Stocking up for the New Year…Chicken, Beef and Vegetable Stock

Essentials for the new year…

Hola nerds!

How I have missed you! It has been a busy fall and winter, blah blah blah, excuses, blah, blah, travel, blah, unitentional hiatus…

Now that I have cleared that up, what’s new with you? I hope all has been well!

My brother recently said that I needed to post something asap, because he was really tired of looking at wings. I did not know that my brother was actually visiting the blog, but since he is, I certainly don’t want to cause fatigue and lose him as a reader, so here I am with a new post. This may not actually be what he had in mind, but beggars can’t be choosers.

This one is really more about technique, as there are myriad ways to make stock and pretty much all of them have already been documented on the interwebs, so instead of considering this a recipe, consider it a friendly reminder/suggestion. Make stock, put it in the freezer, use it until you run out, make stock again. Repeat ad infinitum. The work involved is minimal and the payoff is HUGE. The flavor is better than what you get in the store, your house will smell good while you make it, and people will be impressed. Actually, those three reasons pretty much make up the sum total of my rationale for cooking at all…

I value my “stock”pile (ahahahaha) so much that it is the only frozen item that made the move to my new place with me. I make the stock and let it cool and then measure two cup quantities in to quart-sized ziploc bags. Then each stock bag goes into a second ziploc bag to prevent freezer burn. Label with the type of stock, the quantity and the date, and there you go. This is not the most environmentally friendly storage method, but it is the best storage method, and if you label the INSIDE bag, you can use the outside bag again. (Label the bag before you add the stock. This is probably obvious to most, but in case it’s not, take it from me…) (Also, I know you are looking at the photo and saying “but Meghan, those don’t look like ziploc bags…” and you would be correct, but ziploc bags don’t photograph particularly well, so I dirtied some extra dishes for you. You are welcome…) Freezer bags are the best storage because they can be laid flat and stacked on top of each other in the freezer to maximize space. Two cups is a good amount because if you are making soup or risotto, two bags will typically do the trick, and if you need less than that, you will likely be able to use the rest of what you defrosted without it getting lost in the back of your refrigerator for many moons and going to waste…though maybe that kind of thing never happens to you, in which case, carry on.

the beginnings of beef stock

Stock is pretty much the same regardless of type – the main ingredients, the aromatics and water get simmered together for enough time that the water becomes rich flavorful stock rather than boring, flavorless water. Which aromatics and vegetables you choose can depend on the stock you are making, but for the most part, if you have the holy trinity of cooking: onions, carrots and celery, and perhaps some garlic and herbs, you have what it takes. For chicken stock I like to make sure I add thyme, bay leaves, lots of peppercorns and, sometimes, ginger, to brighten it up. For lobster stock I like to add fennel and some tomato paste because they are so suited to lobster, and for vegetable stock I like to add mushrooms, because they deepen the flavor and add the umami-ness that is important when you aren’t including meat. The rules are the same: bring everything to a gentle boil, then reduce the temperature and let the goodness simmer for a couple hours until it’s stock. In the case of beef stock, you want to avoid boiling at all – you just want to bring it to and keep it at a simmer instead – but otherwise, the process is the same.

Make stock my darlings, if you’ve never done it before, it will revolutionize your cooking.

In other news…my 10 things:

I don’t like asking for things, but this one’s for Shania – I am so lucky to call her my homie: http://www.fundraiseforbcrf.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1021963&team=5354081

BostonGLOW: an amazing organization that I am proud to be a part of…small now, but I’m certain it won’t be small for long…

My album of the moment is really not an album at all, just a playlist of ridiculous Top 40 amazingness.

What I am reading: I just finished Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. Amazing and heartbreaking.

I want Tina and Amy to be my best friends. http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/2013-golden-globes/tina-fey-amy-poehler-dazzle-hilarious-golden-globes-014640389.html

Pitch Perfect might be my new favorite movie. Best. Ever.

I guess I have to root for the 49ers in the Super Bowl? Not how I hoped that would go.

Resolutions are tricky, so I am setting goals instead. Because those will totally be easier. Financial, Work, Personal, Fitness, B&G, they’re all covered…we’ll see how it goes. Happy New Year!

It’s the beginning of free week at the casa! If you are new around here, free week is when I decide not to buy any groceries, and just fashion dinners out of what I have in the house. I did cheat and buy eggs today, but I figured that didn’t count, because you can practically buy eggs with pocket change. The menu for free week includes: Penne with fennel, tomatoes and olives inspired by this, cowboy beans from here, spaghetti carbonara (I think I might have figured out how to make this work every time! I will share) meatloaf, soy sesame noodles and sweet pea ravioli with pecorino romano. As you can see, it was high time for a free week. It will not be much of a sacrifice.

I guess that was only nine things…until next time, my lovelies…

Here’s to 2013. I have high hopes.

Be good to one another.

And to the recipes we go…

Beef Stock

Vegetable Stock

Basic Chicken Stock (makes about 3 quarts)

4-5 lbs chicken wings

2 medium onions, quartered

2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, peeled and roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Handful of fresh parsley

2 dried bay leaves

1 tsp peppercorns

Add all ingredients to a large pot with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for two or two and a half hours. Strain the stock through cheese cloth, and store for future use.

Feel free to add leeks if you have them, ginger if you would like to add a little zip and bright flavor or thyme if you want a more herby flavor.

Buffalo Wings for Football Sunday

It’s really fall. I’m sleeping with blankets, wearing boots to the grocery store, listening the college kids partying into the wee hours and making wings for a football Sunday.

a football classic

…At least the wings were successful.

I’m just going to chalk that Pats performance up to a show of solidarity for that smoking wreckage of a baseball team we have up here right now, and figure we’ll all be moving on next week.

***

Buffalo wings are delicious. And actually pretty easy to make. Ingredients are minimal: hot sauce, butter or margarine, and chicken. I like to add a little salt, pepper and cayenne also. You can technically bake these, and I have. They are fine, and they still taste like buffalo wings, but I’m not going to lie, deep-frying them is better. A bit more work, but not much, and worth it I think. Yep, they are more unhealthy, but we are talking about a recipe in which one of the primary ingredients is butter or margarine, so let’s go all in, shall we?

I have made these for years with butter, but I was just reading the most recent Saveur, and apparently, the original recipe – like the Anchor Bar in Buffalo original recipe – used margarine. Which makes sense, since these were invented in the 60′s. I used margarine today to see if it made a difference, and I am not sure if it does, and since margarine is pretty much poison, I will probably stick to butter in the future. But I did come up with another trick. I tossed the wings in just a little corn starch before I fried them. It doesn’t really make a huge difference in the crispiness, but it gives the sauce something to stick to, so it’s a win!

crisp fried and delicious

Wings are a crowd pleaser. They are messy as anything, but that is half the fun. Obviously, blue cheese dressing is a requirement, and it’s always nice to add celery and carrots for health. And just like that, you can skip the bars and strangers and have delicious wings at home! (If you are like me, this is a dream come true.)

