Peasent Chicken With a Side of Gravy

A few weeks ago my dogs decided they wanted to try my english muffins. The bad part was they didn't wait until they were cooked and instead ate five uncooked muffins that were on the counter rising. A long night followed with me sitting in the waiting room of the animal hospital, hoping that they would be ok.

The one perk of this experience was that while waiting I got to watch hours of the Food Network. I caught up on some Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives, a great show that features unique local favorites from around the country. One of the places featured that night was a diner run by an ex-marine, who's specialty item was an SOS (Stew on a Shingle or Same old Stuff). Basically, it's a creamed gravy filled with ground beef served over toast.

Although this isn't a post about making an SOS, it is about the simplicity of comfort food. Gravy is such an wildly under used accessory to food. I know for me I eat it on Thanksgiving or at Grandma's house on a Sunday afternoon. But other than to use on mashed potatoes, I really partake in it. I got so excited at the thought of gravy that when I got home I looked in the fridge to see what I had to put my gravy on.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast
1 head of cabbage, quartered
5-6 carrots chopped
1 onion, chopped
handful of radishes, sliced
4-5 cups of chicken stock
fresh thyme and 1 bay leave
salt, pepper, greek spices
1/4 cup of flour

1. Mix the chicken breast with the salt, pepper and greek spices and then place at the bottom of the slow cooker.


2. Add the carrots, radishes,onion, thyme and bay leave to the slow cooker and cover with the broth.


3. Cook on low for 8 hours. The chicken should be falling apart at this point.



4.Drain the liquid and place in a pot on the stove. Cook on medium heat and slowly stir in the flour until thickened.

5. Place the gravy over, the chicken and eat. I made some biscuits to go with it, but it's fine without or can be served over rice.

To all those concerned the pups are doing fine! Lesson learned yeast and dogs makes a bad combination.

Greens Gratin

Ah Greens......they are just magical. Well at least they were before our farm share started. I'm a sucker for them; kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, taro leaves(ok so those ones you only get in Hawai'i). The farm share has even taught me to love collards.

Here's the kick though, the greens keep coming and coming and coming. What went from being an exciting cooking companion has gone to create a certain degree of stress. I have cooked greens more in the past six or seven weeks then we usually eat in all of the fall and winter months. Needless to say I have gotten creative with them...

Check out this recipe for a greens gratin I made with swiss chard and beet greens.

2 bunches of your favorite greens
2 cups of any soft cheese you can find. I used Asiago and Gouda
1 cup of low fat milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
olive oil
sage or basil
four cloves of garlic minced.
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup chicken broth

1. Cook the greens and garlic in the chicken broth until they are wilted and soft.

2. Heat the milk in a pot and add the flour. Stir until it thickens. Add the cheese, salt & pepper and basil or sage. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

3. Place the greens in the cheese mixture and mix together. Place in a baking pan and top with breadcrumbs.

4. Cook at 425 for about a half hour.

"Mommy, what's that"

"That's a dirt road."

OK, so the picture is not a dirt road at all. But those carrots reminded me of an adventure Tiana and I had a few weeks ago. It was the second week into our CSA and we got to pick our own quart of strawberries at Dumblin Farms in Lincoln, MA. We went on our way and walked down 1/2 mile down a dirt road to our strawberry field destination to find that we were a few hours to late and the field had been picked dry. See my reaction below.....





Well, we made the best of the day anyway. On our walk back up to the parking lot we past several families. Kids and their parents appreciating a day in the fields. As two adults into sustainability and local farming we were thrilled with this farm. We loved having a chance to see where the food from our CSA was being grown (well part of it). Everyone around us seemed to not be our people, there were a bit too suburban for our taste and it appeared that this was a cheap way to spend a Saturday as oppose to an amazing teachable moment for their children. This was abundantly clear when a small boy about three or four asked, "Mommy, what's that?" her response," that's a dirt road."

Yes not only are we that far removed from where our food grows, we are that far removed from the simple life. Me, I would love to live on a dirt road one day. And I hope that my children are in the garden and kitchen with me to learn were our food comes from. I can't wait for the times that the kids and I go picking fruit in our backyard.

Ahhhhh, the simple life, are you here yet?

Lop Chong in a garlic sauce

It was Feburary 2009 when I had an eye opening expereince with a magical hunk of meat, LOP CHONG, or more commonly know as Chinese Sausage. I remember the day I had just had my first 21 hour flight to Hawai'i and was tired and famished. My first experience with food not common to me, but every common to Hawai'i was a big old rice cooker filled with rice and this tiny bright red sausage in it. Now I can say this and many more trips that have followed have also made me adore rice in a way I never knew was possible. Ok so back to the sausage and garlic sauce dish......

RECIPE
4-6 links of lop chong
1 package of Pho noodles( you can really use any type of asian noodles, pho noodles cook in three minutes though.
2 bunches of greens ( I used collards and beet tops)
1 yellow onion
a bunch of garlic or garlic scapes
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of rice vinagar
1/2 cup of chicken broth
a splash of peanut oil or seasame oil
cornstarch

1. cook lop chong with a splash of whatever oil you use and come chopped garlic. After five minutes add you greens with the chicken broth and cook until the greens cook down.

2. While your greens are cooking down place your garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinagar in the blender and blend until mixed.
3. Boil a pot of water and once it boils place the pho noodles in and cook for three minutes.
4. After everything is cooked mix it all together in a wok. If the dish is runny this is where you can add the cornstarch to thicken it up.

Israeli Couscous, Green, Beans and Sausage

I don't know about you but I have fallen in love with Israeli couscous, unlike regular couscous this grain is less dry and has an unique texture that resembles orzo. I stumbled upon this grain when I was stuck making a dish with no couscous in sight. What started as an experiment turned into a flavorful dish with artichokes and chicken shawarma.

