Eclectic Duck

I love duck and so does my son.  It’s very hard to find good duck.  Because it’s so fatty, if not prepared right, you end up chewing fat-not enjoyable. 

I also like duck prepared Asian style-as in Peking duck. 

So, the best method is to combine some Asian preparation method with the European roasting method.  This end up being a very crispy skinned and tasty duck.

Steps:

Clean and wash duck.

Cut off the extra fat (but save for later)

Poke tiny holes with a fork through the skin but NOT through the meat

Make sure you poke the tiny holes in the real fatty areas

In the meantime boil some water

Preheat oven to 425

For the marinade prepare (this is approximate)

¼ c rice vinegar

few tsp. soy sauce

½ cup virgin olive oil

Peel 3-4 garlic cloves and split

½ tsp. sugar

1-2 tsp. of marsala wine o sherry

a few dashes of sesame oil (sesame oil is not a cooking oil, it’s a seasoning oil).

Put the poked duck in a casserole and pour boiling water over duck

Turn the duck evenly around in the boiling water

Pour out the boiling water (put the duck on a plate), pour marinade into the casserole

Marinate duck for about 30-60 minutes (turn occasionally).

Set up a roasting pan with a rack (so duck doesn’t soak in its own fat)

Rub the duck with kosher salt / freshly ground pepper mixture

You can insert an onion into the cavity

Tie legs together with twine

Start roasting duck for 45 minutes

Turn duck over (so bottom faces up) for another 45 minutes

Turn duck so that the breast faces up again

For the last 45 minutes cover top with foil as necessary (but only when it looks crispy enough)-depending on the oven you may need to make this one hour….

(total roasting time for a 5 pound duck is about 2 hours (2 hours and 15 minutes is the typical time in my oven).

If the wings are roasting too fast put foil on the tip of the wings

Remove duck (make sure skin is nicely roasted)

Let sit (“rest”) for about 15 minutes before serving

Left side:  simmer fat    Right side:  pan fry duck liver  

While the duck is roasting:

Take the fat pieces and a little water and salt-simmer until the fat becomes crispy (will need to turn once in a while). 

For those who love rind…this will be a delicious crispy rind

The fat will be great for frying hash browns or mashed potatoes

Duck liver is also great pan fried (maybe 10 minutes)

Use a quality duck that is not antibioticed up-there is a difference in flavor

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Don’t casually pass over food that is Kosher for Passover

Time to stock up!

Whether you are dealing with food allergies, are a vegan, have  special diet for celiac disease, or just simply like some tasty food, Kosher for Passover may offer a heaven of tasty food choices.

This time of the year is one of my favorite times of the year for discovering tasty baked goods or revisiting some known ones.  The Kosher diet is great for offering dairy free alternatives (Kosher dietary law does not allow the consumption of meat with dairy-there is a great discussion on this in the movie,  “The Believer”).  Around Passover, there is no consumption of certain types of foods (again, you can find additional information on this on line) – this adds all kinds of gluten and soy free choices.  Although we no longer have to avoid gluten and soy for my son, it’s nice to not overload on the ingredients.  Stores around this time of the year also display more Kosher items.  A few years ago, when my son had to avoid wheat and soy, I would drive weekly to the Hungarian Kosher Store (one hour each way) so we could stock up on all kinds of goodies.  They got to know us.  Recently I haven’t had time to drive up as much, but have been able to find some great Kosher choices in stores closer to me (although not as much as the Hungarian Kosher Store).

My latest discovery (from Sunset Foods) is “Z Best Bakery” baked goods.  This is a nut free bakery (so no cross contamination) and there is NO dairy in their products.  Chocolate Coffee cake, challah rolls, challah hot dog buns and hamburger rolls, Italian bread, marble rye bread (and more) all made in a nut free, dairy free bakery.  So far, I had to bake all the bread for my son.  Now he can have a burger with a commercially made hamburger bun, or a chocolate coffee cake.  Today I bought a box of chocolate chip mandel ….this is like biscotti (which we can’t have because they are made in a facility with nuts).

