Tag Archives: recipe blogs

Tikka Masala-ish chicken stew

In case you haven’t noticed, I love stewing things - there’s lamb curry stew, ground turkey stew, chick pea stew, beef stew, Italian sausage and vegetable stew, and of course let’s not forget the infamous French peasant classics, coq au vin and bouef bourguignon. Stew is a comforting, unpretentious, feel good food. If the list above is any indication, stewing is my go-to cooking technique - I’m pretty sure that at this point I could stew an old shoe and make it taste good.

Tikka masala-ish chicken stew (3)

The other day I was thawing out some chicken but had no idea what I was going to do with it. I looked up a recipe for chicken tikka masala and it looked good but seemed a little laborious, and plus I didn’t have any yogurt. So I kept the elements of the recipe that I liked and ditched the rest, edited some things around, and thus this recipe was born. The stew is fast and easy to make, and it goes well over quinoa.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ cubes

1 tomato, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp sour cream

1/2 tsp cumin

1/3 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp sugar

1 tbsp flour

A handful of white raisins

Salt + pepper

Chopped scallions or cilantro for garnish, if desired

Procedure: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook until browned, about 4 min, turning occasionally. Remove chicken and set aside, and repeat with other half of chicken. When all chicken is browned and removed from the pan, turn heat down to low and add tomato and garlic. Stir and deglaze the pan for about 1 min. Then add sour cream, spices, sugar and flour. Stir until combined and add chicken back to pan. Stir to coat and cover tightly with a lid. Cook for 15 min, stirring occasionally. Then stir in raisins. Taste and re-season if necessary. Serve hot over quinoa; garnish if desired.

What is your favorite type of stew?

Black Wednesday

Yet again the time has come for me to make excuses as to why I haven’t prepared a proper post for today: I’ve been a bit preoccupied with school, trying to plan Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a potentially very exciting trip in January… bla, bla, bla… the dog ate my homework. But there are a few things I’d like to share with you today.

Here is a guest post that I wrote for Sarah of Curious Cuisiniere for a Thanksgiving recipe swap we did a few weeks ago. It’s a recipe for goat cheese and caramelized onion crostini, something I’ve made for turkey day for the past few years. Check it out by clicking on the photo below.

And here is a guest post that I wrote for Ruthie of the tasty tRuth. We decided to swap recipe posts using a currently seasonal ingredient - pears. Check out my recipe for roasted pork loin with a pear sauce by clicking on the photo below.

I’d also like to tell you about an upcoming event that I’m very excited about attending. The event is called “Cook Fight” and it’s going to be a discussion by co-authors (and NY Times food reporters!), Julia Moskin and Kim Severson, of their cookbook of the same name. This one-of-a-kind cookbook pits the authors “against each other as they debate strategies and recipes for today’s home cook-both in and out of the kitchen.” The evening also promises to feature “a tasty culinary surprise”! The event will take place one week from today at 7:30pm and costs $10-15. Click the photo below to learn more and purchase a ticket.

Beer roasted chicken w/ potatoes

Life is so unfair. Not only did a chicken have to die a gruesome death for my selfish benefit, but I also shoved a mason jar of beer up its… um, cavity.

Roasting chicken on a bottle or can of beer is a tried-and-true technique. The beer creates steam in the chicken while it cooks, which prevents the meat from drying out. I was thinking about what to serve alongside my poor little bird when I realized that I can roast potatoes in the same pan and they will come out all awesome after mingling with those glorious chicken juices. Then I thought to throw in some garlic. Because it’s garlic.

(Yield: 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt/pepper

About 6 oz beer (lager or ale)*

4-6 medium potatoes, cubed

5 whole garlic cloves, peeled

*I tried to place the chicken over a half-full beer bottle but the throat of the bottle surfaced at the top of the bird which would defeat the purpose of the steam. To prevent this, it is best to use a can of beer - just remember to pour out/drink half of it. I poured my beer into a mason jar and it worked out well too.

Procedure: Take chicken out of fridge 30 min prior to cooking and let come to room temp. Preheat oven to 350F. Rinse well and pat dry. Place beer can/jar in a large baking dish and place chicken on top. Evenly coat the chicken with half of the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, toss the potatoes and garlic cloves in remaining oil with salt and pepper.

Scatter potatoes around chicken and roast until golden brown. The chicken is done when you pierce it with a knife and the juices run clear. (My chicken weighed 3 lbs and it cook 1 hour and 20 min to cook through.) The potatoes will be done at the same time. Let the chicken rest for 15 min before slicing, to let the juices redistribute.

