Chicken in Bacon Sauce (Huhn in Specksauce, from Germany)
from How the World Cooks Chicken by H.J. Muessen
Bacon-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
from Food Network Magazine, September 2010 issue
Chicken in Bacon Sauce
Ingredients:
-1 3lb chicken, cut up
-4 tablespoons butter
-4-5 strips fat bacon, diced
-livers of the chicken, diced
-juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
-1 shallot, chopped finely
-2 cups chicken stock
-salt and freshly ground black pepper
-parsley for garnish
Directions:
Melt the butter in a large deep skillet with a cover, and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Add the diced bacon and livers, then add the lemon juice and grated rind, the shallot, the broth, and the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until done. Remove to a warm platter and arrange the parsley over and around the chicken. Serve the gravy in a sauceboat. Serves 4.
Bacon-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Simmer 2 lbs small potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes, drain. Cool slightly, then peel. Heat 1 cup milk with 1/2 stick butter. Mash the potatoes with the hot milk and stir in 1 cup shredded cheddar. Top with crumbled cooked bacon and sliced scallions.
*NOTE: Instead of 1 chicken cut up, I used 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs, you can also use breasts if you prefer. I also didn't use the chicken livers.
In a large pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high to high heat.
Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. When the oil is hot and ripples, add the chicken and brown for 5 minutes, then turn and sprinkle with rosemary. Cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
In a small bowl, stir together the marmalade, vinegar and stock and pour over the chicken. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and becomes a thin glaze. Add the scallions during the last minute of cooking time. Arrange on a serving platter and serve topped with arugula greens.
In a large pot, heat the stock and 2 cups water over medium low heat.
In a risotto pot or large skillet with a rounded bottom, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic to pan and saute to soften 3 to 4 minutes Stir in the rice and add the zest of 1 lemon. Heat the rice for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine and cook until evaporated. Add in the hot stock, a few ladles at a time, and stir for a minute with each addition, to develop the starch and the creamy aspect. Total cooking time will be about 18 minutes or so. Keep adding stock each time the pan starts to become dry at the edges. While the rice cooks, peel and supreme or section the flesh of a lemon and finely chop. Sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon sugar. When rice is cooked to al dente, stir in the butter, lemon sections, juice of 1 lemon, the cheese and herbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.
*Note: This was a delicious and easy recipe that I will definitely make again! However, the extra mint in the risotto isn't needed, there are almost too many flavors and it would be great without it!
Christmas Dinner (no pictures): Roast Leg of Lamb Scalloped Potatoes Honey-glazed Carrots See last year's post
New Year's Eve Dinner: Chinese Orange-Barbecue Cashew Chicken from Rachael Ray's Look + Cook
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces salt and pepper 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2-inch dice 1 onion, chopped into 1/2-inch dice 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 inch of fresh gingerroot, finely chopped 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 1/4 cup orange marmalade 1 tablespoon hot sauce 2 tablespoons tamari (aged soy sauce) 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/2 cup honey-roasted cashews 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions: Place a large skillet over high heat with about 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the pan is very hot, add the meat, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve on a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger to the skillet and stir fry for 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, orange marmalade, hot sauce, tamari, and stock. Return the chicken to the skillet and pour in the sauce. Add the cashews, toss to coat, and continue cooking until the sauce thickens up, about 1 minute more. Serve the stir fry with brown rice and garnish with the scallions.
1. Whisk 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, and 1 tablespoon cornstartch. Toss with chicken; cover and refrigerate, 1 hour.
2. Mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 2 teaspoons cornstartch, 1/4 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
3. Drain the excess marinade from the chicken. Place your sauce, vegetables, and chicken near the stove.
4. Heat 1/4 inch peanut or vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken; slowly stir until almost opaque.
5. Heat the pan over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil, then 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 to 2 tablespoons minced ginger, 2 minced scallions, and a pinch each of salt and sugar; stir-fry about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones htat take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp-tender.
