Chicken with Chipotle Sauce

Heat it up the for Super Bowl!

Chicken with Chipotle Sauce

For the family, or for a crowd, this recipe works.  For the family I serve it with rice packed with vegetables. For the Super Bowl Party, add a basket of nacho chips and a melted creamy cheese. People can choose whether to nosh on chicken nachos, or have a bowl of chicken and rice. The chipotle/tomatillo sauce is delicious. You won't be disappointed!

Chicken and Chipotle Sauce 

CHICKEN

2 lbs. Skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped

1 dried ancho chili seeded and chopped

Combine entire can of tomatoes, chicken broth and chiles in large sauce pan. Add chicken pieces, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken and set aside.

Pour chili/tomato broth into bowl and set aside to cool.

CHIPOTLE CHILE SAUCE

2 sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. Tomatillos, husked and chopped OR 1 can tomatillos, drained and chopped

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced (or more if you want more heat)

One-half tsp. Salt

one-fourth tsp. Sugar

Add oil to sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook for about 10 minutes, until onions begin to caramelize. Add tomatillos, chile, salt and sugar. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatillos are tender, about 15 minutes.

Shred chicken and add to tomatillo sauce.

Puree cooled chile broth and add to shredded chicken and tomatillo sauce. Reduce heat to very low and cover until ready to serve.

RICE

1 cup brown rice, prepared according to package directions using chicken broth

1 T extra virgin olive oil

One-half red bell pepper, chopped

One-half yellow bell pepper, chopped

One-half sweet onion, chopped

3 handfuls baby spinach

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. Smoked paprika

Add oil to saute pan. Add peppers and onions and cook for about 5 minutes, just until beginning to become tender. Add garlic, stir and cook another minute. Then add spinach and paprika, stirring until spinach wilts.

Combine vegetables with rice.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro and lime wedges as condiments.

 

Recipes and Tales from Chianti--Ciona

Ciona, one of the beautiful homes where we cooked (and dined!).  You can actually see Sienna in the distance.

This is their wine label that is exported to the US.

After a wonderful trip to the Chianti region of Tuscany, I'm home and reeling with ideas, recipes, and beautiful memories. I told you about the famous Butcher in Panzano. Dario, in the butcher world, is a superstar, and we had the full experience. Later that week we had cooking classes with our friends of Tutti a Tavola, and to me these ladies are also culinary superstars!

Early in the week Mimma, our host and one of the 'Mamas' of Tutti a Tavola asked what recipes we would like to prepare. When we didn't have any particular requests (other than a primer in their chicken liver spread that I want to make for my Mom), Mimma proposed a menu of her recent favorite recipes that resulted in a fantastic meal and a great learning experience.

We spent hours working together to turn the beautiful, local produce, meats and cheeses into a meal fit for a Medici. My sister and I were joined in the class by an Italian mother and daughter who now live in Chile and were back visiting relatives. While we spoke little Italian, they spoke little English, but by the end of the evening we were all communicating in culinary-ese.

The recipes we prepared don't sound hard at all, and they're not. Simplicity defines Tuscan cuisine. It relies on hundreds of years of refined technique combined with the freshness and quality of ingredients to produce dishes that are so uniquely superb in their quality.

We are instructed through each recipe.

Chicken Skewers and Grilled Vegetables

Spiedini di Pollo all'olio di Oliva (Carne or Secondi Course)

Chicken Skewers with Olive Oil

1 lb. Chicken breast pieces

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano cheese

1 small onion, finely minced

~1 tsp. Salt

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

fresh bay leaves, halved (you could substitute thin slices of onion, pepper or tomato without seeds, but usually you can find the bay leaves in the refrigerated produce with other fresh herbs—we picked ours off their tree)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Use either chicken breast tenders or flattened breast pieces (cover with wax paper when flattening to avoid a mess), and cut into into 2x3 inch pieces. You want these pieces to be fairly thin, and equal in size so they well cook evenly in the same amount of time.

