BBQ Chicken and Chipotle Baked Beans
I picked up some bone-in chicken breasts last week that are huge. One of them could do dinner for the three of us. I cooked two.
Good ol' bone-in breasts. They really do taste so much better than the boneless/skinless things I usually buy. And I buy good boneless/skinless things. I remember when chicken was actually more expensive than beef and when all chicken had bones in it. They didn't need to be labeled "free range" because they all were. That was before the factory-farming of today. So much for progress.
But this isn't supposed to be a political rant on the sorry state of our food supply. It's actually a victory post! Nonna ate spicy tonight!
I knew all day long that I was grilling these big ol' chicken breasts - and that I was going to make my sister's chipotle baked beans to go along with them. These are seriously the only baked beans I ever make. They totally rock.
When I started making them, Victor came in and asked if I was going to make them less spicy for Nonna. I said "Nope." They really can be a spicy dish, but I figured if she didn't like them, there were other things to fill up on. I put a goodly amount on her plate along with tomato salad, fries, and the aforementioned chicken.
She took her first bite and said "these are hot." I mischievously asked "temperature or spice?" She said "spicy" and continued eating them. She said they were spicy another two times - all the while eating them. She ate every one and cleaned her plate!
So we now know that Nonna likes spicy. Or, at least, she likes Phoebe's Spicy Baked Beans!
Phoebe's Baked Beans
- 1/2 cup minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, chopped
- 2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans
Preheat oven to 300°.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients (except beans.). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.
First change I make is I always use a small can of tomato paste because on the rare occasion that I have tomato puree in the house - it's in a 28oz can. The recipe can be halved or doubled - or tripled or whatever.
And they really are that good!
The rest of the dinner worked, as well. A simple tomato salad - Nonna really does like [red] tomatoes - with a bit of fresh basil, red wine vinegar, and olive oil, and some fries.
I wonder how she would react to some really good andouille sausage...?!?
Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Tonight's dinner is brought to you by my lovely sister-in-law, Debbie.
I've taken to planning meals a bit more, nowadays, and the first place I start is right here on this website. There are so many recipes here, it's almost scary. Besides the almost 8 years of blog posts, there are 5 cook books and two other recipe collections - well over 3000 recipes, with more to come. Lots of yumminess.
I started looking through the first family reunion book and there was a recipe from Debbie for a ricotta-stuffed chicken breast that I actually hadn't made before! Debbie is such a good cook and I've made many of her recipes in the past - one of my favorites being Zucchini Parmesan Chicken. Totally yum and really easy to do. I really miss just living a few blocks away from them. The good ol' days...
What's fun, though, is finding one of these recipes and remembering the fun we've shared. And trust me... we have shared some fun times! While I'm sure the statute of limitations has probably run out on most of them, let's just leave it at we've shared some fun times...
And meals. It really was fun just living a few blocks from them for much of the '90s. By that point we had all gotten reasonable respectable and shared season tickets to the Giants as well as meals. Fun.
I made a couple of tweaks because I only did three breasts, but here's Debbie's recipe. It really is good - Nonna ate all of hers. Speaking of... I found out tonight that Nonna doesn't like asparagus. Cybil was pleased. Actually, Cybil was pleased and we really don't know how much Nonna actually eats because as soon as she sits down, she starts feeding Cybil under the table. We mention it, she ignores us, so we're just cutting back on the food we feed her. Otherwise, we'll have a 400 pound dog in no time...
Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1-10 oz, package chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 6-8 chicken breasts, boned, but skins intact
Combine all ingredients except chicken. Carefully pound chicken breasts. Separate skin from chicken and stuff with cheese mixture. Secure with toothpick. Dot with butter. Bake with skin side up at 350 for about 45-50 minutes. Baste 2-3 times while baking.
I didn't use an egg because I made such a minuscule amount of filling, and, obviously from the picture, didn't use a skin-on chicken breast. I rubbed them with olive oil. They came out great.
My stomach is smiling. And so am I...
Grillin' Weather
The Weather Channel says it hit 82° here, today. Gonna be 80+° tomorrow. I'm rather liking the unseasonable warm weather after the cold we've had, but it's not going to stay. That snowstorm in the midwest is heading our way and we should see the mid- '50s by Friday. Or so they say. Ya never really know what's going to happen around here. If ya want to know the weather, look outside. The forecasters never seem to get it right. But it was nice - and the heater was finally turned off. Nonna had her sweater on all day, but she wasn't freezing.
