Soul Food: Kathie's Lemon Chicken

My mom is a FABULOUS cook.  We are constantly swapping new recipes, and I am always calling her for reminders of how to prepare fabulous dishes from my childhood.  Here is one of my favorite main dishes from my Momma's kitchen to yours.  :)

KATHIE'S LEMON CHICKEN

• 4 skinless chicken breasts (I use bone-in for superior flavor and extra sauce)
• 4 tbs butter, cut into thin slices
• 2 large (or 4 small) shallots, sliced
• 1 pint mushrooms, sliced
• 2 lemons, 1 juiced and one sliced
• salt & pepper

Place butter and shallots in a 9x13 baking dish.  Position seasoned chicken breasts on top of butter and shallots.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and add mushrooms and lemon juice.  Top each breast with a slice of lemon and some fresh-ground pepper, recover dish with foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.

(Serves 4)

Sorry about the vertical photo.

The Reason I Married Nick: My MIL's Chicken Risotto Recipe

If Nick married me to get a belly full of chicken enchilada casserole, then I married him to get my paws on this utterly scrumptious dish that my mother-in-law makes.

Before I go into the recipe, I want to have a quick word about risotto.  First let me say that I HATE rice.  You won't see anything served "on a bed of rice" on this blog.  I can only stomach rice if it is masked by a plethora of delicious flavors.  There is only one recipe that comes to mind in my entire culinary repertoire that involves rice.

That being said, risotto is rice.  And I LOVE risotto.  But I didn't discover my love for this "special rice" until my lovely mother-in-law made this dish.  Even though I had sworn not to eat risotto on the grounds that it is rice, the mother of my husband single-handedly introduced me to an entire category of food.  (And I would eat it in a house and with a mouse!)  I love risotto wish seafood, veggies, cheese, meat, and even fungus (naturally I mean mushrooms...there is a fungus among us!).  This recipe is my all-time favorite risotto recipe, and I can't get enough of it.  So a big shout out to Julie, my MIL, for her delicious dish.  (And no, I'm not talking about her Schwetty Balls.)

MY MIL'S CHICKEN RISOTTO RECIPE

• meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large (or 4 small) shallots, sliced
• 1 tbs dried thyme leaves
• 2 cups risotto (arborio rice)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 6-8 cups (48-64 ounces) chicken stock
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 avocados, diced
• juice from 2 limes

In a large saucepan, heat chicken stock to just below a simmer.  (You will use this when you begin to make the risotto.)

In a very large, high sided skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms.  Just as mushrooms start to brown (3-4 minutes), add shallots and thyme.  Cook until shallots are wilted (2-3 minutes), then add risotto.  Stir constantly until risotto begins to look a bit golden (2-3 minutes).  Add white wine.  (It will boil off very quickly -- all the alcohol will cook out, leaving a nice aroma.)  When wine is evaporated, add a couple of ladles of chicken stock.  Stir in briefly, reduce heat to medium (I set my halogen stove just a millimeter below the 7 [out of 10...oh, Star Trek, you haunt me] mark), and allow stock to simmer until it cooks almost completely off.  Just as all the stock is absorbed, stir in another two ladles.  Simmer until stock is almost completely absorbed, then add another two ladles.  Repeat until risotto is done.*

After risotto is creamy and al dente (like a perfectly cooked pasta), stir in almost all of your parmesan and all of your chicken.  Risotto should be creamy and a bit gooey from the cheese.  Plate up risotto with a tiny sprinkle of parmesan and some fresh-grated pepper.  Top with avocado and some lime juice.  Enjoy!

(Serves 4)

I know the avocado and lime sound weird, but TRUST ME.  It is delicious!

*My British chum, Jamie Oliver, told me that risotto should take about 20 minutes from the time you begin to add chicken stock.  You don't want to use too much heat or too little heat -- just enough heat to get the risotto perfectly cooked in about 20 minutes.  His advice has never failed me yet.  :)

I Told You I Love Her: Chicken With Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce

I made this Rachael Ray recipe tonight at Nick's request.  (See?!  He loves her too, he just can't admit it.)  

I follow RayRay's (that's how BFF we are -- she lets me call her RayRay) recipe almost to the letter, but I use a few modifications that make it simpler and more to suit our tastes.

CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND BALSAMIC CREAM SAUCE

• 1/2 pound orzo pasta
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• approx 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 large portobello mushroom caps, thickly sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbs fresh thyme leaves (about 8 sprigs) or 1 tbs dried thyme leaves
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbs half-and-half
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper

Season chicken with salt, pepper, and thyme.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown chicken breasts (about 5 minutes on each side).  Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.  

Cook the orzo to al dente according to package directions in liberally salted water.  

