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April 2012 COTM: Melissa Clark Month, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite: Chapters 3, 4, and 5
- L.Nightshade Mar 31, 2012 10:30 PM
Please use this thread to discuss Chapters 3, 4, and 5 from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite: Learning to Like Fish; It Tastes Like Chicken; I Never was a Vegetarian, pages 77 - 212.
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Spicy, Garlicky Cashew Chicken p 124
This recipe had me drooling just reading it. All my favorite flavors together. The flavor of the chicken was bold enough to be detectable through the grilled flavor, and they were so moist. Our guests really raved about it too, and they don't usually make much comment on the food, they're not "into" food like we are. I reheated the remaining cashew mixture in the microwave because it had been in the fridge, but that was a mistake. I put it in too long and it turned into a gummy paste, oops. I put it out with an apology and people gobbled it up anyway because it was so delicious. I will definitely be making this again and try it on different things, like pork chops or chicken breasts. I served it with this Trader Joes Israeli cous cous, lentil and seed mix which everyone thought went really well, something about the seeds and legumes in it went really well with the nuts in the marinade.
re: sarahcooks
Sounds great, in spite of the microwave paste. I'm bookmarking this recipe!
re: sarahcooks
This sounded good, but I don't have ITKWGA so I looked it up online. This link is from the NYTimes, so I'm guessing it is the same one. It sounds *really* tasty: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/din...
re: LulusMom
Yep, that's exactly the same!
re: sarahcooks
Sarah I had the same reaction when I saw this recipe. So great to know it delivered....thanks!
re: sarahcooks
Spicy, Garlicky, Cashew Chicken
I had really high hopes for this recipe, but an execution failure on my part messed things up. I pretty much burnt the coating on the chicken. It was my fault entirely. I put the chicken on the grill and just let it cook. She tells you to turn and move it frequently.
Neverthless, I pulled off the skin and the chicken beneath was still quite moist with a hint of soy sauce and garlic. The recipe makes more cashew sauce than is needed to coat the chicken, so I had the chicken with a dollop of the sauce.
Today, I cooked some pasta and tossed the leftover cashew sauce with the noodles and some cut up chicken. This was great.
Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes, p 147
Before I ordered the book I saw this recipe on Amazon, although for some reason it was made with thighs, weird. Anyway, I happened to have all the ingredients on hand.
Roast peeled, cut up sweet potatoes, make spice paste with chopped chipotles in adobo, garlic, honey, salt, cumin and cinnamon. Once potatoes have roasted t 400 for 15 minutes, rub chicken with mixture and place on top of potatoes, roast for another 25 minutes.
I doubled the recipe and made it with 2 packages of boneless skinless chicken thighs. I thought it was fantastic - spicy, smoky, sweet thanks to the potatoes. My husband wasn't so thrilled until he had it for lunch the next day - the flavors had melded and it was even better. I will definitely do this again.
re: ElenaRose
We're having this tonight. I'm so excited to hear that is was good! We'll be using the breasts, which aren't my favorite, but they're on sale this week.
re: ElenaRose
Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes
Oh, how I wish we had used thighs!! This dish had a wonderful smoky flavor with sweet undertones from the cinnamon and the sweet potatoes. But, alas, our chicken was dry. I'd like to blame the breasts, but really it was probably our fault because I think our meat thermometer is broken and yet we keep trying to use it.
I absolutely recommend this dish and I can't wait to try it for lunch tomorrow too!
re: michaelak79
Although I'm quite a bit rusty after not posting here for several months, I got the book out of the Oakland Library today and tonight made (with loads of variations due to not having certain ingredients on hand. I thought I had barley, but couldn't find it. Decided I'd use brown rice. Nope. I finally ended up using orichiette. I thought I had a sweet potato, but it turned out all I had was a smallish yellow squash.
The dish ended up being quite different from the recipe, but the general idea was there and it was delicious. I'm calling it Spicy Chicken Orichiette with Squash and Spinach. I did not have sweet paprika, just smoked Spanish paprika. The rest of the spices were on hand in my cupboard - cinnamon, chili powder, coriander and black pepper. I sauteed the onion and then added the spices and the tomato paste and garlic. I didn't feel like taking the "good homemade chicken broth" out of the freezer and chipping off some pieces to add to the mix. Instead, I used (GASP!) Knorr Chicken Bouillon! Please don't tell anyone about this.
The spinach and chicken breast pieces are added and simmered. The recipe calls for simmering for an hour, but I figured that was to cook the barley. I simmered for about 10 minutes and served it, as mentioned above, with orichiette.
I also used breasts for Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with, etc. Mine came out wonderfully well, but I just put the chicken breasts in near the end because I didn't want them to dry out. Even though she says to put them in for only 15 minutes, I didn't want to chance it.
This was quite delicious and, in future, I will try it using more of the actual ingredients called for. ;+)
re: oakjoan
rusty or not you write a pretty entertaining post, left me smiling.
re: ElenaRose
I just looked on Amazon and it didn't have this recipe. Could you give me the quantities for the spice paste? I think it sounds good
re: ChrisKC
Here's the recipe, ChrisKC...
re: ElenaRose
Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes (p 147)
We also thought this was wonderful! Smoky, spicy, sweet – hit all the right notes!
I just made a few changes to the original:
First, I didn't bother to peel the sweet potatoes, as I like the skin and it's healthy, and I hate peeling potatoes. I also didn't bother with the added step of tossing the sweet potatoes with oil in a separate bowl, I just mixed it all around on the baking sheet.
My spice paste was more liquid than paste (but that might have been because I was playing it fast and loose with the measuring), so I put it in a big bowl with the chicken and let it sit for about a half hour as a bit of a marinade. Next time I would make this ahead of time and let it marinate longer. I did try and put as much as I could on the chicken when I baked it, and it did form a nice crust.
Lastly, I cut a large red onion into wedges and put them between the potatoes and chicken when I put the chicken in to bake.
I served it with dill (rather than the recommended cilantro or basil, because that was what looked best at the store that day), and it was great. With some nice baby greens it was a wonderful meal.
re: ElenaRose
Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes, Pg. 147
Jumping on the SCHCBWSP band wagon...made the recipe last night and we loved it. Used 6 boneless chicken breasts that weighed 3 pounds. Used 2 unpeeled sweet potatoes cut into chunks, and included a huge red onion which was sliced into wedges as Garden Fresh did. Increased some of the ingredients, left others the recommended amounts: 5 minced chipotles in adobo, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 T cider vinegar, 2 t ground cumin, and dill at the finish.
The chicken was perfect. Tender and juicy, smoky, spicy... hitting all the right notes as GF said above. This is a great recipe for a weeknight meal. Served with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe from Cook This Now.
re: Gio
Yes, I also made it this week. I used b/s thighs. It went over very well with my family except for one of my adult children. He ate it (which says something right there) but said he didn't necessarily want it again. Everyone else loved it! I had the leftovers the next day for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed it again. Oh, and I served with spinach sauteed with garlic.
re: ChrisKC
Did he say what it was about it that he didn't like? Or just being contrary?
re: LulusMom
Probably just contrary, too fresh I suppose. He thinks the sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows sometimes served at thanksgiving, are the way to go.
re: ChrisKC
I totally get it. When they say that stuff and yet finish the plate, you have to wonder.
Figgy, Piggy, Drumsticks and Thighs, p. 149
cook bacon until crispy, fry garlic until golden, remove them and brown chicken parts in same pan. Then put halved figs and sprigs of thyme on top and roast chicken at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes.
I used a kosher beef subsitute for bacon (called beef fry) and dried figs instead of fresh, white wine instead of vermouth, and I more than tripled the recipe to feed a big crowd. it was still fantastic and also quite easy to make. I'll do this again for sure.
Not-My Grandma's Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Oregano p. 137
Drumsticks are seasoned with salt and pepper and oil and then broiled 3-4 minutes per side until lightly browned. Bake 30 minutes adding garlic paste, dried oregano and olive oil every 10 minutes. We also added quartered red potatoes and green beans to the baking dish.
Melissa advises us to not skimp on the oil, but I did. I only used 1 T total. I did not have pan sauce, but the results were still delicious nonetheless. I turned the drumsticks over every 10 minutes (not called for in the recipe) to make sure there was garlic and oregano all over the chicken. The chicken was moist, herby and garlicky (a nice roasted garlic flavor). Nice meal. Quick and easy to pull together.
re: BigSal
Not-My Grandma's Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Oregano, Pg. 137
Made this for last night's dinner and thought it was a good variation on the garlic/olive oil/lemon/oregano combination. Who doesn't like that ? I used chicken leg quarters that I separated into thighs and drums. It worked out very well. I didn't measure out the EVOO, simply drizzled it over the chicken and there was enough sauce to mop up with crusty bread. Like Sal I added beans to the roasting pan. They were Romano beans sliced on an angle at about thumb length. Some were al dente but most were done to a T. Very nice meal...
Quick-Braised Chicken with Moroccan Spices, Lemon, and Olives, p. 151
She provides a technique for making a quick, faux version of preserved lemon which I skipped because I had preserved lemon in my fridge. Also, because I hate flabby braised chicken skin, I stripped the skin off the thighs that I was using and skipped browning them.
So moving on to step number 3: I browned leek instead of onion in a tablespoon of oil, then added garlic, ginger, and the spices. Also added a chopped red chile instead of the cayenne, because I had it in the fridge. Added chicken, stock, and saffron that I bloomed in a bit of the stock (per Cooks Illustrated's instructions). Also added some chopped carrots because I wanted a one-dish dinner with more veg. Simmered covered for 45-60 min, longer than the 25 min that she calls for because I like my braised chicken falling off the bone tender. Added the chopped lemon, green olives (I used anchovy stuffed), and chopped apricot, plus some chopped spinach for more veg, and simmered for a final 10 minutes. I forgot the final garnish of mint, but didn't miss it.
Delicious and satisfying! I'll gladly make it again, though I think I'll leave out the dried apricots next time. Much as I like fruit in savory dishes, they seemed to strike a jarring and unneeded note. Possibly I'd like it better if it had been added earlier so it blended more the with rest of the dish. The olives stood out too, but I didn't mind that. The preserved lemon thoroughly infused the whole dish.
I used much less chicken than she called for (4 skinless, bone-in thighs) but the full amounts of the other ingredients, so it was more soup or stew-like than a braise. We ate one thigh each for dinner, and I shredded the meat from the other two to mix back in. Looking forward to the leftovers!
re: Karen_Schaffer
Oh, so glad to read this report. This is one of the bonus recipes in CTN, and I've got it marked.
re: Karen_Schaffer
Quick-Braised Chicken with Moroccan Spices, Lemon, and Olives, p. 151
I thought I'd poke my head in here and tell y'all I made this recipe too but instead of a braise it became a roast when I ran out of time. All the ingredients were used Except the broth and olives. The Turkish apricots I used were less sweet than other dried apricots I've had in the past so they didn't overwhelm the mighty spices. I set the spice covered chicken on a bed of spiced chopped onions, potatoes, and whole/unpeeled garlic cloves with chopped lemons mixed in. Roasted at 425F/50 min. Delicious.
re: Karen_Schaffer
Quick-Braised Chicken with Moroccan Spices, Lemon, and Olives, p. 151
Made this last night, but used boneless, skinless thighs. I did the fake preserved lemon trick. She has you just slice a lemon into thin rounds, put in a saucepan with enough water to cover, add a tablespoon of salt, and boil for 5 minutes. Then you drain and rinse the lemon, and use in the recipe. I also did the step of browning the chicken, even though it was skinless, then removed it to a plate. After that, I proceded more or less as Karen did above, but I used the onion as called for, and did not add extra veg. I omitted the dried apricots, but threw in a small handful of raisins. I used Spanish manzanilla olives, which I have decided I love.