6. Add the chicken and sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the vegetables and chicken are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Think with chicken broth, if needed. Garnish with sliced scallions, sesame seeds, and/or cilantro.
3 to 5 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more for topping (optional)
Kosher salt
2 pounds plum tomatoes
1 or 2 serrano chile peppers, stemmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1/2 cup for frying
1 large white onion; 2/3 diced, 1/3 sliced into rings
1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream, plus more for topping (optional)
12 corn tortillas, preferably white
3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
Directions
Put the chicken in a medium pot with 3 cups water, the broth, garlic, bay leaves and cilantro; season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer, turning the chicken as needed, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. Discard the bay leaves and cilantro and reserve the broth and garlic.
Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Put the tomatoes and chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, turning, until charred, about 12 minutes. Wrap in the foil to catch any juices, then cool slightly. Peel the chiles and transfer to a blender with the tomatoes and collected juices. Remove the garlic from the broth, add to the blender and puree until smooth.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and stir in the tomato-chile puree and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the reserved broth and bring to a simmer. Partially cover and cook about 20 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt; keep the sauce warm.
Discard the chicken skin and shred the meat. Toss the chicken with the crema and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Soak the sliced onion in a bowl of cold water while you prepare the enchiladas.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1 cup of the tomato-chile sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry a tortilla until puffed, about 15 seconds per side, turning with tongs. Quickly spoon 2 tablespoons chicken onto the tortilla, roll it up and put seam-side down in the baking dish. Fry and fill the remaining tortillas, arranging them side by side in the dish.
Pour 2 cups of the tomato-chile sauce over the enchiladas and top with the queso fresco. Bake until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Drain the sliced onion and scatter over the enchiladas. Divide among plates and top with more cilantro, sauce and crema, if desired.
**I made these enchiladas for my roommate when she came back at the end of the summer, because she likes Mexican food so much. :-) For the chile peppers, I made sure to take out as many of the seeds as possible so that the enchiladas weren't too spicy. **
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess. Add the olive oil to the drippings in the pot. Add the chicken in batches and cook over medium-high heat until golden on the bottom, 6 to 7 minutes, then flip and sear the other side, about 1 minute.
Add the beer, onions, potatoes, mustard, sugar, thyme and 1 cup water to the pot and stir, making sure the chicken is fully submerged. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Discard the thyme and stir in the bacon and parsley.
Roasted Asparagus
Directions
Toss 2 pounds trimmed asparagus, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F until lightly browned, 15 minutes. Mix 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, the grated zest of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the asparagus.
*Note: For the asparagus, I chose to leave out the pine nuts, and it still tasted great!
My whole family came to visit my apartment on Mother's day, and I made a nice spring dinner. For dessert, I made this recipe for Strawberry Tiramisu, but didn't realize till I had made it that it needed to cool overnight. So I made chocolate mousse from a package for that day instead, and my roommate and I enjoyed the tiramisu during the week. Mother's day dinner still turned out great. :-)
Menu: Sauteed Chicken with Tomato Vinaigrette on Frisee Parmesan Garlic Noodles Strawberry Tiramisu
Sauteed Chicken with Tomato-Saffron Vinaigrette on Frisse From Bon Appetit
Ingredients 3 tablespoons white basalmic vinegar or rice vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons hot paprika, divided 1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/2 cup minced shallots 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided 1 1-pint basket cherry tomatoes, havled 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves 1 head of frisee, torn apart
Directions Mix vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and saffron in medium bowl. Mix in 3 tablespoons oil, shallots, and 1 tablespoon thyme. Stir in tomatoes, Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken breast halves with remaining 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon thyme, and salt and pepper. Add to skillet; saute until cooked through, turning often, about 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to work surface. Divide frisee among 4 plates. Slice chicken; fan atop frisse. Spoon vinaigrette over.
