Recipe: Linguini with Chourico and Red Pepper Sauce

It's no secret that I am a fan of the spicy portuguese sausage known as "chourico". Why I am a fan of chourico is no mystery either, it's because chourico is a ubiquitous ingredient in the cuisine of my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts (where the word chourico is pronounced something like: "SURE-dEESE"). Fall River has a large Azorean Portuguese community and that means we have great Portuguese food. From what I hear, Portuguese people on the island of Saint Michael now consider Fall River the tenth Azorean island. I like that.

So, like I said, chourico is a ubiquitous ingredient in our local cuisine. It is in sandwiches, pies, paired with seafood, a pizza topping, a breakfast side, it is served as an appetizer, a main, it can be used with or in a variety of things. It has even penetrated the most American of feasts: Thanksgiving, where our local variety of turkey stuffing has a good deal of chourico in it. Hell, one of my friends even eats it dipped in chocolate. I prefer to cook mine in a flaming bath of Portuguese moonshine.

That's why, I can't even consider a collection of personal Italian recipes that doesn't include one that uses chourico. This is probably the oldest of the chourico sauce recipes I have. I've been preparing something like this since around 1980. In those days the recipe was basically a marinara with ground chourico in it. I've refined it now and I also add some sweet and crunchy red pepper that works great against the spicy chourico.

If you don't have chourico where you live, I've included a link below where you can get some of the best. Don't be afraid to try a different kind of spicy sausage with this dish. Italian, Cajun or Brazilian sausage will work fine, and while I haven't tried it with Mexican or Spanish chorizo, I'm sure that would work as well.

Linguini with Chourico and Red Pepper Sauce

2 TBS olive oil
3 large links (about 1.5 lbs.) of chourico cut into 1/4" slices
1 large leek (white part only) chopped (substitute onions if you like)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 bay leaves
2 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1-2 TBS dried basil
1 healthy pinch of dried oregano
2 cups of chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large red pepper (cut into matchstick sized pieces)
Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (grated)

While you are preparing the sauce as outlined below, cook your linguini the normal way.

Place a large pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan.

When the oil begins to shimmer, add the leeks, bay leaves and chourico and sauté stirring regularly until the leeks get translucent and the chourcio begins to cook and brown a little.

Add the garlic and continue to cook stirring frequently for 1 to 2 minutes. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC!

Raise the heat to high and deglaze the pan by adding the two cups of chicken broth to the mix. Stir well and be sure to scrape up and hard bits from the pan.

Allow the chicken stock to reduce. When it does, add the two cans of ground tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the basil and the oregano and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower the heat to a low simmer and cook like this for 20 to 30 minutes.

Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.

2-3 minutes before you are ready to serve the sauce, add the red pepper and stir in well. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE RED PEPPER. You want it to remain a little crunchy.

Serve the sauce over your linguini with a generous sprinkle of parmesan-reggiano cheese.

Recipe: Linguini with Chourico and Red Pepper Sauce from Chop Onions, Boil Water - World Food at Home by Henry Krauzyk http://www.choponionsboilwater.com

Recipe: Chourico and Polenta

Today's world food that you can prepare at home comes at you straight out of the Azores via some Italian inspiration. Chourico and Polenta despite its peasant leanings is a visual and taste sensation worthy of a place on the finest of menus.

I originally wrote this recipe the morning after I first made this dish. I usually reserve those times for informally jotting down recipes from the previous night if I've cooked something new. Sometimes there is an advantage of spilling my fresh memories via stream of consciousness, right onto the keyboard. Hell, my editor has to clean up that mess anyway! Since I first made this dish though it has gone through a great deal of tweaking and refinement and while it is a bit complicated, it is well worth the effort.

This dish was originally inspired by a dinner I had at the celebrated Al Forno Restaurant in Providence, RI. I was there celebrating my one-year wedding anniversary, (I highly recommend the restaurant, the food is excellent, especially the grilled pizza). That evening I had delicious homemade Italian sausages served on an onion, celery, carrot and tomato sauce, with an amazingly light polenta. All this was baked to harmonious affect in a casserole dish and served al forno of course! The resulting blend of flavors was subtle, impressive and well balanced. Of course I immediately thought it would have been better with chourico!

