elly says opa

Key Lime Yogurt Cake with Coconut

February 5, 2012 · 22 comments

in breads and muffins,breakfast/brunch,sweets/desserts

I’ve mentioned many times my adoration for anything lime-flavored. Whether it’s a pie, curd, cheesecake, beverage, or Sour Patch Kid, I’m going to love it. That’s all there is to it.

A friend of mine recently picked up an extra bag of key limes, and I definitely didn’t have a problem taking them off her hands (especially when the exchange happened during a brunch meeting that involved chorizo/jalapeno/egg/potato hash, thankyouverymuch).

This cake (or bread, if you want to make it sound a little healthier) is inspired by Ina Garten’s lemon yogurt cake, which I’ve made a few times in various forms. While the cake is not exactly going to be featured in any healthy eating magazines any time soon, it is a less horrible for you than other things I could have made with the key limes. Plus, I adapted the recipe to make it a little lighter by using nonfat Greek yogurt, canola oil, reducing the sugar by a smidge, and eliminating the glaze altogether (personally I think it’s sweet enough with the citrus-sugar mixture that gets poured over the top).

I had some shredded coconut in my freezer, which was a welcome addition to this cake…a cake I freaking loved, by the way. The yogurt and lime syrup make this extremely moist, and the key limes have a tangy, robust flavor. Plus, toasted coconut is awesome. Always.

Key Lime Yogurt Cake with Coconut

Makes 1 loaf
Inspired by Barefoot Contessa

2/3 cup shredded coconut
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup plain Greek (or other strained) yogurt
1 cup sugar, divided
3 large eggs
1 tsp. grated key lime zest (from about 4-5 key limes)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Toast the coconut either by spreading it onto a sheet pan and baking in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, checking and stirring it ever 5 minutes, or by heating it in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring or shaking frequently until golden and toasted. (As you can see, I went a touch too far with mine. Oops.)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, lime zest, and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the canola oil into the batter until just incorporated.

Set aside 3 Tbsp. of the toasted coconut. Fold the remaining coconut into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the key lime juice in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Place a cooling rack above a rimmed baking sheet, and put the still-warm cake on the rack. Poke a few small holes into the top of the cake with a toothpick, and then pour the lime-sugar mixture over the top of the cake, and sprinkle with the 3 Tbsp. toasted coconut. Allow the lime-sugar mixture to soak into the cake.

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(Chicken) Sausage Subs

February 2, 2012 · 13 comments

in burgers and sandwiches,chicken/poultry,quick and easy

…or hoagies, or grinders, or whatever it is you call stuff between thick, oblong bread.

I do fairly well with meal planning every week, but around day 5 it often starts to unravel. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t bother planning a meal for Friday because, inevitably, something didn’t get made and will get pushed to that day, or I’ll just cook something from the pantry/fridge/freezer to use up extras.

This particular week was a bit of a mess because in addition to not cooking on a day I was supposed to, I also ended up having to use the only chicken I had in the freezer for Monday’s meal, after realizing the chicken I had just bought for that meal the day prior smelled…off.

The only thing of substance I really had on my fridge the night we had these subs was chicken sausage. Oh, and mushrooms because I completely forgot to add them to a dish they were supposed to be in the night before. Oops. (Yeah, this week was not so great, huh?) I started looking around for other ingredients, and we had 2 leftover rolls from Italian beef earlier in the week and half a block of mozzarella in the fridge. Definitely the makings of sausage subs. Trader Joe’s frozen tricolored peppers and a trusty can of fire-roasted tomatoes also came in quite handy.

Now, obviously you can just stick the whole sausage link on a bun and eat it that way, but where’s the fun (or mess) in that? :) Tom and I both really loved these, which is not particularly surprising considering they contain both bread and cheese. I used chicken sausage, part-skim mozzarella, and a minimal amount of oil, so these were actually fairly healthy, too (especially when paired with a salad).

We made two (overstuffed) subs with these, but I’m typing the recipe for four, since some of the ingredient amounts are easier that way.

Chicken Sausage Subs

1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 links (12 oz.) spicy Italian chicken sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced or 1.25 cups frozen bell pepper strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I use fire-roasted)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 long sandwich rolls
4 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded or thinly sliced (fresh mozzarella would be fabulous also)

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. Place the sausage slices in the hot oil and brown on one side. Flip and brown another minute. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, until mushrooms start to release their juices.

