Category Archives: Poultry

Chicken Lasagna with Mushrooms and Fontina Cheese

Posted on March 9, 2013 by | 11 Comments

Modified from Daniel Boulud’s Chicken Lasagna

chicken mushroom lasagna

I have to warn you straight up about this recipe – it is incredibly rich.  Not rich as in “I always fly first class.”  Not rich as in “We fly our own plane and have a time-share ski cabin in Aspen.”  It’s rich like “Please have the pilot ready to fly us to our villa in Modena  – Chef Massimo Bottura at Osteria Francescana is preparing a special meal for my birthday.”

Ok, I have no idea how rich that is.  However I do know that this lasagna has over a pound of cheese, a quart of creamy milk, and plenty of olive oil and butter in it.  The chicken, spinach, and mushrooms barely manage to provide a contrast to the decadent mouth-feel of such full fats – but they do manage!

Needless to say, this is not a meal you will have every week, or even every month.  But if you’re having a special occasion, worthy of flying to Italy for a meal, consider this instead.  Unless, of course, your pilot is waiting.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound fresh mushrooms (mixed varieties of wild mushrooms are recommended), trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 8 ounces spinach leaves, washed, stems removed
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup gluten-free flour for thickening (such as rice flour or tapioca flour)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 cups milk (full-fat)
  • 1/2 bunch Italian parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • nutmeg, to taste
  • 16 gluten-free lasagna noodles*
  • 1 pound fontina cheese, cut into small dice
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

*Non-pasta eaters can omit the noodles and make this a casserole of chicken, mushrooms and cheese.  Noodle alternatives, such as sliced zucchini, might be a good substitute.

In a large Dutch oven, heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and celery, and cook, stirring, until translucent (about 3 minutes).  Increase heat to medium-high and add mushrooms.  Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes.  Add the spinach and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Cook until the spinach has wilted and the mushrooms are tender.  Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.

Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the same pot, over medium heat.  Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper, and add to the melted butter.  Cook, stirring, until the chicken is almost cooked through, but do not brown (about 6 minutes).  Add the wine and simmer until almost completely reduced.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Sprinkle the flour in the pan and cook, stirring continuously, for a few minutes.  Gradually stir in the cream and milk, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any cooked flour.  If necessary, use a whisk to break up any lumps.  Continue to simmer, stirring constantly, until the liquid has thickened to a gravy-like consistency (about 5 minutes).  Remove 1 cup of the white sauce from the pan and reserve for later.  Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the reserved cooked vegetables, mushrooms, chicken, and chopped parsley.  Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. (Keep in mind that the cheese will add salt, so be sparing when seasoning.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles to just short of the time listed on the package directions; the noodles should be not quite cooked through (al dente).  Strain the noodles in a colander, then rinse with cold water.  Drain, then toss the noodles with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.

chicken lasagna uncookedPreheat the oven to 350F.  Butter a large, deep baking pan (9 x 13).  Place a layer of 4 noodles on the bottom of the pan, overlapping slightly.  Top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture, then 1/3 of the diced fontina.  Repeat the layering twice, finishing with a layer of noodles.  Spread the reserved white sauce on the noodles, and sprinkle with Parmesan.  (At this point, the lasagna can be refrigerated overnight, covered tightly with foil or plastic wrap.  Return to room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking.)

chicken lasagna cookedCover the lasagna tightly with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Increase heat to 400F, remove the foil, and continue to bake until golden brown and bubbling (10-15 minutes).  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serve with a salad with a tart-acidic dressing since the lasagna is very buttery.  Enjoy!

chicken mushroom lasagna

townesRich…but yummy indeed! Two new releases from old favorites today. First up, the late, great Townes Van Zandt with Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos 1971-1972. This is early Townes, but like all his work, its funky, perceptive and moving, all at once. Contains a few new songs to boot!

Peter Stampfel is a nut. In the nicest way possible, of course. Leader of the ’60s folk/rock legends The Holy Modal Rounders, his newest release is The Sound of America. Stampfel continues his love affair with the forgotten avenues of etherAmerican music with his band The Ether Frolic Mob, which features his daughter Zoe. Everything from Charlie Patton blues to “Drunken Banjo Waltz” and the best version of “I Will Survive” you ever experience and many more! Long live Peter Stampfel!

