What Did You Eat Today?

[Moemg]

[QUOTE=NW-Bound;1470682]That photo of "Tomato Basil Chicken" dish gave me an idea. I will make that some time next week.
TE]

Me too ! I haven't made it in awhile & it looks great !

[NW-Bound]

Tomorrow, before I pick up my wife from the airport, I will have this dish ready for homecoming dinner.

I guess the reason this dish has so many calories is because some people use a huge amount of butter. Cut back on the pasta too, and the chicken breasts are fairly low-cal. But without butter, then the sauce is thin and does not look good. Besides, butter gives it the flavor. I wonder if I can cheat by using less butter, and adding a bit of creme. I like the sauce to look like the following photo from the Web.

Ah, what the heck! My wife never eats much, and I can afford the calories after all. BMI down to 23 now! I am down to skin and bones because I have not been eating much in this heat.

[W2R]

Chicken with tomatos! Looks great. I used to make chicken with tomatos back in California. It's a good, cheap, California dish.

I don't know why, but New Orleans restaurants are unique and terrific. Check out the thread about great cities for restaurants - - New Orleans is mentioned more than any other US city, IIRC. Attempts at copying New Orleans restaurant food can result in something nice, though disastrous in another sense because the result is somehow nothing like anything we would eat here in New Orleans. If it WAS the same, then New Orleans wouldn't be known for good restaurants, now would it? We would no longer have a tourist industry, and the French Quarter would be torn down and turned into a parking lot.

Yes, if you decided to add lots of butter to your dish that would add a whole lot of calories (as well as transform it into a completely different dish from the one I showed). But then, wait, it was already completely different. Oh my, and look at the tomatos. Hopefully you were not trying to prove something by copying the one I showed, now were you? Many try, none succeed. Try copying the OTHER dish, the one you showed in your photo.

W2R

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Tomorrow, before I pick up my wife from the airport, I will have this dish ready for homecoming dinner. I guess the reason this dish has so many calories is because some people use a huge amount of butter. Cut back on the pasta too, and the chicken breasts are fairly low-cal. But without butter, then the sauce is thin and does not look good. Besides, butter gives it the flavor. I wonder if I can cheat by using less butter, and adding a bit of creme. I like the sauce to look like the following photo from the Web. Ah, what the heck! My wife never eats much, and I can afford the calories after all. BMI down to 23 now! I am down to skin and bones because I have not been eating much in this heat.

[NW-Bound]

I thought the dish you showed the photo of was "Tomato Basil Chicken", but perhaps it is not.

"Tomato Basil Chicken" may or may not be an authentic Italian dish, but there are many slight variations of it that I found on the Web. The ingredients are simple, but perhaps the NO chefs have something secret in their sauce. I need to try it there next time to see for myself.

PS. There's another dish of chicken with tomato called Chicken Cacciatore that I often make and my wife and children like it. It is a traditional Italian dish, and is usually made with pieces with bones. The Tomato Basil Chicken is always made with boneless breasts, and the cooking is a bit different.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I thought the dish you showed the photo of was "Tomato Basil Chicken", but perhaps it is not. "Tomato Basil Chicken" may or may not be an authentic Italian dish, but there are many variations of it that I found on the Web. The ingredients are simple, but perhaps the NO chefs have something secret in their sauce. I need to try it there next time to see for myself.

Lots of dishes have the same name, but this is not a straight Italian dish at all; this is New Orleans cuisine. This particular dish is NOT the same as anything you or anybody else could possibly make at home. For one thing, I don't think the ingredients are available anywhere else, AFAIK. For another, you don't have the decades of cooking traditions, secrets, and skills behind you that New Orleans' chefs must have. Yes, New Orleans' chefs do guard their recipe secrets very seriously. They really are impossible to duplicate, even from one restaurant to another here in New Orleans. This is why I thought forum members might be interested, but I guess not.

Frank always loves telling out-of-towners that the highest of New Orleans society are our chefs. That sounds like a joke, but actually it is true. They wield a tremendous amount of political and social power here. Honestly, they are treated as nearly holy. The idea that anybody, much less anybody from out of town on a moment's notice, could duplicate a New Orleans chef's original recipe is nearly sacrilege; and here, would probably provide an acceptable motive for murder by the chef or his sous-chefs.