I made this in a tagine (Emile Henry flameware), and perhaps because of that, very little (or perhaps no) liquid evaporated. As it was a little soupy for my taste, I removed the chicken to a plate, cranked up the heat, and boiled the liquid uncovered until it reduced down to a nice sauce. That didn't take long at all.
Served this with some plain quinoa. This dish made the whole kitchen smell fantastic as it was cooking, and I'm happy to report that the flavor lived up to the aroma. We both loved it. The lemon trick seemed to work pretty well. The lemons were soft, and the rind was not at all bitter. Definitely one to repeat. I'm looking forward to the leftovers for my lunch today.
re: Karen_Schaffer
Quick braised chicken w Moroccan spices..... p. 151
Made this last night. We were swooning and licking our chops. Used 1.5 lbs of boneless thighs and full amt of the rest of the ingredients, Added the apricots earlier as suggested above but otherwise followed recipe to a T. Found I did not have to reduce the braising liquid at the end as it was already a beautiful thick sauce. The chicken was soo tender, it shredded easily w a fork. Wish I served w rice instead of roasted potatoes to soak up that yummy sauce. Had roasted cauliflower w it too. Sad to say, not much leftover for today. Another winning recipe from Melissa!
re: Karen_Schaffer
Quick-Braised Chicken with Moroccan Spices, Lemon, and Olives, p. 151 (CTN p. 374)
I'm not sure this recipe needs another strong endorsement, but I'm going to go ahead and add mine anyways. My only regret is that we scaled the chicken down too much so there were not nearly enough leftovers. I skipped on the dried apricots, but did garnish with mint and used preserved lemons since I had some on hand. The extra sauce got poured over some smashed Jerusalem artichokes. My co-workers seemed more than a bit jealous by the scent of my leftovers today.
re: Karen_Schaffer
My turn on the Quick-braised Chicken with Moroccan Spices, Lemon and Olives.
I invited a friend to dinner and gave her a choice from the meals I had picked to cook this week. She went straight for this one. She's been here before for a different Moroccan Chicken (not totally sure which - definitely not Mighty Spice; possibly a Jamie Oliver version?) and we both agreed that we liked the other a bit better, and wanted a bit of cinnamon in this one. We still very much liked this, but it was just missing a little bit of something. LulusDad, however, said that this was his favorite of the (lord knows how many) versions of Moroccan chicken that I've made. I think my favorite is one on epicurious, but it is all good. Left out the apricots because I was serving this with couscous with currants. This was falling apart tender, and had a great smell while cooking.
Quick Grilled Flanken with Chili, Sesame, and Ginger
Page 210 --
No flanken here, but a nice Tri Tip roast came out of the freezer. We pierced it a few times, and it really soaked up the marinade.
This is good! There was a different marinade flavor with every bite. It includes garlic, ginger, soy, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, and siracha - and we just kept smiling at each other as we ate.
I'd like to try this on a cornish. hen. Highly recommend.
And I am so happy to finally be able to contribute. !
re: nikkihwood
Quick Grilled Flanken with Chili, Sesame, and Ginger p. 210
We made this tonight with flank steak which and it turned out very tender. We marinated it for about 14 hours. We served this with grilled asparagus and jasmine rice. Not bad for a weeknight dish. The whole meal came together quickly. The marinade flavors were familiar, but the addition of sriracha added a nice bit of heat.
re: BigSal
Nikki & BigSal that does sound yummy. I love sriracha so we'll have to try this one. Thanks for sharing and welcome nikki
re: nikkihwood
Quick Grilled Flanken with Chili, Sesame and Ginger p.210
Made this with flank steak as well. Added scallions to the marinade, too because I had some that were otherwise going to be headed to the compost bin soon and since she was riffing on kalbi, seems like that would fit right in. Now Kalbi (korean grilled short ribs) is a huge favorite around here, so we had high hopes.... which were totally met! With the flank steak this is much leaner than kalbi and also much quicker and easier in terms of preparation. It does not have the same unctuousness as kalbi, but the flank gives a nice beefy flavor and was tender cut across the grain.
I served this with steamed rice, kimchi and broccoli and kids thought they were getting kalbi as a special treat. Will definitely make again.
re: greeneggsnham
Thanks for the great review.
I've been eyeing this recipe but wanted to try it with the cut suggested. I don't think I've ever seen this cut (kalbi or flanken) at my butcher - is it generally available?
re: Blythe spirit
Hi Blythe spirit,
I have to admit, I have never seen a cut labelled "flanken" at my regular grocery store either. I have occasionally seen short ribs cut across the ribs (so the ribs are all in cross section and you have about 5 rib ovals per slice). This is what we use for kalbi at my house. I have seen them packaged at Harris Teeter (a chain grocery store around here) and have asked for them to cut them that way at Whole Foods. They always have them at the Korean grocery store where I am (in Cary, NC).
Here's a link I found that shows a picture of what we use for kalbi. When we make kalbi though my husband tenderizes the meat first which is a messy and time-consuming procedure.
On the web article from nytimes which accompanies this recipe, MC shows a similar cut of meat and I assume she did not tenderize since there is no mention in the recipe, so obviously it is not necessary.
Mmmm, looking at ther picture makes me hungry for these all over again!
re: greeneggsnham
Thank you for the link - very thoughtful :-) and a picture is worth a thousand words, especially when I'm trying to ask for something special at the butcher! This looks like the same special request I asked for for when I made a Suzanne Goin short ribs recipe. The only difference being it sounds like MC is describing a boneless cut - that's where I was a bit confused. I think I'm going to just try this first with flank steak as you did, since I love that cut. Thanks again :-)
re: greeneggsnham
Quick flanken, page 210
This was easy and delicious. The marinade is a close second to my favorite flank steak marinade (Julia Child recipe, French chef cookbook).
re: nikkihwood
Quick Grilled Flanken w Chili, Sesame and Ginger – p. 210
Outstanding! Big thanks to those who made this previously, your tantalizing descriptions enticed me to put this on the grill.
I did manage to find Flanken at the butcher but thought I'd save that for a braised dish and use flank steak for this since I'm more familiar with this cut, especially for grilling.
The marinade came together in no time and the flank steak marinated overnight. What really appealed about this Asian-inspired dish was the inclusion of Sriracha, I have no idea why I never thought of using this in the past but the result was brilliant and I'll be stealing this idea in the future!! We served this with MC's Crispy Roasted Cabbage alongside. I've reviewed that dish here:
re: Breadcrumbs
The Siracha gives the marinade just enough of a kick in the rear to make it all the more interesting, si? I'm defrosting a couple of bone-in chicken thighs, and plan to use the marinade with them again for Tuesday supper. We like it that much!
re: nikkihwood
totally agree nikki, the Asian marinade is taken from good to great by including the sriracha.
re: Breadcrumbs
Tantalizing descriptions is exactly the right phrase Breadcrumbs! I read through these reviews (and viewed your great photos) and immediately mixed up the marinade. Not flanken, but I've got a tri-tip steak soaking up the goods for tonight's dinner.
re: nikkihwood
Quick Grilled Flanken with Chili, Sesame, and Ginger, p.210
After reading the reviews, I wanted to make this with flank steak, but when DH went out to do the shopping, he couldn't find flank steak, so the butcher sent him home with top sirloin, which I marinated all day after following the marinade recipe to a tee. Couldn't have been easier; whizzed it all w/my IB.
We grilled the steak, and I boiled the marinade, and then we drizzled that over the sliced meat and sprinkled it with toasted sesame seeds. I served it with plain quinoa and grilled asparagus and tossed some sliced scallions over the whole thing. Delicious. I think this marinade would be terrific on all kinds of protein, and I'll definitely be making it marinade again.
re: nomadchowwoman
ncw, your plate looks stunning, so glad you liked this dish. I agree that the marinade is a keeper and will be fabulous for a variety of proteins...even tofu.
re: Breadcrumbs
I never cook tofu b/c my husband would balk; however, I had the same thought about this marinade and tofu, and I'm going to try it. He may come around b/c he loved the sauce.
re: nikkihwood
Quick Grilled Flanken with Chili, Sesame, and Ginger (pg. 210)
Made this last night. Loved it. I used sambal oelek as the spice and it worked well. Nothing to add other that I used flank steak and two minutes per side was enough. Also, I forgot to add the brown sugar so it didn't caramelize as much but it was still delicious.
re: nikkihwood
Quick Grilled (Tri-Tip Steak) with Chili, Sesame, and Ginger, page 210.
I'm back to report, but just on the marinade. We had a tri-tip steak, so I whipped up the marinade and let the steak bathe for the afternoon. Mr. NS cooked it on the grill. I was so caught up in getting it plated while hot (and enjoying the aroma) that I completely forgot the arugula and sesame seeds. Oh well, still a delicious dish. I served it with the Southeast Asian Tomato Salad, and Roasted Spiced Cauliflower with Almonds. A meal that required very little time, yet felt quite special.
re: L.Nightshade
I made this tonight, and also served it with the roasted cauliflower and a green salad. Flanken isn't a common cut here so I used skirt, which worked fine. Yummy.
re: nikkihwood
Made this over the weekend with a london broil that I cooked under the broiler instead of outside on the grill. Like others, we enjoyed the marinade. I bet it would be very good with the flanken, I'd be interested in trying that some time.
Garlic and Thyme-Roasted Chicken with Crispy Drippings Croutons, Pg. 140
This was one of the tastiest roast chicken dishes I've made in a long time. Curiously, it reminded me of the roast chicken my mother used to make. Hers created a lot of pan juices too and my father used to swab the roasting pan with chunks of freshly baked Italian bread to sop up the juices.
In Ms Clark's recipe you place several slices of stale on the bottom of a heavy roasting pan then sprinkle them with S & P & EVOO. Rub S & P inside the cavity of your chicken, stuff with lots of thyme branches, a whole head of garlic sliced in half, bay leaf and half s lemon. Rub the outside of the chicken with S & P & EVOO. Set it on the bread breast side up. Roast in a preheated 425F oven 1hr 15 min for a 4 -5 pound bird. Mine was 4.14 lbs. so we roasted for about the same time. The chicken was beautifully golden with crisp skin and a pretty good amount of luscious pan juices.