Butter free pound cake....nut free!

Some of the Kosher items that are great for special diets:

·      Osem mini Mandel rings…great additions to any soup

·      Truly dairy free whipping creams that you can add to your pies etc..

·      A nutella like nut/dairy free spread I’ve found a few years ago

·      Hammentaschen - kolachky like dessert made free of flour and dairy

·      Dairy free ranch dressing

·      Bread crumbs (no dairy contamination because of the no meat with dairy mix)

Discovering Z Best Baked Goods....a huge variety

The display at Sunset Foods

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Next time you are in the store, check out the Kosher for Passover section.  You will find all kinds of goodies.  This time of the year is a gold mine for special diets.

Leap Year Enabled Salsa

The ingredients in these chips are good - unlike many mainstream brands

This has been an extremely busy month.  I needed the extra day (leap year)-to make ONE blog entry for February.  Not good. 

Fresh salsa is nothing like salsa from a jar.  Some restaurants around here serve fresh salsa with their chips.  And the quality of chips also makes a difference.  If you don’t want oil and salt to dominate the flavor of your chips,  you need to purchase a premium brand.  More cost?  Not that much more costly when it’s on sale.  Stores like Woodman’s and Whole Foods often have Garden of  Eatin’ is one of the brands I use.  Expeller pressed oil, organic blue corn. are some of the ingredients in this item. 

This is a simple recipe.  You can fine tune to your taste-the main point is that it's really not difficult to make.  The nice part of salsa is that it can be totally adjusted to your taste.

2/3 c. tightly packed cilantro

2 garlic cloves

1 medium onion quartered

2 jalapeno peppers seeded

4-5 medium tomatoes quartered

1-cup organic tomato sauce

1-teaspoon balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar

2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce or hot sauce (can add more if prefer a hot sauce)

Set up food processor

Add cilantro to bottom and turn food processor on

Drop garlic cloves through tube and chop until done

Stop food processor  and open

Add quartered onion (or more than quartered) and quartered tomatoes and jalapeno peppers

Pulse until about the right consistency (depends on your preference-maybe 4-5 times).

Add tomato sauce, salt, sugar, vinegar, Tabasco or hot sauce

Pule a few more times

If there is time, chill for a little while so that the ingredients blend

Serve with tortilla chips.

I'm hoping that next month I don't need an extra day to have one entry.

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Happy New Year -Egg Drop Soup

I love a good egg drop soup.  It’s very comforting.  Due to his food allergies, my son has not been able to have this soup in restaurants (it’s not on the safe list).  I occasionally have it, but you really don’t get a great serving for the price you pay ($3.50-$4.00 for three spoons…really). I decided that for Chinese New Year’s I would make this (I don’t know why it took me this long to make this…possibly because I made it during my freshman year of college, when my culinary skills were minimal…so they didn’t turn out well at all).

Egg Drop Soup Recipe

4 cups of chicken stock

1/8 tsp. ground ginger powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp Marsala wine or sherry

2 eggs + 1 yolk (or 3 eggs and just remove a bit of egg white)

1.5 tbs. of cornstarch

1 tsp. sesame oil (add only at end)

green onion for garnish

tiny tofu (extra firm) cubes (optional)

White ground pepper (optional)

The stock can be either home made or store bought (ready or a consommé type made from bouillon…just make sure it’s not too salty-Telma chicken consommé is a recent find-not too salty…but it’s hard to find…).

Beat eggs and put on side

Thinly slice some green onion

Cut a small amount of tofu into cubes (optional).

Make a slurry of the cornstarch and water-it should be like a thick liquid, not paste.

Bring 4 cups of stock, soy sauce, ginger powder and Marsala wine to boil.

During a slow boil, slowly add the cornstarch slurry and stir until it thickens.

Once thickened, turn off heat (but leave pot on heat), stream (pour slowly) in eggs and slowly stir with a spoon in a circular motion as the eggs form a nice stream  (I use a wooden spoon to stir).  Once done, add the sesame oil.

