Chicken Mole

• 3 medium onions, divided
• 8 boneless chicken thighs
• 1 Mexican-style beer, such as Negra Modelo
• 4 fresh bay leaves, divided
• 3 ancho chili peppers, seeded and stemmed
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 1 red chili pepper, such as Fresno or Holland
• 2 small stems fresh oregano or marjoram, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened Mexican cocoa powder
• A pinch of cinnamon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
• Small corn or flour tortillas, warmed to package directions, for serving
• Toasted pepitas, for garnish

Quarter one of the onions and place it in a large pot with the chicken, beer, and 2 bay leaves. Add just enough water to come up to the top of the chicken pieces. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer until cooked through, 12-15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the hot liquid to a bowl and shred the meat with forks. Strain and reserve the stock.

Meanwhile, in a small pot, cover the anchos with just enough water to cover and simmer to reconstitute, 8-10 minutes. Add the anchos to a food processor bowl, reserving the cooking liquid.

Toast the almonds in a saucepot large enough in which to make the sauce. Remove the toasted nuts to the food processor bowl.

Slice the two remaining onions. Heat the EVOO over medium-high heat in the same pot you toasted the nuts in. Add the onions, garlic, the remaining two bay leaves, raisins, red chili, oregano, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover and cook to soften the onions, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. Transfer to the food processor with the reconstituted anchos and almonds. Process into a thick paste and return to the saucepot. Add a little of the chicken stock and ancho stock to thin the sauce a bit. It should remain thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the shredded chicken to the sauce, then serve with warm corn or flour tortillas for wrapping. Garnish with the pepitas.

Anchovy Buccatini

• 3 cups cubed stale Italian bread
• Salt
• 1 pound buccatini pasta
• 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 (2-ounce) cans anchovy fillets, in olive oil, minced
• 1 cup (2 large) roasted red bell peppers, seeded and finely minced
• 1 cup sweet onion, finely minced
• 7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
• 1/3 cup minced Italian parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Put about 3 cups stale Italian bread on a baking sheet and put in hot oven. Bake for 10 minutes, cool and add to the bowl of a food
processor fitted with a bottom blade. Pulse into crumbs.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water and add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Remove 1 cup of the cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and set aside.

In a large saute pan, add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and the bread crumbs and cook over medium-high heat until golden and well coated. Remove from the pan to a plate.

Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of the oil to the pan and when hot, add the anchovies and the minced red bell peppers and cook, rapidly, stirring them around with a wooden spoon, for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and chili flakes, cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of the bread crumbs and half of the cheese. Stir in the pasta, toss to combine, adding the cooking liquid as needed.

Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with remaining cheese, bread crumbs and parsley. Serve immediately.

Italian-American Style Tuna Pita Pockets

• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup pitted chopped burgundy olives, oil cured or kalamata
• 1/2 small red onion, grated
• 2 ribs celery, minced
• 4 can or jarred tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 4 pita pockets
• 8 ounces fontina cheese, thinly sliced or shredded

In a large bowl, combine the anchovy paste with extra-virgin olive oil. Add the olives, onions, celery, tuna, lemon juice and pepper, to taste, and toss to combine. Lightly butter each side of the rolls, and toast on each side under the broiler. Fill the rolls with the tuna salad and top with cheese.

Chicken Fried Steak & Gravy

Chicken Fried Steak

• 1 pound boneless top round, trimmed
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups crushed butter crackers (recommended: Saltine)
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup canola oil

Gravy

• 1 pound ground pork
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Cut the beef into 4 equal pieces. Put the pieces between plastic wrap and pound out, with the textured side of a meat mallet, to 1/4-inch thick. Put the meat into a shallow glass or plastic dish, cover with the buttermilk, turning to coat. Set aside while you prepare the dredging station.

In a large baking dish, add the flour and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In a second dish, whisk eggs and milk together. In the third dish, combine the crushed crackers and the panko.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Fit a baking sheet with a rack.

Remove the steaks from the buttermilk, then dip each piece in the flour to coat, shaking off the excess flour. Next, coat them in the egg, then dip them in the cracker and panko mixture, lightly pressing the crumbs into the steak. Set the steaks set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Heat the canola oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. When oil is shimmering, add the steaks, 1 at a time, and cook for 3 minutes on first side, 2 to 3 minutes on second side, or until cooked through. Repeat with remaining steaks. As you finish, blot the excess oil on a paper towel, then transfer the steaks to a baking sheet, and keep warm in a low oven.

In a small bowl, combine the pork, salt and black pepper, to taste, the white pepper and red chili flakes. Heat a medium nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, breaking up the pork as it browns.

Once the pork is cooked through, add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Deglaze with the wine, and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the Dijon and sprinkle in the flour. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the flour.

Add 1 cup of the milk and stir until combined. Add the remaining milk and mix until it's just starting to thicken. Stir in the crean and heat through. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.

