Django Restaurant, Des Moines, IA

It's about time for a restaurant review, isn't it?

Last January Joe and I traveled to Des Moines for his cousin's funeral. We budget for a few exceptional dinners each year, and decided a special meal might help to ease a bit of the sadness on our trip. Django Restaurant gave us a delightful meal and a breather from the sorrow of the weekend.

It was uncharacteristically warm in Des Moines that Friday night, and the downtown area was deserted by dinnertime. While this was surprising to us in comparison to Chicago, it was wonderful to find a parking spot right next to the restaurant.

Django serves French cuisine in a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere. Unfortunately, it was a bit noisy, and the tables were rather close together, but we were focused on each other. The restaurant was busy, with a variety of ages. It was a casual to dressy clientele. Meals are about $25-30 per person, and many appetizers and desserts were under $10.

An enormous raw bar was the center of attention in Django, but I was captured by the seared foie gras appetizer with fig confit and toasted brioche. Oh, how I love foie gras. Next time, we think we'd like to try the the cheese and sausage sample "flights" - or maybe a fresh shellfish platter of oysters, mussels, clams, and shrimp.

For dinner, I ordered duck breast over spaetzle with with rhubarb gastric, and the presentation was excellent. Joe had tender and tasty seared sea scallops with lobster corn mashed potatoes. Sounds interesting just reading it, doesn't it? Those potatoes were like the thickest creamy corn chowder you can imagine.

Dessert? Ohhhhh, dessert. I had a tangy raspberry sorbet that I shared (a little!) with Joe. He loves fruit and cheese for dessert, and they served him a buttery gorgonzola with fig jam, olives, and almonds. We are going to have to learn how to make fig jam, that's a fact.

The service was impeccable. Our server knew the extensive wine list on the table's iPad and made good suggestions. He perfectly understood that we like to take our time with dinner (a couple of hours, usually) and not order one dish right on top of the previous. He seemed to show up just about the time we wanted him.

I'd never been to Des Moines before, but it's a pretty city with the Des Moines river curving right through. Like Minneapolis, the downtown area has enclosed walkways so you don't have to battle the weather getting from building to building. The capitol building complex shines down from a tall hill overlooking the city.

Django is open every day of the week at 210 10th St. Des Moines, IA 50309.

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Crock Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

On Super Bowl Sunday, there's nothing better than a houseful of football fans and a big pot of pulled pork sandwiches. If you keep the meat hot in a crock pot or on the stove, and put a big pile of sandwich buns nearby, people can help themselves whenever they're hungry. These are especially good with a spoonful of our giardiniera.

This recipe is my grandmother's, who also made barbecue beef sandwiches with this same recipe, using a beef roast instead of pork. She was a Bears fan when she lived in Chicago, and a Vikings fan when she moved to Minnesota. I loved her either way.

Recently, I made these barbeque pork sandwiches for a church meeting that was going to begin directly after the worship service. Halfway through a sermon on patience, the savory BBQ smell started to fill the room, and I realized I hadn't stirred the pot in a while! I didn't want to walk out in the middle of my friend Al's sermon, so I practiced my patience and waited. It turned out fine.

Ingredients

2 cups onions, chopped

1 tbsp oil

3 lb beef pot roast or pork shoulder

2 cups beef broth

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp dry mustard

1/2 cup honey

1 can tomato soup

1 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup hot sauce

Directions

In a large pot, fry onions in oil until brown. Cut meat into 2 inch cubes, and brown with the onions. Pour in the beef broth and enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 1 hour.

Transfer to a crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, until sauce is thick and the meat is tender and shredded.

Makes 6 cups, or 24 1/4-cup portions.

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Creamy Whipped Cauliflower

Joe and I have always been indifferent to cauliflower, and it's been indifferent right back...until the day I found this recipe from Eating Well. I have never seen Joe so excited about vegetables until then. Seriously, his eyes light up when I mention whipped cauliflower. Of course, we made changes to suit our own tastes, but every good cook does that!

What's even better than liking cauliflower? Liking a cauliflower recipe that is amazingly creamy and full of flavor while still being low in fat and calories. What a delicious way to change up your veggie recipe line-up.

Ingredients

8 cups cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
1/3 cup fat-free cream or evaporated milk
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp ground pepper
1/3 cup chives, snipped

Directions

Steam cauliflower florets and garlic until very tender, about 15 minutes. Place in a mixer bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Whip on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Serve hot.

Makes about 6 cups.
One cup is worth 1 point in the Weight Watchers system.

