Getting Curried Away

Although the calendar may not say so, it seems to otherwise officially be fall here in New York. Sandals have been tucked away until next year and boots have started to grace the city streets in their place. At home, the heat has started to sputter through the radiator, letting me know that it will soon be time to pull out my slow-cooker and heat up my stove. But before I hit the fall and winter recipes full force, I decided to welcome the changing season with a warm and cozy stew that's as easy to make as it is cheap. 

This dish is an update of a classic Indian dish that a former roommate used to make for me when we were living in a very small apartment (and on a very small budget) downtown. The main ingredients were chicken thighs, tomato paste, butter and water, so as far as home cooked meals were concerned, it was a real winner in both the flavor and affordability categories. It was easy to make and fast to boot, two qualities this update also embraces. I've upped the taste factor even more with the addition of various aromatics, spices and fresh chopped cilantro. I added some extra color and veg with a full bunch of green kale, and some actual tomatoes instead of just the cheapee paste.

Chicken thighs are still the main ingredient thanks to their affordability and flavor. They're significantly cheaper than chicken breast and taste infinitely better, not to mention they're juicier and easier to cook (especially if you have a tendency to overcook chicken). I went boneless and skinless, but you could easily make this a heartier stew if you wanted to by adding bone-in chicken and letting it cook a bit longer in more liquid (like chicken stock, but water would do, too). I personally like bite-size pieces, perfect for serving over fluffy basmati rice (my current carby obsession) and a squeeze of fresh lime.

The rest of the ingredients are easily switched up with any of your faves, but what's important is that you not use a store bought curry. Mixing your own spices gives this dish a long-cooked and surprisingly fresh flavor that doesn't come from that old, stale curry tin that's probably hanging out in your cupboard (you know the one, we all have it). The kale however, could easily be replaced with spinach, swiss chard or mustard greens, not to mention left out altogether or replaced with the seasonal veggie of your choice. You could also adjust the spices as you see fit, increasing the heat to suit you or your family's preferences (I like mine medium), or adding a little smoke with more smoked paprika, or extra sweetness with a little more brown sugar. In any case, this dish is great for the cool whether that's just starting to stream in, and a great way to sneak a few veggies into kids. I'm already planning on throwing a few chickpeas into my next batch for added protein to help keep me warm!

Curried Chicken With Kale

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 lime
1 bunch kale (or your favorite green) ribs removed and chopped
chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
salt

1. Heat butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté over medium-low heat until slightly softened, about 7 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and fennel and cook another minute until fragrant.

2. Add remaining olive oil and chicken to the pan, season with salt and cook until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, season with salt and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes on low.

3. Uncover and stir in the brown sugar and a the juice of half a lime. Add the greens in batches, stirring until they're fully combined. Simmer uncovered until just tender, then stir in 1/4 cup of the chopped cilantro. Serve over basmati rice and top with chopped cilantro and a lemon wedge. Enjoy!

-Laura  

Dinner In Forty Five (For Less than A Twenty)

Everyone always says that cooking for one is hard. I never found it to be all that difficult because of all the freedom involved. There was no one to please but me, and I more often than not found myself just eating a heaping serving of whatever veggie was in season (long-time readers may remember those days). It was a great way to stay in shape and most of all it was easy to do after a long day's work or a late night at the office. Now that I cook for two it's a different story, as I find myself planning for meals instead of an easy dinner dish. Anyone out there with a large family to feed is a saint in my book, as cooking for more than two on a daily basis seems like the sort of task that should involve the marines or a congressional sub-committee.

As our summer vacation approaches we've been making a concerted effort to exercise after work, which of course leaves precious little time for preparing a complete meal. I long ago realized that the oven is a cook's best friend when trying to multi-task, whether it's for roasting veggies to make a flavorful (and healthy!) soup or side dish, or for cooking a lean protein. I've blogged before about the advents of buying chicken on the bone—more flavor and more food for less money—but never has it been more important to me than now. I'd been buying whole, organic chicken cut-up for some time and storing it in the freezer until I figured out what the heck to do with it, but nothing sounded right. I wanted a fast recipe that could lead to a full meal, most likely utilizing the oven, but everything seemed to only meet me halfway, providing either a chicken dish with no sides, or a chicken dish that needed too much attention, or one that took too long to cook.

In the end I took the recipes that sounded the best and put them together to make an even more flavorful one. This great chicken recipe from Everyday Food included roasted lemons, delicious orzo that made use of my overgrown dill, and even left enough time to make a side salad. It sounded perfect but the last time I made the chicken part of it, I found that it was a little bit bland. As a remedy, I decided to add a little bit of the spice flavor in this Real Simple recipe for spiced chicken, and some of the flavors from a classic Spanish dish called Pepitoria (which I made here during the early days of my blog). Garlic and paprika always seem to come to the rescue in my kitchen, and they made all the difference in my final recipe. While I liked the idea of roasting the garlic whole as in the Everyday Food recipe, in the end it didn't add much flavor to the actual chicken. So I did as many Spanish recipes do and chopped it up and added it to the spices I rubbed the chicken with.

