pearl onions

Braised Chicken Thighs: Cheap Chic!

04 Nov 2010
Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives and Raisins
The weather calls for braising.

Braising is a cooking technique we should all master. It's not difficult and the results will make you look like an accomplished chef (not that you aren't...). This simple process has just a few foolproof steps. The end result is rich and flavorful.

The concept behind braising is this: the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat. It is then simmered in liquid on low-heat in a covered pot for a very long time. I like my Staub cast iron for this job because it has these litttle nubblies on the lid that allows the steam to rain back down into the pan in an even fashion. This is unlike the smooth lids of some other brands, which tend to accumulate the droplets then send them sliding down the edges of the pot. That is a very uneven distribution method in my opinion.

You can choose to braise in the oven or on the top of the stove. Either way you will be proud of the food you bring to the table. This method of cooking is often used as a way to cook less expensive, tough cuts of meat.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Braised Chicken Thighs with Pearl Onions, Green Olives, Golden Raisins & Preserved Lemon

Braised Chicken Thighs with Pearl Onions, Green Olives, Golden Raisins & Preserv
By jgreghenry Published November 3, 2010
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz fresh pearl onions
  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs, with skin (about 2 ½ pounds)
  • 1 c all-purpose flour, for dredging
  • 1 t kosher salt (plus more as needed for seasoning and boiling)
  • 2 T plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 1 c dry white wine
  • 1 c chicken stock
  • 0.5 c castelvetrano olives (or other green olive)
  • 0.5 c golden raisins
  • 0.5 c preserved lemon, lightly packed
  • 1 bn flat leaf italian parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
  • 6 clv garlic, peeled & minced
  • 2 c orzo or other small pasta
  • 1 t whole coriander seeds
  • 0 salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pearl onions and blanch just until the skins have loosened, about 1 minute. Drain. When cool enough to handle, cut off the root tip and pop the onions from their skins. Reserve. Rinse the chicken thighs under cool water and pat dry. Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Spread the flour mixture across a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the chicken thighs in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Warm the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed or cast iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add four of the chicken thighs, and sear until a golden crust develops, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and sear until a golden crust forms on second side, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove thighs to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken thighs. De-glaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce the wine by half, about about 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. If the olives have pits, smash them with your palm and remove the pit. Then tear the meat into 2 or 3 pieces. Adding them and the reserved pearl onions and the raisins to the pot. Bring it back to a simmer and add all the chicken thighs in as close to a single layer as possible, skin side up. Cover with the lid and slowly simmer until the meat is falling away from bones, about 1 hour. While the chicken is cooking. Coarsely chop the preserved lemon and place it, along with parsley in a small bowl. Warm a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, and stir continuously in the dry skillet until you see some of the garlic’s oil released on the bottom of the pan and the garlic has a touch of golden color, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Immediately spoon the garlic into lemon and parsley. Stir well to combine. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil to the garlic mixture to bind the ingredients together. The mixture should be moist but not wet. Add another teaspoon of olive oil, if needed. Reserve at room temperature until needed. For the orzo: In a large saucepan bring about 8 cups of water to a boil. Salt the water generously and add the orzo, and cook until al dente about 7 minutes. Drain well. Place the orzo in a bowl and add 1/4 cup olive oil and the coriander seeds. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in all but about 8 teaspoons of the preserved lemon garlic mixture. Saving the rest for garnish. Place the orzo onto a large serving platter, or divide between 4 plates. Place chicken thighs on top of the orzo and spoon on the sauce with the olives and raisins all over. Garnish with reserved lemon garlic and serve warm.

Notes:

serves 4. You may substitute the preserved lemon with 6 tablespoons lemon zest. Source: Adapted from Almir DaFonseca- CIA Greystone

Sup's! Sources: Surfing Specialty Sustenance

21 Jan 2010
green lentils and other ingredients

Eating in truly exceptional restaurants is one of life's great joys in my opinion. Fortunately I live in Los Angeles where there is no shortage of such establishments. But for a variety of reasons (such as the state of my wallet) you can't always indulge yourself in this manner.

