October 2009 Cooking Demo--Three One-Pot Chicken Dinners

At our October meeting, I (JaneAnne P) gave a demo of three easy dinners starting with chicken thighs and onions. In the course of the demo, I was able to demonstrate some useful techniques for building flavor.

Note for all recipes in this post: I used homemade chicken stock with no added salt. If you use purchased chicken broth, even low-sodium, you will need to add less salt at each stage than you saw me do in the demo.

Chicken & Dumplings
adapted from Everyday Food
serves 4 hearty eaters

3 T unsalted butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12 oz)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin (I like to use a mandoline I bought at Target for about $10; it's now available at Amazon)
1 C flour, divided
a few sprigs fresh thyme* (optional)
a few carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4-6 C chicken broth (I use broth reconstituted from my homemade chicken stock)
1 3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t table salt
1/2 C milk
chopped fresh dill (optional)
1-1 1/2 C frozen petite peas
additional salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat butter in dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming begins to subside, arrange chicken in pan, with space in between. Let brown without moving for several minutes. Check pan periodically and adjust heat so butter doesn't get too brown. When chicken is nice and brown, flip it to brown other side (it should release fairly easily if it's brown enough, and if the pan was hot enough at the beginning). Transfer browned chicken to a bowl and set aside.

Put onion in pan, add a little salt and pepper, and sauté until translucent but not yet really browning, scraping brown bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan as you go. Add thyme sprigs if using, stirring just until they start to become fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add 1/4 C flour and stir to coat (if the flour is coated in the butter, it won't make lumps when you add the liquid).

Pour in chicken stock, scraping bottom of pan to lift all fond, then stir in chicken and any juices released into bowl, carrots, and more salt and pepper. Cover pot and increase heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to keep pot simmering. Let simmer about 20 minutes.

Whisk together remaining 3/4 C flour, baking powder and table salt (and dill, if using) in a small bowl. Stir in milk until just incorporated. Drop tablespoons of batter into broth, spacing as evenly as possible. Replace lid and simmer 10-15 more minutes.

Remove pot from heat and carefully add frozen peas between the dumplings, stirring without breaking up dumplings. Adjust seasonings and serve.

*Thyme is easy to grow in a pot or in the ground. It's a woody perennial requiring very little care. Don't ever use dried thyme, or most dried herbs. If you can't grow your own, come snip some of mine--I have plenty.

Moroccan Couscous
adapted from The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman
makes 6-8 servings, depending on how many vegetables you add

a few tablespoons butter or olive oil or a mix of the two
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12 oz)
1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 T peeled and grated fresh ginger root
1 large pinch saffron threads or 1/2 t ground turmeric
1/8 t cayenne, or to taste (I usually use not more than a pinch)
1 t ground coriander*
3 cloves
1/2 t ground cinnamon
2-4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into one-inch chunks
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then cut into half-inch slices
4-6 C chicken broth or mix of chicken broth and water
one 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 C golden raisins
Couscous, prepared according to directions, substituting chicken-vegetable cooking liquid for half of the water

Heat butter and/or oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the butter's foaming starts to subside, or the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and let brown, without stirring, for several minutes, adjusting temperature as needed. Flip chicken to brown other side, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the onions (and bell pepper, if using) and a little salt and pepper. Scrape up fond from the bottom of the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are quite tender, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger, saffron, cayenne, coriander, cloves and cinnamon and stir and cook until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the broth and chicken to the pot, along with additional salt and pepper and the carrots. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Add the squash 10 minutes later, and the zucchini 10 minutes after that. Cook until the all the vegetables are tender, about 10 more minutes. Add the garbanzos and raisins and cook about 5 minutes more.

Prepare couscous according to package directions (I like this couscous, which can be found at some stores in town), only substituting hot liquid from the pot for half the water. Taste sauce and adjust the seasoning, then serve immediately over the couscous.

*If you use spices more than occasionally, and you can afford it, purchase a small burr coffee grinder and use it only for grinding whole spices, bought in bulk (don't pay for the packaging!). I use mine mostly for coriander and cumin, and the flavor difference is astonishing. Do not use it to grind stick cinnamon, however--stick and ground cinnamon come from different parts of the tree, and the taste won't be the same.

