Celebrating Spring! (Chicken Primavera Risotto)

Asparagus, carrots, peas and chicken make a tasty
risotto that celebrates Spring

When we lived in SoCal, we took Spring for granted. Basically it meant that you could bring out your white pants and shoes. And there were Easter Lillys at the grocery store. 

Here in North Carolina, things are soooo different. The trees are popping with flowers and the neighborhood is awash with yellow daffodils and pink tulips. Windows are also thrown open, at least until the pollen hits. But that's a small price to pay for the incredible leafing out hardwood trees that provide perfect shade for lazy summer afternoons in a hammock.

So when I had to come up with a recipe for the May issue of Southerly (our neighborhood magazine) the following dish was an easy choice. Cheers to Spring! And bring on all things primavera!

Chicken Primavera Risotto

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups chicken stock. If you only have a standard 4-cup box of broth, add in 1 1/2 cups of water and some garlic and/or poultry season to stretch it.
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 3 Tbs Butter, divided
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• ½ cup onion, 1/4 inch dice
• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
• ½  cup dry white wine 
• 10 thin or 8 thick spears of asparagus, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas, uncooked
• 1/2 cup each of diced carrots, onions, and halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/8 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (or a few sprigs of thyme chopped)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Additional Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper for garnish.

Method

• Bring the chicken stock to a boil and then reduce the heat to low
• Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan or medium sized Dutch oven heat the olive oil and then brown the chicken in two batches until cooked through; remove to a bowl.
• Now add the 2 tbs of the butter to the pan and sauté  the onion and carrots until the onions are translucent; then add the rice and stir until coated. Raise the heat to medium high and pour in the wine, stirring until fully absorbed. Then begin to add hot chicken stock in ½ cup increments, stirring now and then until absorbed before adding more. Hint: it’s time to add liquid when a spoon dragged thru the mixture creates a “canyon.” 
• After about 10 minutes add the asparagus, tomatoes, peas, poultry seasoning and chicken. Continue adding broth as above, stirring to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. After about 10 more minutes the rice will be tender, but still firm. At this point, add any remaining stock and stir until it is mostly absorbed, but still loose.
• Now you are ready to finish the dish. Turn off the heat and vigorously stir in the  the remaining 1 Tbs of  butter, parsley and cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Enjoy.

Is it Spring Yet?? (Twice-Baked Potatoes & Eggs Florentine)

If you like your eggs runny,
eat 'em right out of the oven!

To say that it has been a long cold winter is an understatement - and the Carolinas have had a relatively pretty easy time of it compared to our friends in the North and Midwest. With this mindset, I spent a good part of today working on a new recipe that screams Easter Brunch -- bacony, cheesey twice-baked potatoes with an egg cooked smack dab in the middle. Who can't love that!?!

I wrote, tested and photographed this for my little magazine gig today and then did a final taste test with a group of neighbors.  The verdict - don't change a thing!

That said, if you don’t like spinach? Leave it out. Prefer sausage to bacon? Switch it up. In other words, use your imagination —  in my world, it is perfectly okay to play with your food. 

Here's how I did it:

Twice-Baked Potatoes & Eggs Florentine

Basic recipe and method with one potato serves 2, use your multiplication skills to serve more

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 Russet potato, scrubbed and dried
• 1/4 cup regular or low-fat cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (or thickly shredded)
• 1/4 cup regular or low-fat sour cream 
• 1/4 cup fresh baby spinach, thinly sliced (roll a stack of leaves and cut 1/8 inch slices)
• 1/8 cup onion, sautéed in a drizzle of olive oil
• 1 TBS softened butter
• 2 TBS Parmesan cheese, fine grated
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt + plus a small pinch to season the eggs
• 1/4 tsp black pepper + plus a few grinds to season the eggs

Neighborhood tasting -
The verdict: don't change a thing

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

• Prick the potato a few times with a fork or sharp knife, rub it with with olive oil and sprinkle on a little Kosher salt; then bake in the oven for 45 - 55 minutes or until it gives when pressed. Remove to cool slightly. Lower the oven to 375 degrees.
• When the potatoes are cool enough to handle,  cut them in half and gently scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/8 of an inch around the outside. I like to run a sharp knife around the perimeter and then scoop the flesh out into a bowl with a small ice cream scoop, but a spoon will work fine. Set the potato skins onto a baking sheet.
• Mash the potato with a fork or potato masher - it does not need to be totally smooth, but make it as crumbly as you can. Add in the sour cream, sautéed onions, butter, Kosher salt and pepper. Stir until combined and then mix in the cheese and spinach.
• Now spoon the potato mixture into the potato skins. Use the back of a spoon and your clean fingers to create deep wells for the eggs.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and then one-by-one, crack an egg into a small bowl and slide it into the center of a potato. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat for each egg/potato.
• Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 -25  minutes, or until the egg whites are set and the yolk is done to your liking. They will look shiny and underdone, but they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.

