Poultry | onedadskitchen

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Apparently to Get to my Freezer.

I decided I wanted to cook meals out of our freezer all week since the freezer is packed full. We couldn’t fit a Ritz cracker in there if we wanted to. So I looked int0 there this morning and started pulling things out and noticed we have an awful lot of chicken in there of just about every variety right now. I have a whole chicken, boneless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, drumsticks and whole chicken breasts. Now I just have to figure out how I want to cook it all this week. I think I would like to try to grill as much of it as possible, but I haven’t quite figures out how I am planning to cook it all just yet. I also have some pork chops I plan to make this week as well, but for today I thought I would post a simple recipe I am doing for some bratwurst on the grill. i picked some up at Adams Farms in Newburgh, where they make their own bratwurst and they looked pretty good so I thought I would give them a try.

Beer Bratwurst

6 bratwurst

Beer, to cover (you can use whatever beer you like here. I am using a Sam Adams. I wouldn’t suggest using a strong stout as you may not like the flavor, but hey, to each his own 🙂 )

1 medium onion, sliced

1/2 stick butter

Place the bratwurst in a Dutch oven with the onions and butter. Cover the bratwurst with the beer. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce to a simmer until the bratwurst is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium high heat. Remove the bratwurst from the Dutch oven and place on the grill. Grill until golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the bratwurst on hot dog buns or sub rolls with the onions, sauerkraut, grilled onions, grilled peppers and/or mustard (onions and mustard are my particular favorites).

I love a grilled bratwurst where you get the crunch of the bratwurst and the spice mixed with the onions and the mustard, yum yum. Serve them with some potato salad or grilled potatoes and either corn on the cob or some grilled vegetables like zucchini, and you’re all set. And don’t forget to have some beer ready to go along with the brats.

Now I have to find some chicken recipes for this week. If anyone has some good suggestions, please pass them along! I’ll scout around and see what I can come up with for stuff on the grill this week and hopefully post them today or tomorrow. until then, enjoy your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 24, 2012 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Poultry

Tags: beer bratwurst, chicken dinners, grilled bratwurst

Totally Tantalizing Turkey Chili

09 Jun

I love to make chili and have been making it for many years. I have done different variations of it over the years, but I have mostly settled on making turkey chili when I make it. The turkey is better for you than the ground beef and lends itself nicely to the long cooking process of the chili. You also don’t get all the fat in your chili that ground beef tends to add to the sauce. Michelle loves it and always make a large batch so we have it for lunches and then we can freeze some and have it when we need a quick meal or use it to make a quick batch of nachos for an appetizer. This recipe is far from exact since I pretty much eyeball everything I use for this one at this point since I have been making it so long. If you like more heat in your chili, add more hot sauce or chili powder. I try not to make it too hot since it does pick up some heat after a day of two of sitting in the fridge.

Turkey Chili

2 pounds ground turkey

1 tablespoon McCormick’s Montreal Chicken seasoning

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1-2 tablespoons chili powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Dash of hot sauce

2 15.5 ounce cans dark red kidney beans, drained

Heat a large Dutch oven of medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat the oil until shimmering. Mix the Montreal Chicken seasoning with the ground turkey, mixing by hand until well blended. Add the turkey to the Dutch oven and heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and stir to mix with the turkey, heating for about 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the diced tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Cook until the tomatoes begin to release some of their juices, about 3 to minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce and mix thoroughly. Turn the heat to low and cover. Allow the chili to cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the kidney beans and mix thoroughly (at this point I usually taste the chili to see if it needs any more spices: chili powder, salt, pepper. Add more if you think it needs more). Cover and allow to cook for 2 to 3 hours.

I typically serve the chili with white rice and have some sides if anyone wants to add anything to the chili, like sour cream, diced fresh tomato, shredded cheese and occasionally some diced jalapeno or diced avocado. As I stated earlier, this makes a great ingredient for nachos if you want to make nachos or even a great taco filling if you want to use it for tacos.

It’s a very easy recipe, doesn’t take a lot of work (you could easily put this all in the slow cooker and let it cook all day, just brown the turkey meat first) and tastes great. It’s Saturday and I am thinking I want an easy meal tonight, so I may go for some simple BLT sandwiches tonight. Check back later and see if that’s what I decide to go with! Enjoy your day, and enjoy your meal!

2 Comments

Posted by MikeG on June 9, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Slow Cooker Meals, Turkey

Tags: chili, turkey chili, turkey tacos, using turkey chili in nachos

Pass the Parmesan Paninis!

