chicken piccata

My dad and I have a special relationship; according to him, I mooch off of all of his recipes, and "have some nerve!" I forgot to give him credit for his tuna and beans (which, a year later, he has yet to stop reminding me)... so I will say this; my dad can take full credit for this dish. And boy, once I have a bite (or two) of it I have no shame in admitting it.

This week, my mom misread her online shopping-cart and accid

entally overdosed on chicken breasts from Fresh Direct, realizing only when she was opening the package that she ordered 3 times as much as she intended. Ergo, my dad's pork piccata becomes chicken piccata. And boy, do I hope you guys like chicken, because we have enough to feed a family of 4 (or easily just us two girls) and a whole bookshelf full of cookbooks.

This dish is like a kicked-up, lighter version of chicken piccata with a more fresh tasting sauce than the normal dish (which we happily scraped from the pot until it was completely bare). I was convinced that I overcooked the chicken (skinless, boneless chicken breasts-which I have a habit of drying out) and was completely surprised to find it be the moistest chicken breast I have ever had. Foolproof? I think so. Delicious? Oh. My. God.

I licked the plate. Must I go on?

Chicken Piccata

Adapted from Cooking Light's original pork piccata

1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cup fat free, less sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped shallots (I used onions, as that was what was on hands. Both ways work fabulously)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

2 teaspoons capers

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium.*

Add shallots to pan; cook 30 seconds. Stir in broth and juice, scraping pan to loosen the browned bits. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, capers, rind, and pepper; simmer 1 minute. Return chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle chicken with 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley.

My chicken cutlets were thick and ended up taking longer to cook all the way through. However long it takes, just make sure they aren't raw because this is the extent of their cooking.

arroz con pollo

I had good intentions, I really did. I took a trip to the supermarket, planned a whole dinner and timed my cooking precisely in sync with the arrival of my mom coming home so that when she walked in the door at 6:30, dinner would be on the table. The smell of peppers and onions and chicken and spices cooking on the oven was taunting as it wafted through the entire apartment. Apparently, what I was unaware of is that brown rice takes about twice as long to cook as white rice. Was there just some malfunction with my rice that it took hours to cook? And yet, we waited. And waited. And I waited a bit more; by 8:00 I couldn't distract myself with the TV any more, and my mom was insisting, as she gave in half an hour before, that it was delicious.

Although we were so hungry that I decided it was not a time for garnishes, and discarded the latter part of the recipe, it was heavenly. Ladled right out the pot, it was hot and fresh. I'll admit I've never actually had arroz con pollo before, but I hope that this recipe captures its essence well. By my third helping the rice was perfectly cooked, the sauce thickened, and the chicken absolutely falling-off-the-bone good. Probably some of the moistest I've ever had. And you know what? It will taste even better tomorrow.

Arroz Con Pollo

from Gourmet, 2007

For Marinating Chicken

3 large garlic cloves

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled

4 chicken breast halves with bone, halved crosswise*

4 chicken drumsticks

4 chicken thighs

For Rice

3 oz Spanish chorizo (cured sausage), skin discarded and sausage cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 tablespoon olive oil or annatto oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 (12oz) bottle beer (not dark)

1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (I ended up using about 4 cups of chicken broth to compensate for the rice soaking up the liquid)

2 cups long grain white rice (140z)*

1/4 cup drained rinsed bottled pimiento or roasted red pepper strips

Marinate Chicken:

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 2 teaspoons salt, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in vinegar and oregano.

Remove skin and excess fat from chicken, then toss chicken with marinade until coated and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Cook Chicken and Rice:

Cook chorizo in oil in a 6 to 7 quart heavy pot (12 inches wide) over medium high heat, stirring, until some fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add cumin, oregano, paprika, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add chicken with marinade to chorizo mixture and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beer, broth, and rice and bring to a boil, making sure rice is submerged.

Reduce heat to medium low, then cover mixture directly with a round of parchment of wax paper and cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Cook, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and led stand, covered, 5 minutes. Discard parchment paper and bay leaves, then scatter pimiento strips over rice.

Note: Chicken can be marinated up to 2 hours.

*I ended up using a whole chicken, cut up into about 10 pieces as that was what I had on hand.