Mix the bread crumbs, grated cheese, onion and salt. Taste and adjust with more salt if needed.

Pour olive oil into a bowl (add more if needed).

Add several chicken pieces at a time to olive oil. Dip them out with your hands and squeeze tightly over the bowl to squeeze out excess oil. Place these pieces into the breadcrumb mixture and press to evenly coat each piece.

Thread each piece onto skewer, folding over and piercing twice. Separate each piece with half a bay leaf. Be sure chicken pieces are spread apart so they will cook evenly.

Arrange skewers in a roasting pan and cook for ~15 minutes.

Verdure alla Griglia (Contorni/Vegetable Course)

Grilled Vegetables

2 or 3 red and yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips

4 or 5 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise

2 or 3 small eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise

5 small sweet onions, peeled, and cut into eighths

4 or 5 small tomatoes, seeded and cut into eighths

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Freshly grated black pepper

One-third cup breadcrumbs

One-third cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°.

Mix breadcrumbs and cheese and set aside.

Oil a large roasting pan, then line with parchment paper and oil the top of the paper well. Place peppers, zucchini and eggplant slices evenly on pan separating a little. Top with onions and tomatoes, spreading evenly. Now drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and breadcrumb mixture evenly over vegetables.

Place on top rack in oven and roast until vegetables are tender and lightly blackened in spots, about 30 minutes.

Fabulous Radicchio Lasagna

Fresh Creme Dessert

CELEBRATE EVERY SINGLE DAY

LUCAS CLARK VASQUEZ

'LUC'

February offers many reasons to celebrate, but our family has added another, and possibly our best to date. At the end of January I became a grandmother to the most beautiful baby in the world. By the time the dust settled, it was February and we were home loving this sweet baby. I've spent two weeks on the grandmother mountain top, and it's a breathtaking place to be.

Oh, yes, there was incredible joy and celebration when our children were born--joy that continues to this very day. But to see our daughter and her husband become 'Mama and Daddy' overnight exceeded anything I've ever experienced. Their caresses soothe the questions and wonder of this little fellow. His eyes strain to make sense, his toes beg to be kissed, and meanwhile the sound of his Mama's voice mesmerizes him; his Daddy speaking 'bebe nino' in his ear stills him and he feels safe and loved. He's beautiful, he's wonderful, and we are so blessed.

We have celebrated every single day, and we're just getting started. For Baby Lucas there was first his Mama's birthday, which he now shares—what a special coincidence. Then there was Groundhog's Day—we laughed at the sun, but now we're believing it was a serious prediction. Valentine's Day called for extra love and heart shaped cookies (I'm practicing for a couple of years down the road).

Coming up next we had a food lovers holiday. There's no better time for a culinary blowout than Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Before the fasting of Lent begins we overindulge and enjoy every carb and gram of fat in one big food celebration with no guilt. Lucas wasn't very interested, but we celebrated anyhow.

And then there was snow! His first snow and it was a good one--to quote a friend, here today, gone tomorrow. Becki claims he was trying to catch a snowflake in a yawn. My Mom saw this picture and wanted to know where his mittens were. I just wanted them to get the baby back in the house. It was a quick photo shoot--and the perfect time to wear his little snowsuit. Unfortunately, the little knitted suit we intended for him to wear home from the hospital will probably fit about mid-August. What was I thinking?

Food? Everything tastes good this month. As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING is good. Life is very, very good.

A couple of easy recipes we've enjoyed:

Jambalaya, Shrimp or Chicken

(6 servings)

1 T extra virgin olive oil

4 oz. Andouille Sausage, sliced into quarter inch rounds

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 tsp. Smoked paprika

1 (8oz.) box Jambalaya Mix (I used Zatarain's)

1 (15oz.) can petite diced tomatoes

16 oz. peeled and deveined large shrimp or 1 cooked deli chicken, bones and skin removed and meat shredded

Shredded Monterey jack and mild cheddar cheese as garnish

Add the olive oil to a soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage, onion, celery and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes. Add paprika and stir to combine.

