Pastaria Kale Salad

A lot of people have asked me about the differences between the Chicago and St. Louis restaurant scenes. It's hard to compete with a world-class scene like Chicago's, but we've found a number of good restaurants here. In general I find you just have to look a little hard and Yelp isn't as reliable here. #FirstWorldProblems, right?

One of the restaurants we have really loved is Pastaria by Niche. My favorite thing on the menu? Their chopped kale salad. It's incredibly flavorful and I've been trying to put my finger on the flavors for months. I haven't quite nailed it, but I think I'm getting pretty darn close with the following recipe. Anchovies people... that's the good stuff.

I know... I know... anchovies are the food your mom used to threaten you with when you were a kid, but they're really tasty. In this recipe you don't taste fish, but the anchovies give a meaty, salty bite to the dressing that stands up well to the firm texture of kale.

Usually I just shake up my dressings in a jar, but with the anchovies I like to give it a buzz in the food processor. This way you don't get any rogue chunks of fish. Gross.

Like most kale salads, it's best to rub in the dressing and let it sit for a few minutes. The nice thing about this is you can make it ahead if you're entertaining or if you're bringing it for lunch you can dress it in the morning. Easy peasy.

Just throw in the cheese and bread crumbs right before you serve to keep everything crunchy. So if you can't make it to Pastaria, at least you can enjoy a close(ish) salad.

Pastaria Kale Salad
2 bunches kale
1 shallot, roughly chopped
4 anchovy fillets
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh-shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

De-stem, wash and dry kale before roughly chopping. Place in a large bowl.

Combine shallot, anchovies, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor. Buzz until shallot and anchovy are finely chopped and dressing has emulsified.

Use your hands to rub salad dressing into the kale leaves. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Just before serving toss in parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin

It is supposedly finally ending. The branded winter. I say branded because can anyone else recall a winter with such catch phrases? Polar Vortex? Named blizzards? It's plain bullshit. And I won't miss a minute of it.

So with the last burst of bluster on Sunday, I decided to make one last comforting, warm meal. One final fling before I put the slow cooker to rest for a bit. Coq au vin... classic French comfort food. I gave it my own American twist with a slow cooker. C'est parfait!

I should qualify that while this recipe lets the slow cooker do the long haul work, there's a bit of prep beforehand. I can assure you it's worth it. It's just enough effort for entertaining, but might be tough for a Tuesday.

I prefer chicken thighs for this recipe. They have good flavor and hold up well during the long cook time. Bonus that they are quite affordable.

To give your sauce good thickness, you start with a light coating of flour on the chicken and then into the pan to brown. You'll have to do them in a couple of batches, but it's just a few moments per side, so it goes quick.

Once browned, just nestle each little soldier in a row at the bottom of the slow cooker. On to the veggies and wine...doesn't that sound nice?

Brown up some quartered mushrooms in butter. Be sure not to crowd them. Then crisp a bit of bacon for good measure.

Then into the slow cooker it all goes. Layered chicken, mushrooms, bacon, pearl onions, carrots and seasonings. Top it all off with luscious red wine and spend the next few hours anticipating your delicious dinner.

Spoon every warm bit over mashed potatoes with parsley and relish in the end of this branded disaster of a season. Spring is here. Rejoice.

Slow Cooker Coq Au Vin
12 boneless, skinless chicken thights
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1lb button mushrooms, quartered
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced in 1-inch chunks
1 1/4 cup pearl onions, defrosted
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 bay leaves
3 rosemary sprigs
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Coat chicken lightly in flour, salt and pepper mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and brown 1/3 of chicken thighs in a large pan over medium-high heat. Repeat with remaining olive oil and chicken. Arrange chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker in one layer.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over high heat. Add half of mushrooms to pan and keep them moving. When mushrooms brown (about 4 minutes) add to slow cooker. Repeat with remaining mushrooms and butter. Once mushrooms are done, crisp bacon over medium-high heat; add to slow cooker.

Add carrots, onions, garlic, bay, rosemary, oregano and tomato paste to slow cooker. Pour red wine and chicken stock over the top. Put the cover on the slow cooker and set to high heat for 4 hours.

Remove bay leaves and rosemary stems. Serve over mashed potatoes with parsley and enjoy!

Weeknight Idea: Warm Bacon and Date Salad

Sometimes salad just doesn't feel like dinner to me. Unless it's unbearably hot outside, I crave a warm meal at the end of the day. But the reality is, after this long hard winter I need a few more salads in my life. Swimsuit season? Woof. 

This salad is a nice middle ground. Substantial and warm, but crisp and low guilt. It's a quick weeknight fix that hits on salty, sweet and bitter. Bacon and cannellini beans provide a nice dose of protein, so you won't be hungry an hour later. Sticky dates round out the flavors and texture. Hits all my targets, so let's call it dinner.

Weeknight Meal: Warm Bacon and Date Salad

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 handful chopped dates

Curly endive

Warm olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add bacon to the pan and cook until crisp. When the bacon is close to being crisp add cannellini beans and dates. Spoon warm mixture over curly endive and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Guest Breakfast Casserole

You know that recipe. The one you rummage for when you realize you haven't planned a breakfast for your weekend guests. Your weekday Cheerios won't do. No, no... you're playing host and the morning calls for something with hostess heft. Pretty presentation protein. Entertaining ease.

Screw a different recipe every time. Instead, figure out a formula that works and vary to suit your mood, the season or whatever you have in your fridge.