I was loving it! With windows wide open and a lovely breeze, it was heaven. And heaven means grilling.
We grill year-round, but there's something special about that first good weather cook-out. And tonight it tasted extra-special-good.
The chicken was marinated in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and smoked paprika. I'm still trying to learn Nonna's tastes and have toned things down a lot since she moved in. I'm probably being unnecessarily cautious, because she has eaten everything put in front of her, but I do want to make sure she likes what she's eating. I'm funny that way.
We did have an "aha" moment with the butternut squash tonight. I know she doesn't like pumpkin and wasn't sure if it would carry over to other squash. I peeled and cubed a butternut squash, drizzled it with olive oil, garlic, S&P, and a bit of sage. I thought savory might be a better introduction. She loved it and ate quite a good helping. I was pleased because in the fall and winter we tend to do squash a lot.
I'm also finding that if I serve things family style, she will take minuscule amounts of things and that's that. If I plate things up, she will pretty much clean her plate. I had thought that serving things family style would at least give her the appearance of having a little control over what she eats, but she seems to eat better when it's plated for her. Of course, either way entails giving a lot to Cybil under the table. What can ya do?!?
We finished off the plates with some of the salads from the other night. Nonna really liked the macaroni salad. I had the bean and beef, Victor had macaroni, as well. Nothing too heavy. Perfect for the weather.
So, it was another successful meal. And we still have apple pie...
Ravioli and Other Italian Dishes
It's been a while since I sat down and wrote a blog post. It's not that we stopped eating - perish the thought! It's just that life has a way of catching up once in a while.
Right after my last post, we decided it was time to ask Victor's mom to move in with us. She's pushing 87, and just not as quick on her feet as she used to be.
We brought her over for a few days to get used to the idea and see how she liked being pampered and waited on hand-and-foot.
We cooked her 'ronies and meat sauce, and chicken cutlets with a nice salad...
I started cooking and made several things that were portioned and frozen for quick lunches... Onion soup, breaded chicken strips, pasta sauce... A big fruit salad. Things that Victor could quickly prepare even with his phone headset on.
She had her quarterly Dr appointment coming up, so she said she'd make a decision after seeing him. We went in to see her primary care Dr, he decided she wasn't doing as well as she should, and he sent us over to the hospital for tests. That was a 4-day stay that pretty much determined she should come live with us. They released her to a rehab facility for some physical therapy to get her legs working better, and we went to work.
Our normally boring, quiet lives got really busy, really fast. Moving mom in with us entailed more than just putting her in the guest room. The guest room needed to be transformed into her room. We had to empty out our furniture to fit in hers. The basement I cleaned so well got really full, really fast. I'm going to have to get down there and organize, again. One of these days.
And closet space. Thank goodness we had just done a closet clean-out! We're still a little cramped, but we'll sort it all out.
There's a million-and-one details that need attending when you undertake something like this - and more things become apparent halfway through others. Fortunately, we have plenty of family support with Victor's brother and sister, and our neighbor is a geriatric social worker with one of the better services in town. We're getting the in-home visits set up as soon as we learn just what she's going to need. The paperwork has already been started.
So this past week, more meals have been taken standing up in the kitchen, than at any time since we moved here. Saturday - the day we were supposed to have dear friends arriving for a 4-day birthday bash - saw us with the first meal I had cooked in a week - Beef Braised in Guinness. I added potatoes to it this time to make it a one-pot meal.
And then it was early to bed and early to rise to move more furniture.
So meals are going to be changing a bit. I know mom's likes and dislikes pretty well, and will be catering towards some simpler menu items. The foods will be fresh, flavorful, and plentiful.
She deserves only the best.
Pasta and Fresh-Baked Bread
Pasta and fresh-baked bread two days in a row?!? You'd think I was married to an Italian. Oh. Wait. I am married to an Italian.
It started last might when I had to work late. I came home to bread fresh out of the oven and spaghetti with anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, and crushed red pepper on the stove.
I swooned.
The pasta dish is nothing short of spectacular. Even folks who would never dream of eating an anchovy love this one. There's no fishy taste. It's just an explosion of flavor.
