This is another great recipe from the June Bon Appetit. It was super fast and easy and beautiful enough to serve for company. Trader Joe's carries "french green beans" (haricots verts) which are ready to go including being trimmed and cleaned. I had dinner on the table in 20 minutes and it really was one of the best ones we've had in a while. I served with couscous but brown rice or orzo would have been really nice too.
Chicken with Haricots Verts and Lemon Butter (Bon Appetit)
Timing - 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (with or without skin)
All purpose or whole wheat flour
2 T olive oil
8 shallots, peeled, halved
2 T butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about one whole lemon)
1.5 t freshly grated lemon zest
1 lb haricots verts, trimmed (I used a little less)
2 T minced fresh chives
How to Make
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; lightly dust with flour to coat. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and shallots; saute until chicken is golden and just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Melt butter in skillet with shallots over medium heat. Add lemon juice and zest and haricots verts and toss to coat. Cover and cook until beans are crisp-tender and shallots are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Return chicken and any juices to skillet; sprinkle with chives. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 4
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas, and Ricotta Cheese (Bon Appetit)
Spring has sprung which for me means lots of amazing produce and simple fresh recipes in all of the May/June issues of my favorite magazines. This week, I made to winners from the June edition of Bon Appetit. The kids loved this pasta. They didn't complain at all about the onions - it's amazing what the sweetness of caramelization does to about anything. They also liked the sugar snap peas, which was a nice change from our usual broccoli and green beans. I made the recipe almost exactly as written in the magazine, but I didn't have orecchiette pasta, as called for, so I just used farfalle.
Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas, and Ricotta Cheese (Bon Appetit)
Timing - 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cups chopped onions
1 8-oz package trimmed sugar snap peas, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 lb pasta (short pasta like farfalle or shells or orecchiette)
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1.5 t fresh lemon zest
How to Make
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; saute onions until tender and deep golden, about 15 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve one cup cooking liquid.
Add peas to onions in skillet. Saute until peas are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add pasta and 1/2 cup cooking liquid to onion mixture and sir over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Mix in ricotta, basil, and lemon peel, adding more cooking liquid to moisten as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 4
Pasta with Caramelized Onions, Sugar Snap Peas, and Ricotta Cheese (Bon Appetit)
Timing - 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cups chopped onions
1 8-oz package trimmed sugar snap peas, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 lb pasta (short pasta like farfalle or shells or orecchiette)
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1.5 t fresh lemon zest
How to Make
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; saute onions until tender and deep golden, about 15 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve one cup cooking liquid.
Add peas to onions in skillet. Saute until peas are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add pasta and 1/2 cup cooking liquid to onion mixture and sir over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Mix in ricotta, basil, and lemon peel, adding more cooking liquid to moisten as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 4
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tortilla Chicken Drumsticks (Gourmet)
I made this recipe last week and it was a hit with the kids. It's like any other oven-fried chicken, but it has a twist by being coated with tortilla chips instead of bread crumbs. I made the recipe exactly as written (as below) and served it with some oven fries that roast at the same temperature and for the same time. For the fries, simply cut Yukon or russet potatoes into wedge shapes, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake on a preheated cooking sheet, turning once.
Tortilla Chicken Drumsticks (Gourmet)
Timing - 20 minutes prep and 40-45 minutes to cook
Ingredients
8 oz lightly salted corn tortilla chips
4 teaspoons chili powder, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large egg
2 1/2 lb chicken drumsticks (about 10)
How to Make
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Oil a large 4-sided sheet pan.
Pulse chips, 2 tsp chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt in a food processor until coarsely ground, then transfer to a shallow dish.
Whisk egg and remaining 2 tsp chili powder in a bowl.
Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt. Dip drumsticks in egg, letting excess drip off, then coat with crumbs, pressing to help them adhere. Transfer to sheet pan.
Bake, without turning, until cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Serves 4
Tortilla Chicken Drumsticks (Gourmet)
Timing - 20 minutes prep and 40-45 minutes to cook
Ingredients
8 oz lightly salted corn tortilla chips
4 teaspoons chili powder, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large egg
2 1/2 lb chicken drumsticks (about 10)
How to Make
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Oil a large 4-sided sheet pan.
Pulse chips, 2 tsp chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt in a food processor until coarsely ground, then transfer to a shallow dish.
Whisk egg and remaining 2 tsp chili powder in a bowl.
Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt. Dip drumsticks in egg, letting excess drip off, then coat with crumbs, pressing to help them adhere. Transfer to sheet pan.
Bake, without turning, until cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Serves 4
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells
I know - some of you got to spinach and thought, "my kids will not eat it." But seriously - my kids are not fans of most things green and they both devour this every time. The key is that it's buried in a bunch of cheesy goodness with pasta. The other thing I love about this dish is that you can make it the day before and then bake it off the next day. It's a perfect Sunday prep for an easy Monday. The recipe really is easy and it makes a lot, so can even be reheated for lunch during the week. It's the first real thing I learned to make and it doesn't have a lot of ingredients.
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells
Timing - about 30 minutes prep and then an hour to bake
Ingredients
1 lb large shell pasta
1 10-oz package frozen spinach, defrosted
1.5 jars marinara sauce (maybe a little less)
2 16-oz containers whole milk cottage cheese
2 eggs
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 lb ground beef or sausage (optional)
How to Make
Cook the pasta according to package directions and then drain and spread out on a baking sheet line with foil to cool it and to keep it from sticking. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the defrosted spinach. This is very important. If using meat, brown it and drain it and set it aside.
Mix the cottage cheese, eggs, three and a half cups of mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and spinach in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour a little sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan to keep the pasta from sticking. Stuff the shells and place them on the bottom of the pan. You may need 2 layers. If you do, put a layer of sauce in between them. If using ground meat, put it on top of the shells and then pour sauce over the top of the last layer to cover the pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray (to prevent the cheese from sticking). Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the shells are hot. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes to slightly brown the cheese. NOTE: if you make ahead and are baking from cold, you will need to cook the dish another 20-30 minutes.
Serves 6 (or 4 with leftovers for a few lunches)
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells
Timing - about 30 minutes prep and then an hour to bake
Ingredients
1 lb large shell pasta
1 10-oz package frozen spinach, defrosted
1.5 jars marinara sauce (maybe a little less)
2 16-oz containers whole milk cottage cheese
2 eggs
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 lb ground beef or sausage (optional)
How to Make
Cook the pasta according to package directions and then drain and spread out on a baking sheet line with foil to cool it and to keep it from sticking. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the defrosted spinach. This is very important. If using meat, brown it and drain it and set it aside.
Mix the cottage cheese, eggs, three and a half cups of mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and spinach in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour a little sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan to keep the pasta from sticking. Stuff the shells and place them on the bottom of the pan. You may need 2 layers. If you do, put a layer of sauce in between them. If using ground meat, put it on top of the shells and then pour sauce over the top of the last layer to cover the pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray (to prevent the cheese from sticking). Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the shells are hot. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes to slightly brown the cheese. NOTE: if you make ahead and are baking from cold, you will need to cook the dish another 20-30 minutes.
Serves 6 (or 4 with leftovers for a few lunches)
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