This is a super – quick flavorful dish that makes an easy delicious one pot meal.
3 tbsp honey 3/4 tsp black pepper kosher salt 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1.5 tsp ground tumeric 1 pound(ish) skinless chicken thighs (I’ve also made with boneless skinless breasts and it is just as good) 1 tbsp coconut or canola oil 1.5 bunches of asparagus trimmed and sliced in 1 inch slices at an angle 1 tsp soy
In a small bowl stir together 1/4 cup water with the honey, pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, turmeric, and 1tsp salt. Add the chicken and toss until all pieces are well coated.
In a deep 10 inch non-stick skillet heat the oil over medium-high. Add chicken and cook until golden brown 2-30 minutes per side. Add the asparagus and stir to combine 1-2 minutes, salt to taste.
Add honey mixture and cook until sauce has thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add soy sauce. Serve over rice.
This is so much fun to make and so delicious, although a little bit of work. Like everyone else said the sauce is what makes the dish and don’t skimp on the sauce! I didn’t have any basil on hand so I used fresh pesto which was a delicious substitution.
SAUCE (my version):
2 Large red bell peppers, seeds and stems removed, cut in quarters 1 small tomato halved 4 TBSP olive oil salt and pepper 2 heads of garlic, tops trimmed just enough to expose the cloves 3/4 TBSP red wine vinegar 1/2 Jalepeno pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the peppers and tomato with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a baking tray. Drizzle the garlic heads with a little oil, and wrap tightly in tin foil, and place on the sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or until the pepper skins are well charred. Remove from oven and place tomatoes and peppers in tupperware container for 5-10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove from container and peel the skins off the peppers and tomatoes. Put peppers, tomatoes, garlic (squeeze out the garlic cloves), vinegar, salt and a good grind of pepper in the blender and pulse with 3 TBSP of oil until smooth.
COUSCOUS PIE:
1 1/3 cup water 1 1/2 cup israeli couscous 10 scallions olive oil 4 packed cups of baby spinach 1 cup greek plain yogurt 1 cup coarsely grated mozzarella 1/2 cup romano 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 large eggs 2 cloves garlic 1/2 TBSP ground coriander 1/4 cup basil pesto
Boil water and add couscous and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat.
Cut scallions in half and toss with 1/3 TBSP of olive oil. Heat a saute pan on high and toss scallions for 4 minutes on high heat until charred. Remove from pan and lower heat to medium-high then saute spinach until just wilted (about 1 minute). Chop 3/4 of scallions and add to pan with spinach. Turn off heat and add couscous, yogurt, both cheeses, flour, eggs, coriander, pesto, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, and mix to combine.
Remove mixture to a bowl, clean skillet, then heat with 2-3 TBSP olive oil on medium-high. When pan is hot, put mixture in skillet and spread evenly around the bottom of the skillet. Cook on medium-low for 20 minutes. Using a spatula loosen the pie from the skillet and slide onto a plate. Put a little more oil in the pan then flip the pie back into pan and cook another 8 minutes. The pie flip is definitely the most difficult part of the recipe, and next time I do it I will follow the first step and brown for 20 minutes in a pan, but then flip it into a casserole dish and finish the other side at 350 in the oven.
Chop the remaining scallions and spread over the top and serve with pepper sauce.
I’m not sure where I was when everyone else was learning how to make this torte, but now that I’ve figured it out, I just can’t stop making it. I can wait for my friend to have a baby so I can make her one, or to be invited to a party (maybe a year from now post pandemic?) when I can impress with my cooking prowess. Because this is an impressive looking cake and something you want to share.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup flour (I use a mix of all purpose, whole wheat, and ground almonds)
1 tsp Baking Powder
8 black plums
Pinch of cinnamon
1/4 – 1/2 tsp lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut all the plums in half lengthwise and remove the pits. cut each half in half again lengthwise depending on the size of the plums. Take one plum and cut in thin slices to make a fan in the middle of your torte. Put all the plums in a bowl and toss them with a sprinkle of sugar, cinnamon to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Meanwhile start creaming the butter, add the sugar, then vanilla, then eggs, one at a time. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and slowly add them to a greased 9” cake pan. The batter is kind of think and I used a spatula to spread it evenly around the pan.
The next part is the most fun, spreading the fruit in pretty patterns on top.
Pack the plums close together and arrange decoratively over the batter. Sprinkle a little sugar on the top before sticking in the oven.
My oven is a little hot and I turn it a little lower than 350 and cook for 45 minutes. I recommend checking on it at 40 minutes. The batter puffs up around the fruit which sinks into the cake. Let cool before eating!
Sheet pan harissa chicken has become a regular on our family menu and this recipe provides a refreshing alternative. I had a large salmon fillet (about 2 lbs) that I sliced in 5 two-inch wide slices, which I marinated in 3 Tbs harissa, 1 clove garlic, 2 Tsp ginger, 1/2 Tsp zest from one clementine, 1/4 cup orange juice while I prepared the other ingredients.
I cut up 4 smallish yellow potatoes into 1.5 inch chunks, and two small red onions. This is more than the recipe calls for but they are so good- why stick to one pound? Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, then place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, leaving room for your salmon fillets.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees then roast the potatoes and onions for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes remove the pan from the oven then add the salmon, skin side down, and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Top with chopped scallions and cilantro. Enjoy!
I’ve never made bread before, and like so many quarantined foodies this seemed like a good time to try. This is really a miracle bread- I even go both my kids to make it- we’ve made 5 loaves so far! It’s very easy and forgiving.
Step 1:
Mix 3 cups flour, 1 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp instant yeast in a large bowl with your hands. Then add 1 5/8 cup water and mix to incorporate with your hands. It will be sticky. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit somewhere warmish for 12-16 hours.