The basic is about a quarter-cup of olive oil in a skillet. Add a clove or two of minced garlic, and then maybe six anchovy fillets. The anchovies will pretty much dissolve into the oil. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes, and a bit of black pepper.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta. Drain it, reserving a half-cup or so of the pasta water. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and mix well. Add a bit of the cooking water if the pan is too dry.
Stir in some freshly-grated parmesan or romano cheese, and mangia!
It is fresh-bread-dunking-good!
The bread is a James Beard loaf. It only proofs once, so it's one that can be on the table in just a couple of hours.
James Beard Bread
- 2 package of active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (100-115 degrees)
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 egg white beaten with 1T water
- course salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds
In a large mixing bowl combine yeast and sugar. Let proof about 5 minutes. Add oil and 1/4 cup water. Mix.
Add salt. Add 1/2 cup of flour and continue mixing. Slowly add remaining flour.
Knead for several minutes until the dough springs back and is satiny and smooth. It is a fairly wet dough.
Form into a loaf about 20 to 22 inches long, let loaf rest about 20 minutes.
Brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with salt or seeds.
Bake in a 300° oven about 55 minutes.
Tonight, I had some chicken and decided I wanted ravioli - but not in a tomato sauce. A creamy red pepper sauce was what I came up with.
I sauteed two cut-up chicken breasts in a bit of olive oil. When they were partly done, I added two red peppers I had cut in strips. Next went a clove of minced garlic. When the chicken was cooked, I added about a half-cup of white wine and let it cook down. Next went a cup of chicken broth. When it was hot, I added about a half-cup of cream and about a cup of shredded assiago cheese. I then added about a teaspoon of Spanish paprika. We are the paprika kings with smoked Spanish paprika, Hungarian sweet paprika, Hungarian hot paprika, and Spanish sweet paprika. I thought sweet was best for this one...
A bit of black pepper, and then I thickened it with a pinch of cornstarch mixed with water.
I cooked up some cheese ravioli, mixed it all together, and called it dinner!
It came out really pretty - and tasted pretty good, as well. More of Victor's bread from last night and we had ourselves another feast!
Start with a Chicken
It starts with a chicken. A whole chicken. And a pot.
It's clean-out-the-freezer-time and I had a chicken and a container of chicken stock taking up valuable real estate. It was time to put them to use.
Simmering a chicken on the stove is one of the most satisfying things you can do. The possibilities are truly endless! From soups and stews to salads and sandwiches, there are just a zillion things to do.
With this chicken, I did three.
First was yesterday's chicken soup. I put the frozen stock in a soup pot and melted it all down. Then, I added the whole, frozen chicken. The giblet bag was still in it. I added water to cover everything, brought it to a boil, and then let it simmer - for hours. When it had thawed enough to take out the giblet bag, I did - and then added everything but the bag back to the pot. Over the course of the afternoon, I added more water now and again to keep the chicken submerged.
When it reached its falling-off-the-bone stage, I took it out and strained the broth.
Into the pot went 1 andouille sausage that I diced, and 1 onion, minced. When they were looking good, I added 2 cloves of minced garlic.I skimmed the fat from the broth and added it back to the pot.
And then I started building the soup.
First thing I did was pull all the meat off the legs and thighs. I put the cooked breasts away for today.
Soups like this are clean out the refrigerator and/or use up what's in the house. It's no-rules cooking - if it's laying about, it goes into the pot. This batch had the leg and thigh meat, a few stalks of chopped celery, several chopped carrots, a can of drained and rinsed red beans, a half-bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and maybe a cup and a half of elbow macaroni I cooked separately, and then added. Spices were minimal - a bit of thyme because it goes well with both chicken and andouille, and salt and pepper. The sausage added enough flavor that I just didn't need a lot of other things competing with it. I always have frozen mixed veggies in the house. They're perfect for soups, pot pies, and the like.
A fresh loaf of bread and butter, and dinner was served...
I had the chicken breasts in the 'fridge, so tonight was Chicken Enchiladas Verde.
It's kinda hard to make an enchilada picture-worthy, but suffice to say, they tasted pretty damned good!
I started off with a can of green enchilada sauce. I know, I know... canned sauce... but it's pretty good stuff.
I shredded the chicken and added shredded cheeses. We had a bit of monterey jack, Italian truffle, and fontina. Not exactly queso fresco, but I wasn't going to buy more when we had this already in the house. I then added a can of chopped green chilis and a pinch of salt and pepper.