This week in our CSA we got a large portion of greens (swiss chard and collards). Just what I needed to spice up some Israeli Couscous. Along with my greens, couscous I had some dried chick peas and some chicken sausage. The best thing about cooking with grains is you just add whatever vegetables you have in the fridge to it and you have a home cooked meal in just under 30 minutes. And not the 30 minute meal that Rachael Ray cooks up, this one is quite healthy as well as satisfying.


The Recipe
12 oz Israeli Couscous ( I buy it in bulk when possible. But you can find it in Trader Joe's in a 12 oz bag)
two bunches of greens ( Again I used swiss chard and collards)
1 package chicken sausage
1 to 2 cups cooked chick peas
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
a splash of olive oil
2 cups of chicken broth
salt and pepper

1. If you are using dried chick peas you have to start this recipe the day before to soak them. But feel free to use a can of chick peas.
2. add the couscous to a deep frying pan with a touch of olive oil. Cook on medium heat for about three to five minutes until the couscous starts to brown. The add 1-1/2 cups chicken broth. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes. It's done when it has absorbed all the water.

3. In another pan, add chopped garlic and sliced sausage with some olive oil and cook for a few minutes. Most Chicken Sausage is pre cooked.
4. Add onion and greens and let cook for a few moments and then add the rest of your broth. you might need more broth to cook down the greens.

5. When the green and sausage have cooked add in your couscous and chick peas and heat together to blend the flavor.

This basic recipe can go with a variety of different vegetables. Get creative!

Whole Wheat English Muffin Bliss

Oh boy I was so excited to get to my computer to write about my english muffins that I ended up burning the last two. Other than that, my first attempt at english muffins has yielded me 22 glorious muffins. YIPPIE!!!!!!

I feel as though I have conquered something. Maybe, it's the fact that I know long am bound to the chains of the commercial grocery store. Other than Tiana's and admittedly my love for Shaw's English Muffins we have been able to avoid the pitfalls of the large chain grocery store. But tonight we have victory!!!

To tell the truth I'm wondering why it has taken so long for me to attempt this recipe. It was quite easy and they look and taste amazing. I wonder how life will be without shopping at places like Shaw's. Luckily, I spend my lunch breaks walking up and down the isles of Stop and Shop. But it's a different feeling when you know that you don't have to buy anything already made for you. Not to say that I won't. I certainly don't have the time to make all the things I love to make from scratch every week. Here to hoping that one day that will be my reality.

Recipe
1 1/2 cup of warm water
1 1/2 cup of warm milk
2 tablespoons of yeast
1 egg
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
6 cups of wheat flour

1. Heat up the milk and water. I do it together to make it easier. mix it in with the yeast and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
2. mix canola oil, honey and egg in another bowl and combine with yeast mixture3. slowly add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients.
3. mix the dough and then place it in an oiled bowl rise for one and half hours.
4. lay the dough on a table floured with cornmeal until the dough is 1/2 inch thick. use a mason jar to cut round dough and place them on a baking sheet to rise for another 1/2 hour.


5. Heat a skillet or griddle with cornmeal in it and cook muffins for 5-7 minutes on each side.



6. let them cool and then EAT!!!!!

A Very Berry Dinner Indeed

Three quarts of strawberries and we have dinner. Well, sort of, there certainly were other foods involved. But you can't have a end of spring beginning of summer feast without a love of strawberries. Luckily, our guest agreed!

On the menu for last night we had:

A Chicken in a strawberry fig port sauce with sliced strawberries on top.

Roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, asparagus, beets, snow peas mixed with an arugula pesto.

And for dessert we had a no bake strawberry pie with fresh whipped cream.


The chicken dish I felt totally confident about. You can't go wrong with a wine sauce, especially when it has the fruit of Jesus in it FIGS!!!! OK OK so figs aren't local to Massachusetts, but I just couldn't resist. Figs are one of the oldest fruits that we know man has eaten, that makes it OK in my book. As guessed the chicken came out incredible tender and full of flavor. The recipe I based it on said to glaze the chicken in the sauce, hmmmm not in this house. I decided it was best to marinade and cook the chicken in it. I'm glad I love to improvise.


The roasted veggies on the other hand were stressing me out all day. Beets are something new to me. My only real experience with them is pickled in a can, yuck. Luckily, my lady loves beets and had some insight into how to cook them. At the dinner table I watched as all of us unfamiliar with this root vegetable slowly took our first bites. SUCCESS!!!! This dish is a keeper and will be great with a variety of different veggies or different kinds of pesto.

The Recipe

four to five cups of whatever veggies are in season. I used Japanese sweet potatoes, asparagus, snow peas and those yummy beets.

mix the potatoes or any root vegetable with olive oil and place on a roasting pan and cook at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.

mix the rest of the vegetables with olive oil and spices I used pepper and herbamare. more on why I love herbamare another time. Place the rest of the veggies in with the potatoes and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

While waiting take a few cloves of garlic and pulse it in a food processor or blender. Slowly add five cups of arugula, 1/2 cup of pine nuts and olive oil into the food processor. Pulse it until well mixed. I personally love garlic so I add more garlic, but that is just me.

After the veggies are cooked place them in a bowl and mix them generously with the pesto. It's as simple as that and you have a filling veggie packed side dish. It would be great to bring to pot lucks or dinner parties.

We ended the evening with the strawberry pie and everyone was happy. Except Mr. Pittman who's word were " Next time add some damn rhubarb." OK Adam, next time. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until next spring for more local rhubarb.