Chicken Mediterranean

An update of an older recipe with a new photo.

INGREDIENTS

     olive oil

2        chicken breasts or 4-6 hicken thighs,
          skinless and boneless, cut to 1 inch cubes

1        medium onion, chopped

1        cup celery – about 1-2 stalks, sliced thin
4-6     cloves garlic minced
6-8     medium mushrooms, sliced (1 ½ cups
 ½      cup Guglielmo Pinot Grigio or other dry
          white table wine
     
1/2     cup Pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
1/2     cup capers, rinsed and drained
1/4     cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained, chopped (see Note)
2        tablespoons Artichoke and Garlic Dip
2        tablespoons preserved (pickled) lemon – soak in water, drain & chop
            or         2 tablespoons lemon juice
1         jar (7 ounce) artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half

METHOD
In a large skillet over high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown the chicken pieces; about 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside the chicken pieces and lower heat to medium, Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil, the onion and celery. Simmer until the onion is translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes and add the garlic. Cook 1-2 more minutes.

Reduce heat to simmer and add the browned chicken pieces, mushrooms and white wine. Cover and simmer about 8-10 minutes. Add the olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, Artichoke & Garlic Dip and preserved lemon; simmer another 5 minutes. If the capers or olives look “skimpy” add more. Add the artichoke hearts mix well and simmer another 1-2 minutes. This recipe produces 2 large portions as a main dish or will serve 4 to 6 people if served over cooked rice.

NOTE: If you have dry sun dried tomatoes, chop them and then let them steep in hot wine (1/2 cup)  for 10 minutes before adding them to the recipe.

Chicken in Anchovy Sauce

Don’t be afraid. The tomato paste melds well with the anchovies, masking much of the fish flavor.

 
INGREDIENTS
2          tablespoons olive oil
1          pound chicken breast or tenders, cut into 1 inch cubes
1          medium white onion, diced
3-4      cloves garlic, minced
1          cup dry white table wine
4-6      anchovy fillets, rinsed and drained, chopped
2          pinches red pepper flakes
1          teaspoon tomato paste
2          tablespoons butter or butter substitute
            dried chopped chives

METHOD

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and chicken pieces. Cook the chicken, turning often, until well browned on all sides. Remove the chicken to a bowl and reserve..Add the onion to the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook one minute.

Add the white wine, chopped anchovies, red pepper flakes and tomato paste to the skillet and mix well. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove the chicken to a serving platter and reduce the sauce to about 3 tablespoons. Add the butter to the skillet and cook until the butter is incorporated. Drizzle the chicken with the sauce and garnish with the chopped chives. Serve immediately by itself or over rice. This recipe will provide four medium sized servings.

Adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine August 2011

 

Kale Salad

Just one more kale recipe. I promise to stop now, but this turned out really great.

INGREDIENTS
1          bunch Kale
1          medium shallot or small white onion, diced 1/8 inch
¼         cup lemon juice
¼         cup olive oil
1          cup ricotta cheese  

METHOD

Remove the central stems from the kale. Bunch 4 or 5 leaves together and roll them into a cigar-like form. Cut them into ½ inch strips width-wise and then cut the strips into two parts length wise. Continue with all the kale. You should have 5 to 6 cups of cut kale.

In a large pot, bring 5 inches of water to a boil and then blanch the kale for 30 seconds. Remove to a strainer with a slotted spoon and run cold water over the kale to stop the cooking. Place the kale into a salad spinner to remove as much water as possible. Put the kale into a salad bowl and add the diced onion or shallots.

In a medium bowl, mix the lemon juice, olive oil and ricotta. Whip the mixture until it is smooth. Taste for a mild lemon flavor – if it is too weak, add another tablespoon of lemon juice and stir. Put 2/3 of the salad dressing into the salad and mix well. Taste again. The lemon flavor should be subtle, not overpowering. Add more dressing as to your taste. This salad will make 5 to 6 servings.

Chicken and Sausage Soup

Another way to use up any spare kale you may have on hand. The soup would also be good with any other green instead of the kale, such as collard, mustard, Swiss chard, and spinach. For fun, I used purple potatoes for this soup, but they didn’t remain very purple. They didn’t even taste different. Oh, well. Gotta keep trying.

 INGREDIENTS

1          chicken breast or 3 chicken tenders
1          carrot
1          cup chopped celery
1          medium potato, diced to ½ inch
4          cups chopped kale
2          cups low sodium chicken broth
2          cups dry white table wine
1          medium zucchini
1          small red or yellow bell pepper
1          sausage, 4 to 5 inches in length. (Polish, Italian, Garlic, Cajun etc.)
½         teaspoon garlic powder
¼         teaspoon salt

METHOD

Cut the chicken into ½ inch pieces and place into a large sauce pan. Take a head of celery and slice the top portion into thin slices, including inner leaves and all. Place this into the sauce pan. Cut the carrot in half length wise and slice the lower half into thin slices. Cut the upper part in half length wise and then slice into thin slices. Place the carrots into the sauce pan. Put the kale in to the sauce pan, add all the liquid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half length wise and slice into thin slices cross wise. Set aside.  If you wish, you can use half of a red pepper and half of a yellow pepper or a whole pepper of either kind. Remove the inner seeds and white flesh and cut into ½ inch square pieces. Set aside. Thinly slice the sausage cross wise and set aside. When the soup has cooked 5 minutes, place all these ingredients along with the garlic powder and salt into the sauce pan, stir to combine and cook covered for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately as either a soup course (5 to 6 servings) or as a main course (2 to 3 servings.)

