Cafe Natasha

Me:

Hey, I have a great idea!  Gene's new job is proving to be a great way of discovering all the fantastic places to dine in St. Louis.  There really is a plethora of choice from tacos at midnight to pho-sion.  Let's make our New Year's Resolution to try at least 12 new restaurants this year.

Restaurant Gods:

We shall do all in our immense and vast, but largely futile,  power to defeat your plans!

If you've been reading along you know how difficult it was to find Restaurant #1.  Pro-tip, don't think you're just going to find a late night eat on New Year's Day in the Lou, even if it is Friday night.  But I did, eventually, prevail against the Restaurant Gods and found a delicious Titan of rebellion in Three Kings Public House.

This time it was 5 o'clock on a Tuesday on the third week of January.  We had plans to attend the Blues game and it was the last day I could use the full value of a Groupon I'd purchased to Lucky Buddha.  I was excited Pho Sho (see what I did there).  “Heeeeyyyyy, this place looks dark but it's 4:58 and they don't open until 5:00... but dark???”  Sign says stay away fools.  Actually the sign, written in pen, on a piece of printer paper, and taped haphazardly to the window said "closed for the holiday".  Yo, it's not even Chinese New Year yet and your facebook not only says you're open but the last post from you was on December 27 (not a typo Twenty SEVENTH) saying you were closed for Christmas.  Hmmmmm..... Me thinks Buddha not lucky.

All amped for Pho, Gene charts a course to Pho Grand, a place he delivers from pretty frequently.  It's facebook page shows it's closed but that can't be right.  Facebook is right.  Pho Grand, along with a mess of other places that should totally be open on a Tuesday, are also dark, dark, dark.  I shake my fist at the Restaurant gods. Then my eyes sparkle like Ralphie's when he saw the Red Rider in the window of Higbee's Department store.  Among the dark windows were twinkling beacons of hope with all manner of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian eats.  And then there it was Cafe Natasha!  A friend mentioned this place to me after mentioning that I was excited to try some Persian delicacies that my cousin's new wife promised to make if we ever got together again.

Cafe Natasha and Natasha's Gin room are set in a corner on S. Grand Avenue and seem pretty unassuming  from the outside.  If the door didn't say they served Persian food I'd assume an odd combination of sandwiches and Martini's were the specialties.  Upon entering and seeing white table clothes set at tables with high rise black tufted booths I felt immediately under dressed in my Blues Hoodie.  The Gin Room with its well stocked and romantically lit bar are what you see upon entering, and the place seemed pretty small until the hostess asked if we wanted to sit in the back room. It opened up to several more, but still intimate, tables and more black tufted booths.

Our waitress let us know that for happy hour there was an all vegan hummus bar with falafel.  It happens to be gluten free too if you care about that kind of thing.  Well, that decided that for me.  Gene went with a chicken and koobideh combo platter.  We also ordered some pickled vegetables and some seer torshi preserved garlic.  Our waitress told us the garlic was better with food rather than as an appetizer on it's own.  I also took advantage of the Gin Room and ordered a dainty drink called the Bitter Sweet that came in a crystal punch glass and tasted just as dainty as its presentation.  Floral but not flowery.  It was delicious.

The pickled vegetables and garlic were powerful and something that should be tried.  The garlic boasts of being aged in vinegar for 7 years, and that's what it tastes like.  You might love them, you might like them, and you might loathe them.  I am on the side of “like” while Gene was closer to the side of “loathe.”  The vegetables were great as a topping for pita and hummus.  They both were decidedly “pickley” but also had a unique kind of tart that's unexpected.  My suspicion is that if you're looking for a real deal pickled veg and garlic, this is it.

The hummus bar had 2 kinds of rice, crispy and fluffy falafel, curry, sauteed mushrooms, hummus, basil tomatoes that were a fresh and slightly tart perfection.  They were great on top of everything and by themselves.  It also had a Pomegranate eggplant kind of baba ganoush, and a cream sauce for whatever you want to put a cream sauce on.  If you're there on a Tuesday and aren't strictly carnivorous, I'd seriously advise getting the hummus bar and a trying a unique and  expertly crafted cocktail.

On the other hand you should also bring someone who IS strictly carnivorous with you so you can try some of the entree they ordered.  Thank you Gene.  The chicken and koobideh were both super tender and delicious.  He was pretty generous with the table staple that I suspected was sumac based, but it wasn't out of place.  His salad was fresh and came with a tart yogurt based dressing that [“reminded me” unless you really can used “reminisced” this way] reminisced of tzatziki and worked well on the kabobs too.

