Tuesday & Wednesday we were on a trip to Dallas, and since Janda and the kids were along too, I thought I'd take them to a place I almost always eat at and really enjoy.
Pappadeaux (pronounced Pappa dough's) is a cajun restaurant chain that is pretty nice. The food is good, you normally don't have to wait for a table because their dining room is huge. I've only ever had two things here. The first thing I tried was the sampler platter. Everything you could ask for, all fried. It was good, back when I enjoyed food like that. Now, though, I prefer things a little bit healthier. The other dish I enjoy is the crawfish etouffee. I liked it so much the first few times I had it, that I was inspired to make this at home. Now, having made my version (I'll share that with everyone one of these days), this was a good opportunity to take a fresh look at a dish I had really liked before.
We were late getting to town, and got in about 8:30. The restaurant was pretty full, but we were taken right in and sat down. This place is kid-friendly, it is so loud that even if the kids aren't quite, no one can tell. It's not obnoxiously loud, just a lot of stuff going on. We sat down, and looked over the menu. A friend was eating with us, he got the catfish opelousas. Never tried that, may have to someday. Janda & I both got the shrimp and crawfish etouffee. The kids got the catfish dinners (Jayden added shrimp to his). While we waited for the main dish to arrive, they serve fresh french bread. Pretty good stuff.
When our food arrived, I was expecting it to knock my socks off like it had before. Although this is a good choice, one that I won't hesistate to make again, it wasn't as good as I had remembered. Perhaps it's my taste changing, but I'll bet I just prefer my recipe over theirs. Janda said hers was good, but she too preferred our homemade etoufee over Pappadeaux. The boys all liked their dinners, who doesn't like catfish?
Overall, I think I've matured out of liking this dish so much that I won't order anything else off the menu. Next time I come, I'll try the opelousas, or something vastly different. This place is expensive. Nearly $100 for six of us to eat, half of those were kids meals, too.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tropical Chicken Surprise
Can't really find a name for this new dish, so we're going to call it Tropical Chicken Surprise. (If you think of a good name, shoot me a comment, I don't really like "surprise" food!)
Ever looked at a recipe and thought -- "What were they thinkin' when they made this?" Or, "Who would ever put THAT in a recipe like this?" I have a feeling many people will say that about this recipe...but rest assured, this is a keeper. Surprisingly good, in fact.
Tropical Chicken Surprise
4 - 5 Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless)
3 T olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups pineapple, diced (if using canned, do not use the juice)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 c rice vinegar
2 T mustard
1/4 t dried chilies (could use cayenne pepper instead)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Season the chicken with salt & pepper. You can cook it all the way through. Set aside until later. Add the onions and bell pepper, and saute until soft. Add the garlic and stir frequently. Add the diced pineapple, and saute the whole thing until the pineapple is well heated (almost to the point of browning). Add the diced tomatoes and cook until hot. Add the rice vinegar, mustard and chilies, and mix well. Simmer for about 5 minutes. You can add the chicken back to the sauce mixture, or just spoon it on top when serving.
So -- weird? Yes. Mustard & pineapple, who'da thought. But -- it's really, really, good. Janda said this was awesome. One of her favorite dishes so far. I liked it a lot too. You'll have to try this and report what your family thinks.
Ever looked at a recipe and thought -- "What were they thinkin' when they made this?" Or, "Who would ever put THAT in a recipe like this?" I have a feeling many people will say that about this recipe...but rest assured, this is a keeper. Surprisingly good, in fact.
Tropical Chicken Surprise
4 - 5 Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless)
3 T olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups pineapple, diced (if using canned, do not use the juice)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 c rice vinegar
2 T mustard
1/4 t dried chilies (could use cayenne pepper instead)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Season the chicken with salt & pepper. You can cook it all the way through. Set aside until later. Add the onions and bell pepper, and saute until soft. Add the garlic and stir frequently. Add the diced pineapple, and saute the whole thing until the pineapple is well heated (almost to the point of browning). Add the diced tomatoes and cook until hot. Add the rice vinegar, mustard and chilies, and mix well. Simmer for about 5 minutes. You can add the chicken back to the sauce mixture, or just spoon it on top when serving.
So -- weird? Yes. Mustard & pineapple, who'da thought. But -- it's really, really, good. Janda said this was awesome. One of her favorite dishes so far. I liked it a lot too. You'll have to try this and report what your family thinks.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Stuffed Chicken Breast Medallions
In keeping with the copy-cat theme, I've been trying to find a recipe for the stuffed chicken breast medallions served at Abuelo's.
I've tried making this a few ways with various ingredients, but today's test was the most successful by far.
