Second Breakfast

The weather has turned decidedly cool and rainy this week, which got me hungry for some good, old-fashioned comfort food. So I whipped up a yummy Shepherd’s pie (with meat this time) and this Chicken and Biscuits recipe. It was quick, easy, and pleased the hubby. It looks like a lot of items, but I usually have most of this stuff in the house so its just using up odds and ends.
Items

• 8 (or more) store-bought frozen biscuits
• 3 whole chicken breast tenderloins
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp flour
• salt, pepper, and paprika
• 1 1/2 + 1 Tbsp butter and 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven and cook the biscuits according to the directions. When done, turn off the oven, let cool, and put back in the oven to keep warm. Everything else can be done while the biscuits cook.
2. Season the chicken breasts in salt and pepper, and then dust in flour mixed with a little paprika, being sure to press it firmly into the flesh and under the tenderloins.
3. Melt the 1 1/2 Tbsp butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. The goal here is to keep the pan as hot as possible without burning the butter (the olive oil raises the smoke point of the resulting fat mixture) — this will give the chicken a nice crispy outside without taking so long to cook that it will be dry and tough. Place the breasts tenderloin side down in the pan and cook for four minutes.
4. Turn the breasts over and cook on the other side for another 4-6 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat. You’ll know its done when milky juices start coming out of the top, or the internal temperature is about 155F. It will “coast” the rest of the way, and is going to heat a bit more in the sauce, so no need to get too excited about totally cooking the meat.  I’m shy about undercooked meat, so my tendency is to overcook chicken.  Resist that temptation.
5. Take the breasts out of the pan and put them on a plate to cool. When cool, chop into bite-size chunks.
6. Keeping the pan on the heat (and the yummy fond in the pan) turn the heat down to medium-low, let cool for a minute or two, and add the remaining pat of butter.
7. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a little salt, and sweat over low heat until the veggies are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the broth and the herbs, turn the heat up to a boil, and then turn down to simmer another five minutes. I add a little more paprika here as I like the flavor.
9. Add the peas, cream, and chicken chunks, and let everything warm up together.   Keep the heat under control, as we don’t want to boil the dish at this point, or the cream will curdle and the chicken will get tough.
10. Finish with the lemon juice and parsley. Check seasoning and add some freshly ground black pepper.
11. Serve alongside or over the biscuits.

Serves 4. Doubles easily.

This Mediterranean cousin to hummous has quickly become a favorite in our house.

The recipe calls for pomegranate molasses, which wasn’t something I could get easily, so I’m told “its not the same”, but I substituted some turbinado sugar and it was still fabulous.

Items

• 1 12oz jar roasted red peppers
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted lightly if possible, chopped fine
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced and mashed with some 1/2 tsp salt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (or 1Tbsp turbinado sugar)
• 2 tsp toasted cumin seeds, ground fine (or 1-2 tsp powdered cumin, to taste)
• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Warm pita triangles for serving.
Method

1. Drain peppers from their liquid, and place in a food processor along with everything except the olive oil.
2. Process until uniform and well-combined, and then drizzle in the olive oil until you have a thick sauce.

This improves with time in the fridge (keep covered).  Serve at room temperature with warm bread, or use as a sauce for meat or even pasta.

I generally dislike “red sauces”. Most tomato-based sauces just seem boring to my palate, and are usually too acidic, or just don’t carry much of a punch. So on any Italian restaurant menu, I’ll skip the tomato-based dishes, and head straight for the oil or cream-based sauces when I’m in the mood for pasta. More pesto, please!

That being said, this dish, while tomato-based, is fantastic. The secret is not in the ingredients, but in the cooking method. The tomatoes are allowed to caramelize in the oil, which adds a depth of flavor and richness not typically found in such dishes. I heard this recipe from Lynne Rosetto-Casper of The Splendid Table, but its a fairly famous preparation.

As my husband says, putting bacon in spaghetti sauce is a “concept everyone can get behind“.