I heated the sauce, placed a corn tortilla in it to soften, and then added the filling, rolled them, and placed them in a casserole. I topped them with a bit more sauce, and then covered them and baked them at 350° for about 45 minutes. Refried black beans and black japonica rice finished the plate.
The third thing I made was some chicken salad.
Chicken, celery, onion, chopped pickle, mayo, salt and pepper. As basic as basic can be - and really, really good. Piled onto some nice toasted bread... It doesn't get much better.
Two dinners and three lunches. One chicken.
Not bad.
Rigatoni with Chicken and Cauliflower
Tonight's dinner came about through a combination of otherwise unrelated events.
The first was taking a couple of chicken breasts out of the freezer Saturday and then doing other things for dinner both Saturday and Sunday.
The second was catching part of Ciao Italia on PBS and seeing Mary Ann Esposito cooking up all sorts of different cauliflower recipes.
The third was I picked up yet another three boxes of pasta at the store today, to go with the six or seven varieties that were already in the cupboard. Considering Victor makes so much of our pasta, it's rather ridiculous to have four boxes in the house. Ten borders on insanely ludicrous.
I thought it prudent to come up with a pasta dish, tonight.
Unless you're doing individual breasts, chicken in a pasta sauce can get lost really easily. It needs other things to carry it along. I had the cauliflower because I had intentionally purchased it with no idea of what I was going to make with it - thank you, Mary Ann. I also had some roasted red peppers and some artichoke hearts.
A recipe formulated...
Rigatoni with Cauliflower and Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 head cauliflower
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- sm can artichoke hearts in water
- sm jar roasted red peppers
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
Saute chopped onion in a bit of olive oil. Add minced garlic and quickly saute. Add chicken breasts and barely brown.
Add 1 cup red wine and cook down to about a half-cup. Add cauliflower florettes, tomatoes, chopped artichoke hearts and chopped red peppers. Add a few red pepper flakes and S&P, as desired. bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer about and hour or until cauliflower falls apart.
Check for seasoning and add additional red pepper, salt, and pepper, as desired.
Serve over your favorite pasta.
Had I not had the chicken breasts that really needed cooking, this would have been a great vegetarian dish. The chicken was unnecessary. On the other hand, big ol' Italian sausages would really go well cooked in the sauce. It didn't need a lot of seasonings - the ingredients, themselves, did the trick.
I served it with a crusty and airy braided Sicilian bread I picked up at the store.
And I think there are cookies for dessert.
Chicken and Chevre
Tonight's dinner concept came about because I wanted chicken and cheese for dinner.
All day I toyed with different ideas - stuffing breasts with sausage and cheese, wrapping them in filo dough... There were ideas involving bacon... I even considered a chicken cheese-steak. I finally decided on wrapping the breasts in puff pastry after topping them with chevre. It was a good choice. And simple. Sometimes the most simple really is the best.
I cooked the chicken on top of the stove until it was about 90% done and let cool. I cut a puff pastry sheet in half and rolled it out a bit. I placed a hefty 1 ounce of herb chevre in the middle of each piece of dough, placed the chicken on top, and then folded everything together. It then went into a 425° oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, I made a simple mushroom sauce with fresh mushrooms and a bit of beef broth and heavy cream. Cooked arugula and rice finished off the plate. There were lots of contrasts in flavors and textures and not a lot of need for more herbs and spices because of the chevre and the sauce. Fun food.
Chicken with Cranberry Chipotle Sauce
Fresh cranberries are now available. I'm psyched. I just love those tart little things. They go with everything and you can do so much with them.
I've been making off-the-wall cranberry sauces forever. Raspberry, maple, cherry, apple... the possibilities really are endless. Tonight I decided to take it spicy. I made it with chipotle powder because somehow I ran out of chipotles in adobo, but you can use any chipotles you like in any amount you like. I like heat so I used a goodly amount. Your mileage may vary.
Cranberry Chipotle Sauce
- 1 12 oz bag cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cumin
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop and sauce thickens - 6 to 8 minutes.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
I served it warm over a grilled chicken breast, with sauteed brussels sprouts and rice. It was just smokey-hot enough. It would go great on a turkey sandwich!
Somewhere I have a recipe for a molded grappa cranberry sauce. Since we brought some grappa back from Italy, methinks I'm going to have to find it and make it for Thanksgiving! 17 days away!
