Carine Clary - The FrangloSaxon Cooks

Shredded Chicken with Toasted Walnuts & Shallot Oil

June 25, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

If the continued quarantine is making you a little nuts, fight back by eating some! This recipe with poached chicken and shallots slow cooked in walnut oil requires several steps but is overall pretty easy. It can be a main course for a light meal or an appetizer. It’s especially nice if you’re asked to bring a plate to a pot luck or other group gathering. And one other thing – it can be any other nut including slivered almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts….you pick. You could also use almond or olive oil or any other neutral oil that you have on hand.

To start you want to chop and lightly toast the nuts and set aside. Then you will poach the chicken gently over a very low flame until just cooked. If the chicken is skin on leave it on. It will impart flavor and you can remove it after it’s cooled. Once cooked remove the skin, let cool and shred. I specify legs here but you may also use thighs. Actually, you can use anything but dark meat is moister and better for this recipe.

Next up is the star of the show.

The Shallots! Sounds like a bad Vegas act but no, it’s slowly carefully cooked to perfect crispness thinly sliced fancy pants onions. However, they cannot be hurried. They must be cooked on low heat, and for the first 10 or 12 minutes it will look like nothing is happening. Towards the end though you must watch them carefully since they’ll burn quickly once all their moisture has evaporated.

Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and let them drain. Take the oil off the heat and let it cool for a couple then stir in the garlic, green onions and pepper.

Pile it up on a plate and surround with the shallots that you haven’t already eaten and serve it forth!

Quick Faker Version: This involves left over or rotisserie chicken (think Costco) and canned fried onion rings like the ones you put on the green bean casserole at Thanksgiving. The oil can be a nut oil or even a garlic infused olive oil. Chop the green onions and red bell pepper, mix into chicken, bind with the oil, top with the toasted nuts, pop the top on the canned rings, surround the salad and dig in!

Shredded Chicken with Toasted Walnut & Shallot Oil

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

For the Walnuts:
½ cup walnuts, chopped
For the Chicken:
1.5 lbs chicken legs (or leg & thigh parts)
For the flavored oil:
¼ cup toasted walnut oil (or mild olive oil)
½ lb. shallots, sliced thin
The ingredients below are added after you remove the cooked shallots and take the oil off the heat
1 tablespoon garlic, grated
3 tablespoons green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon red pepper, finely minced (this can be hot or sweet)

Instructions

For the Walnuts:
Chop roughly and toast over medium flame in a pan on the stove top, set aside.
For the Chicken:
Boil on low heat in lightly salted water to cover for about 20 minutes or until chicken is falling off the bone.
Remove & let cool.
For the seasoned oil:
Thinly slice shallots. If you have a mandolin use that for uniform slices.
Pour the oil into a small saucepan with the heat VERY LOW and add the shallots cooking until brown & crispy. This can take 15 minutes. Towards the end of that time watch it carefully because it crisps up fast.
Remove shallots, drain, and set aside.
For the Assembly:
Remove chicken skin and shred.
Stir the garlic, pepper and green onion slices into the warm oil and pour over chicken.
Garnish with chopped walnuts & toasted shallots.

Notes

Makes a good sandwich if you have leftovers.

New Orleans Style Macaroni & Cheese

June 8, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

I call this New Orleans Style Macaroni & Cheese because I’m pretty sure it’s the only place that serves it this way. Never seen it in the rest of the country and definitely not in Italy, even though it’s made by Sicilians and features bucatini noodles (and for those who don’t know they’re the ones with the hole in the middle).

No, it’s purely local and absolutely delicious. And to be precise it’s not exactly from New Orleans proper but from “da parish.” That would be St. Bernard Parish, the parish that’s just south of Orleans and extends right out into the Gulf along with its sister parish, Plaquemines. They are home to various immigrant communities but towards the end of the 19th century attracted thousands of Sicilians who put down roots in the swampy soil and have been thriving ever since. In fact, they’re so established that they immigrate from there to points beyond.

I’ll never forget having dinner with some friends from work in New York where it came up. One of us had a husband who’d emigrated from England at which point another person piped up, “Well my grandparents emigrated from Sicily. A little place called Plaquemini.” I kid you not. Before I could stop myself I spit laughed my drink all over the appetizers and was greeted with blank looks until I explained the coordinates of “Plaquemini.”