Sunday Funday

Buffalo Wings (makes two dozen wings)

24 chicken wing pieces (from twelve wings, separated, tips removed)

1/4 cups corn starch

3/4 cups hot sauce, like Franks

3/4 cups (1.5 sticks) butter or margarine

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

salt and pepper

Peanut or canola oil (or a combination) for frying

Blue cheese dressing (recipe below) celery and carrots for serving

Heat several inches of oil in a dutch oven or other heavy pot to 350 degrees. Toss the wings with the corn starch and salt and pepper. When the oil reaches 350 degrees, shake off the extra corn starch and add half the wings and fry until crispy and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. When finished cooking, remove the first batch from the oil and drain on paper towels. Let the oil come back to 350 degrees and add the second batch of wings.

In the meantime, cook the hot sauce, butter, cayenne, salt and pepper over low heat until the butter melts. Keep mixture warm over low heat until the wings are finished cooking. Toss the wings in the hot sauce mixture and serve with blue cheese dressing and carrots and celery for dipping.

If you want to bake these, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and toss the wings in half the hot sauce mixture. Lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes until the wings the cooked through. Toss with the rest of the hot sauce mixture and serve.

Blue Cheese Dressing (makes about 1 1/4 cups)

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tbl white wine vinegar

Splash of red wine vinegar

4 oz blue cheese crumbles

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine sour cream, buttermilk, vinegars, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add blue cheese and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Weeknight Chicken: Chicken Thighs with Garlicky Crumbs

weeknight chicken (don’t mind the anchovies…)

Warning: This post contains anchovies. I hesitate to warn you because if you are anything like my mom, or if you are my mom, you have probably already stopped reading. And that would be a mistake! Because there is nothing to be scared of. But I was afraid if I didn’t warn you, you would get to the end and discover the tiny fish in the recipe and feel duped, and never trust me again. And after you took all that time to read this…

I hope you stay though, because these are not offensive anchovies. In fact, if you came over and I made this for you and you didn’t already know about the anchovies, I don’t think you’d be the wiser. It would be such a dirty trick (my dad totally does this to my mom – luckily for him she’d rather eat hidden anchovies than cook, so…) but that’s the thing about anchovies. Unless they are sitting there on top of a pizza staring at you, often times you’d never know they were there…

The strangest thing about this recipe is actually not the anchovies at all. It is the fact that you are asked to grill a piece of chicken that has been breaded with breadcrumbs. That is very strange. Until I did it, I couldn’t quite imagine how it was going to work. I suspect the next time I try this (and there will be a next time, because it is delicious) I will try just pan frying it because I did lose some crumbs and presumably they would stick a bit better that way. Or maybe not! There has to be a reason that grilling was suggested in the first place. I will keep you posted

Regardless of the cooking method (you could absolutely bake these too, methinks) these are great. The garlic (lots of it) packs a great punch, the anchovies add a ton of good salty-umaminess and the parsley adds an awesome freshness. It’s an excellent combo. And I would totally make these green beans (or snap peas as the original recipe suggested) by themselves. They were delicious on their own!

You don’t have to be afraid of these ‘chovies, I promise.

don’t fear the anchovies!

Chicken Thighs with Garlicky Crumbs and Green Beans (serves 2)

adapted from Food & Wine

3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and chopped

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

6 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Salt

1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

In a food processor, combine 2 of the anchovy fillets with the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and 1/4 cup of the olive oil; process until evenly blended.

Season the chicken thighs with salt. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the bread crumb mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a pot of boiling, salted water, blanch the green beans until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain and pat dry.

Grill the chicken thighs over moderate heat until they are lightly charred, crisp and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side. Transfer the thighs to a platter.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallots and the remaining anchovy fillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the green beans and cook, tossing a few times, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season the green beans with salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve the chicken with the green beans.

Chicken Tinga Tacos…one of my new favorites

You guys are going to love me for this...

I’m sick again. I may have discovered the kink in my plan to be a person that sleeps less and accomplishes more. All I want to do is lay around, drink smoothies and eat chicken soup. This is on the stove as I type. I’m hoping that by virtue of the almost insane amount of ginger in there, I might actually be able to smell and taste it when it’s finished. It would be about the only thing.

Perhaps my most favorite recent discovery, Chicken Tinga Tacos will likely be in the rotation for some time. I spotted these in the pages of Food & Wine, and may have skipped right over them, but for a recent celebration of Taco Tuesday with the gals at La Verdad, where the Chicken Tingas were our favorite tacos of the evening.

From my very scientific web searches on the topic, it appears Tinga is a stew of braised chicken, pork or beef, with tomatoes, onions, garlic and chipotles in adobo. Which is good, because that’s what it is in this recipe, so it appears we’re on the right track. A couple of the recipes I saw also called for Mexican chorizo (definitely different than Spanish chorizo, if you are reading a recipe that specifies you definitely want to get the right one, Spanish chorizo has the very distinctly flavored Pimenton in the mix, Mexican chorizo uses chile peppers.) I am sure that would also be quite delicious.

This recipe calls for chipotles in adobo. I have mentioned them before for the Chilequiles, and when I finally get a B&G Pantry page together for your viewing pleasure they will definitely be on it. They are spicy and smoky and add a ton of flavor and background smoke and some excellent heat to things. They are also potent. A little goes a long way. I am guessing you can find them in most grocery stores. Whole Foods carries them, and any market with a decent international section probably does too. (I wonder if my dad can get them? I think yes, even in good old small town CT he can find them, so it is looking good for the rest of you.)  They last pretty much forever in the fridge so don’t be afraid to buy a can or two if you see them. They look so innocuous, but they are spicy. Chipotles are, after all, smoke dried jalapeños, and the seeds are still in there.

This would be a great dinner during the week, it only takes about an hour, and better yet, I think the Tinga would only get better with time, though I can’t say I’ve had many leftovers to test this theory. There is also something that feels very Sunday about it, probably the braising part, even though it is a short braise. It also would be great game day food, and easy for a group. I served it the first time with a combo of hard shells* and soft shells – the hard shells won the day – and it would also be great as a tostada topping, or for nachos, or probably on a roll of some sort like pulled pork. And also just with a fork. Or any spare tortilla chips you might have hanging around. (*Do me a favor next time you are making tacos of any kind, heat some oil in a frying pan ¼ – ½ inch, I’d say, fry corn tortillas until they start to get just a bit stiff, then fold them over so they are taco shell-like and fry for another minute until they are just barely brown and crispy, but not stiff and shatter-y like those gross ones you buy in a box. Truly, it makes a world of difference and takes very little work.)

someday we'll talk about that corn...