Add contents of Jambalaya box, the can of tomatoes (don't drain) and two and one-half cups water. Bring to a nice simmer, cover and low simmer for 25 minutes, or as directed on the box.

If using shrimp, add to the rice mixture during the last six minutes of cooking.

If using chicken, add during last few minutes, just long enough to heat through.

I like the finished jambalaya to be loose, not as liquid as soup, but still loose. Add a little more water or chicken broth if needed.

I know that some frown on using cheese with any seafood, but this is delicious garnished with a nice serving of shredded cheese.

Serve in soup bowls or even mugs.

___________________________

Turkey-burger Pie

(Pre-Hamburger Helper!)

You can add extras, like sauteed onions and peppers, or change out chili beans for the black beans, chili seasoning for fajita seasoning and ground beef for ground turkey, but this is how we like it. If you don't have an iron skillet, use regular skillet to prepare turkey, seasoning and added cans of beans, corn and tomatoes. Then transfer to casserole dish and top with cheese and prepared cornbread mix.

2 tsp. Extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. Ground turkey

1 packet (1.12 oz.)Fajita seasoning (ie McCormick's)

1 can (15 oz.) seasoned black beans, drained

1 can (7 oz.) Mexican corn, drained (this is a Green Giant product, but you can use any canned corn)

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes NOT drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, or a mixture of your choice

1 box (8 oz.) cornbread mix, mixed according to package directions

Preheat oven to 425°.

Add olive oil to large iron skillet over medium heat. Add ground turkey and saute stirring occasionally until turkey loses its color. Add seasoning and give it a good stir. Add drained beans, corn, and full can of tomatoes and juice. Stir to combine and let it heat through while you mix cornbread.

Mix cornbread according to package directions.

Spread cheese evenly over tomato mixture in iron skillet. Top with prepared cornbread mix, spreading the mix evenly to edges of pan.

Place in oven and bake until cornbread is fully cooked, the time your cornbread mix recommends, usually about 25 minutes.

Spring Chicken for Easter

SPRING CHICKEN for YOUR EASTER TABLE

I know ham is the traditional Easter dish, but this year we're having Spring Chicken. If you feel obligated to serve ham, you might want to consider adding these chicken and vegetable dishes to your Easter table.

You can bake a whole chicken using this recipe, but my family is partial to the white meat, so I did a little recalculating and transcribed it into white meat only. You could also use a turkey breast and adjust the baking time according to the weight of the breast. This is such a versatile recipe, and when you're done, you have everything except dessert in one pan in the oven.

There's also a nice surprise at the end of this recipe if you plan carefully: Spring Chicken Potato Salad. This was one of those happy accidents made from leftovers. I love chicken salad, and I love potato salad, but I had never thought of combining the two. Turns out, it's a great combination. Add boiled eggs, celery, onions and dressing and tomorrow's dinner is done.

The method of cooking corn in this recipe was a nice surprise, too! I'll be using it again, especially when I want corn on the cob for a crowd. Add lemon pieces, thyme and about an inch of chicken (or vegetable) stock to a baking pan large enough to hold your corn in one layer. Salt and pepper generously and drizzle with a little olive oil. It takes about an hour for the corn to become nice and tender and absorb all those great flavors. No need for adding any condiments before eating. (Turn the corn several times while cooking.)

It doesn't have to be Easter to enjoy this food around your table!

Spring Chicken

4 large chicken breasts with skin and bones

2 lemons

Several sprigs of Thyme

Salt and pepper

1 cup chicken broth

Olive oil

4 small ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

4 small potatoes, halved

1 bunch of asparagus

Preheat oven to 350°.

Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Slice lemons into thick pieces. Squeeze a good amount of the juice over both sides of the chicken catching the excess juice in a bowl. Place the breasts in a roasting pan, salt and pepper both sidesliberally, slip a couple of lemon slices under the skin of each breast along with a sprig of thyme. Place chicken skin side down in the pan and cook for fifteen minutes.