**Note: I did not include the saffron when making this recipe and use regular basalmic vinegar. It still turned out delicious. Great recipe for impressing people with not too much work since it's not too hard but has great presentation!
Strawberry Tiramisu From Bon Appetit
Ingredients 1 1/4 cups strawberry preserves 1/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons Cointreau or orange liqueur, divided 1/3 cup orange juice 1 lb mascarpone cheese, room temperature 1 1/3 cups chilled whipping cream 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 lb fresh strawberries, divided 52 (about) crisp ladyfingers
Directions Whisk preserves, 1/3 cup Cointreau, and orange juice in 2-cup measuring cup. Place mascarpone cheese and 2 tablespoons Cointreau in large bowl; fold just to blend. Using electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons Cointreau in another large bowl to soft peaks. Sitr 1/4 of whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whipped cream.
Hull and slice half of strawberries. Spread 1/2 cup preserve mixture over bottom of 3-quart oblong serving dish or 12x9x2-in baking dish. Arrange enough ladyfingers over preserve mixture t ocover bottom of dish. Spoon 3/4 cup preserve mixture over lady fingers, then spread 2 1/2 cups mascarpone mixture over. Arrange sliced strawberries over mascarpone mixture. Repeat layering with remaining ladyfingers, preserve mixture, and mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic and chill at least 8 hours or overnight.
Slice remaining strawberries. Arrange over tiramisu and serve.
**Note: I didn't use any of the liqueur since it is expensive and it is not a cooked dish (the alcohol wouldn't cook off). It was delicious anyway! I took some home for my mom since she couldn't have any on mother's day, and she LOVED it.
Shoemaker Chicken, Lemon-Pepper Fettuccine, and steamed green beans
Pollo Alla Scarpariello (Sauteed Chicken, Shoemaker Style) from How the World Cooks Chicken by H.J. Mussen
Ingredients 1 3-pound Chicken, cut up 1 cup flour salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine Juice of 1 lemon Parsley sprigs for garnish
Directions Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry. Combine the flour with a little salt and pepper and dredge the pieces thoroughly. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown 1 clove of minced garlic, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Place the chicken in the pan and cook over low to moderate heat, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes on a side. When done remove and keep warm. Now saute the second clove of garlic in the same pan, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Deglaze the pan with the wine, add the lemon juice, and return the chicken, coating each piece. Cover and cook for 2 or 3 minutes to reheat. Serve on a warm platter garnished with parsley sprigs. Serves 4.
**Note: most recipes in this book call for a whole 3 pound chicken, I usually just use 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Also, I did not use parsley to garnish this dish (as is apparent from the photo).**
1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese, plus more for garnish
Freshly ground pepper
Crusty bread, for serving (optional)
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook as the label directs. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup cooking water.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk the cream, egg yolk and lemon zest in a bowl. Reduce the heat to low and add the cream mixture and cheese to the skillet. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and 2 to 3 teaspoons pepper.
Add the pasta to the skillet and toss, adding enough of the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce. Divide among bowls and garnish with more pecorino. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.
**Note: The pecorino cheese is a must here! It's a little bit more expensive, but it is so delicious!**
This is the last meal that I made for my family at home before returning to school. Both recipes are from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris
Menu:
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Moroccan Couscous
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Ingredients
3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.
Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch o
ven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices
and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.
Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.
Moroccan Couscous
2 cups (2/3-inch) diced butternut squash
2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
1 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) diced carrots (4 carrots)
1 1/2 cups (3/4-inch) diced zucchini (2 medium)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock or canned broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 cups couscous (10 oz)
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Place the butternut squash, onions, carrots, and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a spatula.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the butter, 1 teaspoon salt (depending on saltiness of the stock), 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the cumin, and saffron threads and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.
Bring the chicken stock just back to a boil. Place the couscous and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and pour the hot chicken stock over them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve warm or at room temperature.
breasts (about 2 pounds) 