There are really only a couple of steps. First you brown the chicken thighs in a little oil, then take the chicken out and add some sliced onion. Let it soften and brown a little, then add the garlic, cook for a minute longer, and then add the tomatoes, chipotles in adobo and chicken stock. This combo simmers for about 20 minutes. Turn the heat off for a couple minutes and let it cool slightly, then puree it in a blender, add it back to the pan and add the chicken back in.

pureed

Simmer for another 20-30 minutes and voila! Shred the chicken and you are ready to serve.

shredded

I serve mine with corn tortillas, either fried into hard shells or just warmed in foil in the oven. Cotija cheese is a must, and I like avocado and something pickled too, radishes or red onion. And finish it with a squeeze of lime.

toppings

Hold UP. I think, I THINK I just saw a commercial for TGI Fridays that involved allusions to romance and cute bartenders. Is Fridays a martini bar now? With an app and entree combo for $10? When did that happen?

Is there ANOTHER GOP debate tonight? Are there more debates this primary season than ever before? Doesn’t it seem that way?

I am trying to turn over a new leaf in 2012. I am trying not to let people annoy me for no reason. It’s their life, and if they want to jump around like a fool like the Sweaty McHeadband in my kickboxing class, or kill themselves with cancer sticks like half the people I get stuck behind walking to work, that’s their problem, not mine. It means I will be putting the next blog I wanted to start, peopleiwanttopunchintheface.wordpress.com on the back burner for the time being. Here’s to new beginnings!

I’ve gotten locked in my bathroom twice in the last week. I thought I was going to waste away on the floor of the smallest bathroom in the world. It was terrifying so I took the doorknob off. Now there is no doorknob, but also no chance of getting locked in there. Probably time to talk to the landlord.

I am currently obsessed with Ryan Adams’ “Easy Tiger.”

I am reading The Line of Beauty, and am having difficulty getting into it, but that is probably because I don’t get in bed to read until about 11pm and one of my eyes is already pretty much shut from exhaustion.

This is awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9NF2edxy-M

So is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF9-sEbqDvU and this (even better): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta9K22D0o5Q&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

And now, please enjoy your Tinga…

Chicken Tinga Tacos (serves 6-8, probably with leftovers)

adapted from Food & Wine

1/4 cup plus 2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 lbs trimmed, skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 canned chipotles in adobo, coarsely chopped

1 cup chicken broth

24 corn tortillas

Cotija cheese, avocado, pickled onions, slaw or toppings of your choice

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, add it to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned, about 12 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and pour off the fat.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and then add the onion. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned and softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the chipotles and the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and slightly reduced, 20 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to a food processor and let cool for 15 minutes. Puree until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Add the sauce back to the pan and add the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer the sauce and chicken over medium low heat until the meat is tender and the sauce is very thick and darkened around the edges. Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm them in the oven for about 10 minutes or fry into hard shells.

Shred the meat, spoon about 3 tablespoons of chicken onto each tortilla and sprinkle with the crumbled cheese and toppings of your choice.

Chicken Tinga Tacos

Weeknight Chicken Volume 5ish…Chicken Thighs with Rosemary and Brown Sugar

weeknight chicken in the truest sense...

A couple of weeks ago, I had taken chicken out of the freezer for a mid week weeknight chicken dinner and recipe to share with you guys, but then I never actually came up with a plan for it, so I got home on the night I was going to make chicken with defrosted thighs and no plan. I wandered around and stared aimlessly at my cookbooks, and picked up one of the Fine Cooking compilations that they do (I highly recommend picking them up when you see them in the bookstore, I think they do them a couple of times a year) devoted to chicken. They didn’t have anything in there that called my name this particular evening (though there is a fab recipe for braised chicken with tomatoes and fennel that I love and will share with you when the weather is more appropriate for it) but it did make me think of another Fine Cooking chicken recipe that my Auntie A. now considers a family fave – Grilled Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Sweet & Sour Orange Dipping Sauce. The name cracks me up, because I feel like it doesn’t sound at all like what it is. In my case, it was whole thighs (bone-in, with skin) coated with oil, brown sugar, rosemary and spices, and grilled, inside on the grill pan, to a delicious finish. I didn’t bother with the sauce.

The original recipe uses boneless skinless thighs, served with the sauce for dipping, which would also be tasty, I’d imagine, so perhaps one day I’ll try it. But my modification suited me just fine. It was really good, and crazy fast, and while I would recommend doing this outside on a grill if you can, because I think that would make it easier to control the heat and the char, etc., or maybe try roasting the thighs with the oil and rub, with a little diligence, these worked just fine inside. (To be sure, the boneless skinless thighs would certainly be easier and quicker inside, but taking the thighs off the bone would not have been quicker, for sure, and removing chicken skin and just throwing it away makes me sad, because, you know, chicken skin…delish. Maybe next time I can try to get the thighs off the bone but keep the skin. Experiment!)

chicken with rosemary and brown sugar (and look at the compound butter!)

These are a little spicy from the red pepper flakes, and a little sweet from the sugar. The rosemary flavor is awesome – I am sometimes a little wary of rosemary because it is strong and woody and can be overly prominent at times, but not here. It’s great here. And it was great for lunch the next day too. I made some small smashed potatoes to go with it, and tossed them with garlic scape compound butter (compound butters are miraculous – I will post about those) and had a kind of unexpectedly great last minute dinner. And it would have been even easier had I more space to spread out on a grill…the size of the grill pan makes it very hard to grill anything off of direct heat, obviously, so I did have to pay attention. I imagine the grill would add a smoky flavor too, which would be great, if that’s the kind of thing that revs your engine. Maybe I will try roasting it next time to see what that does…and maybe marinating it with all the good stuff for a couple hours or a day would intensify the flavors a little bit (more experiments!) Anyway, this was really tasty and really easy, even easier and tastier than I expected, so I recommend it wholeheartedly!

So now, I have some questions for you…

A) Are you in the northeast corridor and did you feel the earthquake today? Crazy! (heh)

B) Does anyone know what happened to summer? Because it is fall. And while fall is my most favorite season of all, we totally got the short shrift on summer this year. It didn’t start until Memorial Day and it is going to end in mid-August? Nonsense.