Enjoy.

Fooled Ya!– It’s still Winter (Roasted Carrot and Cumin Soup)

Last week temps hit the 70s. Daffodils started popping up out of the ground, folks headed out work without a coat, and golfers hit the course with shorts (and very white legs!) Today, not so much. In fact tomorrow, it should a chilly 29 when I leave for the office. Welcome to North Carolina!

A swirl of Greek Yogurt adds a bit of zip!

The upside – it’s still perfect weather for soup! I’ve been whipping up a batch every Sunday to heat up for my lunch throughout the week. Today I tried something new Carrot Cumin. If you like cumin (which I do) it’s pretty darned tasty. And super easy to make. 

Ready for next week's
 workday lunches

Roasted Carrot and Cumin Soup

Serves 6/8 (bowls/cups)

Ingredients

• 6 cups carrots, scrubbed (not peeled) and cut into 2-inch chunks
  
  
• 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• ½ onion, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4 cups (1 box) organic vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 ½ tsp kosher salt – divided 
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS cumin seeds
• 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
• ¾ tsp ground cumin
• ¾ tsp honey
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

Method

• Pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil
• Put half of the carrots on the sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, cumin seeds, garlic powder, 1 tsp, and pepper
• Put the remaining carrots, onion, potato, broth and water into a large pot or Dutch oven
• When the oven comes up to temp, pop the sheet pan in and set a timer for 45 minutes
• Next bring the pot of veggies and broth to a boil, reduce t bring to a boil over a high heat, then lower and simmer for 45 minutes. 
• When the timer goes off remove the sheet pan from the oven and test the simmering carrots to make sure they are tender. Turn of the flame and let everything cool for 15 minutes.
• Now, tip the roasted carrots into the pot, stir in the ground cumin, honey and remaining ¾ tsp of the kosher salt and puree with a stick blender, or in batches in a standard blender until very smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
• Before serving each bowl, swirl in a dollop of Greet yogurt if you’d like  and serve

Enjoy

Fancy but not Fancy (Beef Stroganoff Two Ways)

Dinner Party Ready, with filet mignon
and brandy

Beef Stroganoff. It just sounds fancy. But in reality, it’s one of the easiest dishes to cook for a holiday (we had it for Christmas Dinner last year), date night in, or yes, a quick weeknight meal. Here’s a two-in-one recipe — you can make it with ground beef or you can get fancy with filet mignon and good dose of brandy. You take your pick which one to serve to the kiddos on a Wednesday night!

Beef Stroganoff Two Ways

Serves 4-6

Easy Week Night Dinner, with
ground beef and sans brandy (or not!)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. filet mignon cut into bite sized pieces and seasoned with plenty of Kosher salt and ground black pepper (or 1 lb. ground beef)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 lb. mushrooms
• 3/4 cup sour cream 
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth + an additional 1/2 cup combined with 2 TBS of corn starch to make a “slurry"
• 3/4 cup brandy + a splash more to add at the end (you can leave this out for the weeknight version)
• 1 TBS dijon mustard
• 2  TBS corn starch combined with 1/2 beef broth to make a “slurry”
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4TBS butter, divided
• Salt and Pepper to season the meat
• 1 bag Egg noodles, cooked according to the package directions, drained
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet on a high heat and brown the meat. If you are using steak, do it in two batches, being careful not to over cook! Just get some color and then remove the meat to a foil-covered bowl covered. If you are using ground beef, break it up with a wooden spoon, but keep the pieces fairly large, rather than small crumbles. Season it with a good pinch of Kosher salt and some ground black pepper about half way through. Remove to paper towel lined bowl to drain. Cover with foil. 
• Add 2 TBS of the butter to the pan and sauté the onions and mushrooms over a medium heat until they are soft. Then stir in the dijon mustard. 
• Next pour in 1 1/2 cups of the beef broth, plus the brandy if you are using it. Bring this mixture to a boil and then spoon in the cornstarch slurry. Stir to combine and thicken. 
• Now adjust the heat to medium-low, add in the meat and any juices, and gently stir in the sour cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. (I like to add another 2 TBS of brandy as well).
• Serve over noodles that have been tossed with the remaining 2 TBS of butter and the parsley.