07 Jun

I’ve had a few people ask me about sandwich recipes and trying to find some new ones. I am always on the lookout for a new sandwich recipe since it’s one of my favorite meals. They are perfect for busy weeknights, but you like to be able to vary things and offer some that are new and different. I happen to catch this one from Williams-Sonoma a few days ago and it sounded too good to pass up. We all love chicken parmesan, so why not have it on a sandwich that’s a Panini?

Chicken Parmesan Panini

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

4 sandwich rolls, split (I am using ciabatta rolls, a personal favorite)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup dry bread crumbs

3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

1 cup tomato sauce

Butterfly the chicken breasts, cut each one in half, and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the 1 cup of oil to 350 degrees. Brush the rolls on both sides with oil. Preheat an electric Panini press to medium. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Put the flour and the eggs in separate breading trays or bowls. in another tray or bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the chicken into the eggs, letting the excess drip off. Place the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere.

Place 2 chicken pieces in the hot oil in the skillet and fry, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat to fry the remaining chicken.

Place 1 piece of chicken on the bottom of each roll and top with 1/3 cup mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of basil and 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Cover with the top halves of the rolls. Place two of the sandwiches on the preheated panini press, close the lid and cook until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut in half. Repeat to cook the remaining sandwiches. Serve immediately.

You could make several sides to go with the sandwiches, like a simple salad, or a little bit of pasta. I personally think the salad is perfect to go along side of the sandwich. Either by themselves or with a side, I think they make a great, easy meal. If you don’t have a panini press, no big deal, You could just make these as sandwiches or heat them in a skillet like you would a grilled cheese sandwich.

That’s today’s simple dinner. Tomorrow night I am making Turkey Chili, so you can check back for that one. It’s a family favorite around here and I always make extra to freeze some for another day. Make sure to come back tomorrow to check out the recipe. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 7, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Sandwiches, Uncategorized

Tags: chicken parmesan, chicken parmesan panini, paninis

Picnics, a new Roast Chicken Recipe and a Refreshing Drink

27 May

It turned out to be quite a busy day yesterday, so I didn’t get a chance to do any blogging at all, so I will try to make up for it now. We ended up having some family over yesterday, so I was able to use the chickens that I bought the other day and try out a new recipe. I got this recipe from Bon Appetit and I think it turned out really well. it was Roast Chickens with Pistachio Salsa, Peppers and Corn. Admittedly it was a little warm out here to have the oven running, but it was worth it.

Roast Chickens with Pistachio Salsa, Peppers and Corn

Chickens

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced, mashed to a paste with the back of a knife

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme plus sprigs for stuffing

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

2 2 1/2- 3 pound whole chickens

2 tablespoons salt 1 lemon, halved

Peppers and Corn

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/4 cup minced capers plus 1-2 teaspoons caper brine

Salt

8 cups thinly sliced yellow, orange and red peppers (about 5 large peppers)

4 red Fresno chiles, seeded and thinly sliced

3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Pistachio Salsa

1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the chickens: Whisk the lemon juice, oil, garlic, 3 tablespoons of thyme, rosemary and sage in a small bowl; set marinade aside. Season the chickens with salt and pepper inside and out. Place each chicken inside a resealable plastic bag; divide the marinade evenly between the two bags. Spread the marinade evenly over the chicken to distribute. Seal the bags and chill for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Transfer the chickens from the bags to a small roasting pan; gently blot the excess oil from the marinade with paper towels, leaving the herbs intact on the chicken skin. Stuff each chicken with a lemon half and several thyme sprigs. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine, if desired.

Roast the chickens until well browned, about 30-35 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting, occasionally basting the chickens with the pan juices, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, 20-30 minutes longer. Transfer the chickens to a carving board; let the chickens rest for 20 minutes before carving.

For the peppers and corn: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and capers. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and the chiles; season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the caper brine, corn, parsley and vinegar just before serving.

For the pistachio salsa: Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in the oil until blended.

A couple of notes on the meal. The peppers and corn turned out a lot spicier than I thought it would, so you can either tone down the chiles or eliminate them, or if you like it hot, leave it that way. It was pretty spicy, but I made some brown rice to go with the meal and if you mixed it in with the rice, it did tone done the heat some. Secondly, you can make the pistachio salsa ahead of time and cover and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before serving. Just let it come to room temperature before you serve it.

