Grilled Chicken Breast, Pantry Version

 

In a perfect world, we'd have a grocery store right next to our house. That would make it so easy to figure out what we could have for dinner that night. OK....our main grocery store is only a half-mile away. But there are days you just don't feel like running to the store. What do we have in the house?

We tend to eat a lot of chicken breast, so I stockpile it in the freezer. For buying in bulk, Costco gets the nod. They sell a 6.5-pound bag of frozen, skinless and boneless chicken for just $26.99. If I decide to grill chicken breasts that night, first thing in the morning I put them in a ziplock bag and bathe them in a big bowl of cold water. After 2 hours, they are thawed and ready for the all-important prep..

When grilling beef, I never use a marinade. Just salt and pepper, thank you. But skinless, boneless chicken breasts are also flavorless. I'm a big fan of richly-flavored food, so when there are chicken breasts....THERE WILL BE MARINADE! I pound the breasts flat (so they cook evenly), then pierce them full of tiny fork holes so the flavor is present in every bite.

To make this perfect pantry meal, I grab Ken's Steak House Zesty Italian Dressing. It's my favorite pork and chicken marinade. No measuring. No mixing. Unscrew the cap and pour it on the chicken. For a quick pantry meal, it does not get any easier than this.

INGREDIENTS

2 boneless, skinless, flavorless chicken breasts

1/3 bottle Ken's Steakhouse Zesty Italian Dressing

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a thawed chicken breast in a ziplock bag. Using a meat mallet, flatten the chicken breast so that it is a uniform thickness. Repeat with the other breast.
2. Pierce chicken breasts thoroughly with a fork. Place breasts in a new ziplock bag and add 1/3 bottle of dressing. Let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
3. Prepare your grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat.
4. Remove breasts from marinade and dry off with paper towels. Grill chicken for 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook 4 minutes more. Serve.

Wine pairing: Chardonnay

2024 has been a rough year for veterans of the Lazy H. The best group of people worked at Hoigaard's Ski Shop during the early 70's. And there were two best friends among us who were beloved by all. Ken Platou, on the left, passed last week after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Bob Wood, on the right, left us in January after a battle with covid. Two of the nicest and kindest guys you would ever want to meet...and they will be missed. A lot.

Penne Allesandrio

 

I suppose I started this little segue of my boys' favorite birthday meals with Patrick's Fried Pasta recipe last Saturday. So it is only fair that I share Sean's birthday favorite....one that's been popping up for the last 29 years.

This is a classic Italian recipe with classic Italian ingredients: semolina penne, hot Italian sausage, onions, roasted red peppers...along with fennel seeds and red chili flakes. But there is no red sauce here...extra-virgin olive oil takes the starring role as our "sauce". 

Sean loves his hot Italian sausage, so I long ago switched up the sausage quantity from 1 pound to 2 pounds. I would encourage you to sear them in 4 separate batches. To really appreciate the flavors in this meal, it is imperative to put a good, solid char on the sausage.

I used to make the whole recipe in a Dutch oven. Doing that, though, was a bit of a challenge as I wanted more sear on my sausage. So I use a flaming hot wok to brown my sausage and then dump it into the Dutch oven. 

Just a few words about the roasted red bell peppers in this recipe. If you are ambitious, you can roast your own and cut them into strips. I prefer to let someone else roast them so that I can just drain and dump them in. My favorite brand is Cento. Depending on your grocery store, Cento offers both whole cooked peppers and the same in strips. You'll find them in the condiment aisle...same place as jarred olives.