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Chicken Tamale Casserole (with Roasted Tomatillo, Cilantro and Green Chile Sauce)

Posted on February 21, 2013 by | 4 Comments

Chicken Tamale Casserole with Roasted Tomatillos

When we are in Santa Fe, I like to attempt at least one Southwestern-inspired dish, and with that, hopefully add an ingredient that is new to me.  This recipe for Chicken Tamales sounded interesting and included tomatillos – a tart little tomato-like fruit that I have not cooked with before.  However, I didn’t want to expend the energy to actually try making tamales, so I decided on making a casserole with a cornmeal topping, using this recipe as a base to get started.

Even though this is not as complex as making tamales, there are quite a few parts to this recipe that can be time consuming.  The good news is it can be separated into sections, and prepared ahead of time.

As always, I recommend seeking out non-GMO, organic corn.  I found frozen sweet white corn at Whole Foods (WF 365 Everyday Brand, organic and certified non-GMO).  Bob’s Red Mill carries organic corn meal and flours.

[Here's a small disclaimer - I've made a few, untested changes in the recipe from what I prepared.  First, I was cooking at a high altitude (around 6000 feet), so I had to modify ingredients and cooking times to compensate.  The instructions and ingredients I listed here are my approximations of what would work for cooking at a lower altitude.  Next, after eating the casserole, we decided it needed a little more of this and less of that, so I also made those adjustments.  Please send me feedback on how it works for you!]

Ingredients  (serves 6-8):

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, mashed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried, Mexican oregano
  • 8 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 small can fire-roasted Hatch Green Chiles, drained (3 chiles)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ~ 1 cup cilantro (leaves and small stems)
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 cup sweet white corn kernels (organic)
  • 4 ounce log of soft goat cheese
  • 4 ounces cotija (whole milk), grated (or Monterey Jack cheese can be substituted)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup organic corn meal or flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken)

Cooking the chicken:  Place the chicken in a saucepan with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and oregano.  Add enough water to cover the chicken well, and bring to a boil.  Simmer, partially covered, for about 35 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow the chicken to cool in the broth.  When cool enough to handle, transfer the chicken to a bowl, and shred to bite-sized pieces using your fingers.  Strain the broth into another container and reserve for making the corn meal crust.  Refrigerate chicken and broth until ready to assemble the casserole.

tomatillos

Preparing the tomatillo, cilantro, and green chile sauce:  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in a baking dish large enough to hold everything in one layer.  (Note: you can use the same baking dish, unwashed, to assemble the casserole later.  Less cleaning!)  Toss with enough EVOO to coat the dish and the ingredients.  Roast at 400F for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is soft and starting to caramelize around the edges.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool somewhat.  Transfer to a blender or food processor.  Add the green chiles, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro.  Process until well-blended.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan.  Add the shredded chicken, corn and cheeses.  Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese has melted.  Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.  (The cotija is pretty salty, so you may not need much, if any, salt.)  Spread the mixture evenly in an oiled casserole dish (such as the one you just used to roast the tomatillos).

chicken tamale casserole

Preparing the corn meal crust:  In a medium-sized bowl, combine the corn flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the cold butter pieces, and using your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until there aren’t any large pieces of butter left.  (You do this by rolling the butter and flour between your fingers, squeezing to break up the butter pieces until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Alternatively you can melt the butter and stir it in, but cutting cold butter into the flour makes a better crust.)

Add the beaten egg and broth to the mixture, and stir until everything is just moistened (do not overmix).  Spread the corn meal crust mixture evenly over the chicken mixture in the pan, taking care not to disturb the chicken layer too much.

Bake at 400F for about 45 minutes, until the topping is browned and crispy.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and dig in!  Serve with avocado, limes, and/or a dollop of sour cream on the side, if desired.

birdAnother good find in Santa Fe, this time at a Goodwill store…Andrew Bird! I’ve been a fan of his from way back. A dazzling instrumentalist, a quirky, beguiling songwriter, he makes a world all his own. Found Noble Beast, and it was a hit here at the Rockin’ Frog. Some folks call it “chamber pop” and that will do as well as anything. Bird’s violin starts the mood, and his sophisticated and witty looks at love and life are spellbinding.

His latest release, the 2012 Break It Yourself continues his masterful way of making music his own. Try Andrew Bird…you won’t be sorry!bird2

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Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast

Posted on February 10, 2013 by | 5 Comments

bacon wrapped turkey

Outside of winter holidays, we rarely have turkey.  For some reason, I never think about turkey – and for the two of us, even a small whole turkey is too much.  A 2-3 pound turkey breast, however, is just right for a meal or two, plus a couple of sandwiches.  I ordered this boneless, skinless turkey breast from Tendergrass Farms, with pastures located in southwest Virginia.  I’m really impressed with their support of local, grass-fed, family farms and their mission: “By implementing rigorous grass fed standards we are able to offer naturally raised meats of distinction that are truly unparalleled in terms of animal husbandry and welfare, culinary refinement and flavor, as well as purity and wholesomeness.”