The formula is easy: bread, eggs and half and half. Then add a 1/2lb meat, 2 cups veggies, seasoning and give it a good soak. Cheese it and bake it.

This version has Cajun flair, since I was welcoming guests for Mardi Gras, but there are near endless options. Spinach and swiss cheese. Bacon and asparagus. Just stick with the proportions and you'll be all set. Look how smart you are!

Guest Breakfast Casserole

Cooking spray

1 baguette, cut into 1-inch slices on the diagonal

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 lb. andouille sausage, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

8 eggs

3/4 half and half

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I prefer Tony Chachere's)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Spray a 9x12 casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange bread slices on the bottom of the dish. Tear up smaller pieces to fill in the holes between slices. 

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and add andouille. Cook sausage for 5-6 minutes, until brown and remove from skillet with slotted spoon. Add peppers and shallots to pan and cook until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Allow sausage and pepper to cool before spreading over bread. 

In a large bowl, mix eggs, half and half and seasoning. Pour over bread and pepper mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. 

In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the casserole and bake (covered) for 45 minutes, just until eggs set. Remove foil in the last few minutes to give the cheese a bit of color. Coo slightly and enjoy!

Orange Fennel Sole en Papillote

True story... I took enough middle school French to enable me to give fish in a paper bag a fancy name. En papillote. I didn't make up the name, it's a classic French cooking technique that gently steams contents and locks in delicate flavor. It's quick, very healthy and makes you feel fancy on a Wednesday night.

Since it's a delicate cooking method, it's ideal for flaky fish. You know the kind that sticks on the grill and crumbles when you try to flip in a pan. With en papillote you will be the master of flaky fish filets. 

The combinations are pretty endless, but in the drab of winter, citrus felt bright and delicious. Fennel's sweetness nicely complimented the tart and sole filets absorbed every bit of flavor. Tomatoes and olives would be a good if you were feeling bold and sassy. 

I did a fancy folding thing here. You can learn how to do it here. But here's a secret... you can do this all with foil. It's not as pretty, but it works just the same and takes no time. Fancy secrets! 

Orange Fennel Sole en Papillote

8 thin-cut sole filets

2 oranges, thinly sliced

1 bulb fennel, stalks removed and bulb cored and thinly sliced

4 slices butter

S&P

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut four 15-inch sheets of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fold sheet in half and place a slice of butter and 1/4 of fennel on the sheet. Top with 2 slices of fish, then layer on orange slices, a few fennel fronds and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold over foil and tightly crimp edges. Repeat for all four packs. 

Place packs on two cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. Open packets table side and enjoy. 

Gotcha Day

This guy... oh man, I love this dog. Today is the 2nd anniversary of "Gotcha Day." Since Howard was adopted from a shelter, he doesn't have an official birthday (our best guess is that he's 5-ish), but that doesn't stop us from celebrating the day he came into our life. The day we got him... "gotcha." 

Although I thought I knew everything about this dog -- I mean, we ARE best friends -- I learned a little bit more at the vet this weekend. Turns out the poor guy has worn down patches on the backs of his teeth that are likely the result of chewing on a cage for a prolonged period. I don't mean to go all Sarah McLachlan on you, but I was practically in tears when I heard this and imagined my guy trying to chew his way out of a cage day after day. How someone could lock-up this cuddly, sweet boy, I don't know. 

What I really mean to say, is that there are a lot of dogs out there that need loving homes where people don't leave dogs them in cages all the time. In the past two years, Howard has made our lives exponentially better and I only wish everyone could enjoy the same love. If you're planning on bringing a dog into your family, please consider adoption. 

French Onion Soup with Double Mustard Croutons

I'm slowly emerging from the Super Bowl black hole. When people think that PR is all glamour and parties, I implore you to visualize me huddled around my space heater, with bloodshot eyes, running on nothing but Diet Coke for days on end. I did it all for the puppy.

Good news. Turns out there's more to eat in this world than late-office delivery Jimmy John's sandwiches. What a revelation.

After all was said and done, I needed something warm and slightly indulgent. Deeply caramelized, sweet onions with ooey-gooey cheese and crispity-crunchy bread on top. Crispity-crunchy bread with mustard. Yep.

The ingredients are humble, but when you don't rush them, they build incredible flavor. There's something about taking your time in the kitchen after a period of rushing in your life that makes you relax. Not rushing is a good thing. 

Let's get real, there's no point in making French Onion soup if you're not going to have bread with it. It's compulsory. Simply non-negotiable. These croutons pull from another classic French flavor, dijon mustard. 

I beg you not to use packaged croutons. Woof. They're incredibly easy to make and exponentially more delicious. 

Simply toss in olive oil, dry mustard and dijon mustard. You'll make soup just to have the excuse to make these. 

With a quick melt of cheese atop the soup, you're ready, unrushed and hopefully revived. You made it.

French Onion Soup with Double Mustard Croutons
1/2 stick of butter
4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 cups beef stock
1 cup white wine
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 French baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Heat butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. When melted, add onions and stir to coat. Cook onions until soft and beginning to brown, about 45 minutes to an hour.

While onions cook, prepare croutons. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet, toss bread cubes with olive oil, dried mustard, dijon mustard and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bake for 5 minutes and toss. Bake for another 5 minutes until a golden brown color is achieved.

Once the onions are a deep, caramel brown color, add beef stock, white wine, thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Ladle soup into four ovenproof bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Top with a handful of croutons and a slice of cheese. Bake until cheese melts. Dig in and enjoy!

Soup recipe adapted from Mark Bittman.