I made a nice fruit salad for dessert made of watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple and kiwi that was delicious and I had quite a bit of watermelon leftover, as well as watermelon juice, so I decided to make a refreshing cocktail for a hot day.

Watermelon Martini

1 cup watermelon juice (press watermelon through a sieve or cheesecloth or blend some watermelon pieces)

4 ounces vodka

1/4 cup simple syrup

1/4 cup triple sec

3 tablespoons salt (optional)

3 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Ice

Watermelon slices, for garnish (optional)

Mix together the sugar and salt if using. Wet the rim of a chilled martini glass with a piece of watermelon. Dip the rim into the sugar and salt mixture. Repeat for another glass.

Place the watermelon juice, vodka, triple sec, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Top with ice. Shake well.

Pour contents through a strainer into martini glasses.

Garnish with a wedge of watermelon if desired.

It is very tasty and refreshing if you want to give it a try. I think it’s a great adult drink for the summer.

Finally, I had asked a question on here and on my other blog, http://www.theofficeofiguanaflats.com about where you would go on a picnic and what you would bring.

I got some interesting answers, but most of them seem to tend towards the same thing of a nice, quiet backyard-type setting with lots of grass, lots of shade and lots of good food. There are so many places to choose to go for a nice picnic, I don’t know that I could pick an exact place. I can say that I too would like a nice quiet, grassy setting, someplace shaded by trees but enough so that some sun can break through and give you the nice warm feeling on your face now and then. There are probably settings like this all over, in any park or mountain hideaway. it would have to be somewhere where it wouldn’t get too hot, maybe near a lake that you could take a quick dip or do some fishing before you picnic. As for what I would bring, I would take a nice picnic basket with a comfy blanket to sit on or lay on. There would have to be some fresh fruit involved, maybe a fruit salad or just a mix of some berries and melon. I would want to make some chicken salad sandwiches, or maybe even better some peppery bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado sandwiches on some nice fresh ciabatta bread, some really fresh half sour pickles and some fresh, homemade potato salad. I could even go lighter and just bring a fresh loaf of crunchy french bread, some really fresh, off the vine tomatoes, a little salt, some arugula and some good extra-virgin olive oil and just have some sliced tomato and pieces of bread with a little bit of the oil, yum yum. Of course we would have to have a bottle of wine, something light I think, probably a white that you would have chilled to serve with your picnic. I think that would be great.

Thanks again to everyone who answered and a special thank you to Geoffrey Zakarian, Scott Conant, Gael Greene and MyLastBite.com for offering up their answers. If you’re interested, you can check out today’s question at http://www.theofficeofiguanaflats.com to see what it is and answer if you would like. Today’s is also somewhat food-related, so you might like it.

That’s it for today. We’re taking it easy tonight and just having pizza, so there is nothing special going on in the kitchen tonight. I do hope to make the Sicilian Steak tomorrow, so check back for that. Until then, enjoy your holiday weekend and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on May 27, 2012 in Beverages, Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: fruit salad, peppers and corn, picnics, pistachio salsa, question of the day, roast chicken, watermelon martini

A Quick Chicken Recipe from a “Chopped” Judge

24 May

I had planned to grill today, but the weather just isn’t cooperating here in New York. It’s been cloudy and rainy for almost four days now, so there hasn’t been any cooking outside for me. So here I was, stuck with all these chicken pieces and not a thought on how to cook them. I decided to turn to Twitter and see what some famous chefs could come up with for me. America’s Test Kitchen suggested chicken and dumplings or a chicken pot pie, Geoffrey Zakarian suggested a stir fry, but Scott Conant suggested a method that stood out best to me so I decided to go with it, with some slight alteration on my part.

Simple Chicken and Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

1 teaspoon paprika

2-3 pounds chicken parts (legs, breasts, thighs, wings, whatever you have to use)

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme (about 2 sprigs)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the potatoes and onions with the paprika, salt and pepper and a teaspoon of the olive oil. Heat a large skillet over high heat until it’s very hot (Scott Conant actually said “screaming hot” so make it very hot!). Add the remaining olive oil and heat until smoking. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, onions and chicken, skin side down to the skillet. Season with thyme, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Sear the chicken until the skin side is well browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the chicken over, stirring the potatoes and onions also, and place the skillet in the oven. Bake the chicken until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest piece reads 165 degrees, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Scott actually suggested leaving the whole thing on the stove, covered and cooking for 45 minutes until crispy but I thought it would turn out better in the oven so I threw it in there and it finished crisping up better and the meat was juicy, so it worked for me. I served it along with some fresh green beans, and that was it.