Still, sometimes you want to eat something special. Something particular. Maybe it's a regional specialty that you are craving. Perhaps it contains some unusual or hard to find ingredients. These are the times it pays to be a decent cook. But even decent cooks can get slammed up against the wall because when you crave something particular, something unusual there is the likely possibility that the corner market is not gonna carry all the items you need. How are you gonna make your particular culinary dream come true?

You could always improvise. There is a certain joy in creating something out of nothing. You could substitute a few anchovys for the Colatura di Alici in that special pasta you flipped over in that little seaside village south of Rome. You'd feel great, the pasta would be delicious, but deep inside you'd know it wasn't REALLY what you were craving.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Coq au Vin in 4 Easy Steps

23 Dec 2009
coq au vin in 4 easy steps

Braising is a cooking technique we should all master. It's not difficult and the results will make you look like an accomplished chef (not that you aren't...). This simple process has just a few foolproof steps. In fact today's chicken recipe has just 4 easy steps. The end result is rich and flavorful with the added bonus of the fancy-pants name, Coq au Vin. I like the way that rolls of the tongue (and into the belly)!

The concept behind braising is this: the main ingredient is seared, or browned in fat. It is then simmered in liquid on low-heat in a covered pot for a very long time. I like my Staub cast iron for this job because it has these litttle nubblies on the lid that allows the steam to rain back down into the pan in an even fashion. This is unlike the smooth lids of some other brands, which tend to accumulate the droplets then send them sliding down the edges of the pot. That is a very uneven distribution method in my opinion. I carry a Staub Coq au Vin pot in my OpenSky store.

You can choose to braise in the oven or on the top of the stove. Either way you will be proud of the food you bring to the table. This method of cooking  is often used as a way to cook less expensive, tough cuts of meat. 

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 12 Comments

Coq au Vin

coq Au Vin
By jgreghenry Published December 23, 2009
Prep time: 180
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 chicken (about 3 pound) cut into 6 pieces
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 6 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 T whole black peppercorns, pluse more as needed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 bottle red of red burgundy wine
  • 3 clv garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 T vegetable oil, plus more as needed
  • 1 T salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 c chicken broth
  • 15 button mushrooms
  • 24 pearl onions
  • 6 strips of bacon
  • 4 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 ds red wine vinegar (optional)
  • 0.5 c italian parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

The night before serving put the pieces of chicken in a large bowl. Add half of the carrot rounds and all of the chopped onion to the dish, along with half of the thyme sprigs, the bay leaf and the peppercorns. Pour the wine over the chicken and cover the dish. Put in the refrigerator overnight. The next day remove the pieces of chicken and the vegetables with tongs or a slotted spoon and set the chicken and vegetables aside on 2 separate plates. Strain the marinade, discard herbs.

Heat the oil in a large cast iron Dutch oven. Brown the pieces of chicken in it in several batches until golden. Set the chicken aside as it browns on a paper towel lined tray to drain. Add the reserved wine soaked vegetables and the crushed cloves of garlic to the dish, adding more oil as needed; brown them well. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven with the browned vegetables, along with the chicken broth, the reserved marinade and 1 tablespoon salt. Stir, bring to the boil, then cover. Let it simmer over low heat for 1 to 2 hours.

When completely cooked through turn off the heat and let the broth cool somewhat while you peel the pearl onions and cut the mushrooms in half.

Cut the bacon into 1-inch strips. Add them to a large cast iron skillet set over medium heat. Fry the bacon strips until crisp. Remove them to a paper towel lined plate to drain, reserving them for another use. Add the pearl onions and the mushrooms to the bacon fat and cook until golden. Turn the heat off and set them aside.

Remove the cooled chicken pieces from the Dutch oven and set them on a plate taking care to leave the very tender pieces intact. At this point you may stick the chicken pieces under the broiler for a miniute or two if you'd like to improve their color, but this is not necessary. Strain the remaining liquid pressing down on the solids to get as much flavor out as possible. Discard the solids. Return the chicken and the strained broth to the dish. Add the remaining thyme sprigs. Season to taste. Add the browned pearl onion, mushrooms, celery pieces and the remaining uncooked carrots. Cook over medium heat until the carrots and celery are tender and cooked through about 20 to 30 minutes, adjust seasoning adding touch of red wine vinegar as needed. Garnish with parsley and serve warm with crusty bread.

Notes:

serves 4