Remove pan, turn the chicken pieces over. Add corn to roasting pan between chicken pieces. Pour chicken broth into bottom of pan and add any remaining lemon pieces (even the squeezed ones) and thyme sprigs. Drizzle remaining lemon juice over the chicken. Then drizzle a small amount of olive oil over chicken and corn. Return to oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the corn occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a small pan of salted water, cook potatoes just until barely tender, not fully cooked. Remove potatoes from water and add to roaster pan with some extra salt and pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil. Should be in the roasting pan about 45 minutes.

Place asparagus into same water you used to cook the potatoes. Boil for a couple of minutes, drain and set aside.

During last ten minutes of roasting chicken, add asparagus to the tops of chicken breasts.

Don't forget to serve pan juices with the meal!

Spring Chicken Potato Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into medium sized cubes

3 celery stalks, diced

2 cooked potatoes, cut into medium sized cubes

3 boiled eggs, cut into large dice

One-fourth cup red onion, small dice

One-fourth cup seasoned rice wine vinegar

One-half cup mayonnaise (Dukes)

One-half teaspoon salt

One-fourth teaspoon pepper

1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. Minced fresh thyme

Add red onion to small bowl with one-fourth cup rice wine vinegar and three or four ice cubes. Stir and set aside while you prepare the rest of your salad.

Combine chicken, celery, potatoes and eggs in large mixing bowl.

Combine mayonnaise, salt, pepper, a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and minced thyme.

Drain onions well, and add to chicken. Then dress the chicken salad with mayonnaise mixture, tossing gently completely combine.

Serve with fresh baby greens and toasted bread.

It's delicious!

Mai Fun in March

Try something new this spring! It may be too early to plant, but it's never to early to plan. I saved the seeds from a little Sprite Melon last year. I love the small size and pear/honeydew flavor. It's time to get the seeds started inside. I'm going to plant some in peat pots, and later I'll try some seeds directly into the warm ground. We'll see which works best. Look for the Sprite Melon at your farmer's market in a couple of months. It's a fairly new melon being grown predominantly in North Carolina.

How about a new hobby that would make you a provider of locally grown food? When I drove by the feed and seed store last week and saw their sign, I began thinking about an old dream to have honeybees—bees that would produce wonderful honey made from the surrounding field flowers. This idea has been in the back of my mind for a long time.

There are clubs for beekeepers dedicated to raising and protecting the honeybee in Southwest Virginia. Since the honeybee is essential to pollinate many crops, there are even grants for more serious entrepreneurs. Call the Virginia Cooperative Extension for more information, or stop by your farm supply store.

Meanwhile, here's something new and a little different to make at home. Mai Fun doesn't have to come in a box. I'm not a big fan of 'almost homemade' because it usually leads to an 'almost good' result, but for this recipe I did use some packaged products.

House Fried Mai Fun with Chicken and Vegetables

1 lb. Skinless chicken thighs

Asian Orange Ginger Stir Fry Sauce (I use La Choy) or other similar sauce of choice

1 quart Chicken Broth

2 cups small broccoli florets

1 cup small carrot sticks

6 oz. Mai Fun (thin rice noodles)

2 T vegetable oil

3 spring onions, including greens, chopped

1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained

2 eggs

1 (¾ ounce) package Fried Rice Seasoning Mix or other similar seasoning mix (I use Sun-Bird)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray casserole dish with Pam.

Coat chicken thighs with Orange Ginger Sauce, place in casserole and bake until meat is tender, and coming away from bone, about 45 minutes. Remove from dish, and when cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones and shred it. Return shredded meat to drippings left in casserole.

Add broth to sauce pan, bring it to a simmer, add broccoli and carrots and blanch, cooking for only a few minutes. Drain, setting vegetables aside, and save hot broth.

Soften noodles by covering them with the very hot broth. Allow them to stand for ten minutes. Drain noodles, saving one-fourth cup broth.

In large nonstick skillet add oil over medium-high heat. Add drained noodles and onions and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Next, add seasoning mix and reserved one-fourth cup broth and stir to combine. Push noodles to the side and add eggs, cooking just until scrambled, then stir them into noodles.