So a big thank you to Scoot Conant for helping me out today with dinner. I plan to do my week’s shopping tomorrow with Sean’s help, so we’ll see what kind of recipes I can come up with for next week. Check back and see what we come up with. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on May 24, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Potatoes, Poultry

Tags: chicken, Scott Conant, simple chicken and potatoes

7 Common Grilled Chicken Mistakes: BA Daily: bonappetit.com

24 May

7 Common Grilled Chicken Mistakes: BA Daily: bonappetit.com.

With grilling season upon us, here are some good tips for grilling chicken. I had planned to grill some chicken today, but since it is raining here in new York, I had to improvise. You’ll see what I did shortly, but in the meantime, check out these tips from Bon Appetit!

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Posted by MikeG on May 24, 2012 in Grilling, Poultry

Tags: bon appetit, grilling, grilling tips, grilling tips for chicken

Time to Get Your Grill On

18 May

It’s a beautiful day here in New York and it seemed like a good time to do some grilling. I have a boneless turkey breast, and I thought that would be great on the grill with some potato packets and some grilled asparagus, So let’s go for it!

Grilled Turkey London Broil

2 pounds turkey London broil (this is just one boneless turkey breast)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Montreal Chicken Seasoning

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon honey

Mix all the ingredients together for the marinade and whisk until well blended. In a large plastic storage bag, place the turkey and then cover with the marinade. Close the bag tightly, letting the air out, and mix so the marinade covers the turkey. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Heat a grill until medium-warm. Remove the turkey from the bag and reserve the marinade. Place the turkey and the grill and cover the grill. Cook for approximately 30 minutes per pound brushing often with the marinade (turkey can get dry, so you need to do this) and turning often. The turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees. Allow to rest after removing it from the grill before slicing and serving.

I like to use the Montreal chicken seasoning with turkey. It’s a nice blend of spices and gives some good flavor. I use it with ground turkey all the time when making chili or turkey burgers.

The potato packets are pretty easy too. My Dad used to make these all the time, and God bless him, he tried, but he inevitably burned these a lot, but Dad also never used an oil or anything inside the packets to help with the cooking. They come out fine with some oil or butter. I only make this to serve the three of us, so you can adjust the recipe for more or less people.

Grilled Potato Packets

3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and sliced

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 onion, diced

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons butter, sliced into 3 slices and then cubed

Cooking spray

Tear off three large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spray each sheet with cooking spray. Using 1 potato, place a layer of potatoes in the middle of each sheet (try to keep it to one layer if you can). Cover the potato with one of the sliced carrots and then sprinkle with some onion. Season with salt and pepper. Place one of the cubed slices on top of the vegetables, spreading out the cubes over so they will melt into the vegetables when cooking. Wrap the potato tightly in the foil, folding it over the potato so the packet is thin (if it’s too thick it will take longer to cook). Repeat the process with the remaining potatoes. Place the packets on the hot grill, cover the grill and cook, turning about every 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve.

I tried to keep the vegetable simple to by just using grilled asparagus. Nice and easy and only take about 5 minutes.

Grilled Asparagus

1 pound asparagus, the tough ends cut trimmed off

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Toss the asparagus with the olive oil to coat the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Place the asparagus on the grill in a single layer over medium-high heat. Grill, turning often, until the asparagus are bright green and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.

That’s all there is to it. A pretty simple, grilled meal on a nice evening. You can sit outside, enjoy the meal, have a nice glass of wine and enjoy. Until next time, enjoy your evening, and enjoy your meal!

1 Comment

Posted by MikeG on May 18, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Potatoes, Turkey, Vegetables

Tags: boneless turkey breast, grilled asparagus, grilling turkey breast, potato packets, turkey london broil

Quick Pan Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

15 May

I’ve been working really hard lately doing lots of articles, so I haven’t had much fun time for writing, like taking care of my blogs (I have another blog at www.thoeofficeofiguanaflats.com if you want to check it out) and I haven’t had a lot of time for cooking either. Yesterday I made some meatloaf and mashed potatoes, which I have made before and posted the recipes for on here earlier if you would like them (they are very tasty!). Today I needed something quick and happened to have a whole chicken breast in the fridge to make, so I decided to make a quick pan roasted chicken and potatoes, some asparagus, and I had some all-purpose gravy I made for the meatloaf that we can use as well. Ever since the Ranting Chef did a post on his blog a while back about his cast iron pan, I have been using mine a lot (it always sits out on the stove now) and this dish is perfect for that since I can throw everything in there and then put it right in the stove. Saves time and clean up! This is a super-fast meal that you can throw together pretty quickly and even use boneless chicken breasts if you don’t have the bone-in breasts. You could even just use chicken parts like legs and thighs instead if that’s what you have around.