Roast Chicken with Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Cauliflower
Clean-out-the-refrigerator meals can be so much fun!
I knew I was roasting a chicken but wasn't quite sure what to serve on the side. I had a couple of gold potatoes and a half-head of cauliflower that really needed using up. A can of plum tomatoes tied them together.
The chicken was a basic salt, pepper, sage and into the oven. When it came out, I set if off to the side and started the sauce:
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 gold potatoes. halved
- 1/2 head cauliflower, in large florettes
- 1 large can plum tomatoes in puree
- French herbs
- S&P
Chop onion and cook in the chicken fat until translucent. Add garlic and quickly stir. Add red wine and reduce by half. Add chicken broth, potatoes, cauliflower, French herbs, and S&P to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until potatoes are done.
Serve over chicken.
It was fun, it was filling, and it helped clean out the 'fridge so I could do more shopping today!
Butternut Squash and Spinach
Tonight's dinner is brought to you by spinach and butternut squash. Two of our more-favorite foods.
They're not foods I normally pair together, but they seem to be this season's new couple. I figured it was time to jump in and play.
My original thought was to just make a gratin of sorts, but my friend Marie suggested stuffing chicken breasts. I decided to do both. But with two different recipes.
Chicken Stuffed with Bacon, Butternut Squash, and Spinach
- chicken breasts
- bacon
- garlic
- butternut squash
- spinach
- chicken or beef broth
- sage
- S&P
Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness. Place in small oven-proof dishes.
Dice bacon and cook in fry pan until crisp. Drain off excess fat. Add minced garlic and thinly-sliced and diced butternut squash and cook about 3 minutes. Add about 1/4 cup broth - or wine or other liquid. Add spinach. Cook down. Add sage and cook just a minute more - until squash is fairly well-cooked. Check for seasoning and add S&P, as desired.
Stuff into chicken breast and bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes at 375°.
I resisted adding cheese because I added it to the gratin and I didn't want the two dishes to be the same, but you can easily add any type of cheese you like - from a blue or gorgonzola to parmesan or a melty cheese like fontina.
The second dish was a layered butternut squash and spinach gratin. I used a mandoline to slice the squash into thin pieces. A sharp knife and a steady hand will do the same.
Spinach and Butternut Squash Gratin
- butternut squash
- onion
- garlic
- spinach
- heavy cream
- pecorino romano cheese
- S&P to taste
Mince onion and garlic. Saute in skillet until translucent. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add a bit of heavy cream, shredded cheese, and a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Lightly grease casserole dish. Layer thinly-sliced butternut squash on bottom. Add one-fourth of spinach. Continue layering squash and spinach, ending with squash. Add a bit of S&P. Cover with foil and bake at 375° about 40 minutes.
Two ingredients. Two different dishes. One very easy meal.
Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms, Cranberries, and Pecans
'Tis the season for Brussels Sprouts!
I do realize that gastronomically speaking, I can be a bit strange. It's not really my fault, though. I blame my mother. The very first solid food I ate as an infant was a chili bean. Yes, I was a second child. As is typical, my mother was your basic neurotic with my older brother - the firstborn. By the time I came along three years later, she had relaxed, a bit.
That chili bean led to a life of gastronomic debauchery. My favorite vegetable growing up was the lowly brussels sprout. The came in a flat square box - Lady Lee brand - probably something like 10 boxes for a dollar. They were over-cooked little orbs of cabbageness. Fabulous.
Imagine my delight when I found fresh brussels sprouts that could be cooked in so many different ways than those frozen squares. Practically miraculous.
Yesterday I bought a huge stalk of fresh sprouts and tonight did a quick saute of sprouts, mushrooms and some other fun things. Served with creamy cheesy polenta and a simple chicken breast. Gastronomic Heaven.
Measurements are a bit loose because I just pulled a few off the stalk, but the method works for any amount.
Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms, Cranberries, and Pecans
- 2 cups brussels sprouts, sliced thin
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup broth
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Thinly slice sprouts. Add to skillet with a bit of olive oil and saute a few minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms begin to brown. Add broth, bring to boil, and then simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Drizzle a tsp of apple cider vinegar. Add cranberries and pecans. Heat through. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.
The chicken was started in a skillet and finished under the broiler. The polenta was 2 cuops of milk, 1/2 cup polenta, and when cooked, a bit of cheese stirred in.
Simple and tasty!