All in all it was really good food and really good service.  The actual Natasha greeted more than one table as if they were long time loyal customers and friends.  Actually, I think we were the ONLY table that didn't seem to have a long established friendship with Natasha, both the restaurant and the person, who I think is the daughter of the original owners.

I have no idea if the food is authentic, but friends tell me it's pretty close.  Let's be honest though, if it's good, do we care?  I'll be back to Cafe Natasha, maybe I'll see you there.

Update:  

Since writing this I ventured back to Cafe Natasha for a late night coffee and baklava with Gene.  If you have a love affair with coffee then you'll want to try Turkish coffee some day.  I've found a couple of places that really do it right, and Cafe Natasha is one of them.  This method (boiling the grounds in the coffee over and over until it foams and falls) creates a strong and rich cup of brew with a sooty bottom layer.  This time I opted for Arabic, which is the same coffee but with the addition of sweetened condensed milk.  My coffee and Gene's had a distinctly floral note.  Mine even had a cardamom pod floating in it which stayed with me in a pleasant way.  The baklava was good.  It didn't fall into the sins of most baklava in that it wasn't too sweet, just right on the flavor balance.  It did want a little something from the texture, but we were the very last customers of the day and it's not a made to order item.

Three Kings Public House 1 of 12

The Three KingsThree Kings Public House

For the 3 of you that read this blog I've got something new for you.  This year I resolved to try 12 new restaurants this year.  They have to be local, no chains, and vacations or trips don't count.  I'll share my insights with you because it's what the people, all 3 of you, want.... my insights.

I thought I'd get the first one knocked out right away but it did seem as if 2016 was trying to rise against my goal setting, my new resolve to make resolutions, my presumption to be proactive.  Or, it might just have been the fact that places that are usually open late on New Year's Eve tend to be closed on New Year's Day.  Let me explain, no, there is too much, let me sum up (extra credit if you can name that film).

It seemed as if the food gods were aligned in my quest as Gene's new gig as a Postmates courier made him privy to all the hot late night dining spots and we were scheduled to work the Arch Reactor Booth at First Friday's.  Mission Taco was our...uh, mission.  Gene knew it was popular and it served super late.  We got out of the Science Center soon after 9 and headed to check off the first of 12.  Darkness.  That's what greeted us as we approached Mission Taco.  No problem, Gene knows all the hot spots.  Darkness. Darkness. Darkness.  It was now after 10 and our chances of getting any food at all were looking dismal.  In a last ditch effort Gene headed into the Loop in U City.  We drove down the strip looking for lights, any lights.  I wanted to check something off my list but hangry was taking hold fast, our relationship was in jeopardy.  We just needed food, any food.

There is was, 3 Kings Public House.  Gene had picked up deliveries from there, so we knew they served food.  Would it be good?  Did we care?  Would they be bitter about having to serve us a half an hour before their kitchen closed?

We were greeted by a pretty typical bar atmosphere.  Girls just a little too tipsy, guys throwing back shots and loud music I'd never heard before.  It looked tiny and we were sat in a cozy U booth and offered menus.... with FOOD on them, not bar food, the real kind they serve in the daytime.  Our waiter brought a bottle of water and asked what we wanted to drink.  This is where they decide we're evil for walking in here and daring to just want some food and no adult beverages....and on top of that I just wanted water.  I actually shrank back in my booth as I made excuses for only ordering water.

Not only did he not scoff at this but he gladly told us the food specials and recommendations.  He was friendly, efficient, affable, wasn't over bearing, and anticipated our needs.  Even brought me malted vinegar for the house made chips before I knew that's what I wanted.

I ordered the special of the day, their version of a Bahn Mi with marinated chicken, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and a chipotle mayo.  As someone not a fan of American sandwiches, this hit all the flavor buttons, and the texture buttons, and the satisfy me buttons.  All the buttons were hit.  I chose sweet potato fries as my side and house made chips as an appetizer.  The fries were waffle cut, crispy, and super yummy.  The house made chips are basically the only kind of chips I want to ever eat any more.  They had fresh herbs and some kind of seasoning that I'm pretty sure included some Parmesan cheese, and they were HOT. With the malted vinegar, I was in heaven.

