Tag Archives: American

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Garlics

Dinner, In the Kitchen, Lunch April 22, 2020 Leave a comment

Quarantine day number I’ve lost count. We are trying to make something simple, but different and yet delicious. It sounds easy, but with both of us working full time, it’s not as easy as we want it to be. This is one of the recipes I found that’s actually pretty easy, absolutely tasty, and sort of on the healthier side, depending on what you pair it with.

Servies about 4, cook time: 50 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (I used boneless ones too sometimes, it’s just as good)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups of cherry tomatoes or 2 tomatoes on the vine
  • 6 whole cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary)

METHOD

1 Arrange chicken thighs in casserole dish, sprinkle with salt: Place chicken thighs in a baking dish that allows for a little room between the thighs. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with salt.

2 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

3 Prep tomatoes with garlic, vinegar, oil: Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, or the tomatoes on the vine in wedges. Place in a bowl with the whole garlic cloves. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

4 Place tomatoes, garlic, rosemary around chicken: Pour the tomatoes over the chicken pieces and arrange so that they are squeezed around the chicken pieces. You want the chicken skins to be exposed so they brown in the oven. Lay sprigs of rosemary over the tomatoes.

(If you are using dry rosemary instead of fresh sprigs, just mix it in with the tomatoes.)

5 Bake: Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes, until the chicken is well browned on the top and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Skim the excess chicken fat with a ladle.

Serve with toasted crusty bread, egg noodles, or rice.  We served it with pasta with cream sauce today, just because that’s what we have, and we are not being particularly healthy today….

Hearty Beef Stew

Dinner, In the Kitchen March 29, 2020 Leave a comment

Quarantine Day 12 – we are trying to make something comforting with whatever we have in the fridge, and this is what we made.  We ate half the pot for dinner, and will freeze the other half for lunch during the week.

Makes 4 serving.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for searing

2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium onions, cut into big dices

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or to cover

6 cups chicken or beef broth (we used store-bought chicken stock)

5 sprigs parsley

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 pounds medium red potatoes, quartered

4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 28-oz canned diced tomatoes

2 to 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, or to taste

 

Directions

  1. Heat a large Dutch oven. Pour in enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Saute half the meat, uncovered, stirring only occasionally, until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef. Discard extra oil but leave the brown bits.
  2.  Add butter and melt it over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Add the reserved beef and scatter the flour over the vegetable and beef mixture (enough to lightly coat) and cook stirring until lightly toasted. Add the chicken or beef broth, and bring to a simmer. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with a piece of kitchen twine and add the bundle to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste. Cover and simmer. Cook the meat until just tender, about 1 hours.
  3. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 1 1/2 hour. Remove and discard the herb bundle. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide among bowls and serve immediately

Classic Corn Chowder

Appetizer, Lunch, Side Dish March 26, 2020 Leave a comment

This is a simple yet hearty soup. We made a small batch just enough for the two of us for lunch during this funky quarantine time, and it’s really delicious and satisfying.

Here is the recipe we used that serves 2-4, depending if you’re having it as a main or side dish.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoons butter
  • 2 slices of bacon or ham
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1-2 teaspoons of flour
  • 2 medium size boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 2 cups fresh corn kernels (we used canned ones because it is what we have)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
  • Dash of paprika
  • Sour cream, for serving (optional)

How to Make It

Step 1

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add diced bacon or ham, stir till it’s cooked through. Add  onion, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour till it’s evenly mixed with the vegetables. Stir in the potatoes, 1 cups of the corn, the bay leaf, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

 

Step 2

In a blender or food processor, puree the remaining 1 cups corn with the milk. Stir the puree into the soup along with the black pepper. Simmer until the soup thickens slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. sprinkle in the paprika. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream, if using.

Roasted Garlic Clove Chicken

Dinner, In the Kitchen February 15, 2020 Leave a comment

Cook time: 1 Hour 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 head garlic, separated into whole cloves, papery skin removed (about 20 cloves)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

1 teaspoon flour

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 lemon, juiced

Bread, for serving

Direction:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Salt and pepper liberally and allow to temper on a cutting board while you prepare the garlic. In a large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat, cook the whole garlic cloves in olive oil and butter, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high and brown the chicken skin-side down until the skin is golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over, sprinkle on herbes de Provence. Add the garlic back to the pan and place hot pan in oven. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove chicken thighs and garlic to a platter. Place the pan over medium-high heat and sprinkle the drippings with flour and stir to incorporate. Deglaze the pan with the stock and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken on the platter and serve with bread for sauce-mopping and garlic-spreading.
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