ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES AND CRÈME FRÂICHE

Inspired by Tarragon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in bite-sized pieces

2 yukon gold potatoes, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/8" thick slices

1 shallot, minced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/3 c chicken stock

1 T sherry or champagne vinegar

2 T cognac (or marsala)

1 t Dijon mustard

1/3 C crème fraiche*

Salt & pepper to taste

1 leek, halved lengthwise, cleaned and cut into 1/4" half-moons

10-12 marinated artichoke heart quarters, drained

1/4 c minced Italian parsley

Methodology:

Preheat oven to 350 F, 180 C

Heat the oil in a sauce pan and quickly cook the chicken pieces over medium heat, until no raw meat is showing. Add the potato slices and toss.

Remove from heat and pour into a buttered 8"x8" baking dish.

Add butter to pan and cook shallot over medium heat until it softens and begins to take on color.  Add leeks and cook for one minute, stirring to break up.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, until the smallest pieces begin to turn golden.  

Add chicken stock, vinegar, and Cognac, scraping up any caramelized bits.  Add mustard, crème frâiche, salt & pepper, stir to combine.  Add artichoke hearts and half of parsley.  Pour over chicken in baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle on reserved parsley. 

Serve with potatoes or buttered egg noodles.

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*Crème frâiche recipe: 

1 c heavy cream

1 T real buttermilk or greek yoghurt

Place both ingredients in a mason jar, close tightly, shake lid, and leave on the counter overnight.  Shake before going to bed.  In the morning, you'll have crème frâiche!

LENTIL, BACON AND FRISÉE SALAD

Ingredients:

For the salad:
4 slices bacon*, sliced crosswise into lardon-like pieces
½ c. onion, finely diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 c. French or Puy lentils
2 heads frisée (baby chicory)

For the vinaigrette:

3 T olive oil
3 T red wine or sherry vinegar
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 T Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Methodology:

Cover lentils with water and simmer gently until crisp-tender, then drain, 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry bacon until crisp and remove from pan, reserving 2 T fat.

Sauté onion, celery, carrot and garlic in bacon fat over low heat until soft.

Combine lentils, garlic and onion. Season to taste.

Toss frisee with half of vinaigrette.

Place frisee on plate, top with 1/2 c. lentils, bacon pieces, and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

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*can be replaced with shiitake bacon, then add 2 T additional olive oil to fry vegetables.

CREAMY SPINACH SALMON

Recipe from the back of a Trader Joe’s salmon package

Serves 2 very hungry people

Ingredients:

1 16-oz package of frozen chopped spinach
2 c half and half
3 T soy sauce
2 t Dijon mustard
½ t ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb frozen salmon fillets

Methodology:

Combine all ingredients but salmon in a 12” skillet, stir well.  Place the salmon atop the spinach mixture, skin down.  Cook at a slow simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.  Periodically spoon spinach and cream over fish while it’s cooking.

You can also make just the spinach, modifying the recipe as follows:

Ingredients:

1 16-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 c half and half
2 t soy sauce
2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 t ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Methodology:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until almost all liquid has evaporated.

SIMPLE CHIA PUDDING

 Recipe from the back of the bag, Navitas Organics

Ingredients:

1 c milk

3 T chia seeds

1 T maple syrup

1/4 t vanilla

Methodology:

Combine all ingredients in a mason jar.  Seal, shake thoroughly, and refrigerate for 15 minutes, then shake again and refrigerate overnight, or at least 30 minutes. 

CHICKPEAS, TWO WAYS

Cooked chickpeas, from dry:

Ingredients:

1 lb dry chickpeas, sorted, rinsed and soaked overnight

1 t salt

Methodology:

Add the chickpeas and salt to a large pot, and cover in 2" of cold water.  Bring to boil, lower heat, and cook on the barest simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until tender.  Refrigerate in cooking liquid.

Crispy oven-roasted chickpeas, from the Cool Beans cookbook

Ingredients:

5 c cooked chickpeas (or chickpeas from 2 cans), drained, rinsed, and very well drained again

2 T olive oil

1 t salt

2 T za'atar

Methodology:

Preheat oven to 300°F.  Put chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and za'atar.  Mix to completely cover the chickpeas, and roast in the oven for 1 hour, stirring once.  Leave in the extinguished oven to cool for 2 hours, then store at room temperature for 1 week. 

GARLIC SHRIMP

Ingredients:

3 T olive oil

15 shrimp, tails on or off (20-25/lb size)

1 head garlic, or 8-12 cloves, thinly sliced

1 lemon cheek

2 T Italian parsley, minced

Salt, pepper

Methodology:

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and stir constantly until the smallest pieces begin to turn golden brown.  Add the shrimp and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring continuously, until the shrimp are done, 1-2 minutes?  Remove to a bowl, top with parsley, pepper and more salt to taste, and squeeze the lemon over.  Toss.

TARRAGON CHICKEN

 À la Bruno and CM

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut in large chunks

Tarragon, 3-4 twigs. Remove leaves to get about 1 T chopped leaves; keep other twigs intact

Shallot, diced

1/3 C chicken stock

¾ T sherry or champagne vinegar

2 T cognac

1 t Dijon mustard

1/3 C crème fraiche

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Methodology:

Preheat oven to 350 F, 180 C

Heat most of the oil and butter in frying pan and quickly cook the chicken pieces, ‘till no red/pink is showing

Remove and put into a baking dish that keeps the chicken pieces tightly packed (fine if they pile up on each other); lay tarragon sprigs around the pieces.

Add remaining oil and butter to pan and saute shallot. Add chicken stock, vinegar, and Cognac, scraping up any caramelized bits. Add mustard, crème fraiche, salt & pepper. Pour over chicken in baking dish and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle on reserved tarragon leaves. 

Serve with potatoes or rice.  If you’re making rice, you could add a few T of the tarragon sauce to the rice five minutes before it’s done, and a few fresh tarragon leaves.

BEET SALAD WITH FETA

 Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb beets, trimmed and quartered

1 1/4 c water

1/4 t salt

3 T white vinegar

1 T packed brown sugar

1 shallot, sliced thin

Grated zest of one lemon

1/8 lb feta

1 T chopped dill

1 t chopped thyme

Black pepper

Methodology:

Place the beets in a single layer in the bottom of a heavy dutch oven, pour in the water and salt, and bring to simmer over high heat.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until beets are tender, ~45 minutes.

Transfer beets to bowl filled with cold water, keeping cooking liquid in pot.  Bring liquid to boil, and cook down until pan is almost dry.  Add vinegar and sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid thickens and a a rubber spatula leaves a trail when dragged through glaze.  Add shallot and stir to heat through.  Remove from heat. 

Once beets are cool enough to touch, peel and drain them, and cut into 1/2" wedges.  Add to a large bowl, top with the remaining ingredients, and pour over the glaze.  Stir to combine.

KASHA

 Adapted from Natasha's Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 T butter

1 carrot, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 celery rib, minced

2 t chicken better-than-bouillon

1/4 t ground bay leaf

1/4 t ground garlic

6 juniper berries

1 c toasted buckwheat groats, or half toasted, half untoasted

2 c water

Methodology:

Rinse the kasha and set aside to drain thoroughly.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Add the vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft, and are starting to take on color.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.  Bring to boil, then turn down heat to the barest simmer, cover, and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until the kasha is done.