The Cookbook

[Mik]

BIL & SIL coming Friday - they are both on a diet, so fixing this beautiful dish

https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/rainbow-salmon-skewers/

[George K]

Tonight's dinner: Sheet pan balsamic chicken.

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons honey
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds chicken breasts (4 each), trimmed
1½ pounds baby red potatoes, quartered
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 pound green beans, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

In a medium bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, a tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Stir well to mix.

Place the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the top. Seal and toss the chicken to evenly coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, place the potatoes and cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the sheet pan from the oven and toss the green beans with the potatoes and tomatoes.

Remove the marinated chicken breasts from the plastic bag, reserving the remaining marinade in the bag. Place the marinated chicken, evenly spaced, on top of the vegetables. Pour the marinade from the bag over the top of the chicken and vegetables.

Return the sheet pan to the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, periodically basting the chicken breasts with the pan juices, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius).

Allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Spoon the pan juices over the top of each chicken breast before serving.

Yup...

[brenda]

Was it good, George?

[George K]

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

Was it good, George?

Wonderful. This was, perhaps, the 5th time I've made this. I did not add the red chili flakes (per Mrs. George's request).

I was going to make it on Tuesday, but Mrs. George wanted pizza, so the marinated chicken sat in the baggie, in the fridge overnight. Not sure if it made a difference, but it was great. So many flavors, balsamic, honey, rosemary....

This is something you could make for company and really impress them.

[brenda]

@george-k Oh yes, marinating longer is usually a good thing.
Thanks for the report. It sounds like something we'd like, and I have most of the ingredients on hand. That's always a plus.

[Loki]

@george-k said in The Cookbook:

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

Was it good, George?

Wonderful. This was, perhaps, the 5th time I've made this. I did not add the red chili flakes (per Mrs. George's request).

I was going to make it on Tuesday, but Mrs. George wanted pizza, so the marinated chicken sat in the baggie, in the fridge overnight. Not sure if it made a difference, but it was great. So many flavors, balsamic, honey, rosemary....

This is something you could make for company and really impress them.

I like this a lot. Thinking of substituting baby asparagus for the green beans. Any reason not to?

[George K]

@loki said in The Cookbook:

Thinking of substituting baby asparagus for the green beans. Any reason not to?

Not that I can think of! I'll try that next time.

[Rainman]

@loki said in The Cookbook:

@george-k said in The Cookbook:

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

Was it good, George?

Wonderful. This was, perhaps, the 5th time I've made this. I did not add the red chili flakes (per Mrs. George's request).

I was going to make it on Tuesday, but Mrs. George wanted pizza, so the marinated chicken sat in the baggie, in the fridge overnight. Not sure if it made a difference, but it was great. So many flavors, balsamic, honey, rosemary....

This is something you could make for company and really impress them.

I like this a lot. Thinking of substituting baby asparagus for the green beans. Any reason not to?

Of course not. I thought we established the immorality of using babies for anything is wrong. Or, it's OK if the babies are dead. Geez, I went from trying to be funny to being morbid. So, go ahead with the baby asparagus. It's just a conscious thing to get over, not a moral thing. You don't need all that much sleep anyway. Done.

Oh, and you're all fat, except for AX. Nearly forgot!

[Aqua Letifer]

Milk Chicken

I defy you to find a better way to cook a whole chicken. Try it.

1 whole chicken
1 stick unsalted butter
like a spoonful of olive oil
½ a cinnamon stick
1 bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked
2 lemons, very halfassedly zested, then quartered
10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
550 ml milk

1. In a pot, brown the chicken skin with the butter and olive oil. Just a couple of minutes per side.
2. Put the chicken on a plate to pour out the butter from the pot but keep a film of the buttery goodness on the bottom.
3. Add all the ingredients into the pot, then at last the whole chicken.
4. Cook on 375 for 90 min.

[Mik]

Yum.

[Catseye3]

For those of us doing low carb, here is a TNT good-tasting LC gravy.

