ORGANIC CHIKEN WITH BEANS & CRUSHED RED BEETS

2 large or 3 medium beets, trimmed
salt and ground pepper to taste
olive oil
1/4 cup kosher salt for blanching
1 cup green beans, ends trimmed and cut on the bias into 2 or 3 pieces each
1 cup yellow wax beans, ends trimmed and cut on a bias into 2 or 3 pieces each
4 organic skin-on breast, preferably with the wing attached
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1/3 cup corn or vegetable oil
1/2 cup buch fresh lemon thyme or thyme, leaves stripped and leaves and stems held separately
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 red wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle the beets with salt, pepper and cover with olive oil. Wrap each of the beets in aluminum foil and bake on the for 1 hour or until they are very soft. Lower the oven to 200 degrees F. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the beet skins and chop flesh coarsely.
3. While the beets are roasting, blance the green beans: bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Prepare an ice bath and stir the remaining salt. Immerse the green and yellow wax beans in the boiling water and blance for approximately 2 1/2 minutes, until crisp and tender Transfer immediately to ice bath and let stand for 2 minutes. Drain the beans and set aside.
4. Tightly wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap. Place on a baking sheet and keep in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes to seal the plastic wrap.
5. Bring a large pot of water to 160 degrees F. Lower the chicken breast into water and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. In a wide saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Add the shallots and beets and season with salt and pepper. Cook, crushing beets with a fork, until the mixture is chunky, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and cover to keep warm.
7. In a large, saute pan over medium heat, heat the corn oil until very hot. Unwrap chicken breast and dry completely. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place the breast in the pan, skin side down and add to the pan plus 1 tablespoon of butter and thyme stems. Basting the chicken frequently saute the chicken until the skin is crispy and deep golden brown. Do not flip the chicken. remove the chicken breast to a plate. Drain the pan of all the fat and dab off all the burnt pieces. Add the honey to the pan and return to medium heat. When the honey bubbles add the vinegar, 1/2 cup and thyme leaves. Simmer until thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter, swirl pan to incorporate, and season with salt and pepper. Fold in beans and cook just until sauce is warmed through.
8. On each of 4 plates, spread some beat-shallot mixture. Center a chicken breast on the beets, and spoon the pan sauce with beans over the entire dish.



So this recipe was adapted from Flavor by Rocco Dispirito. What a welcomed change from the normal chicken recipe that you see. Beets are not something that I eat a lot. All I remember as a child is that purple jar on the supermarket shelf that I was given and I (as any child would) asked "what is that?" If you have ever eaten that you probably have never tried beets since then and this story was repeated by everyone that I presented this dish to. But, let me tell you this is nothing like that jar your mom served you when you were a kid. The sauteing of the beets with the shallots and butter was really good. You still had the sweetness of the beets but the shallots gave it another depth of flavor that I was excited about and my guenie pigs (co-workers) loved. So if you are a long time hater of beets, I say give them another try. It might surprise you.

Picnic Sesame Chicken with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

4whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, or 2 pounds chicken tenders
2 teaspoons coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
¼ cup (2 ounces) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup (2 ounces) good-quality mayonnaise
2 cups (8 ounces) sesame seeds, lightly toasted (see note)

Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

½ cup (4 ounces) Dijon mustard
½ cup (4 ounces) honey
¼ cup (2 ounces) cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup (4 ounces) canola oil
¼ cup (2 ounces) mild olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Wash the chicken and pat it dry. If using whole breast, cut them crosswise against the grain into 2 1/2 – inch strips. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper. Put the sesame oil, vegetable oil, soy sauce, and mayonnaise in a small bowl; and whisk to combine. Place the chicken and the mayonnaise mixture in a heavy-duty zippered plastic bag or in a glass bowl. Toss or mix to cover all the pieces (if using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap), then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 425 F with the rack in the upper third (but not highest position) of the oven. Pour the sesame seeds into a gallon-size zippered plastic bag. Transfer the chicken pieces from the marinade into the bag with the sesame seeds. Press on the bag lightly and try to coat each piece of chicken with seeds. Lay the pieces in one layer on an aluminum foil-lined shallow baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is opaque throughout.

Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce: put the mustard, honey, vinegar and lemon juice in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse 6 to 8 times to combine well. Slowly add the canola oil and then the olive oil through the feed tube with the processor blade running. When the sauce has thickened and all the oil is added, add pepper to taste and process to mix well. (To make the sauce by hand, whisk together the mustard, honey, vinegar, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add the canola oil and the olive oil in very thin, steady stream, whisking constantly. Whisk in pepper to taste.) Store the dipping sauce in a covered, non reactive container for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before serving.

Place the chicken under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat element for 1 to 2 minutes or until the seeds on the top are toasted but not burned. Allow the chicken to cool for 10 minutes at room temperature before refrigerating. Serve hot or cold with the Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce.

Note: To toast the sesame seeds: Put the sesame seeds in a large, dry, heavy skillet set over high heat. Shake the pan briskly back and forth to move the seeds around, or stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until the seeds turn light golden brown. Transfer immediately to the prepared baking sheet to cool; the seeds will continue to cook briefly, so be careful not to over brown.


This recipe was adapted from The New England Table by Lora Brody. So I tried to do something that was not so “frou, frou” as my best friend calls it. He says I really need bring down my cooking to a level that everybody would understand. This I had to listen to from a man who has a Yacht Master watch that cost more than six months of my rent, I digress. But, I gave it a try anyway. So overall this was something that I was satisfied with but not thoroughly enjoyed. I think what threw it off for me was the sesame seeds. I didn’t really like the dry taste that the sesame seeds provided. It gave me something in my mouth that was not pleasant (if you know what I mean and get your mind out of the gutter.) So I would have tried this done this without the sesame seeds or maybe breaded the chicken with bread crumbs or panko to keep with the Asian theme. But, if you like the dry taste in your mouth, then go right ahead and eat the damn thing. But me, I could do without it. Happy cooking until next time.

JOLLOF RICE

1/4 cup peanut oil
8 chicken pieces, such as thighs, drumsticks, or breast, or a combination
2 tablespoons hot paprika
2 onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 hot bird's eye or other hot chilies, split twice lengthwise
1 cinnamon stick, halved (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes in juices
2 cups chicken stock
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch strips
8oz. ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, about 1 1/2 cup
2 cups fresh or frozen green peas

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Coat the chicken in the paprika and saute in batches over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, chilies, cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, rice, tomatoes and their juice, chicken stock and carrots.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.

Add the ham and peas and stir. Cover the pot again and summer for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the rice is fluffy and the liquid has absorbed.

Serve with wilted greens such as collard or cabbage. A more authentic service would include dasheen, gboma, or callallo.

So this dish was adapted from Chicken From Maryland to Kiev by Clare Ferguson. Must I say that I was truly disappointed. When I was at the store and I was looking through the cookbooks I came upon this recipe and that was the only reason I decided that I would buy it. I was not disappointed with the taste of it but because it truly was not what I had come to expect of Jollof Rice. Let me give you a little background on the situation. When I first moved out of my parents house my first roommate was from Gambia. When she made Jollof Rice I could not believe the taste that was in that dish. It was soooo good. It was way more rustic and authentic tasting. If this dish was called "Jollof Rice" then it was the bastard third cousin of what I ate when my old roommate was around. Now, the people who ate this thought it was excellent and I do also on some level but it just left me wanting what Nancy (my old roommate) would make for me. There were so many things that she introduced me to, food wise that were unbelievable but I dare try to make. So the bad thing about this dish was not the flavor or taste but the lack of remembrance of something that I so longed for since she moved away. I must say that the opening comments to this recipe state: "This is a famous, much-adapted, one-pan chicken-and-rice dish orginating in the kingdom of Jollof in West Africa." So, it could be that what I remembered was the bastard third cousin. The last time I had Jollof Rice was when my sister-in-law's mother made some one Thanksgiving and I think a ate the whole container because it was the closest thing I had to Jollof Rice since Nancy left. But for my fans that have never had what I would like to call Jollof Rice I say you will really enjoy this recipe. Try it out and tell me what you think.