Gene ordered the fish and chips and a side salad.  At first he was disappointed because he asked for ranch dressing and the dressing didn't look like ranch, but turned out it was just a homemade ranch dressing so it was missing that gloppy ranchy unpleasantness.  The greens were a spring mix and were super fresh along with the veg in the salad.  His fish was flaky, crispy, and thick!

Even though we were seated in the bar area there was a quieter room in the back with larger tables where a few families were dining. The entire place was wood planked and brick walled, and had old world touches that made you feel the building was there since prohibition. I didn't mind being in the bar area.  None of the patrons were being obnoxious and the juke box offered an interesting variety of music.  Our server even commented on the social experiment nature of having a juke box in a bar.  The double door at the entrance made it nice and warm inside, and the people watching made the U shaped booth both romantic and entertaining.  I got to lay my head on the shoulder of my love while watching the patrons greet each other like they obviously came here all the time.  Probably the best part was discovering the reason for the name.  Above the bar on the brick wall was a painting of the "3 Kings", Kong. Louie, and Elvis.  All the waiters and bar keeps had cool hair too.  Maybe that's not important to everyone, but it ads to the atmo'.

If you find yourself in the loop I'd certainly recommend this place to duck into.  Their regular menu is served until 11 and they offer a pretty hefty late night menu as well.  If the bar bothers you ask to be seated in the back, I doubt you'll get bad food or bad service no matter when you choose to go.  I'd say day one of my resolution hit a homer despite 2 strikes and a few foul balls.  I'll try not to use sports analogies anymore. 1 down 11 to go.

Marshmallow Marshmallow

When people find out that I make marshmallows from scratch I get one of three reactions.  The first is a look of awe and wonder as if marshmallows are magically made from the poop of the pet bunnies of Keebler elves.  The second is one of odd disgust.  Why would you MAKE marshmallows, you weirdo!  The third is genuine curiosity.  HOW does that happen, marshmallows, but how?

So, here's why and how, the odd disgust I can't do anything about.  Go get some Jet Puff ya hater.  Homemade marshmallows are infinitely better than store bought.  They've been referred to as Crackmallows by some Mallow Afficianados, aka, my friends.  The how is more simple than you think and basically involves boiling sugar and adding it to gelatin and a really long time in a mixer built for endurance.  I'm not kidding.  They're not complicated but by the time the mallows are done with their 15 minute turn in my Kitchen Aid the motor is hotter than a cup of tea in Hades kitchen.  

I use Alton Brown's basic recipe for marshmallows but I've found a few things that have helped me and I'll share them with you.  But seriously, A.B. is practically perfect in every way and the ways that he's not are just none of our business.  

Just as a side note if you never master the actual art of spreading the hot marshmallow goo out into a pan so that it can set into marshmallows then the picture to the right is reason enough to learn to make marshmallows.  I mean COME ON!

Now on to some particulars.  

I've mentioned a really good stand mixer already as you're going to be putting that sucker through a culinary cross fit... not that I know what an actual cross fit session, or whatever, is like but I've seen sweat selfies so I'm pretty knowledgeable.  Why am I talking about sweat at the same time I'm talking about marshmallows??  I've already talked about magical bunny poop so whatever. 

You're also going to need a candy thermometer and a kitchen scale.  You can maybe get away without a scale but a thermometer is cheap, go get one.  And yes, that one you use when you make fried foods works just as well.  A large jelly roll sheet, that's the one that you make your cookies on.  It's a rectangle.  Parchment paper is the first of my tips that makes this a bit easier.  A heavy bottomed pan is the last piece of hardware that's necessary.  

Start by sprinkling 3 packets of gelatin over a half a cup of ice water in your mixer bowl. I would show you a picture of this but it's really just not very exciting.  Now move over to your kitchen scale and measure out your sugar, 12 ounces of it.  Isn't may scale so cute.  My beau got it for me.  He's so thoughtful and he loves my marshmallows and my dog, I'm keeping him.  Ignore the eggs.  They're not part of this whole process.  I'm just a terrible housekeeper. I forgot to put away my eggs after breakfast.  

Once you have this measured out mix it into your heavy bottomed pan with your corn syrup, your other half a cup of water, and salt.  

Lid it up and turn it on medium high and let it go for about 3 minutes.  Take the lid off and let it boil undisturbed, seriously no stirring or swirling or anything.  Leave it alone for about 7 minutes until your candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees.  Watch it closely, don't go anywhere.  This can feel like its taking forever and then suddenly it's too late. 

