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31 January 2011
24 January 2011
Pantry Staple: Turkey Stock
Whoa now. For some reason the television is on in the living room (no, no one is in there... strange). But I just heard the opening credits for The Cosby Show. I may or may not finish this post. I haven't seen The Cosby Show in ages! And we don't even have cable!
Remember that divine turkey I roasted? I took the carcass, threw it into a pot with some vegetable scraps, and presto chango: turkey stock!
Turkey stock? Progresso doesn't sell turkey stock in the grocery stores...
Nope. But do you really want to waste a perfectly good turkey carcass? I don't think so. Turkey = poultry; chicken = poultry; therefore, turkey = ... well, not chicken. But turkey stock does equal a viable substitution for chicken stock. Brilliant!
Turkey Stock
Turkey carcass
Vegetable peelings
Water
Chuck the turkey carcass in a large stockpot or crockpot (I divided my turkey carcass between a stockpot and a crockpot so I could make more stock, so you will see both in the photographs. Actually, I used a crockpot and two stock pots).
Throw the vegetable scraps in the pot (I usually save all my vegetable peelings for about a week before I make stock. I just store them in a bowl, gallon sized baggie, or large Tupperware, in the fridge).
Add enough water to fill the pot-- but not so much it comes sloshing over the top. You don't want a huge slopping mess on your floor.
Add salt and pepper, if desired (and clearly I desired). Cook on low for several hours. I cooked mine all afternoon-- probably about six hours. If using a crockpot, you could leave it to simmer overnight. You do what's right for you. You'll know when that turkey carcass has given its all.
After the allotted time has passed, peek in the pot and stifle a gag. You will find yourself face-to-face with what looks like a pot of old scraps into which someone accidentally dumped dishwater.
Grab a large bowl and set a colander over it. Pour the contents of the crockpot (or stockpot) into the colander to separate the broth from the vegetables and bones.
At this point, you have a nice, fatty bowl of broth. You can use one of two methods to separate the fat from the stock: 1. You may pour the stock (in small batches) into a fat separator, let sit until the fat rises to the top, then pour out the remaining broth or 2. You may pour the entire batch of stock into a large pitcher and leave it in the fridge until the fat rises to the top and congeals, then simply scoop the fat off the top (usually in one large chunk). I chose method two because a) it takes less time and b) I really have no desire to sit in my kitchen for twelve hours, waiting for the fat to rise to the top approximately seventy billion times. I like efficiency: let the fat rise once, in one batch. Done.
You may then transfer the stock to your choice of freezer containers: pint size glass jars, quart size freezer bags, ice cub trays, muffin tins, etc. I chose quart size freezer bags and measured out two cups per bag. If you typically use less stock at a time, freezing in 1-3 ounce portions is a great idea (thus the ice cube trays or the muffin tins). Or, if you so desire, you may can the stock.
And, finally, congratulate yourself on a job well done. You just made several quarts of homemade, from scratch, filled with goodness and love, turkey stock. You're a rock star.
Remember that divine turkey I roasted? I took the carcass, threw it into a pot with some vegetable scraps, and presto chango: turkey stock!
Turkey stock? Progresso doesn't sell turkey stock in the grocery stores...
Nope. But do you really want to waste a perfectly good turkey carcass? I don't think so. Turkey = poultry; chicken = poultry; therefore, turkey = ... well, not chicken. But turkey stock does equal a viable substitution for chicken stock. Brilliant!
Turkey Stock
Turkey carcass
Vegetable peelings
Water
Chuck the turkey carcass in a large stockpot or crockpot (I divided my turkey carcass between a stockpot and a crockpot so I could make more stock, so you will see both in the photographs. Actually, I used a crockpot and two stock pots).
Add salt and pepper, if desired (and clearly I desired). Cook on low for several hours. I cooked mine all afternoon-- probably about six hours. If using a crockpot, you could leave it to simmer overnight. You do what's right for you. You'll know when that turkey carcass has given its all.