Add the diced tomatoes, crushed red pepper, oregano, and salt to taste. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and then simmer for about 5 minutes to combine flavors.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Place open buns onto a broiler-safe pan. Broil for just a minute (or less, depending on your broiler and how close you are to the flame), until they start to get slightly crispy and golden. Top each bun with 1/4 of the sausage mixture and 1 oz. of cheese. Place back under the broiler for a minute until cheese is melted and bubbly.

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Lighter Chicken and Dumplings

January 29, 2012 · 6 comments

in chicken/poultry,healthy,soups and stews

My dad makes the world’s best chicken and dumpling soup. He used to make it at his restaurant every Saturday and I loved when a trip home would overlap with a Saturday, because I’d get to eat a big bowlful. I’ve never asked for his recipe, partly because I know it would make like 5 gallons of soup and partly because I know it’s not the best for me.

This recipe is very different from my dad’s, in that it’s not as creamy and it’s not as soup-like (and it’s also not as fatty :). I did not expect this to be the same, and it isn’t, of course. However, this chicken and dumplings is a seriously wonderful meal, especially considering it’s not all that bad for you. It’s comfort food at its finest. I consider a meal pretty great when I’m ready to eat my lunch leftovers by 10:00 the next morning (and even greater when I actually do…oops).

The broth in the stew is absolutely fantastic. Simmering the dark thigh meat and wings together gives it a great depth of flavor (I mean, just look at that color!). You’d honestly think the broth had been simmering away for hours. The dumplings are light and fluffy and—thanks to a great trick of wrapping the Dutch oven lid in a kitchen towel while they simmered—weren’t soggy or sticky-topped.

The only change I’d make to this the next time around is to increase the stew amount by just a bit, which I’ve indicated below. I think there are plenty of dumplings for the intended servings, but the stew to dumpling ratio was just a little off for me.

Lighter Chicken and Dumplings

About 8 servings
Adapted from The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook via Annie’s Eats

For the stew:
2.75 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
2 tsp. canola oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4″ pieces
3 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
6.5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. freshly minced thyme
1 lb. chicken wings
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

For the dumplings:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
a couple turns of freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup well-shaken, chilled buttermilk
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and hot
1 large egg white

Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, until shimmering. Add the chicken to the hot oil, skin side down, and cook until browned and crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Flip the chicken and brown on the other side for an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate. Drain all but 1 tsp. of fat from the pot.

Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, 7-9 minutes. Stir in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the thyme and chicken broth. Add the chicken thighs and any accumulated juices to the pot, as well as the chicken wings. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until thigh meat offers no resistance when poked with a paring knife, but still clings to bones, about 45 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat and transfer chicken to cutting board. Allow the broth to cool for 5 minutes before skimming the fat from the top. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Cut or shred chicken into bite sized pieces (use thighs only or thighs and wings). Return meat to pot. (At this point, you can cool the stew to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to a simmer before continuing.)

To make the dumplings: Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and baking soda in a large bowl. In a medium bowl (or right in the measuring cup you’ve used for the buttermilk), stir the butter into the buttermilk, until the butter forms small clumps. Whisk in the egg white. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until just incorporated.

Return stew to a simmer. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Wrap the lid of the Dutch oven in a clean kitchen towel.

Using a greased tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of dough over simmering stew, spacing about 1/4″ apart (about 24 dumplings total). Cover the pot with the wrapped lid and simmer gently until dumplings have doubled in size and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 13-16 minutes.

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Potato-Leek Soup

January 25, 2012 · 13 comments

in healthy,potatoes,quick and easy,soups and stews,vegetarian

Many, many years ago, Tom cooked for me for the first time. He made a creamy potato soup and it was incredibly delicious. I admit, I was impressed, considering the only thing I’d seen him “cook” before was mixing together a packet of taco seasoning and ranch dressing (“Southwest sauce,” obviously).

A few months later, he cooked for me for the second time—and made the soup again. This time? Not so good. He burned the bottom and if you know anything about burning soups, you know that once you stir that burnt bottom into the soup, there’s no turning back. The whole pot is going to taste like it came out of a smoke stack (or like my specialty of broiler-burnt bread).