Which is not to say that this was from a fancy restaurant. The same goes for many neighborhood restaurants and small local franchises.

[NW-Bound]

Well, as I have not even eaten this dish in NO, I obviously cannot duplicate it.

I looked up "Tomato Basil Chicken" public recipes, and from the ingredient list, saw that it would be something that I enjoy. That's all. I am not trying to best any chef here.

And the truth is, personal tastes differ. My wife's friend has a son-in-law with a successful Italian restaurant here, and my wife had several meals with her friends at the place. At my wife's urging, I went there once and was not impressed. The food was not bad, but the pasta was too drenched in sauce for my taste. Perhaps I am in the minority, but I know what I like.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Well, as I have not even eaten this dish in NO, I obviously cannot duplicate it.

Well, as I said above, even if you had eaten this dish every day for 20 years in NO, you still could not duplicate it, for reasons beyond your control. Sorry! That's the truth. I am sure that Moemg, Audryh1, you, and all the others who have confidently claimed on this thread that they are going to duplicate it, are all wondrous cooks. But while all of you may make wonderful meals, they just cannot be the same. It could not be the same even from one restaurant to another here in New Orleans. BTW, it isn't Italian, and it isn't even completely Sicilian although New Orleanian cuisine is heavily influenced by Sicilian, Creole, and other cooking traditions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I know what I like.

That's the most important! So what if it isn't the same. If you like it, then make that dish.

[NW-Bound]

W2R, I have not had this dish in NO. So, it is definitely not going to be the same. I do not even know what I would be trying to duplicate.

If the dish does not come out as I think, I will not make it anymore. But it would be just me and my dish, you see.

But next time in NO, I will be sure to sample it.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound W2R, I have not had this dish in NO. So, it is definitely not going to be the same. I do not even know what I would be trying to duplicate. If the dish does not come out as I think, I will not make it anymore. But next time in NO, I will be sure to sample it.

Good luck in finding it because I have no intention of providing the names of restaurants we frequent to people on a message board. And, as I said in my post above (are you even reading them? ) without that restaurant name it is impossible to sample it. I am sure you will sample many other dishes that you will like just as well and even better, though.

[HawkeyeNFO]

Everything W2R states is 100% accurate. I've been gone 2 years, and there is nothing like a NOLA neighborhood restaurant. Man I really miss it. Louisiana culture is definitely an acquired taste, but eating out in town is what speeds up that process. Food is inexpensive, delicious, and usually the people serving the food can tell you some great stories. At the more expensive places, the food is out of this world good. I have my list of favorites, but many folks would look at the outside of the restaurant, get scared and call it a sh!+h0Le, and then go get something from Subway. Time for a trip, maybe in October when the heat breaks down there. First stop: Rocky & Carlo's.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Good luck in finding it because I have no intention of providing the names of restaurants we frequent to people on a message board. And, as I said in my post above (are you even reading them? ) without that restaurant name it is impossible to sample it. I am sure you will sample many other dishes that you will like just as well and even better, though.

Well, if my curiosity is tickled enough, I will camp out in NO for a month or two and try all the restaurants in the area. I am a retiree with an RV and plenty of time, remember?

OK, just joking. I am not really that curious, and besides I can't handle the calories. And I'd be cured of chicken craving for a long time, if I am going to eat all chicken dishes prepared by all the restaurants in the area.

PS. I was there in my RV for 2 weeks last year. It was definitely not enough time. I will go back, but do not know the time. My wife on the other hand is not into Creole/Cajun cuisine as much. Last time I made jambalaya, my son, daughter, and future son-in-law liked it, but my wife was indifferent. I even went to the trouble of driving 30 miles round-trip to a local store here to get Tasso ham for the jambalaya!

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HawkeyeNFO Everything W2R states is 100% accurate. I've been gone 2 years, and there is nothing like a NOLA neighborhood restaurant. Man I really miss it. Louisiana culture is definitely an acquired taste, but eating out in town is what speeds up that process. Food is inexpensive, delicious, and usually the people serving the food can tell you some great stories. At the more expensive places, the food is out of this world good. I have my list of favorites, but many folks would look at the outside of the restaurant, get scared and call it a sh!+h0Le, and then go get something from Subway. Time for a trip, maybe in October when the heat breaks down there. First stop: Rocky & Carlo's.