4 chicken breasts
6 - 8 oz chorizo (pork is the best)
1 large (or 2 small) poblano peppers, peeled and chopped.
2 T fresh cilantro
grated cheese (cheddar)
Flour
2 eggs
milk
Peeling a pepper is made easier by following a few steps. By removing the skin, you help make the pepper softer and more flavorful. Broil the pepper, turning often, until it's blistered all over. Take it out of the oven, and into either a ziploc bag, or a tupperware container. What you want is for the pepper to "steam". Leave it in there for 5 - 10 minutes. If you've got it good and blistered, the skin should just peel off.
While your pepper is cooking, you can start cooking the chorizo. There will be lots of grease rendered, be sure to get rid of as much of this as you can. Greasy chorizo will make the rest of the process a lot harder. Chop the cilantro into a small mixing bowl. Add the cooked chorizo to the cilantro, and add the diced poblanos. Grate in cheese, I normally do 2 ounces or so, you really can't go wrong here. Mix well to combine. This will be your stuffing, so you want to be sure to get everything really mixed around.
Next, create a cavity instead each chicken breast by cutting a pocket. I start at the big portion of the breast, and swipe the knife around inside to create the void. You want the hole to be only slightly larger than the knife blade, but the caivty to be nearly as big as the breast. A large hole makes it more difficult to seal before cooking.
When the chickens have all been stuffed, you can either bake them (it's ok this way), or deep-fry them like fried chicken (much better). Baking takes about 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
To fry them, I mix two eggs with about 1/2 C milk. Dip the breasts into the egg mixture, then into flour, lightly seasoned with chili powder and garlic salt. Fry for about 5 minutes on each side -- turning only ONCE. You seriously dry out food by over-turning it.
Abuelos serves this with queso sauce, so if you've got some time to do that, it'd be great, but not necessary. I've been trying to get this recipe as close to the original as possible, and enjoy making it each time, even when it doesn't come out quite so good.
Overall Rating: 89 (scale of 100)
I've tried making this a few ways with various ingredients, but today's test was the most successful by far.
4 chicken breasts
6 - 8 oz chorizo (pork is the best)
1 large (or 2 small) poblano peppers, peeled and chopped.
2 T fresh cilantro
grated cheese (cheddar)
Flour
2 eggs
milk
Peeling a pepper is made easier by following a few steps. By removing the skin, you help make the pepper softer and more flavorful. Broil the pepper, turning often, until it's blistered all over. Take it out of the oven, and into either a ziploc bag, or a tupperware container. What you want is for the pepper to "steam". Leave it in there for 5 - 10 minutes. If you've got it good and blistered, the skin should just peel off.
While your pepper is cooking, you can start cooking the chorizo. There will be lots of grease rendered, be sure to get rid of as much of this as you can. Greasy chorizo will make the rest of the process a lot harder. Chop the cilantro into a small mixing bowl. Add the cooked chorizo to the cilantro, and add the diced poblanos. Grate in cheese, I normally do 2 ounces or so, you really can't go wrong here. Mix well to combine. This will be your stuffing, so you want to be sure to get everything really mixed around.
Next, create a cavity instead each chicken breast by cutting a pocket. I start at the big portion of the breast, and swipe the knife around inside to create the void. You want the hole to be only slightly larger than the knife blade, but the caivty to be nearly as big as the breast. A large hole makes it more difficult to seal before cooking.
When the chickens have all been stuffed, you can either bake them (it's ok this way), or deep-fry them like fried chicken (much better). Baking takes about 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
To fry them, I mix two eggs with about 1/2 C milk. Dip the breasts into the egg mixture, then into flour, lightly seasoned with chili powder and garlic salt. Fry for about 5 minutes on each side -- turning only ONCE. You seriously dry out food by over-turning it.
Abuelos serves this with queso sauce, so if you've got some time to do that, it'd be great, but not necessary. I've been trying to get this recipe as close to the original as possible, and enjoy making it each time, even when it doesn't come out quite so good.
Overall Rating: 89 (scale of 100)
Mediterranean Chicken
Inspired by our recent trip to Johnny Carinos, I concocted this new recipe for chicken.
I made this last night, just a serving for one. You could easily increase the quantities to make as many servings as needed.
1 Chicken breast - boneless, skinless
2 T olive oil
1 T flour
2/3 C white wine
1 stalk green onions, sliced
1/2 can artichoke hearts
1 can sliced black olives
2 t capers
1/2 tomato, coarsely diced
1 t Italian seasoning
cayenne pepper
Start by browning the chicken in the skillet with the olive oil. As chicken finishes cooking, remove chicken to a spare plate. Add the flour, and allow to brown slightly while stirring constantly. Throw in the green onions, and allow to cook for about a minute. Add the white wine, artichoke hearts, olives, capers, and tomatoes. Mix well, allow to come to a simmer. Add Italian seasoning. Return the chicken to pan and allow to simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. When finished, top with cayenne pepper to taste, and give a final mix to distribute the pepper evenly.