C) What should I do to make B&G better? I would like to do some work on this here little spot over the next couple of months, and have a new and improved B&G for 2012…what should I change/fix?

What I am listening to: The National, Boxer, and Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine. John Prine is awesome (also, hilarious) and this is an awesome compilation of awesome people singing his awesome songs.

What I am reading: “Brideshead Revisited” Evelyn Waugh – just starting it. Can’t wait to finish it and then Netflix the mini-series and the movie. Favorite game ever. Also, I am glad I am not a boy whose name is Evelyn.  I imagine that isn’t easy.

All my pics from this dish were pretty much exactly the same...whatevs.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Rosemary and Brown Sugar (serves 3-4, depending on appetite)

Adapted from Fine Cooking

1 tbl minced fresh rosemary

2 tsp dark brown sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 tbl canola oil, plus more for the grill

6 chicken thighs (or chicken pieces of choice)

Heat a grill pan over medium heat for several minutes until hot. In the meantime, mix together the rosemary, salt, sugar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and set aside. Toss the chicken pieces with 2 tbl of canola oil, and rub with the rosemary mixture to coat well. When you are ready to put the chicken on the grill, rub the grill with a bit of the oil to prevent sticking. Cook chicken thighs turning and moving frequently to prevent burning, until cooked through – juices run clear when pricked with a fork or knife or internal temperature is 175 on an instant thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone – (20 minutes or so?) When chicken is cooked through, remove from the heat and let rest for five minutes. Serve with sides of your choice. So easy! Leftovers don’t suffer. (NOTE: my tendency is to salt things once I take them off the heat and before serving. Resist the urge to do so with these, the rub is pretty salty. Wait until you’ve tasted it.)

Bacon Update!

Day 5

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chicken…and rambling

Oh man, I’m sorry these things take me so long, you must be sick of me making excuses, so you know what? I’m not going to anymore. To quote 50 Cent “my s(tuff)* coming out WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT.” (*He did not say “stuff.”) Fiddy’s my new guru of life. Did you know he’s writing a Young Adult novel about bullying? There are so many things wrong with that sentence, and yet, it’s totally true.

And since we’re talking about books, you guys, I am in the nerdiest pickle right now. Everything I am reading is SO FREAKIN GOOD that I can’t decide what to read at any given moment and I am pretty much paralyzed with the inability to choose and I am accomplishing nothing. Seriously. It’s a problem. I can’t get anything done (for instance, the bulk of this post is already written, by hand, in a notebook, can I type it up? No I cannot) because I have to spend so much time reading because I can’t just pick one thing. Nerd. Alert. The New Yorker is amazing, and I am reading “Blood Bones and Butter” by Gabrielle Hamilton and apparently she cooks better than she writes which is unreal and seems impossible because the book is crazy good, plus! I was in my friendly neighborhood Borders the other day (is anyone else a member of Borders rewards? I got an e-mail the other day saying I had $10 in Borders Bucks to spend before the end of the month, so I better get on in there. And it worked! I actually had $10 that I could use on anything! How did I get that?) and I saw THIS.

Because I need something else to subscribe to

Oh my gosh you guys, David Chang, my chef/celebrity crush (does anyone know him? Can I meet him? Can I get a reservation to his restaurants? I have to go to NY obvs, but I will do that. I will go and spend an entire weekend eating at only his restaurants and I think I would be crazy happy with that. Anyone want to join me?) HAS A MAGAZINE. And it is published by McSweeney’s so it is awesome on top of awesome. It is apparently a going to be a quarterly (this is the first issue) and there are no advertisements and all sorts of great people contribute to it and OH MY GOD. Each issue is going to have a different theme and this one is Ramen and did you know you can write an entire amazing magazine with Ramen as your theme? There are a few diversions, but there are recipes! And so much Chang! And it was exactly $10 so it was also FREE! My head is going to explode.

OK, and one more thing, real quick, since we’re talking about books. I love my Kindle. Love. So psyched to be headed off to vacation with my little Kindle loaded with about six unread books and four back issues of the New Yorker, because you know I would have not been able to choose and would have brought all of those with me in book and magazine form if they weren’t on my Kindle, but books! Oh my gosh, please people, keep buying books so they don’t disappear. They’re so pretty and creative and I just love being around them. I am currently obsessed with finding all the books I read and loved when I was little and hoping they are still somewhere in my parents’ house. Because I would read the heck out of them again. My parents were not in to the television when we were little (for us, they totally watched) because it rots your brain and also because there were all sorts of inappropriate things on there that they wanted to avoid us seeing. But books, we could read as much as we wanted and we could read ANYTHING we wanted. The logic being, even if you are reading the words on the page your imagination and experiences filter what you are reading, which I think is totally true. Case in point. I read Clan of the Cave Bear the summer between 5th and 6th grade. I may be wrong but I am fairly certain that would be (or is?) totally a rated R movie and there was no way I would have been watching that. But, what I remember of it is sitting during swim period at the day camp that I went to with a friend who also read a ton and reading the sex parts to each other and laughing and laughing and laughing. What I didn’t realize at the time, was that first sex part? Forcible and NOT at all funny, but since I had no concept of that, I totally missed it. I forget where this was going, but anyway, books are awesome. And if you didn’t read Christopher Pike or VC Andrews or any of the Clan of the Cave Bear series you totally should. (I had some some intriguing taste in books. Like, A Wrinkle in time was not murder-y or warped love triangle-y enough for me or something? Geez. I wonder what a therapist would say. Also, I think I need to read all of these books again. They were so good! I really should get a therapist.) Another interesting note, I still can not watch scary movies. Scream? Never saw it. I mean, that was basically a Christopher Pike novel, of which I read every single one, but forget the movie. I’d still be terrified. Same with Silence of the Lambs. Read it in like seventh grade maybe? I read the mass market paperback that tied in with the movie, which came out in 1991, so seventh grade sounds right. Still have never seen the movie. I think I would like to? I’ve thought about it. But not by myself. Seriously, I have no idea where this is going. We’ll talk about food now?

Sorry. There is also a caveat before I actually get started with this recipe…I’m calling this a weeknight chicken recipe, but it’s probably not really a weeknight chicken recipe exactly, since I would say that noodles are the main event here, but! it is definitely for weeknights, and it definitely has chicken in it, so I’m counting it. It’s also too good not to share immediately.

