Author: Gary Bechard

On the Edge…part deux

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

First, I have to apologize that I did not take a picture of the plate this time so I had to put a picture of “Mr. Grouper” from Bubble Guppies.  He’s kind of cute and is not quite something I would want to filet, his being a cartoon and all.  (And, please note that no cartoons were harmed while writing this blog post.)

The whole idea behind pre-diabetic cooking is to control the carbohydrate intake (you need about 30 grams per meal) and to make sure that you are getting the right kind of carbs for your diet. (think whole wheat, fruits and vegetables) I think this is one of the reasons that most of the literature points people in the direction of making sure that fruit is part of every meal. True a lot of fruits are full of sugar but the ones recommended for pre-diabetics and diabetics alike are berries. YUM! For any of you living near Maine or the New England area blueberries come to mind as the berry of choice along with your basic strawberries, raspberries and such. I have a high school classmate that said in our yearbook “Essence of blueberries is all you need to exist” and I would have to agree. So if you are cooking for a pre-diabetic make sure to include the berries, in their natural form of course.

This recipe was one of those thought up on a long ride one of these past weekends. For whatever reason, the leek and mushroom combination kept popping into my head which was kind of weird because before this time I had never cooked with leeks. (channeling a chef from the past maybe?) They are a fine vegetable, however, and are akin to very mild scallions only much bigger. I like this recipe because it is easy and the way that it is baked deep seats the flavors into the fish. So without further adieu here is the recipe. Later this week I will put out here the “how to” for the vegetable stock I made from the leftover parts of the leeks.

Glam Grouper
Grouper done with Leeks and Mushrooms
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 – Large Grouper Fillets (mine totaled about 2.5 lbs)
4 – Leeks
2 pts – Mixed mushroom slices (if you cannot find these use a mushroom with a lot of earthy flavor like Portabellas or Cremini and mix them with Shitakes, Oyster and other flavorful mushrooms)
7 – Garlic cloves (fine diced)
1 – Handful fresh parsley (or a bit more, coarse chopped)
16 oz – Mushroom broth (you could also do vegetable stock but the mushroom broth gives a better flavor)
1 pinch – Sea Salt per fillet ( use coarse ground and only put 3 to 4 granules each)
Coarse ground Black Pepper (a couple of grinds per fillet)

Preparation:
Prepare the leeks (you are going to use the white parts) by cutting the white part off and slicing the long way into shreds. Wash between the leaves because a lot of dirt can get caught in there and I am pretty sure the grocery store has not washed them for you ahead of time. Save the green parts of the leeks to make vegetable soup stock.

Construction Instruction:
Spray the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish with a non-caloric cooking spray and arrange the fillets evenly across the dish. Pour in the mushroom broth so that it surrounds each of the fillets. Next, salt and pepper the fish and arrange leeks, mushrooms, garlic and parsley more around the fillets than on them. The reason for putting the ingredients around as opposed to on top is that you are going to steam cook the fillets and allow the fish to absorb those flavors. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

This was served with a wild rice pilaf made with lightly sautéed mushrooms and sweet onions, roasted cauliflower and asparagus. On the side, there was also a berry salad with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and some kiwi for good measure.

Enjoy!
The Well Fed Cyclist

On the Edge…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

No, I do not believe that I am unstable or that I will try to jump from a tall building but the title refers to the condition of “Pre-Diabetic” where folks are not quite at the fully diabetic stage but are on that threshold.  People very close to me have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic.  My knowing this prompted me to embark on a project to adjust my recipes to fit this particular type of diet. I noticed that there are no “pre-diabetic” cookbooks thus leaving these folks to modify the full diabetic recipes to suit their needs (sometimes good, sometimes not so good) so these are not the same as the diabetic recipes but employ some of the same principals. There is the liberal use of cinnamon (this is just like a shot of insulin and helps a great deal in controlling blood sugar) and of as many herbs in as many combinations as can be imagined so that you can avoid reaching for that bottle of sauce with the “umteen” grams of sugar in it. As promised (maybe a bit later than I expected however) here is the first installment of “On the Edge” recipes for those with pre-diabetes. All you other folks don’t worry as I will continue to do my other kind of recipes with simple ingredients executed well but this is to help those who may have this condition.

