Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Green Olives

The chicken in this simple but exotic dish from Yacout is so moist and succulent that its flesh can easily be lifted from the bones and eaten, Moroccan-style, with the fingers. This chicken it great on it's own but for an even better flavor combination, serve it with the pistachio sauce on the side. 

Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Green Olives

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground ginger
Pinch saffron threads
Freshly ground black pepper
2 2 1/2-lb. chickens, quartered
2 chicken livers
3 medium onions, grated and drained
12 oz. Moroccan green olives, Pitted
1 Preserved Lemon, rinsed and completely quartered

Instructions

1. Crush garlic on a cutting board with flat side of a chef's knife. Sprinkle with about 2 tsp. salt, then finely chop garlic and crush again to form a smooth paste. Combine garlic paste, parsley, cilantro, cumin, ginger, saffron, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken quarters and livers, stirring well to coat with herbs and spices. Cover bowl and set aside to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or 4 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Place chicken quarters and livers in a large heavy-bottomed casserole. Add onions and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep chicken moist.

3. Remove chicken livers and mash to a paste with a fork, adding a bit of cooking liquid if necessary. Return livers to casserole and cook for another 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and thigh meat comes away from bone.

4. Add olives and lemon quarters to casserole and cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.

5. Remove chicken, olives, and lemon quarters from casserole with a slotted spoon and place on a platter; set aside, cover, and keep warm. Bring pan juices to a high boil and cook until a very thick sauce forms, about 15 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Chicken and Andouille Étouffée

Chicken and Andouille Étouffée

The word étouffée (pronounced eh-too-fey) comes from the French word “to smother.” The best way to describe the dish is a thicker stew, seasoned to perfection and chock full of delicious, plump crawfish (or shrimp, depending on the season). In some ways, its similar to gumbo – same types of Creole seasonings, served over rice, and made with a roux, but unlike gumbo, étouffée is made with a “blonde” roux, giving it a lighter color and a very different flavor. (and since Mandy is allergic to shellfish, we pass on anything involving crustaceans, so this version has chicken and andouille sausage which provides a nice kick)

Ingredients

3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup flour
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3 cups chicken stock
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
1 lb. andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2"-thick pieces
6 large scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

1.  Heat oil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke.
2. Add flour, whisking constantly, and cook for 1 minute.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is the color of milk chocolate, about 12–15 minutes.
4. Add celery, onions, and peppers, and cook, stirring constantly, until soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in salt, cayenne, black and white peppers, basil, and thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
6. Add 2 cups chicken stock, and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat butter in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat.
8. Add chicken, and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, 4–6 minutes;
9. Transfer chicken and butter to Dutch oven.
10. Pour remaining chicken stock into skillet, stir to scrape up any browned bits, and then pour into Dutch oven along with andouille;
11. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more.
12. Remove pan from heat, stir in scallions, and serve étouffée with rice.

 
 

Farro Risotto

The most challenging part of this wonderful dish...locating the correct farro. Who knew that would be such a scavenger hunt. Tara was able to locate the ten-minute version, but that would be akin to using instant oatmeal when cooking oats were called for.  She was not able to locate pearled or semi pearled as the recipe called for and had to settle for regular. As such, it was a good thing she started the recipe early. She had intended to use the additional 90 minutes to visit with friends before joining up with us at Supper Club. Instead she spent it waiting for the farro to cook. Moral of the story, if you can not locate pearl or semi-pearl farro, give yourself plenty of time. 

This dish was well balanced. As not a huge fan of mushrooms, I was delighted that they were not a huge player in the flavor profile. the butternut squash provided substance without too much sweetness. Tara doubled the recipe and by the end of the evening went home with an empty container. We licked it clean.

Farro Risotto

INGREDIENTS


2½ cups butternut squash, cut into ½-inch cubes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sage, chopped
1 cup farro (pearled or semi pearled)
3 tbsp. butter
4 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig thyme
½ cup white wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1½ cups shredded parmesan
1 tbsp. crème fraiche

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Toss the squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 25–30 minutes until the edges are browned and crisp. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle 1 tablespoon sage over the still hot squash.

2. Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Stir in your farro and cook for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and set aside.

3. In a 4 quart pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add in the chopped shiitakes and sauté, about 3 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.

4. Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Add in the shallots, garlic and thyme. Let cook until the shallots become slightly caramelized, about 3 minutes.

6. Add the farro and stir, coating each kernel with butter. Add in the white wine and let simmer off.

5. Turn the heat down to low and begin alternately adding in the chicken stock and the farro cooking liquid, a ¼ cup at a time, stirring continuously with each addition. Do not add more liquid until the previous ¼ cup has been completely absorbed by the farro. This process should take about 25–30 minutes. After the last addition, stir until about ⅔ of the liquid has been absorbed, and add in the mushrooms and roasted squash.

6. Fold in the cheese and stir until just melted.

7. Fold in the crème fraiche and remaining chopped sage for garnish, season with salt and pepper.

A double batch...and we licked the bowl clean!