The prep really couldn't be easier since chopping the garlic and slicing the lemons is just about the hardest part. I even tossed the chicken and spices together on the very baking sheet where they'd cook to save myself from washing a bowl. While the chicken was in the oven for a mere 30 minutes, I brought some water to a boil and tossed in the orzo. While that cooked, I chopped the dill and some mint, which I just love to use in the spring and summer with dill. Once the orzo was done I drained it and added just a drop of extra virgin olive oil, along with the herbs and a little extra salt and pepper. Once I spread it out on the platter, all I had to do was dress the salad (I like just a simple vinaigrette, personally) and pull the chicken out of the oven. It was perfectly cooked and rife with spices, so I just piled it on top of the orzo and squeezed a few of those roasted lemons over it for some sweet and sour kick. And that was it. About forty-five minutes had passed since I started cooking and I had a full meal on the table. 

Even though we scarfed down our share, we still had leftovers for another night's dinner and for my lunch the next day. Not to mention, other than the chicken—which I prefer with the skin on—the only fat really involved is the drizzle of olive oil that went into the orzo and what's in the vinaigrette. If you have growing kids in the house, you have some great lean protein, a few carbs, and a nice green salad, all in one meal. And if you're just two adults starved after a day's work or a workout, it's pretty good too. Oh, and did I mention that if you have a well-stocked pantry you can make the whole thing for under 20 bucks? And even if you don't, you can always use whatever herbs and spices you happen to have on hand and make it on the cheap (which is what I do most of the time). If you need to stock up on spices, the dish still hovers somewhere around twenty dollars total.   

Spice-Rubbed Chicken with Herbed Orzo and Arugula Salad

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken, cut into 8-10 parts
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 lemons, quartered
salt
pepper

For the orzo:
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh mint, finely chopped
1 cup orzo
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper


For the salad:
2 bunches or 1 pre-washed pack of baby arugula (about 12 ounces)
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Set a large pot of water to boil.

2. On a rimmed backing sheet, toss chicken with garlic and all of the spices. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken skin side up on the baking sheet and roast until golden and cooked through, 25-30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and add orzo. Cook until al dente. When the orzo and chicken are just finished, dress arugula with olive oil and vinegar (I like three parts oil to one part vinegar and lots of salt and pepper). Add dill, mint, olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste) to the orzo and stir gently to combine.

4. Remove chicken from oven when cooked through and serve over orzo along with the roasted lemons, drizzling chicken with any accumulated pan juices. Serve arugula salad on the side. Enjoy!

-Laura 

Totally Baked

With summer just a few weeks away and a beachside vacation on the horizon, I've been looking for waist-friendly meals to add to my dinner repertoire. When seeking out new dishes I often start with the ingredients. Being a seasonally minded cook, I try to think about what's around, what's in season, and then find inspiration from there. These days, however, I've been taking a different approach, looking to new techniques as a way to create dishes with the seasonal ingredients I love. I was recently watching Everyday Food--a great cooking show that airs on PBS and other public television channels, and is created by the Martha Stewart test kitchens--for inspiration. Their recipes are significantly less fussy than what you'd normally associate with Martha, and are aimed at home cooks looking to put delicious, fresh meals on the table in a flash. They find a way to keep food sophisticated and seasonal while making it easy and approachable, especially for families. Their first cookbook got me through the early days of my home cooking obsession, and I highly recommend their magazine and subsequent cookbooks to home cooks of all levels. 

A recent episode of their show revolved around finding alternatives to a baked lasagna and other standard pasta dinners. I've never been one to make baked pasta dishes at home, and having grown up with mostly Spanish food at home, anything resembling a casserole was completely foreign to me. But their baked pasta dish really called out to me because it was both healthy and flavorful, and frankly, pretty neat looking. The dish was basically baked orzo with chicken, but also made use of the wonderful citrus that was in season and is still abundant, not to mention some great feta cheese and fresh dill. It didn't use much fat, only a tablespoon of butter dissolved into chicken stock, and boneless, skinless chicken breast. Despite the lack of fat and use of lean lean ingredients, the dish was super flavorful. I definitely made adjustments and felt that it needed a little flavor boosting. It needed more cheese, more salt and pepper, and more herbs, in my opinion, (which is reflected in the recipe below) but otherwise I'd say it's a really solid dish. There's minimal effort that goes into putting it together, and with the exception of bringing the chicken stock to a boil, it's pretty much a case of "everyone in the tub".

What I especially liked about the dish was the potential for adding more things to it. I can easily see sneaking in delicious veggies so that picky kids (or husbands) don't see them (zucchini, asparagus and broccoli come to mind), or playing around with the proteins and adding chopped shrimp or bay scallops, which I know would pair really well with the super lemony and dill scented broth. I can definitely see multiple iterations of this dish in my future, but in the meantime, this original version is healthy and super affordable. It feeds an army for under ten dollars, and would probably be an excellent pantry clean-out dish (toss in that jar of olives, roasted red peppers or artichokes). You could even play with the type of pasta, using Israeli couscous or even orecchiette or pinwheeled shaped pasta or something fun to keep little kids from noticing what else is in there. You could even add a little more crunch with a crumbly topping, say some toasted, seasoned breadcrumbs, perhaps mixed with some crushed nuts and a nice big pile of mint and dill. Regardless of how you may adjust it, it's certainly a dish worth making. Between prep and cooking and even 5 minutes of resting time, I found that the dish was on the table in under an hour. I had leftovers for lunch at work for two days, and with the addition of a few tablespoons of water and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, it reheated in the office microwave like a dream. Not that leftovers would be a concern if you're feeding a large family--it's so good, I'm sure you'll have a clean baking dish by the end of the night.