Ms Clark writes several caveats regarding the bread burning, and the pan itself so that I simply roasted the chicken alone without the bread then when the chicken was resting thin slices of Italian bread were ladled with the juices and the everything was served together. The bread was not exactly crisp but we didn't care. The whole thing was utterly delicious. I served the chicken et al with Crushed New Potatoes and Pea Salad, page 171 Cook This Now, and an antipasto salad from Italian Two Easy.
re: Breadcrumbs
Here's the pic...
re: debojay
Gio's review and your second make this a must-do. Lovely-looking bird.
re: Gio
Hi Gio, I made this recipe as well, a couple of days ago. I was afraid of burning the bread too, so skipped that step. I also turned the temperature down after about 45 minutes, as the top of my chicken was getting a little dark looking. I hadn't noticed till I checked, but this particular chicken sat a little higher in the pan than the ones I usually get, and I think it was just too close to the heating element (electric). I combined kosher salt and ground pepper and rubbed the olive oil on the chicken, then I seasoned the top skin a little more with season salt, as my husband has a fondness for the crispy seasoned skin on top. I used a combination of lemon thyme and lime thyme, the whole halved lemon, and the whole head of garlic halved. The lemony garlicky flavor infused the whole chicken. I wished I had made some rice to soak up the juices, instead of the mashed potatoes and salad The white meat was amazingly tender and delicious. I separated the leftovers (light and dark) and tossed what was left of the lemon and garlic in with the white meat, along with what little juice was left. The leftovers were great for lunch the next day: I chopped and tossed into some corn tortillas with a bit of cheese and salsa for some of the best soft tacos I've eaten. It had been a while since I had roasted a whole chicken, as it's just the two of us, but this was so good that I will be repeating it soon.
re: debojay
Hi Debojay, wasn't the chicken delicious? I'm so glad you liked it.
We had the left overs last night incorporated into a Vietnamese Spicy Cabbage and Chicken Salad from Andrea Nguyen's book Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, the COTM during Sept. 2008. Your soft tacos sound terrific, though. What a good idea that was.
re: Gio
Garlic and Thyme-Roasted Chicken with Crispy Drippings Croutons, Pg. 140
This dish reminded me of what miracles one can work with a few simple ingredients--lemon, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, olive oil, salt, pepper, stale bread, and a chicken.
I finally got around to trying this last night, and, wow, was it delicious. My husband loves roast chicken, and since he is very happy with the rotisserie supermarket chickens, I rarely roast them whole. I fear that he'll never be satisfied w/a supermarket chicken again!
Since I had half a loaf of stale ciabatta, a heavy SS roasting pan, and a pretty reliable oven, I went ahead and roasted my bird (a lovely 3.75 lb. organic baby) atop thick slices of ciabatta drizzled w/olive oil. I prepped and stuffed the chicken as directed and popped it into the oven (425F). I added the extra step of turning the bird over onto its breast after about 50 minutes so the bottom skin would brown and rearranged the bread slices so the darker ones went under the bird, the wetter to the outside. After 17-18 minutes on its breast, the bird was turned again. I let it go another 7-8 minute before taking it out to rest.
We just couldn't believe how moist the breast was (not sure that was the bird itself or the technique); we're both dark meat lovers but agreed this breast was as delicious as the leg and thigh. But what was really swoon-worthy were those croutons, soaked in the herby-lemony juices, but still toasty and crunchy. These were so good that we kept looking at each other in amazement, starry-eyed in our bliss.
Served this w/roasted brussels sprouts and a cucumber-tomato-radish-onion salad in a light, tart vinaigrette, a bracing counterpart to the lusty unctuousness of the chicken and croutons.
Looking forward to my chicken sandwich for lunch.
The before and after pics:
re: nomadchowwoman
That bread looks to die for. I'm glad the chicken was good too, but I can just look at that bread and know I would make the recipe for the bread alone. I've just ordered the book off amazon after reading along with the posts, I am very much sold that this is a book I would get good use out of. Thanks for the photos with your post and the review.
re: Gio
Garlic and Thyme-Roasted Chicken with Crispy Drippings Croutons (p. 140)
My turn for this chicken. Like all the others, I found this to be amazing! I followed the recipe, with the addition of the mustard idea offered in the variation (but skipping the plan to cut up the chicken, which is a process I don't particularly enjoy).
I spread all my (pretty thick) bread slices with sharp Dijon mustard then put it in a small, heavy dark metal roasting pan, and following MC's suggestion put that on a cookie sheet for a little more insulation. I also lowered the temp to 400 and roasted the whole chicken on the bread without any fussing.
The chicken was indeed wonderfully moist and flavorful – but the BREAD!! Oh the bread! Soft on the top with the chickeny juices, but amazingly crisp on the bottom. I could have happily made a whole meal of just the bread itself. So great.
I served this with Extra-Sharp Leeks Vinaigrette (p. 44), which was a great combo.
For the leftovers, I cut the bread into big chunks and re-toasted it to get crispy again, then chopped the chicken and leeks and tossed it all with some walnuts and lots of arugula for a sort-of panzanella salad for another dinner, and it was excellent.
Roasted chicken thighs with green tomatoes, basil and ginger, page 134.
I loved many things about this recipe. It was fast to prep. I loved the tanginess from the green tomato. But I ended up 'tweaking' it quite a bit ( after it came out of the oven) to get it where I liked it a lot. I added chopped cilantro, Fisher sauce, thinly sliced scallion, a few drop of soy sauce.... And then wishing I had some canned coconut milk to lend creaminess. Then I realized I was trying to make this into a Thai chicken soup. In any event, I loved the green tomato. It lent a wonderful tanginess. So I was able to use this as inspiration; not sure if it's just me and my cooking skills
(modest) ... but I felt this recipe needed a 'boost'. Would love to hear others' feedback.
re: Blythe spirit
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Green Tomatoes, Basil and Ginger, Pg 134
We made this last night and we both loved the combination of different flavors. I used the variation of red tomatoes and cilantro instead of green tomatoes and basil. This is similar to another tomato and chicken recipe I make with white wine and chicken stock except the thighs are bone in so not sliced, and there's no ginger but plenty of chopped herbs. I'll not go into the details of MC's recipe - the full recipe is in the link I provided.
Since Blythe Spirit asked, I'll say we didn't feel the need to augment with additional ingredients. But then, everyone's likes and dislikes are different. Her inclusion of fish sauce, scallion, and soy sauce sound delightful, though.
There's a little left over, just right for a quick sandwich for lunch. The side dish was roasted broccoli seasoned with the spices etc. in the recipe on page 134 - roasted shrimp and broccoli. Finally, a slice of grilled crusty bread was perfect for mopping up.
Spicy Chicken Barley Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach p 164
Nice but not exciting, sorry to say. I share Melissa Clark's fondness for barley -- "thick as oatmeal, slippery as tapioca, cloaked in a savory broth." But the broth came up short in my opinion. I couldn't taste the spinach at all, and the sweet potato (I used a yam) was a little too sweet for soup, IMO. The flavors (chili powder, garlic, paprika, onion, cayenne, black pepper, coriander, cinnamon, tomato paste, lemon juice, cilantro/mint) are good together. I'll wait a day and see if I love it tomorrow, (happens sometimes!)
It *is* nice and thick, like a cream soup.
re: blue room
That sure looks delicious blue room! It's a pity it wasn't all you hoped it would be. I love barley too!
Crispy Tofu with Peanut Sauce p 128
This peanut sauce was just how I like it. Or it would have been if I could have added a bit more spice (I wanted the 2 year old to eat it) and if it hadn't been quite so sweet. That was my fault - I was in a hurry at the grocery store and they didn't have my usual brand of peanut butter, and I noticed after I made the sauce that the peanut butter I bought had sugar in it. Doh. I'd have left out the sugar in the sauce if I'd realized. The peanut butter I bought is also a strange color, so that's part of the reason the sauce looks so unappetizing in the photo. It's very easy to make, everything just goes in the blender, I only chopped the garlic and ginger in case the blender couldn't handle it. Instead of doing cubes of tofu, I did slices since I thought the presentation would be better and it's way easier to fry that way. I served it with sticky rice, edamame, and cucumbers I quickly pickled using a David Thompson recipe, except I pickled them for a couple hours rather than 3 weeks. It was a great meal, and *miraculous* because everyone ate everything! I only had to substitute soy sauce for peanut sauce and regular cucumber for the pickled cucumber for my very picky 4 year old daughter. My two year old son ate everything, including a boiled egg left over from dying eggs. The only other meal I can think of that everyone will eat like that is pancakes, so you understand how miraculous it was. I think I'm going to have to make this every week from now on, and maybe my daughter will try the peanut sauce someday since she actually likes everything in it.
re: sarahcooks
Good for you sarah, I can only imagine how gratifying it must have been to have such a huge hit w the kids! I'm happy this is a success because I'd flagged it too.
re: sarahcooks
(Crispy Tofu with) Peanut Sauce, p. 128
The peanut sauce sounded great, but DH isn't a tofu fan. So I made just the peanut sauce and served it with roasted shrimp and green salad. Delicious!
My peanut butter (organic unsweetened) seemed to be making a really thick sauce, so I ended up increasing the lime juice, soy sauce, and hot water (and incidentally the garlic and hot sauce) to thin it out enough and bump up the flavor. I tossed the greens with half of it, then tossed the shrimp with the rest and put them on the salad, along with cubes of roasted butternut squash. Very tasty dinner.
re: sarahcooks
Crispy Tofu with Peanut Sauce, Pg. 128
We had this for dinner last night and quite liked it. For years I've been making my very favorite peanut sauce from Deborah Madison's cookbook The Savory Way, so that was my benchmark. Melissa Clark's version comes in a close second.
I used an organic, unsalted and unsugared peanut butter, and I increased a few of the ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, 2 T chopped cilantro, 1 T soy sauce, 1/2 t hot sauce (Sriracha). All the other ingredients remained the same. I used a 12 oz. bundle of soba noodles instead of rice, sliced the tofu into small cubes and garnished the finished dish with the recommended sliced scallions and included more chopped cilantro.
Although the finished sauce was thick, as Karen mentioned, the water remaining on the noodles after draining seemed to thin it out satisfactorily. The tofu cubes were nice and crisp. The result was really delicious. The other dishes served were roasted asparagus and an "Asian" salad with napa cabbage, shredded carrots, scallions and arugula with a soy sauce dressing from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. Great meal... and there are leftovers...!
re: Gio
I'd like to try Deborah Madison's peanut sauce, but don't have the book (yet). I found this online at http://beetsandbiscuits.blogspot.com/.... Is this the recipe? Thank you.
peanut sauce
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large bunch of cilantro, leaves and upper stems only, finely chopped
1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons
)1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot chili oil
1/2 cup peanut butter or sesame-peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2-3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, to taste
Mix the garlic, cilantro and ginger in a bowl with the oils, peanut butter, soy sauce, and sugar until well combined (this can also be done in a food processor). Add the vinegar and season to taste with additional soy sauce if necessary. The sauce can be thinned with hot water if it comes out thicker than you like. This sauce can be kept for months if stored in an airtight jar and refrigerated. If refrigerated thin it with hot water as needed before using.
re: BigSal
Here tis, Sal:
6 large garlic cloves,
1 large bunch of cilantro,
*1 piece of fresh ginger,
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot chili oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
*1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
*2-3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar,
Per the recipe:
* 1 1/2 oz. piece ginger
* 1/2 - 2/3 cup soy sauce
* 3 Tb RWV. to taste
She writes to use the FP to finely chop garlic, cilantro & ginger.
Add both oils, Pnut butter, 1/2 cup soy sauce, sugar.
Process till everything is combined.
Everything after "Add the vinegar" is according to the recipe as Madison wrote it.
We love this dish and have been making it since 1990 when the book was first published...!