Viejapthainese Meatballs (This recipe has a lot of different influences)
Asian inspired Turkey meatballs with sesame-lime gravy
(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

The Meatballs:
2 lbs – Ground turkey breast
2 tbsp – Dried basil
1 tbsp – Cinnamon (ground)
2 tbsp – Red and Black pepper (I used “Hotshot” by McCormick) Note: if you are really adventurous you can substitute 3, finely diced jalapeno peppers or 4 Thai chili peppers here.
½ tbsp – Ginger (ground) Note: The original idea was to use fresh ginger finely chopped but I have not figure out the equivalent yet.
1 tbsp – Lite soy sauce
1 tsp – Toasted sesame oil
½ cup – Whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
1 – Egg
½ – Sweet onion (diced very fine)
7 – Garlic cloves (run through a garlic press)
¼ cup – water (added in slowly to change the consistency of the meat ball mixture. You may not use all of it)

The Sauce:
5 – Limes (the juice of)
2 tbsp – Toasted sesame oil (depending on the size of your limes you could go a bit more here)
1 ½ tbsp – Honey
2 tbsp – Dried basil
¼ cup – Scallions chopped (the green part)
Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

Construction Instruction:

In a large bowl, combine turkey with the remainder of the meatball ingredients except for the water. Mix thoroughly so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed. (Note: I used a potato masher to make this as fine a mixture as possible.) Add water slowly to the mixture, using your hands, until the consistency is almost sticky. Make small (about tablespoon size) meatballs and place them on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam or some other non-caloric cooking spray. This should yield about 30 meatballs. Bake these in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. At about 15 minutes turn the meatballs so that they cook evenly. Note: I started checking the meatballs at about the 30 minute mark to make sure that they had not gotten too dry. When done the meatballs should spring back lightly when pushed down on by a fork.

The Sauce Construction Instruction:

In a bowl combine the lime juice and the remainder of the ingredients Whisk together until the honey has had a chance to dissolve. Put the mixture in a small sauce pan and over low heat reduce by about 1/4th. This should take about the same time as it takes the meatballs to cook.

To serve, take 4 to 5 meatballs and put over Japanese buckwheat noodles or brown rice (I have had them both ways) and spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoon’s worth of the gravy over top. I served this with a cabbage, zucchini, squash and onion salad finished with rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds and green beans semi-dry pan roasted with crushed red pepper flakes.

This was a huge hit with the family. I hope that it turns out for everyone who wants to try it.

Enjoy!

You say tomato, I say “tomahto”…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I am not sure I would call the whole thing off, and some folks will have probably already seen the featured picture on FaceBook, but I thought I would go ahead and commit this short, but extraordinarily tasty recipe to the food blog.  As the story goes (and you know how that is), I was walking through the local groceria when I saw a beautiful vision. (key dreamy music) The vision was of multicolored Heirloom tomatoes together in harmony in the bin longingly asking for some attention. As readers of this blog will know, sometimes vegetables speak to me and these were no different and were asking me to do something creative and colorful.  I chose a wide variety of different colors and sizes because they all have a slightly different flavor profile. However, all of the different types of tomatoes have a kind of sweetness to them so I wanted something to balance the flavors and that is where the Kalmata and green olives plus some sweet onion came in.  This recipe was kind of a departure for me in that I decided on a side dish before I even picked out the protein.

We Can All Get Along (mixed Herloom tomato salad)

Gary Bechard – The Well Fed Cyclist

Ingredients:

4 to 5 – Heirloom tomatoes of varying size and color, cut into small wedges

8 to 10 – Miniature San Marzano tomatoes sliced in half length wise

8 to 10 – Yellow Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1/3  – Medium sweet onion, sliced and quartered

1/4 cup – Kalmata olives sliced

1/4 cup – Green olives with pimento sliced in half

1/8 cup – Champagne vinegar

Construction Instruction:

On a large plate or small platter put down the bed of onions spacing them evenly across the entire surface, layer on each of the types of tomatoes making sure to kind of mix up the colors (have some fun with your food for once people) at the end sprinkle the different kinds of olives evenly on top.  To top it all drizzle the champagne vinegar on top and chill for about 40 minutes so that the flavors REALLY get to each other ( averitable flavor orgy, if you will).

This was served as a side for simple baked salmon filets with steamed cauliflower as the other side dish.  I meant to do some pearled cous-cous but the meal just did not need it.

Enjoy!

Sometimes things just get stuck…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

You are probably wondering from the title, “Where in the world can he take this?” I am not sure where because there are so many possibilities. I could go the dirty old man route (sometimes I do fit the bill for that) but I am not quite sure the equipment is large enough, and, I am pretty sure somewhere some guy has that angle covered. Or, I could do the handy man route, having to use a hammer, some pliers or other implement of destruction to free a kitchen utensil from an angry piece of food.  However, this is more of a food dream gone rabid where the idea would not leave me alone until I made the dish.