Of course turkey breast is extremely lean, so I had some concerns that it might dry out while roasting.  I did two things to help prevent this from happening.  First I brined the turkey for a couple of hours, to add moisture and enhance the flavor of the meat.  Next, I decided to blanket the breast with woven bacon strips while it roasted.  Whether it was the superior nature of pastured turkey, the brine, or the bacon…it turned out juicy and very tasty!

[The next day, we sliced up some leftover turkey and bacon for sandwiches, using this grain-free bread.  Slice the bread and toast it for the best taste and texture.]

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 pound boneless, skinless turkey breast
  • 8-9 slices bacon
  • freshly ground black pepper or pepper blend
  • fresh sage (optional)

For brine:

  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar, coconut palm sugar, or honey
  • 5 cups of water

Mix the brine ingredients in a resealable plastic bag.  Shake vigorously until the salt and sugar have completely dissolved.  Place the turkey in the bag, squeeze out the air, and seal.  Allow to brine, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.  Take out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to return to room temperature.

bacon wrapped turkey

Turkey breast in blanket of bacon – before roasting.

Place 4 strips of bacon on a flat surface (such as a cutting board), parallel to each other.  Starting at one end, place one strip of bacon perpendicular to the others, and weave it through the 4 strips (i.e. over, under, over, under).  With the next strip of bacon, weave it in using the opposite pattern from the first (i.e. under, over, under, over).  (You probably already knew how to weave, didn’t you?) Continue until you have a bacon blanket large enough to cover the top surface of the turkey breast.  Try to keep the bacon pieces close together.

Season the brined turkey breast with pepper. Place the turkey breast on the bacon, flip it over so the bacon is on top, and tuck the loose strands of bacon underneath.  Stick a few leaves of fresh sage underneath the bacon in spots, if desired.

bacon wrapped turkey 2

Turkey breast in blanket of bacon – after roasting.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Place the turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Roast until the internal temperature at the center of the breast reaches 165F.  (Roast time for this turkey was approximately 2 hours, but may vary with different ovens and/or weight of turkey,)  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

bacon wrapped turkey 3

candiGood stuff and not just for Thanksgiving anymore…how can you go wrong wrapping something in bacon? Yum! Yummy music as well. First up is Candi Staton with His Hands. Staton, know as the “Queen of Southern Soul” for her days at Fame Studios, returns with this great collection of songs including “You Don’t Have Far to Go” and “His Hands” from Will Oldham. This is old-school smouldering soul that gives the great voice of Staton room to move.

Taj Mahal has been a pivotal figure in roots music since his days with Ry Cooder in Rising Sons in the late ’60s. He broadens his reach on Kulanjan with Toumani Diabate. Mahal’s metal National guitar finds a common ground with Diabate’s tajkora, and the result, produced by Joe Boyd is mesmerizing. From Muddy Water’s “Catfish Blues” to songs of Africa, this is a spellbinding meeting of musical cultures.

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Classic Paella

Posted on July 1, 2012 by | 3 Comments

Anytime we go on vacation…actually, anytime we leave the house… Mr. “He Cleans” is on a quest for vinyl.  As in LPs, records, albums, and what have you.  This is the source of much of the incredible music I get to listen to, so no complaints here.  However, I hope there is either a comfy sofa in the record store or another business nearby of interest to me so that I can entertain myself while he digs through the stacks.  Ten minutes of browsing through cds and records is past my limit – he can go for hours.

When we were last in Santa Fe, near the corner of N. Guadalupe and W. San Francisco streets, he found a great shop with records, The Good Stuff.  Happily for me, on the other side of the corner there is an incredible store, The Spanish Table, filled with anything you might want for preparing and serving Spanish Foods.  From the beautiful ceramics and clay cookware, cook books, and paella pans, to cheeses, chocolates, imported spices, chorizo, and shelves of gourmet-quality ingredients….let’s just say I was thoroughly entertained.

From that visit I bought my first paella pan (I now have 2), and the fun of preparing a great, one-dish meal!  Why had I never made paella before?  It is so easy, and it is a great way to get rid of leftovers – as we discovered on our last day of vacation.  We had leftover pork chops, so I cut them into pieces and threw them in the pan with the rice, chorizo, the rest of the chicken stock, leftover roasted cauliflower, and at the end of cooking, stirred in some baby spinach.  Voila!  Refrigerator cleaned out, and it was fantastic!