After the allotted time has passed, peek in the pot and stifle a gag. You will find yourself face-to-face with what looks like a pot of old scraps into which someone accidentally dumped dishwater.
You may then transfer the stock to your choice of freezer containers: pint size glass jars, quart size freezer bags, ice cub trays, muffin tins, etc. I chose quart size freezer bags and measured out two cups per bag. If you typically use less stock at a time, freezing in 1-3 ounce portions is a great idea (thus the ice cube trays or the muffin tins). Or, if you so desire, you may can the stock.
And, finally, congratulate yourself on a job well done. You just made several quarts of homemade, from scratch, filled with goodness and love, turkey stock. You're a rock star.
Meal Six
Sometime in the autumn, my husband said to me, "You should make that sherry chicken dish." At that time, I didn't make a sherry chicken dish, so I said, "What sherry chicken dish?" He said, "You know, the one my mom makes."
Now, if I didn't like my mother-in-law, I could have made all sorts of smarmy comments at this juncture. I happen to really love my mother-in-law, though, so... sorry. No smarmy comments or jokes.
Instead, I emailed her and asked for the recipe. Gotta keep my man happy, right? Little secret: this dish makes me happy, too. The sauce only has a few ingredients: onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, salt & pepper, cream and sherry. But let me just tell you this: cream + sherry is a phenomenal idea. Unbelievably good. And the aroma? Please.
Sherry Chicken
If necessary, deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of sherry and add more olive oil. Turn heat to medium and sautée onions and mushrooms until onions are soft. Sprinkle with dried basil, salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes and sherry. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes have cooked.
Pour in the cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Return chicken to pan and simmer until thoroughly heated.
Serve over rice.
Now, if I didn't like my mother-in-law, I could have made all sorts of smarmy comments at this juncture. I happen to really love my mother-in-law, though, so... sorry. No smarmy comments or jokes.
Instead, I emailed her and asked for the recipe. Gotta keep my man happy, right? Little secret: this dish makes me happy, too. The sauce only has a few ingredients: onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, salt & pepper, cream and sherry. But let me just tell you this: cream + sherry is a phenomenal idea. Unbelievably good. And the aroma? Please.
Sherry Chicken
2-3 chicken breasts
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sherry
1 pint whipping cream
Season chicken with salt & pepper, then brown in an oil-coated pan. Cook chicken thoroughly, then set aside.
If necessary, deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of sherry and add more olive oil. Turn heat to medium and sautée onions and mushrooms until onions are soft. Sprinkle with dried basil, salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes and sherry. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes have cooked.
Pour in the cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Return chicken to pan and simmer until thoroughly heated.
Serve over rice.
I also prepared a simple mixed greens salad with freshly grated parmesan, dressed with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Bon apétit!
07 January 2011
Meal Five
Saturday, after church, we had a covered dish meal and one of my contributions was a Spiced Fruit Tart. I used a recipe from the December 2010 Southern Living, subbing in a homemade pie crust for the called for packaged refrigerated piecrust.
For some reason, piecrust has earned the reputation of being very difficult to make. I haven't found this so, and I even forego the called-for shortening for butter (shortening creeps me out). Furthermore, piecrust takes practically no time at all to make. I highly suggest you try my recipe and find out just how easy pie is.
Tipsy Spiced Fruit Tart with Buttermilk Whipped Cream
2/3 cup bourbon
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup dried Mission figs, halved
1 7oz package dried apricots, chopped
1 cup raisins
3 pears, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 piecrusts (recipe below)
1 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
Buttermilk Whipped Cream (recipe below)
1. Cook bourbon, cinnamon, allspice and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Try not to dive your face into the fragrant syrup.
2. Remove from heat and stir in dried fruit. Pour mixture in a gallon-size zip-top freezer bag and seal, removing as much air as possible. You may sample one piece of fruit, but limit yourself to one. Otherwise, you will risk having no fruit for the tart. It's that good. Chill for 24 hours.