That was the end of that soup.

I’ve made a couple versions of potato soup over the years but not many. Potato soups tend to be creamy and heavy and, while delicious, aren’t always the best choice for me.

This soup, on the other hand, is quite healthy. There is no cream or bacon (it’s okay, I promise) and while there is some butter, each serving ends up having only about a teaspoon of it. The soup has a great texture and it tastes very simple and pure, if you will. The leeks lend a bit of sweetness, the chili powder just a hint of spice, but otherwise this tastes like…potatoes. Which is a good thing.

Zachary loved this soup, which was weird because he never seems to want to eat soup and he doesn’t like mashed potatoes (weirdo). I suspect all the soup-making he’s been doing in his new kitchen is helping, though. (His dog’s favorite is garlic, apparently.)

There are many different ways to wash your leeks; just remember to wash them well, unless you like dirt in your food or something. I usually just slice them and the put them in a bowl of water, letting all the dirt sink to the bottom. Or, I slice and then use a salad spinner to rinse them under water and have the added benefit of spinning them dry (which won’t necessarily keep them looking pretty but considering they’re being pureed, anyway, it’s fine). David also has instructions for preparing them.

Potato-Leek Soup

Slightly adapted from David Lebovitz
Serves 6

2 Tbsp. butter
4 leeks, sliced and washed
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/4 tsp. chili powder*
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth, or water
1.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper (optional) or black pepper for finishing*

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium heat.

Add the sliced leeks and season them with salt. Cook the leeks until they are soft and wilted, about 5-7 minutes. Add the thyme and chili powder and stir for about 30 seconds, allowing them to release their flavors.

Pour in the broth or water. Add the potatoes and bay leaves.

Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender when poked with a sharp knife, about 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and puree the soup with white pepper, if using. I used an immersion blender but a blender (being careful not to overfill) will also work. A food processor isn’t the best, since it will cause the potatoes to be too gummy. Season the soup with salt to taste.

Ladle into bowls and serve with freshly ground pepper (if using) and any other garnishes you like.

*I didn’t have white pepper. I was too lazy to go to my favorite spice store, and there was no chance I was going to the grocery store and paying an exorbitant price for a thimble of pepper. Instead, I used a hot chili powder and then served the soup with freshly ground black pepper.

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Spicy Asian Chicken with Brussels Sprouts

January 22, 2012 · 18 comments

in asian,chicken/poultry,healthy,quick and easy

I’m on a serious roll making things from the “recipes-I-saved-a-million-years-ago” binder that has previously been collecting dust on top of my fridge. Although, I must say, I think I had originally torn out this page from Real Simple magazine because of a different recipe on the page. It’s funny how your tastes change, because this recipe sounded way more appealing to me than the other one.

Brussels sprouts may seem like an odd choice in an Asian dish but they really make a lot of sense. I mean, they are part of the cabbage family and cabbage is obviously quite common in Asian cooking. And I’m a firm believer that brussels sprouts just don’t get enough love. (Roast them at a high heat with some olive oil and salt and pepper, and then tell me you don’t like them).

This dish cooks up in no time, is easy to make, and healthy, too. And did I mention I really liked it? Because I really did. Though, I’ve determined that, despite living by and frequenting several types of markets, I can never find small red chilies except at Whole Foods. I was too lazy to go to Whole Foods, so I just used my trusty jar of Sambal Oelek. The nice thing about that is you can make this as spicy as you want, based on your preferences and how much you add.

Between the ease of prep and the flavor (which I, personally, enjoy with a bit of heat), this will definitely be a repeat in our house.

Spicy Asian Chicken with Brussels Sprouts

Adapted from Real Simple
Servers 4

1 large egg
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
4 tsp. canola oil, divided
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
1″ knob of ginger, peeled and grated/minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1.5 Tbsp. light brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced, or chili paste to your preference (we used 1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped roasted peanuts
Cooked brown rice (made from 1 cup, dry) for serving

Beat the egg in a large, shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl or plate, add the cornstarch. Dip the chicken in the egg and then dredge in the cornstarch, shaking off excess; transfer to another plate.