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chicken

This is a recipe courtesy of my mom…she didn’t make it up, but she used to make it all the time, and has no recollection of where it originally came from, so she wins by default. Cold Sesame Noodles is the name of this game. Tahini, sesame oil, soy sauce, sambal, garlic, scallions, red wine vinegar and oil, and then a bit of water to thin it out, and that’s it. There are a lot of recipes for Cold Sesame Noodles online, and many or most of them have peanut butter and sugar in them. The pb I sort of get, but these aren’t peanut noodles, they are sesame noodles, and this recipe relies solely on sesame paste. The sugar I don’t totally get, but like I said, very common, so maybe I’ll try one of those recipes at some point and compare.

I enjoyed this for dinner and several lunches as the main event, but it may be intended as a side dish, which is how my mom usually served it. But what it is really perfect for is a picnic, a potluck, a bar-b-q or whatever because you can make it ahead of time and it really is better cold. The first night I made it I couldn’t wait, so I had some that night when it was still warm, but they really, truly are better cold.

The process is easy. Poach some chicken and then use the very same water to boil some linguine. While those things are happening, chop some scallions and mix up a quick dressing, and that is it. Shred the chicken and mix it all together and voila, dinner or covered dish or side or on the go food (I packed these in containers for my sibs for our road trip last week. I was mocked for the chinese food containers I used, but they put a sock in it when they started eating.) This is great for the summer because it is minimal work and best enjoyed cold. I am probably going to make some more this week because it is stifling in my apartment. Cold food is good.

One more thing, I made a serious omission in my last post when I was mentioning blogs. I forgot to tell you about this one. Healthy Adventures with Adrienne Martin. Adrienne is a gorgeous funny awesome lady that I used to work with at the restaurant, and she has a cute husband and two cute girls and I want to be as cool as her when I grow up. She is very devoted to encouraging people to live their best life and doing the same herself and I suspect if anyone ever is going to convince me to put kale in a blender and drink it, it will be her. She has an exciting new project coming up that I can’t wait to see. Also, without her encouragement, I am not sure B&G would exist. Good luck Adrienne!

Also, really the last thing, listen to Vampire Weekend when you get a chance. I love them and they make me smile and they seem perfect for the summer.

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chicken (serves 4ish…depending on size of appetite and how you are serving it. I got four dinner/lunches out of it for me. My brother might get one out of this amount. Maybe two if he was feeling generous.)

1 large boneless chicken breast

1/2 lb dried linguine

1 tsp plus 1 tbl sesame oil

1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)

3 tbls water (or to desired consistency)

2 tsp sambal oelek (or chile oil, sambal has a bit more heat-you will probably be able to find it in a grocery store with a decent ethnic food section, you will definitely be able to find it in an Asian grocery. If you can not. Use chile oil, which you will be able to find. Totally interchangeable here.)

3 tbl soy sauce

2 tbl red wine vinegar

1/4 cup peanut or canola oil

2 tbl minced garlic (mince pretty fine, it stays raw in the final dish)

3 scallions, chopped

Bring chicken breast to boil in a large pot of water over high heat. When water boils, turn the heat off and let the chicken sit for 10-15 minutes until cooked through and then remove from the water. Bring the water to boil again and salt it well. Cook pasta until al dente, and then drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Add the pasta back to the cooking pot, toss with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, and set aside.

In the meantime, mix the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the scallions, together with enough of the water to make a runny, but still fairly thick, dressing and set aside. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, shred it and add it, with the chopped scallions, to the pasta pot. Pour the dressing over and toss to combine. Let the pasta cool and serve cold or at room temperature with a sprinkling of kosher salt. Leftovers improve.

In which I make some more chicken…

Ahoy mateys!

I have been BUSY! I have been cooking, but also doing other things, like throwing a baby shower, hanging out at the beach, playing golf for the first time…busy. I have lots of things to tell you about: two weeknight chickens, banana bread, softshell crab two ways, pesto, Congo Bars/7 layer bars/Hello Mollys, fish tacos, brownies, leek and lobster bread pudding…SO MANY THINGS! Today though, I am going to talk about weeknight chicken again, because I have a good one for you.

three teacup chicken

I have actually made three teacup chicken once before, but it was a bit different. The first time I did it I used chicken breast pieces. I liked it this way better. First of all, dark meat chicken, second of all, less prep, third of all, I just liked it better, k?

The name comes from the measurements in the sauce. Apparently a small Chinese teacup is approximately a quarter of a cup, and the three major ingredients in the sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar are each one of the three teacups. This recipe uses chicken legs, but the cooking was pretty much the same for both, which was interesting, because it meant cooking whole chicken legs in the wok, which I had not done before (never fear, if you are wok-less, this one could totally be done in a high sided saute pan just as well.)

This is super easy.

In the wok.

Brown the chicken over medium high heat, add ginger and garlic, and then the sauce ingredients, cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, then remove the chicken and reduce the sauce for a minute or two then serve. Delicious! I served it over rice and it was mighty tasty. And super quick.

mmmmm mmmm...

Some thoughts:

1. Fellas, listen up, this one’s for you. Some life lessons, totally free, courtesy of me.

• If a lady hasn’t asked you for a picture of your genitalia…don’t send it to her via Twitter. Or actually, at all, don’t send it at all, via any medium. (I may not know all ladies, but I can pretty much guarantee if she didn’t ask for it, she doesn’t want to see it. Also? Some vocab for you: harassment. Look it up.)
• If a lady does ask you for a picture, and you’ve never actually met her…don’t send it (and maybe reconsider your social media relationships…she sounds like no good.)
• If a lady does ask you for a picture, and you have met her, but you are married and she IS NOT YOUR WIFE…don’t send it. Seriously. I can’t believe we still have to have this conversation.
• If a lady asks you for a picture, and you’ve met her, and she is currently your wife, but you are, hope to be, thought about being, or have a loved one who is or hopes to be in a public office, maybe still?…DON’T SEND IT OVER TWITTER/FACEBOOK/THE INTERWEBS. Seriously. It is a TERRIBLE IDEA. Also, potentially super creepy. KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. I hope we all learned something today. You are welcome.

2. Listening tip of the week. Adele. She’s not new if you’ve been paying attention, but she’s just awesome all the time. 

3. I almost had to play the Slap a Stranger game recently when a weirdo got in the revolving door compartment with me. Seriously, just jumped right in. Lucky for his well being I was too shocked to hand out anything but a death stare. 

4. I am curious about kimchi. Everyone talks about how awesome it is, but the description of it usually includes the word “funky.” Am I crazy for thinking that doesn’t sound super delicious? Luckily, I happen to know a Korean food expert, and I am hoping he can enlighten me. 

5. I’ve discovered food trucks and I’m in love…if you are in Boston, find yourself a clover truck and try the chick pea fritter sandwich. It is definitely the most popular sandwich from a very popular truck for a reason. 