6. Bake for 50 minutes or until filling is all bubbly and yummy. Cool on baking sheet for at least half an hour.
Piecrust
1-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
4-5 tablespoons cold water
1. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. Sprinkle mixture with the water. You may stir together with a fork, delicately moistening (that's right, family, I said "moist") the dough, but I prefer to just stick my hands right in there and mash it all together.
3. Form dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface, then flatten slightly. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough, working from the center out, until the circle is 12 inches in diameter.
4. To transfer the pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin.
Buttermilk Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
Beat together ingredients until soft peaks form.
For some reason, piecrust has earned the reputation of being very difficult to make. I haven't found this so, and I even forego the called-for shortening for butter (shortening creeps me out). Furthermore, piecrust takes practically no time at all to make. I highly suggest you try my recipe and find out just how easy pie is.
Tipsy Spiced Fruit Tart with Buttermilk Whipped Cream
2/3 cup bourbon
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup dried Mission figs, halved
1 7oz package dried apricots, chopped
1 cup raisins
3 pears, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 piecrusts (recipe below)
1 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
Buttermilk Whipped Cream (recipe below)
1. Cook bourbon, cinnamon, allspice and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Try not to dive your face into the fragrant syrup.
2. Remove from heat and stir in dried fruit. Pour mixture in a gallon-size zip-top freezer bag and seal, removing as much air as possible. You may sample one piece of fruit, but limit yourself to one. Otherwise, you will risk having no fruit for the tart. It's that good. Chill for 24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350°. Dump fruit into a large bowl and stir in the pears, flour, ginger, and 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Stack piecrusts on parchment paper. Mound fruit in the center of the piecrust, leaving a 2-1/2 inch border. Fold in the piecrust, leaving an opening about 5 inches in diameter.
5. Brush crust with egg, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Slide parchment paper (and tart) onto a baking sheet.
Piecrust
1-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
4-5 tablespoons cold water
1. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. Sprinkle mixture with the water. You may stir together with a fork, delicately moistening (that's right, family, I said "moist") the dough, but I prefer to just stick my hands right in there and mash it all together.
3. Form dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface, then flatten slightly. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough, working from the center out, until the circle is 12 inches in diameter.
4. To transfer the pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin.
Buttermilk Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
Beat together ingredients until soft peaks form.
Meal Four
Around this house, Friday evenings are most special times as they mark the beginning of the weekly Sabbath. To help celebrate, I typically try to make Friday dinner a bit more fancy than the regular weeknight meals. This Friday, I decided to dig out from the freezer the turkey my husband's employer handed out at Thanksgiving.
I love a good roasted turkey all on its own, but I am particularly excited about some of the recipes for leftovers in the November 2010 Southern Living. We were away this past Thanksgiving, so I did not have any leftover turkey to call my own; I didn't think it particularly appropriate to commandeer the leftovers-- and my husband's grandparents' kitchen-- to try out a couple of new recipes.
Back to the Friday night meal: to accompany the simple roasted turkey, I made roasted Brussels sprouts & grapes, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry compote, and chocolate soufflé. Now, I knew that canned cranberry sauce was fairly common, but did you know that people buy instant mashed potato mix? I imagine that its simply dehydrated mashed potatoes, but nevertheless, making potatoes from a powder seems terribly disgusting, especially when considering that homemade mashed potatoes takes all of twenty, maybe twenty-five minutes. Unfortunately I cannot share my mashed potato recipe with you because a) Aaron made the potatoes and b) it's a top secret recipe (I know it, but that doesn't mean I have to share it with you!).