*I used brown rice instead of white, which took an extra hour or so to cook. I also had to add a bit more liquid to get a sauce once the rice soaked up the chicken broth.

honey caramel peach pie

This past summer I didn't find myself at any out of state peach-picking farms, but instead, I settled for somewhere a much shorter distance away: the supermarket's fruit aisle. Yes, I can proudly say that if someone asked me to name the aisle where they can find fruit, and what fruit to find there, I could tell them. Ok, maybe not that proudly. But I'll admit that Fairway proved extremely satisfactory. No! I don't mean that! What can I say? I'm a right off-the-tree junkie. 

Am I the only person who thinks that the seasons are flying by? Summer was too short, and the fall is already becoming too cold for me. And now I'm once again falling into my regular all work, no cooking regimen. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that after a long day at work (or school), all I want to do is get home and have something for dinner that does not require an hour of prep time. Yep, you could find a month's worth of food stocked away in our freezer. 

But the peach pie. Oh, the peach pie. Where to begin? The filling was incredible but a little runny, which is my fault because I insisted on eating it right out of the oven and didn't give it any setting time. It was ooey-gooey with a mildly sweet and flowery flavor from the honey. Who could have resisted? The crust; my new favorite recipe. Flaky, crispy, not at all soggy, and it puffed. Yes, folks, my pie crust puffed up like those in really homey bakeries where the crust is extremely uneven and balloons up and looks oh so delicious. Perhaps a little alarming, even, that my excitement over being able to make a giant mound of butter and flour swell up has not ceased after weeks. Maybe pathetic would be the right word?

This is the best darn pie I've ever made, and even if you've never made one before, I insist you try this. Just one thing: make sure to use mild honey, otherwise, the flavor will overpower the dish. Or, you could try increasing the amount of peaches to compensate (who cares if it overflows a bit, right?) I used golden blossom honey.

Honey Caramel Peach Pie

from Gourmet Magazine

3lb ripe peaches

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

1/4 cup mild honey

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

All butter pastry dough (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon whole milk

Cut an X in the bottom of each peach, then blanch peaches in batches in boiling water 15 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel peaches and cut into 1 inch thick wedges.

Toss peaches well with cornstarch, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.

Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring 1/2 cup sugar, honey, and water to a boil in a 1 1/2-to 2qt heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add butter, swirling pan until butter is melted. Pour over fruit and toss (caramel may harden slightly but will melt in the oven).

Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out remaining dough.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. 

Transfer filling to pie shell, mounding it. Cover pie with pastry round. Trim with kitchen shears, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Press edges together, then crimp decoratively. Brush top all over with some milk, then sprinkle with remaining Tbsp sugar. Cut 3 steam vents in top of crust with a paring knife. 

Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 5o minutes more. Cool pie to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours.

All-Butter Pastry Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/3 cup plus 1 to 4 Tbsp ice water

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 1/3 cup ice water over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. 

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a ball. Divide in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Notes: Dough can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before rolling out. Recipe can be halved if making a single-crust pie. Use a rounded 1/4 tsp salt and start with 3 Tbsp water. 

roasted chicken

You've probably all been expecting it, but I've been swept up in this whole Julia Child epidemic. Don't tell me you didn't see it coming.

Despite the fact that I had never read either of the books that Julie & Julia is based on, I walked out of the movie raving. A day later I bought Julia Child's cookbook. A week later, still trying to contain my excitement, I went shopping for the ingredients for her Boeuf Bourguignon. The next day, they went into the freezer (however much I argued otherwise, my mom insisted that it was "not 90 degree weather food").

A few days ago, I went shopping in Bed Bath and Beyond, which is quite a dangerous thing to do when armed with a 20% off coupon and an inspiration level that could kill. I walked out with a new loaf pan, measuring cups, a serrated knife, a bamboo mat, and who knows what else. I think some sort of wooden paddle was also involved.

More to the point, we ate, or scarfed down, Julia Child's roasted chicken yesterday, which was delicious. I decided to cook on a whim and was quite disappointed at, to be frank, the lack of an excessive quantity of butter. Was there a typo in my book? Had I misread two tablespoons for two sticks? After this minor setback, the most trouble I had was preventing the chicken from bouncing around in the oven while trying to keep it balanced on its side with only a small fork in hand (a threat to both the bird's appearance, and my patience). It may not be the prettiest, but this was the best bird we've ever eaten. Next time, though, I'll be doing some damage to my butter supply.