 

Kale with Bacon and Apples

INGREDIENTS

8          cups chopped kale (about 1 pound)
2          slices bacon, cut to ½ inch pieces
1          small onion, chopped
2          cloves garlic, minced
½         cup apple juice
1          tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1          teaspoon dried thyme
1          small apple, peeled and diced to ½ inch (optional)

METHOD

If you purchased pre-chopped kale and it is rather tough, first remove all the stems, cut it to 1 inch pieces and cook the kale in a large pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve. If you have found young, tender kale, remove the tough inner stems, chop it to 1 inch pieces and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. (Dump it in the garbage, not down the drain.) Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the apple juice, the vinegar and the thyme and mix well, soaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the kale and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the optional apple pieces and cook for 5 minutes. Mince the cooked bacon and serve the kale with a garnish of bacon bits. Will serve four as a side dish.

HOW TO BUY KALE

My customer wanted some Kale recipes. so I did some hunting and found two ideas. Of course, neither of them looks like what I found - there is always room for improvement.

I also found out how NOT to buy kale while working on these recipes. Chopped Kale in a bag looks real convenient but has two major problems. One; it may not be young, fresh and tender. Two; they may not remove the tough stems before chopping.

I had to pick it out of the bag piece by piece, remove the stems where necessary, and chop it further to the recipe specifications. I think I had more work than if I had bought bunches of kale. The brand was Cut and Clean and it was all of that, but not a lot more

The photo shows the size of some of the stems I removed from the bag of Kale.You could cook those for weeks and they would never get tender.

Kale Soup

A creamy soup made in the Italian crema style

 INGREDIENTS

3          tablespoons olive oil
1          medium onion, chopped
2          stalks celery, diced
4          cloves of garlic, minced
4          cups low sodium chicken broth
1          medium Yukon potato, peeled and diced
2          teaspoons dried sage
2          teaspoons dried thyme
4          cups young, fresh kale, de-stemmed and chopped to 1 inch pieces, divided
            About 1 pound or 1 large bunch

METHOD

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and warm. Add the onion and celery and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the broth; add the potato, spices and 3 cups of the kale. Cook, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes until the potatoes and kale are tender, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes.

Working in batches if necessary, remove the soup to a blender or food processor and process to a puree. Rinse out the sauce pan and return the soup puree to the pan. Add the remainder of the kale cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the added kale is tender.

This recipe will serve 4 to 6 people.

Kale Saute

A simple and tasty method of serving this very healthy green.

INGREDIENTS
1          bunch of fresh young kale
2          tablespoons olive oil
4          cloves of garlic, minced
2/3       cup low sodium chicken broth
2          tablespoons white wine vinegar
½         teaspoon dried thyme
½         teaspoon dried sage

METHOD

Prepare the kale by removing the hard stems in each leaf, then chop the kale into about 1 inch square pieces and set aside. Using a large skillet, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes – do not let it brown. Remove and discard the garlic.

 Add the chicken broth, the vinegar and the spices and stir to mix them. Add the kale, cover and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring several times. Test the kale to see if it is soft and if the liquid is absorbed. If the kale needs more cooking and the pan is dry, add ½ cup water and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, covered.

Serve immediately garnished with freshly grated Italian hard cheese such as Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago. This dish will serve well as a side dish for four people.

Beef and Cabbage

A simple dish with easy ingredients. Not gourmet but quite good

INGREDIENTS

1          tablespoon olive oil
1          pound low fat ground beef
1          small white onion, chopped fine
2          cups thin sliced celery
1          cup low sodium beef stock
½         tablespoon garlic powder
2          tablespoons cider vinegar
1          teaspoon caraway seeds
1          cup low or non-fat yogurt
1          head green cabbage, cored, sliced and chopped

METHOD

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the ground beef. Use a fork to separate the beef while it simmers. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until it is thoroughly broken apart and browned. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add the beef stock and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic powder, cider vinegar, caraway and yogurt, stirring them in. Add the cabbage, cover and cook until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes

Serve immediately and garnish with chopped chives or flat leaf parsley. Will serve 4 to 6 people as a main dish.

Pork and Fennel Stew

INGREDIENTS
3          tablespoons olive oil, divided
1          pound pork loin, in 1 inch cubes
1          medium white onion, chopped
4          cloves garlic, minced
1          large, whole fennel bulb, divided
2          cups dry white table wine, divided
1          cup low sodium chicken broth
1          tablespoon dried rosemary
1          tablespoon dried sage
1          bay leaf

METHOD

In a large sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add half of the pork. Stirring and turning, brown all sides of the pork, about 4 to 5 minutes and remove to a medium bowl.  Brown the second batch in the same way and reserve.

Add the onion to the sauce pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Chop the stems and fronds of the fennel and add them to the sauce pan. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes and add 1 cup of the white wine, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the broth, rosemary, sage, bay leaf and reserved pork. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the outer tough parts of the fennel bulb, slice crosswise into ½ inch slices and chop them into 1 inch long pieces. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the fennel pieces. Cook the fennel, turning often, until the it is lightly browned on both sides, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of white wine, cover and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the pork is done, remove the pork from the rest of the sauce pan into a bowl. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Place the liquid and vegetables into a food processor or blender and process to a puree.  In the sauce pan, combine the pork, puree and the fennel. Heat for a few minutes to blend the flavors and serve.