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice Recipe

We have been getting together monthly for the last six months and have had very few (two?) recipes that did not turn out as planned. That number increased to three with my attempt at red beans and rice.

This recipe was off to a rocky start when I attempted to locate a ham hock at my local grocers. I walked around the store while texting Mandy trying to figure out if ground mustard was the same as dry mustard (for a different recipe) when I could not find a ham hock. I did find a butcher, but I stumbled over my words and asked for a ham shank.

He hesitated in his reply, "Um, we don't carry those unless it is the holidays." 

"Isn't it a bone? Like for seasoning soups?" 

"Nope." 

"Let me consult the recipe. I meant ham hock, do you carry ham hocks?" 

"Yes, over here. But you want this instead," pointing to a pork shank. I am pretty sure the butcher feared for my dinner guests as I walked away.

When it was time to eat, the beans were still crunchy. Ick! I followed the recipe, I swear! The only thing I can think is that my crock pot should have been on High instead of Low. I left them in the crock pot for an additional 8 hours overnight on low and it was much better. (As a result, I am changing the recipe to reflect 8 hours on high, rather than low.)

Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound dried red beans, soaked overnight
10 cups water
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 ham hock
4 cups cooked rice

Directions

1.  Place the beans and water into a slow cooker. 

2.  Brown sausage in a skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the slow cooker. 

3.  Add onion, green pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic to the drippings. Cook and stir until tender. Transfer everything from the skillet to the slow cooker.

4.  Season the mixture with pepper and Creole seasoning. Add the fresh basil leaves and ham hock. 

5.  Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until beans are tender. If the bean mixture seems too watery, take the lid off the slow cooker and set heat to High to cook until they reach a creamy - not crunchy!! - texture.

June Supper Club: Louisiana Comfort Food

The Hostess

The Theme

Louisiana Comfort Food 

The Menu

Appetizer: Crab Cakes

Main Dish: Gumbo - chicken and sausage
Side Dishes: Cheesy Grits, Red Beans and Rice, and Cornbread – southern style
Dessert: Cajun Cake

Drink: Sweet Tea, Hurricanes, and Abita beer

Background

Growing up, my mom, who was raised in Louisiana, filled our Massachusetts home with the flavors of the south. I remember visiting my maternal grandmother in Alexandria, Louisiana and driving to back-woods hole-in-the-wall-locals-only restaurants to devour baskets of hot fried catfish and savory hush puppies.

My father's sister and brother-in-law ran a restaurant, The Plantation Manor, in Alexandria. Even after my uncle retired and moved to California, he still cooked up a mean gumbo and 30 years later, we have finally convinced him to dust off his hush puppy recipe.

When I finished my undergraduate degree and was considering where I would pursue my graduate studies, one of my top choices was the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. I spent two exciting years in Knoxville,  and was blessed to eat more than one meal with my classmates' families.  Though Knoxville's traditional dishes are a little different than Louisiana's,  I enjoyed them all the same and today reflect fondly on my memories of sharing comfort food with family.

It made sense, then, that when my turn to host Supper Club came up, I broke cornbread with my Six Kitchen family and created new memories of enjoying  southern comfort food.

Deciding on the menu was only half the fun. With the busy summer months upon us, only three kitchens were able to cook. Heading to my parents' beach house for the weekend, I helped my fellow cooks escape the heat and dish up heaping plates red beans and rice, gumbo, cheesy grits, and cornbread, washing it down with hurricanes, sweet tea, and Abita and topped off with Cajun cake.

While we missed the other kitchens, we all agreed, good southern soul food with good friends is a great way to spend a June evening.

Paella - paˈeʎa

Paella 

(Valencian: [paˈeʎa], Spanish: [paˈeʎa]) 

Though I had heard of this dish, I honestly could not recall ever having it. Just my luck, when it came to pick dishes from Mandy's menu I didn't have much of a choice...two of the dishes involved phyllo which I am an old pro at working with (the pain in the rear that it can be) from many years of helping my mother and grandmother make Baklava. What is the challenge in that? Yes, you read that correctly, the Rookie makes a mean Baklava. And I am not talking about the layered version either. This mama bakes the fancy rolled kind (because until the age of 15 or so, I didn't realize it even came in another shape!) But for those craving that recipe....you'll have to wait. Tonight we cook Paella!

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste (to taste what? Things like this are not help to The Rookie)
 Olive oil
1 pound chorizo sausage, chopped (I used 2 10 oz. packages with is a bit more than 16 oz or 1 lb, depending on your geographic location this could be a challenge to find. )
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 cups chopped tomatoes (when buying a tomato I do not know how many cups it will equate when chopped...so I bought three and hoped for the best)
2 cups white rice
2 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams (drained)
2 cups frozen green peas
1 pinch saffron (if you have never used saffron before, ask a Foodie or Gourmet if they have some you can use...this stuff is not cheap. I am not sure I am willing to spend $18 on a "pinch" of anything)
5 cups boiling chicken broth

 Many of the recipes call for shrimp. As this month's host is allergic, I added more sausage and chicken vice a trip to the emergency room.

