Eat First

Cooking at home with Chad Miller

Chad Miller presents a platter of Chicken Yakitori. See recipe, below.

Chad Miller has a passion for music, photography and art. So, it’s no surprise that he also likes to express his creativity in the kitchen.

Miller, 43, grew up in the Oneida County village of Holland Patent and took early note of his mother’s skills in the kitchen and appreciation of good food. He has since branched off in his own exploratory, global-influenced direction. He’s not afraid to experiment and being an artist, he’s all about presentation, too.

Miller says cooking at home in the time of coronavirus isn’t much different than cooking any other time. He uses his charcoal grill year-round, invites his girlfriend and son to join him in the kitchen and sees dinnertime as “a spiritual gathering’’ with plenty of talk and no tech (no phones at the table).

I met Chad more than a decade ago, when we both worked for The Post-Standard, in Syracuse. The food photos he posts on Facebook always make me hungry. He’s a driver for Uber and Lyft and lives on Onondaga Hill with his girlfriend, Brenda Latella. His son, Gavin, is a frequent visitor.  

How long have you been cooking? It all started with a kids’ cookbook my Mum picked up for me when I was nine. My Mum is an exquisite cook and I was always interested in her process of food preparation. She got me started with an Italian red sauce which actually turned out pretty stellar.

How would you describe your style of cooking? It’s an international mixed bag of exploration and experimentation. I also do quite a few southern Cajun dishes, like a Bangin’ Gumbo and Rippin’ Vidalia Onion Pie.

Do you have a signature dish? German Beef Stroganoff. I’ve got this recipe down to a science. Passed down from my German ancestors who owned a bistro in Frankfort, Germany around the late 1800s. It’s the best with a smoked grilled steak.

Favorite cookbook or cooking show? Favorite cookbook when I first started was “Cooking with Soup: a Campbell Cookbook.” As far as cooking/travel shows: Any show Anthony Bourdain has ever filmed and Mary Ann Esposito with “Ciao Italia.” I also love the creativity and art design of Thomas Keller’s culinary skills. Check this guy out.

Favorite place to shop? Either Wegmans or Green Hills Farms. Wegmans offers me everything I need to dress up a dish for presentation. The hard-to-find ingredients are always fresh and available. I tend to explore the Asian and ethnic sections in any grocery store looking for new ideas.

Any advice for people who are new to cooking? Start with the basics, perfect those with simple ingredients. When you’re comfortable in some of the staples, experiment with new spices, flavors and ethnic dishes. My girlfriend’s mother travels abroad quite often and sends us exotic spices from around the world. These have been a source of inspiration. Find a local international market to spice up your culinary arts. Garlic is king! Food is art and art is delicious.

Photos courtesy of Chad Miller

 

Chicken Yakitori on the grill

Chicken Yakitori
Recipe from Chad Miller

Yakitori literally means grilled chicken and also refers to skewered food in general. Yakitori is commonly made with bite-sized pieces of chicken meat, chicken offal or other meats and vegetables skewered on a bamboo stick and grilled over charcoal.

You will need:
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, or metal skewers

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil


1 teaspoon sesame oil


2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1
clove garlic, minced
Sea salt and black pepper, as needed for seasoning

2 pounds chicken breast (boneless and skinless), cut into 1-inch-wide strips

Chopped parsley and scallions for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Make marinade: Combine the oils, soy sauce, water, white wine, mirin, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate for 24 hours before cooking.

Getting ready to cook: Miller uses a charcoal grill but says a gas grill will work, too. When ready to cook, remove chicken from marinade and thread it on skewers.

Prep the grill: Start by placing mesquite chips around the heat source and heat your grill. On charcoal grill: You want the coals to be hot. Cook for 30 minutes "off heat,'' to the side of any flames, flipping the skewers half-way through. Arrange chicken skewers on platter and garnish with parsley, scallions or hot sauce, if using. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Note: Serve the chicken yakitori as an appetizer or as a main course, with rice on the side.

 

Cooking to comfort: Macaroni and cheese

I thought about making a big pot of soup for friends who are grieving the loss of their sister to cancer. I also thought about making each of them a healthy salad. I considered making a couple of quiches. I also pondered baking some muffins or cupcakes for them.

 

Then I thought about food writer and cookbook author Alison Roman's opening line in her guide to making macaroni and cheese that appeared in The New York Times: "Macaroni and cheese is like a hug wrapped in a warm sweater, unparalleled in its ability to comfort and satisfy.''

 

Bingo. That's what my friends need, I decided: a hug in the form of food. And I would make a big enough batch to also share with a homebound family member and a friend recovering from a wrist injury to her dominant hand.

 

I waited several weeks to do so, figuring the grief-stricken friends would be inundated with food. That was not the case, they said, perhaps because they were out of state at the time of their sister's passing. The simple act of cooking to bring them comfort got us talking about the tradition of making food for people in their darkest hours, when they're doing everything it takes to get through the work day and care for their families -- while not necessarily nourishing themselves.

 

Macaroni and cheese is an all-American dish that even the pickiest of eaters seem to love. One recipient described this recipe as the "best mac and cheese ever.'' While that's nice to hear, I can't take credit for the recipe. But I did tweak it to include a super flavorful combination of cheeses: Yancey's Fancy XXX-sharp cheddar, smoked gouda and Asiago cheese. I also like to add a little Colman's Original English Dry Mustard to the cheese sauce.

 

I hope the tradition of cooking for the comfort of others never disappears. It made me happy to know I was giving a good meal and some respite to folks in need of a night or two off from cooking. 

  

Macaroni and Cheese for Giving/for a Crowd

(Adapted from a recipe in The New York Times)

 

For the macaroni and cheese:

1.5 pounds cavatappi pasta (or other tube-shaped pasta)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup plus two tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon Colman's Dry Mustard

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt (optional) and freshly ground pepper
1.5 pounds extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

6 ounces smoked gouda cheese, grated

6 ounces Asiago cheese, grated

For the topping (optional):

1 cup coarse bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Butter a 13-by-19-inch baking dish and a 9-by-9-inch baking dish (or as many casseroles as needed if you are sharing this recipe). See note, below.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until it's not quite done (it's going to continue to cook in a hot oven). Drain, rinse well under cold water and set aside.

Heat butter in a pot over medium heat (the pot should be large enough to hold the cooked pasta later). Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is foamy and starting to turn a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to avoid clumping. Bring liquid to a simmer and continue whisking constantly, until the milk mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add black pepper, dry mustard, smoked paprika and cayenne at this time. Add grated cheese and whisk to blend until the cheese is completely melted.  Add cooked pasta, stirring to coat well. Taste for seasoning and add pepper and salt, if needed.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. 

Make the optional topping: Melt the butter in a small pan; add olive oil and stir to combine. Place bread crumbs in a medium-sized bowl. Add the butter and olive oil and stir well to combine (I used a fork for this). Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Transfer the macaroni and cheese mixture to buttered baking dishes and sprinkle bread crumbs over the top of each, if using. Place casserole/casseroles on a baking sheet and bake until macaroni and cheese is bubbling and breadcrumbs are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings (or more), depending on portion size.

Note: The mac and cheese can be made in advance and frozen in baking dishes (double wrapped) for later use. Thaw in refrigerator before baking and follow instructions above.

Another favorite recipe for macaroni and cheese: CLICK HERE 

 

Note: All photos by Margaret McCormick unless otherwise indicated.