BTW the recipe for the noodles as written in the blog is accurate. But, I use a full package of the tofu instead of 1/2 pkg...
re: BigSal
Oh you're welcome, Sal. I'm so glad you liked it. The whole recipe with the tofu is one of the best dishes on earth. We have it both hot and cold depending on the season of year...
re: Westminstress
Thanks for the hash recommendation, Westminstress. I've never made that one, now I have to. Yes, the book is great...
re: sarahcooks
Crispy Tofu with Peanut Sauce (p. 128)
This sauce was a breeze, and very tasty too. For some reason I was out of hot sauce (how did that happen?) so I subbed cayenne pepper, along with a bit of extra soy sauce, some salt, and a dash of rice vinegar. My sauce was quite thick so I added quite a bit of extra water to thin it. I cut my tofu into slices as sarahcooks did, and that worked well. Served it over brown rice and steamed dandelion greens, and sprinkled some cilantro on top, a great one-dish meal and I'm sure my toddler will enjoy the leftovers. Next I am going to try the Deborah Madison recipe to compare! Thanks for bringing that one to my attention, Gio.
Edited to add: This recipe does not make a huge quantity of sauce. I'd recommend doubling it if you have more than two eaters or want a good amount of leftovers.
re: sarahcooks
(Crispy Tofu with) Peanut Sauce, p. 128
I had a tiny bit of coconut milk left after baking a cake with the rest last week, so I decided to make this peanut sauce, which I served with the Steamed Wild Salmon with Mustard Greens, Soy Sauce, and Ginger on p. 85, as I was making that for dinner. It came together easily, and went well with the salmon and greens. I used the crunchy natural unsweetened peanut butter I keep around, and maybe 1/2 tsp. Sriracha for the hot sauce, kept all else the same.
Dahlia's Fragrant Chicken Fingers, p. 155
Mix 1 lb ground chicken with 1/2 c bread crumbs, 2 chopped scallions, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or other herb, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp pepper, pinch Aleppo or cayenne. Form into fingers, coat lightly with oil, bake at 375 5-10 min or until done.
I used 1/2 lb turkey instead of chicken, used panko instead of bread crumbs, skipped the scallions, used mint instead of cilantro, and used full amounts of the spices, including a generous dash of piment d'Espelette. I formed the mixture into patties and cooked them in a skillet because I had filled up my oven with trays of roasting beets. I served them on a bed of cooked orach (a leafy green similar to beet greens or spinach) with a side of roasted golden beets tossed with lemon juice, and a scattering of mint over the whole plate.
It made for a very pleasant dinner. Not a knock your socks off dish, even having essentially doubled the spices, but pleasant enough. If I made it again, I would be even more generous with the spices. The scallions would have added another dimension, but I was running late (see trays of roasting beets above) and I didn't want to take the extra few minutes to clean and chop them, since everything else came together almost instantly.
I'm sorry I never manage to take pictures, because this one was actually rather pretty, although due more to the greens and the golden beets than the chicken fingers/patties.
re: Karen_Schaffer
Dahlia's Fragrant Chicken Fingers p.155
Even though MC's daughter is young and mine was 17 this week (gulp) I do still sometimes make mine what I consider "kid's food". And at least this recipe had herbs and spices to kick it up into more adult territory. But neither of us really loved the chicken fingers. They were nice just not great enough to make me want them again.
re: Karen_Schaffer
Tonight we had Dahlia's Fragrant Chicken Fingers. I made them pretty much exactly as called for, with the scallions, in fingers, in the oven. My herb of choice was parsley. I did double the cumin because Lulu and I both really love that spice. Big hit. And plenty easy. Served them with the orange and olive salad from CTN and we were both very happy. I will definitely make these again; they'd make a great addition to a lunch box come fall, and again, they're tasty and easy.
Roasted shrimp and broccoli, page 105
OMG, so good. Have made 3 times already. A good example of where the whole is much more than the sum of its parts. Super easy, quick and delicious. Toss broccoli florets w evoo, cumin, coriander, chili powder, s & p. In deparate bowl, toss shrimp w evoo, lemon zest, s& p. Roast broccoli on a cookie sheet in a 425 oven for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and toss w broccoli, roast another 10 minutes. Done. Serve over rice or pasta. I use less salt than called for in the recipe b/c the first time seemd too salty for my taste...and I like salt.
re: shaebones
Shaebones thanks for pointing this one out. Against all odds, I missed it somehow but it's definitely on my list now. Perfect combo: quick, easy & delicious!
re: shaebones
I sort of made this, although I was roasting asparagus, so I left off the spices. The roasted shrimp with the lemon zest is great! I would never have thought of roasting shrimp, even though I grill it all summer.
I didn't measure the salt, so I can't comment on the saltiness, but I likely used less than called for.
re: shaebones
Never paid attention to this one because I've never made shrimp. I may have to do the broccoli though, I love roasted broccoli!
re: sarahcooks
Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli
I made this, my first time making shrimp! I've never been a big shrimp eater either, but this was delicious and easy. I'm no longer afraid of shrimp (provided it is shelled and deveined for me!) I used lemon olive oil on the shrimp and didn't squeeze the lemon over it as I need that for tomorrow's lemon brisket. I served it with couscous to go with the super-quick theme. My 5 year daughter tried the broccoli under threat of no dessert and cried when she tasted it. She ate broccoli I kept aside and cooked in the microwave, cous cous, and strawberries for dinner. My 2 year old son ate a ton of the roasted broccoli which is a huge win because he's not a huge veggie fan, and ate two shrimp. I cut up the first one for him and popped a piece in his mouth to get him to try it. He liked it and I gave him a second shrimp whole, but with the tail taken off. He moved it around on his plate a bit but wasn't having it. So I cut it up, and when he saw it magically transformed into what he'd just eaten, he said "yay!" and ate it up. I can't believe the stuff that kid eats, it's such a relief to have one kid that will eat what the rest of us do! Oh, and the other kid, also known as DH, liked the broccoli (which he normally hates).
For all of you who like this recipe, I highly recommend trying the roasted cauliflower. It's very similar. Or take the slivered almonds found in that recipe and add it to this one when you add the shrimp, I think that would make it even better.
re: shaebones
I'm still waiting for the book to be returned to the library so I can have my turn, but luckily the recipe is online, here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/din... ... because it sounds great!
re: Caitlin McGrath
Thanks for giving the link. I don't have this book but this sounds fantastic. Will try.
re: shaebones
I'm definitely jumping on this shrimp and broccoli bandwagon. 20 minutes to the finished dish, not including prepping the broccoli & shrimp...? I'm in. Thanks shaebones.
re: shaebones
This looks great. I'm making it for dinner tonight.
For the chili powder, did you use cayenne or chili powder?
re: beetlebug
I used chili powder. Also I didn't have the seed version of cumin and coriander so I used the powders in half dose I think. I want to know if everyone likes it as much as me!
re: shaebones
I made this last week too and it was a success. I used the powder versions of the spice too but think next time I need to cut down on the cumin a bit. Otherwise very tasty and super easy! My favorite combo. :-)
re: shaebones
Roasted shrimp and broccoli, page 105
I made this Friday night. The (minimal) prep is described above, so I'll just note where I deviated from the recipe. I lightly crushed the coriander and cumin in a mortar and pestle before tossing with the broccoli to release their flavor and aroma a bit more. I also went a bit heavy on the coriander, and doubled the chili powder (I used the Indian kind). Instead of tossing the shrimp with the lemon zest in a separate bowl, I reused the bowl from the broccoli, thus mopping up any of the spices that were left coating the inside. Reheated a baguette that I had in the freezer and called it dinner.
Could not have been easier, and surprisingly good. The cooking time was perfect. The pairing of shrimp with broccoli, and especially with the seasonings used here, is not something that would have leapt to my mind. Not sure I would pull this out for company, but for a quick weeknight meal, it was very satisfying. It would be easy to come up with a lot of variations using the same idea, but different ingredients.
re: shaebones
Roasted shrimp and broccoli, page 105
Except I had boneless chicken thighs that needed to be cooked. MC says in the intro that they would work, but she felt chicken thighs are better if they have time to marinate. Well, I didn't have time to marinate them either, but I cut them into smallish chunks, tossed them with a little olive oil and the spice mix (I too lightly crushed the coriander and cumin seeds, and held back on the salt a bit), then set it aside while I prepped the broccoli. I then tossed the broccoli with the chicken, adding a little more oil, and stuck it in the oven, stirring once halfway through.
The chicken was fantastic! The broccoli was good, but I think I should have reserved a bit of the spice mix to sprinkle on the broccoli, because it mostly clung to the chicken pieces. Other than that, a real winner. Fast, easy, delicious.
re: Karen_Schaffer
Thanks for sharing your experience with subbing chicken. I think I will give that a try this week!
re: Abby0105
Just a follow up - I did try the chicken-for-shrimp swap using boneless, skinless thighs. I agree the chicken soaked up all the flavor, but I decided I was ok with the broccoli just tasting like broccoli. Served with a potato and parsley root puree to round out the meal.
re: shaebones
Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli – p. 105
Love, love, love this dish! Thanks to shaebones for initially drawing my attention to this dish. Over the years I've made many a quick and easy weeknight meal but none like this. I loved the idea of roasting the shrimp.
The only adaptation I made was to season this with fennel seeds vs the cumin along w some Turkish oregano. I served this atop some couscous and finished the plate w a drizzle of lemon-infused EVOO and some fennel pollen. Absolutely delicious. We're having this again this week!
re: Breadcrumbs
Gorgeous, Breadcrumbs! Looks absolutely delicious. Gotta move this one up the "to make" list
re: Breadcrumbs
That looks so pretty.
re: Breadcrumbs
Roasted shrimp and broccoli page 105
Made this as described except I used powdered spices ( a bit less) rather than whole. This was quick, easy, and fairly nutritious. And I liked it well enough, though I'm not the biggest fan of cumin.... so next time I think I'll try Breadcrumb's version with the other flavorings and see how that does - it sounds enticing. But this is a great weeknight meal.
re: shaebones
Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli, p. 105
I made a half recipe, with a pound of broccoli and half a pound of shrimp. I just tossed the broccoli with oil and spices on the sheet pan, and tossed the shrimp with oil and zest in a bowl. Having previously made Clark's roasted spiced cauliflower, which like this recipe used cumin and coriander seed, but also included mustard seed, I decided to add mustard seeds to this one, too. I lightly crushed the seeds; I also used less oil than she calls for, and more chile powder.
I was as pleased with this as everyone else who has tried it. I loved the robust flavors, and how the spices ended up on the shrimp through the tossing with the broccoli as it cooked. Squeezing lemon juice over at serving really married it all together beautifully. This was a quick an easy one-dish meal for me. And a healthful one, to boot!
re: shaebones
Roasted Shrimp and [Broccoli], Pg. 105
This is a super recipe as everyone has said. I took her at her word though and made one not-so-subtle substitution. Instead of broccoli I roasted Fiddlehead Ferns. I had 1 pound of Florida Gulf shrimp but only 1/2 lb. of the ferns. I only used 2 tablespoons of EVOO, 1 teaspoon salt and cayenne for the chili powder. Everything was combined in a large bowl, and roasted as directed, but at the same time...the fiddlehead ferns are not as robust as broccoli. Half way through the roasting everything was tossed then continued to cook till the shrimp was pink and ferns were cooked through. Served with lemon wedges. The side dish was roasted sweet potatoes. This is going into rotation here and I expect chicken pieces and the broccoli is on the horizon...
re: greedygirl
Well... it's a plan I make whenever I cook something I really enjoy. On the days you don't hear from me I've probably repeated one or another past recipes. Or, reverted to an old timer. Sometimes I actually cook "by the seat of my pants". (An image probably I shouldn't have conjured up.)
re: shaebones
Roasted shrimp and broccoli, page 105
I made this last week and also loved it. It would have been super easy to put together if I hadn't bought shell on shrimp. The veins were very dirty so cleaning these puppies took much longer then expected.