Serve (add tofu cubes if using) and garnish with thinly sliced green onion.

Serve yourself some seconds.

There are some variations on this.  Some restaurants add a little corn to the soup or even some tiny vegetables.  I like this pure form.  Also, this recipe turns out as those of better Chinese restaurants, not the cheaper quick type places that now run rampant in suburbia.

Allergen note:   If you avoiding gluten, use a gluten free Teriyaki sauce, if avoiding soy all together-use Umeboshi Vinegar-I used this as a soy substitute when my son was off of soy.  Also, I don't use genetically modified soy sauce. Instead I use organic non GMO soy sauce (I use 365 brand from Whole Foods).

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Are food allergies, diets and being different causing alienation? Revisited

About a year ago, I blogged about the alienation that results from food allergies and special diets.  So what, if any, changes have I observed since last year?

I think I’ve noticed more of an ego issue with bad food choices people make.  Instead of saying, “bad food choices will lead to bad health consequences, maybe I should learn and alter my habits a bit,” (which seems like a step in the right direction if your goal is not to get chronic disease), it’s become an ‘us vs. them’ climate.

I’ve had a lot of positive comments on my blog.  “Thanks for making us more aware and sharing tips and tricks on how to eat healthier and tastier food.”  Such comments are very encouraging.  My personal goal this year is to spend time and effort only on activities that make a difference.  Time is a scarce resource.  So I’m thrilled that there are people out there that want to improve their lives and just need a little help as they acquire awareness (as I did when I learned all this-it was a fulltime job to figure out how to cook with healthy ingredients, what healthy ingredients even are,  and have the food taste great). 

But, now I sense some of the isolation that people with food allergies, celiac disease, and other special diets face.  It’s as if I came out of the closet – and now it’s public that I refuse to eat in a state of unconsciousness and succumb to peer pressure. 

Surely genetics plays a role in our health.  But if I don’t feed my child processed mac and cheese and sodium nitrite hot dogs every day with a generous helping of factory farmed meat and processed chemicals…. purely from a probabilistic standpoint, the likelihood of him acquiring some chronic disease is reduced.  No guarantees…but at least I’m trying to influence the outcome.  There is no need for me to restate all the great research that one can simply Google (China Study, Reversing Heart Disease, etc.).  Same goes for me, while I can still improve (e.g., be more disciplined about working out), I indulge in conscious eating and choices.  “Conscious Eating” – a term Michael Pollan coined.  Yet, conscious eating is looked down upon by a lot of people.  They continue to say, “I have the right to eat xyz.”   Yes, they have the right, but they also increase health costs for the rest of us.  And again, genetics already plays a role here. 

So my goal with the food related aspect of my blog continues-enable “conscious eating” that doesn’t mean you have to eat cardboard.  Not everything that tastes great has to lead to chronic diseases. Yes, it’s more effort, but most worthwhile things in life are. Is it convenient?  Not for me, full time career, single motherhood and eternal commute would make great excuses for not doing it.  But again, spend time on things that make a difference.


Follow me on Twitter:  JuliannaJ9

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Crockpots Aren't Just for Beef Stew, as this Delicious Eggplant Dish Proves

Right before it goes into the crockpot base

Crockpots aren’t just for pot roast (I never make), stews or soups.  In fact, a crockpot can render delicious vegetarian dishes.  This is a favorite dish for dinner.  Healthy, tasty and makes for great leftovers.

Note:  for the most flavor I always pan fry (even meat dishes) the ingredients first.  I want a 'main course' flavor not a boiled flavor.  This is not a requirement, but a personal flavor preference.  Even for meat dishes, I never just throw the meat into the crockpot.  Instead I always sear and pan fry first.  This process locks in the juices.