Now, I've obviously made some dramatic changes to the original dish. Principally, the sauce had to be more robust to stand up to flavor of the spicy chourico. I did this with the inclusion of a good amount of just-cooked onion and red pepper and the use of a similar but more robust mirepoix-based tomato sauce. The result is a hearty sauce and ingredient combination that complimented not only the chourico's flavor, but texture as well. The crunch of the red pepper and onion matched that of the baked chourico's casing.

As for the polenta, what I write three times is law:

DO NOT BUY PREPARED POLENTA
DO NOT BUY PREPARED POLENTA
DO NOT BUY PREPARED POLENTA

Sure, preparing homemade polenta can be a little labor intensive, but homemade polenta is going to be creamier, lighter and tastier. When you eat this you are going to get bursts of tart and spicy flavors that are pleasantly contrasted by the sweetness of the polenta. The polenta's cool, silky creaminess is also going to contrast with the crunch of the chourico casing and the green peppers.

It's a multi-tasking dish surely, but well worth the effort because it looks so colorful on the plate and the "Circus-comes-to-town" texture and taste experience makes it a home run.

Chourico and Polenta

For the polenta:

6-1/2 cups of water
2-1/2 cups of polenta
2 tsp salt

For the sauce:

2 TBS olive oil
1 carrot (chopped fine)
1 stick of celery (chopped fine)
1 onion (chopped fine)
1 bay leaf
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups tomatoes (chopped)
1-2 TBS tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
1 TBS parsley (finely chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste.

For the vegetable and chourico mixture:

1 TBS peanut oil
1 red pepper (cut into large 1" dice)
1 large onion (frenched)
1-1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
1 lb. (approx) of chourico
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Set the oven to 350°F

While the oven warms prepare the polenta:

In a large pan over high heat bring the 6-1/2 cups of water and 2 tsp of salt to a high boil.

Whisk in the polenta in a slow steady stream. When the polenta begins to thicken switch to a wooden spoon and continue constantly stirring until the polenta begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer the polenta into a large, square glass dish to a depth of 1 inch. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the fridge until it sets (about 1 to 2 hours).

Place the chourico in a lightly oiled oven-proof pan and place it in the oven for about 30 minutes. You'll want to keep an eye on it. You want it to roast so that the skins crisps up nicely without drying out the rest of the sausage. When done remove from the oven and keep warm. Do not shut off the oven.

To prepare the sauce:

Place a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and when it begins to shimmer add the carrot, celery, onions and bay leaf. Sauté well until the vegetables begin to brown.

Add the wine to mixture and deglaze. Allow the wine to boil off and let the mixture thicken.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley and garlic to the mixture and lower to a simmer. Check for, and adjust seasoning.

To prepare the vegetables and chourico:

Warm the polenta in the oven while you prepare and cook the vegetables and chourico.

Slice the chourico into 1/2" thick pieces. Set aside.

Place a large fry pan or wok over high heat. Add one tablespoon of oil and immediately add the red pepper, frenched onion and cherry or grape tomatoes. Cook them stirring frequently. You want them heated and cooked through, but still crunchy. Add the chourico at the end for a few moments to warm it further.

To serve, place the polenta on a plate. Spread some of the sauce over the polenta. Add the vegetable and chourico mixture and then top with a little more sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Recipe: Chourico and Polenta from Chop Onions, Boil Water - World Food at Home by Henry Krauzyk http://www.choponionsboilwater.com

Recipe: Flo's Kickass Pulled Pork

Today's world food that you can prepare at home is a fusion of French, Portuguese and the American South. In the USA pulled pork comes in many different ways and with a wide assortment of condiments. None though, are quite so easy nor nearly as delicious as Flo's Kickass Pulled Pork!

This is a recipe from my friend Andy's parents (and my friends as well) Chuck and Flo. For some reason my British and Antipodean friends always chuckle when they first hear the names "Chuck and Flo" but that is their quirk not my own. I'm adding this recipe to Chop Onions, Boil Water for three reasons: For one, it's a really good, crowd pleasing and delicious dish. Secondly, it is a breeze to prepare and most importantly I wanted an opportunity to write about Chuck and Flo.

I usually call this recipe "Flo's Kickass Christmas Pulled Pork" not because they only serve it at Christmas, but rather because that is how I associate it. You see, Chuck and Flo, really like Christmas and by that, I mean to say that they really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really LOVE Christmas (that's 50 really's in case you didn't count). I remember the first time Andy mentioned (warned) me about how they decorated their home:

Andy: "I have to help my parents string Christmas lights on the house this weekend."

