Chicken Divine
—SWEET REVENGE—
Like pork, chickens have been bred to be lower in fat, and the dish usually offered to the poor dieter is—alas—dry, leathery chicken breast. But white chicken can be lovely, if it is brined and roasted, skin on, and not overcooked. I was just playing around with brines when I came up with this dish, and Jim insisted it go into a book. Originally I had the chicken topped with dried tarragon, but we also like it with thyme.
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon sugar
4 pounds (about 5 pieces) bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dried thyme or tarragon
1. In a large nonreactive or glass bowl, mix together the buttermilk, cream, salt, and sugar and stir until dissolved. Pat the chicken dry, then place it in the buttermilk mixture. Make sure all the pieces are completely submerged. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
2. When you are ready to start on the chicken, take it out of the refigerator and allow it to come to room termperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the buttermilk mixture), rinse under running water, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken, skin side up, in the baking dish, being careful not to crowd the pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Crush the thyme or tarragon between your fingers and sprinkle it evenly over the chicken.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, not touching the bone, reads 160˚F. Bring the chicken out of the oven, tent with foil for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb, and serve.
Makes 4 to 5 servings
Enchiladas Suizas
—THE WHOLE ENCHILADA—
Goldy gives Arch the background on why people in Mexico would eat “Swiss” enchiladas: It is because of the presence of the Sanborn coffee shops in Mexico, which serve dairy-rich dishes favored by the frequent Swiss tourists. Our daughter-in-law, Rosa, gave me her mother’s recipe for tortillas, and I tried making them for this dish. The tortillas were delicious, but I simply couldn’t get them thin enough to roll around the filling. So I repeatedly put the filling between the tortillas, and ended up with what looked like a very tall stack of pancakes. I thought it tasted delicious, but the family said that slices from the stack were too hard to eat. So with the veto, I went back to grocery-bought corn tortillas, which the family proclaimed superior to my thick creations. Oh, well. This dish is now such a family favorite that our (grown) children ask for it, if they’re coming over for their birthday.
12 corn tortillas
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Filling:
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, dark and light meat, skin and bones removed
2¼ cups crema (Mexican-style sour cream), Crème Fraîche (here), or commercial sour cream, plus more for serving
2 cups grated mild or medium-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1¾ cups (14.5 ounces) canned diced Italian-style (with garlic, basil, and oregano) tomatoes (see Note)
Contents of two 4.5-ounce cans chopped fire-roasted mild chiles
½ teaspoon dried leaf oregano
Canned Italian-style tomato sauce, if necessary
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Have ready a large plate and 13 absorbent paper towels. Fold the paper towels into quarters.
2. Overlap the tortillas in two large (9 x 13 inches or larger) pans, so that as much of the surfaces of the tortillas is showing as possible. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the tortillas in both pans. (You may have to use your hands or a pastry brush to spread the oil evenly over the tortillas.) Place the pans in the oven and allow the tortillas to soften for about 5 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and check that the tortillas are softened by using tongs to lift up one of them. (You want them soft and pliable. If they are not yet soft, put the pans back in the oven for a couple of minutes. You do not want to cook the tortillas through, which will harden them.) When the tortillas are just cool enough to touch, place one of the folded towels on a plate. Using tongs, place one tortilla on the folded towel. Place another folded towel on top of the tortilla and press lightly to absorb excess oil. Continue with remaining tortillas. Set aside. (Leave the oven on.)
For the filling:
In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, crema or sour cream, Cheddar, and salt until blended. Set aside.
For the sauce:
In a large skillet, heat the oil over low heat. Add the onions and cook for a minute, stirring. Add the garlic and stir. Continue to cook and stir over low heat until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chiles, and oregano. Simmer this mixture over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and spoon into a 4-cup measuring cup. You should have 3 cups of sauce. If you do not have 3 full cups, add the canned tomato sauce to make 3 cups.
Assemble the dish:
1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
2. To fill the enchiladas, place each tortilla on a flat surface and scoop ¼ cup of the chicken-cheese filling into the center. Using your fingers or a spoon, shape the filling into a cylinder in the center of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Continue until all the tortillas are rolled up.