6. I played golf for the first time this weekend. I was not good. But I had very patient teachers who tried their best not to laugh at me, which I appreciated. And I kind of liked it! New hobby!

7. So I have a book recommendation for you. (Things is getting crazy up in here!) The NeverEnding Story. NOT the movie. The movie, as it turns out, sucks a lot by comparison. Read the book. And then watch the movie again. Because the special effects are HI-lariously bad.

8. It’s SUMMER! Finally! I can’t even tell you how excited I am. I have had two epic good weather weekends in a row. It is fantastic. I missed it so.

Three Teacup Chicken (serves 4)

Adapted from Serious Eats and Simply Recipes

3 whole star anise

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup sugar

2 tbls Shaoxing rice wine

½ tsp vegetable oil

4 chicken legs, skin on (or, if you’d rather, use 1½ – 2 lbs breast or thigh meat, cut into bite size pieces*)

4 garlic cloves, smashed

One 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into 6 or 8 pieces.

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, lightly toasted and ground (I did not have these, apparently to my complete detriment. I threw in some red pepper flakes for heat, and it still tasted delicious, though I guess I’m missing out. Next time.)

½ cup chicken stock

Whisk together star anise, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and rice wine (and red pepper flakes if you are using) in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Place a large wok over high heat. (Recipe note: I used my wok to do two legs and it was great, but it’s not huge, so four may have been too crowded. A sauté pan would also work just fine (and maybe better if you are making four legs at a time, just make sure you use a high-sided one that is not too big, so the sauce doesn’t evaporate too quickly.) When it starts to smoke, pour in oil. Swirl oil around, and then add chicken legs skin side down. Adjust heat to medium-high and cook without moving or touching until they are browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken legs, and add garlic and ginger. Continue cooking until the other side is browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add Sichuan peppercorns if you are using, soy sauce mixture, and chicken stock. Toss chicken pieces with sauce. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until juices run clear, about 12 minutes. Remove legs and set aside on a plate.

Turn heat to medium-high, and reduce sauce until it lightly coats the back of a spoon, stirring often. Serve chicken legs with sauce with rice or a vegetable.

*If you are using pieces in a wok you may want to add the in two batches so you don’t crowd the wok and lower the temperature significantly, add the first batch, toss for a minute or two, then remove and add the second and toss for a minute or two before adding the first batch back in and adding the sauce. Additionally they may only take about 5-6 minutes TOTAL to cook through, add the sauce mixture after a minute or two, and then remove chicken when cooked through and reduce sauce as detailed.

Empanadas, finally…

Oh empanadas, I so wish you were pretty. You are just so beige.

empanadas!

But you deserve so  much more! I want you to be as fantastic on the outside as you are on the inside! I know it’s the inside that counts, but still, it doesn’t seem fair…sigh.

I made these for the first time at least six months ago, and they really are some of the most delicious things I have ever made, but I have been hesitant to share them with you because they really aren’t very pretty. Mostly my fault, as crimping empanada dough is apparently my kryptonite and they just end up looking so haggard all the time, but also because their natural hue is kind of yellowish and the lighting in my house does them no favors. Same could be said for banana bread, which I can not manage to get a good picture of…working on it.

The recipe is initially from Gourmet, but I discovered it on Smitten Kitchen. She made these back in 2007 and at the time said they were one of the best things she ever made, which I figured was saying a lot. They did not disappoint. Empanadas are Spanish, and the guess is that they were an adaptation of the samosas brought to Spain by the Moors. They then made their way to South America, and that seems to be now where they are most enjoyed. They can be filled with anything, but often they include olives and raisins, which are a interesting and delicious combo of sweet and salty. These have olives and raisins, as well as chicken and chorizo and a lot of onions.

filled

The chicken gets browned and then finished in with the rest of the filling which gets quite saucy. The chicken gets shredded and the finished filling is a delight.

filling

My issues come with the forming of the empanadas…I can not get them to look good. Crimping dough is the worst and I just can’t do it so they look pretty. It’s annoying. The dough itself is great, butter, flour, eggs and vinegar. I, taking Deb’s advice, sub in some whole wheat flour and have really liked the results.

There’s really not much else to say about these other than they are just SO good. They freeze well after baking, and they are good room temperature, but better warm. They are great for parties, or watching games, or bringing in for lunches or pretty much any time. They do take some time to make and put together, but they are so worth it. Make them. Make them now, or as soon as you have a couple of hours. Seriously. You will be very popular.

heaven

Some thoughts for a Sunday:

1. ARNOLD! What. The. Hell? You know what I would be angriest about? Not that it happened in the first place (though, also, yes, potential future husband, I WILL be mad if it happens in the first place) but that he supported the kid for MORE THAN TEN YEARS without telling her, and then, AND THEN, only when it would no longer hurt his political career did he mention it. Ultimate worst husband ever.

2. Watching The Social Network. Armie Hammer is cuuuuute.

3. Trying to trade out my summer and winter clothes even though it’s May and it’s 50 degrees. Why do I live in Boston?

4. I finished Freedom. I liked The Corrections better.

5. Did I mention the headwear when I was discussing my desire to be British? Because that’s really the best part. The hats and the polo. I need hats to be a thing here, and pronto.

6. I’ve never had a banh mi sandwich and I would like to change that…there might be a lunch adventure in my future, I’ll have a do some research and find out where to get a good one.

7. I need a visit to San Francisco stat. It has been way too long. Being there recharges my batteries.

Empanadas with Chicken and Chorizo (makes 2 dozen)

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Gourmet

Dough:

4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (sub in 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour if you’d like)

3 tsp salt

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 large eggs

2/3 cup ice water

2 tbls distilled white vinegar

Filling:

3 whole chicken legs, including thighs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds total)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 1/2 tbl olive oil

2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

1/3 cup finely diced Spanish chorizo (cured spiced pork sausage; 1 1/2 oz; casings discarded if desired)

1/2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika (not hot)

1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Egg Wash:

One egg, beaten

1 tbl water

Make Dough: Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.) Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into two flat rectangles and chill them, each wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour. Dough can be chilled up to 6 hours total.

Make Filling: Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 6 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaves in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

Transfer chicken to a clean plate. (Sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it’s not, briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.) When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Fill and Bake: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Divide the dough into two dozen equal pieces. Keeping remaining pieces covered, roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 5-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick).

Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling onto center and fold dough in half, enclosing filling. Press edges together to seal, then crimp decoratively with your fingers or a fork. Transfer empanada to a baking sheet. Make the remaining empanadas the same way, arranging on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.