The whole idea started innocently enough while looking at a jar of artichokes in the grocery store after buying some chicken for the night’s meal.  After that, I happened to stroll down the “international aisle” (ever notice that “international” is only Asian, Mexican and Italian in most stores) and saw that the large baking shells were on sale and that is when the idea clicked.  I thought that I would be able to modify my normal stuffed shells recipe to accommodate finely diced chicken with artichoke and that, if done right, the flavors would play nice with one another. Excited, I brought the idea home to see what people would think. Well, it went over like the proverbial lead balloon. There were no scrunched faces or dry heaving but the silence was deafening. Somehow, I would have to have an excuse to make these so that we would be able to taste them or…I would need to have guinea pigs, testers, critics, if you will, willing participants in this culinary expedition but where to find them. I guess I could have rid the house of all food except for chicken, artichokes and the other ingredients but I was pretty sure that was not going to fly so I had to wait, and wait, and wait for a chance.

My chance came when my daughter, and her significant other were asked if they would be willing subjects in my food experiment (thankfully they normally are). They agreed and the rest is history.  The recipe was 3 months in my head and on a scrap piece of paper but now here it is!

I Artichoke You

(Baked Stuffed Shells with chicken)

The Well Fed Cyclist, Gary Bechard

Note: Bold print is the “Date Night” version

Ingredients:

30 – 40 oz of either your own or 2 jars of store bought, Alfredo sauce (I use the light version)

I would use 1 ½ jars or about 24 oz  

1 lb – boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (make them small cubes)

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (make them small cubes)

4 cloves – Garlic, fine chopped

            2 cloves, fine chopped

1/2 cup – Sweet onion, fine diced (about 3 to 4, 1/8th inch slices)

¼ cup sweet onion, fine diced

1 – 10 ounce jar of artichoke hearts, drained and fine diced (I used ones that were in sunflower oil and not the marinated.)

4 to 5 artichoke hearts drained and fine diced

30 oz – Ricotta cheese (I use the skim version but whole is good too)

15 oz container of ricotta

2 cups – shredded mixed Italian cheeses or mozzarella (I like the mixed better)

1 cup shredded Italian cheese

1½ cups – shredded Parmesan cheese (divided)

¾ cup shredded Parmesan (divided)

½ cup of fresh chopped parsley or (if you have to) 2 tbsp dried parsley flakes

¼ cup fresh chopped (or a small handful) or 1 tbsp

7 basil leaves fine chopped or (if you have to) 1 tbsp dried basil

3 -4 fresh basil leaves or 1 tbsp dried basil (it won’t hurt you)

1 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Leave the same or reduce to 1/2 tsp

1 box of large stuffing shells (I use Barilla because they hold together better while cooking)

½ box of shells

Extra virgin olive oil

Construction Instruction:

Note: This will take either a 9 X 13 baking dish for family sized or 10 X 6 for the Date Night version

In a non-stick skillet, sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil (about three turns around the pan should do it for the olive oil or if you really have to measure about 3 to 4 tablespoons). The onions should become almost clear and do not let the garlic get brown because then it will just be bitter. Note: remember that olive oil has a pretty low smoke point so the heat should be medium or just a shade below.  Then add and thoroughly cook the diced chicken breasts. What you want to have when you get done are small ¼ inch by ¼ inch, or thereabout, pieces.  When done set them aside.

Place ricotta, shredded cheeses, half the Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, pepper, artichoke hearts and chicken in a large bowl and fold the mixture together until thoroughly combined.  (Note: I would scrape all the olive oil and onion goodness into the mixture from the skillet since you do not want to miss out on any of that flavor.) After everything is married together, take and refrigerate mixture. (This will help the mixture set up and make it easier to stuff the shells)

Prepare the shells according to the package instructions minus 30 seconds on the longest time listed on the box. (I gently boil mine for around 9 minutes 30 seconds) Drain and cool by spraying cold water on them to stop the cooking process. In the bottom of the baking dish pour and spread half of the Alfredo sauce on the bottom of the pan. (Make it nice an even along the bottom.)  Taking the refrigerated stuffing mixture, spoon into shells (Each shell will take about 1 tbsp of mixture) and arrange in the bottom of the baking dish with the openings facing up.  It is okay to stack them if you need to because more than one layer is fine as they will bake together pretty well.  When you have finished pour remaining sauce over top of shells and spread the second half of Parmesan over top.  Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

This was served with an Italian salad with quartered artichoke hearts, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and dressed with shaved fresh Parmesan, olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Enjoy!

