Posts Tagged ‘raisins’

 

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Day One on the Trail

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 by Shelley

It’s my first day on the Appalachian Trail! Right before I left, I realized I am not as minimalistic around food as I may have indicated in my last blog. My pantry list has grown considerably since then.

Fruits & Vegetables

I will not be taking everything on my revised pantry list with me at one time. I purchased additional items so they can be sent on occasion to post offices along the trail. My pantry will supplement my provisioning along the way and provide some real reprieve to the noodles and Slim Jims I will need to purchase along the trail.

I created “mini pantries” to represent my dietary needs, as well as flavor profiles. The categories are protein, carbohydrates, snacks, seasonings and beverages. From there, the ingredients are divided into sub-categories: Japanese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian and Breakfast.

In the morning, I plan to have a simple snack or breakfast with some instant coffee or tea. I purchased dehydrated yogurt, which I’m kind of excited about! It has 9 grams of protein and can be simply dissolved in water and used like milk. I can soak oats and raisins in it overnight and either heat it or eat it room temperature in the morning. I can also use the yogurt as a simple protein shake. I’m considering adding chia seeds to the yogurt for a great protein, fiber and energy drink in the morning.

Throughout the day I plan to snack on nuts, nut butters, energy drinks, more chia seeds and food bars. I imagine that my snacks will ultimately be influenced by what I can find in the stores off the trail.

Japanese Flavorings

The evenings is where cooking will actually happen. I don’t think I will have a huge variety in styles of dishes but I’m hoping I can get really creative with the flavors. My dinners will be some kind of carbohydrate such as jasmine, Thai or short grain rice, quinoa or noodles. I’ll incorporate some kind of protein such as beans, canned meat or fish, vegetables, seasonings and fat. In my pack right now are sprouted lentils, Thai rice, red curry paste, and Hooray Puree spinach and coconut puree. This all cooks at a similar rate and although it may look a bit sloppy when I’m done, I think it will taste delicious!

My Updated Pantry

Protein:

Dehydrated yogurt powder

Tuna

Sardines

Canned trout

Nut Butters

Canned cockles

Nuts

Nut butters

Dehydrated and sprouted beans

Assorted prepared Dal

 

Carbohydrates:

Jasmine-Thai-Japanese Rice

Quinoa

Noodles

Oats-Muesli

 

Fat:

Olive oil

Coconut puree

Grains

Nut butters

Parmesan cheese

 

Vegetables:

Dehydrated blueberries

Dehydrated strawberries and bananas

Dehydrated mixed vegetables

Hooray Puree’s Carrots, Squash and Spinach

Assorted prepared Indian vegetables

Dried mushrooms

This is my last post on The Chopping Blog for a while. If you are interested in following my adventure on the AT, please check out my website 2200 To Go.

 

 

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Shelley has been teaching people to cook since she opened The Chopping Block in 1997. She spent 17 years as a professional chef, working in busy restaurants and private homes but realized her calling was to get other people to cook. Shelley’s unique concept of a recreational cooking school, gourmet kitchen store and private event business provides Chicago with over 300 cooking classes and private events each month. Shelley loves to garden and entertain for family and friends in her Lincoln Square home.

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Holy Molé

Thursday, October 13th, 2011 by Carrie

Well, maybe it’s not so ‘holy’, but if any of you have ever thought about or attempted to make molé, you know what I’m talking about.  Molé is one of my favorite Latin American sauces to eat and can be a beautiful sauce to make, given a little love and time.

I was inspired to make a batch at home after instructing a private event at our Lincoln Square location that had Braised Chicken in Molé on the menu.  I didn’t have a copy of the recipe with me as I went to the store, but I thought I could recollect most everything I needed and what I might already have at home.  I did pretty good, although, I forgot two ingredients – golden raisins and Mexican chocolate.  When I realized this, I started rummaging through my pantry. I substituted dates for the raisins and semi-sweet chocolate chips for the Mexican chocolate.  I did have to fine-tune the spices and sweetness due to the substitutions, but all in all, it didn’t turn out half bad.

That was a fun Sunday afternoon experiment for me, as I don’t always cook for myself in that way.  Now, I have several pint containers in my freezer that I can pull out to make a nice, flavorful chili as the weather gets cooler, or braise a little more chicken later on.