 Let's get cooking!

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place the chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag with some flour, salt, and pepper. Close bag (VERY IMPORTANT!). Shake to coat chicken (or give to your four year to do).

In a large skillet, fry the chicken in olive oil until brown and crispy. Set aside.

 Brown the sausage in a skillet and set aside. 
 Place about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and fry onion and garlic until onions are tender. 

To the same skillet, add chopped tomatoes and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. 

 

Add rice to the skillet and mix well.
Put rice mixture, chicken, and sausage in casserole dish.
Add can of clams, peas, saffron, and chicken broth. 

 

Cover casserole dish.
Bake until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. You may need to add more broth if rice is not done.
 

I am not sure if this tasted as desired or not, however I left for Supper Club with two 9x13 dishes and came back with less than enough for the next day's lunch. I think it was a hit (even the kids liked it which is always a plus!).

 
 

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Recipe

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Recipe

Many years ago I visited my friends in Pittsburgh for a long weekend. It was in the fall, and so, the guys had to watch football (well, the guys and some of the gals also). DeLeah brought this outstanding buffalo chicken dip that I could not get enough of. I remember the dip clear as day, I don't have any idea who was playing ball that day (a college in the Midwest, maybe?). I have been making it every holiday since. This pizza reminded me of that dip.

Ingredients

6 fresh or frozen chicken tenders (the Rookie used frozen)
1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite pizzeria ( or have the Foodie made a batch for you)
Cornmeal or flour, to handle dough
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
Some hot sauce (I didn't measure, it depends on your perchance for spice. Frank's Wing Hot Sauce is my go-to sauce when making DeLeah's buffalo chicken dip. However the store did not have it, we are trying a different brand tonight.)
1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes (You could roast them yourself. I didn't.)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a few generous handfuls
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 scallions, thinly sliced

 

Ready? Let's get cooking!

 Directions

Preparing the chicken:
Place chicken tenders in a large ziploc bag, and hot sauce, and smoosh chicken and hot sauce until the chicken is coated in hot sauce. (My 4 year old loved this step.)
Place in fridge to marinate for 3-4 hours.
         Note: If you are using frozen tenders, toss them into the bag while frozen. While the marinate in the fridge they will defrost. Once defrosted, you will be ready to cook them.

Once marinating is complete, remove the chicken from the bag and toss the icky sauce and chicken juice (keep the chicken). Grill the chicken tenders until cooked. Remove the chicken from grill and thinly slice it.

Preparing the sauce:
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and stir in Worcestershire, hot sauce, and tomato sauce.
Add chicken to sauce and coat.

Topping the pizza:  Cover the pizza dough with the saucy Buffalo chicken, cheeses, and scallions.

Cook: Bake 18 minutes or until crisp. (The out of comfort zone element of this month's supper club was cooking the pizza on the BBQ - more on that on the behind-the-scenes-post)


Eat: Enjoy!

 The kids LOVED making their own mini pizzas tonight.

Salt Baked Chicken Recipe

In spite of the name of this dish, it's really not salty. Just juicy and delicious.

Salt Baked Chicken

You will need:

2 1/2 c. boiling water
1 (1 x 2–inch) strip dried tangerine peel
1 (4.5- to 5-pound) roasting chicken
5 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups boiling water and tangerine peel in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid.

2. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub 1 tablespoon salt under skin; let stand 5 minutes. Rinse chicken under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on the rack of a roasting pan; let stand 1 hour at room temperature.

3. Preheat oven to 425°.

4. Transfer chicken to a work surface. Combine remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, shallots, ginger, wine, soy sauce, oil, and honey in a small bowl. Rub 3 tablespoons shallot mixture inside cavity of chicken. Place onions and tangerine peel inside cavity. Rub remaining shallot mixture under loosened skin.

5. Place chicken, breast side up, on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Pour reserved tangerine soaking liquid into a shallow roasting pan; place rack in pan. Bake at 425° for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer registers 165° and skin has turned a dark golden brown color. Let stand 15 minutes. Discard skin, and slice.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

This recipe, based on the one from Cooking Light, was so easy, I may never order take out again.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

You'll need:

1/2 T olive oil
1/2 T sesame oil
2 T minced garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup pineapple chunks

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 T sherry or dry white wine
1 1/2 T Cornstarch
2 tsp brown sugar

1/4 c. cashews

1. Cut chicken into 1/2" pieces.

Tip: If you buy the chicken from the butcher counter at your grocery store, they'll cut it for you.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper, and chicken to pan; sauté until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; set aside.

3. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to pan, and sauté until crisp-tender. Drain pineapple, reserving the 1/2 cup juice. Add 1 cup pineapple chunks to pan; cook 30 seconds.

4. Combine the reserved 1/2 cup juice, soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, and brown sugar in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

5. Return chicken mixture to pan. Stir in juice mixture; bring to boil.

6. Sprinkle with cashews.

7. Save a ton of money by never ordering take out again.

Enjoy!