this was a dish i prepared on halloween of 2007. naturally i apply my family's rule of cooking by having a nice bottle of something alcoholic. tonights choice was a little shiraz from toasted head. in retrospect however, i should have gone with something a little more sweet, even though the bottle was empty before dinner began....the dish prepared was something a little random, and can often be the best way to go about things. after all, how do you know you don't like something, or can't do something if you don't try at least once? that night i had walked through a local super market, picking up things that i felt would compliment a nippy october night, picking up and replacing items until my mind is set. this is usually how i go about my shopping, it's incredibly annoying im sure. i ended up deciding on a thick, creamy seafood bisque, and chicken breast with a caramelized garlic mushroom sauce on top of some gnocci. to balance all that creamy goodness, i threw in some fresh loaves of french bread with parmesan and butter.
this is clearly not your "dieting" dish.
now i don't consider myself a cook, but i do enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. prior to this night i have never before cooked gnocci, and have only made bisque once - 5 years before. i don't believe cooking is difficult. to quote the animated film ratatouille, "anyone can cook." i mean if you can taste, you can cook right? trial and error naturally, one can't expect to make a perfect souffle your first time around.a simple bisque: crabmeat, shrimp, carrot, celery, onion, tomato paste, milk, butter, salt and pepper
i usually don't follow a recipe, and mostly just use multiple recipes as guidelines. basically i mix and match and improvise until i get something i can be completely satisfied with. if not, then i can always try again! the below photo shows the pot on low heat, simmering some butter (i usually use country crock spread). to the right of the pot i have prepared some chopped celery and carrots, and have a white onion standing by for further mutilation.
after the butter has begun to simmer (don't let it brown!) i threw in the carrot and celery bits. i start this way so the carrots aren't super crispy when the soup is done. the fresh carrot flavoring can overpower the subtle seafood flavor.
timing can be tricky, i usually work by smell. i maybe sauteed the vegetables for a few minutes before adding the onion. the juices from the onion will absorb into the vegetables as you let them simmer. don't forget to keep stirring to even out the cooking. the celery will obviously grow soft quickly, however it adds to the overall consistency of the end product.
in the measuring cup i have regular 2% milk. i have no recollection of how much milk i added, but use your best judgment! * the previous time i have made this soup, the recipe called for evaporated milk. once the vegetables are at a desired consistency (remember, not too soft - they still have to simmer in the pot still!), gradually stir in the milk. once stirred in, raise the burner to medium heat and let simmer.
while it simmered i prepared the seafood. i'm a little paranoid so in this time i scrubbed the shrimp and rinsed the crab meat. i chopped the larger pieces of crab meat, but that is up to you.
if i were to do this soup again i would have grilled the shrimp a little prior to putting it in. i also would have included corn and potatoes! in the photo above i have added the shrimp, and it will be shortly followed by the crab meat and can of tomato paste.
the finished product! and most time consuming, which is why i made it first. the longer a stew sits, the more vibrant the flavors end up being. next day soup is always the best! the stew was incredibly thick and hearty, and barely spiced with a little salt and black pepper. i think i added some peas near the end for more substance, but it is all up to you how you make your stew :)
on to the main course! which is incredibly simple to make, consisting of six ingredients: olive oil, chicken breast, garlic, mushrooms, gnocchi and parmesan cheese! chicken breast cooks relatively quickly, and since i knew i've be baking it on a bed of gnocchi i thought to caramelize the mushrooms with some olive oil and garlic first so i didnt overcook the chicken. it ended up still not being tender enough for my taste, but there is always next time! (next time, perhaps, a splash of white vinegar could help the flavor a bit?).
so here we have the dish, almost ready to be placed in the oven for a nice even heating, and melting of cheeses! i sprinkled parmesan on top of the chicken and mushrooms, and placed it in the oven at a nice low heat. i wanted to make sure it heated the dish and melted the cheese without burning.
while that's in the oven getting all nice and toasty, delicious mushroom juices dripping into the gnocchi, garlic flavors penetrating the chicken....etc...now is the perfect opportunity to butter up those rolls and throw them in the oven for a little crisping. i used a pizza stone, i enjoy the texture of the bread afterward.
finally we have the complete meal!! i think at this point i was too inebriated to actually try it, but i was told it was very good :) definitely filling, definitely fattening, but definitely flexible. hope you enjoyed!
t
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