Finally, add blanched vegetables, chicken and water chestnuts to noodles. Stir to combine and heat through.

Weeknights Around the Table

First Stop, Italy!

As much as I hate to see it go, the freedom of summer is nearly gone. Even though I aged out of the 'back to school' blahs quite awhile ago, my subconscious still remembers. We went from sleeping in, not worrying about clean clothes, staying up late and eating lots of casually grilled meals, to the regimented routine of fall: school, sports practice, music lessons, homework, baths every night, clean clothes every morning—and dinner. No more dawdling. A 'meat and two' on the table every night. How many ways can you really serve chicken?

Well, let me tell you: Hundreds!

My favorite is and always will be old fashioned fried chicken. Not your 'oven fried' or Kentucky Fried (even though their extra crispy isn't bad!). No, I'm talking about iron skillet, crisco, buttermilk, double dipped in seasoned flour fried. But that's a Saturday or Sunday labor of love.

And my second favorite is Chicken with Slick Dumplings, again a time consumer. When I make Chicken and Dumplings, I always make a big pot, so the leftovers morph into a wonderful week night meal.

The 'meat and two' chicken kind of meals I'm talking about usually involve skinned, deboned chicken breasts or thighs. They can be split open and pounded into thinner versions that cook quickly. You can take a spin around the culinary world with a change of sauce and seasonings. When paired with the appropriate starch and vegetable you can turn week night meals into geography lessons with a culinary twist!

My first suggestion is of the Italian persuasion. The chicken is stuffed with basil pesto, tomato slices and a little parmesan cheese, browned in a skillet, and then finished in the oven. While the chicken is cooking, saute some asparagus with a little balsamic vinegar in the same skillet you used to brown your chicken. Transfer the asparagus into the oven on top of the chicken with a little added parmesan cheese.

To round out the meal, one of my favorites: spaghetti squash. The hardest thing about this squash is cutting the thing open, so be very careful. Scrape out the seeds, put cut side down in a pyrex plate and cover with saran wrap, and into the microwave for about ten minutes. That's it! With a fork, scrape the insides into a serving bowl with butter, salt, and pepper (more cheese if you like). That's it—it comes out sort of like spaghetti strands.

The full meal is done in about thirty minutes. The trick, of course is to have everything you need on hand, so a little weekly preplanning is required.

Italian Chicken, Asparagus and Spaghetti Squash Dinner

(recipe/grocery list)

(4 servings)

4 Skinless, deboned chicken breasts

8 teaspoons Pre-made basil pesto

3 Italian tomatoes, slices

1 cup Shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

1 cup Seasoned flour (you can make you own—I use House Autry)

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 bunch of Fresh Asparagus (several spears per person)

2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1 Spaghetti Squash (one squash makes 4 servings)

Salt/Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons Butter

1 quart of your favorite Ice Cream for dessert

Preheat oven to 325°.

Slice chicken breast open (like a book) without cutting all the way through. With the edge of a saucer, pound the meat across, then up and down. This tenderizes and thins. Spread about two teaspoons of pesto on one of the cut sides, top with a couple of tomato slices and a good sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Close chicken and dredge both top and bottom with seasoned flour. Repeat with all breasts.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place floured chicken breasts into heated pan. Do this in batches if you're making more that 3 or 4 pieces. Don't overcrowd your pan. May need to add a little more oil. Brown for about 4 minutes on each side, turning carefully.

Move browned chicken to a casserole dish and place in the preheated oven. Cook for about twenty minutes.

Add asparagus to nonstick skillet and shake the pan to coat the asparagus with drippings. Then top with a little balsamic vinegar, and shake the pan again, to get everything coated. Turn heat to low and cook for a couple of minutes, then place asparagus on top of chicken in oven and sprinkle with a little shredded parmesan cheese. Leave in oven until chicken is done.