Items

• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 28oz can good-quality whole plum tomatoes in juice
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 6oz pancetta or smoked American bacon (I couldn’t find pancetta, and the bacon version is fabulous), cut into 1/2 dice
• 1 lb bucatini, thick spaghetti, or spaghetti
• 1 Tsp salt (at least)
• 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper (at least)
• 1 Tsp - 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like things)
• freshly grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Method

1. Start the pasta water, and heat olive oil in large sautee pan over medium high heat.
2. Cook bacon or pancetta in oil, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 6-8 minutes at least. Remove bacon from fat and reserve (leave the fat in the pan). Increase heat to high.
3. Take half of the tomatoes, lift them from the can, and squeeze them gently to remove as much liquid or seeds in them as you can. Add them to the oil in the pan, along with half of the onion, and cook over high heat until onions and tomatoes start to caramelize around the edges, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes.  I actually only stir the onions, and rather flip the tomatoes when they get browned.  The point is to let the caramelization of the sugars work its magic on the fruit and the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the remaining tomatoes with their juices, remaining onion, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and reserved bacon or pancetta, turn down the heat, and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. When finished keep warm over very low heat.
5. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water. Drain.
6. Toss pasta with sauce in pan over medium heat for a minute or so.
7. Serve toppped with a generous portion of the cheese.

Serves 4.

A friend visited us for dinner the other night, and we served this dish, whose provenance is somewhat unknown to us — Alan e-mailed me the recipe, but we don’t know where it came from now. I’ve made some adjustments based on my own preferences and have rationalized the amounts from the original. While the ingredient list looks lengthy, its mostly things that a typical kitchen would likely have on hand.
The point of this dish is the contrast of the sweetness of the potato with the savoryness of the beans. When assembling each tortilla, be sure to keep the potato and beans separate so that when eating one can get a bit of potato or bean, or a little of both (versus having everything just mixed together).

Items

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
• 2 Tb butter and a little bit of milk
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 2Tb olive oil
• 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1Tb cumin (I toast my own from seeds and grind them in a pestle, but I’m fussy)
• 1Tb coriander
• 2Tb soy sauce
• 1Tb prepared mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• Few grinds of black pepper
• 6 large flour tortillas
• 2 15oz cans mild enchilada sauce (preferably w/o MSG, check the label)
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
2. Boil the potato chunks in salted water until tender. Drain, and mash with milk and butter like you would do with regular mashed potatoes. Set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat, and sautée the onion until tender, 8 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the black beans, and mash a bit (use the potato masher). Add the water, and cook the beans down a bit, stirring as needed to avoid burning or sticking.
5. Remove from the heat, and add the cumin, coriander, cayenne, soy sauce, black pepper, and mustard. Stir to combine.
6. Pour one can of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 13″x9″ baking dish.
7. Take 1/6 of the potato mixture and place it in a line in a tortilla. Place 1/6 of the bean mixture alongside it. Fold in the ends slightly and roll up like a burrito. Place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
8. Top with the other can of enchilada sauce so all of the tortillas are wet with sauce, and top with cheese.
9. Bake 15 minutes until heated through. Broil briefly at the end if you like your cheese crispy on top.
10. Top with the scallions and cilantro and serve alongside some Spanish-style rice and a green salad.

Serves 4-6.

“Pesto” (Ital: paste) traditionally refers to the sauce made with basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and cheese, but one can make wonderful uncooked pasta sauces out of just about anything.  One of my favorite pestos is made from walnuts and a host of other fats, some good for you, some less so (although you can feel good about the amount of good, HDL-promoting fats and omega-3 fatty acids).  Despite the amount of lipids, this dish has a light yet savory flavor, which pairs well with dry white wines, and meats like sweet sausage, poultry, or fish.
This recipe makes enough sauce for two pounds of pasta — the leftover sauce freezes nicely.

Items

• 7oz (ca. 1 1/3 cups) shelled walnut pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 Tb butter
• 1/2 cup (approx.) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup parmaggiano reggiano, pecorino romano, or similar hard sharp cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb fusilli, gemelli, or similarly shaped pasta

Method

1. Put the pasta water on to boil.
2. In a food processor, chop the walnuts and the garlic until finely ground.
3. Add the butter and cream and combine.
4. Add the olive oil slowly while the processor is running until the sauce has a smooth, creamy texture.
5. Add the cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions.  When done, drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
7. Toss half of the sauce to the pasta along with the reserved pasta water.

Serves 4-6.  Yum!