Here’s a basic recipe for paella, but it is more fun to improvise with what you have on hand.   This recipe is adapted from The Spanish Table, Traditional Recipes and Wine Pairings From Spain and Portugal (authored by the owner of The Spanish Table store).  Ingredients are listed PER SERVING, so multiply by how many servings you wish to make.

Ingredients (Per Serving):

  • 5 threads saffron
  • 1/4 cup warm, dry white wine (or water, or broth)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan when it is cool)
  • 1 chicken thigh
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 soft Spanish-style cooking chorizo
  • 1/2 cup uncooked Bomba rice (or preferably other Valencian rice.  If unavailable, Arborio rice from Italy can be substituted.)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika or sweet paprika
  • 1/4 cup diced or grated tomato
  • 1 cup water or clam juice
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2-3 shrimp
  • 2-4 small clams or mussels
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
  • parsley and lemon wedges, for garnish (optional)

Dissolve saffron in wine, and set aside.

At a medium to medium-high temperature, heat the olive oil in a paella pan large enough to hold the desired servings.  Lightly season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.  Cook the chicken thighs, turning, until browned on both sides and chicken juice runs clear.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add onions and garlic, and saute until translucent.  Add chorizo and cook until heated throughout.  Add rice and paprika, stirring until well-coated with oil, for about one minute.  Add the tomato, wine with saffron, chicken stock, and other liquids.  Bring to a boil, stirring, then adjust the heat to maintain a simmer.  Add the chicken back to the pan, and the seafood.  (If using clams or mussels, push the hinge-side down into the rice.)  Add the remaining vegetables.

Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is done. Unlike risotto, do not stir the paella.  Rotate the pan as necessary to spread out the heat.  Don’t worry about rice sticking to the bottom of the pan, because if the rice forms a caramelized layer on the pan that is a good thing called the socarrat!  (Just be careful that the rice does not dry out and burn.)

When the rice is done, remove the paella from the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes, lightly covered with foil or paper.  Or, as the the Spanish to English translation on the paella pan flyer says, “The rice, already dried, has to be for some minutes in repose before being served.”  This is the time for the cook to have an apertif, according to the cookbook.  Who am I to argue?

In repose…

Hey now! It ain’t easy coming up with new music! Like today’s artist, Dave Alvin. Formerly of The Blasters, Dave has been crafting some of the finest roots rock for years, such as Museum of Heart, his 1993 release. Great songs such as “Thirty Dollar Room” and “Don’t Talk About Her” make his an early favourite.

As is Blackjack David. The title cut, a traditional murder ballad is tailor made for Alvin. And if you can listen to “California Snow” without a lump in your throat, well, you’re a better man than I.

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Jerk Chicken

Posted on May 11, 2012 by | 5 Comments

Recipe from Food & Fire, slightly modified

“Artistic” photographic rendering of Jerk Chicken.
Or, in other words, the photo was dark and blurry…

Last week, our Whole Foods had a sale on locally raised, pastured, whole chickens.  I got four of them since the price was so good!  However, my ability to cut up a raw chicken (or rather, lack thereof) is an insult to the bird and a danger to myself and anyone nearby.  I did a decent job removing the thigh and leg quarters, but the breast and wings ended up in pieces of unidentifiable origin.  Zooarchaeologists would be stymied trying to figure out what happened to this poor chicken.  I would have done myself a favor by watching this video of how to cut up a chicken beforehand…it looks so easy when someone else does it!

Although this wasn’t the most attractive chicken, it tasted the same as a professionally cut up chicken.  This Jerk Chicken recipe comes from Dave at Food & Fire, and it is something we have enjoyed on many occasions.  Yes indeed it is spicy, but there is a nice blend of flavors behind the heat – and of course you can adjust the spiciness to a level that you are comfortable with.  Dave’s recipe calls for 4-6 habanero peppers – this time I wimped out and used 3, and it was plentifully hot.  In the past I have used dried peppers, but I had fresh peppers for this batch.  Following his directions to use gloves to cut up the peppers would have been a good idea, because even after washing my hands numerous times, my skin felt irritated.  Whatever you do, keep your hands away from your face!

Another good idea is to serve this chicken with something on the acidic side.  Acids (such as those found in citrus juices or other tropical fruits) are extremely effective at taking away the burning sensation from hot peppers.  Margaritas, of course, are a great option, but I would also suggest something like this Citrus and Avocado Salad, or grilled pineapple, or a mango salsa.  Having some lime slices to bite into also helps.