As soon as you drop the pasta into the water, begin cooking the sauce.  (Don't begin cooking earlier or it won't all come together at the same time!)  

Add butter to the pan you used to cook the chicken. Melt over medium-high heat.  Once the butter melts, add the mushrooms and brown (about 4-5 minutes). Once the mushrooms are brown, reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar, and the half-and-half.  Just before serving, stir in the parsley.  

Slice the chicken on an angle. Pile orzo on dinner plates, top with sauce, then add sliced chicken to the top of the dish.  Serve with a sliced tomato salad.

(Serves 4)

Sorry for the horrible pictures.  It tastes better than it looks.

Rachael Is My Homegirl: Rigatoni alla Carbonara

I'm going to come right out there and say it: I LOVE RACHAEL RAY.  Some people find her supremely annoying (my husband is one of her naysayers), but I am one of her biggest fans.  


She loves to cook.  I love to cook.  She dislikes baking.  I dislike baking.  She draws that line at meals that take more than half an hour to prepare.  I won't attempt anything that takes longer than half an hour, start-to-finish.  She loves cheese.  I love cheese.  She is a meat-eater.  I am practically a carnivore.  She's got big hair.  I have big hair.  She is loud.  I am loud.  We're practically the same person!  


Yet Nick dislikes her...should I be worried??


Even if Nick hates the player, her certainly doesn't hate the game.  This carbonara recipe is one that he asks for on a regular basis.  My slightly modified version of her meal is below.

RIGATONI ALLA CARBONARA

• 1 pound rigatoni pasta
• salt
• 4 tbs olive oil
• 3/4 pound pancetta, cubed*
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 cup pasta water (don't forget this!)
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (I completely grate one of these)
• 1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• fresh ground black pepper

Cook the rigatoni to al dente according to package directions (11-12 minutes) in liberally salted water.  As soon as you drop the pasta into the water, begin cooking the sauce.  (Don't begin cooking earlier or it won't all come together at the same time!)  

In a very large, high-sided skillet, heat olive oil and pepper flakes over medium-high heat (1 minute).  When oil is hot, add pancetta and brown lightly (4-5 minutes).  When pancetta just begins to crisp, add garlic and reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add wine (or chicken stock) and simmer for 1 minute.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks lightly.  At this point your pasta should be almost ready.  Before you drain pasta, ladle approximately 1 cup of pasta water into the yolks.  Whisk briskly to keep eggs from scrambling.  Drain rigatoni, add pasta to sauce skillet, and toss to coat pasta.  Pour yolk/water mixture and  grated cheese over pasta, toss to coat.  Just before serving, stir in parsley and pepper according to your taste.  Serve with green salad.

(Serves 4)

*Pancetta can be almost impossible to find in many regular grocery stores in the States.  I could find it packaged and pre-sliced in one Maryland grocery store, but you can't buy it for love or money in western Oklahoma.  Since pancetta is basically Italy's version of American bacon, you can use very lean, thick-cut bacon diced into small bits.  If you want to try this with regular bacon, the flavor will be different (smokier) since pancetta is unsmoked.  I've had it both ways, but I do prefer the pancetta if I can find it.  Here in Germany they sell cubed unsmoked bacon, which is perfect.

Fillet Mignon of the Sea: Salmon with Tomatoes, Shallots, and Thyme

If tuna is the chicken of the sea, then salmon is, in my opinion, the fillet mignon of the sea.  I heart me some salmon.  I love seafood in general, but I have a soft spot for fresh, nicely prepared salmon.  We grill it, we poach it, we bake it, we pan-fry it.  I'm always on the lookout for good salmon recipes, but there are surprisingly few of them out there.  When I found this one (and modified it to our liking), it became a go-to meal.

During an average week, Nick and I eat seafood (mostly salmon and tilapia, but also shrimp, scallops, cod, and haddock) at least twice a week.  This summer, this dish has been on the menu virtually every single week.  It is scrumptious and SO EASY.  It can be prepped for the oven in the morning, refrigerated all day, and then baked half an hour before dinner time.  There is also no clean-up, which Nick (who does the bulk of our dishes) really appreciates.


I pair it with a simple green salad for a tasty, nutritious, easy meal.  We even managed to get Kate to eat a small portion.  :)

SALMON WITH TOMATOES, SHALLOTS, AND THYME

• 1 lb salmon fillets (I use skin-on* for extra omega 3's, but you can use skinless)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil (for drizzling)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbs dried thyme
• 1 tsp Kosher salt

Tear off a very large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Place salmon fillets, skin side down, on the foil.  Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a small amount of olive oil.  In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, shallots, lemon juice, thyme, and salt.  Stir to combine, then layer on top of the salmon.  Seal the foil completely, place on a baking sheet for stability (and to catch any leaks), and bake at 400 for 30 minutes.  Serve salmon with tomatoes, shallots, and a liberal amount of the juice.  (I serve on plates with tall edges so each serving can get about 1/4 cup of juice.)