This was my first time roasting a chicken and I was satisfied with the results. Next time, I think I’ll season the bird with some herbs and use a variety of vegetables for roasting.

Homemade honey mustard dressing

I hate salads but force myself to eat them since they’re like healthy and all that jazz. And I know that if I make the effort to make this dressing ahead of time and keep a container of it in my fridge, I’ll be more likely to do the forcing.

Dig my Soviet garlic crusher manufactured circa 1920?

And you may recall my feelings on store-bought dressing from this post.

(Yield: About 1/2 c)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp brown mustard

1 heaping tbsp honey

1 small garlic clove, crushed

Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

About 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Procedure: Whisk together all ingredients except oil in a bowl. Then add oil in a steady stream while continually whisking. The final product should be homogenous; or as fancy food people say, emulsified. Taste and re-season if necessary. If not using immediately, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to ten days.

Chick pea stew

Chick peas, aka garbanzo beans, are one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. They are healthy (high in protein and fiber), tasty and, most importantly, versatile - they’re like the chicken of the legume world. I tend to use the canned variety because it’s a lot more convenient and time efficient than boiling the dried kind, but if you have the time and desire to cook your own, more power to you.

This recipe is vegetarian and vegan friendly.

(Yield: 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 vine tomatoes, chopped

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp cumin

2 15 oz cans chick peas, drained and rinsed

1 c packed baby spinach leaves

Salt + pepper

Procedure: Heat a high-sided skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion with a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, 3-4 min. Add garlic and cook for 60 secs. Add tomatoes, a pinch of salt and pepper, sugar and cumin. Stir, turn heat down to low, cover and cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally. Then add chick peas and spinach. Stir continuously to warm chick peas throughout and wilt the spinach. After spinach has wilted, about 2 min, turn heat off, taste and re-season if necessary. Serve hot over creamy grits or polenta, or with hunks of fresh bread.

If you are interested in more chick pea recipes, check out my falafel post as well as this chick pea and eggplant sauté.

Honey lime grilled chicken w/ cucumber salsa

The idea for this salsa came from the June 2012 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It was a featured recipe from a restaurant called Citizen Public House in Scottsdale, AZ, as a suggested garnish for seared tuna. But, since I’m always looking for new ways to dress up grilled chicken, I decided to do this instead.

Since the chicken was lightly coated in honey, it caramelized and charred quite nicely, which made it the ideal canvas for the tangy, fresh salsa.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken cutlets

1 heaping tbsp honey

2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Sriracha, to taste

3/4 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper

Procedure for chicken: Whisk together marinade in tupperware dish. Wash and dry chicken and place in dish. Massage chicken with marinade until it is evenly coated. Close and place in refrigerator - marinate for at least one hour, or up to six. Then, grease a grill pan with oil or spray and place on high heat. Place cutlets on grill and cook for 2 min. Rotate 45 degrees and cook for another 2 min. Then, turn over and repeat (this cooking time is for cutlets of about 1/3″-thickness). Take off grill and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Salsa (adapted from this recipe):

2 peeled, finely diced medium cucumbers (about 2 c)

2 tbsp finely diced red onion

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Fleur de sel to taste (or the regular ol’ iodized kind)

Procedure for salsa: Combine all ingredients. Use as garnish for seared meat/fish of your choice.

I know you’re probably dying to know the recipe for those delicious looking noodles too, but you’ll have to wait for a later post to find out!

Panzanella Salad

Panzanella salad has been on my “To Make” list for quite some time and today I finally got around to checking it off the list. Panzanella is an Italian dish, traditionally prepared with day-old Tuscan bread, tomatoes, basil, olive oil and vinegar. This is the version I came up with and it’s delicious. Light, fresh and perfect for the summer.

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

Olive oil for drizzling

4 oz day-old white bread, sliced 1” thick

2 medium vine-ripe tomatoes

2 cucumbers

1 bell pepper

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Dressing:

1 tsp deli-style mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp salt + pepper

Drizzle the bread slices lightly with olive oil and place oil side down on a grill pan on medium-high heat. Drizzle the other side. Grill 3-4 minutes on each side, until grill marks appear and the bread is crispy. Set aside and let cool.

Chop the vegetables and cilantro and place into a bowl. Chop the cooled bread into 1” cubes and add to bowl. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and pour dressing over salad. Toss and serve.