Pollo alla Calabrese (chicken with potatoes, onions and tomatoes)

I saw this recipe posted on an internet food forum I belong to. The recipe is originally from Rosetta Costantino's cookbook,
My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy’s Undiscovered South. With just few ingredients and one pan to cook this makes a delicious and simple roasted chicken. I used thighs and drumsticks but if using breasts, the cooking time will be less.

INGREDIENTS


4 chicken legs, divided into thighs and drumsticks
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes
3/4 lb ripe tomatoes
1 large yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
pinch cayenne

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Cut the potatoes into 2-inch chunks (do not peel). Core the tomatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Halve the onion and slice about 1/2-inch thick. Peel and halve the garlic cloves. In a large bowl, combine the vegetables with the oregano and olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and several grindings of pepper and mix well. With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer, such as a 9x13-inch glass or ceramic dish. Put the chicken in the bowl used for the vegetables and turn chicken to coat it in the oil and herbs left behind (if necessary, drizzle in a little more oil). Place the chicken skin side up on top of the vegetables in the dish and sprinkle with paprika and cayenne.




Bake on bottom rack of the oven until skin is crisp and golden, about 35 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and continue to bake until the chicken juices run clear, potatoes are tender and pan juices are absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with White Buttercream Frosting

Youngest son's 18th birthday is tomorrow and we had his birthday dinner tonight at home to celebrate......a day early. Rather than making a birthday cake I decided on cupcakes for this year. I've enjoyed the few times I've made cupcakes recently. This Red Velvet Cake recipe is adapted from The Confetti Cookbook and this is a scaled down version to make just a dozen cupcakes.......perfect amount vs. 3 dozen!

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS


1 cup plus 3 tablespoons cake flour
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa (not Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 ounce (2T) red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon white vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put paper liners in a 12 count muffin tin.

2. Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

3. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in the egg. With machine on low add red food coloring. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

4. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

5. Divide batter evenly about 2/3 way full in muffin tin. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Slightly cool before removing from tin and cool completely before frosting.



WHITE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
From May 2008 Food and Wine Magazine

INGREDIENTS


6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream*
*used Half and Half

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the softened butter at medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt and beat the mixture at low speed just until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth. Add the milk or heavy cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes and top as desired.


Rainy day boredom:

YUMMY!

Jacques Pépin Roasted Split Chicken with Mustard Crust

This is a quick method of roasting chicken from Jacques Pépin's More Fast Food My Way. I saw an episode of him making this a few months back on PBS and decided to give it a whirl. What I am doing differently than the recipe as written below is transferring the chicken to a roasting pan after cooking the chicken in the skillet. The first time I made the recipe I followed it exactly. This time I bought two chicken halves that happened to be on sale at .79 cents/lb. Great deal and better yet that they were already split. Last time I asked the butcher to split a whole chicken for me and also to do cut through the joints.........I get squeamish when dealing with raw poultry. This is very tasty and the mustard crust mixture is delicious. Definitely will make the mixture to use for grilling poultry, seafood and veggies.

INGREDIENTS

Mustard Crust


2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds)

DIRECTIONS

Mix all crust ingredients in a small bowl.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut alongside the backbone of the chicken to split it open. Spread and press on the chicken with your hands to flatten it. Using a sharp paring knife, cut halfway through both sides of the joints connecting the thighs and drumsticks and cut through the joints of the shoulder under the wings as well. (This will help the heat penetrate these joints and accelerate the cooking process).

Put the chicken skin side down on a cutting board and spread it with about half the mustard mixture. Place the chicken flat in a large skillet, mustard side down. Spread the remaining mustard on the skin side of the chicken. Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, then place the skillet in the oven and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes. It should be well browned and dark on top.

In skillet on stove top:

Out of oven (I used a roasting pan vs. putting skillets in oven):

Bo in his usual position at the table:



Let the chicken rest in the skillet at room temperature for a few minutes, then cut it into 8 pieces with clean kitchen shears. Defat cooking juices and pour over chicken, if desired.

Grilled Harissa Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Dressing

This is Gail Simmon's recipe from Kitchen Daily. I had to try it as we love all the ingredients so what could be bad? Our outdoor grill is snow-covered so I grilled the chicken in the grill pan (not my first choice). Harissa if you are unfamiliar is a North African condiment consisting often of coriander seeds, caraway seeds, garlic, sometimes ginger and various chilies to make a paste or sauce. I could have made my own but had a jar of Mustapha's Moroccan Harissa.

Ingredients
Chicken:
2 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
3 tablespoons harissa
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper




Dressing:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 hothouse cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken: Place chicken in a flat baking dish and season with salt and pepper. In a separate, large mixing bowl combine harissa, yogurt, paprika, lemon zest and grated garlic then pour over chicken breast. Cover with plastic wrap then place in the refrigerator for 3 hours.