Chicken, Lemon and Dill with Orzo

adapted from Everyday Food

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup water

1 Tbsp butter

2 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb orzo

2 cups (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest, plus juice of 1 lemon

2 cups grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, bring broth, water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. In a 3-quart baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, mint, lemon zest and juice, plus 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cup of Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

-Laura    

How to Roast a Chicken Without Even Trying

Well, as the four of you that are still reading may have noticed, I've been absent from the blog for some time. You'd think that being home and unemployed as I have for a month (did I mention that?) would leave me with all the time in the world to blog, but unfortunately for me I've been uninspired as of late. As I've mentioned before, I enjoy cooking most as a release, and without anything to release from (except the stress of when I'll be seeing my next paycheck), I fell into a bit of a slump. I wasn't sure exactly what I needed to pick me up, but by my third week of moping it became clear that release or no release, I'm just not the same when I'm not cooking. So I picked myself up off the couch, shut off the Lost marathon and got back to cooking. I now have an arsenal of wonderful winter recipes to carry me (and anyone out there that is still reading) through the end of the season and into spring.

Shortly before my blogging sabbatical began I had an overwhelming urge to start making comfort food. The first thing that came to my mind was roast chicken, one of the many dishes I remember from my childhood with lip-smacking clarity. Despite the many misconceptions people have about roasting a chicken (it's hard/it takes too long/I don't know how to), it's actually a home cook's dream. There are a variety of different ways you can prep a chicken for roasting, but even if you did the bare minimum of washing, drying and salting it before tossing it into a hot oven, you'd only have spent 10 minutes on dinner, with an hour of roasting time left to help the kids with their homework, balance your checkbook or watch another Lost rerun (but that's just me).

My mother did it after an hour long commute home from work and it was perfect every time, with a side salad and mashed potatoes to boot. Hers was a classic and simple preparation with nothing more than salt and pepper and a butter rub on the skin for extra flavor. It's still the way I most often roast chicken, and by far my favorite, although I've recently started to experiment with some unlikely but delicious flavor combinations. I decided that a roast would be the perfect vehicle for the enormous bag of winter CSA veggies taking up residency in my crisper. Taking a little inspiration from a maple carrot recipe I made a while back, I decided to give the chicken a maple, butter, and soy sauce rub that would end up infusing the jus with a delicious east-meets-west flavor. They may sound like strange bedfellows, but trust me, these ingredients come together extremely well. Once I'd whisked the smokey maple syrup (the real stuff, guys--the fake stuff is mostly corn syrup) and soy sauce together and given the chicken a little bath with the mixture, I simply lathered on the butter. Then I scattered some carrots, parsnips and pink potatoes around the chicken so they could cook in the pan juices and impart their own flavor to the final jus (I also add half a cup of chicken stock and half a cup of water so there's enough of it for the whole chicken--I really looove gravy).

That's about it, and not to mention, it's really affordable and feeds a very large crowd. Roasting is one of my favorite things to do for company, whether it's a chicken, a duck or little Cornish hens, because you can get it started before anyone gets there and actually spend some time chatting with your guests instead of stuck in the kitchen. Not to mention that few smells are as delicious or as comforting as a chicken roasting in the oven. Your guests will automatically feel at ease, and your family will be itching to get to the table. Whether or not you make it a simple roast or one with more complex flavors, I can promise you you'll be shocked by how little effort is involved in making such a great meal. Here's the recipe for the chicken I most recently made:

Maple-Soy Roast Chicken

1 medium-sized whole chicken
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened if possible
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup water
salt
pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F degress. Wash your chicken thoroughly in cold water, careful to remove the neck and gizzards from the cavity first. Dry well with paper towel and place in an oven safe baking dish or casserole. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper (the soy sauce is fairly salty so don't go too crazy).

2. Whisk maple syrup and soy sauce together and brush or rub over the chicken. Give it a minute to dry and if you have time and place it in the fridge to give the process a hand (I like to do this while I prep the veggies), but if not just go ahead and rub the softened butter all over the skin. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine.

3. Add water and stock to the dish and any vegetables you'd like to roast along with the chicken. Place in the oven and roast for 1 to 1 and half hours until cooked, depending on the size of your bird. I recommend peeking in every 20 minutes or so to make sure the breast isn't browning too fast (and if it is, cover just the breast with a piece of tin foil) and that the juices aren't disappearing (if so, simply add water 1/2 cup at a time). However, if you don't have time to check in, it won't catch on fire or explode and you'll still have a delicious roast chicken, so don't sweat it, and enjoy!