1 1/4 lbs eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes (about two medium eggplants)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1-2 cloves garlic (or more)
1 celery stick

1-2 red peppers diced

2-3 Tbs olive oil (or 365 expeller pressed canola oil)
 ½ cup. tomato sauce

2 cans of organic diced tomatoes (unflavored)

½  cup pitted ripe olives, cut in half
2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs capers, drained
1 tsp dried oregano

.5-1.0 tsp. cumin powder
salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs. chopped dill (add right before serving)

1 tbs. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley at end

For protein, either add pan fried tofu (see other blog entry on how to) or crumbled pan fried seitan.

I have a crockpot that allows frying as well as cooking in the same insert (most don't-but this model doubles up as a dutch oven). 

Add 3-4 tbsp  oil (not extra virgin, but Bertolli Classico, or 365 expeller pressed canola oil)

Fry the onion for a few minutes, then add the eggplant, peppers (I added poblano this time) & celery and fry for at most 5 minutes.  Add the cumin and fry for one minute.  Remove from heat and insert into the crockpot base (or transfer to crockpot).

Add the garlic, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes- cover and cook on Low 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until eggplant is tender. Stir in olives, vinegar, sugar, capers and oregano. Season with salt and pepper (not much salt is needed-it’s already tasty). Cook for about 45 minutes (at this point add optional protein-tofu or seitan). Right before serving add dill and top off with cilantro.

This one is the plate for a Jager Schnitzel lover....but my non meat eating guests were happy too

Since one of the advantages of a crockpot is not having to ‘nurse’ the dish.  If you end up cooking the dish longer and only have 15-20 minutes to cook with the vinegar, tofu,  etc. it will not hurt the dish.

As any dish, this is very pretty flexible and the flavors can be altered. 

Because it’s a saucy dish, it tastes delicious the next day (or could be frozen-but when reheating frozen foods, always add a little extra spice to liven up the flavors).

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Post Commute Chicken Marsala with Orzo

This a relatively simple yet tasty dish and no unhealthy ingredients required for flavor.  Chicken Marsala is festive to some, but here it’s a great after work dinner.

1.5 pound boneless chicken breast (I chose free range chicken)

1-1.5 cups Marsala wine (not the fake one from grocery section)-I like to blend two different brands

¾  cup organic free range chicken broth

¼ stick Earth Balance Soy butter

3-4 tbs. 365 Expeller Pressed Canola oil or Bertolli Classico Olive Oil (NOT extra virgin-EVO is not an ideal pan frying oil and its flavor is too strong)

flour (a light flour, if you are avoiding gluten use rice flour)

3 free range organic eggs-hand beaten (there is a difference between mass produced eggs-the omega 3s) - if you are avoiding eggs...use Ener G egg replacer mixture 

Cut the chicken breast lengthwise

Pound the chicken with a mallet

Dredge chicken breast into flour

Then dip into egg

Then dredge in flour again

(you can slightly season the flour with garlic powder – not garlic salt)

Put oil and Earth Balance Soy butter into a frying pan and heat….brown the chicken about 5 minutes on each side.

Turn once, but due to uneven heat, keep an eye on each piece...you may need to move it around to get consistent results.


Pour Marsala wine into the frying pan and deglaze.

This is why you should NOT use a no stick pan....this is perfect for deglazing

Simmer chicken in wine about 15-20 minutes (covered)-this really tenderizes and flavors the chicken.

After 20 minutes, remove the chicken breast and put aside.

Pour in some chicken stock (this is based on preference-I like more wine than stock….so it has more marsala flavor)

Reduce the liquid (this will thicken in slightly)

Add salt (a pinch is enough) and pepper and a slight amount of Earth Balance Soy butter to make it creamier – whisk.

Return chicken to pan and slightly heat up.

Serve with orzo tossed in olive oil.  I’ve also served this dish  with roasted diced potatoes, rice or other side dishes. The sauce should NOT be overly thick.

You can garnish with parsley. 

Some people like mushrooms to be part of their Marsala.  I don’t like my Chicken Marsala to try to be too many things….the mushroom takes away from the Marsala flavor.

If there are any leftovers, they will taste great the next day (my son calls leftovers on this one).

I’ve had this dish in restaurants, but I like the flavor of this version the most.  Light sauce with a nice Marsala taste.

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