3. Spoon the sauce over the enchiladas. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center of the enchiladas is steaming hot. (Check with a spoon to make sure the center enchilada is very hot.) Serve with sour cream on the side, if desired.
Makes 12 enchiladas
Note: Measure the actual contents of the can of diced tomatoes. Depending on the brand, you may need more than one can in order to get 1¾ cups.
Sonora Chicken Strudel
—TOUGH COOKIE—
Our family used to visit a restaurant (now shuttered) that served chicken strudel. I tried to duplicate the flavors here. For ease of preparation, remove the skin and bones from a grocery-store rotisserie chicken, and shred the cooked meat into bite-size pieces.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
Contents of two 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles
1½ cups chopped onions
⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1¼ cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup regular or light sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound frozen phyllo dough, thawed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat until it shimmers. Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes, garlic, chiles, onions, and cumin. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, Cheddar, sour cream, and salt. Stir in the tomato mixture. Pour this mixture into the pan.
4. Working quickly with the phyllo, lay one sheet at a time over the chicken-tomato mixture and brush lightly but thoroughly with the melted butter. Continue until you are almost out of butter, then lay on a last piece of phyllo and brush it with the last of the melted butter. With a sharp knife, cut down through the layers of phyllo to make 9 evenly spaced rectangular servings.
5. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the phyllo is puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.
Makes
9 large servings
Turkey Curry with Raisin Rice
—KILLER PANCAKE—
I deeply regret having fallen for the fad—and that’s what it was, a fad—for low-fat cooking. But I had readers repeatedly demanding low-fat food, so I did my best. (These days, people ask me for gluten-free dishes. I encourage them to use a gluten-free cookbook.) When making the turkey curry now, instead of the dry milk powder and skim milk, I use 2 cups of half-and-half or (horrors!) heavy cream.
1 pound ground turkey
Cooking spray or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped unpeeled apple
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
2 cups half-and-half or heavy (whipping) cream
Raisin rice:
1 cup long-grain white rice
½ cup raisins
2¼ cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (here)
1. In a large sauté pan, sauté the turkey over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned evenly, about 10 minutes. Turn out onto a plate, set aside, and wipe out the pan with a paper towl.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the pan. Increase the heat to medium and sauté the apple and onion, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn out onto another plate, set aside, and wipe out the pan again.
3. In the pan, heat the olive oil or butter over low heat just until it is warm. Stir in the flour and curry powder. Heat and stir over medium-low heat until the flour begins to bubble. Combine the bouillon with the half-and-half or cream, and whisk until combined. (The bouillon granules will dissolve when they are heated in the sauce.) Gradually add the half-and-half or cream mixture to the curry sauce, continuing to stir over medium-low heat until the mixture is thick. Add the turkey and the apple-onion mixture. Stir well and heat through.
For the raisin rice:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, toast the rice over medium heat, stirring frequently, until most of the rice is browned. (Appearance may be mottled; this is desirable.) Add the raisins and the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
2. Serve the curry with the raisin rice.
Makes 4 servings
Shrimp on Wheels
—THE LAST SUPPERS—
I tried so many versions of this dish, I thought the family was going to rise up in revolt, the way they had with the manicotti. But they were patient, mainly because they enjoy the combination of shrimp, pasta, and any kind of cheese sauce.
Salt
5 ounces wagon-wheel pasta (ruote)
¼ lemon
1 tablespoon crab boil (crab-and-shrimp seasoning)
¾ pound large deveined easy-peel shrimp
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced shallot
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules dissolved in ¼ cup boiling spring water
1 cup milk, preferably whole
½ cup dry white vermouth
2 tablespoons best-quality mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen baby peas
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish with a lid.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted spring water, cook the pasta until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large sauté pan, bring 4 cups spring water to a boil and add the lemon quarter and crab boil. Add the shrimp, cook until just pink (about 1 minute) and immediately transfer with a slotted spoon (leaving the seasonings behind) to a colander to drain. Do not overcook the shrimp. Peel and set aside. (Discard the cooking water and seasonings.)
