FoodB

So tired. Feels like I've been in constant motion. I started school about 4 weeks ago and that has been taking its toll. As well I have been trying to keep up on other projects such as fixing my computer (which is finally done!)

Here is a recipe that I have been meaning to put up for about 3 weeks now. It's an easy little chicken recipe that takes about 20 minutes to make. The jus is really good and I think it would go well with other recipes (I was thinking it would be a good dipping sauce for potstickers myself).

Pan Roasted Chicken Parts w/Lemon-Thyme Jus

Chicken
3-3 1/2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on Chicken pieces
Salt and ground Pepper for taste
1 Tsp. Vegetable Oil
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed

Jus
1 Shallot, minced
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 Tsp. Unsalted Butter, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
1 Tbsp. fresh Lemon juice

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven 450 degrees.
2. Pat chicken parts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken well on both sides, about 10 minutes total.
3. Flip chicken parts skin side down. Scatter smashed garlic cloves around chicken and stir to coat with oil. Transfer skillet to oven and roast chicken until thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees on instant read thermometer and thighs or drumsticks register 175 degrees, 8-10 minutes total.
4. Remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken parts to platter and tent with foil. Pour off all but 1 Tsp. fat from skillet (Leave garlic in skillet).
5. Return skillet with garlic to medium high heat and heat until fat is shimmering. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, thyme and any accumulated chicken juices, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until sauce has reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Turn heart to low and whist in butter, one piece at a time. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, pouring sauce over chicken or passing separately.

It's pretty odd that we have been eating a lot of chicken lately. Jenn isn't the biggest chicken fan so we usually don't get it that often. No complaints here though cause I love fowl.

Posted by Gordon at 02:24 PM | Permalink

What's up party people. 2 weeks ago I had 4 posts and last week none. The reason. Got busy at work and started school. Those two things have pretty much blanked my brain when it comes to this here site.

So for the price of one posting I am putting up two recipes today. Both are soup recipes and both are really easy to make. The first, Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup, I found in a book my mother gave us from America's Test Kitchen and it has all of their meals that can be made in 30 minutes or less. I trust them more than that big mouthed lady on Food Network so I went to this book before hers. Glad I did because the flavor of this soup was awesome. We did have to buy saffron for it though and if you don't know about saffron, it is pretty expensive. It comes from a flower grown in Europe and Asia and they can only harvest 3 threads of it per flower grown. Hence the price is pretty high because of the limited supply of it.

The other soup was one that Jenn found in an Italian book that she has. I was really surprised to find that she didn't use any stock for this recipe because the broth had a lot of flavor. I guess the pureed beans can substitute as stock in soups. Who knew. Good stuff as well and if you're on a budget, this is more for you.

Moroccan-Style Chickpea Soup

3 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
2 (15.5 oz) cans of Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans)
1 (14.5 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
1/4 tsp. Saffron threads, crumbled
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. unsalted Butter
1 Red Onion, minced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tbsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
2 Zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. minced fresh Cilantro
2 Lemons (for serving)

1. Heat Broth Mixture – Bring broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, saffron and 1/2 tablespoon of salt to boil, covered in large saucepan and set aside.
2. Sauté Onion – Meanwhile melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened and slightly browned, 3-5 minutes.
3. Sauté Aromatics: Add Broth Mixture and Zucchini – Stir garlic, ginger and cumin into pan and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add to the broth mixture, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Season – Stir in cilantro. Off heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.

White Bean Soup

1 1/2 cups Cannellini beans (or other white beans)
5 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped or julienned
1 rib Celery, finely chopped
3 medium Tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh Thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
3 1/2 cups boiling Water
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

1. Drain and rinse the canned cannellini beans. Puree about 1/4 of the beans in a food processor adding a little olive oil if necessary.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Stir in onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 more minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes more, stirring often.
4. Pour in boiling water. Stir in the beans and the bean puree. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve in individual soup bowls, sprinkled with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

Posted by Gordon at 08:06 AM | Permalink