Happy Pi Day!

Well, it's 3/14, and you know what that means...it's Pi(e) Day!  So, it is the perfect time to share with you a recipe a tried recently, which had great results. 

This ain't your momma's chicken pot pie...but at the same time, it is.  It has all the comfort of a classic pot pie, but is fortified with awesomely nutritious ingredients like butternut squash and kale, which coincidentally, also make it even more delicious.  And the best part - this is a one-dish meal.

I spotted this gem of a recipe on Bon Appetit's website when they were sharing 8 flaky filled treats in light of the recent recall of Hot Pockets. (gasp!)  Seriously, if you're over the age of 20, there is no reason you need a Hot Pocket.  Even if you're under 20, you still don't need them...but, I digress.  I realized I had everything on hand to make the dish, and in fact, needed to use up some items that were about to wear out their welcome in the freezer.

I took about a hundred photos of this dish, but just wasn't happy with them.  Some were taken with my phone, others with my Canon, but I just couldn't get the framing of the shot right, and I was working with horrible light.  It was about 6:30 at night, prior to the switch to daylight savings time, so there was zero natural light to speak of, and only my recessed lighting over the countertop.  I Photoshopped to the best of my ability and used some fun actions I found on Pioneer Woman.  I think the actions would be awesome for quick adjustments to portraits.  My photos of the finished pie do not do it justice.  It was good.  All creamy and luscious on the bottom and then all flaky crisp on top...totally scrumptious!  I think some of the best photos came when I was cooking, when all of the great colors of the produce I was using could really show through.

All Hail Kale!

All of the filling ingredients simmering away
before I added the shredded chicken.

Another note is that the cast iron skillet I have is big one, at 12 inches.  The recipe is better suited for an 8 inch skillet as the recipe originally stated.  I think a 10 inch would work just fine too though.  If I had used a smaller skillet, the pastry would have covered the entire pan, which would have made for a lovelier finished product.  It sure did taste good though!

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Butternut Squash
Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. frozen white pearl onions, thawed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 small bunch kale, removed from stems, chopped
1/4 c. flour
3 c. chicken stock
1 1/2 c. butternut squash (about 1/2 of a small squash), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 c. cooked chicken (about 1/2 a rotisserie bird), torn into bite-size pieces
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (such as Pepperidge Farm), thawed
1 large egg
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet (preferably 8 to 10 inches in diameter) over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic and sage to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, which should take only a couple of minutes.

Add the kale and season with a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over the top, and cook, stirring constantly for 4 minutes.

Stir in the chicken stock, about a 1/2 cup at a time, then add the squash.  Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is just softened and the broth has thickened, which should take about 10 minutes.  Add the chicken to the skillet, then season to taste with more sea salt and black pepper.

Unfold the pastry dough and smooth out any creases to the best of your ability (I just couldn't get my creases to go away).  Place the pastry over the skillet, allowing the corners to hang over the sides.  Whisk egg and a splash of water in a small bowl or cup.  Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash and cut a few steam slits in the top to vent the pie.

Bake the pot pie until the pastry is beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the pastry is deep golden brown and crispy, another 15 minutes.  Let the pot pie cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy your Pi(e)!

Cook like it's 1917

I have made a promise to challenge myself while following along with America's Test Kitchen's "The Feed" as it cooks through the decades one week and one recipe at a time.  The first was Cold-Oven Pound Cake from 1905, which was not a great success in my kitchen.  The second recipe challenge was from 1917; Chicken a la King.

According to The Feed, Chicken a la King starting appearing on restaurant menus in the 1910s, but the exact origins are difficult to trace. The dish isn't descended from royals, but is instead believed to be attributed to a restauranteur by the name of King. Original recipes called for egg yolks and sometimes even truffles.

In my family, Chicken a la King was one of those things that got thrown together as a way to use up cooked chicken, vegetables and bread that was starting to get a little dried out.  The America's Test Kitchen version of Chicken a la King definitely falls into the "not the easiest to make" category.  It was a lot more laborious than my usual throw-together recipe (or non-recipe as it were).  In the end, it had good flavor and texture, with a nice finish of lemon juice and fresh parsley.  Using Italian bread which is buttered on both sides and toasted in the oven was one of my favorite parts of the recipe, which resulted in a nice crunchy yet "fork-friendly" base for the velvety sauce.

All in all, this recipe was a success; so much so that I submitted this photo of me, my darling daughter and the dish to The Feed.

It won me an America's Test Kitchen apron signed by Bridget Lancaster and a copy of the "From Our Grandmother's Kitchens" cookbook.  You can see us featured here:  Cook Like It's 1917: Winners!

Feel free to try the recipe and let me know how the dish turned out for you.  If you can't access the recipe, leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I'll share it with you.

Next stop:  1924 - Ambrosia Fruit Mold

Balsamic Grilled Chicken & Vegetables

I am always looking for new recipes for chicken.  It can get a little "blah" when you have it over and over again.  Since it's the middle of summer, it just seems so easy to throw some boneless skinless chicken breasts on the grill, which is great because it limits the amount of dirty dishes you have to take care of once meal time is over.  Unfortunately, you can sometimes end up with dry, flavorless chicken breasts that no one really wants to eat, except for the fact that they have those nice little grill marks on them.  I recently threw together a marinade that gave chicken breasts amazing flavor and kept them moist throughout cooking.  I didn't plan ahead, so the chicken didn't have much time to marinate, but the flavor was great and a real surprise.  It went together quick and there was zero clean up.  I also threw some veggies in a similar marinade then skewered them to make kabobs.  Again, zero clean up.  Score!