-Laura

Tender at the Bone

I've known for a long time that it would probably be better for me to start cooking chicken on the bone. Money-wise, buying chicken or any other protein on the bone is always the way to go--the less work involved in getting your meat to you the cheaper it will be. So it stands to reason that bone-in, skin on chicken would be cheaper than even the largest "family value" pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, not to mention packed with flavor in the form of delicious (albeit fatty) skin. So why then, have I been buying the more expensive, less flavorful chicken breast? While I could blame the ubiquity of the boneless skinless chicken breast, the real culprit is unadulterated laziness. Sure, 90% of the chicken case at my local supermarket is made up of these "healthy cuts" (as is 100% of the organic chicken section), but the truth is that it's just as easy for me to reach for a package of chicken thighs, wings or even a whole chicken. It's like the people I chastise for leaving the house in sweat pants--doesn't it take just as much effort to reach for your jeans and not look like a total slob? So why can't I take my own advice?

This all started when I received my first winter CSA share, which came chock full of veggies, eggs, milk, canned tomatoes, and half a chicken. At first excited by the prospect of an entire half of an organic, free-range chicken, I set it in the freezer while I took a few days to plan how I'd use it (sadly they're partially frozen anyway for the long drive from our farm in upstate New York). Several days later I found myself stuck. It turns out that I don't really cook with chicken all that much, and when I do, it's usually just as a vehicle for some kind of sauce or vegetable. In the rare cases when it's not, it's usually because I have a few of the aforementioned boneless cutlets in the freezer and they're easy enough to cook and defrost when I'm feeling lazy (what appears to be a keyword in today's post). So looking for a way to use this half a chicken in a way that didn't take all day proved to be more difficult than I had thought. I considered using the slow cooker, which meant that I could start the chicken in the morning and have it ready by the time I came home from work. The obvious downside was not that I'd need to leave the slow cooker unattended, but that I'd need to wake up early enough before work to brown the chicken and chop/prepare any veggies that would go with it. I ultimately discounted the slow cooker idea, on account that it was more trouble than it was worth (i.e. I was too lazy to wake up 45 minutes earlier than normal).

With my half a chicken wasting away in the freezer I decided on a whim to just defrost it and spend my lunch hour coming up with a way to use it. A Barnes and Noble coupon eventually led me to the answer, as I took to the web in search of a way to use said coupon (a gift from heaven just begging to be used on a cookbook). After a few minutes of searching it became clear that the two cookbooks I'd received for Christmas were the only ones I'd really wanted, so I called off the search, but not before encountering Daniel Boulud's cookbook focused on braising. Of course! How could I have been so blind? Meat on the bone just calls out for braising, a process that despite it's longer cooking time, doesn't actually always require much preparation if you seek out the right recipe. Armed with this new insight I quickly remembered that my favorite braised chicken dishes as a kid usually involved olives and roasted red peppers. After a quick look around the kitchen I found I had pretty much everything else that I needed to make the dish. And since oranges are in season and so wonderfully delicious this time of year, I decided to braise the chicken with oranges. It turned out great, and now I have a great new (affordable) dish in my repertoire. Here's the final recipe:

Chicken Braised with Oranges, Olives and Roasted Red Peppers

1/2 chicken's worth of bone-in chicken parts (about 6, light or dark meat)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 white wine
1/2 cup olives, roughly chopped (I prefer green, but any other is fine)
1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
2 large oranges, 1 cut into 6 wedges, the other halved
3 roasted red peppers, thinly sliced (jarred or fresh)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

1. In a large skillet (or even a Dutch oven) saute onions, peppers and garlic in oil until just starting to brown. Remove onions and garlic and reserve for later, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan.

2. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and add to skillet, browning thoroughly on both sides (this is only for color--it will not be cooked through). When the chicken is browned on all sides, remove it to a plate. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, careful to scrape up all of the browned bits. Cook a minute further, then add the chicken stock, olives and juice of half an orange. Stir to combine and return chicken, onions, garlic, and red peppers to plan. Arrange orange slices in pan.

3. Cover and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through. White meat will be done faster, so if you have a mixture of white and dark, remove the white meat immediately after it's done to prevent it from overcooking. Serve over rice, farro or quinoa and enjoy!

-Laura

Summer Braise, Makes Me Feel Fine

You know how some people forget the same thing over and over? Where they left their cell phones, or their keys, or their sister's birthday? I have the same problem with braising. Like the person that is so distracted with the kids and bills and work that the placement of their keys takes a backseat, braising always seems to fall by the wayside for faster, easier, more time saving preparations. Or so I think. Braising is ideally done with thicker cuts of meat, sinuous bits that need tenderizing and long stewing in liquid in order to be beaten into submission. But the truth is that you can essentially braise anything that can cook for a few minutes without overcooking and becoming tough. Lately I've favored fresh veggies and fish that need little done to them and have therefore ignored this wonderful and flavor packed cooking method.

Because braising is cooking in liquid, usually with the lid on, everything in the pot ends up reducing and concentrating their flavors, so you get the most out of the ingredients you're using. That means, little effort by the cook spent on browning and stirring, and more time spent on sitting and relaxing, or getting something else done. With this in mind I decided to find out if I could use something as simple and quick cooking as boneless, skinless chicken tenders with a braising method. I had some leftover from another recipe and figured I should take them on a test run for a light, braised dish that would work well for warmer weather. After all, we already have to wait until summer to grill (mostly), do we really have to limit another cooking method to fall and winter? Of course not.

