Rick Podowski Goes French

True, Rick's favorite foods are Polish, Irish, Italian and Mexican, but he often tries other exciting things.  He took Roast Chicken with Mustard Vinaigrette and Potato Salad with Haricots Verts, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts to a birthday party and the guests just loved it. The recipe below is based on one that appeared in Bon Appetit, May 1994. Serve this dish with a Thomas Fogerty Cabernet Franc and you won't be disappointed.

First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and then make the vinaigrette.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

2/3 cup chopped shallots

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

PREPARATION

Mix mustard and vinegar in bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Mix in shallots and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

For chicken:

Package of eight chicken thighs

1 cup Mustard Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Fresh rosemary and sage sprigs

PREPARATION

To make chicken:. Place chicken in roasting pan. Brush vinaigrette over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and sage. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast chicken 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue roasting until juices run clear when chicken is pierced in thickest part of thigh, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Place chicken and herb sprigs on platter.

For potato salad:

2 pounds baby red-skinned potatoes, quartered

8 tablespoons Mustard Vinaigrette

2/3 cup crumbled Blue Cheese

1/2 pound haricots verts, trimmed

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped

PREPARATION

To make potato salad:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix potatoes and 3 tablespoons vinaigrette in large baking dish. Roast 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. and continue roasting until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 50 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool slightly. Mix in 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and 1/3 cup Blue Cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook haricots verts in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water to cool; drain well. Transfer to medium bowl.

Mix in 3 tablespoons cheese, 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange beans on platter. Mound potatoes in center of platter atop beans. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Serves 4

A Romantic Polish Chicken Flambé

“Interesting," Elaine said as Rick poured the vodka over the chicken and struck a match. "Until I met you, I never thought of using 'Polish food' and 'romantic' in the same sentence.”   From  Death In the Science Classroom 

Polish Chicken Flambé with Big Basin's Pinot Noir

Serves 4

4 chicken quarters

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons strong Polish vodka or other vodka

4 stale dinner rolls

1/2 cup milk

1/ 4 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon finely chopped almonds

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/ 4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a medium bowl, soak rolls in milk add butter or margarine, eggs, 1 tablespoon of salt, dry bread crumbs, walnuts, almonds, nutmeg, and parsley.  Use  a food processor to combine ingredients.  

Grease a baking pan, place the stuffing inside and cover with foil.

Rub chicken with 1tablespoon salt.   Preheat oven to 375F. 

Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove cover; bake 30 minutes more or until juices run clear. Place chicken quarters, skin -side up, on a platter. Pour vodka over chicken. Using a long match, carefully ignite vodka. Serve immediately.

This dish is perfect with a bottle of Pinot Noir from Big Basin Vineyards.

Big Basin Vineyards, founded in 1998, is located next to the Big Basin Redwoods, California's oldest state park, and home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco. Wine grape cultivation started by French immigrants in the 1900s continued until 1965 when the property was sold to a timber company, at which time the vineyard was in disrepair.

The current owners, Bradley Brown, and his sister have been restoring this historic vineyard site using modern, organic viticultural methods. Drainage and erosion problems have been corrected, and over ninety percent of the estate is being preserved in its natural state.

The winemaking process starts by sorting grape clusters, gently desteming the fruit and then sorting the berries, which roll into small open top fermenters. Whole berries are cold soaked for several days before being fermented with native yeast. They pump the liquid over the berries and then punch the grapes down by hand. When the wine has achieved the desired intensity they gently press off the skins. The wine then goes into French oak barrels for two to three years of aging.

The new winery building, constructed from redwood selectively harvested from the estate on the same site as the original 1890s house/winery structure was completed in December 2003. This winery concentrates on Syrah, Grenache, and Pinot Noir.

Bradley Brown co-founded the Shakti Yoga Shala with his wife, Samantha Shakti-Brown. Participating in the weekly yoga class is now an integral part of working at Big Basin Vineyards.

Irish Stew For St Patrick's Day

There is no better way to celebrate St Patrick's Day than with a traditional  Irish Lamb Stew and some wine.  Consider a Merlot or a Meritage for this dish. The recipe is from Death In The Science Classroom.

Serves 6

5 pounds lamb shoulder chops

20 baby red-skinned potatoes

6 large carrots, peeled, quartered

3 medium onions, quartered

2 medium leeks (white and pale greens parts only), split lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

2 cups water

Trim the fat from lamb and cut the meat into 1 1/2-inch pieces. 

Place fat in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook fat until 3 tablespoons drippings are rendered, about 5 minutes. Using large spoon, remove any solid fat from pot; discard. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Add lamb to pot; sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer lamb to plate. 

Add vegetables, parsley, and thyme to pot; stir to coat with drippings. Return meat. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot tightly; simmer until lamb is tender and vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours.

Place 1 cup vegetables in processor; puree. Add to stew. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Simmer before serving.)

Food and Wine Pairings From Murder Before The Bell

Each of the five books in the Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio Series contain seven food and wine pairings.  The dishes are from the Italian, Polish, Irish and Mexican heritages of the group.  Below are four food and wine pairings from Murder Before The Bell.

Rick's Bigos (The Polish National Dish) with River Run Vintners Cote D Aromas

This recipe first appeared on  September 14, 2014.  Salad and pierogi complete the dish.  Click here for the recipe.

Erin's Irish Poached Salmon with Watercress Sauce and Nicholson Winery's Pinot Noir

This recipe first appeared on September 7, 2014.  A salad with a vinegar and oil dressing is a great accompaniment.   Click here for the recipe.

Leti's Pollitos en Vino Tinto with Naumann's Tre Rosso Cali

This recipe, Cornish Game Hens in Red Wine,  first appeared on June 25, 2013.  Salad, green beans, and mashed potatoes complete the dish.  Click here for the recipe.

Rick's Past Puttanesca with Villa del Monte's Cabernet Sauvignon

This recipe first appeared on  September 28, 2014.  Puttanesca was created by the prostitutes of Naples to give them strength and stamina.

Caprese Salad

Rick likes to serve the Puttanesca with a Caprese salad made from garden tomatoes, sliced fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.  He pours some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the dish.   Click here for the recipe.

About Murder Before The Bell

Rick Podowski and the Hefty Trio a group of four middle-aged overweight high school English teachers fight to save their friend accused of murdering the school principal. The story begins when Rick arrives at Central High School and sees the administration building engulfed in flames. Later, the police discover the charred body of the principal and as the police start to gather evidence to frame the acting principal, Rick and the Hefty Trio start their own inquiry. They discover that their friend and the principal are both involved in illegal activities with a former South Vietnamese Colonel who runs a language school on the campus every Sunday. The community loves the Colonel and is unaware that he owns a house of prostitution in the neighborhood and employs a local Mexican gang for security. A rival gang wants part of the action. The excitement continues as Rick and the Hefty Trio while working to solve the mystery indulge in gourmet Mexican, Irish, Italian and Polish dishes from their ethnic heritages, paired with unique wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.