The Well Fed Cyclist

Who knew?!

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

The second smoker event turned out pretty well so I may get the hang of it yet.  My son will be coming in for Labor Day and he wants to do a Bavarian Octoberfest so…it will be done along with smoked bratwurst and other assorted goodies. I just hope that the weather holds out which is no easy feat here in Western PA.

I did not realize that inspiration could come during some of the most mundane tasks such as, mowing the lawn.  Yup, this recipe was conjured up while pushing the old Husquvarna around the homestead thinking about…well not a whole lot, to tell you the truth but I was thinking about the desert southwest and how clear the skies were and how many stars you could see at night which then made my mind drift toward the vegetation and the Saguaro cacti and how most places down there grilled everything over mesquite wood. Do you  see where I am going with this?  I didn’t at first either but thinking of all things southwestern and wanting to use the lone avocado I had sitting on the counter.  I knew that the grocery store had Boar’s Head mesquite grilled turkey and decided I needed to use that in this new kind of sandwich. It turned out really good so I am understandably proud and wondering what kind of sandwich I will be able to come up with next! Here is the recipe and I am sorry I was not able to come up with a catchy name.
Southwestern Turkey-Avocado Grill

(Southwestern inspired grilled cheese sandwich)

Serves 2

The Well Fed Cyclist
Gary Bechard

Ingredients:

4 slices – Sourdough bread (from the center of the loaf or the end if you want something smaller)
4 slices – Colby-Jack cheese (I thought of putting Jalapeno Cheddar-Jack which would also work)
1/4th pound – Mesquite grilled turkey breast slices (I used Boar’s Head)
1 – Avocado (you will whip this bad boy into a mousse)
1 ½ tsp – Lemon pepper (I use Lawry’s)
1 – Jalapeno pepper, fine diced (try to find a larger one or use two small ones)
1 to 2 tbsp – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Margarine (or butter if you are so inclined)

Construction Instruction:

Take the avocado cut in half, take out the stone and scoop the insides (or cut and skin the avocado), cube (cubing makes it easier to whip) and place into a food processor or blender. Pulse 5 to 7 times or blend for about 1 minute then add the olive oil and lemon pepper and pulse/blend until the mixture is smooth. Next, fold in the diced jalapenos until they are spread evenly throughout the mixture put in a bowl and set aside.

Lightly coat one side of each slice of bread with margarine or butter and set aside. After this is done, place 2 of the slices buttered side down on a large flat skillet. Next, take and spread a layer of the avocado-jalapeno mousse over the bread slices already on the skillet. Now, layer on the slices of turkey the entire length of the bread (should be 2 ½ slices per sandwich keeping the thickest part toward the center of the bread). On top of the turkey slices, cover with the Colby-jack cheese. When this is complete, put the other slice of bread butter side out on top and begin cooking on medium heat (I used a 5 or a 6 on my electric stove). Grill the sandwich until the bottom bread about 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown (you can kind of peek by lifting up the edge of the bread), flip the sandwiches and do the same to the other side.

This was served with homemade tortilla chips and fresh salsa. It would also make a good compliment to some chili or tortilla soup on a cold day.

Enjoy!
The Well Fed Cyclist

Penguin lust is a wonderful thing…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I loved Berkley Breathed’s cartoon Bloom County and was sad to see it go 25 years ago but I am very happy that it is back and just as good as before.  This recipe is named for Opus, the penguin character in this comic strip.  Here in Pittsburgh it is always misconstrued as misplaced support for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.  I do like them but I like Opus much better. This recipe is one that has evolved over the past 20 years and has gotten better every year all by trial and, I won’t say error, but taste. I am surprised that I have not written anything about this recipe before now but I guess I was being a bit selfish. It started long ago in a galaxy far away when I was not impressed by the local Italian place’s eggplant parmesan and I thought I could do better.  I hope you like this version and if you are feeling “froggy” you can use sharp provolone to punch up the flavors.  Tomorrow is another adventure with the smoker this time with a brisket and the Texas rule of 3-2-1 for smoking the meat. I nhope it turns out okay.