Enjoy!

Warmin' up from the inside out (Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup)

My birthday and Christmas are in the rearview mirror and I'm so ready to be done with fancy holiday fare. 

It's Soup!

Don't get me wrong. We had some amazing meals and delicious treats with friends and family over the past two weeks. But all I wanted on this chilly December day was a big bowl of soup. 

I had a package of cubed butternut squash in the fridge and a can of light coconut milk in the pantry. Perfect inspiration for a silky smooth coconut curry butternut squash soup!

We like all things spicy, so this version uses hot Madras curry powder. Feel free to swap it out for a milder "regular" curry powder if heat is not your thing. I also use light coconut milk, but can only imagine how decadent it would be with the full-fat variety. Maybe we'll try that after the holiday food hangover has subsided!

Here's how I did it:

Pretty simple ingredients -
keeping' it clean

Ingredients:

• 1 package pre-cut butternut squash (about 6 cups, or 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed)
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 can unsweetened light coconut milk 
• 1 cup onion, rough chopped
• 1 medium carrot, rough chopped
• 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, rough chopped
• 1 TBS coconut oil
• 1 TBS + 1/2 tsp hot Madras curry powder (or regular curry if you don’t like heat)
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• Roasted, salted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the coconut oil a large pot over a medium/high heat, then add the onion, garlic and carrot until the onion is translucent. Season with the salt and sprinkle in the curry powder, string to combine and warm the spices through.
2. Add the butternut squash and broth, bring to a boil and then cover the pot and lower the heat to low. Simmer for 7-8 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender. Then turn off the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
3. Time to puree.  I use a stick blender, but you can also puree in batches until smooth in a food processor or high powered blender. If you used a blender or food processor, add the puree back to the pot when done.



Leftovers!

4. Now shake the can of coconut milk to mix the contents and pour into the puree. Stir well to combine, add a bit more salt if needed. Warm over a low heat and serve with a scattering of pipits and crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Comfort after a long short week (Tarragon Braised Chicken with Tarragon, served with spiralized zucchini, corn, mushrooms and tomatoes.)

Just before I added the sauce -
love the colors

The first week of July was a long short week.  At work and in the world in general.  After a day of running errands, all I wanted to do Saturday evening was stay in, watch a movie and cook up some comfort food.  

For many, comfort food means anything with cheese.  For me it’s a braise. Short ribs, lamb shanks, deep rich stews, and our family favorite, osso buco  — my list of comforting braises is long. They all have a few common elements:   fragrant aromatics - think rosemary, thyme, garlic, tarragon - good quality “dark meat” protein, just enough liquid and a relatively long trip to the oven in a sturdy dutch oven.

Last night I opted for a cut of chicken that many overlook, leg quarters.  This cut combines two dark meat favorites into one, the thigh and the drumstick.  I like to remove the skin and keep the joints intact. 

Prepped veg - and yes, those are
tarragon flowers in the mix...

This recipe also made use of my new favorite toy, the spiralizer, which turns a zucchini or other similar shaped vegetable into long strands that look like pasta.  In my opinion, the texture is much better than most ways of preparing squash, but any sauté of vegetables goes great with this dish.

Here’s how I pulled together the dish.

Tarragon Braised Chicken with Tarragon, served with spiralized zucchini, corn, mushrooms and tomatoes.

(Serves 4 hungry souls)

Ingredients

For the Braise

• 4 chicken legs with thighs attached, skin removed
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Poultry Seasoning - a couple of Tablespoons
• Olive oil to coat bottom of pan (about a Tablespoon)
• 1/2 Valhalla onion (or other sweet onion)
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and left hold
• Enough water to reach the 1/2 way point of the chicken, about 1/2 cup of water (white wine would be great here, too)  The important thing is not to add so much liquid that you turn this into a stew rather than a braise.