Here’s the recipe:

Braised Chicken in Molé with Rice

Yield: 8 servings

Active time: 30 minutes

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

One 4-5 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large tomato

1 yellow onion

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 ounces dried guajillo chilies

2 ounces dried ancho chilies

2 slices stale French bread, cut into cubes

1 clove garlic

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

5 whole cloves

1/2 disk Mexican chocolate

Salt to taste

Steamed long-grain rice

  1. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add the grapeseed oil. Sear the chicken skin side down first until golden brown and crisp. Flip and repeat. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. (Save the pot the chicken was seared in to simmer the mole.)
  2. Preheat the broiler. Cut the tomatoes and onions in half, and rub them with a little of the olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet and broil for about 10 minutes, turning them once, until slightly charred.
  3. Pull the stems from the dried chilies and shake out the seeds.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Fry the chilies until toasty. Do not overbrown them; if they get too dark they will become bitter. Transfer the finished chilies to a bowl and cover with hot water.
  5. In the same pan you used to toast the chilies, add a little more olive oil as needed, and toast the bread cubes until golden brown.
  6. Combine the chilies, bread, tomatoes, onion, garlic and stock and puree in batches in a blender.  Transfer the pureed mixture to same pot the chicken was seared in.
  7. Grind the peppercorns, cloves and sesame seeds in a mortar with a pestle and add to the pot.
  8. Add the chocolate and chicken to the pot and bring the mole to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  9. Serve over steamed rice.

For those of you that are a little more ambitious, check out Diana Kennedy’s “Oaxaca al Gusto” (available at The Chopping Block), or this link to Rick Bayless’s famous mole that he prepared for the White House state dinner.

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Carrie finally found her culinary niche as a Chef Instructor for The Chopping Block in May 2008, but only after a hilariously traumatic demonstration interview (of which you will have to attend one of her classes to hear about). She gets a thrill of sharing the things she’s learned about food and cooking with others and the memories and experiences around food that have made her who she is today. Her hope is to take away the apprehension people have of cooking by pouring on her southern hospitality and charm and having fun in the kitchen. When she isn’t cooking, you can usually find her at a concert, a neighborhood restaurant or just hanging out with friends and enjoying their company.

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My First Mother’s Day

Friday, May 13th, 2011 by Amanda

Mother’s Day this year was extra special for me because it is my first year (actually 11 months and 4 days) as a mother!  Everyday I get to wear many different hats ranging from safety patrol to entertainer but my favorite and the one I take most seriously is my chef’s hat.  As Mario’s personal chef, not only am I forming his culinary palate, but I am also giving his little body the fuel he needs to grow “big and strong”.

Even before Mario’s birth, it has been my goal to give him the best nutritional beginning that I can.  This goal may be largely driven knowing how prevalent childhood obesity is in our society or my own early childhood filled with fresh produce from our farm.  Either way, feeding Mario has become my obsession and a constant topic of conversation for me.  Luckily, I am surrounded by people with a similar philosophy that homemade, with fresh ingredients, is key.

Leaving Mario, even for a few hours, is very difficult for me but I am fortunate that when I come to work I know I am gaining skills that will benefit him. I will be the first to admit that working at The Chopping Block has spoiled me allowing me access to so many valuable resources.  It is great to assist in our How to Make Baby Food class or have quality baby food cookbooks at my fingertips.  Most importantly, I love being surrounded by people that can give me different insights and techniques on ways to present food.

Also, as Mario’s personal chef, I have gotten to relive a little of my childhood. Ants on a Log, which is a celery stalk, cut in half filled with peanut butter (the log) sprinkled with raisins (the ants) was one of my favorite treats that my mother made me growing up.  Another ingenious way she got me to eat vegetables was with the story of Stone Soup.  Basically, she let me go outside, pick a “magical” stone, she washed it and plopped it in our stew, which I then magically ate.

Perhaps, the reasons I love being a mom and wearing my chef hat are that I get a chance to share memories and experiment with recipes with my son.  Hopefully, by doing so I am cultivating his passion for food and cooking!  Please feel free (I am begging) to give me any other “childhood” recipes or great kid recipes.  I am sure Mario will appreciate them.

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Amanda Aristeo is originally from Traverse City, Michigan and has lived in Chicago for the past 7 years. After the birth of her son, Mario, she left her position at the Chicago City Clerk’s Office to dedicate herself to her family and pursue a part-time career in a field she is passionate about: food. Remembering how much she enjoyed attending classes at The Chopping Block, she applied at Lincoln Square and now works as a Class Assistant and Retail Associate. When Amanda isn’t creating meatless meals for her family, she is busy attending aquababies, Tiny Tots or spending time with her wonderful husband.

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