West African Chicken-Peanut Soup
adapted from The New York Times
serves 6-8, again depending on how many vegetables you add

2 tablespoons oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 12 oz)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon garlic, pressed through a garlic press
Pinch of cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 C roasted and shelled peanuts (I found unsalted roasted peanuts in the bulk section at Freddy's), crushed slightly
6 cups chicken broth
2 garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch chunks
15-oz can diced tomatoes, or half a box of Pomi tomatoes (freeze remainder for another use)
1/2 pound collards or kale, washed, stemmed, and cut into 3/8" ribbons
additional vegetables (butternut squash, baby potatoes, zucchini, as desired)
1/4 to 1/2 C peanut butter, chunky or smooth

Put oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add chicken and let brown, without stirring, for several minutes, adjusting temperature as needed. Flip chicken to brown other side, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, cayenne and salt and pepper and sauté an additional 30-60 seconds, until fragrant. Add 1/2 cup peanuts.

Stir in the stock, scraping up browned bits. Add the chicken, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. After about 10 minutes, add the sweet potatoes. When sweet potatoes are just starting to be tender, after about 10-15 minutes, stir in tomatoes and greens, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is starting to fall apart, about 10 minutes more.

Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining peanuts.

September Cooking Group Recipes

A few of us from the Cooking Group got together to share recipes last week. The food was delish and the company was great--be sure to join us next time!

Broccoli Quiche
prepared by Natalie C

Oil Pastry crust:

1 1/3 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/3 C oil
3 1/2 to 4 T cold water

Mix salt and flour, then stir in oil and enough water to bring together in a stiff dough. Roll out, put in dish and then prick with a fork all over the surface. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes. Pull out of oven and add ingredients for filling.

Filling for Broccoli Tart:

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Sprinkle half of cheese in tart shell

Add:

10 oz blanched broccoli
1/4 C chopped sweet onion

Blend together and pour into pan:

4 eggs
1 C milk
1 T flour
1/2 t salt
Dash of black pepper

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Multi-Grain Focaccia
prepared by Lauren C

Poolish (Pre-ferment):
• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C steel-cut oats, sometimes called Irish or Scotch oats
• 3/4 C water
• Pinch active dry yeast

Whisk the whole wheat flour, steel-cut oats, water and yeast in medium bowl. Cover with plastic and set aside at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight.

Dough:
• 2 1//4 C unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional as needed
• 3/4 C whole wheat flour
• 1/2 C oat flour
• 1/4 C flaxseed meal
• 2 1/4 t active dry yeast
• 2 t salt
• 1 3/4 C warm water
• 1⁄4 C extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings:
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, chopped (about 2 t)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (about 2 t)
• 2-3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 T coarse salt
• 3 oz Parmesan, shaved into large pieces

Whisk the all-purpose, whole wheat, and oat flour, flaxseed, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the poolish, water, and olive oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour with a wooden spoon to make a sticky loose dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a well-floured work surface or prep mat. Coat your hands with flour and press dough into a 12 by 8-inch rectangle (long side towards you). Using a bench scraper, fold the dough as you would a business letter. (The dough is very wet and this may seem odd, but just move quickly with the scraper and fold 1 end of the dough over the other. Make sure you brush any raw flour from the surface of the dough before you fold over the second end). Spray with cooking spray and cover with a kitchen towel. Let stand 30 minutes.

Fold the dough again like a letter, and rest for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Divide the olive oil among 2 pans and swirl to coat the pan. Divide dough in half and transfer a piece to each pan, turn dough over to coat both sides with oil, then press dough evenly into the pans. Scatter the garlic, thyme, and rosemary over the top and press the toppings into the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle with sea salt and scatter the cheese on top. (See Cook's Note.)

Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Slip focaccia from the pans and cool on a rack.

Cooks' Note: The focaccia dough can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated at this point for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature for about 2 hours before baking.

Sausage Fusilli (or Penne)
prepared by Sara McC - (a tweaked Jamie Oliver recipe)
Serves 6-8

2 heaped t fennel seeds
1 - 1 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
a splash of olive oil
1 lb 6 oz good quality coarse Italian or other sausage
1 T dried oregano
6 oz white wine or white grape juice
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 lb 2 oz fusilli or penne
sea salt and ground black pepper
1 T butter
handful of grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

Bash up the fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a pestle and mortar or flavor shaker until coarsely crushed, then put to one side. Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. (If sausage in skins, squeeze it out of the sausage skins.) Put meat into the pan, really breaking it up using the back of a spoon. Fry for a few minutes until the meat starts to color and the fat has rendered slightly, then crush it once more so it resembles coarse mince. Add the bashed-up fennel seeds and chili flakes and cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes until the meat becomes crisp, golden brown and slightly caramelized.