The first thing that came to mind was a simple and paired down version of arroz con pollo. Traditionally made with whole chicken parts, it's a delicious, complete meal of skin-on chicken with rice, infused with onions, peppers, garlic, chicken broth and paprika (among other things, depending on where you're from). It's a classic braised dish that can easily serve a huge crowd and always satisfies. To cut down on prep time (and quantity) I used boneless, skinless chicken breast, which is quick cooking and lean (although I looove crunchy chicken skin!). I coated it very lightly in flour, then browned it, taking it out while it was still slightly underdone in the center, then cooked the onions and red bell peppers in the lovely drippings that remained. I deglazed the whole thing with chicken stock and lime juice to pick up the salty browned bits at the bottom of the skillet and added a little cilantro for a bright herbal hit. I let the whole thing reduce for a bit to concentrate the flavor, then added the chicken again, with a lid and let it braise and reduce.



When it was done, the sauce had thickened and coated the chicken, the peppers were like long languid strings, and the onions had melted into the sauce, which was perfumed with cilantro and slightly tart from the lime juice. To counteract that tartness I topped the dish off with sweet avocado. And instead of rice, I served the dish over my new favorite grain, quinoa. I found a gorgeous organic red variety and I haven't looked back since. It has a nice toothy bite, and mild flavor, and tastes even better when cooked in chicken stock. Together the chicken and quinoa dish was delicious, and the leftovers lasted me for two days (it reheated really well, even at work). I also made sure to serve it with fat lime wedges for those who like extra kick (like me), and to keep the avocado nice and green. Overall I was so happy with it, that I've been convinced that braising is the way to go. From now on, I'll be looking into new ways to apply this great technique to everything I cook. Here's my recipe, and remember, you can use this for thicker, bone-in cuts of chicken, or large chicken breasts, just add a little more liquid and a longer cooking time.

Easy Braised Chicken with Quinoa

1 tray boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 cup flour
4 tsps olive oil
1 thinly sliced onion
2 small red bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
3 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsps chopped fresh cilantro, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish
2 limes
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup quinoa (I used Inca red quinoa, but any variety will do)

1. Bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil and add quinoa cook until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked through. Add water to cook further if necessary.

2. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt and lightly coat each piece with flour, shaking off any excess. Heat 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil in a medium sized skillet and add chicken, browning on both sized. Remove to a plate once browned.

3. Add bell peppers to skillet and saute on medium high heat until softened, then add onion and garlic. Cook until onions have softened, then add remaining chicken stock (1 3/4 cups), juice of one lime and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes, then add chicken (and any accumulated juices), cover and allow to simmer and reduce, about 10 minutes.

4. Remove chicken to a plate or bowl and allow sauce to boil until reduced further. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chicken (and any juices) and serve over quinoa, topped with chopped avocado and sprinkled with remaining cilantro. Garnish with remaining lime. Enjoy!

-Laura

Stormy Weather

It figures that just as we began to see the true signs of spring and even the tiniest preview of summer, April showers reared their ugly head to help usher in May. While it's by no means cold here in New York, it does seem like we went from 80 degrees and sunny to rainy and dismal in no time at all. The dreary weekend weather may have put the kibosh on my traditional Saturday morning farmers market visit, but it also inspired me to create a comforting and light dish for those warmer, stormy days and nights of spring. As I've been researching healthy and delicious dishes this year, I've been reading a lot about veggie rich chicken soups that take advantage of spring's bounty, and I've been excitedly waiting for the season and its vegetables to catch up. So last night, after four straight days of rain, I knew it was time to put a recipe to the test.

In researching recipes the last few weeks, I kept coming across ajiaco, a chicken soup popular in Colombia that involves a delicious cilantro infused broth. Unfortunately for my waistline, it also involves heavy cream, a big bowl of white rice and a sack of potatoes. So, I decided it'd need a little lightening up. It's not quite corn season yet, so I couldn't include that in the recipe (as it traditionally requires), but you better believe once summer rolls around I'll have a summer-ready ajiaco recipe in my back pocket. But for now, I'll just call this an ajiaco inspired recipe so I don't get jumped by a pack of angry Colombian foodies. I decided to eliminate the side of rice for today, and instead leave the potatoes as the only starch. Traditionally in Colombia you'd have a variety of local indigenous potatoes and tubers in the stew, but for the sake of my needing to be healthy for at least a short period of time, I went with just one type of potato. The next thing I added was fresh asparagus, just blanched for a few minutes right in the soup broth. The chicken cooked similarly, just poaching itself in the delicious clear broth, infusing it with it's essence. At the last minute I tossed in a few fresh fava beans since I could still get them, then served it all up in a bowl over potatoes (boiled separately and added to the pot), topped with fresh and cooling avocado.