I do have to admit that I grew up eating canned cranberry sauce. After my mom died, Dad continued to host Thanksgiving at our house and one year decided he would contribute cranberry relish along with roasting the turkey. The first year, probably every family member took a little-- it was new, so why not? Let's just say that in the subsequent few years he continued to make it, aside from Dad's serving for himself, the only reason any was eaten at all was because all the cousins would stand in the kitchen and dare one another to try it. Later on, my older sister and I discovered Sugars coaxing effect on Cranberry's acerbic tongue, and I have never looked back and the canned stuff. I have a feeling that once you try the Bourbon-Cranberry Compote, you won't look back, either.
Roast Turkey
This is a very simple roast turkey recipe. I enjoy a more complex turkey now and again, such as with sage butter stuffed under the skin, but you really can't go wrong with the class roasted turkey.
1 12-pound turkey, thawed
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Sea Salt
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Yank the neck and giblets out of the cavity (you will have to lift up the skin at either the neck opening or the... bottom opening). Toss the nasty giblets away (don't open the package and take a peek!), but reserve the turkey neck. Stuff the cavity with half the onion wedges.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then sprinkle with the flour to create a roux (roooooooo). Cook the roux for 4-5 minutes.
5. Spoon batter into ramekins and run thumb around the edges of the mixture to create a shallow indentation (this apparently helps the soufflés rise-- and there is nothing more disappointing than a flat soufflé!).
I love a good roasted turkey all on its own, but I am particularly excited about some of the recipes for leftovers in the November 2010 Southern Living. We were away this past Thanksgiving, so I did not have any leftover turkey to call my own; I didn't think it particularly appropriate to commandeer the leftovers-- and my husband's grandparents' kitchen-- to try out a couple of new recipes.
Back to the Friday night meal: to accompany the simple roasted turkey, I made roasted Brussels sprouts & grapes, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry compote, and chocolate soufflé. Now, I knew that canned cranberry sauce was fairly common, but did you know that people buy instant mashed potato mix? I imagine that its simply dehydrated mashed potatoes, but nevertheless, making potatoes from a powder seems terribly disgusting, especially when considering that homemade mashed potatoes takes all of twenty, maybe twenty-five minutes. Unfortunately I cannot share my mashed potato recipe with you because a) Aaron made the potatoes and b) it's a top secret recipe (I know it, but that doesn't mean I have to share it with you!).
I do have to admit that I grew up eating canned cranberry sauce. After my mom died, Dad continued to host Thanksgiving at our house and one year decided he would contribute cranberry relish along with roasting the turkey. The first year, probably every family member took a little-- it was new, so why not? Let's just say that in the subsequent few years he continued to make it, aside from Dad's serving for himself, the only reason any was eaten at all was because all the cousins would stand in the kitchen and dare one another to try it. Later on, my older sister and I discovered Sugars coaxing effect on Cranberry's acerbic tongue, and I have never looked back and the canned stuff. I have a feeling that once you try the Bourbon-Cranberry Compote, you won't look back, either.
Roast Turkey
This is a very simple roast turkey recipe. I enjoy a more complex turkey now and again, such as with sage butter stuffed under the skin, but you really can't go wrong with the class roasted turkey.
1 12-pound turkey, thawed
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Sea Salt
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Yank the neck and giblets out of the cavity (you will have to lift up the skin at either the neck opening or the... bottom opening). Toss the nasty giblets away (don't open the package and take a peek!), but reserve the turkey neck. Stuff the cavity with half the onion wedges.
2. Tie together the legs with kitchen twine (our turkey came with the legs already pinned together, as pictured below). Cut a slit in the skin just above each wing and tuck in the tip of each wing (this prevents burning).
3. Get fresh with the turkey and rub him (or her!) down with the butter, then sprinkle with the salt.
4. Chuck the remaining onions, carrots, celery and turkey neck in a large roasting pan. Position the bird on the roasting rack and place the rack in the pan.
5. Roast the turkey for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. If the turkey starts to get a little sunburned, just tent it loosely with foil. If the vegetables begin to blacken, pour into the pan a little water or chicken broth.
You have a couple of options for checking that it is done: wait until the little timer that is stuck in the turkey pops up, or stick a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh and make sure it has reached 165°.