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs, or 1 chicken, cut into pieces
  • 4 to 6 Habanero or Scotch Bonnet peppers (or whatever you can withstand)
  • 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers (because they were in the refrigerator)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 6 green onions, white and pale green parts, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wearing gloves, seed and de-vein the peppers.  (Ignore the gloves at your own risk…)  In a small food processor or blender, add salt and garlic.  Pulse until the garlic is minced.  Add the remaining ingredients (except the chicken) and process until well-combined.

Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade.  Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal.  Massage the marinade all over the chicken, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before grilling.  The longer the better (up to 24 hours).

Set up the grill to cook at 375-400F.  (If using a Big Green Egg – we used a spacer ring to raise the grill surface level with the grill opening.)  Grill the chicken, turning every 6-8 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thighs have reached 180F (usually 30-40 minutes).  When chicken is done, remove it to a warm plate and let it rest around 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

No other music for Jerk Chicken than reggae, of course! If all you know of it is Bob Marley, then you have some great listening ahead. To get you started, a former member of Bob Marley Wailers, Bunny Wailer with Blackheart Man. Legend has it he disappeared into the jungle and emerged a year later with this album…who’s to say, but its one of the most moving and reactionary statements of personal freedom and morality you can find. Essential.

Now, the crazy man, the mad scientist of dub, the legendary producer Lee “Scratch” Perry with Roast Fish Collie Weed & Corn Bread. Created in his Black Ark studio- before he burned it down- this is primal reggae, created by one whacked out weed head and his patched together equipment. He’s still going strong, but living the high life in Sweden these days, but this album…whew. I and I like.

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Grilled Chicken Wings Mole

Posted on February 11, 2012 by | 6 Comments

Greetings Huffington Post readers! Join us on Facebook for more treats!

Always on the lookout for another way to serve chicken wings, I read quite a few recipes before the “big day”.  I am of course referring to Superbowl Sunday, unquestionably the biggest day of the year for chicken wing consumption.  According to the National Chicken Council‘s 2012 Wing Report (really, I am not making this up), more than 1.25 billion wing portions will be consumed during Super Bowl weekend in 2012, totaling more than 100 million pounds of wings.  That’s a lot of freakin’ chicken wings!

Chipotle hot wings sounded interesting, but I decided to take that idea a step further with a nod to mole sauce.  Technically this marinade is not even close to the depth of flavor you would experience from an authentic Oaxacan mole, but it does have discernible elements of chile, cocoa, cinnamon, and honey – - mild heat, sweetness, and smokiness.  This is my “first draft” of the recipe, and it may need to be tweaked a little to get just the right balance.  If you give it a try, I welcome your suggestions to take this recipe from “tasty” to “killer”!

I used apple cider for the base of this sauce since I have a lot of it in the refrigerator, but other fruit juices could potentially be substituted.  I recommend marinating the wings overnight, if possible, or for at least 6 hours.

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 pounds chicken wings (either whole or separated)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Lime quarters, for squeezing (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all the ingredients (except the wings and limes) until well-mixed.  Place the wings and marinade in a large resealable bag; shake and squeeze the bag to coat the wings thoroughly.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.  Turn bag occasionally.

Prepare a grill for indirect cooking at 375-400F.  (If using a Big Green Egg with inverted plate setter, add a drip pan to help with clean-up.)

When coals are ready, grill the wings for 15 minutes, then flip the wings and grill for another 15 minutes.  Move them around as necessary to cook the wings evenly.  Keep flipping them until the skin is crispy and they are done  – around 45 minutes for wing portions, or around 60 minutes for whole wings (when they start getting loose at the joints, they are usually done).

Serve with a squeeze of lime and Citrus and Avocado Salad.  Enjoy!

My goodness that’s a bunch of wingless chickens wandering around…but I digress. Couple of new releases this morning. First is a guy I saw perform in a small record store to about 10 people several years ago, and I was struck by his unique sense of place and language, and his haunting, sparse style. His name was Jim White, and his new album, Where It Hits You is a barren, emotional landscape of despair, based on the end of a relationship. Sounds like a downer, but it grows on you.

Mark Lanegan, formerly of the Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age has a new album, Blues Funeral and its already being touted as the album of the year. It’s moody, provocative rock with an edge. Fans of Nick Cave and Tom Waits will dig this.