Henry: "Oh, they like to decorate the house?"

Andy: "Yeah, they go nuts."

Henry: "Yeah, I've seen houses like that."

Andy: "No, I don't think you have."

I shrugged his last comment off. Thinking he was just internalizing and dramatizing the weekend task at hand.

I couldn't have been more wrong, the first time I visited their home around Christmas it was apparent. I was at least a half mile away from the house when I saw it. A glowing aura in the shape of a half-dome in the distance. NO LIE! Before I ever saw a single light on the house I could see the atmosphere around the property all a glow! In fact, there is a famous image of the first millisecond of a thermonuclear explosion that shared shocking similarities to the gigawatt induced luminescence that lay before me in the clear frosty cold Rhode Island night. My heart began to race.

I turned the final corner before their house - and there it was. It was overwhelming. A holiday display of such excess and surplus that I heard myself gasp. Imagine 279.533 (repeating) normal festively lit homes all physically inhabiting the same space. That is how it all looks (ordered and well executed of course). Electric glowing, festive, sparkly, splendor! Unfortunately, space restraints forbid a full inventory here, but trust me, it is an awesome spectacle. Plus it gets grander every year. Because through their generosity and charisma Chuck and Flo manage to cajole, influence or woo willing accomplices to their Christmas madness. In fact in the year 2004 they got a group of these goons to build a special Christmas train so that Choo-Choo-Christmas-Chuck can pull guests around the the Christmas yard and past all the Christmas lighting exhibits set-up in the yard. Even strangers showed up for rides. Where do they get these willing accomplices and participants from?

They've said that 2008 was the last Christmas in which they would create their seasonal spectacle. Some folks believe them, I'm wondering...

Flo's Kickass Christmas Pulled Pork

Fresh (unsmoked) pork shoulder
1 TBS. Gravy Master
1 TBS. Kitchen Bouquet
1 TBS. Garlic powder
12 ozs. hot crushed pepper (this is the "wet" variety that comes in a jar)

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Coat the pork with the combination of Gravy Master and Kitchen Bouquet.

Sprinkle all over with garlic powder.

Cover the pork with hot crushed red pepper.

Cover the pan and place in the oven for about 6-8 hours. If it looks like it is cooking too fast turn the oven down a little.

During the last 1-2 hours of cooking, baste the pork frequently to mix the crushed red pepper with the rest of the juices.

Shred (at this point the pork will just freely fall off the bone) and serve with fresh rolls or roasted potatoes.

Accept oohs, aahs, mmmms, yums, and praise from your family and guests.

Recipe: Flo's Kickass Pulled Pork from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk http://www.choponionsboilwater.com

Recipe: Portuguese Roasted Chourico and Potatoes

Today my world food for the home kitchen comes from the island of Saint Michael in the Azores by way of the large Portuguese communities of Southern New England.

This is an adaptation of a recipe that has become quite famous amongst my group of friends. Each year on the hottest day of the year (don't ask me how they continually accomplish this, but they do), the good folks of Saint Michael's parish on the North side of Fall River, Massachusetts throw their annual Portuguese feast or "fashtah" as we like to call it. This feast celebrates the Archangel Michael, the soldier angel that cast Satan into the fiery pit of hell. He's the only non-human saint, did you know that? I did, weird huh?

Anyway, the highpoint of the feast is not the parade (even though Mr. Raposo marches in it as one of the parish's elite), nor is it the many games or flower petal-decorated streets, it is not even the "carne espit" which is seasoned meat roasted on long metal skewers. No, the high point of the feast is the Portuguese dinner we have at the Raposo's house each year.

Space prohibits me from listing every delectable dish that we are presented with but standouts include Portuguese beef, braised quail, pork and clams, sweet rice, octopus stew and much, much more. Consensus among my many friends however decrees that principal and chief among the multitude of great dishes is Mrs. Raposo's roasted chourico and potatoes. It is a dish of simple and delicious perfection. It is always a topic of conversation at the table that day or on any other day of the year when someone cares to bring it up. It is worthy of an expenditure on great wine and good bread to enjoy along with it. It is one of those great food stuffs that though it is of simple ingredients, the finished product is sublime. It is a transcendent food. Below, you will find my adaptation of this recipe.

Chourico, in case you are not familiar with it, is a spicy Portuguese pork sausage. Similar to Spanish chorizo, but different enough to make a difference. Of course, you can make this dish with just about any similar spicy sausage, but if you can source it, I highly recommend chourico. It's a head-spinning delicious dish with it and you can even order it here.