4. In another large sauté pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the shallot and sauté until limp but not browned, several minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the shallot and cook over low heat, until the mixture bubbles, 1 to 2 minutes. Stirring constantly, slowly add the chicken bouillon liquid, milk, and vermouth, stirring until thickened.
5. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and mustard. Add a small amount of the warm sauce to the mayonnaise mixture and stir until smooth, then add that mixture to the rest of the sauce in the skillet. Stir until heated through. Add the Cheddar, stirring until melted. Add the pasta, shrimp, and peas and stir until well combined.
6. Transfer the mixture to the buttered dish, cover, and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until heated through.
Makes 4 servings
Shrimp Risotto with Portobello Mushrooms
—KILLER PANCAKE—
There’s no getting around it: Risotto is a time-consuming, labor-intensive dish. You’re standing over the stove stirring in the chicken stock, a little bit at a time, until each measure of it is absorbed . . . then you start with the next bit. Yet a properly made risotto is so creamy and hearty, you wish you could enjoy it more often. So turn on your favorite music or radio show, and have at it.
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1½ cups cubed (½ inch) trimmed portobello mushrooms
4 to 4½ cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (here)
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
¾ pound (20 to 22) large easy-peel shrimp
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1¼ cups Arborio rice
4 cups broccoli florets
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1. Pour the sherry over the chopped mushrooms, stir, and set aside to marinate while you prepare the risotto.
2. In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup of the chicken stock, 1 cup spring water, and the Old Bay to a boil. Add the shrimp and poach until just pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from the heat and drain, discarding the cooking water. Peel the shrimp and set aside.
3. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until it is limp, 2 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and rice. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until the rice just begins to change color. Continuing to stir over medium-low heat, add the chicken stock ⅓ cup at a time, each time stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Continue the process until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy (this can take up to 30 minutes).
4. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat and briefly sauté the marinated mushroom pieces until they release their liquid. Remove from the heat.
5. Over high heat, bring an inch of water to boil in a saucepan that has a lid. Add the broccoli, put on the lid, and reduce the heat to low. Cook the broccoli until it is bright green and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
6. Stir the cooked shrimp, thyme, and mushrooms into the cooked risotto and stir over medium-low heat until heated through. Place the broccoli around the edge of a large platter. Fill the center with the risotto.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Shuttlecock Shrimp Curry
—STICKS AND SCONES—
The most important thing to keep in mind with this dish is that you need to get the sauce piping hot before adding the shrimp. Then watch carefully so you don’t overcook the shrimp. Serve with several of the side dishes, as well as cooked rice. Beer is the traditional beverage.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups cored, unpeeled chopped Granny Smith apples
2 cups chopped yellow onions
3 large garlic cloves, crushed through a press
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder, or more to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon salt, or more to tast
e
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (here)
1 pound (39 to 40) large peeled cooked shrimp, deveined, shells and tails removed and reserved
1 tablespoon ketchup
¼ cup dry white vermouth
½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
Possible side dishes (choose 4 or 5): chutney, dry-roasted peanuts, chopped hard-boiled egg, sweet pickle relish, crushed pineapple, flaked coconut, mandarin oranges, chopped scallions, chopped crisp-cooked bacon, chopped olives, raisins, yogurt, and orange marmalade
1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Increase the heat to medium-low, add the apples, onions, and garlic and cook gently, stirring frequently, until the onions start to become translucent, a few minutes. Stir in the curry powder, flour, mustard powder, salt, paprika, thyme, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cook and stir occasionally for a few more minutes, while you prepare the stock.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken stock and reserved shrimp shells and tails. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Strain the stock and discard the shells and tails.
3. Keeping the heat low, add the shrimp-flavored stock to the apple mixture, stirring well. When all the stock has been added, increase the heat to medium-high, stirring constantly, and add the ketchup and vermouth. Stir and cook until the mixture is thickened. Reduce the heat and add the cream, stirring well, until the mixture has heated through. Add the shrimp and stir and cook until the shrimp are heated through but not overcooked.
Makes 4 servings
Plantation Pilaf with Shrimp
—THE MAIN CORPSE—
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ pound yellow onions, halved and very thinly sliced (you should have 1¼ cups sliced onion)
Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook Page 13