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

For nearly twenty years, I worked in IT and Finance for a corporation that fed its employees free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I was so spoiled! Marriott Food Service cooked our meals, and one of the chefs gave me this recipe for their fantastic Chicken Tortilla soup. Whenever they served this popular soup, they set up a bar with all sorts of toppings, like sliced jalapenos, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, tortilla strips and cheese.

It's barely 20 degrees in Chicagoland today, and I'm reading the tart and funny book, "Then We Came to the End" by Joshua Ferris. It's set in Corporate America, right in Chicago's Loop, and I'm toasty at home with a pot of soup and lots of memories. If you liked "The Office" series and the movie "Office Space", you might like this book also.

This quick soup can be ready in 45 minutes, or you can simmer it on low in a crock pot all day.

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced

3 cups onion, diced

3 cups red pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can tomato sauce

Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less, to taste)

4 corn tortillas

3 cups shredded colby-jack cheese

Directions

In a large stock pot, saute chicken in oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender. Add the rest of the ingredients except the tortillas and cheese, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Bake tortillas until slightly crispy, then cut into strips. To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl, then top with the tortilla strips and cheese, and any other ingredients like jalapenos or guacamole.

Serves 6. 

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BBQ Baked Potato Wedges

Baked potato wedges are our go-to side dish when we want something simple, quick, or both. This is what we eat now that we don't eat french fries and other fried things! If there are any left-over potato wedges, they're usually our lunch the next day.The zingy BBQ rub we used on these is similar to Joe's Rib Rub, one of my most craveable tastes. Fiddle around with the sugar, salt, and cayenne until the taste suits you.

If you're in a hurry, speed up these potatoes by microwaving them in a bowl of hot water until almost tender, then draining them thoroughly before tossing them with the BBQ seasoning. Then you can bake them until they're tender.

Ingredients

5 large russet potatoes

2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tbsp powdered garlic

1 tbsp dry mustard

1 tbsp cayenne pepper (more or less, to taste)

1 tsp crushed red pepper

Cooking Spray

Directions

Scrub the potatoes and slice them lengthwise into 1 1/2" wedges. Soak them in cold water for 5 minutes to draw out the starch, which will help to prevent them from sticking to the baking pan. Less clean-up is a wonderful thing. Drain and rinse.

Line a baking pan with foil, then spray with oil. The pan (or pans) should be big enough to hold a layer of potato wedges without them touching each other. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the spice ingredients to a large resealable plastic bag. Add 1/3 of the potatoes and shake them well. Arrange on the baking pan, then repeat with the rest of the potatoes. Spray them with oil and cover them with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil. Continue baking until tender and browned, about 20 minutes more.

Serves 4-6.

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Haluski (Pan-Fried Cabbage and Noodles) with Kielbasa

Here's another comfort food from Eastern Europe. Poland, Romania, Hungary, and a couple other countries have a a few variations to the basic fried cabbage, pork, noodle, and butter combination. Haluski (Ha-LUSH-key, ha-LOO-skee or HA-loo-skee, depending on your origin) is also very popular around the Pittsburgh area, where locals have made this dish their own.

Those Eastern Europeans, like all us Americans in the northern regions, have perfected solid hearty foods for cold winter nights. This homey dinner will feed a crowd, and it's cheap, filling, and utterly craveable.

I've made a couple changes to suit my taste and to cut down on the fat - feel free to update it the way you like it, too This is fabulous with juicy Polish sausages.

Ingredients

1 pound sausage or bacon, cut into serving-size chunks
1 pound egg noodles
3 cups cabbage, shredded
2 cups onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp Hungarian paprika (sweet or hot, your choice)
2 tsp salt

Directions

In a large frying pan, brown the sausage or bacon on all sides until cooked. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Boil the egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain well and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.

In the pan used to cook the kielbasa, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the cabbage and onions and saute over medium-low heat until tender and a little browned. You can boil or steam the cabbage before frying it if you prefer, but we like the way the onions and cabbage caramelize together.

Add the noodles and combine well. Stir the pepper, paprika and salt into the broth, then stir it into the noodle mixture. Place the sausages on top. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve on a big platter, and dig in! 

Serves 6.

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Chiles Rellenos Breakfast Casserole (Egg, Cheese, and Green Chile casserole)

We've been making this mild egg, green chilies, and cheese casserole for ages. It's perfect for a brunch dish or a light dinner. When I made this casserole yesterday, I knew Joe had a busy week ahead and would need to eat on the run. I wrapped up his casserole in a flour tortilla so he could eat breakfast to-go. Yum.