Portuguese Roasted Chourico & Potatoes

2-1/2 to 3 lbs egg-sized potatoes (peeled)
3/4 cup peanut oil
2 tsp of Portuguese paprika (colourau)
1 cup white wine
2 medium sized onions (chopped)
6 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 bay leaves
Chicken broth
2 Tbs tomato paste
4 links of chourico (about 2 lbs)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Peel the potatoes and place them in a bowl of water while you prepare the other ingredients.

Mix the paprika in the peanut oil, blend it well. Set aside.

In a roasting pan (I use a 9" x 13" x 2" Pyrex), add the wine, onions, garlic, bay leaves and tomato paste. Be sure to blend all the ingredients well.

Space out the chourico links in the the roasting pan, then the potatoes equally around and between them.

Drizzle all of the peanut oil/paprika mixture over the potatoes.

Add as much chicken broth as needed until the liquid just over half covers the potatoes.

Place it in the oven until it reaches a boil. Then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue cooking another 30 minutes.

Turn the potatoes and chourico over, then replace the pan in the oven and continue cooking another 15 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Remove from the oven allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then cut up chourico and return to pan. Coat all in the juices.

Serve with a hearty red wine and a good crusty bread.

Recipe: Portuguese Chourico and Potatoes from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk
http://www.choponionsboilwater.com

Recipe: Academica-Style Steak Sandwiches

In 1993 my friend Tom asked me to join him for lunch at a local Portuguese bar. We ended up at the Academica Association in my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. The Academica is an informal little Portuguese place that has a bar side and a restaurant side. We chose the bar side. When I asked what to order he suggested the steak sandwich and fries. At the time I didn't realize how my choice would affect the eating habits of so many people.

When the plates arrived, the portions were large which is not unusual for a Portuguese restaurant. A large, medium-crust bread which had been sliced lengthwise and filled with reddish brown steak topped with cooked whole garlic cloves and sliced red peppers. There was also a hefty pile of fries on the plate as well. I bit into the sandwich and was really surprised at how phenomenally good it was. Luck of luck, the fries were equally tasty. Well, I wasn't 4 bites into the sandwich and I knew I'd be back, and back I went, and continue to go to this day.

I introduced a few friends and family to the place and mentioned it to others and soon it was a hit amongst them. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence to have a friend mention they had just been to the Academica and then express how good it was. One friend in particular, Dave Lebouef, started getting take out there. Dave is one of my oldest friends and it was his luck that I told him about the Academica, but my luck that he went and became interested in it.

Dave's friends also know him as the "Technician" because of his pragmatic approach to the process of things that interest him. Well, during his visits to the Academica, he studied the processes of cooking those steak sandwiches and experimented on his own at home. He soon came up with an excellent version. Like most things in life the simplest things are often the best, and such it is with these sandwiches. This recipe is my adaptation of Dave's. I think I use a little more garlic than Dave does, that's about it. Oh no wait, I also take my sandwiches with a half bottle of Dao wine as well! You'll read more about Dave elsewhere here, but know he makes major contributions to our cooking circle.

Academica-Style Steak Sandwiches

Steak, not too thick, cubed steak works well. It should be 1/4" to 3/8" thick.
Stick-style sandwich bread
1 TBS Olive oil
8 to 12 cloves of garlic
Pickled sweet red peppers (mild to medium heat, sliced and seeded)
Frank's Hot Sauce® or Texas Pete's Hot Sauce®
1 tsp butter
Salt to taste

Heat a large saucepan over a medium-high flame.

Add olive oil, when it begins to shimmer, add the steaks to the pan.

Salt steaks and add some hot sauce to the top of steaks while cooking.

Toss garlic cloves around the pan. Move it around frequently so it does not burn.

When steaks are half done, turn them over, add a pinch of salt and more hot sauce.

Move pan contents so the ingredients blend well.

Turn steaks when done and be sure all the liquid ingredients in the pan blend well.

Add a teaspoon of butter to mix and blend in.

Swirl steaks around in sauce, move onto bread, add a little of the garlic and top with pickled sweet red peppers.

Serve with french fries.