I also sprinkled hot pepper flakes to the shrimp which added a bit of bite. I served this with bulger. Delicious.
re: beetlebug
TJ's has good deveined shrimp. Have to peel the tails off but takes a second.
re: shaebones
Huge hit with us too. It seemed to keep growing on my husband. By the end he wanted to know exactly what was in it, and was suggesting the same spice mixture on roasted fish. This is so easy, and so tasty. It will definitely go into rotation. Thanks to everyone who has reported on this one.
re: shaebones
I did this last night with cauliflower, not broccoli -- and it was delicious.
re: shaebones
Roasted shrimp and broccoli, page 105.
My thanks to everyone above for bringing this recipe to my attention! Pressed for time, I was trying to think of something bright and healthy and quick, and I remembered these posts. Shaebones describes the method very well above. And, as MelMM says, the cooking time was perfect. I followed the recipe, except that I didn't really measure spices, and was probably slightly generous. I loved the outcome; this is some of the best broccoli I've tasted, and I may just cook broccoli this way from now on. I especially liked it with the coriander seeds. And roasting shrimp? Just great! We've been consuming more than our share of pasta lately, so I didn't even serve it with a carb, just lovely as-is.
re: L.Nightshade
Just made Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli tonight, and as everyone else has said – a fabulous, easy weeknight dinner! As some others did, I used ground spices instead of whole, and in my case I only used chili powder and coriander. I also reduced the amount of salt called for (especially with the broccoli), and I'm never one to shy away from salt.
Loved the dish together, but what really amazed me was how delicious the spiced roasted broccoli was with a sprinkle of lemon juice over at the end. Shrimp tends to be an infrequent luxury for us, but I roast broccoli for dinner all the time and I will definitely be making it like this a lot!
I also threw a handful of single (unpeeled) garlic cloves on the pan with the broccoli, and by the time the dish was finished cooking, they were lovely and soft – smeared onto toasted bread and drizzled with olive oil, this was a nice side. Next time I might try this with corn muffins (the chili powder and coriander made me start thinking Southwest flavors), or, maybe even better, with some spiced roasted sweet potato wedges.
re: GardenFresh
What a brilliant idea to add the garlic cloves! I must remember that one.
re: Karen_Schaffer
Thanks :) If there's a way to add garlic to any recipe, I will find it. My family and friends call it a sickness. I call it delicious!
re: shaebones
Made this for dinner tonight, and like everyone else I was very happy with the result. I used lime instead of lemon, which I prefer with shrimp. I also used thai chili sauce instead of chili powder. The chili sauce added a really nice kick that I know I wouldn't have gotten with the powdered stuff.
I've got a bunch left over; I'm thinking I'll turn it into pasta. The plan is to cook the broccoli stems until they they're super tender, puree them with olive oil, pine nuts, and roasted garlic, and use that "pesto" as sauce. Then I'll toss in the leftover shrimp and broccoli florets. Not Melissa's recipe, but I think she would approve.
re: caseyjo
Mm, I like the idea of lime and sweet chili sauce. I wonder if garlic and ginger instead of the cumin and coriander would burn.
re: shaebones
My turn for the roasted shrimp and broccoli, and we loved it too. The only change I made was to use purple sprouting broccoli which is in season and superior in my view to regular broccoli, and chilli flakes rather than chilli powder. Mr GG raved, and said the broccoli was a "revelation". The leftovers will make a nice work lunch for me tomorrow.
re: shaebones
I've made the Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli again, post COTM month, and then the other day, instead of broccoli I used the vegetables I had from the farmers' market: two medium zucchini, sliced in rounds about 1/4" thick, and a bunch of fairly fat asparagus, cut in 2" lengths. I roasted the vegetables for about 15 minutes total, and added the shrimp for the last 5 minutes (in my funny, small electric convection oven with the element at the top, that's all the time large shrimp need). As before, I added mustard seeds along with the cumin and coriander seeds and lightly crushed them, used ancho chile powder (and lots more than called for), and less salt and olive oil than called for. This time I held back some of the spice mix and tossed it with the shrimp and lemon zest and I like the effect this had.
This was as perfect with zucchini and asparagus as with broccoli. Simple to make, absolutely delicious, healthful. Also terrific cold for lunch the next day.
re: Caitlin McGrath
You had some leftover?? ;)
re: Caitlin McGrath
I keep returning to this recipe too! Broccoli, asparagus, onions, beans, cauliflower, garlic -- they all work. As soon as my zucchini start coming in, I'll use them too -- glad to hear they worked out well for you, Caitlin. I like the crunch of the whole spices (I don't bother crushing them anymore, and I still like it), but I add some powdered spices to mix it up a bit (chile powder, various Penzey's blends, Joan's charmoula *hi, Joan!*, etc.). Sometimes I add sausages instead of shrimp. Haven't tried scallops yet, but they're on the list.
re: Karen_Schaffer
This really does work well with any vegetables that take well to roasting and these spices (I'm still adding mustard seeds, and use various things for the chile powder, but also not crushing them. Just did it with chunks of eggplant and halved cremini mushrooms.
Shrimp for a small kitchen ( shrimp with capers, lemon and feta).
You add 3 cloves of minced garlic to evoo heated ( medium heat) in a skillet. After a minute you add a pound of lg. shrimp (which I bought already de-veined), juice of half a lemon, 1/3 c. of crumbled Feta, 1 to 2 TBS of capers, salt and pepper to taste. It only needs another minute or two for the
Shrimp to cook thru and the sauce to become thicker. At the very end you add 2 tbs. chopped basil or cilantro. I couldn't decide so I used a little of each.
This was super fast and very tasty. I served it with a simple rice pilaf . After an exhausting day of supervising a kindergarten field trip, I did NOT want to cook - and this was the ticket. It is reminiscent of picatta and scampi - minus all the butter. I may end up trying this with chicken next time. A definite repeat.
re: Blythe spirit
Made this again and this time added some green chopped onions and halved grape tomatoes. Served over Rigatoni - scrumptious!
re: Blythe spirit
Shrimp for a small kitchen ( shrimp with capers, lemon and feta), (CTN p. 373)
This is a great quick dinner meal. I forgot to add the cilantro at the end, but even without there was plenty of flavor. I served it with the carrot and arugula salad from CTN. Next time, I think I'll put it over some linguine.
re: Blythe spirit
Shrimp For a Small Kitchen – p. 109
Blythe, your report was so enticing you've started a trend!
I think the combination of flavours in this dish is something we're accustomed to seeing on menus and in recipes but the difference here, at least for me, was the quantity and use of the feta as a sauce, that sets this dish apart and really make it something special. Blythe spirit did a terrific job of recounting how it all comes together. I made this by the book and we made ours w the basil vs the cilantro. My faithful friend Zoji did a stand-up job w the steamed basmati rice so as Blythe points out, this really makes for a quick, low effort weeknight dinner. Yummy, I'd make this again and I'll definitely be using some Aleppo pepper next time around. mr bc loved this too and he's not the shrimp-lover I am.
re: Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs, your pictures are much more beautiful than mine came out! I'm glad you enjoyed it. This dish actually enabled me to use up Feta I had originally purchased for an Olive and Caper recipe. But I really thought it was a clever use of Feta - and I'd probably never have tried this on my own.
re: Blythe spirit
Shrimp for a Small Kitchen, p. 109
I decided I'd like to make this as soon as I looked through the book, and the thought was validated by all the great reports, but it took me until May 2 to get around to it. I made a half recipe as written, except that I used less oil, slightly more (Meyer) lemon juice, and added some crushed red pepper flakes. I used basil. My crumbled Bulgarian feta didn't really incorporate and bring things together in a saucy way (perhaps because I skimped on the oil or because my lemon juice cooked off pretty quickly? I don't know). Nevertheless, it was all quite delicious together. I roasted some asparagus while I prepped and cooked this dish, making for a quick, very satisfying meal.
As an aside, I appreciated Clark's intro to this, as I lived in a tiny Manhattan studio (~350 square feet, shared with my then boyfriend and two cats) where the kitchen was literally a corner, with an 18-inch electric coil stove, for six years. Like the small kitchen she describes, mine had zero counter space but I cooked plenty anyway.
re: Blythe spirit
Shrimp for a Small Kitchen, p. 109
Another endorsement for this fast & delicious recipe! I used lime instead of lemon, just because I had some sitting around, which gave the dish a haunting, almost floral taste. My feta (a French one that I've bought many times before) was surprisingly mild this time, but the capers give this dish plenty of tang (I was generous with them). I forgot to clip some basil, but the dish still had plenty of flavor. I served it on a bed of cooked orach, a leafy green similar to beet greens and spinach, and the sauce was divine mixed with the cooked greens.
I've been making a dish similar to this for years using blue cheese and vermouth. I look forward to ringing changes on the both of them.
Olive Oil-Poached Halibut (Flounder) Nuggets with Garlic and Mint, pg. 90.
I made this last week as a quick weeknight dinner. They had beautiful big flounder fillets at the fish market so I got those instead of Halibut. The fish is seasoned with s&p, cubed and placed into oiive oil on a low heat. You are supposed to use mint and rosemary, but I bought nice greek oregano for last month and never ended up using it with fish so I decided to make this Greek style instead with oregano. The fish is poached in the oil and slivered garlic is added in the last 3 minutes. My fish took longer than expected, but this was likely due to the VERY low heat on my electric range. I added lemon juice as garnish (optional).
This was excellent. Really simple and let the flavor of the olive oil and fresh fish shine. We loved it. I was surprised by how much my littlest one (16 months) loved this. I am going to have to up the fish budget because we were fighting over the last pieces. Also, the oil (4 Tbsp-- I used a bit more b/c my fish was bigger than a lb) was wonderful to sop up with crusty bread.
A definite repeat for us.
re: greeneggsnham
Here's the link to the recipe, for anyone who doesn't have the book.
Lamb Tagine with Apricots, Olives [and Buttered Almonds], Pg. 193 - 194
This recipe produced a dish of delectably seasoned bites of lamb and onions in a delicious sauce that we both liked very much. Although the seasonings are typically Moroccan, the end flavors melded into an interesting mix of spicy and not-too-sweet perfection. The choice of cuts of lamb are given as either bone-in lamb shoulder or bone-less lamb stew meat. I chose a combination of both after reading her header notes and liked the idea of having the bones contribute their inherant qualities to the overall flavor of the finished dish.
After trimming the extra fat off the meat and cutting it into bite sized pieces, put the chunks into a Dutch oven along with chopped garlic, salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, ground ginger, and ground cumin. Rub this spice mix all over the meat. Two large Spanish onions are sliced thinly and from that only 1/2 cup is minced. That 1/2 cup is added to the pot with the meat and seasonings.
