There are millions, probably tens of millions, of recipes on the World Wide Web so finding just what one is looking for is a rather hit-or-miss proposition dependent on the vagaries of search engine algorithms. A search for something using feta and chicken yielded the inevitable stuffed chicken breasts and this promising looking approach to chicken and rice. The original recipe was a bit rough, written in obviously non-native English and missing a few key steps. But the rave reviews posted by readers suggested it would be worth trying. I made some changes: adding ingredients, omitting others, changing proportions. But I kept the basic technique and the flavors unchanged. The result was wonderful. Do try it.
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Ingredients |
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|
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Boneless chicken breast |
2 (about 12 ounces) |
2 (about 350 grams) |
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Onions, coarsely diced |
8 ounces |
225 grams |
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Water |
about 3 cups |
about 750 milliliters |
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Long grain white rice |
5 ounces (1 cup) |
150 grams |
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Feta, crumbled |
4 ounces |
100 grams |
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Spinach, fresh or frozen |
4 ounces |
100 grams |
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Black or kalamata olives |
2 ounces |
50 grams |
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Dried oregano |
1 tablespoon |
15 milliliters |
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Olive oil |
1 tablespoon |
15 milliliters |
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Eggs |
1 |
1 |
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Lemon juice |
1 tablespoon |
15 milliliters |
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Salt and pepper |
to taste |
to taste |
Put the chicken and onions into a suitable pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool and strain the liquid into a bowl. Put the onions into an oven-proof 2 quart (2 liter) casserole with a tightly-fitting lid.
Preheat oven to 350°F (200°C). Add the rice to the casserole along with the feta, spinach, olives, and oregano. Stir to combine. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the dish. Pour on 2 cups of the broth, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle on the olive oil. Cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Beat together the egg, remaining cup of broth, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the casserole from the oven and pour the egg mixture over the rice. Return to the oven, covered, for another 20 to 30 minutes.
Literally “greens with potatoes” saag aloo, originated in the Punjab, the ancient region along the tributaries of the Indus River now divided between India and Pakistan. Traditionally it was made with mustard leaves but it can be made with spinach or other leafy greens. Since I found some beautiful rainbow chard at the farmers’ market I used that in my version. Some recipes call for the potatoes to be fried, others insist that they be boiled, while yet others just say “cooked.” Sometimes the greens are pureed and sometimes not. And sometimes the dish contains yoghurt, sometimes yoghurt and heavy cream, sometimes neither. I opted to boil my potatoes and, in order to highlight their lovely colors, not to puree the greens. Instead of adding yoghurt to the dish as I often do, I made raita—yoghurt with cucumbers and radish—as an accompaniment.
Note: you can use 1½ Tablespoons of Indian five spice, panch puran, in place of the individual seeds.
Serves 2
Boil the potato cubes for about 10 minutes or until nearly done. Drain and set aside.
Wash the chard well then trim any woody part off the bottom of the stems. Remove the stem and large central vein from the leaf. Slice the stems crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Tear the leaves into 2-inch pieces. Set the stem and leaves aside separately.
Heat the oil or ghee in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the seeds and fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add sliced onion and sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for another minute. Finally sauté the chard stems for a couple minutes. Sprinkle in the turmeric and mirch, if using.
Put the potatoes into the pan and toss to coat. Pour in the water, turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chard leaves and re-cover for 2 or 3 minutes, until wilted. Uncover, check the salt, and turn the heat up a bit to evaporate any excess moisture.
Serve immediately over basmati rice accompanied with raita and Indian pickles.
Besides being essential for making spiedies, spiedie marinade is handy for livening up a simple meal. I took a couple chicken thighs, skinned them, scored the meat lightly, marinaded them for a couple of hours in Lupo’s Spiedie Marinade, and cooked them under the broiler for about 12 minutes. Tasty and no fuss. As a side dish I tossed some cubed potatoes in spiedie marinade, Salamida’s this time, and roasted them in 350° oven for about 30 minutes. A bit of steamed spinach and dinner was done. Simple!
Big, luscious sea scallops are my favorite seafood. Although they may seem a bit pricey they are actually a pretty good value because they are 100% protein with virtually no waste. Where I live we are fortunate to sometimes get fresh scallops from Long Island. When they are available I buy extra and freeze them. Frozen scallops are not a bad alternative if you can not get fresh. Whether you are buying fresh or frozen, just make sure that you are buying so-called “dry” scallops that have not been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, a preservative that adds water to the scallops. Besides the fact that with “wet” scallops you are paying for a lot of water, that water makes it impossible to sauté them properly. Scallops are delicate so be sure to err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking. No one likes little rubber morsels.
A word about saffron: it is indeed the world’s most expensive spice, but a little goes a long way. Buy good quality saffron from a reliable shop or online source and indulge yourself is a dollars worth of luxury once in a while!
For this recipe, prepare the rice and let it cook for about 15 minutes before you start cooking the scallops. The rice can wait a few minutes; the scallops can’t.
Serves 2.