Paleo Herb Gravy

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
6-8 peeled cloves of garlic
S&P to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or other flavoring, like Kitchen Bouquet or something
(Optional) A splash of heavy cream

Add onions, garlic, broth and thyme to medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 30" or until the onions and garlic are really soft.

(Really really soft. The success of this recipe depends on this.)

Correct seasonings and add soy sauce. Process with butter until uniform. Add cream if you want a creamy gravy.

[brenda]

@aqua-letifer That looks excellent, Aqua. Love sage that's fresh.

At first glance, I thought Mik had posted this, and I was about to tell him he sounded just like Aqua.

That would have been a compliment, of course.

[Catseye3]

Some salads, for healthy low-carb eating for folks on the TNCR diet/fitness challenge:

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mediterranean-spinach-salad-with-garbanzos_-tomatoes_-radishes_-and-sumac-lemon-vinaigrette-345291

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Fresh-Mediterranean-Salad-MyRecipes-247043?columns=3&position=18%2F82

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mediterranean-chicken-salad-368552

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Carrot-almond-salad-308714?columns=3&position=22%2F70

https://www.yummly.com/recipe/The-greenest-salad-308620?columns=3&position=18%2F69

[Mik]

Saw this today - looks yummy!

https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/12/potato-kugel/?fbclid=IwAR2BPyNNtaTd3JmpTZiLOSwUvrrdw51h8MqhERSlKsSYAZKzfgUo6qb-7Vs

[George K]

@mik looks like a lot of work great!

[Catseye3]

Cold Pea Salad

You can make this salad ahead of time on the day you want to serve it, but add the almonds at the last minute. The salad is still good the next day but it's best served on the day you make it. Wonderful served with sliced tomato and avocado and chicken for lunch.

16-ounces frozen petite peas (do not thaw)
6 ounces smokehouse (or roasted) almonds
1/2 cup chopped green onions
8 ounces chopped water chestnuts
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method
Remove the excess salt and chop the almonds:
In a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water, rinse the almonds to remove the excess salt. Spread between 2 paper towel layers and pat dry. Spread on a cutting board, and coarsely chop with a large knife.

Combine the salad ingredients:
In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, curry powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the peas, scallions, and water chestnuts to the bowl.

Gently fold the salad into the mayonnaise dressing. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Add the almonds:
Just before serving, stir in the chopped almonds.

[George K]

Tonight's dinner: Chicken Marsala

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup shallots, minced
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 cups dry Marsala
2 cups chicken stock
½ lemon, juiced
Parsley, to serve

PREPARATION

1. Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise, then cut the larger half again horizontally, creating 3 cutlets.
2. Place the flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder into a wide shallow dish and stir to combine.
3. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, shaking gently to remove any extra flour, and set aside.
4. Heat oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Cook the chicken in batches to prevent overcrowding. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side, 3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
6. In the same pan, add more oil or butter as needed.
7. Add garlic, shallots, and cremini mushrooms to the pan, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom the bottom of the pan until the mushrooms are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
8. Deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine and scrape all caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan.
9. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice and allow mixture to come to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half.
10. Turn off the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cold butter and stir until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
11. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 more minutes, flipping halfway through.
12. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with pasta, potatoes, or rice. Enjoy!

My result:

Comments:

Very, very tasty. Lots of interesting flavors - lemon, parsley, shallots, and mushrooms.

I couldn't find cremeni mushrooms, so I used white mushrooms. Still tasty.

If I make it again, I'll make sure that the chicken breasts are thinner, so they cook evenly. Some of the thinner portions ended up being a bit tough.

[Mik]

Chicken Marsala was the first meal I cooked for MFR. still a favorite.

[George K]

@mik said in The Cookbook:

Chicken Marsala was the first meal I cooked for MFR

Got a good recipe?

[Mik]

Cooked it so many times I just wing it. Flour and season the chicken, saute, add mushrooms, maybe a little shallot, and wine, finish with butter and parsley. Once wine has reduced. Will add a little veal demiglace if I have some sitting around.