Penguin Lust Eggplant Parmesan

Gary Bechard – The Well Fed Cyclist

4 – small to medium eggplant, skinned and sliced lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices (or for the metric geeks a little less than ½ cm) Sort these by size (I will explain later…Now, just do it)

1 to 2 packages – packaged, sliced mozzarella cheese

15 ounces – ricotta cheese (I use skim but, hey, if you want to use full it’s your waistline. I won’t judge)

Or

1 to 2 packages – sliced provolone cheese

Or You can mix and match!

4 – medium to large Portobello mushroom caps (deveined by taking the dark stuff under the cap), sliced thin, about 1/16 of an inch or about .25 cm

2 to 3 cups – whole wheat flour (you can use white if you want to but I find that whole wheat gives a richer flavor)

Note – I use my hand for measurement most times and very rarely use measuring devices. I kind of cup my hand and fill the hollow which is about 1 tablespoon.

3 palms full – dried parsley flakes (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)

2 palms full – dried basil flakes (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)

1 palm full – dried oregano flakes (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)

½ palm – garlic powder (you do not want to overdo this one if you want a kiss for your efforts later)

1 to 2 palms full – coarse ground black pepper (1 to 2 tablespoons)

5 – eggs, beaten

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Either 2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce OR, if your favorite sauce is your own homemade sauce, about 6 cups should do it

1 cup – shredded or grated parmesan cheese (I use a combination of pecorino Romano, parmesan and Asiago cheeses)

9 X 13 inch baking dish

Large non-stick skillet

Preparation:

Besides the slicing of the eggplant and mushrooms there is only one thing that you would have to do and that is to make your coating for the eggplant. In a large sealable plastic bag (1 gallon works best for me) dump in flour, parsley flakes, basil, oregano, garlic powder, parmesan cheese and pepper. Seal bag and shake to mix thoroughly. Set aside.

The Assembly Line:

What I normally do at this point (after all the slicing and mixing has been done) is create an assembly line for what are essentially limp, eggplant fritters (in a manner of speaking). The overall concept for the dish is to create individual stacks of eggplant parmesan. My set up (going from left to right) is stacks of eggplant slices, 5 eggs beaten, seasoned flour then the pan. On the other side of the pan, the 9 X 13 baking dish with the stacks of mozzarella, portabella mushroom slices, and ricotta or provolone slices (make sure you have a fork for the ricotta).

Let’s begin:

Pour half of your sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Then take your trusty non-stick skillet and pour enough olive oil to slightly cover the bottom of the pan. Set the stove to medium low (5 to 6 on my stove you gas users are on your own, sorry) and allow the oil to come to temperature. (You should see a slight shimmer on the oil) Starting with the largest eggplant slices dip in the egg and then cover with flour. Place in skillet and cook until both sides are browned and eggplant slice is slightly limp. (I try to do 3 to 4 at a time). Once a set of slices are done, set each in the 9 X 13 dish as the base for the eggplant stacks. On top of the first layer place a layer of portabella mushroom slices. (You can start with a different ingredient but this is usually my first layer). Repeat the process for the second set of eggplant slices, place on top of the mushroom layer and layer on mozzarella cheese.

Special Note – After about two sets of eggplant slices the flour that falls off during the cooking process will start to burn slightly. I usually scrape the residue out of the pan with a silicone spatula and re-oil the pan so that the oil is clean for the next set of slices.

I continue the cooking and layering process with ricotta and then top with one final slice. You can make the stacks as high as you want but mine end up in this order:

Eggplant/mushroom/eggplant/mozzarella/eggplant/provolone/eggplant

Pour remaining sauce over the top of each stack and sprinkle parmesan, Romano, Asiago cheeses on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

I like to have a nice salad or green beans cooked with pancetta or prosciutto. You should have a great Chianti on hand or (if you like white) a good Pinot Grigio to have with your eggplant.

Now THAT is the only kind of smoking I will allow…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I am back after a brief but very sad interlude and that is all I will say about that.  As mentioned in my last post, I will be creating a recipe in my Father In-Law’s memory but at this moment I have not perfected it, so the recipe is a work in progress. Now, onto our regularly scheduled program.

Living here in western Pennsylvania is kind of like being in tobacco country back in the 1940’s.  More people smoke here than in Winston Salem (where I used to live) and geesh!, that is “where Camels come from”.  I will not launch into a diatribe about the hazzards of smoking or anything like that (Pennsylvanians you need to read the memo) but there is one kind of smoking I CAN get behind, and that is smoking meat! Or, you can do the same to fish or poultry, vegetables even or whatever else blows your dress up.  My wonderful children bought me a smoker for my birthday and I had the innaugural “smokfest” yesterday.  Since it was the smoker’s maiden voyage, I used a commercially available rub from McCormick Seasonings and a new kind of barbecue sauce (for me) called Charlie Staples Real Barbecue Sauce (very good by the way and I highly recommend it). The result was excellent!  I will be experimenting over the next few weeks with seasonings and sauces and will let everyone know how the food turns out.  In the interim, here is a post from the old site and it is in keeping with the pig theme here you go!