Rinse the rice well in several changes of cold water, drain, and set aside
Sprinkle the saffron threads onto the boiling water in a small bowl. Set aside to bloom for at least 10 minutes
Heat the butter in a medium pot with a tightly fitting lid over medium heat and sauté the onion until softened but not colored, about 3 minutes. Add the rice to the pan and sauté, stirring constantly, for another 2 minutes. Put the frozen spinach in the pot and stir until thawed, about 1 minute. Pour over the saffron and its soaking water then the stock, using it to rinse any saffron left in the bowl. Season with salt, bring to a boil, and then simmer over very low heat for 20 minutes. Check that the liquid has been absorbed. If not, return to the very low heat for a few more minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Remove the tendons from the scallops if they are still on and pat them dry (save the tendons to make scallop butter). Lightly season with salt and pepper.
Melt half the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. (I prefer an uncoated pan for this recipe because I don’t have to worry about overheating it.) When the bubbling has subsided add the scallops and sauté for about 1 minute on each side. Remove to a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the shallots to the pan. Sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, turn the heat to high, and boil it down until it starts to thicken. Off the heat, stir in the remaining butter. When melted return the scallops and any juices that have accumulated in the plate to the pan and toss for a few seconds to rewarm. Serve over the rice napped with the sauce.
While casting about for something to fix for dinner tonight I came across a bag of frozen lamb spiedies hiding in the back of the freezer where they had been, I think, since Fourth of July. So, I thawed them and put together this simple casserole using a few more things I needed to use up.
Lightly oil a medium-sized baking dish. Spread the potato slices in the bottom in a couple of even layers. Sprinkle with half the garlic, salt, and pepper. Place the tomatoes over the potatoes; add the rest of the garlic and season with oregano and more pepper. Cover the tomatoes with a thin layer of spinach, still frozen. Top with the spiedies and bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
This recipe was inspired by one I found on the Food Network Website omitting the lemony white wine sauce that many reviewers of the recipe found overwhelming. Instead I used a classic French technique, paner à l’Anglaise (literally breaded English-style), to seal the breasts around the filling. No sauce is needed. Those in the DC area who remember Bilbo Baggins in Old Town Alexandria may recognize this as similar to their famous Chicken Queen Street. I served it simply with garlic mashed potatoes.
Serves 2
In a non-stick skillet large enough to hold the chicken breasts, render the bacon until brown and crispy. Pour off all but a teaspoon or so of the fat.
Combine the spinach, ricotta, Gorgonzola, bacon, and 1 Tbsp. of the egg in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and set aside.
Using a long, thin knife such as a boning knife make a pocket in each chicken breast starting from the thick end, being careful not to puncture the thinner end of the meat. Using a piping bag or a spoon, fill each breast with the spinach mixture, massaging to distribute evenly. Season the outside of each stuffed breast with a bit of salt and pepper.
Mix the milk or water with the remaining egg and put into a shallow dish. Spread the breading into another shallow dish. Dip the chicken into the egg wash and roll in the breading until well coated.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Heat the oil and butter along with the bacon fat in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coated chicken breasts and cook until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Carefully pour off any excess oil and butter then put the skillet into the oven for about 20 minutes to finish cooking.
A couple of weeks ago at the Binghamton farmers’ market I discovered some delightful small red peppers. The farmer told me they were Tobago peppers. After a bit of research I learned that they were, in fact, Tobago Seasoning Peppers or Trinidad Seasoning Peppers depend upon who you asked. What makes these peppers so special is that because they are same species as habanero peppers (capsicum chinense) they all the flavor but without the heat. So, what does that have to do with spinach and potatoes? Well, it happens that nearly half of the population of Trinidad and Tobago is descended from immigrants from India so their cuisine has strong Indian elements. So I adapted this Indian recipe by adding Caribbean peppers and spices. I serve it over spiced brown basmati rice accompanied with raita, cucumbers in yoghurt.
½ pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch dice
¼ cup oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. grated ginger
2 medium Tobago Seasoning Peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch by ⅛-inch strips
2 cups, about 6 ounces, fresh or frozen spinach
Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until brown on all sides and tender. Remove and salt lightly.
Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of the oil from the pan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and peppers. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is golden brown. Turn the heat down if they start to blacken. Put the spinach in the pan, turn the heat to medium low, cover, and cook until spinach is done.
Stir in the potatoes and raise heat to warm through. Serve over brown basmati rice accompanied by raita.
Spiedies or grilled chicken go very well with rice. Here I serve spiedies over a tasty Greek-style pilaf with spinach. A bit of feta crumbled on top finishes the dish nicely.
See Sunday’s post for the spiedie recipe. Here is how to make the pilaf.
200 g (about 1 cup) long grain rice
150 g (about 1 cup) frozen chopped spinach or chopped fresh spinach
60 g chopped onion (about ½ medium onion)
15 g minced garlic, about 2 cloves
15 g (about 1 Tbsp.) unsalted butter
500 ml (about 2 cups) water or stock (I used ½ cup lamb stock and 1 ½ cup water)
15 ml (1 Tbsp.) lemon juice
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 160°C (325°C).
Over medium low heat, melt the butter in a heavy pot with a lid. (I use a three-quart enameled Dutch oven.) Sweat the onion in the butter until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Raise the heat to medium high; add the rice, and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with butter and slightly chalky-looking. Pour in the liquid and add about ½ tsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Add the spinach and return to a boil. Cover and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and check for doneness. If ready, sprinkle with lemon juice, fluff with a fork and serve. If not, return to the oven for a few minutes to finish.
Serves 4