 Once it reaches this temperature you will start your mixer on low and carefully pour the molten contents of your pan into your mixer.  Once it's all in switch that sucker to high for 15 minutes.  While your mixing prepare a 50/50 mixture of corn starch and powdered sugar.  I make more of this than the original recipe calls for so I just go with the ratio instead of measuring.  Lay your parchment paper out in your cookie sheet and spray lightly with non stick spray then dust with your corn starch mixture.  

 Again, I'm going to have to ask you to ignore the rest of my kitchen and just focus on the pan that's prepped for the marshmallows.  Now back to our mixture that is almost ready for the vanilla, which you are going to add in the last minute of mixing.  Be careful because adding it makes it temporarily unstable and it might splatter.  Then you have a beautiful, fluffy, gooey, bowl full of sugar delight. 


Scrape it into your prepared pan.  Get as much out as you can but you're never going to get it all of it and that's just more for you to lick off the whip later.  The faster you work here the better all that goo that's stuck on the whip is going to be when you hide in a corner and keep it a secret from everyone else.  

 Here's where is gets fun.  You've got to get this spread out in your pan.  Alton advises a spatula but I just wet my hands with warm water and use those.  Once you get it all spread evenly you sprinkle it with more of your cornstarch mixture and let it sit overnight or several hours.  Whichever you have the patience for.  

 Cutting it up can be tricky.  I like to use a pizza cutter and my cornstarch mixture for when it gets sticky.  Cut them as big or small as you like and dust each side in your cornstarch mixture before storing them in an air tight container.  Sneak one into your coffee, hot cocoa, onto a stick to roast it around a camp fire.  Oh, that reminds me.  I must warn you that toasting a homemade marshmallow will send you into marshmallow nirvana and you'll be useless for at least 2 to 3 hours.  

 Ingredients

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup ice cold water, divided

12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Nonstick spray

Find Alton's Original Recipe Here

Ya Ya Liah: Sausage and tomato chowder on rice sorta

Both Gumbo and Jumbalaya require a lot more time and attention to detail than I'm willing to muster.  They also both require bib overalls and a pretty thick accent, Ah Gare-Ohn-tee.  Dangit, now I have to apologize to all of my southern and Louisianan friends.  Is Louisianan a word?  I guess it is, my spell check says so.  Truth be told my biggest crush is on Harry Connick Jr. His NoLa accent isn't as thick now but when I was a kid and he was a young man he could have turned me to butter just by saying Jumbalaya.  There was also that kid from Baton Rouge in college.  His name was Rusty St. Cyr.  I know he was pretty gorgeous but I honestly can't remember exactly what he looked like but his accent was akin to hot salted caramel running down the back of a dripping ice cream cone on the 4th of July.  Plus there's his name!  Could a name be any MORE Bat-On Rouge?  Do I still have to apologize?

I think you get the point that my knowledge of the cultures that gumbo and jumbalaya hail from have surprisingly little to do with their cuisine.  But tonight I had to manage a meal with some Hungarian sausage that had to get cooked, and then tomatoes started rolling around my brain, and then I thought I'd like to make soup but NO, I want to serve it over rice.  It started to sound not quite like jumbalaya and not quite like gumbo.  I'm not a fan of gumbo.  I like the fact that the sauce is a roux thickened sauce and that its served over rice and chock full of tasty sausages, chicken, and/or sea food, but the roux is too dark for me.  I really love jumbalaya but I am pretty good at screwing up rice that isn't cooked in my rice cooker and since Bobby Flay managed to burn his rice and not cook it through at the same time, I certainly wasn't going to be taking any risks.  A sort of very inauthentic hybrid took shape.  I had the sausage, the tomatoes, the roux, the rice, the spices, but I'd do my own thing and I'd call it "Ya Ya Liah (liar)"  Get it?!

I would like to reassert my assertion that this is really not Jumbalaya, Gumbo, Creol, Cajun, Southern, or authentic of anything resembling anything.  It's more like when you see that guy in a car a couple of lanes away in the grocery store that kind of looks like Toby McGuire until you get closer and he looks more like that kid in the Never Ending Story.  Just me?  Ok, carrying on.  

I started by chopping up an onion, dicing a couple of carrots, and dicing up some of those small colored peppers I had in the freezer then sauteing them in some olive oil.