Heat 3 tsp. canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. In 2 batches, cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until golden (about 3-5 minutes). Remove the chicken and transfer to a clean plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tsp. of oil in the skillet. Add the brussels sprouts and ginger and cook until they begin to get tender, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, water, and Sambal Oelek/chili paste (if using). Add the mixture to the skillet, and cook until the brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and liquid begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet (along with the sliced chili pepper, if using) and heat through, about 1 minute. Off the heat, add the sesame oil and scallions. Serve over brown rice and top with roasted peanuts.

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{ 18 comments }

Lamb Chili with Masa Harina Dumplings

January 17, 2012 · 6 comments

in lamb,soups and stews

It goes against nearly everything in my gut to like dumplings. I really, really do not like soggy bread and, texturally speaking, I should loathe dumplings. But I don’t. Not.at.all. In fact, I have another dumpling recipe waiting in the wings to post soon after this one. Because I freaking love them.

I feel like a broken record here, but I’ll say it again… “I’ve had this recipe saved for a really long time, but finally got around to making it.” Nearly 3 years ago, I took to organizing my saved magazine and online recipes, and this comes from the binder that stemmed from that organization. I’m always so annoyed when it takes me so long to make a recipe that’s so great.

This recipe will not be winning any awards in the frugality department. It had been ages since I’d purchased lamb shoulder, so I had forgotten how crazy expensive it can be – and a whole shoulder of 3-4 lbs. is clearly going to cost a pretty penny. But, you know how much I adore lamb (not to mention going to the butcher) so it had to be done. That said, I have no doubts that this recipe would be delicious with pork shoulder or beef chuck. Plus, we ended up freezing a couple portions for another dinner, later.

I thought this would be spicier than it was (I was almost worried, in fact). It had a nice little kick, but definitely nothing major. I think the chipotles mellow out while cooking and New Mexico chilies (at least, the ones I had around) are not terribly spicy themselves. I actually really, really loved the spicy-without-being-too-spicy flavor, and the depth of this dish, not only from using dried chilies in the broth, but from the lamb stewing for hours.

One tip I picked up from the other dumpling recipe I made is to wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel while simmering the dumplings. This seems to make them a bit less soggy/more firm to the touch, so I’ll do that next time and have added that step below. You’ll want to make this stew a day ahead of time, not only because it tastes better that way but also because it’s much easier to remove the fat from the top after it’s chilled.

Lamb Chili with Masa Harina Dumplings

Adapted from Gourmet

For chili:
10 dried New Mexico chilies (about 2.5-3 oz.)
3 cups water, divided
2 cups beef broth
3.25 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1.5″ pieces
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. ground cumin
1.5 tsp. dried oregano
3 Tbsp. chopped chipotles in adobo
chopped cilantro or sliced green onions, for serving

For dumplings:
3/4 cup masa harina
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground pepper, a few turns
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

To make the chili:
Simmer the chilies in 2 cups of water until very soft, about 20 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of cooking water and drain the rest. Stem the chilies, keeping the seeds, and blend in a food processor with the reserved water, until smooth. Force the mixture through a mesh strainer and into a bowl.

Pat the lamb dry and then season with salt and pepper. Add 1 Tbsp. oil to a Dutch oven and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Add the lamb, in 4 batches, and brown on each side (about 4 minutes per batch). Transfer to a bowl, and drain any excess fat from pot.

Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to the pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook the onion, garlic, and bay leaves with a small pinch of salt until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add the chili puree and chipotles, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add the lamb and any accumulated juices, the remaining 1 cup water, and the beef broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until lamb is very tender, 2.5-3 hours.*

To make the dumplings:
Stir together the masa harina, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Cut in the butter with 2 forks or a pastry blender, until it resembles a coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until moistened (don’t overmix).

Skim the fat off the chili and discard the bay leaves. Season the chili to taste. Drop dumplings by the tablespoon-full into the pot, about 2 inches apart. Reduce heat to low. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the lid of the pot, and then cover the chili. Simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes, or until dumplings are firm to the touch.

Garnish with cilantro or green onions.

*At this point, you can (and probably should) cool and refrigerate your chili. The next day or several hours later, scrape the fat off the top. Bring the chili to a simmer, and then move ahead with making and simmering the dumplings.

