What to Try Next: Israeli Couscous

I love rice and especially risotto as a side dish.  That creamy, rich goodness is the perfect option to pair with nearly any protein.  Since we always seem to have either rice or potatoes as a side dish, I was looking for an alternative option.  Enter Israeli couscous!  This particular type of pasta is a large pearl shape that cooks up much like instant rice or quinoa.  Add boiling water and simmer about 10 minutes - voila!  By itself, it's plain, but add other ingredients such as a meat, grilled veggies, or cheese, and you have a great main or side dish.

I found a recipe for Israeli couscous with wild mushrooms from one of the most popular and esteemed restaurants in Dallas, Suze.  I loved the idea of sauteed mushrooms and Parmesan cheese added to couscous as these are umami-rich flavors and I use them often in my risotto.  This type of couscous is a larger pearl-shaped pasta that reminds me a bit of tapioca pearls, with a soft texture and starchy consistency.  Adding olive oil following cooking helps combat the sticky starch.

The verdict?  I enjoyed this as an alternative to rice or potatoes and love the versatility of using other ingredients as well.  It would be a great vegetarian main dish or alternative side dish.  Happy eating!

Rich and unctuous

Israeli Couscous with Wild Mushrooms and Parmesan

(adapted from a recipe courtesy of Gibert Garza at Suze Restaurant, Dallas, TX)

For the mushrooms:
2 cups of assorted mushrooms (porcini, shitake, baby bella, etc.), chopped
1/8 cup of chopped thyme
1/2 large shallot, julienned
1/8 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional - omit if cooking vegan)
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley and truffle oil, for garnish (optional)

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the mushrooms and shallots with the oils until softened, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Rough chop with a knife or food processor (don't puree).  Strain excess mushroom liquid out of mixture and set aside, adding to the couscous.  In a mixing bowl, combine the couscous, mushroom mixture, and liquid.  Add the thyme and Parmesan, if using.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley and truffle oil, if using.

For the Couscous:
1 cup of Israeli Couscous (large pearled couscous)
1 1/4 cups boiling water

Bring water to a boil and add couscous.  Stir, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 8 - 10 minutes or until water is nearly absorbed.  While couscous is cooking, prepare mushroom mixture.

Secrets of Slow Cooking - Tapioca?!

Now that fall is here and I'm craving comfort cuisine, the slow cooker is getting a workout!  One of my frustrations with the slow cooker is having a thin, watery broth-like sauce when the food is done cooking.  It takes extra work to add corn starch or other thickener and then boil it down.  I recently purchased a slow cooker cookbook at Half Price Books that really had some great recipes.  The book, from the editors of Prevention Magazine, was focused on healthy cooking.  While some of the hints don't work for me (IMHO, better to use butter as it's a natural product with good flavor than chemically produced margarine), there is a great variety of recipes and inspiration within.

Today, I was inspired to try a variation on a chicken and mushroom dish that seemed intriguing.  Using very little liquid, the chicken and mushrooms would roast more than braise and the sauce would self-thicken using... tapioca starch!!  As a bonus, if you're allergic to wheat, tapioca is gluten free!  Adding just 2 Tbsp of instant pearl tapioca (NOT the large pearls used for bubble tea) when I began my cooking yielded a thickened sauce 7 scant low-and-slow cooking hours later!  Another hint used in this recipe was reduced fat cream cheese to help thicken and enrich the sauce.

Tapioca is actually the recommended starch if you're going to freeze something, so if you make mass quantities of a dish and plan to freeze it, use tapioca starch in place of corn starch.  I got curious about tapioca since I had never cooked with this product.  I checked out www.foodsubs.com and found the following:

instant tapioca = quick-cooking tapioca = quick tapioca = granulated tapioca = tapioca granules = instant pearl tapioca    Notes:   These small, starchy granules are used to make tapioca pudding and to thicken pie fillings.  The grains don't dissolve completely when cooked, so puddings and pies thickened with them end up studded with tiny gelatinous balls.  If you don't mind the balls, you can also use instant tapioca to thicken soups, gravies, and stews.  If the balls are a problem, just pulverize the instant tapioca in a coffee grinder or blender, or buy tapioca starch, which is already finely ground.  Instant tapioca tolerates prolonged cooking and freezing, and gives the fillings an attractive glossy sheen.   To use it in a pie filling, mix it with the other ingredients, then let it sit for at least five minutes so that the tapioca can absorb some of the liquid.  Don't confuse instant tapioca with regular tapioca, which has larger beads, or with the even larger tapioca pearls sold in Asian markets.  Minute® tapioca is a well-known brand.  Substitutes:    regular tapioca (Use twice as much.  Puddings made with this will have larger gelatinous balls in it.) OR tapioca starch (This is also used to thicken pie fillings.) OR tapioca pearls (Pulverize these first with a blender, coffee grinder, or food processor) OR cornstarch (Use half as much.  Cornstarch breaks down if it's mixed with acidic ingredients, cooked for a long time, or frozen and thawed.) OR arrowroot (more expensive) OR flour (Use a little more.)

The result?  Good overall.  The chicken breasts came out a little dry.  Can solve that with 1) skin-on chicken breasts, 2) larger pieces of chicken, or 3) chicken thighs, which stay moister longer.  The sauce was a revelation - thick, tasty, and WAY easier than having to add a corn starch slurry (corn starch & cold water mixed together) at the end and boiling to thicken.  I used 2 Tbsp tapioca pearls to 3/4 cup liquid.  Why it works so well is that it can thicken at low temperatures, perfect for the low setting on a slow cooker.  This is a great weekday or Sunday supper served with a loaf of crusty bread and some steamed or sautéed broccoli.  Happy eating!

