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.

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!