Stir in the oregano, then pour in the white wine (or grape juice) and allow it to reduce by half. Add the lemon zest and juice. Turn the heat down to low while you cook your pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. When the pasta has cooked al dente, drain it in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water, and toss it in the pan with the sausage. Coat the pasta in all the flavors then add the butter, Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water. This will give you a lovely loose, shiny sauce. Taste and check for seasoning, then serve immediately with a little extra grated Parmesan sprinkled over the top.

Pollo Mole Poblano
prepared by JaneAnne P
serves 4 (smaller than pictured, which serves 8-10)

This recipe can be made with chicken breasts or thighs, depending on preference. I make it with breasts when I don't have a lot of extra time; I make it with thighs when I want them to simmer longer in the sauce. This time I made it with both.

1-2 T olive oil
1-1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken
1 sm onion, chopped
1/3 jar mole sauce
1/2-3/4 C water or chicken broth
1/2 t sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering, then brown chicken on both sides. Put browned chicken aside on plate, then heat a little more oil in pan, if needed. Add onion and sauté, reducing heat to medium, scraping up browned bits, until translucent and just starting to brown. Add mole sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, then gradually stir in water or stock until consistency is slightly thinner than desired end result. Put chicken back in pan, flipping to coat with sauce, then simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened slightly. Serve over rice with sour cream on the side.

Note: empty mole jars make perfect tealight hurricanes for outdoor summer dining.

Pineapple Delight Cake aka "Pea Pickin' Cake"
prepared by Tiffany M

1 yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 sm can mandarin oranges with juice

FROSTING:
1 16 oz can crushed pineapple with juice
1 sm (3 3/4 oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding
8 oz Cool Whip

Cake: Mix all ingredients together on medium speed. Pour into 3 (9 inch) cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees according to time on box.

Frosting: Mix pineapple and dry instant pudding. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread between and on top of cooled cake.

Refrigerate.

June 2008

For June's Enrichment dinner, we had Chicken/Sweet Potato/Corn Chowder, potato rolls, and baby greens with balsamic vinaigrette, almonds and goat cheese. As we were finishing dinner, we played "Two Truths and a Lie" at each table, where women had been seated according to birthday month (May/June overflowed onto an adjoining table).

Chicken/Sweet Potato/Corn Chowder
serves 8-10
originally from Cook's Country magazine

3 C whole milk
1 C Jiffy corn muffin mix
2 T butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano
2 qts low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I always use garnet "yams")
1 C shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
3 C frozen corn kernels (not thawed)
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix milk and muffin mix in large glass measuring cup (if you have to measure the milk anyway, why dirty another bowl?). Heat butter in dutch oven over medium heat until foaming. Sauté onion until softened and starting to brown. Add chicken and continue sautéing until chicken has lost most of its pink parts and the fond is building up on the bottom of the pan. Stir in garlic, cumin, oregano and about 1 t kosher salt (omit if using regular-sodium broth, like the organic chicken broth from Costco we used for the dinner) until onions and chicken are coated and spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are just forkable, 5-6 minutes.

2. Stir in milk/muffin mix mixture and simmer another 10 minutes, until soup thickens. Remove pan from heat and stir in corn and parsley. Adjust seasonings, then ladle into bowls and topped with grated cheese to serve.

For dessert, we had a deconstructed rhubarb tart. For a smaller crowd, you could make a regular rhubarb tart like this one. For as many people as we were expecting, it worked better to make each component separately: shortbread cookies instead of pâte sucrée (sweet short pastry crust), and a rhubarb compote, simmered on the stovetop, instead of a baked rhubarb filling. The ice cream (or whipped cream, if you prefer) would be the same either way.

Rhubarb Compote

1 1/3 C diced & small pieces of rhubarb
2/3 C diced & small pieces of strawberry
1 T Cornstarch
2 T Water
Sugar
1 t orange zest (optional)
1 T grated fresh ginger root (optional) or 2 T chopped crystallized ginger

In a small pot combine the fruit and enough sugar to diminish the strong taste of the rhubarb (to taste). Cook on medium-high heat bringing to a boil.
Whisk cornstarch and water together in a separate bowl. Add this to fruit. Cook together for one minute, and enjoy.