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Light Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

January 15, 2012 · 7 comments

in asian,chicken/poultry,healthy,soups and stews

If you spend a few minutes around these parts, it’s not difficult to figure out that I love soups and stews. In fact, I can say with a pretty high level of certainty that I could eat soup every day of the week, and never get sick of it.

This recipe instantly stood out to me (and not just because Shawnda takes exponentially better pictures of soup than I do, though she does). I loved that this soup was healthy and colorful, and I always enjoy Asian ingredients like these (except when I was pregnant. You know how they tell you ginger helps with nausea? Yeah, ginger was the only thing that made me nauseous). The other great part about this soup is that snow peas are added in at the last minute, and they provide a great crunch and freshness to the soup. Soup is often mushy by nature, and this way you can get some texture without the addition of crackers.

This soup is light and fresh, but also manages to be filling. I absolutely loved it, and I can’t wait to make it again soon.

Light Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, via Confections of a Foodie Bride

1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1 large red pepper, stemmed and seeded, and cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 oz. thin Asian noodles, like somen/lo mein/chow mein
6 oz. snow peas, halved
1/4 cup chopped green onions (dark green parts only)

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add the oil.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then place in the hot oil. Sear about 3 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and drain any excess fat from the pot.

Reduce the heat to medium, and add the carrots, red pepper, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, broth, and water to the pot.

Cut the chicken into 1″ cubes, and then add them to the pot.

Simmer (don’t boil) the soup over medium or medium-low for 40 minutes.

Add the noodles to the pot and cook for 3-5 (check the package for how long they take).

Add the snow peas and green onions and cook 2-4 minutes, until the snow peas have turned bright green. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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{ 7 comments }

Chicken with Bulgur and Peppers. Or Bulgur con Pollo. Or Chicken with Spanish Bulgur. Or something.

January 9, 2012 · 13 comments

in chicken/poultry,healthy,quick and easy,rice and grains

Like most people who cook on a daily, or near daily, basis, I love the “one pot meal.” Being able to have your protein, starch, and vegetables all cook away in the same vessel with minimum effort (and only one pot to clean at the end) is a pretty good deal.

The problem I run into is that I often have a hard time making them with complex carbs. White rice is easy enough to add to a one-meal concoction, but try throwing brown rice or barley in there and you are often left with rice that hasn’t cooked thoroughly or a piece of meat that is so overcooked it ruins the happy vibe of the one-pot meal.

But other grains that take less time to cook, like bulgur, which is one of my absolute favorite starchy sides, are perfect. You may recognize it as the main ingredient in tabouli, but it does so much more. We easily eat it once a week. The most common way I prepare it is to make it into a pilaf, sauteing just a little onion & garlic in the beginning, cooking it in chicken broth, and topping it with toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds. I’ve also made this recipe as a side before, sans the chicken. Bulgur takes less time to cook than even white rice, and easily outweighs rice’s nutrition benefits, too (a serving has 50 less calories but 6 more grams of dietary fiber).

This meal is sort of a play on arroz con pollo, or chicken with rice. The ingredients and flavor profile are similar, but the arroz is obviously replaced with bulgur (which I have no idea how to say in Spanish, sorry. I mean, lo siento!).

Boneless/skinless chicken thighs would be a great replacement for the breast in this recipe. You can use bone-in, too, but I would simmer them in the liquid for about 5 minutes before adding the bulgur, to assure they get fully cooked.

Chicken with Bulgur and Peppers

Serves 4

print Printer Friendly Recipe

4 small chicken breasts or chicken breast halves, about 5 oz. each
cumin
paprika
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup medium grain bulgur
2 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 green onions, sliced

Season the chicken to taste with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika.

Heat a large saute pan with lid over medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the chicken and sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan.

To the pan, add the onion and peppers and cook until tender, with just a little bit of bite. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the bulgur and stir around to toast, before adding the beef broth and bay leaf.

Bring a mixture to a low boil, and nestle the chicken back in. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook about 12-13 minutes, then turn off the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Top with green onions before serving.