I totally ganked this pic from the internet

Then I threw in the Cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper and letting it cook on medium low for about a minute.  I added a Tablespoon of butter, let it melt, then put in a couple tablespoons of  flour to create my roux. Then I threw in my sliced sausage.  Upon reflection I really should have cooked my sausage, taken it out, and then started my veg in the same pan.  Lesson learned.   Next it was just a matter of throwing in my diced tomatoes, chicken broth, milk, and testing for seasoning while I let it simmer and cook my rice (in my rice cooker of course).

If you start the rice after the stuff is all in the pot then the sauce should be pleasantly thick by the time the rice is finished.  Serve the Ya Ya over the rice and add some hot sauce if you'd like, and there you go.  

Ingredients:

1 lb hungarian sausage or your favorite fresh or smoked sausage sliced thin and cut in half moons

1 medium white onion diced

2 carrots peeled and diced

3 or 4 mini colored peppers, one of each color is nice, seeded and diced

1 Tb Olive Oil

2 Tb Cajun Seasoning 

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional to taste)

1 Tb Butter

2 Tb flour

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk (If you must, walk your own path, even if your path looks like white water.  Just don't expect the same creaminess)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup uncooked rice

In a medium pot heat 2 Tb olive oil over medium high heat.  Add sausage and cook until browned and cooked nearly through if using fresh sausage.  

Lower heat to medium and remove sausage, set aside.  Add onion, carrots, and peppers and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 min.  Add Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.  Cook 1 more minute.  

Add 1 Tb of butter and cook until butter melts then add 2 Tb. flour.  Cook stirring incorporating the flour and then about a minute longer.  You want to cook off the floury taste but don't want to put much color on the flour, a nice pale caramel is about as dark as you want to go.  You might start getting some tasty bits sticking to the bottom of your pan. That's good!  

Bring the heat back up to medium high and deglaze (add) your can of tomatoes scrapping those tasty bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add chicken broth and sausage to the pan.  Bring to a boil stirring frequently, add milk and then lower to a simmer.  Stir occasionally scrapping the bottom to make sure nothing sticks.  

If you're using long grain white rice that isn't parboiled then start it now.  You're rice and Ya Ya will finish about the same time.  If you're using instant - please don't use instant - then let your Ya Ya simmer for about 10 minutes before you start your rice.  How long you simmer it depends on how thick you want it.  It's going to be like a nice thick soup or thin chowder but simmering longer will give you a thicker consistency.  If it gets too thick for you there is no shame in adding more broth or some water.  Just don't let that stuff stick to the bottom and burn and you can let it go for as long as you like.  

Serve over the cooked rice with a shake of Frank's and you're set to go.  

How to be cheap or Making the Most of a Whole Chicken

A box of chicken broth costs anywhere from a few dollars to 5 bucks if you're fancy.  That means if you spend five bucks on a whole chicken and everything goes horribly wrong and all you end up with is 24 oz. of chicken flavored water, you still came out ahead.  Coming out ahead where my money and my food is concerned is basically how I have to live if I don't want to sustain myself on Ramen and the kindness of other's.  Wait, I kind of do that too.


This process will give you cooked chicken meat and about 48 oz each of chicken broth and chicken stock.

Now, what the heck is the difference between stock and broth?

Broth is basically really flavorful water.  You can add it to nearly anything to get some extra flavor instead of water.  Use it to cook your ramen, rice, spaghetti sauce, anything really.  You can also use it to make sauces and soups.

Stock is richer in texture and has a silky mouth feel.  You will notice that it cools into a gel like substance.  Ok, not gel like, actual gelatin.  It's great to use when you want a rich texture in your sauce, soup, stuffing, dressing (both salad and that thanksgiving kind).  You can also add some water to it and use it in place of broth if you are out of broth.


You're going to start with a whole chicken, and of course it's going to be the cheapest one by the pound.  If you're fussy about organic then go for it but then we can no longer call this post "How to be cheap" but maybe we can call it "How to make buying that organic chicken worth it".  You don't have to worry about buying a roaster, or a boiler, or a broiler, or whatever.

If you just want some chickeny flavored water or stock then you can stop here but that would be silly.  If you have aromatics around you're going to want to add them.  We are talking celery, onion, carrots, dried or fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns.  As long as you don't go to one extreme or the other amounts don't really matter.  Use the cupped palm of your hand to measure.  

Finally, you're going to need a Slow Cooker.  If you don't have one you will need a large stock pot, but the good news is that it won't take as long.  If you're using a stock pot you'll want to bring it up to a boil then lower it down to a simmer for a couple/few hours.  The stock pot method will result in less but richer liquid at the end so add a bit more water than you would in the slow cooker.  You will also need to skim the foam from the top during the first 30 minutes or so in the stock pot.

