Recipes for Mother’s Day

Written By Maayan Jaffe

Get out your apron and pop on a chef’s hat because, according to a recent study by the NPD Market Research Group, between 1993 and 2008, man-made in-home meals have grown 4 percent. A recent article published by MSNBC offered evidence that marriages are stronger––and women are turned on––when men cook.

“A husband cooking for a wife is an expression of gratitude,” said Michael Chmar from Owings Mills, who plans to stew up a feast for his wife, Amy, this Mother’s Day. Formerly a respected chef at Mendocino Grille and Wine Bar in Washington, D.C., Chmar said his 3-year-old daughter, Deborah Pearl, cooks alongside him, stirring and adding dry ingredients. Though mostly, he added, she’s the taste-tester.

“You could call her my assistant palette,” joked Chmar.

Ari Friedman said he’s been cooking for mom on Mother’s Day since he was in grade school. He cooks up a corned beef most years, something that takes a long time to make and Mom enjoys. He admitted there “have been a number of burnings in the kitchen” and that “learning to cook is definitely a process, especially without Mother’s help.”

Chmar and Friedman each offered a recipe to spice up any family’s Mother’s Day.

Ari Friedman

Ari Friedman’s Mom’s Favorite Mushroom Chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1 small onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
8 oz. package mushrooms (I happen to like to use Baby Bellas.)
1 cup wine (I use red wine, but any decent bottle will work, white or red.)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Salt and pepper chicken breast (if using kosher chicken, do not salt) and dredge in flour. Shake off excess flour and add chicken to hot oil. Brown on both sides. Remove chicken and place in a glass oven-safe casserole dish.

2. Place dish in the oven. Cook chicken through, approximately 10-15 minutes or to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

3. While chicken is in the oven, add a touch more olive oil to the pan. Add the onion. Once onion begins to sweat, add garlic and mushrooms. Cook mushrooms for a few minutes and deglaze them with the wine. When the alcohol is cooked out and the wine begins to thicken, pour over the chicken and serve.

*This dish is best served with basmati rice.

Michael Chmar’s Roast Vegetable Risotto

1/2 cup olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 stalk celery, washed and finely diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup Arborio rice
1 quart vegetable stock (store-bought is fine)
1/4 cup sundried tomato, thinly sliced
1 medium potato, diced and roasted
1 Tbsp roasted garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced and roasted
1 medium yellow squash, diced and roasted
1 Tbsp finely chopped chive
1 Tbsp finely diced red bell pepper
1 Tbsp finely diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil until lightly smoking. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the minced garlic and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

2. Add Arborio rice and stir, toasting the rice kernels for 2 minutes, until lightly browned.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. Cook and stir the mixture until the stock is completely absorbed (approximately 3-4 minutes). Continue to add vegetable stock in 1/2 cup increments until all of the stock is absorbed.

4. Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining ingredients, and thoroughly combine. Season with salt and pepper. (Serves 4.)

May 9, 2008