Recipe: Academica-Style Steak Sandwiches from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk

Recipe: Bolos Levedos Acorianos (Portuguese Sweet Muffins or Portuguese Pancakes)

Okay, allow me to let you in on a little secret. Big, snazzy New York City burger joints are scoring high praise and big dollars with their burgers that are gently nestled in Portuguese rolls that are shipped in from my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. Of course they're using good beef, but what is really setting these burgers apart are the Portuguese sweet muffins. I blogged about it a little while back, you can find that post here.

The people from the South Coast towns of Massachusetts and Rhode Island have always enjoyed these rolls and they're available in most markets. We call them Portuguese sweet muffins or Portuguese pancakes, but their real name is "bolos levedos" (sounds like "bhoulzsh levezsh"). Of the varieties you get in the market, some are good and some could be better. The best ones I ever had is when I visited the town of Furnas on Saint Michael in the Azores. Now those bolos levedos are something. Larger and more tender than the American variety and just a little more special. It could of course be the locale, but I'm also betting on the Portuguese butter and a few other things.

We always have a supply in my house. We use them for breakfast sandwiches, hamburgers, fish sandwiches or just toasted with some butter or guava jelly. Recently, I decided I wanted to make them for myself and set out to do so. I wanted something closer to what I got in Saint Michael and I'm certain I was able to do that. I found the recipe I based mine on on a Portuguese cooking website. With the help of a good friend and her mom whom are both fluent in Portuguese I was able to translate the instructions and recipe amounts. I made some pretty big adjustments and got exactly what I was looking for. So now I can make my own bolos levedos Acorianos and anyone out there who really wants them can have the best hamburger buns in the world. These things are addictive, you've been warned.

Bolos Levedos Acorianos

1/2 cup whole milk (70-80°F)
1/2 cup + 1 TBS sugar
2-1/2 tsp instant yeast
4-1/3 cups unbleached bread flour
2 eggs (beaten)
9 TBS sweet butter (softened)
1/2 tsp zest of lemon (grated then minced fine)
2 TBS vodka (if you can get Portuguese moonshine use that, but I imagine everyone can't get it like we can!)
1/8 tsp salt
A little water as necessary.

Mix the instant yeast into the warm milk and set aside.

Sift the flour and sugar into a large bowl.

Form a well in the middle of the flour/sugar combination add the milk/yeast combination and mix it in a little. Add the eggs, butter, lemon zest, vodka and salt. Mix together until it forms a rough dough ball. If you need to add a few drops of water to make it gather into a ball, do so in small increments. Once the ball forms, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. This allows the dough to hydrate evenly.

Turn the dough ball out on to a floured surface and knead for 12 minutes. If you need instruction on kneading refer to the instructions on kneading in the homemade naan recipe here.

After kneading cover the dough with plastic film and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Gently form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled container that will allow it to increase to twice its size. Press the dough down gently and then cover with the container cover or plastic wrap. Mark the container with tape where the dough is and allow it to rise to twice its size (30 minutes to 4 hours).

Turn the dough back out onto your floured surface and divide in to 9 equal sized pieces. Gently form each piece into a smooth ball and cover with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes.

Pat each ball into flat patty. Let rest 15 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

Place a comal or flat griddle over medium-low flame and allow it to heat up.

Flatten and expand each piece of dough again. Let rest 15 minutes or more covered with plastic wrap. You want it to rise a little bit again.

When they are ready, place a patty on the heated comal or griddle. Cook it SLOWLY on medium-low heat, or the outside will burn before the inside is cooked properly. Turn over when nicely browned, remove when evenly browned on both sides and cooked through. It'll take a little testing at first but is easy once you sort it out. Eventually, if your comal or griddle are large enough you can cook four at a time.

You now make the best hamburger or fish sandwich buns in the world. You can also use them for breakfast by splitting them, buttering them and toasting them on a comal or griddle. Add your favorite jelly. My wife toasts them this way and then makes a sandwich of fried egg whites, cheese and split sausages. Those things are great!

Bolos Levedoes are very versatile and can be used a number of ways!

Recipe: Bolos Levedos Acorianos from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk

Recipe: Saffron Seafood Linguini

This recipe goes out to Karen and all the other folks from Newport Hospital, Newport, Rhode Island, who check out "Chop Onions, Boil Water." Hello everyone, thanks for reading my blog. Keep it up and you'll find yourself in the book coming out in 2010!

The lack of a proper name has kept me from adding this recipe, but tonight I've decided it's going on the blog and the name will come to me as I type. Of course I'm typing right now and nothing is happening. Nope, not yet.