Cook the meat over high heat about 3 minutes, just till the seasonings begin to give off their aroma. At this point add enough water to come up 3/4 the way of the lamb. Put a couple of cinnamon sticks into the pot (I used only 1 stick) and add a large pinch of saffron too. Bring to a simmer, cover pot, place in a pre-heated 325F oven, braise 45 minutes. Remove pot from oven, turn meat over, add the sliced onions over top, replace cover, return pot to oven and braise for a further 45 - 60 minutes. Remove meat from pot, and keep warm in a bowl while you make the sauce.
Over high heat, add sliced apricots and smashed green olives to sauce and simmer till it's reduced by 1/3. It will thicken during this time. Add back the meat and keep warm till you serve.
I omitted the step regarding cooking sliced almonds in butter and sprinkling them over cooked couscous with sliced apricots. The tagine was one course of a meal that consisted of Mario's Calamari alla Luciana (page 256 Molto Italiano) and Mozzarella, Anchovy, Arugula salad (page 17 Italian Easy). We had slices of a fresh crusty loaf of Italian bread throughout. Dessert? Pizza Dolce. A sweet ricotta cheesecake-like confection.. I'm fasting this week.
Pasta with Turkish-Style Lamb, Eggplant, and Yogurt Sauce, Pg. 201
We both loved the combination of flavors in this recipe. It's a homey dish and quite filling but really hits the comfort zone spot. It's the lamb and eggplant that make the dish. I had a little over 1 pound of ground lamb but didn't alter the amounts of the other ingredients too much.
You need a large eggplant sliced in small cubes, which is tossed in olive oil and S & P then roasted for 20-ish minutes at 450F. While that's happening saute chopped garlic and a shallot a couple of minutes then add the lamb, S & P, red pepper flakes (I used 1/2 t of the recommended Aleppo pepper). Cook this, stirring from time to time, till meat is no longer pink. At that point you can add either chopped dill or mint. I used dill. Add the browned eggplant to the mix and check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Cook 1/2 pound Farfalle (bow ties pasta) now. At the same time melt some butter and cook till it browns - about 5 minutes. Mix yogurt, minced garlic and salt in a small bowl. Side note: when we cook macaroni the water goes on to boil first, before we do anything...
To plate: the pasta is spilled onto a platter, but since we were just 2 we plated our individual bowls: Pasta on the bottom, eggplant/lamb mixture over that, yogurt sauce next, lastly the melted butter. Sprinkle with more Aleppo pepper and chopped dill. Then dig in... BTW: A half pound of the macaroni was perfect for two people, with leftovers.
re: Gio
Pasta with Turkish-Style Lamb, Eggplant, and Yogurt Sauce, Pg. 201
I really liked this as well. I used mint instead of dill and along with the eggplant, I roasted a head of cauliflower. I added the cauliflower into the pasta with everything else to make this more of a complete meal.
I had leftover egg noodles so probably used about half a lb of that. The whole dish turned into a mediterranean stroganoff. Perfect for a drizzly evening's meal.
Beef, Bean and Hominy Chili with Cilantro Sour Cream – p. 207
Well, I LOVE hominy but it's not something I use all that often so I was delighted to find this recipe. It seemed like a great make-ahead dish so I prepared it on Sunday for a Tuesday night meal.
Though the ingredient list is long, prep is very simple. Chop your onion, bell pepper, poblano, jalapeno & garlic while you brown your beef. Add your veggies and cook 'til soft. In goes your garlic, and chili powder – give it a stir then toss in the tomatoes, stock, dark beer (ours was Waterloo Dark Ontario craft beer), hominy, beans, oregano, bay leaf, s&p. Simmer until thickened – we simmered for 2 hours.
On Tuesday this looked much the same as it did when we tucked it in the fridge on Sunday night. Nothing got mushy! The chili heated up beautifully and tasted wonderful. mr bc had 3…yes 3 bowls!! I topped w chives vs cilantro due to an allergy to the latter. The heat level was perfect and the flavours were balanced. This is somehow fresher and lighter tasting than our regular chili. Loved it!
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Apples, Gin, and Coriander Seeds, p. 133
I missed out on a "martini-like alchemy" because I unaccountably had no dry vermouth, but no matter. I had .71 lb chicken (instead of 1 lb) and one medium apple (instead of two small or one large), but I kept all the other measurements mostly as called for. This comes together easily enough: boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in strips are tossed in a baking dish with thinly sliced apple, minced garlic (here I used more than called for), coriander seeds (I lightly crushed them), vermouth (I used dry white wine), gin, cilantro, dill, or parsley (I used parsley), olive oil, and salt and pepper, then spread in one layer and roasted for 20 minutes, until the chicken is done and apples tender. More (cilantro, dill, or) parsley is added to finish.
This was fairly subtly flavored, but the sweetness of the apples, citrusy notes of the coriander seeds, and herbal flavor of the gin all came together in a very pleasing way to flavor the chicken. I had it with the Roasted Spiced Cauliflower with Almonds on p. 70 and very much enjoyed the meal.
My Mother's Garlic and Thyme-Roasted Chicken Parts (without Mustard Croutons) p.144
This chicken should have been cooked and served on mustard croutons but I wanted to serve it with the Barley & carrots dish in CTN so I skipped them. It was a very quick, easy chicken dish. Basically just chicken thighs sprinkled with olive oil, bay leaf and thyme with some garlic cloves tucked in then roasted. Very easy for a weeknight dinner. I will definitely try it again with the mustard croutons though. BTW, even if you don't cook this, read the story before it - it is so funny.
re: JaneEYB
My Mother's Garlic and Thyme-Roasted Chicken Parts with Mustard Croutons, p.144
Do try it with the mustard croutons, Jane, because they are amazing! I made a very abbreviated recipe with two large thighs. I used the bread I had on hand, which was walnut levain, a part-whole-wheat, slightly sour, crusty bread studded with walnut pieces that is delicious. I used a knife to spread the mustard on, and a silicone pastry/basting brush (my new favorite kitchen implement) to brush olive oil on the bread, chicken, and garlic. The chicken skin was gorgeously brown and crisp, the meat moist, and the croutons - imbued throughout with the drippings - were, as I said, amazing. The very edges of the bread that weren't covered by the chicken got a bit charred, but most of the bread, whether soft or crunchy and browned, was eaten up. The second thigh, sitting on its croutons, reheated beautifully in the toaster oven.
re: Caitlin McGrath
My Mother's chicken parts ..... W/ mustard croutons page 144
This was delicious and a definite repeat. One word of caution: this recipe calls for the drizzling of olive oil a couple different times. If you're not careful, the outcome can be a little greasy (this was my fault, not the recipe's). Please DO use the mustard, it lends a wonderful tanginess. I served the whole thing over lightly dressed arugula, which helped balance the richness.
re: JaneEYB
My Mother's Garlic and Thyme Chicken parts with Mustard Croutons p. 144
Like those above, loved this. I used a rock hard baguette which had been sitting on our counter for days and Chicken leg quarters. Easy, delicious, comforting. What's not to love? Given how hard my baguette was to start, the parts not directly under the chicken pieces were unpleasantly crispy after their time in the oven. But even they did not go to waste... they became a delicious topping for Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Chiles and Pecorino (pg 63). All in all a wonderful meal!
re: JaneEYB
My Mother's Garlic and Thyme-Roasted Chicken with Mustard Croutons p. 144
I used a cut up whole chicken. I used a large skillet as I really don't have a great roasting pan. I think I may have crowded the pan a little much - the chicken came out fine, but the skin needed a little crisping and the croutons were soggy on top. MC says to stick the chicken under the broiler a bit to crisp up the skin - which I did. I removed the chicken from the skillet and put it on a sheet pan under the broiler for three minutes. The croutons were crispy on the bottom and soggy on the top. So I flipped them over and stuck the pan (sans chicken) back into the oven for a bit to crisp up the second side. Husband said the bread tasted like stuffing. And the garlic cloves to spread on the bread was a bonus. I'd definitely make this again - maybe in a bigger pan. :)
re: JaneEYB
My Mother's Garlic and Thyme-Roasted Chicken Parts with Mustard Croutons, p.144 (CTN p. 373)
My BF's breadmaking didn't go very well last weekend and we ended up with some very dense bread which worked out wonderfully for this dish. I also only used chicken thighs in this recipe. ` The end result was excellent for very little effort.
re: TxnInMtl
I used chicken thighs too, and stale sourdough. We really enjoyed this dish.
Coconut Fish Stew with Basil and Lemongrass (pg. 116)
Another quick and easy dish. I also got a lot of leftovers out of this and kept adding more ingredients. There was a lot more broth to stuff ratio.
Saute chopped shallot and garlic for about 5 minutes. Then add: chicken stock, coconut milk, chopped lemongrass,chopped jalepeno pepper (I used a habenero), rice vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, salt and lime zest. Simmer this for about 10 minutes. The stir in seafood and chopped basil and cilantro. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add lime juice).
For the seafood, you can use a combination of anything. I used cod and scallops (which I quartered).
The lime juice just brought everything together. I also threw in more garlic then called for because I accidentally added the garlic for my side into the pot. It was still delicious and not overly garlicky. I served this over jasmine rice so it was more of a meal. I also had a side of stir fried napa cabbage (with garlic and white pepper). But, as we ate the meal, we found that the two combined beautifully.
There was a lot of broth leftover. So I ended up adding some more fish and napa cabbage to the broth. For my last meal with this dish, instead of rice, I used rice vermicelli which was quite delicious with this coconut broth.
re: beetlebug
Thanks for your review, beetlebug. This sounds like just the thing for the overabundance of lemongrass in my little garden and some shrimp and scallops in the freezer. Yum.
re: nomadchowwoman
Wow, it never occurred to me that one could grow lemongrass in the garden! An overabundance, even. What kind of climate do you live in?
re: L.Nightshade
Semi-tropical, LN--New Orleans. I started this plant by sticking a couple of stalks of lemon grass that I pulled up from somewhere else into some very wet soil and then watering it like crazy. I now have to cut itback constantly as it will take over. It and the mint compete for complete control.
re: nomadchowwoman
My gardener told me that if I planted mint, she'd quit.
re: LulusMom
It's unbelievable--spreads into everything. Good thing we like it.
re: nomadchowwoman
I can't grow anything eatable. We have pretty flowers, but there isn't enough sun for anything like herbs (and the squirrels usually dig them up). For a little while I managed to keep a tarragon and a chinese chive plant going, but even those bought the farm. Rosemary, even in the one spot we thought would work died within 3 months. I'm just a miserable wrong colored thumb : (
re: LulusMom
Ha! Mint is one of the things I am able to grow here. I just looked up lemongrass, and read that zone 9 is the minimum. I am in zone 7 too bad.
re: L.Nightshade
I live in New England and I grow lemongrass in the summer. I grow it in a big pot and by September, I have a big plant. I tear it up and then throw the stalks in the freezer. That lasts me through until the following fall, when I tear up the new plant.
re: beetlebug
Coconut Fish Stew with Basil and Lemongrass, p. 116
It was helpful to have beetlebug's report pop up this morning, as I already had this lined up for tonight's dinner. I had decided to make this more of a one-dish meal by adding vegetables and had assumed I might need to up the liquid but boy did I not need to, even with adding a ton more stuff. I added more garlic (but Clark only calls for one small clove) and was stuck with a super mild jalapeno (wish I had a serrano), so mine didn't have much heat. I added a few sliced fresh shiitakes and a pound or so of sliced zucchini, along with a pound of wild coho salmon for the fish. Even with all of that (vs. no vegetables and 3/4 pound fish, per the recipe), there was lots of broth. It was good, but not exciting enough for me to repeat.
re: beetlebug
Coconut Fish Stew with Basil and Lemongrass, p. 116)
I made this last night, and it was an unqualified hit. My husband kept saying I should make this more often--surprising to me as he is not usually a great fan of creamy coconut-based soups, sauces, or stews. I had been out at Jazz Fest all day and wasn't very hungry and didn't feel like cooking, but as the man was starving when I got home, I really appreciated how quickly this came together. (And-surprise, surprise--my appetite returned miraculously.)