Slow Cooker Chicken with Mushrooms and New Potatoes

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
1 lb mushrooms, sliced (can use a mixture of cremini, baby bella, shitake, etc.)
2 lbs new potatoes, halved if large
3/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
2 Tbsp instant tapioca (small pearls)
Salt and pepper
3 - 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese

Trim chicken and cut in half, if large.  Slice mushrooms and potatoes.  In 5-qt or larger slow cooker, add wine or broth and tapioca.  Stir to mix.  Add chicken breasts, mushrooms, and potatoes.  Salt and pepper, then cover and cook on low for 6 hours.  Stir and cook 1 more hour.  Add cream cheese to sauce and stir to blend (I recommend moving the chicken and vegetables to the side and stirring into sauce, then combining together).  Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Pot Pie Please!

The weather shifted ever-so-slightly to cooler evenings and still-pleasant days.  Though trees don't all change colors here, fall is in the air.  The start of fall has me craving nourishing, hearty soups and, of all things, pot pie! 
Now, I am not a fan of store-bought pot pies.  They are so salty and fat-laden, plus there tends to be a killer amount of peas, one food I can usually skip entirely.  I've come to like peas again over the years... but just a little, so pot pie can go either way for me.  One of the few I did like growing up is the Swanson Chicken Pot Pie.  My mom would buy it in mass quantities at Sam's Club and voila! dinner.

Happily, when the craving hit this week, I had a recipe in mind.  Real Simple, bless their simple cooking heart, offered up a mushroom pot pie with a puff pastry topping.  As I think puff pastry can be its own food group, I was intrigued.  The recipe calls for pretty standard pot pie ingredients - carrots, celery, and onions (called a mirepoix if you want to get fancy) and mushrooms (white or baby portabella), plus the rich and tasty puff pastry.  It's a great base that could be modified to different tastes, which is what I did. 

I liked the basic recipe, but I was inspired to try and improve it with a few "secret" ingredients. 

Puff Pastry Shells  - These are fantastic to make appetizers, but for my purposes, I thought it would be great to make individual pot pies like those that we grew up eating, but tastier.  If you're cooking for only one or two people, this is a great way to make just what you plan to eat and freeze the rest. (NOTE: I receive no compensation from Pepperidge Farm, but they make a great product)

Sherry or wine - Any time I cook with mushrooms, I think it really adds something to the flavor with  just a splash of wine.  I know there is science behind it, but bottom line is that the French really are onto something cooking with wine!  Want to learn more about sherry?  Go here:  http://wine.about.com/od/winebasic1/a/SherryWine.htm

Any liquor store will carry sherry, but PLEASE do NOT buy "cooking sherry."  It's disgusting and salty.  If you don't want to buy sherry, use whatever wine you drink and add in a few tablespoons to the mix.



Italian parsley - Parsley punches up the flavor with a mild herbiness and freshness. I cannot think of a savory recipe that doesn't taste better without parsley.




Wondra Flour - We all usually keep flour in our pantries, but if you're looking to create the smoothest sauces and avoid the typical clumping with all-purpose flour, consider buying a canister of Wondra.  It's very finely ground flour that is made for sauces.  It made the gravy in the pot pie super smooth and luscious (without ANY butter or cream!).

With my "secret" ingredients at hand, I began to cook.  Thank you to Real Simple for the basic ideas in the recipe; I took their inspiration and made it my own.  Here is my new favorite (and versatile) pot pie recipe. Don't be deterred by the long list of ingredients.  The vegetables are necessary to form the flavor you know and love for pot pie and you can omit the parsley, sherry/wine, and green onions and it will still be good.   I've given ideas at the end of the recipe for different add-ins to fit your taste.  Don't like an ingredient?  Leave it out!

Heather's Homemade Pot Pie

Serves 4, about 1 hour cooking time total (including baking)

2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms (such as white or baby bella), sliced, halved, or quartered
3 carrots or 10 baby carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 4 strips and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
2 green onions, sliced small
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup Wondra or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (low sodium preferred)
1/2 - 1 cup frozen petite peas
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dry sherry or white wine
1 sheet puff pastry (1/2 package), thawed, OR 4 puff pastry shells (pictured above)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the carrots, celery, onion, green onion, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cook until vegetables soften, about 3 - 5 minutes.  Add in the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 12 - 15 minutes total.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.  (It will look very dry).  Add the broth slowly, stirring to incorporate the flour.  Add the peas, parsley, and sherry.  Bring to a bubble.

Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish.  If using the puff pastry sheet, lay the pastry on top and cut several vents.  Alternatively, place the 4 puff pastry shells on the mushroom mixture.  To make individual pot pies, divide the mixture into 4 oven-safe bowls and place one puff pastry shell on each.  Place the baking dish(es) on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven until the crust is golden, 25 - 30 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before serving.

Additional variations/add ins:
- Add 1 cup of shredded or chopped cooked chicken or turkey
-  Add 1 cup of pre-cooked potato
- Add 1 cup of pre-cooked chopped green beans

Get inspired to create your own twists on a classic and you will think of endless variations!