Chicken Marsala

  

Little Pricey

I will occasionally purchase online a coupon for a discount at local restaurants.  Buying a coupon for Ruth Chris at a $100 value for $ 50 is a sweet deal.  Sometimes purchasing a coupon will allow me try a restaurant I have avoided for some time due to price, food selection or other reasons.  I decided to try a local fine dining Italian restaurant. I was told it was pricey but I was prepared.

I ordered Chicken Marsala.  I have enjoyed this rich flavor over the past years and I knew what I was going to be served.  I received one chicken breast filet pounded flat slit in two, dusted in flour then pan saute'ed topped with one mushroom sliced so fine it was in 15 pieces.  Beneath the one chicken breast was a small collection of haricots verts.  Haricots verts is an expensive way of saying “green beans”. 

I spent the next few minutes having a discussion with my waitress on how to order a side Caesar salad.  Everything on the menu seemed a la carte and I notice side salads were missing on the menu.  She tried to exchange it for my haricots verts, but I wanted green beans and would gladly pay for both.  At this moment, I noticed my wife’s eyes starting to light up. I knew then I went down a road less traveled.  How dare I ask for what I would like?  After all, I am paying for it and that has no reasoning.

My wife ordered Ravello – sautéed shrimp, crawfish, mushrooms, spinach, tasso and sun tried tomatoes in a basil sherry cream over linguini pasta.  I encourage her to order a side salad but she just wasn’t up for it at this moment.

Fresh bread arrived with olive oil and herb ashes. It was a nice touch.  We each had a glass of Columbia Crest for $8.95 each. I understand that wine in a restaurant is more expensive normally by the glass but I could have purchased a bottle for the price of one glass.  I’ll give them benefit of doubt; maybe they have it brought in daily from Washington State.

Our food arrived and was set on a pristine tablecloth.  The candles were dim and the presentation was beautiful.  I must admit that the chicken marsala was wonderful and the haricot verts were green as ever.  To my surprise the best thing I ate this week was out of my wife’s plate. The Ravello she ordered was magnificent.  It was rich in flavor and you could taste each individual ingredient. It was exactly how this dish should taste. This dish should be an experience worth going back.

The over all dining experience was great but the dishes were over priced for the portions.  When you serve someone green beans, call it “green beans.”  No waiting in long lines to be seated. It would be a great place to propose, only 20% of the tables were occupied and if she declines only the staff would know.


BELLA  FIGURA                     YOU RATE                           3

bellafigura.net

Tortilla Soup

Light And Hearty?

Last week after returning from a road trip my wife and I decided to dine out and relax over a glass of wine at our favorite Pizzeria.   I wasn’t in the mood for an extravagant meal. I wanted to relax and regroup for the weekend.  We normally order a pizza, and a side salad.  Tonight, I wasn’t in the mood for any lettuce because of the recall on television all week.  I decide to get outside my comfort zone and order a cup of tortilla soup.

I have never tried tortilla soup in a restaurant before.  I exposed my male chauvinistic gene because women always order it, and I figure it to have little flavor or calories. I order the heavier soups and larger salads that I should avoid.  It was the best decision both in flavor and enjoyment for that evening.  Later that night I went to bed thinking, “Why have I never made this before?”  It’s probably because I never ate it before and now I’m hooked. The following day I stopped at Wal-Mart and found everything I needed to prepare my version.

          1  Rotisserie chicken
          2  Large cans whole kernel corn
          1  Large can diced tomatoes
          1  Small can sliced carrots
          1  16oz bag frozen chopped onion and bell peppers
          6  Chicken bouillon cubs.
         ¼  Cup Olive Oil
          8  oz Cheddar Cheese
          8  oz Sour cream
          1 Bag tortilla chips


I began with a deep sauce pot and added oil, onions, peppers and sauté.  I added corn, diced tomatoes, and sliced carrots I cut in half moon shape and sauté.  I added bouillon cubs and water to make the consistency of a soup (6 cups). Then, I pulled apart rotisserie chicken into small spoon size pieces to fold into my soup.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  This was too simple and I thought I might be throwing it out.  I served the soup into a large rimmed bowl, added tortilla chips, a spoon of sour cream, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and chives. It was the lightest soup I have eaten and as rich as any gumbo I have ever made. 

I will now have a standard to judge all tortilla soups in the future.   I must confess “thick & creamy” isn’t always better, and my feminine side has been enlightened.


Dean O’s South                             YOU RATE               4

My Recipe Tortilla Soup                I RATE                                5


www.deanospizza.com

In Season

Always Delicious

Every year I wait for football to start in the fall. I wait for baseball in the spring.  However, the wait for crawfish has been the most difficult.  Each winter the cold temperature determines how long we will wait for the crawfish season to begin.  This year we had a very mild winter and many fishermen started delivering crawfish to the restaurants as early as November.  Normally, it is January before any serious amount is harvested. I anticipated a bountiful harvest and prices to slide. That didn’t happen. Fishermen at Christmas time were receiving $2.25 to $2.75 a pound for their catch.  Restaurants bought every little creature in site. As the weather became mild, their catches got greater and most of the restaurants got greedy.  They are now paying from $1.25 to $1.50 per pound and are selling five pounds of boiled crawfish for $26.95 to $32.95.

I started looking at another source, “Chinese Crawfish”. Yep! You can purchase them at Wal-Mart. They are larger than our little buddies here and are available year round. Wow! Problem solved.  I suddenly began to recall the dog food fiasco where many dogs were seriously poisoned and died over tainted dog food.  Then, I remembered the baby formula crisis where an additive was used to boost the protein level to meet requirements to sell on the open market.  There went my yearly supply.

My mind started to examine our local source.  Locally, crawfish is harvested two ways; in harvested rice field flooded during the winter and spring crawfish is harvested till around June.  The second source is in local rivers, swamps, and lakes. This method of fishing is called deepwater crawfish.   They are harvested in a different manner.  This is the more traditional method from days gone by. It’s not as plentiful of a harvest but a larger and cleaner crawfish.  Well if they harvest from rice fields and crawfish live in the ground, then all the pesticides and fertilizer from over the past 75 years still reside in the soil.

I need to find another source. Yes, the larger than life cousin of the crawfish, the lobsters.  Raised in the ocean, they are harvested and flown to my favorite market year round.  Do I just eat one like a normal person?  Not at all!  If an order of crawfish cost an average $30.95 plus beer, tax, and tip, then how many lobsters will that will buy.  I can still pinch the tale. The head may be a little awkward to suck, but the claws are magnificent.  I may even get an extra claw from my wife’s plate. Then again… maybe not.

It may not be the traditional meal for a Cajun, but after all, we are about quality and quantity.  Lobsters are now “The Other Deepwater Crawfish.” I can’t wait to see how many lobsters fit in my crawfish pot!

RESTAURANTS SELLING CRAWFISH AT $30.95 AN ORDER      YOU RATE      2

www.thecrawfishguy.com


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