Cooking with Malissa

If it seems like we've been a little quiet lately, it's because we're going on an adventure! For the next month, we'll be travelling to Boston, San Francisco, and wherever else we'd like to visit! That means fewer posts, but we'll be sure to chronicle our adventures in food along the way.

To be honest, I'm most looking forward to an In-n-Out burger with some animal style fries. Can't blame me for having my priorities straight.

Anyway, I thought I'd take time to tell you about a really great day we spent cooking with a talented aspiring chef and her amazing family.

You might remember Malissa was the winner of our 100 Fan Cookbook Giveaway a while back. We were so excited to hear that Malissa is hoping to become a chef herself, and we figured it would be fun to spend some time cooking together. We had a hungry crowd too! Malissa's whole family have been friends of ours for a long time, and it was our pleasure to feed them all. We let Malissa choose one of her favorite recipes, and Kevin showed her how to spice it up and cook for a crowd.

Let's begin! Kevin and Malissa are ready for action!

Malissa manages the mise en place and shows off some fennel fronds.

The Menu

• Fresh-baked crusty bread

• Roasted eggplant caprese salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

• Chicken cacciatore (original recipe by Giada de Laurentiis, modifications by us!)

I'm not ashamed to say I ate SO MUCH OF THIS.

First, some home-made bread! This recipe from the Bread in 5 is a game-changer. We've made it so many times, and every time it comes out with perfect fluffy bread inside an incredible thick crust. No cup of water in the oven, no nothin'. Awwyeaaaah!

Do you prefer sliced or chunky?

I took a break from taking crazy amounts of photos to put together a roasted eggplant caprese salad. This is a great appetizer, and a tribute to my own evolving passion for food. Roasting vegetables was one of the first things I learned to do, and I was proud to see myself able to create something delicious and visually appealing. See Kevin, I'm learning too!

You can find my recipe for roasted vegetables here (and a lemony version here), and all you need to do to make this salad is combine the roasted eggplant slices with tomato and creamy mozzarella, all cut to the same thickness. Don't forget fresh basil leaves, and don't skimp out by cutting these into super thin slices. I love getting a nice full basil leaf when I put the mozzarella and tomato on my plate. It's all about the ratios, you know. 

Sear those suckers!

Now for the main course! Kevin and Malissa changed up the recipe a bit. While the original version had nothing but chicken and sauce, they added egg noodles to hold on to some of the sauce and make a heartier dish. Also, no capers. (If you do want to add some like the recipe calls for, try deep frying them first! Way better!)

If you ask Kevin's opinion, he'll tell you that a light sear is a half-assed sear. Instead of sautéing the chicken until brown, Kevin showed Malissa that a nice hard sear will bring out the most texture and flavor. In a saucy dish, hard sears will soften just enough, and you won't get stuck with rubbery chicken skin. Everyone wins.

There was no cheese in the original recipe, and that's just unacceptable as far as we're concerned. Seriously, how does any self-respecting Italian forget the pasta and cheese? We used shaved Romano and topped the whole dish with fennel fronds for garnish. Perfetto!

Chicken Cacciatore ala Malissa!

Needless to say Malissa and Kevin did a tremendous job, and all of us had a blast. It's such a great feeling to watch food bring people together in so many ways, whether it's a learning experience or an experience for your tastebuds. We wish Malissa tremendous luck in her future career - we can't wait to cook with her again!

Compliments to the chefs!

A job well done!