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BBQ Chicken, Bacon, and Pineapple Pizza (gluten free)

Posted on January 15, 2012 by | 5 Comments

Santa brought me several bags of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free, Dairy Free Pizza Crust mix this past Christmas.  Evidently Santa not only knows when you’ve been bad or good, but he also is aware when you have been suffering a serious craving for pizza!  Since I haven’t experimented with making my own gluten-free crust from scratch, I cannot compare this mix to the many recipes out there.  However I can tell you that I appreciated the convenience of having a pizza mix (instead of buying 5 or 6 kinds of flour), and we really, REALLY enjoyed having a slice of pizza that you could pick up and eat properly with your hands!  Thanks, Santa!

For our first pizza, we decided on one of our old favorites – barbeque chicken with bacon, pineapple, and mozzarella!  Since the last post on the blog was Oven Barbequed Chicken, I think you can follow the trail of leftovers leading to this choice.  In truth, there were not enough chicken leftovers, so I ended up making more barbequed chicken using boneless, skinless thighs baked in Bone Suckin’ Sauce.  The method was the same, except I didn’t brown the chicken since there was no need to crisp the skin, and I baked it for an hour until the chicken was tender enough to shred with a fork.

So, how did this pizza stack up to “real” pizza?  If you’re expecting chewy dough with some “pull” to it, you’re not going to find it here.  I’m not sure there is a gluten-free crust out there that has the same texture and consistency of a gluten-containing crust.  Gluten, unfortunately, is what gives bread that stretchy quality.  The crust of this pizza is crispy, and is more reminiscent of biscuit dough.  Is that bad?  Not in our opinion; we gobbled this down as if we had not eaten in years, stopping only to exclaim “mmm” or to grunt “pizza good, pizza good”.

When the weather warms up, I can’t wait to try this on the Big Green Egg!  There’s nothing like the taste of a wood-fired pizza!

Let’s get started building this pizza!

Note:  The pizza mix makes 2 12-inch pizzas.  The dough can be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Ingredients (for one pizza):

  • 1 package Bob’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix
  • Yeast packet (included with pizza mix)
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil + more to coat pan and to handle the dough
  • Sea salt
  • Barbequed chicken thighs, shredded (~2 thighs/pizza)
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, coarsely chopped
  • 3-4 slices pineapple, chopped into small pieces
  • Barbeque sauce
  • Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into bits

Other handy items:  Electric mixer, 2 bowls, clean kitchen towel, silicone spatula, 12-inch pizza pan, pizza stone

Pizza dough rising...

Arrange one rack in the center of the oven, and another rack at the bottom.  Place a pizza stone (if you have one) on the bottom rack.  Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast, and allow to stand a few minutes to activate the yeast.  Whisk in eggs and olive oil.  Add the pizza crust mix; blend with electric mixer at medium speed for around 1 minute, or until well combined and dough is coming together.

Gather the dough together in a ball using a silicone spatula, and split it in half.  Place the second half in a separate bowl.  It helps to handle the dough with wet hands – it is sticky.  Cover both bowls with a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm place to rise for at least 20-30 minutes.  (Near a warm oven is good enough, or you could put the bowls in lukewarm water if the room is cold.  Also, I left the dough out for several hours before using it, and it was okay.  If you are planning on making only one pizza, after the dough has risen, wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.  When ready to bake, allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.)

Ready for the oven!

Grease a 12-inch pizza pan with olive oil.  Rub your hands with olive oil, and place dough in the pizza pan.  Spread the dough out to cover the pizza pan, with more dough at the edges to contain the sauce.  You will notice here that the dough does not stretch – you just have to smush it in place.  Sprinkle the dough with sea salt and place on the center rack of the oven.  Bake the crust without toppings for 7-9 minutes.

Toppings added - it's starting to look like pizza!

Remove from oven.  Spread a thin layer of barbeque sauce over the surface of the pizza (just a few tablespoons).  Distribute the desired amount of shredded chicken, chopped bacon, pineapple, and mozzarella cheese over the crust.  Slide the pizza from the pizza pan onto the hot pizza stone, and bake for 15-20 minutes until crust and cheese are browned and topping is bubbling hot.  If you aren’t using a pizza stone, you could bake the pizza in the pan, or for a crisper crust, bake directly on the oven rack.

Cut the pizza into slices and serve.  Don’t be like me and burn the roof of your mouth – let it cool some before shoveling it in!

Bellissimo!

Pizza is back! My goodness I’ve missed it! Thank you Santa…! The soundtrack today features a pair of rock’s most “out there” performers. First, the wild-eyed Texan Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elevators with Easter Everywhere, the bands masterpiece. Loaded on acid and freaking out in Texas in the 1960s, the Elevators somehow created a cult record while Erickson lost his mind. But when it worked- as on “She Lives (In a Time of her Own)” or their version of Dylan’s “Baby Blue”, this is a seminal record, and a look back at a time when hippies walked the earth.