Lightly brush empanadas with some of egg wash and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

delectable

Chicken with Caramelized Shallots: In which I share my first installment…

Weeknight chicken vol. I

So I had this idea. As you may have figured out, my ideas often stop there, so I won’t make any promises, but I’m hoping to start some kind of regular (meaning weekly? I know! It would be unbelievable!) weeknight chicken posts around here. I eat A LOT of chicken, and I suspect a lot of other meat eaters do too. Chicken is popular, not fussy, easy to find, cheap compared to other animal proteins and so amenable to variation. I find, in theory, chicken bores me a little, probably for all of the aforementioned reasons, but in practice, I love it, probably for all the same aforementioned reasons…

I almost always have chicken in the freezer. I buy chicken legs or chicken leg quarters in bulk and freeze them in pairs so that I have them whenever I need something. Whole Foods has very convenient perforated packages of two, or if they are having a sale on bulk wrapped, I just bring them home and separate them. And I definitely prefer chicken legs and dark meat to breasts. They don’t dry out as easily and have way more flavor.

I am always on the look out for easy but delicious sounding post-work chicken options, the orange chicken is one, the chicken dopiaza qualifies too. I’ve mentioned chicken and leeks on here, and I will definitely blog about that one day, and I have a couple other recipes that I am excited to share with you that would fall into this catagory too. A couple caveats: easy weeknight chicken, in this case, doesn’t necessarily mean it is going to be on the table 15 minutes after you get home, but I would count it as easy weeknight chicken if it can be on the table (or coffee table, or tray table or lap) in an hour, and you are not chained to the stove for that entire hour. Recipes that you can easily consider making after work, that don’t require hours of free time on a Sunday to prep and then cook…a couple of them might require some quick prep the night before for marinating and what not, but it only counts if that is minimal too. Those are my guidelines…if your guidelines for weekday meals are different, take this with a grain of salt (or a take out menu or a box of pasta or whatever you have time for after work!)

This one came from David Lebovitz (of the ice cream fame and I just noticed when I went back to find that link that I totally spelled his name wrong…sorry David, I was a young naive (and apparently rude) blogger…my sincerest apologies!) If I wasn’t sold when “caramelized shallots” was right in the name of the recipe, the fact that the recipe included soy sauce, the holy grail of condiments, closed the deal. Also, that it looked so easy – one pan, not much to clean up – SOLD.

The recipe calls for a whole chicken in eight pieces. I used chicken legs and since it was just for one, I cut down on the other ingredients too – not by half, because I wanted lots of shallot-y goodness, but by about a third. It initially calls for four large shallots. I am not sure what they mean by large but we get some doozies around me. They are more like small onions than shallots, if you ask me. Big. I used three for this, and there were a lot of them.

Anyway, the shallots get minced and mixed in the bottom of a baking pan with oil, vinegar and soy sauce, and then the chicken gets tossed with that mixture.

extra shallot-y

At this point it goes into the oven for 20 minutes, after which the chicken gets flipped over and it cooks for another 20 minutes while the chicken cooks through and the shallots get very soft and delicious. And that’s it!

I served with pearl couscous that I cooked and then sauteed quickly in a little bit of brown butter, and miso-glazed carrots, which also couldn’t be easier, just carrots simmered until cooked through, then miso and butter gets added to the remaining cooking water and it reduces for another minute or two until carrots are glazed and tasty. Easy!

glazed

Leftovers are great, and I used two chicken leg quarters and a box of pearl couscous and got dinner and three lunches out of it. (I used four carrots and got two servings out of those…) I would say a whole chicken would easily serve four, though I suppose if there are some very hungry individuals in that group they might disagree with me.

weeknight dinner is served

1. So I have taken to drinking my gimlets out of mason jars.

sample in a jar

I don’t know if it’s cute in the manner of Coastal Living, or if it is so twee that I deserve a face smash. Please advise.

2. When is it going to get warm here? It’s mid May…I’m ready.

3. I made something RI-donculous this weekend. Leek and lobster bread pudding. Are. You. Kidding. Me. Add it to the list of things I need to tell you about…

4. There are days that I wish that the only thing I had to accomplish was reading my book. Today is one of those days. (My book right now is Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. It is a monster. I think I am loving it?) Related: I am having a hard time switching exclusively to Kindle, both because I really love books, and because of the number I books I have to read at home already that aren’t on my Kindle. It may be a long transition, though my New Yorker subscription is on it, so it gets some love every day too.

5. Music recommendation of the day: Neko Case. Anything she does is great. I love her voice. (Eek! She’s coming to Boston. Yay!)

Chicken with Caramelized Shallots (serves 4)

From David Lebovitz

3 tbls olive oil

3 tbls red wine vinegar

1 tbl soy sauce

4 large shallots, peeled and minced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

One whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or eight of your preferred chicken pieces)

A handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).

In a baking dish that will hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer, mix the olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, shallots, and some salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in the mixture, so they’re completely coated with the shallots. Turn the chicken pieces so they are all skin side up.

Roast the chicken for about twenty minutes, until it starts to brown on top. Turn the pieces of chicken over. Scrape any juices and shallots over the chicken that may be clinging to the pan, and bake for another twenty minutes, or until the pieces of chicken are cooked through and the shallots are well-caramelized. Remove from oven and toss in the chopped parsley, then serve.

Miso Glazed Carrots (serves 2)

(I got this idea from somewhere, couldn’t begin to tell you where…)

4 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into half inch rounds

2 tbl butter

1 heaping tbl white miso

pepper to taste

Put the peeled carrots in a small saucepan with about 1 1/2 cups water, and simmer, over medium heat, until carrots are almost cooked through (the water will have reduced significantly, you still want some in the pan to make the sauce though, so if you need to add more, do.) Add the butter and the miso to the still simmering water, and stir until both are incorporated into a sauce. Continue cooking until carrots are cooked through and sauce is reduced slightly to a glaze. Add fresh pepper and serve.

In which I may have found a winner…

Remember how I roasted a lot of chickens last year and I thought I would do some kind of project to figure out the best one and then I decided they were all pretty awesome and I gave up trying to find the best? Remember that? Well, I may have given up one chicken too soon.

It’s a football Sunday with out my Pats. So I find myself rooting for the Steelers? I guess? I don’t know. The Jets are Satan, you can’t root for Satan. I thought I was rooting for the Packers, but then Chicago made a run with a third string quarterback, so I shifted my loyalties there only to be disappointed…whatever, pretty much I don’t care. My house smells great, and that’s all that matters.

Today I made bread and chicken. I can’t think of anything on earth that makes your kitchen smell better than baking bread and roasting a chicken. It’s oven nirvana over here. The bread was the no knead variety. I shared my no knead experience with you before. This was another success.