Beetlebug has already covered the process very well; I stayed true to the recipe, except for subbing palm sugar for reg. brown and upping the lemongrass a bit and using an extra garlic. My jalapeno was very large, so I sliced it and added some of the seeds after reading the reports. (And I completely denuded my brand new Thai basil plant to get my 2 T!) I used 1/2 lb ea. of shrimp and sea scallops, which were still partly frozen when I added them to the broth, which I simmered for probably 30 minutes instead of the 10.
We ate this with jasmine rice and no accompaniments as I was feeling lazy. But I do wish I'd had a red or yellow pepper to slice and add to the mix, for some added color.
But we thought this delicious. A definite keeper. I have a recipe for a similar fish curry recipe that I love, and it's a bit more complex in flavor, but it also involves a lot more ingredients and effort. For the investment here, the payoff is big.
re: beetlebug
Coconut Fish Stew with Basil and Lemongrass – p. 118
I adore all things Thai or Thai-inspired so of course this dish had immediate appeal. The fact that it was getting great reviews here and, touted as a quick and easy weeknight meal just added to its appeal. Nonetheless, with a little time to spare on a Sunday afternoon, I elected to make the broth in advance so all I needed to do the following day was add the fish and shrimp. Prep has been expertly covered above so all that's left for me to add are my own modifications. I had one Anaheim chili to use up so to enhance the heat factor I also added 1 Thai bird chili in place of the jalapeno. I also elected to sauté off the peppers along w the shallots and garlic. My fish was Palumbo and, I also tossed in some baby shrimp. We served this atop steamed brown jasmine rice. This was a huge hit. mr bc & I both arrived home famished and the enticing aromas of the coconut lime infused broth had us hovering over the pot just willing our fish to cook instantly!! We'll definitely be having this again. It's perfect for a weeknight meal.
re: Breadcrumbs
Another fan here, and what a great quick dinner. I used a couple of green Thai chillies instead of jalapeno, and a baby can of coconut milk (around 5oz). There was still plenty of broth. For the seafood I used scallops and prawns. I also added some asparagus as I went a bit crazy at the farmer's market on Sunday and have tons of the stuff! We both really liked this. I have some leftover broth with which I intend to make a noodle soup of some kind.
re: greedygirl
Glad you liked this gg and I LOVE your idea of making a noodle soup w the broth...I think that would be fabulous. I'll definitely have to try that too. I'll bet udon noodles would be lovely. Thanks for the inspiration!
re: greedygirl
I used rice vermicelli for my leftover broth. I also added more seafood and napa cabbage. It was just as delicious the second and third time around.
re: beetlebug
mmmmmm, I'm drooling beetlebug!! ; - )
Garlicky Cashew Pork and Pineapple Skewers (p. 126)
A variation offered for the Spicy, Garlicky Cashew Chicken (reviewed above), this was really delicious and easy!
1 cup cashews, 2 T. cilantro (I used parsley), 1/4 olive oil, 4 crushed garlic cloves (I used 6), 2 T soy sauce, 2 t. brown sugar, 1/4 t. red pepper flakes, 2 T water, and the juice of one lemon are pulsed in a food processor until a paste formed then smeared over chunks of pork and left to marinade.
I felt that the paste was far too thick for either marinading or using as a sauce later, so I added more water (probably used a total of 1/4 cup) and more citrus juice and soy sauce. This was still a thick enough paste that it really stuck to the pork for a nice crust when it was cooked. Then for the part I reserved for the sauce, I added a few T. chicken stock so it was more of a sauce than a paste. (I just served it straight from the fridge rather than try to heat it somehow and it was fine)
Other subs: I used parsley instead of cilantro because people in my house won't eat cilantro, but honestly I think it would have been even better with cilantro if you like it, the flavor would have been nice and bright; the parsley I think made it a little muddy. I also really didn't notice the red pepper flakes even though I already doubled the amount; next time I might put in 1/2 t. red pepper flakes and maybe the same amount of Sriracha sauce (I like a good kick). Lastly, I used a half a lemon and a half a lime because that's what I had. Next time I might try all lime and also use the zest.
I notice in the recipe head, Melissa notes something about the delicious smell of pineapple coated in brown sugar cooking under the broiler, but I didn't see anything in the recipe to do anything but skewer fresh chunks between the marinaded pork then place under the broiler. Just plain the pineapple was a little dull; next time I might try tossing the chunks with brown sugar and maybe cayenne before adding them to the skewers.
Melissa also doesn't indicate broiler strength; mine has high and low settings; I used low and cooked it for about 8 minutes per side and it was perfectly cooked.
Great dish!
re: GardenFresh
Garlicky Cashew Pork and Pineapple Skewers (p. 126)
I finally caved and bought ITKWAGA. I had half a pineapple leftover from a salad from Mighty Spice that I made early in the week and decided to pair it with some pork tenderloin that's been in the freezer for who knows how long. GardenFresh does a good job of describing the method for this. I didn't thin out the sauce with more liquid and was happy with the thicker consistency, but I did also double the pepper flakes and agree that it could've used a bit more. I liked the pineapple, but agree that brown sugar and cayenne might make them even better. I loved the sauce on this and we both agreed that this recipe should be made again.
Oven-Roasted Pork Butt with Rosemary, Garlic, and Black Pepper, Pg. 181
Such a simple and easy recipe, this. Meat is marinated, roasted, rested, served. Marinating time is anywhere from 2 hours to overnight. Roasting time is 3 to 4 hours. Here's what we did:
The recipe calls for 5 - 7 pounds pork butt. Mine was 3.08 lbs. so I reduced a few of the seasoning ingredients. The marinade is a combination of 4 "fat" garlic cloves mashed to a paste in a mortar and pestle along with salt and olive oil, rosemary, Dijon, and black pepper (cracked Tellicherry in my case). Rub this all over the meat, place into a roasting pan, cover with plastic wrap and into the fridge it goes. I simply placed the roast into a zip-lock bag and marinated it over night in the fridge.
The directions call for taking the roast out of the fridge 1/2 hour before putting it into the preheated 325F oven to roast. Rest 10 minutes before serving. We put the meat into the slow cooker , on a bed of leeks that had been sliced in half lengthwise, white part only. This cooked on Low for 8 hours.
The aroma was drool-worthy all day long and produced a fork tender, juicy, succulent piece of meat. All the flavors of the seasonings had been subtly absorbed into the meat. There was about a cup of juice in the cooker that I didn't bother reducing. The meat was served on top of a slice of crostini and the pan juices were ladled over. A side dish was the left-over sesame cured broccoli which had mellowed a bit and had become more tasty than when first served 2 days ago. I thought it was a really pleasant dinner...
re: Gio
Oven-Roasted Pork Butt with Rosemary, Garlic and Black Pepper, p. 181
I made this for dinner yesterday. Like Gio, I had a smaller roast so reduced the marinade ingredients accordingly. It unfortunately took longer to cook than expected so I had to pull it from the oven before it got to 180. So it wasn't as succulent as it could have been. But we still really enjoyed it and I loved the marinade, which I also think would be perfect for lamb.
Crispy Tofu with Chorizo and Shiitakes ((pg. 174)
Another winner, although the tofu was messier to cook then I thought it would be. To fry the tofu, I used a cast iron skillet. I added a bit too much oil which led to splatter as the tofu cooked. But, it was worth it.
So, first fry the tofu and remove it to a plate. Then add chopped shiitake mushrooms, chorizo and scallion whites. I also added chopped Shanghai bok choy for some greens. After the vegetables have softened, add chicken broth, soy sauce and mirin (I used shao xing wine). Then, re-add the tofu.
The chorizo was great in this dish. It really worked well with the tofu and mushrooms. this dish would have been better with the recommended chinese sausage, but I didn't have any.
re: beetlebug
Crispy Tofu with Chorizo and Shiitakes, Pg. 174
This was our main dish last night and we Loved it. Followed the recipe but used one 6.1 oz. spicy hot Italian sausage instead of 3 oz. of chorizo, 4 oz. fresh shiitakes, used the 2 T peanut oil, increased the amount of scallions, soy sauce and mirin. Found out too late we didn't have any chicken broth which is rare here so used... dry white wine, a chardonnay, I think. G didn't have any trouble frying the slices of tofu and got them nice and crisp. I seriously questioned combining tofu and sausage but the result was delicious. Bottom line: This was a winner for us too.
re: beetlebug
Our turn on the Crispy Tofu with Chorizo and Shiitakes. I took some liberties here, mostly because I somehow ended up with cubed tofu at the grocery store (must have just reached for the extra firm without looking closely enough). I did saute it but it never really got browned; not a problem, still tasted good. Took it out, added the shiitakes and soy chorizo and scallions. Cooked those a few minutes, then added the wet ingredients along with some baby spinach. This was a fiber fest! And a very delicious one. Mine was more like a stew, but still very good.
Ale-Steamed Mussels w/ Garlic and Mustard pg 102
Very very nice this one. Easy too. Heat olive oil, add thyme, minced garlic & shallots, s&p; saute this for a few minutes. Then add the ale, in our case a Belgian style "Judgement Day" from Lost Abbey, bring the ale to the boil then add the mussels and steam until done. Remove the mussels from the pan w/ a slotted spoon, then add butter and mustard and either parsley or tarragon (I had parsley and used that) to the broth, boiling and whisking until incorporated, pour the broth over the mussels and serve with bread (toasted with garlic oil in our case).
The flavor of the ale really sings through, so using one that you like the taste of is key here. Mr. QN loved this dish, to the tune of "you could make this again tomorrow" which is not his usual refrain about meal rotation, believe me. He thought that the amount of ale could be upped or even doubled, but I disagree, I thought the proportions were just right with a wonderful balance between the mussel, ale and mustard flavors. I also thought the garlic brushed bread was perfect with this, that plus a simple green salad and what an easy but tasty dinner.
re: qianning
Great report qianning and I'm so glad this was a hit. It's one of the many dishes I've tabbed so its good to know I can move it to the top of the list.
Brown Butter Swordfish with Turkish Chili and Mint, p. 91
This turned out to be an instant family favorite with all six of us , including the six and nine year olds.
The swordfish at my fish market looked wonderfully fresh and I figured that a simple slow-poached method of cooking it with spices would be a great way to make the most of it. Basically you melt 4 TBS butter over medium heat until it turns golden brown, then add 2 # of cubed, skinned swordfish cut into 1-inch cubes and seasoned with s & p. (Clark suggests 1 1/2# of swordfish but I used 2 # and there was enough sauce.) Use a frying pan large enough to hold all the cubes in one layer and let them cook, turning occasionally and basting with the butter, for about 3 minutes. Then stir in 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp dried mint, 1/4 teaspoon Turkish chili flakes (I used ancho chili powder) and continue to cook, stirring gently, till fish is just cooked through. The recipe suggests about 2 minutes; I had cut my fish into slightly larger cubes and they took a few minutes longer to become opaque. Taste, add more salt and/or chili if necessary to kick it up a bit, and serve garnished with 2 TBS chopped fresh mint and lemon wedges.