Long before they did The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd was as psychedelic as they came, in large part due to their founder, Syd Barrett. Their 1967 debut, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn is Syd’s finest moment, containing “Astronomy Domine” and “Lucifer Sam” among others, and is a trippy headrush of an album. The band went on of course to become megastars, but their “Crazy Diamond” leader wasn’t along for the ride, releasing a handful of singles and this grand album. It’s groovy, man.

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Oven Barbequed Chicken

Posted on January 13, 2012 by | 5 Comments

…and a product review for Bone Suckin’ Sauce!

I love bbq chicken on the grill – especially the bits of crispy skin with sauce, blackened with caramelized sugar from the flames.  However some days grilling outdoors just isn’t going to happen, for instance when the cold winter wind is blowing rain.  Brrr!  Thankfully,  pretty-fine barbeque chicken can be produced inside.

As the jar says, "We're Talkin' Serious"!

This isn’t so much a recipe as it is a product review, since I didn’t make my own barbeque sauce.  I have one recipe for barbeque sauce here, but if you don’t want to take the time, it is possible to find a great sauce with no high fructose corn syrup, no MSG, no gluten, no preservatives, and no fat (if you care about fats in your sauce; I do not).  My new favorite sauce out there is Bone Suckin’ Sauce, produced for Ford’s Foods in Raleigh, NC.  The best thing about this sauce, aside from the taste and the name, is it is made using REAL ingredients.  It is sweetened with honey and molasses, spiced up with horseradish, garlic and peppers, and has a really nice balance of tomato vs. vinegar.  This might sound insignificant, but I also love the color of this sauce – a nice rich, vibrant red, not the dull, tired looking colors of other sauces on the grocery shelf.

Oh, beautiful sauce...

If you can’t find Bone Suckin’ Sauce at your grocer’s, you can pick from a lot of styles (thicker, hotter) and flavors (original, mustard), here.

Back to the chicken… the goal was to bake the chicken in the sauce until it was fork tender.  I used chicken thighs, skin-on.  No one likes pale, flabby skin, so before these thighs went into the sauce, I browned them well on both sides in a skillet.  Not only did this avoid the flabby skin problem, but browning the chicken also adds another dimension to the taste, as well as renders out some of the chicken fat that would otherwise end up as a greasy layer on top of the barbeque sauce after baking.

Look, the sauce has a recipe right on the side of the jar!

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
  • Kosher salt and pepper (or bbq seasoning)
  • extra-virgin olive oil, or fat of choice for browning chicken
  • Bone Suckin’ Sauce, or bbq sauce of choice

Preheat oven to 350F.  Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, working in batches, brown the chicken thighs well on both sides (about 4 minutes/side). Do not crowd the skillet.  Transfer the browned chicken to a baking dish that will hold the chicken in a single layer.

Cover the chicken with barbeque sauce.  Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  Pour off any excess grease.  Increase the oven temperature to 400F and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, uncovered, to thicken up the sauce and “recrisp” the chicken.  Serve it hot!

Boy howdy that’s good bbq! And so is the soundtrack. First, the official house music for SCHC’s Santa Fe headquarters is John Prine- something about his wry worldview and a fire is how we spend most evenings. His new one, The Singing Mailman Delivers will be a favorite, I’m sure. Drawn from recordings made before his first album, this is classic Prine. Illegal smile, indeed!

Guy Clark is a legend among songwriters- “LA Freeway”, “The Randall Knife” and more are well-loved. His new live album, Songs & Stories is a glimpse behind the songwriting process with Clark and a great band.

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Chicken with Mushrooms and Grapes

Posted on December 18, 2011 by | 5 Comments

Chicken in a casserole dish doesn't photograph well, but you get the idea...

Suddenly it is almost dinner time, and I haven’t the faintest idea of what I’m going to cook.  This is an opportunity to take inventory of what is in the refrigerator, then google it and see what you come up with.  It is food roulette  – there are hardly any ingredients that someone hasn’t thought to combine and pass off as a new and exciting dish.  Some of those combinations are misguided. There is also a jungle of recipe sites out there loaded with the “can of cream of mushroom soup” casseroles – they’re not all bad recipes – they just need some updating with fresh ingredients instead of thickeners, preservatives, and artificial flavor enhancers.