I want to reiterate the title of this article: How to be Cheap.  If I were making stock to impress Alton Brown (my BFF) I would likely not try to take this chicken so far, but it's serviceable for my home kitchen.  I can always add flavor at the other end of my cooking process.  This is a two part recipe.  The first is to get your broth and your cooked chicken you can set aside and use for other dishes such as chicken salad, soups, etc.

For the Broth and Chicken:

1 4 LB Whole Chicken
2 large carrots broken into 2 or 3 pieces
2 stalks celery broken into 2 or 3 pieces
1 whole onion cut in half (skin and all)
1 tsp dried thyme or a few springs of fresh thyme
1 tsp dried parsley or a few springs of fresh parsley
1 TB whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Thaw your chicken if it's frozen and check the cavity for "innards".  You want to put the innards in your slow cooker but you don't want to cook whatever they're packaged in.  Sometimes they aren't packaged in anything, in which case throw that whole chicken in the slow cooker.

Add the rest of your ingredients to the slow cooker and fill with enough water to cover your chicken.  If it comes too close to the top of your cooker it's ok to put less water in, but I promise it won't overflow.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

Carefully remove the cooked chicken from the slow cooker at the end of your cooking period and set it in a colander above the slow cooker to allow the juices to run off.  This step prevents you from having to mop up chicken juices from your counter and/or floors. If you have a dog, skip this step.  I'M KIDDING!

Remove the chicken to a large cutting board to cool.  Meanwhile place that colander over a bowl or dish large enough to hold your broth.  If you don't have something large enough you may need to use more than one. If your bowl has a pour spout, all the better.  Pour the contents of the slow cooker (minus the chicken) through the colander or a sieve if you have it, into your container.  Put what you caught in your colander back into your slow cooker.

Now let's take care of that chicken.  Being careful to separate the bones, cartilage, and gooey bits from your chicken meat, remove the meat from the chicken.  At this point I like to keep the dark meat separate from the white meat, and I like to keep the breasts as whole as I can.  Wrap your chicken in saran wrap and aluminum foil, label it, and freeze it if you don't plan to use it right away.

To make the Chicken Stock


Throw everything but the chicken flesh back into the crock pot.  And by everything I mean EVERYTHING: bones, skin, and gooey bits.  I also like to add about a cup or two of the broth back in to the slow cooker to give my stock a bit more flavor.

To the slow cooker add fresh aromatics in the same portions you did with the broth.  If you don't have anymore, don't let it stop you.  You'll just have to add more flavor when you use the stock to cook with later. Fill the slow cooker 1/2 to 3/4 full of water.  The more water you add the less concentrated your stock will be.  Cook for another 8-10 hours.  You really can't overcook it at this point though.

Once it's fully cooked you'll want to drain the stock into a container using a sieve or colander again just as you did the broth and you can discard everything else.

You can store your broth and stock in Freezer Bags or Mason Jars (they freeze well).  I would suggest labeling them with magic marker before adding the broth and stock though.  Greasy and sharpie don't mix.  You will want to freeze this if you don't plan on using it in the next few days.  I would also highly suggest freezing it in portions that are useful to you.  Once it's frozen it's hard to extract a 1/2 cup at a time.  If you tend to use stock or broth in smaller amounts I'd suggest freezing some of it using cheap ice trays.  Simply freeze it in the trays over night and then pop them into a freezer bag for easy access later.

*Thanks to my friend Helen for pictures of the ingredients and process.  And thanks for testing out the post on your own chicken.

A weekend when everyone is Italian: Collinsville Italian Fest

I write this even as I am nearly prostrate on my futon, immobile from a gut full of really unhealthy food.  Once a year the residents of Collinsville Illinois converge on Main Street for a celebration of food, local history, the Italian culture, bad fashion, impromptu reunions, and libations.

I'm the first to admit that I love people but hate gatherings.  The Italian Fest at night is crowded, loud, and drunk.  Basically it's like an Italian Family dinner, it's bellisimo!  I usually swoop in long enough to grab some bagna cauda and swoop out.  This year I had the opportunity to head up there early on the first day and it was wonderful.

