Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
• 2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)
• 3/4 cup Marsala
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. (You may want to change the ratio of flour to Essence for a little more kick. The way it is now, there isn't much "bam" in Emeril's essence). Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Sean's Falafel and Cucumber Sauce

Ok, confession, I have no clue who Sean is, however, he makes a damn fine falafel and cucumber sauce. A few weeks ago I had a serious hankering for falafel and hummus so I hopped online and came across this recipe. There are a zillion recipes out there for falafel, but I picked this because a) it got lots of good ratings on AllRecipes.com, b) it seemed really easy, c) it used canned chickpeas instead of doing it the "real" way and spending two days making falafel with chickpeas from scratch, and d) I liked the sound of cucumber sauce too. So, without further ado, here's Sean's falafel:

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• oil for frying (we used olive oil)

• 1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1. In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.
2. In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.
3. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides.
4. In a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Serve on pita or lavash bread with lettuce, tomatoes and hummus for an excellent lunch or dinner.
   

Other notes:

• We added some minced garlic to the cucumber sauce even though the recipe didn't call for it. I think it was a worthwhile addition.
• If you want even more of that sort of crunchy texture that falafel at places like Jerusalem Garden has, you might try adding some bulgur wheat to the mixture. Now, I haven't tried this yet and the texture of the recipe as is is quite good, but it might be worth experimenting with.

Voodoo Chili

This recipe came about when an announcer at a pub trivia night mispronounced the Jimi Hendrix song "Voodoo Chile." We decided it was hilarious and immediately set out to come up with a recipe that incorporated an element we thought sufficiently Voudun.

The main recipe comes from a cookbook a friend bought me called "The Feast of Santa Fe" by Huntley Dent; the secret ingredient is mine...

2 to 3 pounds beef round or chuck steak
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium-large onions (1 lb, about), chopped
1/4 c flour
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 of a 6 oz can tomato paste
3 c crushed tomatoes, or the equivalent in whole canned tomatoes, roughly chopped
5 c beef broth, or the equivalent of beef broth and water, mixed to desired proportions
6 Tbsp powdered red chilies
2 tsp whole or ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt (we rarely add this, as the broth is salty enough)
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 c red kidney beans, home-cooked or canned
**1/2 c of Rum (we use Pyrat because of its unique taste, you can take or leave that as you will)

Heat half the oil in a large eskillet and brown the beef thoroughly in 3 or 4 batches - larger quantities are likely to crowd the pan, which will cause them to steam instead of saute. As each batch is finished, transfer it to a 4- to 6-quart pot or Dutch oven.

When all the meat is browned, make sure there are at least 2 Tbsp of fat left in the skillet, and add the onions. Cover the pan to sweat them over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium, and stir the onions until they are uniformly light brown but not at all charred. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and continue to stir for a minute to incorporate it and cook the mixture through. Transfer the onions to the pot with the beef.

Add all the remaining ingredients except the bell pepper and the beans to the pot and place over medium heat. Stir thoroughly, bring to a simmer, and cook gently, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. The chili will need little attention as it cooks except for occasional stirring to keep it from sticking to the pot. Add up to 1 cup of water to the mixture if it seems too thick.

At the end of the simmering time, degrease the surface of the chili if necessary and add the chopped bell pepper. Simmer another 15 minutes, then add the beans (including some of their liquid if the stew needs further thinning) and simmer barely 5 minutes longer. The chili can be served immediately or held.

This recipe makes more servings than I've had opportunity to count. Sasha and I usually eat 3-4 immediately, and then I enjoy it consistently for the next week (sometimes for lunch AND dinner). Enjoy!

Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 tablespoons white sugar 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup white sugar 3 eggs

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream 1/4 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee 2 teaspoons vanilla extract pressurized whipped cream caramel ice cream topping

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2.	Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons of sugar until well combined. Press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, and 1 inch up the sides. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, then remove to cool on a wire rack.
3.	Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
4.	Beat the softened cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup of sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream, espresso and vanilla. Pour batter into the baked and cooled crust.
5.	Bake cheesecake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes; then turn the oven off, partially open the door and allow the cheesecake to rest for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven, and run a knife around the edges. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack to room temperature, then cover the springform pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
6.	To serve, cut the cheesecake into wedges and garnish each slice with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

Aloo Gobi

As prepared by Gurinder Chadha from Bend It Like Beckham

Ghee or unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
Medium cauliflower, quartered, then sliced
2 large potatoes, quartered then sliced
1 TBL cumin seeds
1-3 green (serrano) chilies, sliced
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
2-inch piece ginger, sliced
3-6 garlic cloves, diced
1 tsp sweet (regular) paprika
3 canned tomatoes, and juice
handful cilantro, chop stems and pick off leaves for garnish
1 1/2 tsp garam masala

Heat ghee, add cumin seeds, then onion and cilantro stems. Cook until translucent ("creamy golden").
Add chilies, turmeric, salt. Add paprika, then grate in tomatoes (use a cheese grater). Stir in.
Add ginger, garlic cook about 1 min.
Add potatoes, cook 5 minutes
Add cauliflower and 2 TBL water, cover and cook 10 minutes.
Add garam masala cook 10 more minutes until cauliflower is tender, but not mushy.
Add cilantro leaves. Cover, turn off heat and leave 10 minutes.

Serve with naan or basmati rice.