If you need some extra liquid while cooking (especially for large quantities), you could throw in some chicken stock.
You can eat this as is, or serve on top of some pasta. Really good stuff.
Overall Rating: 90 (scale of 100)
I made this last night, just a serving for one. You could easily increase the quantities to make as many servings as needed.
1 Chicken breast - boneless, skinless
2 T olive oil
1 T flour
2/3 C white wine
1 stalk green onions, sliced
1/2 can artichoke hearts
1 can sliced black olives
2 t capers
1/2 tomato, coarsely diced
1 t Italian seasoning
cayenne pepper
Start by browning the chicken in the skillet with the olive oil. As chicken finishes cooking, remove chicken to a spare plate. Add the flour, and allow to brown slightly while stirring constantly. Throw in the green onions, and allow to cook for about a minute. Add the white wine, artichoke hearts, olives, capers, and tomatoes. Mix well, allow to come to a simmer. Add Italian seasoning. Return the chicken to pan and allow to simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. When finished, top with cayenne pepper to taste, and give a final mix to distribute the pepper evenly.
If you need some extra liquid while cooking (especially for large quantities), you could throw in some chicken stock.
You can eat this as is, or serve on top of some pasta. Really good stuff.
Overall Rating: 90 (scale of 100)
El Camino
Sunday, we went to one of my favorite Mexican spots --
El Camino
225 South 87
Tulia, TX
I may have mentioned this before, but one of my life goals is to find the best chili relleno in all the land. El Camino is at the top of my list. It's been several years since I've eaten here, it was a nice suprise to get to come here.
We came here with my brother and his family, there were nine of us all together. We came after church, and got there a bit late (about 1:30). The parking lot was very full, but that was expected. We hoped that most of the folks would be getting finished as we came in. We walked inside, there was another group waiting in the entry, but there was enough room for us to sit down. We were told we'd wait about 25 minutes, so we obliged and continued to sit.
While sitting there, we saw a bunch of old friends walk out. It wasn't too long of a wait, and all of the boys were getting along fine, not fighting, everything was good. We finally get seated, they combined a couple of tables near the kitchen. The decor in El Camino is pretty unique. The dark brown walls are decorated with lots of Kenneth Wyatt paintings, and most (if not all) are for sale. Mr. Wyatt is a fantastic painter, his works really come to life and are great western pieces. His studio is in Tulia, if you can arrange a tour, it would be well worth your time to go look. I can guarantee you'll find something you really want.
Our waitress was very attentive, refilling drinks as needed. El Camino does something that is a little frustrating to me, but it's simply because I'm picky. On soft drinks, they provide the first refill free, you pay extra after that. As I said, it's not a big thing, but something to mention. Most kids will down the first one before their meal gets there, and you might have to pay extra for that.
Time to order -- I got the #2, my favorite, which has a chili relleno, beef enchilada and a crispy taco. I got beans and rice on the side (extra again). While we waited our main dish, I filled up on chips. Their chips are pretty normal (good, but nothing special). The hot sauce, on the other hand, was very good. It had a nice spice to it. Hot enough the kids didn't eat a lot of it...and my kids like hot stuff. I ate way too much of it, but it sure was good.
Our order arrives, fairly quickly. I knew the relleno would be good, so I saved it for last. I started with the beans, which were seasoned very nicely. They had a bit of spice to them, a bit peppery, but they were not bland, which was good. The rice looked heavily spiced, but it tasted normal too me. I don't know if the exceptional beans took away from above-average rice, or if the rice was just average.
On to the taco, it was good, but again, nothing special here. Topped with the regulars -- cheese, tomato and lettuce. I could taste the beef, but it didn't have anything stand out. It tasted under-seasoned. Still edible, no doubt. The enchilada was very good. I haven't had too many bad enchiladas, and this was right up there. The sauce was not overpowering, and the relleno sitting beside it was imparting some if it's cheese sauce to it's neighbor which was very good. I was getting full about half way through the enchilada (due to over-indulgence on the chips!)
Now, the part I'd been waiting for -- waiting for what seemed to be years. It had been years since I'd had a truly awesome relleno. The first bite brought me back to the first time I had this. Little did I know at the time that it would be one of my very favorite things. It happened to be one of the first few rellenos I had eaten, how lucky was I? They relleno is stuffed with cheese. Lots of cheese, and that's it. No celery or other things that just don't belong in a relleno. Just good ole cheese. It's also topped with a different cheese sauce, it's fairly thin, has some spice to it, but it goes great with the relleno (and that enchilada got in on this sauce too).