I was vaguely looking for chicken baked in a mushroom sauce, with some sort of fruit added to perk it up – and I found a few recipes that had grapes.  Hmmm….I like chicken salad with grapes, so this seemed to be a promising idea.  The recipes I found seemed to be rather bland, however, and one included the unfortunate choice of red wine in the sauce, which reviewers reported caused the color of the chicken to be unnaturally purple.  Yum?  We can fix those problems!

This recipe fit nicely in the tagine, but would work equally well in any baking dish.  We enjoyed the saucy chicken with roasted vegetables; it could be served over noodles or rice as well.  The grapes are only heated until warmed throughout, so they add a fresh burst of clean flavor that contrasts well with the rich mushroom cream sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 8 chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper or pepper blend
  • 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot flour (optional, for thickening)
  • 1 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half (I threw in a few green grapes too – they were fine)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken thighs, on both sides, in batches, so not to crowd the skillet.  Place the browned chicken in a casserole large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.

Pour off all but 2-3 tablespoons of the hot oil in the skillet.  Saute shallot, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, then add the mushrooms to the pan.  Continue to saute, until the mushrooms are getting soft and have started to release their liquid.  (You can tell when this happens pretty easily – the mushroom initially adsorb all the oil in the pan, but after a while you will see liquid in the pan again.)  Reduce the heat to medium; stir in the wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom surface.  Add the broth and simmer for ~ 5 minutes, uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce by half.  Stir in cream and herbs.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

If you would like to thicken the sauce up a little, use a measuring cup to scoop up a few tablespoons of the sauce.  Whisk the arrowroot flour into the measuring cup with a fork to make a slurry.  Add the slurry back to the skillet, stirring constantly to blend it in.  Cook over medium heat until thickened to desired consistency.  (It will be less thick after baking with the chicken, since the chicken will add more liquid as it is cooked.)

Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken in the casserole dish.  Cover loosely with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover, and cook for 15-20 minutes longer.  Stir in grapes, and bake until grapes are heated throughout (about 5 minutes).  Serve hot!

Two incredible albums today. Little Feat founder Lowell George only made one solo album, Thanks I’ll Eat It Here before his untimely death in 1979, but its a honey. From his take on “I Can’t Stand The Rain” to his “20 Million Things”, this is a romping exercise in soul.

One of the greatest blues albums ever, the late-50s release Two Steps From The Blues from Bobby “Blue” Bland is simply untoppable. Not as guitar oriented as his stuff with BB King, this is mellow soul blues from the master.

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Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Soup

Posted on December 7, 2011 by | 22 Comments

This is a nice, simple soup for a cool evening!  This recipe is part of our feature on U.S. Wellness Meats, “Music and Meals to Warm You Up“.  Visit their website for free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, and other great products!

Although I haven’t tried it, coconut milk can probably be substituted for the heavy cream for anyone who is sensitive to dairy.

Ingredients:

  • 2 free-range chicken breasts from U.S. Wellness Meats (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
  • 4 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
  • 3 tablespoons Kerrygold unsalted butter (grass-fed)
  • 2 leeks, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced, washed thoroughly and dried
  • 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
  • 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used a mixture of cremini and shiitaki)
  • 1 tart apple, peeled and cubed
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pour the chicken broth into a large, heavy pot.  Rinse the chicken breast halves with cold water, and place in the pot with the chicken broth.  Bring the broth to a simmer, and cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes at low heat.  As the chicken is cooking, periodically skim the foam from the broth and discard.  Move the chicken to a dish to cool.  Pour the chicken broth into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer, and set aside.  Wipe out the pot with paper towels.

Using the same pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Saute leeks and celery until soft, but not browned, for around 10 minutes.  Add mushrooms and saute for 2 or 3 minutes,, then add the apple cubes and cook for another few minutes until the mushrooms and apples are soft.  Return the strained chicken broth to the pot with the vegetables; stir in apple cider vinegar, dried thyme, and cream.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes, partially covered.

In the meantime, cut the chicken into smaller pieces, then shred each piece by hand.  Cover the shredded chicken so it doesn’t dry out, and set aside.

After the broth and vegetables have simmered for 20-30 minutes, use an immersible hand-blender to puree the vegetables to a finer consistency.  (I like to leave it a little chunky.) Add the shredded chicken to the the soup.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Heat on low for at least 10 minutes.  Serve hot, and enjoy!

Well, this soup ain’t funky at all, but the music selection sure is! Do The Funky Chicken by Rufus Thomas is guaranteed to get your feet dancing. Thomas hit the charts with “Walkin’ the Dog” in 1963, and it was one dance floor hit after another for the Stax Records artist. Do the Funky Chicken!

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