it’s coated with butter first, and baked with less liquid, this almost magical recipe will give you magazine quality rice every time (and I’m talking about the good food magazines, not those ones that went out of business).

I’m showing a fairly classic version here, which includes the extremely optional ingredient, saffron. If you are not familiar with this exotic spice, follow this wiki-link to get more info, as the subtle taste is very hard for me to describe. By the way, it’s crazy expensive and you’ll only want a tiny pinch, for too much will dominate the palette.

You also want a high-quality, non-discount brand of rice. Cheap rice has lots of broken grains, which do not cook evenly. So, if there’s shame in your rice game, I hope you give this great rice pilaf recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 servings:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

2 cups white long grain rice

pinch of saffron, optional

3 cups good quality chicken stock or broth (or water if you must)

1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
pinch of cayenne
*wrap very tightly in foil, bake at 350 for 35 minutes, let rest 10 more, and then fluff!

View the complete recipe

Classic Rice Pilaf and Little White Lies

Ingredients for about 6 servings:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

2 cups white long grain rice

pinch of saffron, optional

3 cups good quality chicken stock or broth (or water if you must)

1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
pinch of cayenne
*wrap very tightly in foil, bake at 350 for 35 minutes, let rest 10 more, and then fluff!

On the California Zephyr to Chicago

California Zephyr Train Photo (c) Flickr user Loco Steve

Michele and I are on a train to Chicago! We have a family wedding to attend, and it’s my birthday tomorrow, so we’ll be celebrating by eating and drinking our way across the Windy City. If you follow me on Twitterand/or Instagram, I’ll be sharing photos of all the deliciousness as it happens. It’s our first trip to Chicago, so if you have any “must try” spots, feel free to share!

The wedding we’re attending joins our cousin (and future James Beard Award winner) Tony and his beautiful fiance Nora. You may remember them from such epic 24-course meals as the one shown in the 3-part video below. You can see the lovely couple at the beginning of Part 1 (do not miss Nora’s slow-mo caviar tasting reaction shot!). I’ve only posted the videos, so if you want to read a detailed account of this historic meal, check out the original post here. Enjoy!

On the California Zephyr to Chicago

California Zephyr Train Photo (c) Flickr user Loco Steve

Crispy Pork Cutlets with Creamy Jalapeno Green Onion Gravy – Say Auf Wiedersehen to the 3-Pan Breading Station!

This is what happens when you have two food wishes in your head at the same time. I’ve wanted to do a schnitzel video für immer, but thanks to another recent food wish, I was also craving biscuits with cream gravy. So, I sort of did both, and it worked out well. Very well.

The crispy pork cutlet part of the presentation is very simple and straightforward, but it did afford the opportunity to share my new breading system. With all the time you’ll save, you can hit the gym to burn off this less than light, but extremely satisfying meal.

I’ve never been a big fan of the 3-pan breading system. Once you dredge meat in the prescribed dish of seasoned flour, you have to toss the rest. The whole idea is to simply coat the meat with flour, so why not just sprinkle on already seasoned meat? We use much less flour that way, and with zero waste.

From there, we’re not dipping these in a bowl of beaten eggs. Why do that, when we can just dump one egg on to the same plate and toss to coat. Faster, easier, and one egg is plenty for four cutlets.

As far as the cream gravy goes, the jalapenos and green onion probably seem logical, but some may raise an eyebrow over the diced dill pickle. I’m not sure exactly why I added them, but I just had one of those feelings. Pickles and pork, dill and cream sauce, it felt right, and it tasted even righter.

By the way, you can substitute veal, beef, turkey or chicken for the pork without missing a beat. Anyway, I hope you give this easy pork cutlet, delicious cream gravy, and/or new breading system a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 Cutlets (makes four entrée size portions of 2 cutlets each):

2 fully trimmed pork tenderloins, cut into 8 pieces, pounded flat

salt and pepper to taste

flour as needed

2 eggs

about 3 cups panko breadcrumbs

For the gravy:

2 tbsp melted butter

1/3 cup diced dill pickles

1 or 2 jalapeños, small dice

1 bunch green onions, chopped

salt and cayenne to taste

1 1/2 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 cup cold milk, plus more to adjust thickness if needed

View the complete recipe

Crispy Pork Cutlets with Creamy Jalapeno Green Onion Gravy – Say Auf Wiedersehen to the 3-Pan Breading Station!

Ingredients for 8 Cutlets (makes four entrée size portions of 2 cutlets each):

2 fully trimmed pork tenderloins, cut into 8 pieces, pounded flat

salt and pepper to taste

flour as needed

2 eggs

about 3 cups panko breadcrumbs

For the gravy:

2 tbsp melted butter

1/3 cup diced dill pickles

1 or 2 jalapeños, small dice

1 bunch green onions, chopped

salt and cayenne to taste

1 1/2 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 cup cold milk, plus more to adjust thickness if needed

Veracruz-Style Red Snapper – A New Take on a Very Old Classic

Fish “Veracruz” was the first “authentic” Mexican recipe I ever ate. I had it 30 years ago at the Casa Del Sol in Saranac Lake, NY, where I worked while enrolled in culinary school.

I remember trying and loving it, and being very surprised that “this” was actually Mexican food. Besides…olives on fish? That was some crazy stuff.

Up to that point, the only “Mexican” food I’d ever had was crispy cafeteria tacos made by completely non-Mexican lunch ladies. So, this kind of thing was very exciting for me. I’ve forgotten the exact recipe after all these years of adaptation, but that’s of little consequence as it’s the kind of dish you make a little different every time anyway.

I like red snapper for this, but any white, flaky fish will work. By the way, many Veracruz-style fish recipes call for pickled jalapenos, but I think there’s plenty of acidity in this from the lime and tomatoes, so I like the fresh pepper a little more.

If you don’t want to do this in individual portions like I did, you can certainly do it in a regular casserole dish, but you’ll probably need to give it a few extra minutes. Simply use the same fork-flaking doneness test as shown in the clip. Flakiness never lies.

This food wish goes out to all of you that asked for flavorful, foolproof fish recipes. I’m not sure why people get so scared to cook fish, but if you’re one of them, this is for you. Other than a few minutes of slicing, this couldn’t be easier. Serve simply with some chips, or over rice for a more substantial meal. Either way, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 boneless red snapper filets, about 7 oz each

cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon capers

1 tablespoon caper brine

1 large jalapeno, sliced, seeded

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup sliced Castelvetrano green olives, or any green olive

2 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

2 limes

*Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes

View the complete recipe

Classic Rice Pilaf and Little White Lies

Classic Rice Pilaf and Little White Lies

On the California Zephyr to Chicago

On the California Zephyr to Chicago

Crispy Pork Cutlets with Creamy Jalapeno Green Onion Gravy – Say Auf Wiedersehen to the 3-Pan Breading Station!

Crispy Pork Cutlets with Creamy Jalapeno Green Onion Gravy – Say Auf Wiedersehen to the 3-Pan Breading Station!

Veracruz-Style Red Snapper – A New Take on a Very Old Classic

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