The breading of their relleno is what I think sets it apart from most others. If I were comparing it, El Camino is comparable to the breading of fried chicken, but thinner. It's not really thick, but it is dense. Most other rellenos I try have a light batter coating, and you can taste all of the oil that gets sucked up by that light breading. I would love to figure out what this breading is, it really is the difference to me.
We enjoyed this trip to El Camino. The food was excellent, service was good, and the time we got to spend with our company was much needed and very nice. I'd come here again in a heartbeat. It won't be years before I'll be back here again.
Overall Rating: 93 (scale of 100)
Price $12.00
El Camino
225 South 87
Tulia, TX
I may have mentioned this before, but one of my life goals is to find the best chili relleno in all the land. El Camino is at the top of my list. It's been several years since I've eaten here, it was a nice suprise to get to come here.
We came here with my brother and his family, there were nine of us all together. We came after church, and got there a bit late (about 1:30). The parking lot was very full, but that was expected. We hoped that most of the folks would be getting finished as we came in. We walked inside, there was another group waiting in the entry, but there was enough room for us to sit down. We were told we'd wait about 25 minutes, so we obliged and continued to sit.
While sitting there, we saw a bunch of old friends walk out. It wasn't too long of a wait, and all of the boys were getting along fine, not fighting, everything was good. We finally get seated, they combined a couple of tables near the kitchen. The decor in El Camino is pretty unique. The dark brown walls are decorated with lots of Kenneth Wyatt paintings, and most (if not all) are for sale. Mr. Wyatt is a fantastic painter, his works really come to life and are great western pieces. His studio is in Tulia, if you can arrange a tour, it would be well worth your time to go look. I can guarantee you'll find something you really want.
Our waitress was very attentive, refilling drinks as needed. El Camino does something that is a little frustrating to me, but it's simply because I'm picky. On soft drinks, they provide the first refill free, you pay extra after that. As I said, it's not a big thing, but something to mention. Most kids will down the first one before their meal gets there, and you might have to pay extra for that.
Time to order -- I got the #2, my favorite, which has a chili relleno, beef enchilada and a crispy taco. I got beans and rice on the side (extra again). While we waited our main dish, I filled up on chips. Their chips are pretty normal (good, but nothing special). The hot sauce, on the other hand, was very good. It had a nice spice to it. Hot enough the kids didn't eat a lot of it...and my kids like hot stuff. I ate way too much of it, but it sure was good.
Our order arrives, fairly quickly. I knew the relleno would be good, so I saved it for last. I started with the beans, which were seasoned very nicely. They had a bit of spice to them, a bit peppery, but they were not bland, which was good. The rice looked heavily spiced, but it tasted normal too me. I don't know if the exceptional beans took away from above-average rice, or if the rice was just average.
On to the taco, it was good, but again, nothing special here. Topped with the regulars -- cheese, tomato and lettuce. I could taste the beef, but it didn't have anything stand out. It tasted under-seasoned. Still edible, no doubt. The enchilada was very good. I haven't had too many bad enchiladas, and this was right up there. The sauce was not overpowering, and the relleno sitting beside it was imparting some if it's cheese sauce to it's neighbor which was very good. I was getting full about half way through the enchilada (due to over-indulgence on the chips!)
Now, the part I'd been waiting for -- waiting for what seemed to be years. It had been years since I'd had a truly awesome relleno. The first bite brought me back to the first time I had this. Little did I know at the time that it would be one of my very favorite things. It happened to be one of the first few rellenos I had eaten, how lucky was I? They relleno is stuffed with cheese. Lots of cheese, and that's it. No celery or other things that just don't belong in a relleno. Just good ole cheese. It's also topped with a different cheese sauce, it's fairly thin, has some spice to it, but it goes great with the relleno (and that enchilada got in on this sauce too).
The breading of their relleno is what I think sets it apart from most others. If I were comparing it, El Camino is comparable to the breading of fried chicken, but thinner. It's not really thick, but it is dense. Most other rellenos I try have a light batter coating, and you can taste all of the oil that gets sucked up by that light breading. I would love to figure out what this breading is, it really is the difference to me.
We enjoyed this trip to El Camino. The food was excellent, service was good, and the time we got to spend with our company was much needed and very nice. I'd come here again in a heartbeat. It won't be years before I'll be back here again.
Overall Rating: 93 (scale of 100)
Price $12.00
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