For the Veg Sauté 

• 2 cobs of corn, kernels cut off
• 1 spiraled zucchini  
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 2 TBS fresh thyme chopped (you can use about a teaspoon of dried if you don’t have fresh)
• 1/3 cup nonfat half & half (you can use regular half and half as well)
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper
• Heat a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed, lidded pan with olive oil.  
• Brown the chicken over a medium high heat, two pieces at a time
• When the second batch is browned, remove the chicken from the pan and dust with the poultry seasoning.
• Add the onion and garlic cloves to the pan and sauté until the onion is just softened
• Now add the chicken back into the pan, pour in the water, heat to a boil, cover with a lid and pop into the oven for 45 minutes.

Pour yourself a nice glass of white wine, chill out for a while…. the house will soon smell amazing…

• When the chicken is done, remove it and the onions and garlic from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm in a heat resistant disk like a glass pie pan. 
• Then skim away any fat with a spoon.  I also like to lay a paper towel atop the liquid and lift away andy residual fat.

The recipe up to this stage can be completed up to an hour ahead of serving.

• About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve,  crank up the heat to medium high and reduce the liquid to about half.
• While the sauce is reducing, fire up the broiler, uncover chicken, garlic and onions, spoon a bit of the sauce on all surfaces, and place under the broiler until they are crispy and golden brown.  Keep an eye on this throughout to avoid burning.

As the chicken finishes up,  lets get those veggies ready….

• Heat the dutch oven again and add in about a teaspoon of olive oil. Add in all of the veggies and half of the tarragon. Add a pinch of salt and about 6 grinds of pepper and sauté  for about 5 minutes or until everything is just getting soft.  
• Now add in the half and half and remainder of the tarragon and the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. 

To serve:

I like to serve in a pasta bowl, placing the chicken down first, then a scoop of the veggies and a bit of the sauce along the bottom of the bowl, as opposed to over the top of the chicken. 

Enjoy.

Plan B: Spanish Inspired Paella Stew

Over rice for Steve

Tested and updated February 3, 2018

My plan was to make paella yesterday, but frankly I got lazy and we had cheese and crackers while watching Final Four basketball instead. And today I had a tennis match planned for the late afternoon, so making the somewhat time intensive dish really was not in the cards.

Soooo - my solution? A Spanish inspired stew that I could braise in the oven for a couple of hours in the morning and then heat up in the evening when it was time for dinner.

Over spinach for me

The resulting one-pot Sunday dinner pretty darned good, if I say so myself. In fact, according to Steve, this was one of the best dishes I've ever dreamed up.

Here's how I did it:

Serves 6

Paella Inspired Stew

Comfort food takes a detour to Spain in this low and slow cooked stew, served over rice. 

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 Spanish or Portuguese chorizo sausage links (or Italian if unavailable - just not Mexican chorizo)
• 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, diced (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 28 oz can whole Italian style tomatoes 
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 2 TBS Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and left whole
• 2 TBS smoked Spanish paprika, divided
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 3 dried bay leaves 
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
• Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper

For serving:  Rice cooked with chicken broth rather than water, and a pinch of saffron, if you have it. If you don’t and you really want yellow rice, you can aways add a 1/4 tsp of turmeric.  I’ll never tell!

Method

• Heat oven to 275 degrees
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and 2 TBS of the smoked Spanish paprika
• Heat a Dutch over a medium flame and brown the chicken in two batches; remove and keep warm on a plate covered with foil
• Add the sausage, and brown it whole. Remove, let it cool slightly and slice into bite size pieces. (A serrated knife works well) It will not be cooked through. Add to the chicken and keep warm. 
• Drop the diced onion to the pot and sauté until soft before adding the final TBS of paprika and the tomato paste. Stir to combine and heat through. This will wake up the tomato paste and boost the flavor of the dish.
• Next add the chicken and sausage back to the pot along with the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce, and chicken broth. Use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes, stir to combine and bring to a low boil. 
• Cover and place in the oven to braise, low and slow for 2 hours.

At the end of 2 hours, remove the lid and cook another 20 minutes to reduce a tad.  At this point you can cool and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

• When you are ready to serve, skim off any fat (I lay a paper towel on the surface and lift it away), add the brown sugar and heat until bubbly. Then drop the heat down to Low, add the frozen peas and the shrimp, cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp is just done. 
• Remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed,  and stir in the balsamic vinegar right before serving over rice. 

Enjoy!