At the end of step 1 the dough looks like this.
Step 2
Your dough should have expanded and bubbled. Cover a flat working surface and your hands with plenty of flour. Lay a dish towel next to your working area and cover it with cornmeal. Using a spatula pour the risen dough onto your floured work surface. Pat some flour on top so it’s not too sticky to handle. Stretch one side of the dough out then fold it over the top and give it a pat. Do this on all four sides. Then pick up the whole dough and put it on your cornmeal covered towel. Fold the towel over and let sit for 1.5 hours.
Step 3
1 hour after covering the dough above turn on your over to 450 degrees and stick a 6 quart Dutch oven in it to warm for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes pull it out, remove the lid, and dump your dough on the bottom. You can shake it a little if it doesn’t land straight. Put the lid back on and return to oven for 1/2 hour. After a half hour remove the lid and cook another 5-15 minutes to desired shade of brown. Remove and cool on a rack. Voila!
My next project is to try to add black cured olives to the above and make olive bread. I’ll let you know how that goes.
This was an impromptu side dish using ingredients from the cupboard that was a huge success.
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup Israeli Couscous
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 can Garbanzo Beans
1 package of chopped spinach
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil and cook couscous according to the package directions. Simmer for no more than 10 minutes – you want to err on the side of al dente.
Meanwhile thaw the spinach in a pan over medium heat then set aside.
Sauté onions 3 minutes on medium high heat until softened. Add chickpeas and cook 5 more minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir well to combine.
Mix in couscous and spinach. Serve warm with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Enjoy!
I made this salad last night and it is now my favorite. The combination of creamy yogurt, tart lemon, and crunchy vegetables and pita are my dream salad combo. I made a few modifications as noted below:
For the Salad:
-4 Persian cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and chopped in moon shaped slices
-1 lb grape tomatoes sliced in half
-6 scallions sliced thin, white and light green sections
-1/2 cup chopped parsley
-1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
-White inside leaves of head of romaine sliced thin
-4 cups of chopped arugula
For the Dressing:
-1 clove of garlic minced
– Juice of one lemon (approx 1/4 cup)
– 1/4 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup of plain yogurt
For the Topping:
1 pita bread toasted and cut into matchstick shaped pieces.
Mix all the salad ingredients. In a separate jar or bowl mix the dressing ingredients and let sit so the garlic permeates. Toast and cut the pita then let cool. Toss the salad ingredients with about half the dressing then slowly add more to taste. I had about 1/3 cup left over. Salt and pepper to taste. Add pita and toss again before serving. Enjoy!
I was looking forward to making this dish all week. I was a little nervous about it because of all the comments from NYT Cooking readers who complained of the sauce being too watery and the dish too salty. The recipe omits measurements in some key steps so I’m going to reproduce it below with my measurements and modifications. One note is that this is a fairly labor intensive recipe which produces only enough for one meal. You might want to consider doubling the recipe because the dish could have a great afterlife in a meat pie or over rice or just on its own!
Cut 6 slices of bacon in thin strips and brown over medium high heat until crispy.
Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and put in 2 lbs of bone-in chicken thighs, skin down. Brown over medium heat then turn and brown the other side, about 3-4 mins each side.
Remove the chicken and all but 3 Tbsp oil from the pan.
Add 2 cups chopped fennel and 1 chopped medium onion and cook until the vegetables soften and start to turn golden. Add 6 sprigs of fresh thyme and cook 1 more minute. Sprinkle in 1 Tbsp all purpose flower and stir well to integrate.
Pour in 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add the bacon and chicken back to the pan and pour in 1 cup of water. Partially cover and simmer about 45 minutes.
Remover the chicken to a plate to cool and take off the lid, allowing the sauce to reduce another 5 minutes. Meanwhile remover the skin and bones from the chicken and shred.
Add 1/3 cup half and half to the broth and reduce another 2 minutes. Add back the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley.
I’ve never made biscuits before and don’t have a pastry cutter, but these were delicious- I would definitely make them again. I made a few adjustments based on comments from other readers:
In a large bowl mix:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar (not 3)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 large clove of garlic minced (instead of garlic powder)
1 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp paprika (Hungarian sweet)
Add:
1/2 cup of cold butter cut in small pieces.
I used my hands to fully coat and make sure the butter was divided in pea-sized pieces
Add 1 1/2 cups graded sharp cheddar to mixture and stir with wooden spoon.
Wish 1 cup buttermilk (I used half and half) and 1 large egg. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in milk/egg mixture. Stir in with a wooden spoon – do not use your hands.
Preheat oven to 375 and put racks on top and bottom third of oven.
Spoon dough on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with
Melted butter, then put more grated cheese on top of each biscuit.
Bake for 15 minutes, remove and brush again with melted butter, then rotate pans between the oven racks and cook another 5 minutes.
Brush one more time with butter, then let cool before eating.
This is an original recipe made with odds and ends in the fridge and cupboard that I threw together last night. It was a huge hit and super easy to make so I thought I’d share.
INGREDIENTS
1 yellow onion sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
Large bunch of greens (I used collards) sliced
1 pound pork sausage
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can canelloni beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat a skillet over medium high and brown your sausage. Slice in half inch slices and cook the slices another 2 minutes then set aside. In the oil from the sausage cook the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the collard greens and put a lid on the pan for 2-3 minutes until the greens start to wilt. Add the garlic and a teaspoon of salt (to taste) and cook another 3-4 minutes until the greens have all wilted but are not quite fully cooked.
Strain the beans and diced tomatoes and add to the pan with the sliced sausage. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. (I’m a fan of crunchy greens but if you like things soft you may need to simmer longer. Be sure to taste as you cook- it’s the only real way to see if things are done!)
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