Cut spaghetti squash in half longways. They have a very hard outer skin, so be careful. When halved, scrape out the seeds, and place cut side down in a pyrex dish that fits in your microwave. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover with saran wrap. Cook on high for about ten minutes a half. The outside will 'give' a little when they're done.

With a fork, scrape the insides of the squash into a serving dish, and season with salt, pepper and some butter.

Serve and enjoy!

(Dessert? Ben and Jerry's Pistachio Ice Cream)

Big Soups-Big Flavor!

This post is featured in the Wild Table portion of the current Wild River Review! Thank you, Warren Bobrow!

http://www.wildriverreview.com/wildtable/?p=1415

Tuscan/Southern

Culinary

Conspiracy Theory

Since my first experience with traditional Italian food from the Chianti region, I've been quietly obsessed with the similarities between the recipes of my Southern background and these newly found treasures. There's much more to this than I can cover in one blog post, but to give you a good example, I'll begin with my Grandmother's Chicken and Dumplings.

Everyone thinks their mother, or grandmother had the best recipes for their favorite things. I know that, but in this particular case, I am absolutely sure Mama Nell's Chicken and Dumplings were the best in the whole world. She knew we loved them, so she made them often.

I liked playing with the dough and sneaking a bite of chicken. I wish I'd been paying more attention to exactly what she was doing, because try as I do, mine still aren't as good as hers, but I'm not giving up.

Mama Nell made what she called 'slick' dumplings. She made her dough, using cooled broth from the simmering chicken. And I can still see her bringing the dough together in a big bowl. I wish it had been a dough board, but it was just a regular glass bowl. And I also remember her spreading a piece of newspaper over the counter, taping it down, and rolling her dough on the paper after flouring it. I really don't know why, unless is had to do with drying the noodles a little before dropping them in the simmering broth, or maybe it made clean up easier. Whatever the reason, making slick dumplings is a part of my Southern heritage.

On the other hand, and completely unrelated in my mind, I had a real desire to take pasta classes and learn to make fresh pasta. No matter how many times I saw Mario Batali on the Food Network make the well of flour, and mix the eggs, I didn't make the connection until I actually went to Italy and was standing in the the kitchen of a wonderful Italian 'Mama' and we made pasta together on her kitchen table, and then it hit me: this is just exactly like making slick dumplings with Mama Nell. Well, it wasn't exactly. The ingredients were basically the same, but with different proportions. The kneading and rolling were much more intense making pasta, but it's a very similar process with a very similar result!

Chicken Stew with Pasta or Slick Dumplings
Step 1:
4 lb. whole chicken cut into pieces, including neck and giblets
2 celery stalks cut into large pieces
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots cut, peeled and cut into large pieces
2 sprigs of fresh sage
4 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Freshly ground pepper

Place chicken pieces in soup pot and cover by two inches with water. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot leaving a little opening, and cook until meat is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken to bowl and set aside to cool. Discard vegetables, giblets and neck. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard bones and skin. Roughly shred chicken.

Step 2:
Slick Dumplings* OR 16 oz. dried wide egg noodle pasta

Place chicken broth over medium-high heat. When it boils, reduce heat to simmer and add noodles or dumplings to pot. Cook as directed. (Add extra chicken broth**if needed.)

Step 3:
1 T butter
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 T all purpose flour
One-half cup whipping cream

Add butter and olive oil to medium sized pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onions, and saute until vegetables are tender. Add flour, stirring to combine, and cook for 2 minutes while continuing to stir. Add whipping cream, stir, and set aside until ready to add to soup pot.

Step 4:
When noodles are cooked, add shredded chicken and cooked vegetables with whipping cream back to pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about five-ten minutes until broth thickens a little.


*Slick Dumplings
2 eggs, beaten
3 oz. Broth, cooled
4 T cooking oil—a little less if using fatty broth
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups all purpose flour

Beat eggs, broth, oil, and salt together. Slowly add flour continuing to stir and mix until dough forms. Knead in bowl a couple of minutes and form smooth ball. Cover and refrigerate for one or two hours.