Oh my

Please, if you are a nervous baker, or you are unsure of yourself in the kitchen, please make this. You really can’t go wrong, and pulling this beauty out of your oven will make you gleeful and proud and confident. I’m not sure why I haven’t been making this every weekend.

Another thing that couldn’t be easier and impresses people like nobody’s business? Roasting a chicken. Any which way you do it is pretty awesome. And this particular method is fantastic. And if you are skeptical that one roasted chicken (this one) could be so much better than others (all the rest) I will let you in on the secret. This would be Thomas Keller’s roasted chicken. So…

There were a couple more steps than normal, but mostly crazy easy. I did leave it uncovered in the fridge for a couple days. It dries out the skin so it gets super crispy as it cooks. TK also suggests trussing the bird. This is not a step I usually bother with, but if TK is telling me to, I figured I would give it a shot. First I seasoned the cavity with salt and pepper and stuffed it with garlic and thyme. And then I trussed. It was an easy truss. I will show you.

First, I tucked the wing tips underneath and looped the twine under the back of the chicken with the drumsticks pointing towards me.

Step 1

Then I pulled the twine tight and tied it to plump up the breasts. Heh.

Step 2: Chicken push up bra

Then I looped the twine underneath the tips of the drumsticks.

Step 3

And then you pull the twine tight and tie a knot. That’s it!

Ta-da! Trussed

The chicken roasts on a bed of vegetables. In my case, small potatoes, leeks, onion, parsnips, carrots and garlic. Those, some thyme, salt and pepper went in the cast iron with a little bit of canola oil. TK suggests rutabagas and turnips and leaves out the parsnips. Those did not sound appealing to me.

veggies

The chicken goes right on top and roasts at high temps for a little over an hour. Then chicken, glorious chicken.

crispy and juicy and delicious

And the veggies are so good. The chicken rests for 20 minutes, and right before you are ready to carve and serve, you turn the heat on under the veggies and toss them in the fat and juices. Awesome.

eat your veggies

This is so easy, and really perfect for a Sunday in the winter. Especially if there’s snow.

Thoughts for the day:

1. Yesterday was my bro’s 3oth birthday. That’s just crazy. Happy Birthday KT

2. There is MORE snow. This is nuts. Apparently we’ve had a snowier first couple of months of winter than the first months of the snowiest of all the snowy winters in the world (by world I mean Boston, obvs) or something like that. A lot.

3. Current song on repeat for me: “Don’t Carry It All” from the new Decemberists album. I love that guy’s voice.

4. I NEED to own this dress. But the problem is, besides needing to own it, I don’t really need to own it. Nothing that I need it for and not in my budget. Perhaps both of those things will change while the dress is still available? A girl can dream. And actually, it’s probably ok, because I am not sure I could decide between the navy and the orange. Because the navy! So cute! Sort of nautical! But the orange! With a tan? Could you imagine? Clearly it’s for the best. But with wedges? SO CUTE.

5. I would like someone to come up with a rule that it is ok to wear sequins everyday. I have a sequins skirt, and if I could wear it every day, like to the office and stuff, that would be great. Awesome, actually. But, seeing how easily distracted I am by shiny stuff, this rule should maybe only apply to me, because otherwise I wouldn’t get anything done.

6. Remember how I told you 2011 was pretty miz so far? I came up with a GREAT plan. Chinese New Year. It’s next week and I am celebrating it. There is going to be a feast. Welcome Year of the Rabbit. Maybe it wasn’t 2010/beginning of 2011 that was so craptastic (and yet occsaisonally awesome) maybe it was the Year of the Tiger that did me wrong. The timing makes sense.

7. I found a recipe for Homemade Samoas (aka Caramel de-Lites.) Are. You. Kidding. Me. Guess what I am making as soon as I have a minute?

8. Oprah has a sister. That is maybe the luckiest twist of fate ever. Could you imagine if you were just hanging around your living room one day and you discovered you were OPRAH’S SISTER? It’s not like a want to trade sisters, I love my sisters, but if Oprah was an additional sister, I would not complain. I bet new sister gets to go to the taping of her “Favorite Things” episode.

9. I started Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. I got a little distracted and skipped a day, but going forward if I can’t figure out how to get this done every day I am a total loser. It is only 22 minutes and involves nothing even remotely complicated (difficult, yes, complicated, no.)

10. I apologize for my non food related post rambling…these things are getting weirder and weirder.

I am printing this recipe just like TK instructed, but as I mentioned, I switched up some of the vegetables.

Thomas Keller’s Roasted Chicken (serves 4 or 2 with delish leftovers.)

from Ad Hoc at Home

One 4 to 4 1/2 lb chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

6 thyme sprigs

2 large leeks

3 tennis-ball-sized rutabagas

2 tennis-ball-sized turnips

4 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut in half

1 small yellow onion, trimed, leaving root end intact, and cut into quarters

8 small (golf-ball-sized) red-skinned potatoes

1/3 cup canola oil

4 tbls (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it comes to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 475 F.

Remove the neck and innards if they are still in the cavity of the chicken. Using a paring knife, cut out the wishbone from the chicken. (This will make it easier to carve the chicken, but is totally optional.) Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, add 3 of the garlic cloves and 5 sprigs of thyme, and massage the inside of the bird to infuse it with the flavors. Truss the chicken.

Cut off the dark green leaves from the top of the leeks. Trim off and discard the darkened outer layers. Trim the root ends, cutting around them on a 45-degree angle. Slit the leeks lengthwise almost in half, starting 1/2 inch above the root ends. Rinse the leeks well under warm water. Cut off both ends of the rutabagas. Stand the rutabagas on end and cut away the skin, working from top to bottom and removing any tough outer layers. Cut into 3/4-inch wedges. Repeat with the turnips, cutting the wedges to match the size of the rutabagas. Combine all the vegetables and remaining garlic cloves and thyme sprig in a large bowl. Toss with 1/4 cup of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in a large cast-iron skillet or a roasting pan. Rub the remaining oil over the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper. Make a nest in the center of the vegetables and nestle the chicken in it. Cut the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and place over the chicken breast.

Put the chicken in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 F and roast for an additional 45 minutes, or until the temperature registers 160 F in the meatiest portions of the bird–the thighs, and under the breast where the thigh meets the breast–and the juices run clear. If necessary, return the bird to the oven for more roasting; check it every 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 20 minutes. Just before serving, set the pan of vegetables over medium heat and reheat the vegetables, turning them and glazing them with the pan juices.

Cut the chicken into serving pieces, arrange over the vegetables and serve.

Happiness is a warm plate...