The next day I had some leftover balsamic grilled chicken on top of my strawberry spinach salad with poppy seed dressing, and it was TO DIE FOR!  I recommend you give all of these simple recipes a try.  You'll be glad you did.

Chicken Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Method:
Preheat a charcoal grill or indoor grill pan set over medium heat.  Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create two thin chicken pieces (Doing this will help the marinade permeate the meat and they will cook faster, which means eating sooner).  Set aside.
Combine vinegar, oil, sugar and seasonings in a large zip-top storage bag.  Shake bag and knead with hands until ingredients are well-combined.  Add chicken and toss to coat.  Store in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, or as long as it takes your grill to get going.  Remove chicken from marinade and grill over medium flame/heat until cooked through, turning once about halfway through the cooking process.  This took about 5 minutes per side over direct heat on our charcoal grill.   

Vegetable Kabob Ingredients:
1-2 lg. sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange, green), cut into chunks
1 lg. onion, cut into wedges
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into chunks
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary

Method:
Preheat a charcoal grill or indoor grill pan set over medium heat.  Combine oil, vinegar, garlic and seasonings in a large zip-top storage bag. Shake bag and knead with hands until ingredients are well-combined. Add vegetables and toss to coat. Store in refrigerator alongside your chicken until you're ready to grill.  Remove vegetables from marinade and place on wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for 15 minutes (or if you have one of those fancy metal kabob sets, that would be awesome).  Grill over medium flame/heat until vegetables are tender, turning occasionally, about 10-15 minutes.

Click here for the printable recipe!

Feast Like You're On Vacation: Main Course

Happy New Year!  As we rang in 2012, I resolved to finish things I start.  Now that we're a few days in to the new year, I thought a good place to start would be this blog, since I left it hanging half way through our Caribbean dinner.  After a six month hiatus, it's time to wrap up this four part series.

On the cold, cloudy and snowy days ahead, it wouldn't hurt to remind yourself of warmer weather and flavors of the Caribbean.  In part three of this four part series, I will share a main course menu that will have you feasting like you're on vacation.  Our beautiful dinner plate consisted of Jerk Chicken served with Bahamian Peas-Rice and Sweet Plantains.  The combination of flavors was fantastic and a great ode to the Caribbean islands of the Bahamas and Jamaica.

Jerk Chicken, Bahamian Peas-Rice and Sweet Plantains

Jerk Chicken (printable recipe)
This chicken was so delicious, it doesn't deserve to be called Jerk. It was wonderfully seasoned with a perfect blend of sweet, spicy and smokey flavors and beautifully grilled by my wonderful husband. He was actually the one who made the marinade too, so I can't really take the credit on this.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. ground allspice
1 Tbsp. ground thyme
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground sage
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. orange juice
Juice from 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
1  medium onion, chopped
1/2 bunch scallions, chopped
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1 whole chicken, cut in pieces

Method:
Combine all of the spices, sugar, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice and lime in a large bowl.  Then add the jalapeno and onions,  mixing well.  Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate over night, or for at least two hours.

Using a charcoal grill, cook chicken over direct heat, basting occasionally with the marinade and turning over once or twice.  Since grilling temperatures and flames vary, move chicken around as necessary until browned and cooked through.  The pieces should register 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer.


Bahamian Peas-Rice (printable recipe)
At the Iguana Cafe we stopped at for lunch while in in Nassau, part of the meal was Bahamian Peas-Rice, a nod to black beans and rice with a twist.  It is a delicious blend of long-grain rice, pigeon peas, onions, and a hint of tomato and smokey flavors.  One tip to get you started on this one:  If you don't have a saucepot with a tight fitting lid, get one!  My saucepans have pour spouts on them, so it allows too much steam to escape during cooking, often resulting in undercooked rice.

Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter
3 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
15 oz. can pigeon peas, with liquid
1 2/3 c. water
1/2 c. uncooked white rice
1 sprig fresh thyme, chopped

Method:
In a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid, melt butter over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until evenly brown.  Stir in onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Mix in the tomato, tomato paste, ketchup, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until tomatoes have softened and mixture is somewhat homogenous.

Stir in the pigeon peas (you can use blacked eyed peas if you can't find something labeled "pigeon peas") and their liquid, water, rice and thyme.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low.  Cook 40 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork and serve.


Sweet Plantains (printable recipe)
For an appetizer, we had tostones: twice-fried green plantains.  For the main course, I decided to make sweet plantains, to compliment the spicy and smokey flavors in the chicken and peas-rice.  There are three major differences between tostones and sweet plantains; you use plantains as ripe and black as you can find them instead of green, you cut them lengthwise instead of into slices, and lastly, you only fry them once instead of the double-fry we did on the tostones.  That makes them healthier, right?

Ingredients:
3 ripe plantains
2/3 cup corn oil
Brown Sugar

Method:
Peel the plantains and slice into 1/4 to 1/2 thick slices lengthwise.  Fill a large skillet with enough corn oil to go a little over half way up the plantain slices you have made, and set it over medium heat.  The oil is up to temperature when you can place a drop of water in the pan and it pops and sizzles.  Fry the plantains briefly in batches, for a minute or two per side.  Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, turning occasionally, until they are brown and caramelized.

Transfer the plantains to paper towels and sprinkle with white or brown sugar.  Let cool slightly and serve with the main dish.