You can find the recipe here-

Julia Child's Poulet Roti [Roasted Chicken]

kelly's birthday, revisited

Although the summer is only half over with a month left still, I can't help but think, the summer is half over. For countless reasons, such as the inconsistent weather (which has still yet to be hot enough to be normal for this time of year), and my unchanging pile of homework that has yet to be completed, this summer has been flying by.
Though some things haven't changed much this year; my annual trip to southern Maine with "the fam", and weekend trips to the Catskills to visit the streams, and my favorite pancake house, I am eating my way through new places, and of course, recipes. Next week, I'm heading off to South Carolina for a week to relax and enjoy the beach for the last time this summer. A girl has to soak up that sun while she can, doesn't she?
Speaking of new recipes, my sister Kelly's birthday just passed, and with no objections, I was left to make the cake. With very specific instructions, I was told to make a yellow cake with vanilla icing. This was my perfect opportunity to try Cook's Illustrated new yellow cake recipe. Easy enough, it satisfied around the table, along with Magnolia Bakery's Fluffy Vanilla Frosting recipe. The not too-sweet cake went perfectly with Magnolia's icing (which, as one would imagine, had more than enough sugar to feed a family). I thought it moist, flavorful, and delicious; the family seemed to concur.

shrimp and orzo salads

In an effort to break through my mayo-hating barrier, and further, forget about its certain qualities that I love to detest, I gave in to Ina Garten's recipe for shrimp salad, which I had been feverishly eyeing for a long time. Too long. 

Throwing caution to the wind, I whipped it up on one 

of those sunny summer days which have become such a rarity. And I don't think whipped would be the right word, seeing as it took me hours to peel, devein, and wash every shrimp- each of which added to the growing doubt of my ill-fated taste buds. But I was determined to put myself out there, into a whole new world of condiments. In the end, though, the salad was delicious. The shrimp were moist and flavorful, and the hints of orange and dill added fresh and unique flavors. I'll admit, I'm slowly inching towards that mayo jar again. One step at a time. 

To add the "cherry on top" of my self-discovering experience, the orzo salad that I paired with the shrimp, from Giada De Laurentiis, was also great. Being chock full of fresh herbs, it tasted just like summer! Yes, it tasted like a season indeed. 

You can find the recipes here-

Orzo Salad

Roasted Shrimp Salad

tuna and beans

June is almost here! That means the end of school, and the start of summer. For some reason, I haven't really been able to grasp the idea of it yet- maybe because the weather keeps being so lousy, or the fact that my neighborhood grocery store has yet to stock up on peaches (which remind me oh so much of what seems to be the never-arriving pie season). To top it off, I'm still getting as much, if not more work from my teachers than I had earlier this year. In spite of these, what I consider, devastations, my spirit has yet to be downtrodden. I've already placed my order for my first ever subscription of Cook's Illustrated magazine, and the new issue should be coming in time for the warm weather! Oh, the anticipation!

And how could I forget? I visited my grandmother last weekend and -gasp!- I received my very own Le Creuset pot! She decided she didn't use it as much as I would- though I've only used it once in the past two weeks. It was quite an important decision, though, deciding what meal to "christen" it with (I resolved that any use of a Le Creuset deserved such consideration, even though it had technically been "christened" before. I saw no reason to recognize this).

As I'm still waiting for the seasonal fruits and veggies to be available, I have to rely on the classics. My dad has been making this tuna and beans dish for years- it's incredibly simple, but full of flavor- plus, it can be made year-round. First, I chopped about 2 medium cloves of garlic, and sauteed them in a small/medium saucepot just for a minute. Then, I added a 15oz can of chopped tomatoes (you could use about 2 large, fresh tomatoes instead), and a can of chickpeas, and let this simmer for about 10 minutes. Then, a can of good tuna in olive oil goes in (I used Genova- you want to drain some of the oil, but not a lot), and it cooks with the beans just until hot. Voila, it's ready! You can always add some salt, pepper, or (fresh) basil if desired.