2011, Recipes 116-118: Roast Chicken, Mushroom Soup and Chicken Liver Paté

 Roast Chicken
Recipe courtesy of Anthony Bourdain

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs (1.8 kg), giblets reserved
• Salt (preferably sea salt) and freshly crushed black pepper
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (do not get that dried trash anywhere near my bird!)
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme (What did I just say?)
• 2 tbsp (28 g) herb butter (see recipe at bottom of post)
• 3 tbsp (42 g) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup (340 ml) white wine
• A little chopped flat parsley

The recipe is incredibly long thought not terribly complicated so just use the link shown above if you want to make this.

Results: Yummy! But a pretty basic herb-roasted chicken.

 Mushroom Soup
Recipe courtesy of Anthony Bourdain

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 12 ounces button mushrooms, halved
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 sprig parsley
• 2 ounces sherry
• salt and pepper 

In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons/28g of the butter over medium heat and add the onion.  

Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the mushrooms and the remaining butter.  

Let the mixture sweat for about 8 minutes, taking care that the onion doesn't take on any brown color. 

Stir in the chicken stock and the parsley and bring to a boil.  Immediately reduce the heat and simmer 

for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the parsley and discard.  Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then 

transfer to the blender and carefully blend at hight speed until smooth.  (Do this in batches).  When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again.  

Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.

 

Result: Delicious! I think next time I'll leave some of the soup unpureed to get the chunkiness of the mushrooms. But it was a wonderful soup.

Chicken Liver Paté
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

• 1 pound chicken livers, trimmed of any membranes or fat
• 6 tablespoons Port wine
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus 1 nice-looking sprig for garnish
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• baguette slices, toasted
• red grapes (optional)

1. Rinse the livers and pat them dry. Put them in a small bowl, pour the Port wine over them, cover & refridgerate for 2 hours.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet. Add the shallots, garlic, & chopped thyme and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until softened but not brown (3-4 minutes).
3. Add the livers, reserving the Port, and cook without browning until the livers just change color (3-4 minutes). (Browning would toughen the exterior of the livers & the pate would not be smooth.)
4. Add the reserved Port to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Put all of that in a blender and puree until smooth. Add 3 more tablespoons of butter and process again until smooth. Now pour in the cream and pulse just until incorporated. Season with salt & pepper. (Note: It looks & smells horrid, but don't be alarmed! It's much better once it's cooled!)
6. Spoon the mixture into a 3-cup terrine or dish and smooth the surface. Refridgerate for 1 hour, or until the pate just firms up.
7. Then, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter (1 stick) and pour it over the top of the pate to cover completely (this will seal the top & keep from discoloring). Press the thyme sprig into the butter and chill overnight (or up to a week).
8. Serve with toasted baguette slices & red grapes.

Result: Surprisingly sweet. I'm quite sure it was the the port I used. It wasn't sticky sweet but it was sweet. You don't have to eat the butter on top if you don't want to. My family thought it looked gross. Just scrape it off. I really liked this recipe! It made me feel quite fancy!

Now on day two, I put paté on toasted baguette with Dijon mustard and an egg over medium. It was AMAZING!! I could also see eating this the same way with a little frisée lettuce or arugula like some recipes say. I want this for breakfast regularly now!!

Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Sausage Burgers with Cilantro Raita

This recipe, like most of the recipes I create, started with a sale.  Fresh Market had its chicken sausage half off with some pretty amazing-sounding flavors so I took advantage!  I knew the buffalo chicken would need something cooling.  A regular blue cheese dressing was out because it was already in the burger.  I LOVE raita and had all of the ingredients for it on hand.  Match made in heaven!

Raita

1/2 medium cucumber

2 teaspoons ground cumin, dry toasted

1 cup plain yogurt

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Burger

• 1 1/2 lbs. buffalo blue cheese chicken sausage, removed from casing
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. Frank's Red Hot Sauce (optional)
• One tomato, sliced
• 4 buns, toasted

Yields: 4 burgers

1. Combine raita ingredients.  Cover and set in the refrigerator.
2. Combine chicken sausage, onion and if using, hot sauce.  Score with the side of your hand to make four evenly-sized burgers.  Make them a little flatter than you would for a beef burger because they will plump a bit.
3. Cook in a skillet between medium and medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.
4. Drain burger.  Place on bottom bun, top with raita, tomato and top bun.  If you have lettuce, add that, too.

Results: This burger had just the right amount of spice for me.  I like medium spicy... hot enough to make your nose run a little but not enough to make your eyes water.  But Rashan could have had it much spicier.  We both loved it!  I served it with a side of blue corn tortilla chips that we dipped into the excess raita.  This is a quick and easy meal that would also be great for cookouts with people avoiding beef or pork.

2011, Recipe 82: Creamy Chicken & Rice Casserole

Recipe courtesy of Denise's Kitchen (I put my modifications in italics)

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

2 cups rotisserie chicken plus drippings

2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste 

1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups cooked white or brown rice
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Shred leftover chicken and set aside in a bowl.
3. Add oil to a hot pan and add the onions. Cook on medium heat for two minutes.
4. Add the shredded chicken along with the pan drippings from the previous night’s baking of said chicken (including about a tablespoon of that glorious chicken fat if you have some).
5. When drippings are incorporated into the chicken and onions, add the butter, flour, thyme, paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until everything is fully incorporated.
6. Add chicken stock and mushrooms and mix thoroughly.
7. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat with the cover on.
8. Incorporate sour cream and then add the rice, mixing fully. If the mixture seems thick, add in another 1/2 cup chicken stock.
9. If baking in a separate dish, this is the time to butter the inside and then set the mixture inside, topping with the breadcrumbs. If baking in the same pan you used to cook the ingredients, (which is my preference) then just top with the bread crumbs and set in the oven.
10. Bake for 20 minutes and then serve with a nice salad or steamed vegetable.