This little piggy went to…

From the title you can add your own ending but in this case the piggy went right into the baking dish where he belongs. Ah, the story for this recipe is about as mundane as they get. There I was with 2 pork chops, one apple and most of a large onion and with me was my son, home from college and hungry. Not wanting to head back to the grocery store (really, it feels like I am always there and for the most part I am. I can even name almost all of the staff. Sad right?), I decided to work with what I had and see if it turned out. Remembering the stuffing in my stuffed pork tenderloin recipe, I thought that I could do that (pretty much the same ingredients) but without the heavy chopping and such. I also wanted to duplicate baked apples without messing up another baking dish. And, I wanted something simple and not time consuming. Doing pork chops this was was the answer. You might wonder where the name came from and that is okay. It is not that I was on a “date night” with my son (that would be more than a bit freakish) but refers to the amount. A little while back, I converted several of my recipes to “date night” quantities for friends of mine who were older and did not have kids around anymore and the name kind of stuck. You can always expand on this to make it for more than two but then I would have to wonder what your “date nights” are like. (wink – wink, nudge – nudge, say no more, say no more ;-)) The recipe has simple ingredients and is kind of short but very delicious.

Date Night Baked Pork Chops
(or you can double the recipe and make it for 4)

Gary Bechard: “The Well Fed Cyclist”

Ingredients:

2 – Boneless pork chops, thick cut (1 inch to an inch and a half)
1 – Medium to large Granny Smith apple, cut into wedges (leave the skin on)
1 – Small sweet onion (or 3/4ths of a medium or large one) medium sliced into crescents
½ tsp – Cayenne Pepper (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp – Ground cinnamon
½ tbsp – Ground nutmeg
½ cup – Mushroom broth (or you can substitute vegetable stock or broth)

Construction Instruction

For these pork chops, I used a 9” X 9” baking dish that was about 2 ½ to 3 inches deep. First, pour the mushroom broth in the bottom of the baking dish. Next, on a separate plate, dust both sides of each pork chop with cinnamon and cayenne pepper and place into the dish. After this is done, cover the pork chops with the onion slices and then add the apple wedges. Dust the apple wedges with the remaining cinnamon and the nutmeg and bake in a 330 to 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the chops are done. Note: I use a lower heat and tent the chops with aluminum foil to make sure they are cooking “low and slow”. You really want them to absorb the flavors of the seasonings.

The pork chops were served with a wild rice pilaf which had sautéed Portobello mushrooms and asparagus tips along with a vegetable side of cut green beans accented with roasted red bell pepper slices.

Enjoy!
The Well Fed Cyclist

Sometimes life gets in the way…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

I would love to have this post be upbeat and funny but there are just some times that it just does not work out that way especially when you have a loved one in the hospital and they are not expected to leave. Unlike some folks, I love my in-laws as they have always been wonderful to me. My father in-law loved my cooking and I even created recipes for him.  He is one of the reasons that my recipes do not have a lot of added salt.  I will be thinking of a recipe which I will dedicate to him here when I have it completed. I want it to be a monument to his personality and one that will bring us all wonderful memories of a great man every time I make it. I love you Bill, even though out of respect I had a difficult time calling you that and see, I did take care of your daughter. In the interim, here is a post from the old site that was almost lost.  It is a very, very easy recipe but awfully delicious.

Desperate times call for…

Some of the best things can be born out of desperation and this recipe is an example of one of them. I was in charge of cooking dinner one night for me and the children but had not had any time to go to the grocery store to pick up anything specific. I knew I had chicken in the freezer (Who doesn’t?) but that was about it. I did not feel like serving the kids fast food because heaven knows that they will eat enough of that stuff in the course of their lives. So, I rooted around in the pantry and found a small jar of pineapple preserves and from the fridge a half bottle of teriyaki sauce and some soy sauce. I combined them together in this recipe which was so easy I recreated it with a pork tenderloin. (same steps and ingredients except for replacing chicken with pig)