Delicious and quick! A very nice alternative to my usual method of sautéing or broiling the swordfish steaks, and the little chunks were cute! There was enough buttery-garlicky sauce in the pan to serve over a simple rice pilaf. With it I served the Garlicky Sesame-Cured Broccoli Salad (p. 66) which added a bit of fresh "crunch" to a simple yet surprisingly toothsome dinner.
My only real change was that I had to omit the dried mint. When I opened my tin I found it too old to have good flavor. So I just added extra fresh chopped mint as garnish. Could you lower the fat-quotient by using half EVOO and half butter with no loss of flavor? Probably, especially if you used the recommended dried mint.
(This dish is listed as a variation on the Oilive-Oil Poached Halibut (p. 90), which has been reviewed previously by greeneggsnham.)
re: Goblin
That sounds incredible. And I'm assuming halibut would be a fine fish for this (since it was a variation on a halibut dish)?
re: LulusMom
I'm sure you could use halibut in this recipe, Lulusmom--any fish that keeps its shape enough to be cut up into cubes.
re: Goblin
Thanks Goblin. It seems that you've given good enough instructions that I can make without the book, and it really sounds wonderful.
re: Goblin
This sounds really yummy Goblin, I'm sure we'd like it too. Thanks for your review!
re: Goblin
Thanks a million times over to Goblin for finding this (brown butter swordfish with Turkish chili and mint) because I think I would have just gone right past it without reading her recommendation. I'm not really a fan of swordfish, and I have to say, this is probably the best preparation of it I've ever had. Lulu and LulusDad loved it too. Raves all around. And SO easy to make. This will definitely be my go to recipe next time I see swordfish on sale. Served with Israeli couscous and the Orange, Olive and chili salad from Cook this Now. And yes, I finally gave in and bought this ITKWAGA too. And am totally happy that I did. Sorry, I can't seem to find a link to the recipe but I could have made it just with goblin's details alone.
re: LulusMom
So glad you liked it, LulusMoM! It was a new way of cooking swordfish to me as well. I was so surprised at how appealing the cubed-preparation turned out to be.
Always good to learn something new! Anyway, thanks for reporting back on it.
re: Goblin
I never would have guessed. My husband said "sort of like a kebab without the kebab part" which is very high praise coming from him. Seriously, I've never even much liked most swordfish dishes I've had, and this one I've been thinking about all night. Many thanks.
re: LulusMom
First meal here at home after 2 weeks (6 for my husband!) away, and this Brown Butter Swordfish with mint and chili was just the ticket. Very easy, very flavorful, very tender. Roasted some broccoli, cut up a baguette, and Bob's your uncle - a great meal.
re: Goblin
Could you make this without the mint? It's not a big flavoring in my house. Maybe fresh oregano, or would that be too strong?
re: roxlet
I think you could try it substituting another herb like oregano--the dish does utilize the Turkish chili flakes (or in my case, ancho chili powder) which is not that shy a flavoring ;-) so I think oregano wouldn't be too strong.
The mint flavoring is not that overpowering, at least in my experience--more of a hint. I did use fresh mint rather than dried, however.
What I really liked was the way the cubes of fish turned out to be so tender and flavorful.
re: Goblin
Brown Butter Swordfish with Turkish Chili and Mint, p. 91
Thanks to everyone who suggested this. We both loved this. Not only was it delicious, it was really fast to cook. Like Goblin, I also omitted the dried mint and used fresh mint. For the chili flakes, I used a combo of aleppo and ancho.
The only "danger" to this is eating it. Since these were cubed and each piece was bite sized, I found that I was popping these into my mouth, like candy. I was only 5 minutes into dinner and most of my swordfish was gone. That was kind of a sad moment for me but C was guarding his pieces since he saw me eyeing them.
re: Goblin
Brown Butter Swordfish with Turkish Chili and Mint, p. 91
My CSF selection last night was swordfish, and I instantly thought of this recipe. Like others, I used fresh mint only but otherwise followed the recipe. I agree that this was very good and easy and the swordfish remained nice and moist in this preparation. My family LOVED it. My son even said that the fish was "better than lollipops" -- high praise indeed from a four-year-old!
We don't often eat swordfish due to the high mercury content, but having tried this recipe once, I feel confident that the brown butter preparation could easily translate to other fish. I think scallops would work very well, and I could even see it with flounder fillets (I wouldn't cut them into chunks). The flavors reminded me very much of the buttery, garlicky, spicy calamari from Cook This Now - another family favorite.
I served it with couscous (to soak up the sauce) and roasted cauliflower from the same book.
re: Westminstress
Bravo to your son, WM. You've done a great job with an up-and-coming Chowpup. I'm always looking for new ways to cook fish, and if you say the sauce would be OK with other fish that's all I need to know.
re: Gio
Thanks Gio! He still seems pretty far away from being a chowpup most of the time. But, you know, at 4 he is a little better than he was at 2 and 3, and I think he will continue to improve.
One thing to think about with scallops is that this is sort of a slow-poaching method so they wouldn't brown. If the sear is important you would have to adjust the cooking method a bit.
re: Westminstress
Actually, I'm thinking about fin fish, but I'm very happy to receive your tip about scallops. We're continuing with our CSF for the next 2 months so although we're using all the seafood chapters in many cookbooks, it's always good to have just one more option.
re: Westminstress
Well, our CSF catches are dayboat and local. Yours must be too. We're even told the name of the fishing vessel. I think they all sail out of Gloucester. We get mostly fin fish but are wanting some wild salmon and shellfish now so we'll end at the end of this next contract and pick it up again in the Spring. It's all has been great, though.
re: Gio
Yes, they tell us the name of the boat, yesterday's swordfish for example was from "the F/V Eagle Eye II, a long- liner out of Boston, Massachusetts." Not sure why they don't work with Long Island fishermen who would be closer to NYC but perhaps they don't meet their requirements for sustainability. In any case even coming from Mass the fish is excellent, fresher and better than what I get in the store or at the farmers market.
re: Westminstress
Better than lollipops is one of the best endorsements ever! I really love this particular meal, and the fact that it is so easy to put on the table makes it a no-brainer for heavy rotation (well, for us maybe every 7 weeks?). Maybe I'll try it with scallops next time ... family always very excited to get scallops.
Steamed Wild Salmon with Mustard Greens, Soy Sauce, and Ginger, p. 85
I wanted something easy and healthful, and this certainly fit both counts. Minced ginger and garlic are cooked in vegetable oil and a bit of toasted sesame oil until translucent, then torn mustard greens (I used chard plus some baby mustard) and soy sauce are added and sauteed until starting to wilt. (She also has you add water, but I figured the soy plus the water clinging to the leaves would be plenty of moisture, and it was.) Then salmon fillets are placed on the greens, the heat is turned to medium and covered, and the fish steams (she indicates around 6 minutes, but as my fillets weren't so thick, I did 5).
Instead of serving the greens on top of the salmon, I served them alongside, and topped the salmon with the peanut sauce from the Crispy Tofu recipe on p. 128 (I guess that undoes the healthfulness a little bit!). All in all, a very nice dinner, though I wish I had been able to fit more greens in the pan, as they cooked down a lot while the salmon steamed - I just don't have a super-large skillet and I had to leave room for the fish!
Scallop pan roast, page 115.
Yuck. I had a feeling was too good to be true when I read the recipe - but proceeded anyhow because I was quite tired and the short, uncomplicated prep and cooking(10 minutes total) lured me in.
You basically throw everything in a pan - clam juice, butter, Chili sauce, worcestershire, gin, paprika, celery salt and a dash of Tabasco. Bring barely to a simmer, add 1/2 lb bay scallops to warm thru and cook (2min) - and then serve over toast in a bowl.
The scallops were essentially poached - and very flavorless. After a couple bites I decided to rescue the remaining scallops from the broth. Onto plan B.
I added some diced celery and shallot. Then a small spoon of Mayo. This was plopped on a bed of baby romaine. Thus, expensive scallops did not go in the garbage.
In all fairness, this is likely a nostalgic type recipe that others who grew up eating it - might really enjoy. The broth was actually kind of tasty - but it did not seem to 'marry' with the scallops at all.
re: Blythe spirit
Thanks for taking one for the team, Blythe. I was intrigued by the recipe too but had the same uneasy feeling about it, that it owed more to nostalgia than actual flavor.
Maybe the broth would be good for a quick clam soup with canned clams?
re: Karen_Schaffer
You know, that is a great idea. I think the broth ( if you just added the cream and not the milk) could be reduced and it would make a great marriage with canned clams. The broth itself was kind of tasty.
Grilled Squid (roasted tofu) with snail butter (p. 110)
I love snails, I love tofu. And MC says in her headnote "I've smeared it on ... and even crispy fried tofu, which sounds odd until you taste it." So I figured I'd forgo the frying but try it with roasted tofu slices. The snail butter is incredible. I'm so glad I have so much of it - I stuck it in the freezer and will try it either on grilled fish or the calamari called for in the recipe next time. Basically a compound butter made from parsley, garlic, pastis (I used anisette), shallots, salt, pepper and butter. Very easy to toss together and very, very good. I roasted the tofu at about 450 for maybe 15 minutes until somewhat browned on both sides. It was good. Was it a marriage made in heaven? No, not really. I think it would be much better with the squid. Lulu ended up loving the butter on her bread, but wanting soy sauce on her tofu. And I get that. But I can't recommend the snail butter highly enough.
Here is a link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/din...
re: LulusMom
Ha! When I first read your post, I thought there actually were snails in the butter! Thanks for pointing that recipe out, the fish vendor at our farmers market nearly always has calamari and it is so reasonably priced and cooks so quickly that I'm always looking for more things to do with it.
re: Westminstress
I think this would be amazing with squid (and I know - I think calling it snail butter is a little weird too). Another great squid recipe is in Mighty Spice. Ohhh, really tasty.
re: LulusMom
I saved the leftover snail butter and last week had an especially busy day and needed a quick and easy dinner. Picked up some fish and roasted it with this butter on top and it was wonderful. Definitely worked better with fish than with the tofu.
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Green Tomatoes, Basil and Ginger (pg. 134)
I got some green tomatoes with my farm share and was looking for something other then a pickle or fried. This popped right up on EYB and it's pretty tasty and easy. The recipe only calls for one large green tomato. I wanted to use more so I upped everything a bit.
Basically, slice the green tomatoes and chicken and place it in a large casserole dish. Chop ginger, basil and garlic and add it to the dish. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and sherry (which I forgot) and bake. Clark recommends eating this with rice or crust bread.
The green tomatoes were surprisingly delicious. I probably could have sliced them a tad thinner or cooked it a tad longer since some pieces were harder then others. I liked the mushy tomatoes better. Also, my basil is at the tail end so I chopped up parsley, sage, oregano and thyme. Lastly, there was no real discernible taste of the ginger. But, I chopped instead of grated.
Fast dinner with mostly pantry ingredients (everything except the chicken) so this is going into my mental file for next fall.