Results:  I loved the idea of using rotisserie chicken and SOUR CREAM! The sour cream really excited me!  It did creamy wonderfully!  My biggest annoyance was that this recipe's ingredients weren't listed in the order they were used.  Me fail: I didn't have mushrooms.  Boooo.  But beyond that, this recipe seemed to be missing something... like one more spice or more of one used would have made this better.  Maybe more of the thyme and more paprika?  Maybe rosemary instead of thyme?  This recipe had good bones.  It just could've used a little boost.

*Also... HAPPY 350TH POST TO US AT THE RECORD DISH!!  It was the brainchild of our friend, Ashli, who promptly stopped blogging.  LOL  Thanks for the idea, anyway!  What started as a music, fashion & food blog has become mostly a food blog with a splash of fashion.  No matter!  Happy, happy!

2011, Recipe 73: Grilled Chicken and Radicchio with Roasted Garlic Herb Dressing

Recipe courtesy of  Tyler Florence

1 head of garlic, cut in half at the equator (suggest using center)

kosher salt

extra-virgin olive oil

2 whole fresh thyme sprigs, plus leaves from 6 sprigs

2 lemons, juiced

2 lemon halves

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 4 - 4 /12 pound chicken, cut into 10 similar sized pieces

freshly ground black pepper

1 medium head of radicchio, preferably Treviso, cut into quarters

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut a piece of aluminum foil about 12 inches long. Cut 1 or 2 heads of garlic in half at the equator (suggest center), and set on one half of the foil. Add 2 teaspoons water on the garlic, drizzle on some olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and add 2 springs of thyme.

Make a tight foil packet by enclosing the garlic and folding in both the top and the sides 2 or 3 times to seal. Roast the packet in the oven for 30 minutes, or until garlic is soft.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Cut up 1 chicken (around 4 pounds, skin-on) into 10 similarly-sized pieces. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put the pieces in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss well to coat and refrigerate until you're ready to cook the chicken.

Take one medium head of radicchio (preferably Treviso), and cut into quarters. Place radicchio in a new bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Take out the garlic packet from oven. Open it and let the garlic cool a bit, then squeeze out the cloves into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, and leaves from 6 springs of thyme. Puree everything together to make a thick dressing.

Put the chicken on the grill, skin side down, along with the radicchio and grill them together. Cook the radicchio for about 2 minutes per side until it has a nice char, then take it off the grill and set aside to cool. Grill the chicken for about 20 minutes. Turn once and baste with about half of the garlic-herb dressing.

Keep cooking until the chicken is nice and brown all over, about 15 to 20 more minutes (an instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh should read 160 degrees F.) During the last few minutes, throw 2 lemon halves on the grill, cut sides down, and cook until smoky and just marked.

When chicken is finished cooking, toss the chicken and radicchio with remainder the roasted garlic-herb dressing. Squeeze grilled lemon all over chicken and serve.

Results: The dressing was good though I thought the garlic flavor was a bit too mellow.  The chicken was good.  The radicchio was BITTER!!!  OMG IT WAS BITTER!!  Grilling is supposed to mellow it out.  You needed the dressing and grilled lemon for it to be palatable.

2011, Recipes 24 & 25: Tuscan Lemon Chicken and Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper

Tuscan Lemon Chicken 
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

• 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, flattened
• Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, halved

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.


When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on 1 side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the chicken on the cooler side, skin side up, and weigh it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

Results: Really yummy and I didn't even have a grill to cook this on! Loved it!  And grandma was over the moon about it!


Pasta with Pecorino & Pepper
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

• 1 tablespoon whole black Tellicherry peppercorns
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound dried Italian egg pasta, such as tagliarelle
• 1 cup freshly grated aged Pecorino cheese (4 ounces), plus extra for serving
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Place the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and crush them until you have a mixture of coarse and fine bits. (You can also grind them in a small food mill or coffee grinder.) Set aside.
Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Ladle 1 cup of the pasta cooking water into a glass measuring cup and reserve it. Drain the pasta quickly in a colander and return the pasta to the pot with a lot of the pasta water still dripping.

Working quickly, with the heat on very low, toss the pasta with 1/2 cup of the grated Pecorino, the crushed peppercorns, cream, butter, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt, tossing constantly. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved cooking water. Off the heat, toss in the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino. Serve immediately with a big bowl of extra grated Pecorino for sprinkling.

Results: I just used regular pepper... lol.  This was yummy!  I also served it with salad with lemon-garlic infused olive oil dressing.  Basically you sauté minced garlic in olive oil, let it cool, poor it over the greens, squeeze lemons over the greens, add salt & pepper.  Let it sit to wilt for about 5-7 minutes.  Enjoy.  Unnecessarily yummy!  Yes, the theme is yummy!