My childhood memories of The Italian Fest are mostly from the inside of the kitchen at my church.  For years my church, First Assembly of God in Collinsville, had a booth at The Fest selling "Famous Stuffed Shells".  I have vivid memories of red faced women running a well oiled shell stuffing machine.  Tables lined up with the stuffing being mixed by hand, large tin foil shiny pans coming out of hot ovens, my father loading up the sparkling pans into the church van to shuttle them to the Fest.  Running the van constantly, we could barely keep up with the demand.  It's been over a decade since The Italian Fest was graced with the booth selling the Famous Stuffed Shells.  This year there was another group selling stuffed shells, and they were good, but it's just not the same.

As an adult, I pass up almost every booth and head straight for the bagna cauda.  There are actually a couple of places you can get this pungent garlic and anchovy knock out punch, and by knock out, I mean knock out anyone that comes within a 10 foot radius of you after you've eaten it. The more prominent being the Kiwanis truck.  They serve it up with Napa cabbage leaves and hunks of Italian bread.  The proper way to indulge is to scoop up the oil concoction being sure to dive deep down to the bottom for that flavorful, garlicy, anchovy salted, soot.  Then hold it over the bread to catch any drippings before shoveling the molten hot fondue into your mouth.  The cabbage acts as a great contrast in taste, texture, and temperature.  If you've rationed it right you'll have just enough bread to sop up any remaining oil slicks of pure flavor.

After reading that last bit you have probably planted yourself firmly in one of two camps.  There are only two camps when it comes to this Italian favorite.  The first being those that seek it out like The Lost City of Atlantis.  Its fragrant call a siren drawing you to the cliffs.  The second being those that flee in the other direction at the slightest hint of the pungent smell.  No one sort of thinks that bagna cauda is just ok.  As a child we brought in every New Year at a very Italian friends house.  This was the midnight meal.  Zombies grunting and moaning bending over the pot fighting for a taste huddled in the kitchen.  Then in the furthest corner of the house cowering, the haters, grumbling their disdain.

If you'd like to see which camp you are in you can find the recipe for Bagna Cauda below.  The recipe is thanks to that long time family friend who was the host and chef every New Year's.  To be honest, and I'm sorry mom, but her's is by far the best I've ever had.

If you would like to take your chances on a slightly less risky bet the recipe for First Assembly of God's Famous Stuffed Shells is also below.  Getting my hands on this was not easy but I was finally able to land it thanks to a good friend and long time church Secretary Sandy Snider.

Jan's Bagna Cauda

1 pound butter
1 cup olive oil
1 whole head (yes head.. all the cloves inside one head of garlic) peeled and sliced
6 cans of anchovies

Combine all ingredients and let simmer on low 20-30 minutes until anchovies break down.  Keep heat on low to avoid burning the garlic.  Burnt garlic is bitter and will flavor the entire pot.

Serve with Napa cabbage, Italian bread, and various vegetable.

Famous Stuffed Shells

1 box large pasta shells

1 medium diced onion

1 LB ground beef for red sauce or 1 LB diced chicken for white sauce (honestly, I only remember hamburger no matter the sauce)

1 pkg frozen spinach thawed and drained well or one can of spinach drained well and chopped
2 eggs 

4 or 5 cloves of garlic mashed or diced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded parmesean cheese

Cook shells in boiling water for 12 minutes with 2 TB of oil (honestly I'd oil them after I cooked them rather than before).  After boiling rinse with cold water and set aside (wow, they are breaking all the rules with this recipe).  

Prepare stuffing:

Saute onion and garlic in skillet but DO NOT BROWN.  Add spinach and eggs stirring and mixing together. Add both cheddar and parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is stringy and melted.  Remove from heat.  Open the shells and stuff about 1 TB or more inside shell and roll the shell back up and place in deep baking dish.  Make sure all shells are covered in sauce: 

For white sauce:

1 Can cream of mushroom soup and 1 soup can of milk.  

For Red Sauce:

1 31 oz jar of Prego chunky sauce.  Dilute as desired with water.

Cover and bake 350 degrees Farenheit for 40 minutes.  

Enjoy!

Happy Butter Day!

What makes a slave eat like a king? Butter

What breaks a fast with bacon and eggs? Butter

What makes a tongue swoon with delight and delish? Butter

What turns flour into a beurre manié? Butter

What makes gravy so creamy and rich? Butter

What makes the French so Frenchity French? Butter

What makes a birthday happier than most?

You guessed it....Butter!