2. Pre-heat outdoor grill or griddle pan. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off all excess marinade. Season both sides with salt and pepper then place on hot grill. Cook 6-8 minutes per side turning once so the chicken has even grill marks. Remove and set aside to rest.


3. In a large bowl, combine yogurt with diced cucumber, lemon zest, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. Slice chicken breast on the bias and serve with cucumber dressing.

Bo yearning to be human and sit at the table:

Served with cous cous and a cucumber/tomato/red onion/chickpea salad. For the salad I make a dressing with some fresh lemon juice and olive oil.

Creole Shrimp

Been making this recipe for a few years now........go to Creole Shrimp for us. It's quick, simple and delicious. This recipe is from my friend Becky of http://decolady-randommusings.blogspot.com/ however I've adapted it as follows:

Ingredients


1 large onion, diced
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup canola oil
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
4 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3 or more dashes of hot sauce
1 t salt
2 t chili powder
1 1/2 lbs. cooked peeled shrimp*

*I have used raw peeled shrimp on occasion and it works out fine.

Directions

Add canola oil to a heavy dutch oven and heat to medium, add onions, peppers and celery and saute until soft. Add garlic and saute about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients except for shrimp. Bring to boil and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add shrimp until heated through.
Veggies softening:

Shrimp added:

Bo in his usual position when I'm cooking:

Served w/Jasmine rice and a wedge of lemon:

Linguine with Shrimp and Pesto

This recipe is from the back of a bag of frozen shrimp. Sometimes I use walnuts, sometimes pine nuts, at times a combination of Italian parsley and basil. But today I made this quick and easy Pesto with walnuts and basil.

Pesto Ingredients

2 cups firmly packed basil leaves
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, toasted
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
pinch of kosher salt
6 T olive oil

Makes approximately 1 cup.

Directions:

Put basil leaves, walnuts, garlic, parmesan and salt in a food processor and process until a paste is formed. With processor running, slowly add the olive oil.





Bring a pot of water to a boil, add about 12 oz. (3/4 box) linguine and cook until al dente. Drain pasta.

In a small saucepan add 1/2 cup half and half and bring to a steady simmer, careful not to burn.

For the shrimp:

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 T olive oil

Heat the olive oil in saute pan, add shrimp and saute about five minutes, until opaque.

Add the drained pasta to the sauteed shrimp, add the half and half and 1/2 cup of pesto and mix well. Serve with grated parmesan and chopped walnuts.

Serves 4.

Chicken with Pine Nuts and Olives

We recently had our first winter storm. So great for our first significant snow to fall on a quiet Sunday. The nest was full, fireplace blazing and it was a perfect evening to have some comfort food.

This recipe is from Lidia Bastianich's cookbook, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy. I halved the amount of butter and olive oil and also used some black olives in addition to green. The chicken cooks slowly and when served is carmalized and tender.

Ingredients

4 pounds assorted chicken pieces, cut-up
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 cup brine-cured green Italian olives
½ cup white wine
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions

Rinse the chicken pieces, and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off excess skin and all visible fat. Cut drumsticks off the thighs; cut breast halves into two pieces each. Season the chicken all over with the salt.

Put the olive oil and butter in the pan, and set over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted and hot, lay in the chicken pieces, skin side down, in a single layer; drop the garlic cloves and bay leaves in the spaces between them.




Cover the pan, and let the chicken cook over gentle heat, browning slowly and releasing its fat and juices. After about 10 minutes, uncover the pan, turn the pieces, and move them around the pan to cook evenly, then replace the cover. Turn again in 10 minutes or so, and continue cooking covered.

While the chicken is browning, pit the olives (if they still have pits in them). If you're using small olives like Castelvetrano, use a pitter and keep them whole. If you have larger olives (such as Ascolane or Cerignola), smash them with the blade of a chef's knife to remove the pits, and break them into coarse chunks.

After the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes, scatter the olives onto the pan bottom, around the chicken, and pour in the wine. Raise the heat so the liquid is bubbling, cover, and cook, gradually concentrating the juices, for about 5 minutes.

Remove the lid, and cook uncovered, evaporating the pan juices, occasionally turning the chicken pieces and olives. If there is a lot of fat in the bottom of the pan, tilt the skillet and spoon off the fat from one side.

Scatter the pine nuts around the chicken, and continue cooking uncovered, turning the chicken over gently until the pan juices thicken and coat the meat like a glaze.

Turn off the heat, and serve the chicken right from the skillet, or heap the pieces on a platter or in a shallow serving bowl. Spoon out any sauce and pine nuts left in the pan, and drizzle over the chicken.