While the turkey is roasting, you can baste it every 30 minutes with the pan juices. The absolute only reason to spend time basting is to produce a nice, evenly brown crust. I didn't bother with the basting and my turkey came out beautifully brown anyway. 
6. After the turkey is all done, reserve the pan and its contents for the gravy.
Gravy
Contents from roasting pan
1 cup dry white wine
1-3 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper
1. Remove the vegetables and neck from the pan and drop them like they're hot (which... they probably are...) into the trash. Pour the pan juices into a fat separator and allow to sit for 5 minutes while the fat makes its way to the top. Pour the juices into a measuring cup, but leave that fat film behind!
2. Place the empty roasting pan across 2 burners and add the wine to deglaze the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Pour the contents of the pan into the measuring cup of skimmed pan juices. Add enough chicken broth to make 4 total cups.
4. Whisk in the 4 cups of liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until you have a nice, thick gravy. Finish it off by seasoning with salt and pepper.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Grapes
recipe from November 2010 Real Simple
1-1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
1 pound red seedless grapes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon thyme (fresh or dried)
1. Heat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts, grapes, olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.
2. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until Brussels sprouts are golden brown and tender.
Bourbon Cranberry Compote
adapted from recipe in November 2010 Real Simple
1 12-ounce bag cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup bourbon
1. In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, juice and bourbon (feel free to sample the bourbon-- to make sure it's still good).
2. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to burst forth from their shells.
3. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens, 20-25 minutes total. Cool before serving.
Chocolate Soufflés with Whipped Sour Cream
adapted from "Red Velvet Soufflés" recipe in the December 2010 Southern Living
To turn these chocolate soufflés into red velvet soufflés, just add a tablespoon of red food coloring to the batter. That seemed like an awful lot of food coloring just to make something "red velvet" rather than just plain ol' chocolate, so I forewent the dye. You are the captain of your own ship, though, so if you really hanker for red soufflés, then dye away!
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons sugar
4oz bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped
5 large eggs, divided
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
salt
2 tablespoons sugar
powdered sugar
whipped sour cream (recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bottom and sides of 6 8oz ramekins with butter, then sprinkle with the 3 tablespoons sugar. Place ramekins on a baking sheet.
2. Melt chocolate in a double-boiler. Stir in 4 egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, milk and vanilla extract.
3. Beat 5 egg whites and salt and high speed until foamy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar and beat the egg whites into submission (or until stiff peaks form).
4. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture, one-third at a time.
5. Spoon batter into ramekins and run thumb around the edges of the mixture to create a shallow indentation (this apparently helps the soufflés rise-- and there is nothing more disappointing than a flat soufflé!).
6. Bake for 20-24 minutes until soufflés rise and set.
Whipped Sour Cream
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Beat together all ingredients at high speed with a hand mixer until lightly whipped and pourable.
Drizzle the soufflés with the whipping cream and enjoy!
06 January 2011
Meal Three
Yeah, so I'm about a week behind in posts. Little Man is constantly on the move these days, which eats up an astonishing amount of my time. Daddy is working from home today, though, so hopefully I will have a little time to get all caught up! I'll just date the posts as though I wrote them on the day I made the food. Cheating? Of course not.
Parmesan Crusted Salmon with Roasted Veggies
We haven't had fish in a while, and Trader Joe's had a lovely piece of Salmon, so I brought it home (after paying for it, of course!) for dinner. This recipe is so easy-breezy and is ready in less time than it would take to drive to a restaurant, order it and wait for it. And my eight-and-a-half month old son even enjoyed it!
2 bulbs fennel, cut into wedges
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 pint cherry tomatoes or diced tomato
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Salmon
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1. In a baking pan, toss the fennel, onion and tomatoes with a generous coating of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 375° for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet and sear salmon on one side. Flip and while second side sears, sprinkle top with Parmesan, salt and pepper. Cheese should just begin to melt while second side sears.