You see, by all accounts, it would appear to be a seafood linguini, only it's really not. The basis of the recipe is a French bouillabaisse and then I commenced to twisting it to my desire and well when seafood is involved I just know I'm going to add something Portuguese in there. I just love chourico, but when that doesn't work its got to be linguica. Then of course there's saffron. I mean you cannot pull off this dish without the saffron. So many complications.

So, in the end, what seems Italian is really French and then it's got a South Coast New England and Portuguese twist that just complicates the whole thing! A name should reflect something important about the dish. As of this moment a name hasn't come to me yet.

It's not that my ego can't float calling it "Henry's Awesome Friggin' Saffron Seafood Bouillabaisse Linguini", my ego could certainly handle that. It's just not pretty or short enough. As Shakespeare said "Brevity is the essence of wit."

Well, it's crunch time and I'm just going to type out a name as the words pop into my head here goes: Saffron Seafood Linguini.

Okay, it's done. For the record, you need saffron for this. There's no substitute for it and you cannot omit it. It's not going to be the same dish without it. Also, mail order the saffron because the grocery stores sell horrible saffron for bewilderingly high prices.

Saffron Seafood Linguini

1 lb. linguica (cut in 1/4" slices and pan fried until cooked and firm)
1 lb. linguini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only, cleaned, split and thinly sliced)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 tsp saffron threads
1 cup of diced tomato (the redder, the riper, the better-ALWAYS)
3/4 tsp thyme
2 tsp fresh parsley (chopped fine)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 TBS tomato paste
32 ozs. chicken broth
2 lbs. littleneck clams (scrubbed and set aside)
2 lbs. mahi mahi filets (or similar fish)
1 lb. sea scallops
1 lb. medium shrimp (in the shell)
2 lbs. mussels (scrubbed, debearded and set aside)
1/2 cup of white wine (I use pinot grigio)
1 TBS sweet butter
Salt and pepper to taste.

For the pasta, place a large pot of water on high heat to boil.

Place a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil.

When the oil begins to shimmer, add the leeks and the garlic and sauté until the leeks become translucent.

Add the saffron threads, salt, pepper, tomatoes, thyme, parsley, orange zest and tomato paste and blend together well for about 2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a low simmer and continue cooking for about 30 minutes.

Bring to a higher simmer. Add all the seafood and cover and simmer until the littlenecks and mussels open wide (5 to 8 minutes usually). Discard any that do not open.

Remove all the seafood and place it in a large bowl to cool. Return broth to a low simmer.

As soon as it's cool enough to handle, remove all the seafood meat from its shells and place it in a bowl. Discard shrimp shells, but reserve littleneck and mussel shells. Cut mahi mahi into chunks and place in the bowl with the shrimp, littlenecks, scallops and mussels.

Place all littleneck and mussels shells back into the broth and cook until the white abductor muscles attached to the shells fall into the broth or are easily removed. Don't worry, these will not be tough and they add a creaminess to the final product.

The pasta water should be boiling by now, cook linguini in the normal way, drain and set aside. Try to time everything to end at the same time. Yes, it can be difficult, but you can do it.

Raise the heat on the broth until it comes to a high simmer. Add the white wine and the butter and reduce the broth until it begins to thicken. You're looking for the consistency of loose melted ice cream. I know that is a strange analogy, but it works.

When it reaches the desired thickness, add the fish, scallops, littlenecks, shrimp, mussels and linguica and toss to coat and warm. Immediately add the cooked and drained linguini and toss well to coat. Be sure the seafood and the linguica is evenly distributed in the linguini. Remove from heat and allow it to set and cool a little before serving.

Serve with a good white wine (Pinot Grigio) and crusty bread.
Recipe: Saffon Seafood Linguini from Chop Onions, Boil Water by Henry Krauzyk

Recipe: Braised Chicken Breast Portuguese

Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken. I love chicken and cook a ton of it. I've named this dish "Braised Chicken Breasts Portuguese" although I don't know if it is a traditional Portuguese recipe. It's simple enough and with the right ingredients so that you'd think it was traditional, but I've never come upon it in my travels nor at dinner in the homes of my Portuguese friends. It's a hearty and flavorful dish that is best laid out on a pile of rice with the extra gravy poured all over everything.

The real story is about the search for tenderness. In the "I-knew-even-less-then-than-I-know-now" days of cooking I used to try and try and try to cook chicken breasts that were tender and moist, usually with limited results. I even tried marinating the breasts in buttermilk because I had heard some chain restaurants do that to make up for the inadequacies of their chefs in the heat vs. timing departments. It didn't work.