The dish ended up being better than I expected and not bland at all (as I had momentarily feared) despite removing a few delicious ingredients. In fact, it had great fresh flavor and a nice textural contrast from the crisp asparagus, firm potatoes and soft, poached chicken. The avocado was a perfect foil for the whole thing, soft and creamy and slightly nutty, it added a wonderful new layer of flavor and texture. I must admit that I'm excited to give this recipe a whirl in the summer when I'll have fresh corn at the ready. Also, it'd be great with a dollop of crema or sour cream instead of adding cream to the broth. In my first test run of the soup I made it with a scoop of brown rice on the bottom of the bowl, which I will definitely resurrect when summer rolls around. In the meantime, here's the light version, chock full of springtime veggies:

Spring Chicken Soup

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 bunch (about 1 lb) fresh asparagus, chopped, ends trimmed
1 lb white potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh fava beans, shelled
6 cups chicken stock
juice of half a lemon
1 avocado, diced

1. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but firm, about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add chicken pieces, cooking until done through.

3. Add cooked potatoes, asparagus and fava beans. Cook until asparagus is tender-crisp, then add lemon juice. Stir to combine and plate, topping each with avocado. Enjoy!

-Laura

Chicken Out

It occurred to me recently that I've stopped cooking with many of the proteins that I used to use on an almost daily basis. Chicken breast, for example, has long been a staple in my fridge and in my freezer. I really like buying entire boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cutting them into cutlets myself. Here in Manhattan, a small tray of thinly sliced chicken breasts can cost upwards of $9.00 and barely has enough food for two people. For about $6.00, you can usually get a large tray with 2 full skinless and boneless chicken breasts that can work out to over 10 portions of chicken. Sure, this wallet friendly option means you have to slice the chicken yourself, but lets face it, compared to the already sliced option, it's like you're getting an extra 80 bucks worth of chicken with only 15 or 20 minutes of extra effort. Not to mention, if you're as big a nerd as I am, you can divide the chicken into single or double portion ziploc bags (with labels) and freeze them for future use.

I like to always have this cut of chicken on hand because it's quick cooking, healthy, and extremely versatile. One would think that I'd be a big fan of fattier cuts with skin, but no cook is a bigger champion for convenience than I am, and no cut is more convenient than this one. From salads to grilled dishes and stir-fry, chicken breast is great for big meals or last minute dinners. One of my favorite things to do is to turn thinly sliced chicken breast into a kind of chicken roll by stuffing it with all kinds of things--cheese, spices, breadcrumbs, you name it. These are great for kids too, especially if you make them bite sized like a chickeny pig in a blanket and serve them with dipping sauce. It's a great way to get your little ones to eat their veggies since the fillings are limitless. I went with ricotta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, chive and a little Parmesan cheese. It mixes up quickly and cooks up just as fast. Here's what I used to make it, but feel free to mix in your favorite ingredients (and maybe sneak in a few vegetables!):


Stuffed Chicken Breast with Couscous

4 thin sliced chicken cutlets
4 heaping tsp ricotta cheese
3 tsp finely chopped chive
2 tsp finely chopped sun-dried tomato
1 tsp red pepper flake
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp lemon zest
salt
pepper
juice of half a lemon
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter

1. Combine ricotta, chive, sun-dried tomato, red pepper flake, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.

2. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto the center of each cutlet and fold ends over to enclose the stuffing and create a roll.

3. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken rolls to skillet, flat side down (not the side where the chicken overlaps) and cook until browned. Flip and cook on the other side until browned.

4. Add lemon juice to skillet and and cover with a lid. Cook on high heat another minute or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over couscous (recipe follows). Enjoy!

**I served this over 1 cup tricolor couscous cooked in 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp each coriander, cumin and parsley.

-Laura

When Life Gives You Lemons...Roast Them.

I have what you might call a citrus obsession. The one thing that I covet above all others during the winter food season is of course my darling clementine, but that doesn't mean I don't count on all the other lovely citrus fruits to brighten up my meals. This makes sense since I don't have much of a sweet tooth and have always preferred things on the tart side (I'm pretty sure few other children claimed lemon ice cream as their favorite). For years I used various vinegars to cut the fatty flavors of dishes and pull everything together, but have recently discovered the wonders of adding a few drops of lemon or lime juice to deglaze a pan or add a hint of sharpness to a sauce.

Citrus fruits are affordable year round but are especially wallet friendly when they're in season starting in the fall and ending in early spring. Unfortunately for those of us in the northeast, it's difficult to eat these types of fruit locally in bulk since they grow primarily in Florida and California (where the food comes from), but, we can still try to make the most of them when they're widely available to all of us. I've recently started playing with the idea of doing more than just squeezing lemon and lime into a sauce or dressing, but actually cooking the lemons themselves before adding them to a dish. It turns out that just like garlic, roasting a lemon develops it's flavor considerably. The whole thing swells with sweetened juice, causing the flesh to burst, pushing the tender pulp out of it's thin skin. In 10 mere minutes, the lemon is transformed into a slightly more complex condiment.

One of my favorite uses for roasted lemons is in adding flavor to an easy, healthy dish. Even boneless, skinless chicken breast can become tasty and flavorful with just a few ingredients and 20 minutes of effort. The dish I made a few nights ago took about 20 minutes and was packed with incredible flavor. The sauce had a bit of sharpness to it, but was mellowed out by the roasted lemon juice and sweet garlic. For a bit of spice and crunch, I served them alongside crispy homemade potato chips. Here's how to make it for yourself:

Chicken with Roasted Lemon and Olives

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lemons, halved, with ends cut off
3 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp chopped pimiento stuffed olives
1 Tbsp honey
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle lemon tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes or until starting to brown on top.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet and add chicken. Cook on medium heat until browned on one side, then add garlic (do not brown garlic) and flip chicken until it's cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

3. Remove lemons from oven and, using tongs, squeeze the juice into the pan over a sieve (to catch seeds). Using a fork, scoop out the pulp and add to pan. Add olives and butter to pan over medium low heat. When the sauce comes together, stir in honey and water, cooking another minute. Return chicken to pan just so it heats through, then plate dish. Enjoy!