When ready to cook, remove dough from refrigerator and halve. Roll half the dough on lightly floured surface until thin. Cut into one inch strips, and then cut the strips into 4-5 inch pieces.

Now they are ready to drop into simmering broth. Allow to cook in simmering broth without stirring for about five minutes.



**Chicken Broth

When you roast chicken, save the bones or carcass, along with any pan drippings.
Place in soup pot, cover with water, add roughly chopped vegetables (carrots, onion, celery—or other vegetables you might have, but beware—think ahead about the flavors you might be adding to your broth). Also add any fresh herbs, sage is my favorite for chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer bones, pan drippings, vegetables and herbs for about 40 minutes. Cool and strain. Freeze broth and have it ready whenever you need extra chicken broth.

Once Again, FRESH IS BETTER!

The Daring Cooks Challenge this month has proved once again that FRESH IS BETTER. Michelle of Veggie Num Nums chose the challenge, and it's a great one: Pita Bread and Hummus are the mandatory parts, and can be accompanied by our choice of 'mezze'. I love brined lemons, so I made a Chicken Tagine with Brined Lemons and Olives, and added a new little recipe I'm working with, Brined Lemon/Artichoke/Garlic Spread to the Hummus. It was all delicious! Thank you, Michelle, for a great challenge!

Pita Bread – Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Prep time: 20 minutes to make, 90 minutes to rise and about 45 minutes to cook

(This is a GREAT recipe, and I will be using it again!! Very easy and really works!)

2 teaspoons regular dry yeast (.43 ounces/12.1 grams)
2.5 cups lukewarm water (21 ounces/591 grams)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita) (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1 tablespoon table salt (.50 ounces/15 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (.95 ounces/29 ml)

Directions:
1. In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.
2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
3. Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).
4. Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.
5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes (It took mine 5-6 minutes, and I wondered if the dough was a little too wet? It felt perfect.), or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn't puff up, don't worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus – Recipe adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Prep Time: Hummus can be made in about 15 minutes once the beans are cooked. If you’re using dried beans you need to soak them overnight and then cook them the next day which takes about 90 minutes. (I used canned chickpeas.)

1.5 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking) (10 ounces/301 grams)
2-2.5 lemons, juiced (3 ounces/89ml)
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) OR use peanut butter or any other nut butter—feel free to experiment) (1.5 ounces/45 grams)
additional flavorings (optional) I would use about 1/3 cup or a few ounces to start, and add more to taste

Directions:
1. Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
2. Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Braised Chicken with Brined Lemons

(Lemons are best if they have brined for a couple of days, but can be used after only a few hours.)

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp paprika

Pinch of saffron (if you have it—don’t buy it just for this recipe!)

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

2 T extra virgin olive oil for marinade, plus 2 T for browning chicken

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs. chicken thighs, most skin and excess fat removed

2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 cup pitted green olives

1/2 cup chicken broth

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley

Juice and zest of one lemon

6 brined lemon quarters, rinsed and thinly sliced*

Mix the cinnamon, cumin, ginger, paprika and saffron in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Cool.

Add spices, bay leaves, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil to large zip lock bag. Compress to mix, then add the chicken and be sure all pieces are coated. Refrigerate and let marinate for 2-3 hours.

Add remaining oil to large Dutch oven over medium heat. When oil is hot, remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade, and brown chicken on both sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add onions and sauté until tender. Then add olives and sauté another 2 minutes.

Add chicken pieces, chicken broth, reserved marinade, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and preserved lemon slices. Stir once, cover, and cook over low heat for 1 ½ hours. Chicken should be very tender.

*Brined Lemons

Wash and dry 4 small lemons. Cut into quarters and toss with 1/2 cup salt. Stuff salted lemon quarters (and any remaining salt not adhering to lemons) into quart jar. Juice 2 more lemons, and add juice to jar. Finish filling jar with water to cover lemons. Close lid and turn several times to mix lemon juice and water. For the next two days, turn the jar occasionally to keep mixed. Then refrigerate for up to 3 months.