Then I hit upon braising. A little dredging in flour, a quick fry in shallow oil to seal the breasts and then a slow and low simmer in your desired sauce. Et voila! You get chicken so moist and tender that you get a little suspicious as to whether there may be something abnormally wrong with it (at least I was).

Of course any method used to cook something can go too far and eventually dry it out or make it tough, but if you stick with the basics of braising you're going to get good results. While this recipe is Portuguese, you'll see the basic technique in there and I urge you to try your own variations with your favorite sauces and styles. In fact I also do a Mexican variation of this recipe using molé roja and it is equally tender and moist.

Only, my wife doesn't like molé which means I don't get to make it often. I'd like to, but I don't. Do you know why? Well it's because I'm a diplomat and a nice guy. I'm also flexible, easy going and generally tired of getting remarried.

For now.

: )


Braised Chicken Breast Portuguese

1-2 lbs boneless chicken breast
1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1-2 cups of white wine
1 medium onion (chopped fine)
1 tomato (cubed)
Portuguese olive oil
1 clove of garlic (minced)
2-3 bay leaves
1 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs parsley (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste

If the chicken breasts are attached split apart. Rinse in water and pat dry.

Place some of the Portuguese olive oil in a small high sided pan to a depth of about 1/4". Set on high heat.

When the oil comes up to frying temperature, dredge each chicken breast in flour and coat well. Fry the breasts in the oil until well browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.

In another large high sided pan add 2 Tbs Portuguese olive oil, set on medium-high heat. When oil begins to shimmer add the onion and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and paprika and continue stirring.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the tomatoes begin to soften, raise the heat to high and add the wine and bring to a high simmer.

Reduce the heat to low and add the chicken breasts. Cover and maintain a very LOW simmer for 30 minutes turning the chicken once (carefully so as not to remove the crust). The gravy should just about be simmering.

Remove lid, remove chicken breasts and set aside in a covered dish to keep warm.

Increase heat to a full simmer and reduce sauce, stirring frequently until thick. Add the parsley in the last several minutes. Serve dressed with sauce on steamed rice. Garnish with a little more parsley.


Braised Chicken Breast Portuguese, Chop Onions, Boil Water

Why didn't I think of that?: Portuguese Sweetbread Rolls & the Perfect Burger

I live in a small city called Fall River on the Southcoast of Massachusetts. I mention this because we have a unique local cuisine based on the cultures that settled the area over the years. We have dashes of French, Irish, Native American and also, especially for the purposes of this entry: Portuguese.

Recently I've been reading online reviews of various burger joints in New York City. One came up several times with glowing reviews because of their unique and delicious burgers. It's a place called Zaitzeff in the financial district. What made the Zaitzeff burgers so good? One writer had a succinct answer: The bun. He described the bun as "flat, like an English muffin with a pale yellow color" he went on to describe it a "sweet and delicious which enhanced the burger's flavor." I didn't need to be hit on the head with a log to know what he was talking about, but then he continued "which the restaurant orders from a Portuguese bakery in Fall River, MA.

Bolos Levedos (bhoulzsh levezsh) or "Portuguese Pancakes" as we grew up calling them in Fall River. I've had them all my life in numerous ways, but you know what? Never ever did I think or recall anyone else who had the presence of mind to toast them on a grill and serve up a burger on them! Since reading the reviews of Zaitzeff's burgers that has changed.

It's the hamburger roll of the house now. In fact we go Zaitzeff's one better by not only using the sweet bolos levedos, but also their larger brothers the sweetbread rolls. We don't limit the meats to just burgers either. Panko battered mahi-mahi sings an opera on these types of rolls as does homemade chicken salad. Thank you Zaitzeff!

It's strange how you can become overly familiar with the common things in your life, never giving them a second thought or seeing them outside their normal uses. Along comes someone who doesn't see them everyday and the next thing you know that thing changes.

Thanks Zaitzeff! I haven't had your burgers, but damn, you're onto something with your rolls!

Why didn't I think of that?

Anyone that doesn't live near Zaitzeff or Fall River can find recipes online to make your own bolos levedos or you can Google "Portuguese Bakery Fall River MA" and possibly get them sent out.

Until then, you're kind of missing something great.

Photo courtesy of Paobolosecia