If you follow Weight Watchers, 1/6 of this casserole is approximately 4 points and counts for 1 dairy and 1 veggie.

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red pepper
2 4-oz cans diced mild or hot green chilies (your preference; I don't like spicy foods first thing in the morning!)
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2/3 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup chopped and seeded tomato
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

Heat frying pan, then add the olive oil. Saute onion and red pepper until slightly tender. Stir in green chilies and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and oil an 8-inch square casserole pan. 

Whisk together the egg substitute and sour cream. Stir in the pepper mixture, cheddar, and tomato. Pour into the casserole pan and top with the Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown, and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. You can add red or green salsa before serving, if you'd like.

Serves 4-6.

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Light Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and sour chicken doesn't have to be a fat-laden fried dish to be tasty. Our version uses fresh pineapple and vegetables, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts stir-fried with just a touch of oil. If you're on a budget, this may be cheaper and healthier than take-out from a Chinese restaurant.

We really, really recommend that you buy a fresh pineapple and cut it up for this recipe. The taste and texture is the best, we promise! Plus, there will probably be leftover pineapple chunks for breakfast the next morning.

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1" pieces
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 medium red pepper, sliced
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut in 1" pieces
2 cups white rice

Sauce

3 tbsp rice wine or white vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fresh grated ginger or 1 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
2 tbsp pineapple juice (after you cut up the pineapple, squeeze the rind and core for the juice)
dash hot pepper sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

Cook rice in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes, or until done.

In a medium saucepan, stir together all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and whisk in the cornstarch. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

Heat the oil in a wok until shimmering, then swirl the oil so that it covers the sides. On medium-high heat, stir-fry the chicken for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the onion and pepper and cook 5 more minutes.

Toss in the pineapple and then drizzle the sauce over all the ingredients in the wok. Stir well, reduce heat, and simmer 5-10 minutes, until heated through.

Serve over rice.

Serves 4-6.

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Classic Cassoulet

We love simmering stew on a cold evening, and right now in Chicagoland it's downright frigid. The day we made this casserole, we popped it in the oven after assembling it in a casserole pan. When we came back from a long evening walk in the woods, it was ready for the final basting, and the kitchen smelled so good I wanted to lick the walls. What a way to warm up!

At the end of every year, we like to inventory our freezer and pantry and use up things that have been in there a while. We found a great assortment of meats that were perfect for a big pot of cassoulet. So we pulled out our cookbooks and read up on the subject.

According to Julia Child and the Frugal Gourmet (Jeff Smith) cassoulet is a magnificent country dish of meat and beans from southwestern France. This area has a special place in Joe's heart, since he traveled throughout the Bordeaux region on a long wine-tasting trip. Since 1984, he stored a bottle of burgundy he bought from the famous winery Chateaux Margaux. He decanted it the night he asked me to marry him.

Julia and Jeff's cassoulet recipes are very intimidating. After a long introduction, Julia starts the recipe with the headline "A Note on the Order of Battle." Jeff suggests you read through the directions before proceeding, because you might get lost.

Oh dear. We made it much simpler than they did. We also omitted lamb or mutton because I don't like the taste of either. When you make this, choose whatever meats make you happy.

This recipe took 4 hours of elapsed time to finish.

  

Ingredients

2 cups dry navy, northern, or cannellini beans
1 lb pork loin, butt, or 1 1/2 lbs meaty pork neck bones
1/4 lb lean bacon or salt pork
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 lb beef stew meat or lamb, or 1 lb beef shanks
2 large onions, sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch coins
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry white wine or vermouth
2 cups beef broth
1 lb Polish sausage
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

Put the beans in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and let them soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.

Cut the pork into 2" pieces. Put the pork and beans together in a large stew pot and cover with water. Dice the bacon and add it to the pot. Stir in the bay leaf, garlic, thyme, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then lower it to a simmer and let it cook for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Brown the beef or lamb on all sides, then add to the bean pot. Stir in the onions, carrots, tomato paste, wine, and broth, and simmer for 1 hour.

If you used meat with bones, you can remove them at this stage, or leave the bones in place and let the diners remove the bones while eating. We chose to fish out the neck bones and beef shanks and remove the bones and connective tissues that we weren't going to eat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the sausage into thin coins. Place half the bean mixture into a casserole dish or Dutch oven, then layer with half of the sausage. Layer the other half of the bean and sausages. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. With the back of a spoon, break the crust over the casserole and ladle some liquid over the crust. Continue baking until the casserole is thick and all the meats are tender and falling apart (about 15 to 30 minutes more). Serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

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