      Oh the delightful wisdom on the French. Those smelly gastronomes might not have the best reputation for hospitality and portion size but they kick epicurean butt despite having their noses pointed skyward. All of the worlds most wonderful things regarding food come from France. Gene, my dear

sweet boyfriend, holds fast to the opinion that the French just take over other words to make them sound fancier "Everything is French!" Well, there is good reason. Their painstaking attention to detail in both ingredients and methodology put them way at the head of the culinary pack. I mean without Mise en Place we would all be running around like Rachel Ray, with a million things balanced on our arms, hoping that our mushrooms don't burn before we get the onions chopped. 

       They also gave us the Statue of Liberty, Béchamel Sauce, Velouté Sauce, Butter Sauces, and darn near every other kind of sauce imaginable. And as Meg Ryan so eloquently pointed out there are 452 official government cheeses of France, how can that be a bad thing (here is

where you all run to youtube to try and find the "Lactose Intolerance" scene, small price to pay I say).

       As a matter of fact you can thank the French for Bobby, Paula, Emeril, Tyler, Rachel, Guy, Alton (swoon), Barefoot, er, I mean Ina, Michael, Cat, Anne, Mario, Duff, Giada, Nigella, and all those Next Food Stars. How is that possible, you ask. The reason is simple, tall, and fell in love with France when her husband was stationed there with U.S. Information Services. Julia Child was one of the first faces that we ever saw cooking in front of us on the tv. As a girl I would open a box of cake mix set out my ingredients, a proper Miise En Place, put on my best high nasal voice and cook that box of cake mix like I was Julia herself.

       With all of my admiration of the woman I never attempted French Cuisine until after I saw

"Julie and Julia", and of course this is where I say that the movie really inspired me. Well, its corny but its true. I asked for and received "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" as a Christmas gift and have made good use of it here and there. When my birthday rolled around my mom asked me what exactly I wanted to do to celebrate.  The first thing I thought of was Julia's classic Boeuf Berrgion. In my family we never just 'make dinner' we have a theme that runs through the food, the table settings, the decor, and the gifts gosh darnit!

      The theme for my birthday dinner was Julie, Jen, and Julia. Julie being my mom by the way. The menu was straight out of Julia's book, the table settings were gorgeous black and white, and the meal cooked by ME.  

      So, here I had my opportunity to show off my cooking skills.... with a classic French dish... that I had never prepared before.... in a really small hot kitchen.... for 20 of my closest friends. I know what you are thinking. You're thinking it all went terribly awry and we had to order pizza for dinner. Admit it, that's exactly what you're thinking. You see the famous scene in the movie where Julie drops the hen and immediately has a 3 year old hissy fit on the floor of her kitchen.  Incidentally this is the one scene that reminded my loving boyfriend of me.  In reality, the exact opposite happened. We did get the kitchen and the entire house extra toasty warm, and my mom's tongs weren't nearly long enough to save me from a few grease splatters while browning the meat, but an hour before my guests were to arrive I was lazing on the couch, in my fancy dress, sipping a cool beverage. The Boeuf was in the oven, the potatoes bolied and foiled, and the peas thawing in preparation... for butter.

       Speaking of butter, I would say that it was certainly the cornerstone of the entire meal, nay, evening. It went in nearly everything I prepared, except the stew meat...that was browned in bacon fat! At the end of the night we did the math and nearly 4LBS of it was used. Caramelized onions and mushrooms.. butter, potatoes with parsley and...butter, green peas in...BUTTER. That doesn't even account for all the butter that my mom used in the desserts, I knew when to turn something over to the master, which included a lemon semi-fredo that will simultaneously stop your heart and send you to heaven.

      The evening was as near perfection as one can come. I have to admit a sense of pride knowing that I pulled off a classic French meal that everyone seemed to enjoy, and I didn't freak out once the entire day. It was incredible to be surrounded by so many people willing to eat my food, love on me, and help me celebrate a pretty blessed life. As I looked at my 94 year old grandmother enjoying her meal, and looking rather spring chicken like, I began to think off all the birthdays I have ahead of me.... despite all the butter.

So without further ado... some yummy pictures of my Happy Butter Day.

Dad's Cranky Face

Everyone knows that if you don't dry the

meat properly it won't brown. Because I was tripling the recipe I used the stack and press method.

When browning anything fat is used to sear and transfer heat quickly. You can use oil, butter, or rendered bacon fat...








Hmmmm....choices, choices. Boeuf Bergionne calls for browning the meat in rendered bacon fat.