Fast Hawaiian Chicken
(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
1 – Small, jar of pineapple preserves
½ a bottle or less of low sodium teriyaki sauce
1tsp – powdered ginger
1 tsp – coarse ground black pepper
2 tbsp – low sodium soy sauce
4 – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1tsp – dried basil leaves
1tsp – dried parsley flakes
Sesame seeds
¼ cup of peanut oil
9 X 13 baking dish

In a small bowl mix peanut oil, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, parsley and basil and whisk together. Set this mixture aside for a moment. Spray baking dish with Pam or some other cooking spray and add about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the dish. You can even use rice wine as a liquid if you would like. (Less, if you are using a smaller pan or have reduced the recipe) Arrange chicken in the bottom of the pan and evenly sprinkle (distribute) ginger and black pepper over the top of each piece, kind of pressing the herbs into the chicken with your fingers. Take the teriyaki mixture which had been set aside and slowly pour over chicken. Spoon pineapple preserves evenly on each chicken breast so that each has its own layer. (It’s kind of like adding a blanket to each of the chicken breasts) You can add fresh pineapple slices around the outside of the chicken because it kind of looks nice (and tastes pretty good too when it’s done). Take sesame seeds and kind of “salt” them over top of everything before you put it in the oven.
Bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees for 40 minutes making sure to gently (you do not want to blast the pineapple from the top of the chicken) baste chicken about every 10 minutes with mixture from bottom of baking dish.

I served this with pineapple jasmine rice and green beans dressed with ginger salad dressing.

Enjoy!

Just like a velvet fog, this one is smooth…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

It is kind of early morning on a Sunday, the dog has had her walk and before I got into the rest of the day (it is supposed to be over 70 degrees and I thought there would be a bike ride for me today but I am still terrified to ride here in this area of western Pennsylvania, frack water trucks and well traffic you know), I wanted to post this spaghetti sauce recipe. This is another “long” cooking sauce but it made a hit right along side the “Super Tuscan” on the charity circuit which I will post at a later date. I do have some quick sauces which I will also post which use fresh tomatoes and take less than a good 4 hours of cooking time so stay tuned for those. I would like to think that this is a huge departure from my other sauces but it follows the same pattern and the consistency was born of necessity when I needed a sauce for my eggplant Parmesan and I did not have any prepared. It is also a sauce that my favourite “fungusphobe” liked because there were no mushrooms in it. Oops, my bad! They were just cleverly disguised in the rest of the sauce. On occasions, I like to bake with this sauce and when I am doing that I will purposely keep it on the “thin” side. There is no sense letting your sauce get all cakey and clumpy while baking. If I end up having to use a sauce that is thicker and I want to avoid the clumpiness I will tent the item while in the oven. I am sorry you may not be able to get ALL your servings of vegetables with this sauce but it is awfully good. The name was sort of inspired by the movie title “Escape from New York”, a sort of cheesy movie, I admit, and not to say that I have ever watched it (just like I never watched any of the Die Hard movies) but at least you know where I got the name. I hope you have as much success with this sauce as I have. It is my son’s absolute favorite to make for folks in NYC when he is having them over for dinner. So, without further adieu, let’s get cooking!

Escape from Marinara
Gary Bechard – The Well Fed Cyclist

Ingredients:

1 – 28 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 – 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
3/4ths – Medium sweet onion very finely diced
1 – Portobello mushroom cap (“fins” scraped out about 2 to 4 ounces wt) very finely diced
7 to 10 – Fresh basil leaves, fine chopped
1 handful (about 3/4ths cup) – Fresh Parsley leaves, finely chopped
6 – Cloves garlic, finely chopped
16 to 20 oz – Chicken stock (or vegetable stock if the spirit moves you)
1/3 cup – Red wine (I use a nice Cabernet but have also used Merlot or Chianti. If you use the Chianti, remember that this wine is very dry and the “sharpness” will have to be smoothed out with some of the sweeter ingredients)
1/8th cup – Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I say this amount but it should only be enough to cover the bottom of the pot in which you are making the sauce)
1 tbsp – Coarse ground black pepper
1 ½ tbsp – Lemon pepper
Note: You can substitute the zest of a whole lemon and increase the amount of coarse ground black pepper if you would like.
1 tbsp – Dried oregano leaves
1/3 cup – Grated Parmesan cheese (I normally use Parmesan-Romano for a greater depth of flavor)
Note: If you do not use the cheese, I would substitute a palm (a little more than a tablespoon) full of Kosher salt.

A brief note before the construction instructions: I normally chop my vegetables ahead of time because it makes for easier cooking and cleaning.