Rosemary Thyme Chips

For these all you need do is very thinly slice potatoes, spread them out on a baking sheet and top them with plenty of ground rosemary and thyme. Salt and pepper them and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in the oven until crispy and browned, 15-20 minutes.

-Laura

Rescue Me

This weekend I executed a rescue mission. Unlike my last mission, where I feigned injury to get a friend out of an unfortunate first date, this mission involved saving food from an ugly and untimely demise. You see, despite my best attempts at overeating in the days before moving from my old apartment to my new one, there were still plenty of ingredients left in my fridge and freezer. Chicken, ground beef, frozen veggies and several expensive condiments were left stranded on the east side, just days from seeing the inside of the new tenants garbage can. Inspired by the action stars of my childhood (which all appear to be popular again), I set forth to rescue my food and veggies and cart them to my new home across town. While we're semi on topic, why were people always stranded or held captive in the jungle in the 80's? And why are they all involved in politics now? What's next, Senator Jean-Claude Van Damme?

Anyway, back to the food. My mission ended with a plop on the sofa after a few pulled muscles and a cab ride I couldn't afford. But, my new fridge (and I do mean new--no more 1970's appliances here!) was now stocked, as was my freezer. I was finally able to plan a few meals for the week ahead...or at least that's what I should have done. Instead, I went to a big fabulous Oscar party and schmoozed, while only occasionally leaving the snack table to see who'd won. So it's no surprise that as I awoke the next morning, it occurred to me that I'd probably be spending a fair amount of time standing in front of the fridge figuring out the night's dinner. Having not yet made my morning coffee, I stood with one foot on the other, in my pj's, staring at the contents of my fridge. Cold, tired, and terribly under caffeinated, I reached in with both hands, grabbing the two closest ingredients: chicken and spinach.

It was only after I'd gotten to work (and two cups of coffee into my day) that it occurred to me...I've never actually used those two ingredients in tandem. Throwing ideas around with Alyssa, my fellow home cook, it was suggested that I roll the chicken breast around the spinach, a method I'd never tried. A quick recipe search gave me a few ideas for the spinach stuffing, which included mushrooms (already about to die in my crisper), almonds, and the Spanish contribution to the recipe, chorizo (I had to sneak in pimentón and pork products somehow). I ended up veering from all of the recipes I'd found, but I did borrow the idea of using a compound butter to keep the thin chicken breast moist as it roasted in the oven. The dish turned out great, and I even made a quick pan sauce while the chicken rested. So in the end, despite all of the exhaustion and strained muscles, the rescue mission was worth the effort. Now if I could only find someone to rescue me from all these dishes... Chuck? Arnold? Anyone?

Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken with Chorizo

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed, excess liquid drained
2 cups mushrooms, chopped (I used shiitake and oyster, but anything will do)
1/2 cup chorizo, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp butter

Compound Butter
4 Tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
2 tsp parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all of the ingredients of the compound butter until well incorporated.

2. Melt 2 Tbsp of the butter mixture in a skillet. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add the chorizo and sauté another minute. In a small bowl, set aside a tablespoon of the mushroom and chorizo mixture.

3. Add spinach to skillet and cook until warmed through. Set aside.

4. Take half of the remaining butter mixture and spread onto one side of each chicken breast. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the spinach filling onto each piece of chicken (buttered side) and roll to close. Place on a baking tray and top each rolled piece of chicken with the remaining butter mixture. Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

5. Meanwhile, warm the mushroom and chorizo mixture that was set aside in a skillet. Add the white wine and cook until reduced by 1/3. Remove from the heat and whisk in butter until combined.

6. Plate the chicken and drizzle with wine butter sauce. Enjoy!

-Laura

The Golden Nugget

When I was a kid I always had the best brown bag lunch at my table. While the other children sadly unwrapped their boring bologna sandwiches and flattened, soggy peanut butter and jelly, I usually unscrewed the lid from a thermos full of beef stew, or carefully unwrapped a fois gras sandwich. But my favorite lunchtime meal by far was my mom's leftover chicken milanese. We'd have the traditional spiced and breaded chicken cutlets for dinner, and the next morning my mom would heat them, cut them into strips and wrap them in several layers of tin foil. As lunchtime approached I'd anxiously eye my brown bag, knowing that inside I'd find the chicken strips (still warm), two little foil pouches of ketchup, and two juice boxes (because one is never really enough).