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{ 13 comments }

Cranberry Shortbread Bars

January 5, 2012 · 12 comments

in sweets/desserts

I tried keeping things fairly low key this year, in terms of Christmas baking. After spending too much time decorating sugar cookies and standing at my stove dipping melomakarona, I opted for two really easy treats – peppermint bark, and these cranberry bars.

I hadn’t really planned on making anything new this year, but I happened to run across this recipe while I was on the Joy of Baking site looking at an old favorite, raspberry bars. I’ve made the raspberry bars in the past, for both holiday and any time treats, but I wanted to give these a try since cranberries are a bit more festive, and anything encased in shortbread is a surefire hit.

These bars come together very quickly. You just dump all the ingredients for the filling in a saucepan, and then mix a few ingredients together to make the bottom crust/topping.

I loved the buttery shortbread in these bars (I had to taste test one before giving them away, of course), and the slight tartness of the cranberries.

I am posting the original recipe/amount below, but I actually ended up tripling the filling (since I had two 12 oz. bags of cranberries) and making one 9×13 pan (with 1.5x the crust amount of the original recipe) and one 8×8 pan (with the original amount in the recipe, but it was too much crust/topping, since the recipe calls for a 9″ pan). Besides that, the only change I made was to add orange zest to the filling, which I think is a perfect complement to cranberries.

These are a great low-maintenance but well-liked dessert recipe, and I will definitely make them again.

Cranberry Shortbread Bars

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Cranberry filling
8 oz. fresh cranberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar*
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. orange zest

Shortbread
2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 9×9 baking pan.

To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, and water. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, and continue to boil the filling until it’s thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. (*You may need to add a little more sugar depending on the tartness of the cranberries.) Stir in the orange zest and remove from the heat to cool while you make the shortbread.

To make the shortbread: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt.

In another bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth (1 minute) and add the sugar, beating until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the flour mixture until just incorporated.

Evenly press two-thirds of the shortbread dough into the prepared pan. Spoon over the cranberry filling evenly, leaving a 1/4″ border. With the remaining shortbread dough, crumble it over the top of the filling, using your fingers. Then, gently press the dough into the filling.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and while still hot, cut into 16 squares. Allow to cool completely in pan.

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Stifado (Greek Beef Stew)

January 3, 2012 · 10 comments

in beef,greek

Stifado (stee-FAH-though) is a Greek stew that is typically made with a fair amount of onions, wine, tomatoes, and cinnamon. The word stifado itself is really more about the stewing and other ingredients (not necessarily the beef) but beef is probably the most common form of stifado, at least in the U.S.

What this dish lacks in appearance, it makes up for in flavor. Big time. Beef is braised until it’s pull-apart tender. The wine and tomato paste create a great depth of flavor, while the cinnamon and cloves give this is a slightly sweet/spicy flavor. Cumin might seem like an odd ingredient in Greek food, but I like the slight smokiness it provides, and also use it in Greek meatballs called soutzoukakia. You can certainly omit it, if it’s not your thing.

Unlike a typical stew, this one doesn’t have potatoes (it doesn’t have much besides the meat, really!), so feel free to serve it with your carb of choice. I love having it with some crusty bread to sop off the sauce, and have also had it over rice. One of my favorite ways to eat the leftovers is with pasta (and loads of a salty cheese, like myzithra), which is what we did this time, too.

Just a note, I’ve been loving these little muslin bags when cooking with things like whole cloves. They are food safe, reusable, and make fishing out the cloves at the end much easier.

Beef (Kreas) Stifado

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2 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1″ pieces (or packaged stew meat)
3/4 cup flour
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. cipolini onions, peeled (I use frozen, which are already peeled)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2/3 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth or water
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 whole cloves, or allspice berries
2 bay leaves
3/4 tsp. cumin

Combine the flour with a big pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper in a resealable bag. Add the beef, in batches if necessary, and shake to coat.

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. Once hot, shake the excess flour off the beef and place some in a single layer in the hot oil, without overcrowding. Brown on one side and then flip and brown on the other. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon. Add another Tbsp. of oil to the pan and continue with the remaining 1-2 batches of beef.

Once the beef has been browned and removed, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook another minute. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits. Cook until slightly reduced, 2 minutes. Add the broth or water, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then add the beef back in. Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook until beef is very tender, 2-3 hours. Season to taste, if necessary.

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