INGREDIENTS

5 separate tablespoons olive oil for cooking sausage and onion

2 pounds hot Italian sausage links, sliced into pieces 1-1/2" long

1 large yellow onion, cut into rings; then cut the rings in half

1, 12-ounce jar Cento roasted red peppers, cut in strips

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

16-ounces penne pasta

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more to taste)

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Grated parmesan (for passing)

DIRECTIONS

1. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large Dutch oven and heat pan to medium-high. Add 1/4 of sliced sausage links and stir until pieces are very well browned. Transfer links to a large bowl and wipe Dutch oven clean. Repeat process 3 more times to cook all of the sausage. 
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add penne and cook until al dente. Drain pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water so pasta stops cooking. Let pasta rest in colander.
3. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and add onions to Dutch oven. Stir until onions are softened. Turn heat to medium low.
4. Add the cooked sausage, pasta, roasted peppers, garlic, fennel, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to the onions in the Dutch oven. Stir to mix. Then add 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil. Turn heat back to medium-high and stir often until all of the ingredients are heated through. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
5. Serve, passing parmesan to your guests.

Wine pairing: Brunello di Montalcino

Fried Pasta

 

If you are watching your diet and trying to minimize carbs, read no further. Move on and be smart about it. There is nothing to see here. If you do stick around, be advised that this meal will put you into carbohydrate-induced cardiac arrest with the first bite. 

There are only two reasons on earth that I make this meal. First, it is my younger son Patrick's very favorite meal. Not steak. Not tacos. Not burgers. Fried pasta is the birthday meal request that I have been given for the last 27 years in a row.

The second reason I make it is that few things in life taste as good as this. I mean this meal is a caloric disaster of epic proportions. Eat this and they will be able to see your ass from the International Space Station. But one bite and you are hooked. Fried pasta, garlic, parmesan cheese...OH, MY! How a few simple ingredients can elevate a meal to heights unimagined.

Creamette, a company started in 1912 in Minneapolis, makes the most perfect pasta for this meal. Dumpling Egg Noodles are always my first choice. They get super hard and crispy on the outside....and they are creamy soft on the inside....almost like eating a crispy, baked potato made entirely of egg pasta.

A word about the best cooking method for this dish. I have always used a large electric fry pan with a cover. I like it because it does a perfect job of maintaining 350º for the duration of the cook and it holds 2 bags of egg noodles with ease. That 350º is the perfect temp to get a crispy exterior and a creamy, soft interior. Also, the cover holds in the heat....crisping the exterior and melting the cheese. You can use any pan with a cover for similar results....the only challenge being maintaining a constant 350º.

The recipe below is the one I use for Patrick. It's a double helping....because Patrick always consumes almost all of the 24 ounces of pasta in a single sitting. If your crowd is a little less hungry, you can cut the recipe in half (if you use a smaller pan).

INGREDIENTS

2, 12-ounce bags of Creamette Egg Dumpling Noodles

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 

2 tablespoons butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided 

Garlic salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook until al dente.
2. Drain pasta thoroughly in a colander.
3. Turn electric fry pan to 350º. When heated, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and butter to the pan. When butter is melted, spread oil/butter across bottom of pan and add egg noodles and spread out in a single layer. Spread minced garlic and 1/2 cup of cheese on top of noodles. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until bottom is crisp.
4. Uncover fry pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over pasta. Then flip all of the noodles. Sprinkle turned pasta with another 1/2 cup grated parmesan. Cover pan and cook for another 8-10 minutes until that side is crisp.
5. Uncover pan. Season to taste with garlic salt (go easy....parmesan has a lot of sodium). Cut into 8 sections with a spatula and serve.

Cucumber Salad

 

During these nasty, oppressive summer days, I like to keep all my cooking on the grill so I do not heat up the kitchen. I also prefer to make cold sides to mitigate the heat. Pairing grilled and barbecued meat with cold side dishes can be a challenge...unless you select the one salad that is a perfect accompaniment to all things cooked over fire.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium English cucumbers, unpeeled

1 small red onion

1-1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh dill (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Use a mandoline or knife to slice cucumbers crosswise into a medium bowl (see photo above for thickness).
2. Slice onion at the equator and then use mandoline or knife to slice onion into rings. Cut each slice in half and use your hands to separate the individual rings. Add to bowl with cucumbers
3. Sprinkle salt into bowl and mix to combine. Let rest for 20 minutes.
4. Pour off any liquid from the bowl. Add vinegar and sugar and toss until sugar is dissolved.
5. Taste and season with black pepper to taste. Add dill if used and toss to combine. Serve.