Magic Mustard Chicken

- Elspeth 5 Comments

I saw my friend Lauren’s dad making this once and I HAD to have it. I have a severe lack of “sauce knowledge”, so I am always eager to expand my repertoire. For those picking up the “Dinner in 17-and-a-half-minutes!” cookbooks, you can pump the brakes a bit on your epic quest to discover the shortest amount of time possible to cook a half way decent meal. This one is easy, doesn’t take much time, and the bulk is all done in a single pan (yowza, you mean I don’t have to go to Ikea to pick up another 6-piece set of Teflon?).

Ok, that’s a bit of a lie when you factor in sides. I never said I was a truthful lass.

Creamy Mustard Chicken

adjusted a tad from Williams-Sonoma

2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and dried with paper towels
3 T flour
2 t butter
2 t olive oil
2 shallots, minced
3/4 c wine
3/4 c heavy cream
3 T mustard (I used the Mendocino Mustard “Seeds and Suds”, because it is SO GOOD, but the original recipe calls for whole grain. Both are fantastic choices)
2 T capers
Salt and Pep

Preheat oven to 170.

In a bowl, mix together the flour and some salt and pepper. Coat the chicken thoroughly and lay aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil and butter until hot. Brown the chicken until crispy, pretty, and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side (your pieces should be fairly thin).

Remove from the pan and set on a baking tray; place in the oven to keep warm while you make the sauce. Reduce the heat in the pan to medium-low and add the shallots, using additional oil if necessary. Cook about 4 minutes, until the shallots are soft (if you like them caramelized, cook longer). Add the wine and reduce for a few minutes, until there is about 3 T of liquid.

Whisk in the cream and some more S&P, turn off the heat, and mix in the mustard and capers. Take the chicken out of the oven and spoon the sauce over. I chose to have some boiled/mashed/lumpy potatoes with mine (so tasty) and a side of asparagus.

 

And before you know it, you’ve fainted from beauty. And speaking of beauty…..

BAM! Epic cat picture.

She is totally eying the chicken. Fat chance, my fluffy friend.

Nom!

Asian meatballs? Huzzah!

- Elspeth 3 Comments

Thanks to my sister, I’ve recently become ob-sessed with Smitten Kitchen. Sure, I’ve dabbled in the Smitt here and there over the past couple of years, but nothing like now. The woman has a gift, by golly. I saw a steak with a pepper sauce that made me want to sell my soul to the devil himself.

Tonight I was looking for something moderately healthy (so long, fried chicken), a hint of familiar (hello there, pasta), but not too unfamiliar (yikes, is that tongue?). These scallion turkey meatballs with ginger sauce sounded far too good to pass up. SK recommends them as party balls (ie a dish to serve with toothpicks), but I decided to go with udon noodles and bok choy for a total dinner fiesta.

Scallion Meatballs with Soy Ginger Glaze

from Smitten Kitchen

Sauce:

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c mirin or sake
2 T peeled & minced ginger root
1 t ground coriander
ground pepper

Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey
5 shoots green onions, finely sliced
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 T toasted sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
1 egg
pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Start with the sauce by putting the sugar and water into a small saucepan and heating on medium high until sugar dissolves. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick (about 40 minutes). The meatballs will take about that long to prepare and cook, so it fits together well.

For the balls, place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a fork until combined (don’t go crazy, you don’t want them to fall apart for being over-worked).

Form 1″ meatballs and place them on a tray as you heat a skillet with the vegetable oil. The mixture is very sticky, so make sure to wet your hands before you work with the meaty goodness.

You just need enough to coat the bottom of the pan with the oil, there’s no deep frying in this chapter (unless that’s your bag, baby).

Fry them until brown on both/all sides (depends on what kind of balls you make; mine flattened out a bit). I had to do two batches, because you definitely don’t want to crown these guys (they like their personal space).

At this point, the sauce should be nice and thick. If it’s too thin it’s not a huge deal, but it will be absorbed more easily into the pasta/balls.

All thrown together, this is fantastic. The noodles absorbed the sauce and the meatballs were very flavorful. I wouldn’t change a thing! I bet the sauce would be great with some grilled chicken and rice (fried egg on top? hmm?) or with a stir fry.

Thuper noms!

Mom’s Enchiladas

- Elspeth 2 Comments

My sisters and I like to (lovingly!) tease our mother that she only knows how to make Ragu from the bottle, but we simply aren’t giving credit where it’s due. One of the best comfort food dinners is this one right here, a combination of humble tortillas, spicy chiles, and a simple sauce. It’s a winner dressed up with chicken and fancy salsas, or just leave it be and revel in the simplicity.

Tonight I went rogue and added to my mom’s foundation, with black beans and roasted corn. I think some chipotle peppers would be particularly delightful!

You will need:

1 pack tortillas (about 10)

1 15 oz can green enchilada sauce

2 small cans diced green chiles

1 15oz can black beans

1 15oz can corn kernels

1 cup milk

4 cups shredded cheese (I went with pepper jack and cheddar)

Sides (optional): avocado and greek yogurt

First, rinse the corn and toast it until a bit brown around the edges. Let cool a bit while you assemble the other ingredients and preheat your oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix the sauce, milk, and green chiles. Rinse the black beans. Dip the tortillas in the sauce until coated. Fill the tortillas with a large handful of cheese, a sprinkling of beans and corn, then roll up tightly. Pack it into an 9×13 pan, not too full but “cozy”.

 

I ended up with about 10 enchiladas packed into my pan. You can always use smaller tortillas, cut them in half, make a bigger batch and use multiple pans, etc.

Pour the remaining sauce and cheese all over the top, so that they are completely coated. Bake for about 25 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

I love me some avocado, so I served it up sliced with a drizzling of garlic and salt.

Majorly nommy!