*If you choose to use fillets with skin, I recommend removing the skin before you serve.  Although you can eat salmon skin if you want, I don't like it.)

(Serves 4)

Fully cooked and still in the foil.  So delicious!

Epic Fail: Pat's Roast Beef Sandwiches

I said that I love to cook, but I never claimed to actually be good at it.  If you want to remove this blog from your google reader this very moment, I won't hold it against you.  :)


It doesn't happen that often...I would say once a month or so...but occasionally I strike out.  Tonight's failure was especially bad because I have made this recipe at least a dozen times that it turned out perfectly.  The goal is a virtually prep-free, melt-in-your-mouth, delicious Italian roast beef sandwich.  But tonight I wound up with a tough hunk of roast and mushy veggies.  I wound up putting mayo on our rolls, thinly slicing up the (tough) meat, and telling Nick to "think of it as a steak sandwich."  He loved it.  I told you he was the perfect test audience.  :)


I think the problem was my slow cooker.  It's new, and this was the first meal I cooked in it.  (I left my old trusty crock pot -- with the broken handle from a party where I brought cheese dip -- in the USA because it can't handle the 220 European voltage.)  I used low heat when I probably should have used high.  This new guy is on my list until I figure out how to cook with him.


The problem could also have been the cut of beef.  My instructions from Joe (Pat's dad) were to use "the cheapest roast you can find."  I did that.  I bought a 3-pound round roast for $5.  I trimmed it of any visible fat and stuck it in the pot.  But for future references, the best cuts of beef for a slow cooker recipe are from the chuck: anything that says shank, shoulder, round, or rump should do the trick.


Oh yeah.  You're probably wondering (if you don't know them already) who Joe and Pat are.  Pat is the friend Nick and I share.  Pat was Nick's fraternity brother, roommate, and groomsman.  Pat was also my study-abroad companion and second-favorite male at our university (Nick was, and is, #1).  During our first year of marriage, Pat lived in the apartment across the hall from us.  We saw him at least three nights a week, and we loved every minute of it.  During that time, he invited us over for dinner one night and served us these amazing sandwiches.  Since we left Tulsa, Pat has come to visit us twice in Maryland and once in England.  Pat hasn't been to Germany (yet) because until May he was busy getting his Master's degree at Penn.  Pat is the best friend you could ever ask for.  We love him dearly.

PAT'S ROAST BEEF SANDWICHES

• 1 very cheap 3-pound roast
• 1 package Italian dressing mix
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 onions, sliced into strips
• 2 green peppers, sliced into strips
• hamburger buns
• mayo

Trim roast of any visible fat.  Place roast a crock pot, cover with water and Italian seasoning.  Turn heat to high and simmer for at least 8 hours before serving.  About 1 hour before you serve, add onions and peppers to liquid.  Minutes before serving, use two forks to shred beef into "pulled pork" consistency.  Top each hamburger bun with a heaping pile of beef, onions, peppers, and a dollop of mayo.  Let the juice run down your chin as you eat.  :)

Whose idea was it to add photos to this blog??  Mine??  Noooo....

Good For Days Italian: Sweet Basil Bolognese

I can almost always go for a big bowl of pasta.  I have made bolognese sauce according to various recipes over the years, and this is probably my favorite combination of flavors.  The added bonus is that I can make one huge batch, serve half that night, and freeze the other half flat to save for a rainy (read: lazy) day when I don't feel like cooking.  Tonight was one of those nights (rainy and lazy), and I was positively thrilled to remember that I had almost an entire meal already prepared in my freezer!


Usually I don't like to list specific brands unless it's absolutely necessary, but I have elected to link to a few here because I think that they make this sauce what it is: absolutely delicious!

SWEET BASIL BOLOGNESE

• 1 20-ounce package of sweet Italian sausage
• 2 medium sweet onions, diced
• 1 medium head of garlic, peeled and diced
• 2 large green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
• 4 portobello mushroom caps, coarsely chopped
• 1 jar prepared marinara sauce
• 2 14-ounce cans of seasoned diced tomatoes

Remove sausages from their casings, crumble and brown over medium-high heat in a very large skillet or dutch oven.  When sausage is almost fully cooked, add onions, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms.  (You can drain some of the oil at this point if you're worried about fat content.  I don't.  I like the extra flavor.)  Cook until onions are translucent, then add marinara and tomatoes.  Reduce heat and simmer for anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour.

(Serves 8-12)

After two weeks in my freezer, the flavors were even better.