But on to the topic at hand. I was introduced to this version (the one & only) at Rocky & Carlos restaurant by my father who used to frequent Angelo’s bar down the road. Angelo’s was decidedly not femme friendly and so when the owners and their wives committed to a full service restaurant they included “Ladies Invited” on the front window, and although I was a very little lady, I was in. The portions were so big we would get one meal plus an extra plate and I’d pick off Daddy’s.

My favorite was the mac n’ cheese and this version is my version, the biggest difference being the crunchy topping but if you’re a R & C purist you can leave that off. As long as you get it browned under the broiler you’re good.

I use cheddar and fontina in equal portions both in the sauce and on top of the finished dish. I make the sauce first and set it aside with the pot lid on while cooking the pasta. It’s an easy bechamel white sauce and when it’s cooked to the right thickness remove it from the heat. If it’s really hot, let it cool a few minutes. The sauce only needs to be hot enough to melt the grated cheese, which you should stir in gradually until just melted and incorporated into the sauce. Do not add the cheese to the sauce while it’s is still sitting over the heat, as that can cause the cheese to overcook, start to separate, and turn your sauce into an oil-slicked, curdled-looking mess. Don’t ask me how I know this – even experienced cooks can forget to cut the heat – and once curdled it’s not salvageable. And if you don’t have fontina you may use all cheddar or cheddar and jack cheese. Play it by ear.

Once you’ve made the sauce, start the noodles to boiling remembering to boil them a minute or two less than package directions as they will continue to cook when they’re put in the oven to brown.

While they’re boiling melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the panko stirring to completely coat.

Now drain the noodles, fold into the sauce, transfer to a serving dish, top with the crumbs and put in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes or until brown on top. You may also serve in individual chafing dishes as I’ve pictured here. This one is shallow and about five inches in width. The recipe will fill four of these if you go that route.

Enjoy and don’t forget to give a silent thanks to the Tommaseo/Gioe family for inventing this and feeding us all since 1965.

Louisiana Macaroni & Cheese

Author: Carine Clary

Ingredients

For the cheese sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon salt
fresh grated pepper to taste
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons grated shallot (or onion)
1 tablespoon paprika
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 bay leaf
½ cup cheddar, grated
½ cup fontina, grated
For the noodles:
½ lb. bucatini
½ cup cheddar, grated
½ cup fontina, grated
For the topping:
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup Panko

Instructions

For the sauce:
Melt the butter and stir in flour. Add salt & pepper and stir over medium heat till the mixture turns a very light brown. This is also called a "blonde roux."
After a couple of minutes of stirring add in the shallots then slowly add the milk, paprika, nutmeg & bay leaf. Let simmer for 4 or 5 minutes. It should thicken somewhat.
Take off heat & add cheese.
For the noodles:
Cook in salted water according to package directions but a couple minutes less
To Assemble:
Add hot noodles to sauce and coat well.
Put cheese on top, cover with panko and cook in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until brown on top.

Cajun Meatballs & Spaghetti

April 20, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Sometimes you’re hungry for homemade but your busy day got in the way. Not to worry. These meatballs are easy to make but even easier to make ahead, freeze, and warm up on no notice. And while we’re being lazy reach for the pantry and cover that pasta with a jarred sauce. Not just any sauce but something good like Rao’s Marinara or you can go local with Mandina’s Red Gravy that they have at Dorignac’s.

The absolute key to good meatballs or meatloaf is the addition of something called a ‘panade.’ It can be bread crumbs, panko, or shredded stale french bread, but what is does is render the meat moist and fork tender. These meatballs will yield to moderate pressure and you won’t have a dense golf ball flying off your plate when you cut into it. And this particular recipe gives you the option of making the panade out of rice which gives it a bit of a boudin feel. (That said, I prefer the french bread option.)

Once the veg is sauteed, softened up and cooled down put everything into the bowl and mix lightly with your hands. Let it all squash through your fingers a time or two and roll into balls or ideally use a scoop. After you’ve done this you are ready to cook the meatballs and you have two options. The best meatballs will always have a bit of a sear on them and you can achieve that in a pan on your stove top or on a cookie sheet in a hot oven. Guess which one I use? Yeah, the easy one. A cookie sheet and a hot oven will render a perfectly good sear on your meat and you can walk away while they cook.

