Houston Restaurants & Food

FOX 26 reporter Kristine Galvan heads to the kitchen to demonstrate how to “Do It Yourself.”

With a little help from <a href=”http://www.cleverley.com/” target=”_blank”>Houston food and restaurant journalist Cleverley Stone</a>, Chicken Cacciatore is on the dinner menu and there two recipes for you.  If you are tight on time and do not want to see greasy fast food  on the table, there is a a quick way to whip up a home-cooked meal for almost the same cost.

But, if it is money you are looking to save, you will learn how to make the same meal and feed your family for half the cost.

Chicken Cacciatore with HEB Sauce (Serves 5)

Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cook Time – 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 each – Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• 1 jar Cookwell Two Step Cacciatore Sauce
• 1 pound Dry Pasta, any type
• 3 tbsp oil
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Drain and reserve.
3. Heat a skillet over medium high heat.
4. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper.
5. Add oil to pan and sear chicken breasts for 1 minute per side.
6. Turn down heat to medium and add Cookwell Two-Step Cacciatore sauce, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Serve chicken over pasta topped with several spoonfuls of the cacciatore sauce.

Prices:

Chicken Breast- $5.73
Cookwell Cacciatore Sauce-$7.99
HEB Bow Tie Pasta- $1.14
Baguette-$1.69
Cherry Pie-$3.99

Total: $20.54 ($4.11 per person)
Without bread & pie: $14.86 ($2.97 pp)

Generic Chicken Cacciatore (Serves 5)
Prep Time – 20 minutes
Cook Time – 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 each Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
• 8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
• 2- 14.5 oz cans Diced Italian Seasoned Tomatoes
• 1- 14.5oz can Tomato Sauce
• ½ cup Red Wine
• 1 pound Dry Pasta, any type
• 3 tbsp oil
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Drain and reserve.
3. Heat a skillet over medium high heat.
4. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper.
5. Add oil to pan and sear chicken breasts for 1 minute per side.
6. Turn down heat to medium and add onion, garlic, bell peppers and mushrooms.
7. Cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and red wine.
9. Cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
10. Serve chicken over pasta topped with several spoonfuls of the sauce.

Prices:

Chicken Breast- $5.73
Onion-$1.00
Garlic-$.50
Green Bell Pepper-$.57
Mushrooms-$2.00
Diced Italian Tomatoes-$1.40
Tomato Sauce-$.60
Red Cooking Wine-$2.96
HEB Bow Tie Pasta- $1.14
Baguette-$1.69
Cherry Pie-$3.99

Total: $ 21.58 ($4.32 per person)
Without wine, bread & pie: $12.94 ($2.59 pp)
Without wine, bread, mushrooms & pie: $10.94 ($2.19 pp)

Click here to watch video of the prepared recipes.

Grilled Lamb Chops

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of white wine
• 2 lbs. lamb chops
• 2 tbsp. lemon pepper
• 3 tbsp. fajita seasoning
• Fresh mint
• 1 tbsp. salt

Directions:

1. Blend mint, white wine, and salt
2. Add lemon pepper and fajita seasoning
3. Stir well
4. Add lamb and marinate at least 2 hrs.
5. Grill lamb chops to preferred temperature

Grilled Flank Steak

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. flank steak (2 servings)
• Rock salt

Directions:

1. Slice steak against grain to 2 inch thickness
2. Add salt on top and bottom
3. Grill to preferred temperature

Brazilian Papaya Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 Brazilian papaya fruits
• Vanilla ice cream
• Black currant liqueur

Directions:

1. Slice skins off of papaya fruit and cut into smaller pieces
2. Blend thoroughly with vanilla ice cream
3. Pour into small bowls and top with 1 tbsp. of black currant liqueur

Caipirinha

Ingredients:

• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• Cachaca liquor

Directions:

1. Cut lime into 4 parts
2. Place lime into cocktail glass and add sugar
3. Muddle sugar and lime
4. Add ice to rim of glass
5. Fill glass with Cachaca &
6. Shake thoroughly

Source: Chef Bradley Manchester of Hotel ZaZa Houston

FOX 26 News has shared the health benefits of green tea and ginger in many stories. Now Chef Bradley Manchester of Monarch restaurant in the Hotel ZaZa shows radio, TV and online restaurant journalist Cleverley Stone how to use these items when cooking a steak. Click here to watch video of the preparation…..

Entree Ingredients

• 4 Beef Tenderloin filets, 8 ounces each
• 10 Fingerling Potatoes, 1/4 inch cut
  
• 8 ounces Green Tea Demi-Glace Sauce
• 4 ounces Pickled Vegetables
• 2 bunches Enoki Mushrooms
• 1 ounce Ginger Butter
• Cooking Oil
• Salt & Black Pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Season filets with salt & black pepper.
2. Sear in frying pan on high heat for 2 minutes on each side.
3. Finish cooking in a 400 degree oven to desired doneness.
4. Wash potatoes. Pat dry. Season potatoes (skins on) with salt, pepper and oil.
5. Roast in 400 degree oven until done.

Serving Directions

1. Place potatoes in center of the plate.
2. Place filet on top of potatoes.
   
3. Place pickled vegetables on top of filet with some ginger butter.
4. Place demi-glace sauce around filet.
5. Garnish with enoki mushrooms.

Ginger Butter Ingredients

• 3 pieces of Ginger Root, minced
• 2 Shallots, minced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 pound Butter, room temperature
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons Sugar

Ginger Butter Directions

1. Sweat ginger, shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter.
2. When shallots are translucent add sugar and fold in, let cool.
3. Once ginger mixture is cool, add to room temperature butter in a bowl and mix with paddle mixer.
   
4. Add salt to taste.

Green Tea Demi-Glace Ingredients

• 10 Garlic Cloves, sliced
• 3 Shallots
• 25 Shiitake Mushroom stems
• 1 gallon Demi-Glace sauce (store bought OK)
• 3 tablespoons ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1 quart Green Tea Marinade

Green Tea Demi-Glace Directions

1. Sweat garlic, mushrooms & shallots until shallots are translucent.
2. Add demi-glace and pepper.
   
3. Bring to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add soy sauce and green tea marinade (see below).
5. Bring back to simmer for 10 more minutes.
6. Strain mixture and then cool it in an ice bath.

Green Tea Marinade

• 2 cups of Sake (Japanese rice wine)
• 3 Green Tea Bags
• 1 bunch Lemon Grass, crushed
• 1/4 cup Mirin (Japanese rice wine)

Green Tea Marinade Directions

1. In a sauce pan place the sake on low heat.
2. Add lemon grass & green tea bags & let steep for 20 minutes.
3. Strain & let cool.

Pickled Vegetables Ingredients

• 1 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 English Cucumber, sliced thin
• 1 Carrot, sliced thin

Pickled Vegetables Directions

1. Simmer sugar & vinegar for 1 minute.
2. Let cool.
3. Add vegetables.
4. Let steep for 2 hours.