3. Once vegetables have roasted 30 minutes, add seared salmon to middle of pan and return to oven. Allow to cook 20 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through and cheese is slightly toasted.
See? Easy. So, having salmon tonight?
Parmesan Crusted Salmon with Roasted Veggies
We haven't had fish in a while, and Trader Joe's had a lovely piece of Salmon, so I brought it home (after paying for it, of course!) for dinner. This recipe is so easy-breezy and is ready in less time than it would take to drive to a restaurant, order it and wait for it. And my eight-and-a-half month old son even enjoyed it!
2 bulbs fennel, cut into wedges
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 pint cherry tomatoes or diced tomato
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Salmon
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1. In a baking pan, toss the fennel, onion and tomatoes with a generous coating of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 375° for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet and sear salmon on one side. Flip and while second side sears, sprinkle top with Parmesan, salt and pepper. Cheese should just begin to melt while second side sears.
3. Once vegetables have roasted 30 minutes, add seared salmon to middle of pan and return to oven. Allow to cook 20 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through and cheese is slightly toasted.See? Easy. So, having salmon tonight?
05 January 2011
Meal Two
Apparently cream is the theme of our menu this week. Well, for the first two meals at least. But, man, cream is so good! As is garlic... Mmm...
Anyhoodles, last night I made Chipotle-Buttermilk Chicken with rice and broccoli. The chicken recipe is adapted from the "Chile-Buttermilk Baked Chicken" recipe in the December 2010 Southern Living. I couldn't find fresh green chiles, so I used chipotles we smoked in my husband's grandfather's smoker at Thanksgiving. The recipe also called for a can of cream of mushroom soup, so I ad-libbed fresh ingredients. Normally, husband and I split a chicken breast, but this was so good, we each ate a whole one. Pigs.
Chipotle-Buttermilk Baked Chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 3)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cream
1 chipotle, minced
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
The recipe wanted me to do the typical two-plates thing and dip the chicken first in the buttermilk, then in the flour, but I said poppycock to the extra dishes and just dumped the spices, buttermilk, and flour on the chicken in like turn.
Then I placed the breaded chicken breasts in an oiled baking dish and baked at 425° for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, I stirred together the mushrooms, onions, garlic, cream and chipotle.
When the timer sounded, I poured the mushroom mixture over the chicken, then popped it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
During this time, I steamed the broccoli (I use a steamer basket set in a small stockpot) and cooked the rice (I used Basmati... we have a 10lb bag of the stuff!).
For the final touch, I sprinkled the cheese on the chicken and put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes, just to let the cheese melt.
Anyhoodles, last night I made Chipotle-Buttermilk Chicken with rice and broccoli. The chicken recipe is adapted from the "Chile-Buttermilk Baked Chicken" recipe in the December 2010 Southern Living. I couldn't find fresh green chiles, so I used chipotles we smoked in my husband's grandfather's smoker at Thanksgiving. The recipe also called for a can of cream of mushroom soup, so I ad-libbed fresh ingredients. Normally, husband and I split a chicken breast, but this was so good, we each ate a whole one. Pigs.
Chipotle-Buttermilk Baked Chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 3)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cream
1 chipotle, minced
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
The recipe wanted me to do the typical two-plates thing and dip the chicken first in the buttermilk, then in the flour, but I said poppycock to the extra dishes and just dumped the spices, buttermilk, and flour on the chicken in like turn.
Then I placed the breaded chicken breasts in an oiled baking dish and baked at 425° for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, I stirred together the mushrooms, onions, garlic, cream and chipotle.
When the timer sounded, I poured the mushroom mixture over the chicken, then popped it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
During this time, I steamed the broccoli (I use a steamer basket set in a small stockpot) and cooked the rice (I used Basmati... we have a 10lb bag of the stuff!).
For the final touch, I sprinkled the cheese on the chicken and put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes, just to let the cheese melt.
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