In the written recipe I’ve specified a premixed seasoning since it’s well….easy. But when I made this for the posting I was out and as you can see I crafted my very own mixture (salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and God knows what else) which you can do too.

As for meat ball size I think medium is most versatile so I use a medium cookie scoop for a medium meat ball. If you don’t have one of these grease up your hands and start rolling always remembering not to overwork the meat. And if you’re using a scoop don’t try to smooth the craggy edges of the balls since they’ll brown up nicely and add some crunch.

Finally, you need to heat up whatever sauce you’re using and let the meatballs simmer in it for a few then plate up and serve. As you can see this is photographed with both spaghetti and linguine so be creative with your noodle choices. Top it with some grated cheese and dish up!

Cajun Meatballs & Spaghetti

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Cajun

Ingredients

For the meatballs:
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup diced onion (or shallots)
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced green or red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
½ lb. ground chuck
½ lb. ground pork
1 cup bread crumbs (or precooked white rice)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning*
For the sauce:
1 15.5 oz. jar of Marinara
For the Pasta:
1 lb. cooked to package directions

Instructions

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer vegetables to large bowl; let cool 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine Ground Beef, pork, vegetables, breadcrumbs, egg and seasoning in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into 24 (1-1/2 inch) meatballs. Don't over work the meat. Just lightly mix all together.
Place meatballs on broiler pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in 400°F oven 16 to 19 minutes until well browned.
Cook the pasta according to package directions & drain.
Warm up the sauce, add the meat balls, then combine with the pasta. Top with Pecorino cheese or Parmesan and serve.

Notes

*Seasoning can be Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic or Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. Whatever you really like.

If you plan to freeze these there are two options. Freezing them raw or after cooking. To maximize speed and convenience I cook them all when I make them then thaw & drop in the sauce as it's heating.

Molasses Cookies

April 14, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Molasses cookies for those who need chewy quarantine comfort. Yes, if you eat a lot of these you will gain weight but it’ll all come off when the gyms reopen sometime in the distant future. So enjoy and be at one with your molasses based love handles!

The great thing about these cookies (besides the fact that almost everyone likes them) is that they’re easy and fast. I simplified the spice list by calling for pumpkin pie spice, similar to “cake spice” (which can be substituted) providing a variety of flavor in one convenient location which you then just top off with ginger and a little optional grated nutmeg.

This is a conventional cookie recipe except for one little tweak. That would be stirring in the white sugar at the end. By not creaming it with the molasses, brown sugar and egg you will end up with some caramelized crunch in the finished product, a bit like my Bourbon Balls.

Another thing to remember is to use Grandma’s Molasses or something like it. Blackstrap will be too bitter and will overwhelm the spices. You could also substitute Steen’s Cane Syrup which has the same consistency.

Once you’ve got everything at room temperature just follow the prompts below. After the cookies come out of the oven, bang the sheet on the counter to form those camera ready cracks, let cool and store in a cookie tin.

Molasses Cookies

Author: Carine Clary

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1⁄2 cup molasses*
½ cup white sugar
2¼ cups all-purpose flour**
1⁄2 tsp baking soda
1⁄4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg***
1⁄2 cup powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil; set aside.
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light in color and smooth. Beat in the egg, then the molasses.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, & spices. Add all at once to the butter mixture, stirring until thoroughly blended, then stir in the granulated sugar just until combined. Adding the white sugar last gives it a bit of extra chewy crunch.
Use a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons to shape the batter into balls. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar to coat and place them on the cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Gently press down on the cookies with the palm of your hand to flatten.
Bake until the cookies have puffed up and appear set at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Hold the tray about an inch above the counter top and drop it. This will produce the crackle top. Let cool on the trays for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Let cool completely if you are packing them in a cookie tin. If they have any residual heat the pretty white powdered sugar will melt into the cookie and no longer be visible. It won't affect the taste only the appearance.
These keep for a week if you can keep yourself from eating them all at once...

Notes

*Grandma's brand, not blackstrap. You may also substitute cane or sorghum syrup.
**Cake flour also fine.
***optional but recommended.