Pan Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

4 split bone-in chicken breasts (or whatever parts you want to use)

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges

1 onion, cut into wedges

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Pinch red pepper flakes

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the chicken well on the skin side, about 5 minutes.

While the chicken browns, toss the potatoes and onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until the potatoes begin to soften, about 5 to 10 minutes, shaking the bowl (without removing the plastic) halfway through cooking.

Remove the chicken and place back down in the skillet skin side up. Add the potatoes and onions and transfer to the oven and bake until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes together. Drizzle over the chicken and potatoes before serving.

Nice and simple for a weeknight meal and the potatoes and chicken are nicely browned in the cast iron pan (don’t forget to season your pan after you wash it; it will last forever if you take care of it).

That’s all I have for tonight. Tomorrow night Sean and I are off to the Mets game so there’s no meal tomorrow night, just hot dogs at the ballpark. I’ll get back to the blog on Thursday. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on May 15, 2012 in Cookbooks, Dinner, Poultry

Tags: cast iron pan, pan roasted asparagus, pan roasted chicken, pan roasted potatoes

Who Wants Chicken and Rice?

26 Apr

Well that’s what I decided to make tonight for dinner. I have a pack of chicken thighs to use and I am going for a version of arroz con pollo that I got from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.” It’s a very straightforward recipe, cooks all in one pot, and promises to taste delicious. Add a little vegetable or a salad, and you are all set for dinner tonight.

Arroz Con Pollo

3 cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups white rice

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 chopped bell pepper (your choice of color)

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

Pinch of ground allspice

1 bay leaf

Pinch of saffron threads (optional)

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces, or any combination of parts (I am using just thighs, since that is what I have)

1 cup frozen peas

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Warm the stock while you cook the onions. put the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and become translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the rice to the onions and stir until its coated with oil, a minute or two; add garlic, pepper, tomato, allspice, bay leaf and sprinkle with the saffron, if using, and stir again. Nestle the chicken pieces in the rice, add a little more salt and pepper, and pour in the warmed stock. Bring the mixture to a boil; adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently but steadily. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, then add the peas. Cook for another 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through; the chicken is done when an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155-165 degrees. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Just a couple of quick notes on this recipe. I am using the saffron because I have some on hand. it’s not something most people have around, and it’s super expensive as far as spices go. If you just want the yellow coloring that saffron will give to the dish, you can use turmeric instead, which is much cheaper and will give you the color you want. Secondly, I am using homemade stock (I always do if I have it) but you could also just use water here if you don’t have any stock to use. The stock works with the chicken to give a really nice flavor to the dish that you might miss out on if you just use water. Finally, all the extras, like the garlic, pepper, tomato and the seasonings aren’t essential to the dish You can just make a stripped down version and use the onion, chicken and rice and it would be great. You can’t go wrong with this one either way.

That’s today’s meal. Tomorrow is Friday and we haven’t done a pizza Friday in a while, so I think we’ll do that and then I’ll go shopping this weekend for next week’s meals. I know Sean wants to do a breakfast for dinner this weekend, so we’ll be doing that one day, and probably a roasted chicken recipe as well since I could stand to make some more stock. The rest of the week I am not too sure about yet. Any suggestions? I’d be happy to try something out. Let me know! Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on April 26, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry

Tags: arroz con pollo, chicken and rice, saffron

Feeling Ducky This Weekend

22 Apr

Every once in a while, I like to go overboard and cook a really elaborate meal. While this meal wasn’t really elaborate, it was very tasty. I wish I had taken pictures of it, because everything turned out perfectly and tasted great. I had decided early in the week that I wanted to make a roast duck for dinner this weekend and began gathering recipes early in the week and reading them over. When I finally settled on one, then I needed to add some side dishes. Through the world of Twitter, I asked some renowned chefs what they would recommend to make with the duck. Geoffrey Zakarian replied back with what they make at his restaurant, The Lamb’s Club, in NYC:

RT @IguanaFlats: “@gzchef Roast duck this weekend. Suggestions for side dishes?” Served at @thelambsclub w/French Prune, Pistachio, Madeira

Well I looked up his menu online and it was little more work than I wanted to get into, so I waited to see if anyone else would reply. Christopher Kimball, founder of America’s Test Kitchen, came back with this answer:

@IguanaFlats The French love lentils with duck — we have a few very good lentil salads at Cook’s.