Construction Instructions:

In a big stock pot (I use a large ceramic covered cast iron pot for this one), pour enough olive oil to just cover the bottom (about 1/8th inch should do it). Turn the heat to mid range (5 or 6 on most electric ranges) and bring the oil up to temperature remembering that olive oil has a low smoke point and does not withstand high heat very well without breaking down. When the oil is hot, add garlic and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent (kind of clear) and without turning the garlic brown. This process should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Next add the mushrooms and continue to move around the bottom of the pot until they are a little soft (about a minute). Do not cook the vegetables until they are unrecognizable. Reduce the heat to 3 or 4 and add enough chicken (or vegetable if you are swinging that way) stock to just barely cover the vegetables in the bottom of the pot. Simmer until fine bubbles appear in the mixture (kind of looks like soup at this point). This should take another 5 minutes’ish. After the bubbles appear, add the tomatoes and stir mixture until it is fully pulled together. Next add your soft ingredients, basil, oregano, parsley and the black and lemon pepper and continue to stir. (Note: You have to keep the sauce moving because you do not want the mixture to be uneven and because of the low heat the bottom cooks faster than the top and you are trying to keep an even temperature throughout.) Allow these ingredients to become intimate (cover the children’s eyes if you have to). Simmer until you start to see small bubbles in the tomato sauce and once you see them reduce the heat to around 3. At this point, add the wine and the Parmesan cheese and mix until ingredients are fully pulled together. Simmer until you see the bubbles again and reduce the heat to 2 1/2, stir and monitor for 3 to 4 hours always making sure that you keep the mixture moving to keep the temperature even. If you see that the sauce is becoming thicker than you would like you can add either low sodium tomato juice or some stock to thin it out. NEVER use water to thin because that destroys the integrity of the sauce. After the cooking time is done, I normally allow the sauce to “rest” by turning off the heat and letting sit partially covered on the stove.

Enjoy!

There is a plot twist…

~ Gary Bechard ~ Leave a comment

You would think that there is some nefarious murder mystery going on with the title and all but it is just about the food and as always, everything is about the food. And, I know, I know, I am flip flopping more than a politician during election season, and I even posted a fish recipe in the midst of what should have been “chicken week”  but I consider this recipe a kind of “two-fer” so possibly it could count for both? So, I guess, in a way, this entry is kind of a plot twist.

This was not a recipe born of desperation or the result of my CADD but was the result of figuring out what to do with a ¼ pound of 31 to 40 count shrimp. That amount of shrimp does not really make a meal for 2 people and is more annoying sitting in the freezer partially open than being used in a recipe. The way I thought of it is I figured that if the Japanese steak houses can serve hibachi chicken and shrimp together, I could combine the two in one easy to carry package (not that you would want to carry it but you could). It does not take a whole lot more effort than the Bay Watch chicken breasts but it does have a distinctly different flavor and you really do not need a sauce.

Shrimp Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Asian style
(makes 3-4 servings)

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 – Green bell pepper fine diced
1/2 (or less) – Red bell pepper fine diced
1/3 – sweet onion, fine diced
5 – Cloves garlic, fine diced
2 oz – Fresh chopped ginger root
1/4 lb – Shrimp, fine diced
4 – Shitake mushrooms fine diced
2 sticks – Celery fine diced
Coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
Small handful fine shredded fresh parsley (use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
7 – Basil leaves fine chopped (use dried if you must about 1 ½ tablespoons)
Peanut or Canola oil
Soy Sauce and/or Teriyaki Sauce

Filling:
In a large skillet, cover bottom of pan with peanut or canola oil and over low/med heat sauté peppers, onion, garlic and celery until softened and onions become translucent. Add mushrooms and ginger root, sauté on low heat for about 2-3 minutes, season to taste with pepper. Add shrimp and go until the shrimp pieces turn pink, then season with teriyaki and soy sauce (remember that there is a lot of salt in those sauces so be sparing). After shrimp is done, add parsley and basil and keep on heat for another 2-3 minutes while mixing these ingredients in. Turn off heat and set aside to cool.
Stuffing it:
Take chicken breasts and, from the side, make a pocket by cutting the long way the entire length and almost all the way through (should look like a pita pocket). Take a spoon and stuff chicken with filling (do not overfill) enough so that edge can be closed with a toothpick, cooking string or skewers. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (add a bit of water or chicken stock to bottom of baking dish to keep moist).

This was served with sushi rice but can also be served with pineapple jasmine rice in addition to snow peas with mushrooms and almond slices. I also always serve a green salad with ginger dressing.

Enjoy!