Arrange the steaks on a serving platter and serve with Drunken Pork Gravy

Hungarian Portabella Paprikash

• 2 large red mild frying peppers or red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 8 large portabella mushroom caps, gills scraped, wiped clean and chopped into bite-size pieces
• 2 Fresno chile peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
• 4 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika or smoked sweet paprika
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8 ounces wide egg noodles or 1 pound egg tagliatelle
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, parsley, or dill
• Sour cream, as needed

Char the peppers on the stovetop or under the broiler with the oven door cracked for the steam to escape. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to cool. Scrape or peel the skin from the peppers, then seed, and thinly slice.

Heat 1/4 cup EVOO in a large Dutch oven or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and brown 12-15 minutes until darkened and tender. Add the Fresno peppers, onion, carrot, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook to soften, 10 minutes more.

Add the tomato paste to the vegetables and stir 1 minute. Add the stock, wine, Worcestershire sauce, and roasted red peppers. Simmer a few minutes for the flavors to combine, then cool completely and store for make-ahead meal.

Reheat the mushrooms and sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

In boiling salted water, cook the egg noodles or egg pasta to al dente and toss with butter and herbs.

Stir a few spoonfuls of sour cream into the paprikash and serve in shallow bowls on a bed of noodles or pasta.

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Olive oil, for frying
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• A few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 2 large fresh bay leaves
• 1/2-3/4 cup Marsala or white wine
• 1/2 cup celery tops or flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Quick-cooking polenta

Place the dried mushrooms and stock in small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to low boil, then reduce the heat to low and reconstitute.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil, a couple of turns of the pan, in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. To avoid crowding the pan, brown half the chicken at a time, skin-side down, for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken and brown for 3-4 minutes more.

Remove the browned chicken to a plate and add the sliced fresh mushrooms to the pan, browning them for 10-15 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and stir for 10 minutes more to soften.

Deglaze the pot with the Marsala. Add the chicken pieces back to the pot and arrange the vegetables and mushrooms on top. Remove the porcinis from the small pot; roughly chop and add to the chicken. Pour the porcini stock over the chicken, reserving the last couple of spoonfuls, as this is where any grit may have settled.

Cover and braise at a low simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat over a medium flame, or in a preheated 325ºF oven, and heat through, 20-30 minutes.

Serve with quick-cooking polenta or crusty bread and garnish with chopped celery tops.

Baked Chimichangas

• 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 flour tortillas (10 inches)
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free half and half cream
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

In a nonstick skillet, simmer chicken, salsa, onion, cumin and oregano until heated through and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Place 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Place seam side down in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the broth, bouillon and pepper until bouillon is dissolved. Combine flour and cream until smooth; stir into the broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chilies and heat through. To serve, cut chimichangas in half; spoon sauce over the top.

Vegetable & Barley Salad

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked pearl barley
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 cup diced seeded plum tomato (about 2 small)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 20 kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Cook barley according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Cool completely. Combine barley, corn, and next 4 ingredients (through kalamata olives) in a bowl. Combine juice and next 4 ingredients (through garlic), stirring well with a whisk; drizzle over barley mixture. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Steak Hoagies w/Homemade Steak Sauce

Make-Ahead Sauce

• 1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
• 1 red Holland or Fresno chile pepper
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 2 large fresh bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed or dry mustard, 1/3 palmful
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

• 1 cup organic ketchup or low-sugar ketchup
• 2 tablespoons soy or tamari sauce
• 1 cup beef stock

Minute Sliced Steak

• 1 tablespoon high temperature cooking oil (recommended: canola or peanut oil)
• 1 1/4 pounds flank steak
• 4 hoagie rolls of choice
• 1 big bundle watercress, upland cress or baby arugula

For the make-ahead sauce: In food processor bowl, combine the shallot, chile, garlic, bay leaves, mustard seed, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, and peppercorns, process into a smooth paste. Place the flavor paste in a pot and combine with the ketchup, soy, and stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F to crisp the bread.

Place the flank steak in the freezer 5 minutes or until cold. Remove and shred or cut the cold flank steak against the grain. Throw the bread in the oven to crisp it up. In a skillet, heat the high-temperature oil over high heat until it smokes. Add the meat and toss 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and combine with warm sauce. Cut the rolls open and stuff the hoagies with spicy greens and hot-n-saucy steak.

Portabella and Spinach Bolognese

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms or mixed wild mushrooms
• 2 cups water or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 4 large portabella mushrooms, gills scraped, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 1 small rib celery, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 (10-ounce) box organic chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in kitchen towel
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 pound pappardelle or fettuccine pasta
• A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Place the dried mushrooms in small pot and cover with water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and steep.

Heat a heavy pot over medium to medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan extra-virgin olive oil. When hot, add the butter and melt into the oil then add portabellas. After 6 minutes, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaf. Saute until tender, 15 minutes, then separate and add spinach. Season the spinach mixture with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with wine. Remove the dried mushrooms from the steeping liquid. Chop the mushrooms and stir into the sauce. Add the steeping liquid, reserving the last few spoonfuls as any grit on the mushrooms will have settled at the bottom. Stir in the milk. Simmer over low heat 20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with sauce. Serve in shallow bowls, topped with parsley and Pecorino cheese.