So I looked up the recipes at Cook’s Illustrated and found one that I really liked and went with it. I was glad I even got a few responses as I wasn’t sure I would hear back from anyone at all. I then found a roast duck recipe I liked through the New York Times and I had my meal. First, I had to make some appetizers and I had been promising Sean I would make homemade mozzarella sticks for a while, so I knew I had to make them. I am not a cheese eater, but these actually turned out pretty good and they weren’t hard to make. This recipe, from Giada De Laurentiis, makes a lot of mozzarella sticks, so I cut it in half.

Mozzarella Sticks

1 1/2 cups dried breadcrumbs ( I used homemade and added a little bit of Italian seasoning; I think homemade makes a big difference here.)

1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon salt

2 (16-ounce) blocks of pasteurized mozzarella cut into 4 by 1/2-inch sticks

4 large eggs, beaten to blend

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Stir the bread crumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl to blend. Dip the cheese in the eggs to coat them completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the cheese in the breadcrumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Repeat dipping the cheese sticks in the egg and breadcrumb mixture to coat a second time. Place the cheese sticks on a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours and up to 2 days. (I did it for about 4 hours and they were well frozen)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the fried cheese to plates. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve with marinara sauce.

I served the mozzarella sticks and some calamari as appetizers (I have made the calamari before, and you can get the recipe here). Then it was on to making the main course. I can tell you, I was cooking most of the day, so it was some work, but it was worth it for the dinner.

Roast Duck With Blueberry Sauce

1 Granny Smith apple

1/2 onion, peeled

2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 whole star anise or 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise

Grated zest of 1 lime

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 whole ducks, trimmed of excess fat, giblets removed

Prepare the blueberry sauce: Peel, quarter and core the apple. Place the apple in a food processor with the onion and finely chop. Place in a saucepan with the blueberries, sugars, star anise, zests and vinegar. Place the mixture over high heat to bring it to a boil, then simmer until pulpy and beginning to thicken, about 30 minutes. (The mixture will be quite liquid after about 20 minutes, but begins to thicken up by 30 minutes, and will thicken even more once cold.) If whole star anise was used, remove and discard them. Transfer the sauce to a container, cover and allow to cool. For the best flavor, allow it to rest one day before serving (I just served it and it tasted fine to me).

Prepare the ducks: Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Score the duck skin all over to help fat drain off while cooking. Place the ducks on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours, periodically draining off the fat. Raise the heat to 400 degrees and roast an additional 30 minutes to crisp the skin. Remove the ducks from the oven and place on a carving board. Cut each duck into 4 pieces. Cut away the meat from the rib cage, discarding the rib bones. Arrange on a serving platter, crispy skin side up. Serve with the blueberry sauce.

I made three side dishes with the meal: some jasmine rice, the lentil salad and sautéed carrots and parsnips. Here’s the recipe for the lentil salad recommended by Christopher Kimball.

Lentil Salad with Olives and Mint

1 cup lentils, rinsed

8 cups water

5 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed and peeled

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 cup (roughly 10) coarsely chopped, pitted Kalamata olives

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped 1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

In a bowl, place the lentils and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with 4 cups of warm water and soak for 1 hour. Drain.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the lentils in a heavy pan with water to cover by about 2 inches, garlic, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils. Whisk the oil and vinegar together in a large bowl. Add the drained lentils, olives, mint and feta (if using) and toss. Serve, topping with salt and pepper to taste.

These lentils turned out delicious. They were tender and had great flavor, and complimented the duck very nicely. Now for the carrots and parsnips.

Sautéed Parsnips and Carrots with Honey

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound carrots (about 4 large), peeled and cut into sticks

1 pound parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored and cut into sticks

Salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and parsnips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are beginning to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes. Add the butter, honey and rosemary, if using. Toss over medium heat until heated through and the vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.

It was a lot of cooking but it was very good. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal and we were all full afterwards. However, I did make dessert too! I know, I am not a baker, and not a dessert person, but I did make a couple of things yesterday. I promise to post the desserts I made a little later on today since this post already is quite long. I will say they are both quick and easy desserts and only one of them involved actually baking. I will be back later to tell you about them, so until then, enjoy your day!