Chicken Stock

Inspiration: B and I joined a meat CSA in November, and as part of our share each month, we get a whole chicken. Starting in March, we’re getting a larger share and will be receiving two whole chickens per month. That’s a lot of chicken, and it’s a lot of opportunity for homemade chicken stock! I imagine that I’ll be trying out several stock recipes, and this was our first one. I really think that it’s such a great thing to put every bit of a chicken that you eat to good use. The chicken meat itself  can make several meals, and the rest of the chicken can provide you with a freezer full of stock to use in future meals. I really don’t think that there’s a better way to appreciate your food and the animal that gave it to you than that.

What we Loved: B and I absolutely loved this chicken stock. It’s so flavorful, and it’s definitely much better than any stock that I’ve ever bought from the store. There are just layers of flavor, from the meaty and rich chicken flavor to the great herb taste of the rosemary and thyme. And this stock just smells wonderful, too! It really does have such a homemade, quality flavor that store-bought stocks don’t have.

Helpful Hints: If you use the chicken skin or other fatty parts of the chicken while making the stock (which I did here, throwing every little bit that I had into the pot), it will result in a fairly greasy stock. As advised in the original recipe, put the chicken stock into the fridge overnight to cool completely, and this will allow the grease to rise to the top and solidify a bit. Then you can scrape off most of the fat and separate your stock into smaller containers for freezing. For planning purposes, this recipe makes about 10-12 cups of stock. I bought a bunch of 2-cup storage containers, so that I could freeze my stock and take small portions out of the freezer as I needed them.

Chicken Stock
Source: Love and Olive Oil

I changed the recipe a bit. I omitted the celery, parsley, and madeira wine, and I changed some of the seasoning amounts. After eating our first meal with this chicken, I took the skin off the leftover meat, removed the meat from the bones, and shredded it for soup. We had a lot of extra clean bones and skin for this reason, so I threw them into the pot as well. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

1 whole chicken carcass (+ any extra bones, skins, etc., if desired)
Extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 gallon (16 cups) cold water

1. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large stock pot (I used an eight quart pot) over medium heat. Add the carrot and onion, and saute until softened and beginning to brown, approximately 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute.

2. Add the herbs and spices, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the chicken carcass and any extra chicken pieces. Pour in the water a cup at a time, filling to one inch below the rim of the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, until the liquid just begins to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the stock maintain a low, gentle simmer.

4. Simmer uncovered for 2-4 hours. Remove from the heat.

5. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot, discarding all of the solids. Allow the stock to cool completely until the fats separate. I cooled my stock in the refrigerator overnight.

6. Skim as much fat as you can from the surface of the stock.

7. Divide the stock into freezer-safe containers, and store in the freezer.

2010
02/08
CATEGORY
Chicken
Soups/Stews/Chili
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Superbowl with a Mexican Twist

With the Superbowl coming up, I know that I’ve been searching the internet for what I’d like to prepare. I’m going to make a hodge-podge of appetizers this year, both new recipes and old favorites, but I thought that I’d take a look through my own blog for some ideas for others, too. I’ve come up with a menu that’s a little bit different than your standard wings and chili - a  Mexican-themed meal that would work great at any Superbowl party!

I always think that it’s fun to have an assortment of appetizers at any celebration, even if it’s just B and me sharing them. Here are some of our favorites. These can be prepped ahead of time, which is my first requirement for party foods, and the quesadillas/mushrooms are vegetarian-friendly.

Baked shredded chicken taquitos

Zucchini, onion, and cheddar quesadillas

Mexican stuffed mushrooms

Along with some of the heavier appetizers, I always love having an assortment of dips for snacking, particularly with Mexican meals. These would all work really well with a nice supply of fresh tortilla chips. And again, they’re all great for making ahead and are vegetarian-friendly!

Guacamole

Refried beans

Pico de gallo

And for the main course, I always think that it’s a great idea to serve soups or chili. They’re something that you can make ahead of time, and they’re something that can sit safely in the crock pot all evening. And an assortment is always fun! I’ve included a few options for meat-eaters, as well as a vegetarian option.

White chicken chili

Chicken tortilla soup

Roasted red pepper and black bean soup

2010
02/02
CATEGORY
Event Menus
1 comment

Lime Butter Salmon with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Inspiration: I’ve mentioned before that I like to plan at least two seafood meals per week. I recently decided to make sure that one of those meals each week was a salmon meal,  so that means that I’m on the lookout for great salmon recipes! I have a few old favorites, like this seasoned salmon with dill, but I’ve found that I have many more whitefish recipes up my sleeve than I do salmon. So I’ve been hunting around and have a few new recipes in the queue.

What we Loved: Well, I can say right away that this salmon recipe was a huge success and will be added to our short list of favorites. It was just what I was looking for! The fish had a nice, crispy brown crust, and we absolutely adored the light and tart flavor of the lime combined with the richer flavor of the butter. The cauliflower rice was probably the best cauliflower rice I’ve made, and it was the absolute perfect compliment to the fish. It was incredibly light with the cilantro and lime flavors, and it soaked up the browned butter sauce from the fish so nicely. This entire meal tasted just like summer to me, and I mentioned to B that it would be perfect cooked on the grill and served up outside at our patio table alongside a caipirinha. Goodness. I’m counting down the days already.

Helpful Hints: This is a fantastically straightforward and simple weeknight dinner, so I really don’t have any advice other than to try out the cauliflower rice, if you haven’t! It’s incredibly light, healthy, and easy to make if you have a food processor, and I really prefer its delicate vegetable flavor to that of heavy white rice. Even if we were still eating carbohydrates, I think I’d use cauliflower rice instead, anyway!

Lime Butter Salmon with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Source: Salmon recipe adapted from The Deen Brothers

For the Fish
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small limes, + 1 small lime for serving
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 salmon filets

For the Rice
1 small head cauliflower, chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 small lime
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Add the butter and the juice of two small limes to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until melted.

2. Add the cauliflower to a pot, and steam until just cooked, approximately 5 minutes. Drain and keep warm in the covered pan.

3. Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Season both sides of each salmon filet with salt and pepper. Gently pour some of the lime butter over each side of the salmon, patting with your fingers, and then place the salmon in the pan. Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes per side, until the fish is cooked through and crispy on the edges.

3. While the salmon is cooking, use your ricing attachment on your food processor to grate the cauliflower. Add the cilantro, the juice of 1/2 lime, and some salt and pepper to the rice. Stir to combine.

4. Serve the cauliflower rice topped with the salmon. Drizzle a bit of any remaining lime butter over the salmon. Serve each plate with 1/2 lime to squeeze over the entire meal, if desired. The extra lime juice is highly recommended, because it really takes the lime flavor in this meal over the top!

2010
02/01
CATEGORY
Salmon
Seafood
3 comments

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Inspiration: It was another week, and B and I needed another soup to take to work for lunches!

What we Loved: The flavor of this soup was really fantastic. It was rich and earthy, full of the herby flavors of thyme and rosemary and the great earthiness of mushrooms. I really can’t think of a better word than earthy to describe this meal. And being finished with cream, I found this soup to be very filling, too! I could barely finish my lunch servings. I’ve really grown to love mushrooms over the past few years, and B has always loved them, so we both quite enjoyed the rich mushroom flavor that this soup had to offer.

Helpful Hints: Since mushrooms are the predominant ingredient in this soup, I wouldn’t give it a try unless you’re sure that you love them! It’s a mushroom meal through and through. That being said, if you do like mushrooms, then I can almost guarantee that you’ll love this soup! I used thyme and rosemary as my complimenting herbs, but the original recipe called for thyme and sage. Oregano or tarragon would also work well, I think, if you prefer those herbs. The soup will have a little bit of a different spin depending on which herbs you use, but the mushrooms are really the main flavor, so there’s some room to experiment.

Creamy Mushroom Soup
Source: Closet Cooking

I was trying to stretch the recipe, so I used more mushrooms than called for. I also changed the herbs and decided not to roast the mushrooms to save some time. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

Extra virgin olive oil
24 oz baby portabella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups stock (I used chicken, but use vegetable to keep this recipe vegetarian)
1 cup heavy cream

1. Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspooon of the thyme, and salt and pepper. Saute until the water released from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown, approximately 15-20 minutes.

2. While the mushrooms are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, and cook until softened, approximately 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, additional teaspoon of thyme, and rosemary to the pot with the onions. Cook for an additional minute.

4. Add the mushrooms and the stock, and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a food processor.

6. Mix in the heavy cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  I ended up adding about a teaspoon of salt in total, but make sure to add the salt slowly and adjust to your preference.

2010
01/29
CATEGORY
Mushrooms
Soups/Stews/Chili
Vegetarian
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Salsa Baked Goat Cheese

Inspiration: I first saw this recipe on Chaos in the Kitchen a while back, and the idea of goat cheese baked with salsa really surpised me and appealed to me. After all, if I had to pick one single food as my favorite, goat cheese might be it.  I usually think of using goat cheese in Italian dishes, though, and I had never thought to pair it with salsa. While I was planning a spread of Mexican appetizers for B and I, I ran across the recipe again on Rick Bayless’ website. I guess it was fate ;)

What we Loved: This recipe was really simple and only took five minutes to throw together, so I wasn’t really expecting it to be over-the-top amazing. But let me tell you, I was tempted to kick back on the couch with this bowl in my lap and eat the whole thing with a spoon. This was probably the best dip that I’ve ever had. I used Frontera Grill’s guajillo salsa, which is a bit on the thinner side rather than being a very chunky salsa, and it bubbled up beautifully and mixed itself right into the cheese, which got very creamy and melty. In the end, this turned out to be a creamy, tomatoey, cheesy blend that oozed together into the perfect dip. The particular salsa that I used also had a nice sweetness to it, which was the perfect compliment to the rich cheese.

Helpful Hints: You can use any type of salsa that you’d like , but I’d recommend a thinner salsa to get the same effect of a gooey, melty dip. If you use a chunky salsa, it may not melt into the cheese as much. I do recommend the Frontera Grill Guajillo salsa, not only for its consistency, but for that incredible sweetness that I really enjoyed.

Salsa Baked Cheese

Source: Chaos in the Kitchen, originally from Rick Bayless

I made this recipe even simpler by forgetting to the toast the pine nuts and forgetting the cilantro garnish, and it was still amazing. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

1/4 cup pine nuts
4 oz goat cheese
3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup salsa

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix the goat cheese, cream cheese, and pine nuts together. Scoop the mixture into the center of an ovenproof baking dish, forming it into a ball.

3. Spoon the salsa around the cheese.

4. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until heated through. Serve with crackers, chips, or vegetables for dipping.

2010
01/27
CATEGORY
Appetizers and Tapas
3 comments

Mexican Stuffed Mushrooms

Inspiration: On my list of favorite appetizers, stuffed mushrooms are way up there. There are countless recipes for them, and I’ve loved nearly every one that I’ve tried. That being said, when I ran across these Mexican stuffed mushrooms, I knew that they would be perfect for our football-watching Mexican appetizer spread. And as an aside, I’ll be blogging my absolute favorite recipe – creamy shrimp and bacon stuffed mushrooms - just as soon as I get the chance to make them again!

What we Loved: These stuffed mushrooms tasted just like tacos. It was amazing, especially considering that they were vegetarian. I couldn’t quite believe how much they reminded me of the traditional beef, cheddar, and lettuce taco that everyone loves. All of the vegetables were mixed with a nice helping of chili powder, cumin, and colby jack cheese, which is what really gave these that wonderful taco flavor. I especially loved how the gooey cheese held everything together!

Helpful Hints: Make sure to cook your mushrooms long enough so that a lot of the moisture from the mushrooms can escape. The baking dish will be quite watery when you take them out, but that’s a good thing! I think that this recipe would also work fabulously using large portabella mushroom caps for a main dish.

Mexican Stuffed Mushrooms
Source: Pots and Plots

I made a few changes to the recipe. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

12-15 baby portabella mushrooms
Extra virgin olive oil
Approximately 2 inches of a small zucchini, very finely chopped
1/2 small vidalia onion, very finely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt (using more or less to taste)
2-3 oz colby cheese, finely grated

1. Clean the mushrooms, and remove and finely chop the stems. Place the mushrooms cap side down in a baking dish.

2. Add a drizzle of olive oil to a small saute pan. Add the chopped mushroom stems, zucchini, onion, and bell pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and most of the liquid is gone. Add the garlic, and saute for 30 seconds more.

3. Season the vegetable mix with the cumin, chili powder, and salt.

4. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the cheese.

5. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the mushrooms are softened and browned.

2010
01/25
CATEGORY
Appetizers and Tapas
Mushrooms
4 comments

Cherry Tomato Bites

Inspiration: Our football team is the Cowboys, and with the NFL playoffs in full swing, B and I thought it would be fun to have a big appetizer spread to watch our team play this past Sunday. And these were just too cute for me to pass up! Unfortunately for us, our team decided not to show up for the game, but the food sure was good :)

What we Loved: What I loved most about these appetizers was how pretty and tasty they looked! I just loved the bright and healthy vegetable colors. And the taste was great, too! The flavors of  fresh tomato, citrusy pepper pesto, and hearty mozzarella worked so well together and provided for a light and refreshing snack.  

Helpful Hints: Our appetizer spread had a Mexican theme, so I used a cilantro yellow pepper pesto that I had leftover in the freezer from this recipe to give these tomatoes a nice Mexican twist. I think that they would be really great, though, with traditional pesto or with any other type of pesto or spread that you prefer!

Cherry Tomato Bites
Source: Adapted from Zoe

1 container cherry tomatoes
1-2 oz mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons pesto

1. Cut a small slit off of the bottom of each tomato, which will allow the tomato to sit upright. Then cut a bigger slit from the top of each tomato. Using a knife, cut out the inside of the tomato, and then use your fingers to remove all of the extra seeds.

2. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes, cutting one cube for each tomato.

3. Add the pesto to a bowl. Toss the mozzarella cubes in the pesto to coat.

4. Fill each tomato with one mozzarella cube and a bit of the pesto.

5. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

2010
01/20
CATEGORY
Appetizers and Tapas
2 comments

Roasted Pepper Soup

Inspiration: After all of the rush of the holidays and a busy end to 2009, one of the things that I’ve been enjoying in 2010 is having some time at home on the weekends. I’ve gotten into the habit of making B and I a batch of soup on Saturday or Sunday that we can take for lunches during the week. So I may be posting a few more soup recipes than usual from here on out, at least while it’s still winter!

What we Loved: I really enjoyed the simplicity of this soup and the subtlety of the flavor. If you haven’t had roasted bell peppers before, they taste completely different than raw bell peppers or even bell peppers that have been cooked in a different way. They have a very distinct and delicious charred flavor, and that’s exactly what this soup tasted like. It was rich with that pepper flavor and just a tiny touch of sweetness from the buttermilk. And I couldn’t help but think how healthy I was being as I ate a bowl of this vegetable-packed soup and a salad for lunch. 

Helpful Hints: I think that this soup would be great with a dollop of sour cream, as mentioned in the original recipe, or with some nice cubes of avocado and pepperjack cheese. Also, the original recipe called for the skins to be removed from the peppers after broiling, but I left them on so that they would give the soup even more of that roasted pepper flavor.

Roasted Pepper Soup
Source: A Good Appetite

I doubled this recipe and changed it just a bit to suit my tastes. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

6 large bell peppers (I used two red, two yellow, and two orange)
1 large jalapeno
Extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
3 stems thyme, stems removed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
5 cups vegetable or chicken stock (using vegetable stock to keep this recipe vegetarian)
2 cups milk or buttermilk (I used one cup of buttermilk and one cup of skim milk)

1. Preheat the broiler, and line a baking sheet with foil. Cut the bell peppers and the jalapeno in half, removing the stems and seeds. Place them on the foil, and broil until charred, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and let cool.

2. While the peppers are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, and saute until tender. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute. Add the salt, thyme, red pepper flakes, and broth, and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the peppers, and let cook for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Add the buttermilk/milk, and gently heat to serving temperature.

2010
01/18
CATEGORY
Soups/Stews/Chili
Vegetarian
1 comment

Pork, Chorizo, and Mushroom Stew

Inspiration: B bought me the most fabulous slow cooker for Christmas. My last slow cooker, which I really loved, was a really nice (or so I thought!) Kitchenaid slow cooker whose ceramic pot cracked all the way down the middle one day while I was cooking a nice pot roast. And after only 10-15 uses! Needless to say, I was really upset with the fact that it broke and with Kitchenaid’s customer service, and I had to resort to using my old, pretty terrible crockpot for at least a year because I didn’t want to spend the money to replace my nice one. So this past Christmas, B hooked me up with a fabulous All-Clad cooker that has an aluminum insert that’s also safe to use on the stovetop and in the oven, which means crock pot cooking all in one pot, with no worry of a cracking ceramic insert! I didn’t even know such a thing existed, and I’m still unnaturally excited about it :) B showed me this recipe on the Williams Sonoma site that made use of the all-in-one pot functionality, so we spent a nice Sunday afternoon changing the recipe to suit our tastes and creating a lovely, Sunday night stew.

What we Loved: What didn’t we love about this stew? It was incredible. It made our home smell so delicious and hearty all day long as it cooked, and the end result was an intensely flavorful stew with fall-apart pork pieces, ridiculously tender chorizo pieces, and a rich and earthy sauce. The sauce was particularly enjoyable because it contained all of the flavor from the vegetables and garlic, as well as all of the juices and fats from the three different types of meats that cooked in it. And I just loved the rich red color! We put the whole cloves from a entire head of garlic in the stew, and they ended up with a softened, roasted garlic flavor that I really enjoyed. A clove on my spoon with a bit of the sauce was a little piece of heaven! I was also very surprised by the chorizo, which was more tender than I ever thought it could be. All-in-all, this was a very meaty, filling, and wonderful stew that was so perfect for a cold Sunday evening.

Helpful Hints: As B was cooking the bacon, which is the first step of the process and which renders the fat in which to cook the pork and vegetables, we realized that our bacon wasn’t very fatty (as far as bacon goes, anyway) and wasn’t rendering enough fat. So, we added some of the discarded pork fat to the pot with the bacon, and this browned up wonderfully and added plenty of extra fat and flavor to the pot.

Pork, Chorizo, and Mushroom Stew
Source: Adapted from Williams Sonoma

We used the cassoulet recipe as a base and changed it to suit our preferences and make a stew. Here’s what we did.

4 oz bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
2-3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (I used a picnic roast), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 medium yellow onions, chopped
24 oz baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 28 oz can peeled Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 cups chicken broth
24 oz Spanish chorizo links, sliced
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1. Add the bacon pieces to a saute pan or dutch oven (I used the stovetop-safe insert of my crockpot). Heat over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned, approximately 7-8 minutes. Remove the bacon  from the pot and set aside.

2. Add half of the pork to the pot and brown it on all sides, approximately 7-8 minutes total. Transfer the cooked pork to a platter, and repeat with the remaining pork.

3. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pot. Cook until all of the water releases from the mushrooms and evaporates, approximately 15-20 minutes.

4. When the mushrooms have started to brown, add the wine, and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, and broth.

5. Remove the pot from the heat, and add the pork, chorizo, garlic cloves, and reserved bacon.

6. If you aren’t using a stovetop-safe crockpot insert, transfer the contents of the pot to your crockpot insert. Cook on low for 9-10 hours, until the pork pulls apart with a fork.

2010
01/16
CATEGORY
Mushrooms
Pork
Sausage
Soups/Stews/Chili
1 comment

Mahi-Mahi alla Fiorentina

Inspiration: B and I are always looking for new fish recipes. We love seafood of any type, and it’s one of the healthiest things that you can eat. I always plan at least one fish recipe per week, though I try to make it two.

What we Loved: I was really pleasantly surprised by this meal. Marinara sauce doesn’t exactly seem like a very good compliment to fish, does it? But the recipe looked and sounded really good to me on a particular day, so I threw it on the menu. And I’m so glad that I did, because I’m sure that it will become one of my staple fish recipes. I loved it! Mahi-mahi is a fairly heavy fish, almost like chicken or a steak, so the rich marinara sauce wasn’t too overpowering but really complimented the fish well. Since the fish was cooked so simply, the sauce really added some necessary and great flavor. I mentioned to B that this meal tasted like something that you would get in an Italian restaurant. And it’s so incredibly simple to make! I served this with some broccolini that I steamed and then sauteed in butter, and it was really the perfect side dish. What a great Italian meal!

Helpful Hints: I used my own marinara sauce in this recipe, but if you don’t have any on hand, Giada provides a really simple sauce in the original recipe that I’m sure would work beautifully.

Mahi-mahi alla Fiorentina
Source: Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

2 mahi-mahi filets
Kosher salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup marinara sauce (I used leftover sauce that I had in the freezer from this recipe)
5-6 basil leaves, thinly sliced

1. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, and then add the fish. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until the fish is browned and cooked through.

2. While the fish is cooking, heat the marinara sauce in a small sauce pan.

3. Serve the fish over the marinara sauce and topped with the sliced basil leaves.

2010
01/15
CATEGORY
Mahi-Mahi
Seafood
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