Once the lunch bell rang I'd hightail it to the cafeteria knowing that my friends would inevitably each want to try a chicken strip--usually leaving very little for me. So, I'd inhale whatever I could until they made it to the table, where I'd occasionally trade a few strips for a brownie. These days, I continue to make chicken milanese for myself, but to be perfectly honest, there are rarely leftovers. So, as I got home cold and soaking wet this past Friday, I found myself wishing I'd find a brown paper bag sitting on the counter, chock full of chicken strips and foil ketchup pouches. That didn't happen of course, but I did have a tray of boneless, skinless chicken breasts sitting in the fridge. I decided that since I was already reminiscing about my childhood, I might as well make a grown-up version of a classic kids favorite.

I'd been toying with the idea of making a dish with almonds, so I pulled out my spice grinder and pulverized a few of them along with some chili, cayenne, and white pepper. Then I added a few spices et voilá--spicy almond crusted chicken nuggets were born. They actually turned out great and had quite a kick to them. The crust was thick and crispy with a surprisingly subtle toasted almond flavor. Chicken nuggets must always have a dipping sauce (I'm sure there's a rule about that somewhere) so I decided to go three ways: something to cool down the heat, something to increase the heat, and something sweet. For the cool down I went with plain old sour cream, for extra spice I went with my green salsa, and for added sweetness it had to be every kids favorite dipping sauce--ketchup. Here's the recipe I came up with, but make sure to cut down on the cayenne if you're making them for kids:

Spicy Almond Crusted Chicken Nuggets
(makes about 12 nuggets)

Chicken
1 1/2 cups boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch thick nugget sized pieces
1 cup flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large pan)
Salt

Almond Crust:
1 cup almonds, ground in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt

1. Combine all of the crust ingredients and spread out onto a plate.

2. Place three plates side by side, the first with flour, the second with egg and the third with the crust mixture.

3. Season chicken with salt and then dredge in the flour, followed by the egg and lastly, the crust mixture.

4. Fry chicken in vegetable oil over medium high heat until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!

-Laura

Pepitoria

There are a few dishes that my grandmother made for me when I was a kid that are so good, I have to make them immediately after I think about them. One of the dishes that she made that I now make is called pollo en pepitoria. It's basically a light chicken stew with some really simple ingredients used in really cool ways. Not to mention, it's a really great way to use up some random items in your fridge and pantry. A few potatoes, eggs, some nuts, even those wings you've had in the freezer forever will all go to good use in this dish.

This week, as the weather turned rainy and cold, I was reminded of the first time my grandmother made pollo en pepitoria. I was a teenager, just getting home from school on one of those blustery, is-it-rain-or-is-it-snow days. The walk home from the bus stop was brutal, not to mention slippery and damp. I usually ate a second lunch when I got home from school before doing my homework, so I was looking forward to something delicious and warming like mac and cheese. When I finally made it inside the house I was greeted by my grandparents, my dog, and a steaming hot bowl of this stew. It looked and tasted like nothing I'd ever eaten, most closely resembling a chicken soup, only with more body, a brighter color, and a few flavors that I couldn't pinpoint.

I didn't know at the time, but what gave the soup it's special flavor were ground almonds. Like several ingredients in this dish, the almonds are multi-taskers, serving to add both texture and a subtle sweetness to the broth. The canary yellow color of the broth comes from a surprising and natural source: egg yolks. Brilliant! Two hard boiled eggs are used a myriad ways, from grinding up the yolks and adding them to the broth as a thickening and coloring agent, to cutting up the whites and adding them in for texture and a nice cool topping. For years I assumed that my grandmother, a genius cook in her own right, had made up the recipe, but after consulting several cookbooks (and my mother) it turns out that it's actually a very old and popular dish in Spain.

We've always made it with wings in my family (mostly because they cook faster), but you can really use any cut of chicken on the bone, although I'd stay away from breast meat which imparts the least flavor and isn't as moist as other cuts. We've also always made it particularly soupy because that's how I like it, but if you want it to be more saucy, you can always add less water when cooking, so the sauce will be thicker and less abundant. Here's how to make it my way, but please, change it up as much as you'd like!

Pollo En Pepitoria

10 chicken drumettes (or equal quantity your favorite cut of bone-in chicken)
10 garlic cloves
1/2 cup almonds
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 small onion, thinly sliced
6 cups chicken stock
2 hard boiled eggs
4 cups cold water
3 Tbsp white wine
Olive oil
1/8 tsp saffron (optional)
salt
pepper

1. In a large bowl, mix chicken with 4 minced garlic cloves and plenty of salt and pepper. Marinate mixture in the fridge for 3 hours (it can be less if you're in a hurry, but it imparts a really nice flavor if it's 3 or more).

2. While the chicken marinates, hard boil 2 eggs and set them aside.

3. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the chicken and brown on all sides (you may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pot). Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add onion and 3 cloves minced garlic to pot and cook until onions are caramelized. You may have to add more olive oil if it looks dry.

4. While the onions cook, grind the almonds, yolks from the hard boiled eggs, saffron and remaining garlic in a mortar and pestle. Add the white wine so the mixture becomes a thick paste. Set aside.

5. Add the chicken back to the pot along with the stock and water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Add the almond paste mixture and diced potatoes. If you use a thicker cut of chicken than the wings, wait until the chicken is 3/4 cooked to add the potatoes.

6. While the stew cooks, thinly slice the egg whites. When the chicken and potatoes are cooked through, add eggs whites, saving a few for garnish. Plate up and enjoy!

-Laura