I love Rocky and Carlo's! Haven't been there since before Katrina, though. And yeah, most of the places we eat at are just like you describe. Hole in the walls but who cares what they look like; the food is great and they treat us like family friends.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Tomorrow, before I pick up my wife from the airport, I will have this dish ready for homecoming dinner. I guess the reason this dish has so many calories is because some people use a huge amount of butter. Cut back on the pasta too, and the chicken breasts are fairly low-cal. But without butter, then the sauce is thin and does not look good. Besides, butter gives it the flavor. I wonder if I can cheat by using less butter, and adding a bit of creme. I like the sauce to look like the following photo from the Web. Ah, what the heck! My wife never eats much, and I can afford the calories after all. BMI down to 23 now! I am down to skin and bones because I have not been eating much in this heat.

If you dip the chicken in flour and then use less butter , some wine & chicken broth it will thicken nicely with less calories . Don't forget to also have a glass of the wine while cooking .

[NW-Bound]

Yes, the flour will thicken the sauce.

And about the wine, man, I always cook with wine. Even if the wine does not go into the dish.

[springnr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Well, if my curiosity is tickled enough, I will camp out in NO for a month or two and try all the restaurants in the area. I am a retiree with an RV and plenty of time, remember?

The Cappellini sounds great, it had me at Italian sausage.
Impastato's Restaurant

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by springnr The Cappellini sound great, it had me at Italian sausage. Impastato's Restaurant

I just checked out the link of the above restaurant. Looks interesting, with a 5-course meal for a bit more than $30! I will try to remember to check this out next time I am there. Hope their portions are small though, for that 5-course meal.

And seeing that you are from Seattle or somewhere about, I'd like to add that the restaurant we always went to on our visits was Mamma Melina, close to the University. The last time I looked them up on the Web out of curiosity, they had moved to a new location, but we have not been back to Seattle since.

[Lancelot]

Kwae ti aow muu, pork noodle soup. Cost me $0.95

[freebird5825]

Greens...

Mr B went to Aldi's for me to pick up a few things and came home with huge bags of escarole and kale.
We processed the kale for the freezer for future Portuguese style soups in cooler weather. No shortage of that up here after September.
He invited me OUT of the kitchen and proceeded to make the most wonderful greens (escarole, olive oil, and a tiny bit of chicken fat, medium hot sausage, LOTS of garlic, great northern and kidney beans, tiny bit of hot red pepper flake).
I was allowed back in periodically to do the chopped escarole rinsing and dish duty to keep the mess down.
I think that even the living room drapes will smell like garlic for quite a while! Woooooooo...great stuff.

Some ideas for Italian style greens from the locals. I skip using the potatoes and/or bread crumbs to keep carbs down. Grated cheese on top is optional. Don't boil the escarole, let it wilt down in a very deep pot in the olive oil/garlic/chicken fat on the stovetop.

What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine: Italian Utica Rome Upstate NY Greens Sauteed Escarole Recipe

I have a huge bag of garlic scapes (aka green garlic) given to me by a gardening buddy. I'm going to make this green garlic pesto recipe today, minus the walnuts, and freeze it in small portions.

http://containergardening.about.com/...sto-Recipe.htm

[MichaelB]

We had some pea greens the other day, I picked them up at the Chicago farmers market saturday morning. They were delicious. DW sliced a low acid tomato, added some olive oil, salt & pepper, pea green salad. We'll have more of that soon.

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 I have a huge bag of garlic scapes (aka green garlic) given to me by a gardening buddy. I'm going to make this green garlic pesto recipe today, minus the walnuts, and freeze it in small portions. Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto

All scapes processed with olive oil and a little salt and ready to freeze in small glass jars. My eyes are still watering from the fumes!
I'm on a short break right now letting my eyes recover.

I made a small batch of the pesto minus the pine nuts. It's like a garlic guacamole. Wicked good stuff. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO