Garlic Chicken with Israeli CousCous "Casserole"

Hello All....I've been tardy in posting this because I'm trying to figure out how to add a tab at the end of my posts with the "printer friendly" version of my recipes but it is not as easy as I anticipated.  There are a few different ways of doing it so I'm in "research" mode....So, again, apologies!!


My mom made this recipe and I had some warmed up as leftovers and fell in love. It is very tasty and it's a CASSEROLE! I never like casseroles, so when I do stumble upon a good one, it tends to be a keeper.  This is going to seem like a lengthy meal and does have a few steps.  My suggestion is start it a day or two in advance or early in the day.  The chicken benefits from longer marinating time and you won't feel so bogged down by multiple steps.

A couple of notes before you start....be sure to have a LARGE saute pan to brown chicken or do it in batches.  My couscous is a lil' darker in color then it should be and this is because my chicken started to burn before it was sufficiently brown, therefore making my pan sauce darker. This will also allow your chicken to cook a bit longer in your pan and the cook time will not have to vary.

I did not take a million photo's with this dish...more because I was rushing through some of it and then I lost light....so maybe at a later date when I make again, i will update post with more photos....

Garlic Chicken with Israeli CousCous Casserole
Adapted from Anne Burrell on Food Network.

Chicken:

2 whole garlic bulbs
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 large bunch thyme, leaves only
1 tablespoon cumin
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 to 10 parts

CousCous:

Kosher salt
2 cups medium-size Israeli couscous
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced thin
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Large pinch saffron
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 to 3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 scallions, white and green, sliced thinly on the bias

Directions

Chicken:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wrap Garlic in tin foil and  roast them until they are soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool.

When the garlic bulbs are cool, slice the tops off and squeeze out the roasted garlic. Add the garlic to a food processor or a bowl, along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, cumin, crushed red pepper and salt, to taste. Add a little olive oil and puree or mash into a loose paste. Massage the mixture all over the chicken pieces and let sit for at least 1 hour.

Couscous:
Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil, over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook it until it's about 2/3 of the way cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and reserve.

Trader Joe's "mixed couscous"

 
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides. Remove it to a plate, drain the fat and add the onions and celery. Season with salt, to taste, and the crushed red pepper. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up all the crud on the bottom of the pan and cook the onions and celery for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the saffron, zucchini, cooked couscous, and chicken stock. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Transfer the mix to an ovenproof dish. Nestle the chicken, skin side up, in the couscous and cover with foil. Add some more chicken stock to keep everything nice and moist. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cover with foil. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, covered, then remove the foil and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes.(My chicken required longer cooking because of my "browning situation")
Remove the chicken from the oven CHECK TEMP OF CHICKEN and top with scallions before serving.

Enjoy!

Cheater Lasagna

My mother has been making her own meat sauce from scratch since I was a child.  It was perfectly sweet, acidic, meaty and garlicky.  Every time I would sit down and eat elbow macaroni, I would wonder, "How much sauce does this woman have frozen?  How does she always have sauce that takes more than 2 hours to make on hand?"  Eventually, I actually paid attention and realized, "Cheater Sauce."  She would dress up store bought sauce with additional ingredients but she also had a secret.

I'm about to spill the beans.......

MIX PREGO AND RAGU TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What? What? It's that simple?

These 2 sauces on there own are not so yummy.  One is too tomatoey, acidic and the other is too sweet. Once mixed together though....."OH, SWEET HARMONY"

Ok, I'm am being a little dramatic here.  They do need a lil' more dressing up than that but damn, you will be a happy camper knowing that there is no need for chopping, simmering, mixing, chopping, simmering...etc...


Lasagna is definitely one of those times, in which homemade sauce is NEVER needed (no matter how fancy.) This is my version of Cheater Lasagna.  Feel free to mess with your own ingredients and measurements.  Until today, I had never paid much attention to how much I used of anything so these are "guesstimates" at best.  Taste, taste, and taste some more...if it needs sugar, add sugar.  If it needs garlic, add garlic....You get my drift??!!

Cheater Lasagna

Meat:
1.5-2 lbs. ground beef
Evoo

Sauce:
1 Large (67oz) Prego
1 Large (67oz) Ragu
2 Carrots, left whole or cut into 2 large chunks

1 Celery stalk, left whole or cut into 2 large chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced
Evoo

Ricotta Mixture:
1 Ricotta cheese (15oz)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried parsley
1.5 t dried oregano
1 Egg


Lasagna Noodles
6 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded


Directions:
In a large skillet, heat 1 T evoo over Medium high heat until shimmering.  Add beef and brown.  Drain off the excess moisture.  Set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat 1 T evoo over medium heat and add minced garlic until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds.  Add both containers of sauce, prego and ragu.  Drop the carrot and celery in and allow to come to a simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer for as long as you want.  I usually go at least an hour.  Prior to mixing with meat be sure to remove carrots and celery stalk.  You can skip the carrot and celery step all together and simply add sugar.  Add a Tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired sweetness.

 

 

 

 

 

Empty container of Ricotta in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Add minced garlic, parsley and oregano.  Break Egg and mix thoroughly.  Place in refrigerator until ready to assemble lasagna.

**forgot the egg--sorry**

 

 

 

 

Pour half the sauce mixture into the meat. (I do this because the amount of beef I have usually varies and I like the correct sauce to beef ratio- You can always add additional sauce to the lasagna but it is more difficult to brown more meat because you made it too saucy- does that make sense??)

 

In large lasagna pan or a deep 13x9 pan or what ever pan you feel like using, add JUST sauce (no meat) to the bottum of the pan.  I feel when you add the meat as well it tends to stick.  Layer the noodles, then the Ricotta, then shredded mozzerella, then meat sauce, then noodle.  Repeat 2 or 3 more times pending on your pan. (I usually only get 2 more times)

 

 

 

**Repeat above steps 2 or 3 more times**

You will end with noodle on top.  Add just the sauce at this point and then top with mozzerella and I added basil.

Place pan on cookie sheet so you do not have any overflow (which I have everytime.)  Cover with foil initially to help the baking process along.  Bake at 350 for approx. 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted, removing foil approx. half way through cooking.   Be sure to stick knife through center to make sure all noodles are cooked through prior to turning off oven... Let sit for at least 15 minutes to allow it to set or you will have a sloppy watery mess on your hands....

 

**half way through, remove foil**

IMPORTANT NOTES: This will make more sauce than you will actually use in  most cases so just freeze or serve with some sauce on the side for those whom like it extra saucy!  Be sure to use enough sauce.  I always use more than I think I should when assembling and it turns out great.  The amount of cheese depends on you.  I suggest to go over board rather than under board.

Pistachio Pesto

I have never been a big pesto fan. I know, strange considering the Italian family I grew up in but it just never tasted right to me. Even the addition of cream, which is fantastic in this dish by the way, did not do it for me. UNTIL, I met this lil' beauty of a recipe. I think the addition of spinach balances out the sometimes overbearing basil flavor and pistachio's, come on ya'll, you can never go wrong with pistachios!!

pistachio pesto
Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking Food Blog.


1 c basil, packed (which means pack it down into a cup to make sure you have a good amount)
1/4 c spinach (i used spinach/arugula mix)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T pistachio's, toasted
1/4 c Parmesan, grated (I only use reggiano-it does taste different in my opinion)
3 T evoo
lemon juice, to taste and loosen
salt/pepper

Peel pistachio's and place in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast.  You can tell when they are done when they change color a lil but more if you stick your nose near the pan and you can smell them. (FYI- the first time I made this recipe I forgot to toast the pistachio's and it didn't wreck the sauce so if you feel like skipping this step---go for it!)

After toasting, throw all the ingredients into food processor and process away.

This picture below is what it looked like without the lemon juice and with only the 3 T of evoo.  Seemed to need more processing and more liquid. Added the juice from 2 slices of lemon and processed further....Still a lil lumpy, added one more T of evoo and.....

Viola...Perfection.

The moral of the story is cook with your nose and your eyes people.  This isn't rocket science. It's cooking and if you add to much just throw in some more basil/spinach.)  It will always be recoverable.

IMPORTANT:  When making pesto on pasta--- 9 times out of 10 the pesto is not "saucy" enough and the noodles will suck it up and be dry.  It is important to save some of your pasta water that you cooked the noodles in.  This water has left over starch so not only will it loosen your sauce..it will stick to the noodles, meld with the pesto and not just puddle up at the bottom of the bowl.

Now, you can use this pesto for almost anything.  Potato salad, just on some plain pulled chicken and placed on a salad/sandwich, over pasta with chicken (displayed), and then of course the "CREAM OPTION" which is what my mother would always suggest.  Cream Option: cook some noodles, place 1/3 c of pesto in pan to warm (medium low to medium heat).  Once it warms a little and starts to loosen, just add some heavy cream.  I would guess a couple T would do it, mix, put on noodles and try to ignore the thought of your rear end growing! (just kidding- what can a couple silly tablespoons of cream do? Nothing I say, NOTHING!)


Happy Eating.

Chicken Marsala with Mustard and Mascarpone

To those whom have had my chicken marsala before this is "more or less" the recipe. I have been making this for some time so measurements and true recipe ingredients have flown out the window and I go by taste. It is really difficult to mess this recipe up so be creative, add your own twist and ingredients. Feel free to substitute as needed, however DO NOT use yellow mustard in place of the Dijon. If you happen to not have any you can use any "alternative spicy mustard or whole grain mustard or even honey mustard but not yellow. Just leave the mustard out if all you have is yellow. Alternatively if you happen to "date someone who doesn't like mustard" (I have trouble comprehending this every time I hear it since mustard is the greatest condiment on earth-Shana/Brian) again, just leave it out-- it will change the flavor but still be AMAZING!

Chicken Marsala w/ Mustard and Mascarpone

1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
S/P
2 T EVOO (or olive oil)
5 T butter
3/4 c chopped onion
1 lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced*
2 T minced garlic
1 c marsala wine
1 c (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese**
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus some for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

*Any mushrooms will do or you can leave them out, maybe add spinach?!?
** Cream cheese will work as well but do try to find the mascarpone it is sorta sweet and buttery and everyone should try it!

Season chicken with s/p. Heat the oil in large, heavy skillet over high heat.

Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.



Melt 2 T of the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender ~2 min.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate ~ 12 min. (Do NOT salt the mushrooms at this point, it will release their moisture to quickly and they will boil rather than "brown" and won't taste as good).



Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half ~4 min. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3 in slices. Return the chicken and any juices released back into the skillet. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until the chicken is cook through and the sauce thickens slightly ~2 min. (Do not over do the simmering. The sauce will thicken too much and you will not have enough to coat the pasta)


Stir in 1 T of the parsley and season the sauce w S/P to taste. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain. Toss pasta w/ remaining 3 T butter and 1 T parsley. Season w S/P. Mound Fettuccine on plates. Spoon chicken mixture w sauce over, garnish w parsley and serve.


WARNING: If you mix the sauce with the pasta in advance and then serve it, the pasta WILL suck up the sauce and will be dry. SO, based on experience (and a few wrecked dishes) follow the directions and put butter on pasta first (saturates a lil so doesn't sop up sauce as much) and then put chicken and sauce over the top.

You can also just simply serve this with just the chicken, leaving out the pasta.

Eggplant Mezzaluna Ravioli

First and foremost, do not disregard this pasta if you do not like eggplant! I am not the largest fan of this strange purple veggie BUT it takes on its own crazy flavor in these ravioli's. You will be missing out if you do not at least attempt. This is, as the previous post, a Giada recipe. I seem to be grabbing her cookbooks over everyone else as of late so bare with me as I get the addiction out of my system.

Also, one more side note, I know many of you are looking for my "staple" recipes. The recipes in which I claim to have started this blog. I promise I will get to them shortly. I have just been in the experimentation mode and excited to cook new things.

1/3 c Olive oil (if you only have Extra Virgin just use that)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 large eggplant (1.5-2.0 lbs.), diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t chopped fresh oregano, plus 1 t fresh oregano for garnish*
1/2 c fontina cheese, grated (~2 oz.)
1/2 c whole-milk ricotta cheese**
1/2 t salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 t black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
1 package square wonton wrappers (~50-60 wrappers)
1/4-1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive oil, for garnish

* You must buy FRESH oregano, it will not taste right with dried and you MUST garnish once cooked because that is basically the flavor of the "sauce"
**Do not try to use skim milk ricotta, it is too watery and the ravioli's will have zero flavor-- these are pretty good for you already you will be fine with the whole milk stuff!

Heat the OO in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the eggplant, garlic and chopped oregano, and continue to cook until the eggplant is soft and falling apart, about 12 minutes (this often takes me longer than 12 minutes- make your salad or prep you sides during this time because you can leave it and only stir every so often). Transfer the eggplant mixture to a medium bowl and let cool.

Once cool, add the cheeses, salt and pepper. Place 6 wonton squares on a dry work surface (or how ever many you are comfortable making at once.) Place 1 teaspoon of the eggplant mixture on each square. Fold one corner over to the opposite corner (hard to explain via text- look at the pictures. Giada makes a rectangle with hers and then cuts them w a ravioli cutter- I have done this but it seems like an extra step to me- this is easier.)
Place the finished ravioli on dry baking sheet lightly sprinkled with flour. Continue to finish the remaining. (I freeze mine at this point and take out as needed)

To Cook: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add ravioli. Do not add all ravioli at one time because they are pretty delicate and will stick to each other and break open. Cook until ravioli's float to the top. (If cooking from frozen let them float a bit on top to make sure the inside warms) I use a slotted spoon and place directly on serving platter/plate. Salt and pepper them (important step!) Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with fresh oregano (also important step!) Enjoy!!!!!
Alternative options:
Fry them in some canola and serve with marinara. These are a GREAT appetizer.