Chicken picatta

This is a delicious lemony chicken recipe, with capers and shallots of extra flavor.  Adapted from Cooks Illustread

Ingredients

2 large lemons
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds), rinsed, trimmed of excess fat, and patted dry
1/2 c flour
4 T oil
2 shallots, minced
1 c chicken stock (low sodium)
2 T capers, drained and chipped
3 T butter
2 T fresh parsley

Instructions

1) Heat oven to 50-75C, adjust rack to lower middle position, and warm a large ovenproof plate.
2) Halve one lemon lengthwise, trim the ends, and cut into thin slices.
3) Juice the remaining half and the other whole lemon, leaving you with about ¼ cup juice. Set aside.
4) Place flour in a large plate, coat chicken in the flour, shake to remove the excess flour.
5) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 T oil, and when hot, lay half of the chicken pieces in pan.
6) Saute chicken pieces until lightly browned on the first side, about 2-2½ minutes, then turn over and cook until other side is browned, another 2-2½ minutes longer.
7) Transfer cooked chicken to plate in oven, add remaining oil to pan, and repeat with other pieces of chicken
8) After all chicken is cooked, add shallots to chicken pan, and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes
9) Add chicken broth and lemon slices, increase heat to high, and deglaze the pan: scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan, work them into sauce, and simmer until the liquid reduces down to about 1/3 c (~4 minutes)
10) Add capers and reserved lemon juice and simmer, again, until the sauce is reduced down to 1/3 c (~1-2 minutes)
11) Remove pan from the heat and add butter, swirl the pan until butter melts and thickens the sauce.
12) Stir in the parsley, and serve the sauce over the chicken.

Moules marinières

There are many ways to cook fresh mussels, but this is a time-honored classic.  If you are feeling brave, play with the herbs or add dry cider instead of wine.  Either way, allow for 500g mussels per person, and make sure they are fresh.  Adapted from The Guardian.

Ingredients

1 kg mussels (serves 2)
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 -3 sprigs thyme (or lemon thyme), leaves picked
1 bay leaf
1 c dry white wine
50 g butter
Small handful parsley, chopped
1/2 c double cream (optional)

Instructions

1) Rinse the mussels in cold running water, and then give them a good scrub and scrape to remove any barnacles or dirt.  If not using immediately, let sit in cold water until ready to use.
2) Discard any with broken shells, and give open ones a sharp tap - if they don't close, throw them away
3) Bring a large pot to medium heat, and cook shallots with butter for 5 minutes, until they loose some of their crunch.
4) Add thyme leaves, bay leaf and wine into a large pan, and cook for about 5 minutes, until alcohol has evaporated off.
5) Drain the mussels and tip into the pan - cover and cook until most of them have opened, about 3 minutes.
6) Remove pan from heat, add double cream and parsley, and stir - put lid back on to keep in heat.
7) Serve immediately, discarding any mussels which remain closed.

Pasta with Purple Broccoli and Pecorino

I don't usually cook simple pasta dishes, or things with anchovies, but this is really more-ish and worth the minimal effort.  Use high-quality broccoli and hard pecorino for the best effect.

Ingredients

1kg purple sprouting broccoli
1 t chilli flakes
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small tin anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and chopped
12 oz your favorite type of pasta
1 c hard pecorino cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
high-quality olive oil

Instructions

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2) Trim the broccoli of the stems and outer leaves, and cut into 1/2" (bite sized) pieces.
3) Heat 3 T olive oil over medium heat, add garlic, chilli, and anchovies, and fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
4) Add broccoli and cook until tender but still crunchy.  Remove from heat and set aside.
5) Cook pasta in water until al-dente, 7-12 minutes depending on the type of pasta you use.
6) Before draining pasta, add a small ladle of cooking water to the broccoli mixture, along with another 2-3 T olive oil.  (This should form a thin sauce).
7) Toss drained pasta with broccoli mixture, combine with 1/2 c cheese, and serve immediately.

Miso Chicken (or Tofu)

Adapted from epicurious.com, and courtesy of Jenn.  This dish goes well with rice or couscous, and can also be used with chicken or tofu.

Ingredients

4 fillets of salmon, washed and prepared (deboned)
1 t oil
2 T miso paste
1.5 t sesame oil
1.5 t fresh grated ginger
1.5 t minced garlic
.5 t honey (or more, if you want it sweeter)
1/4 t red pepper flakes (optional)
green onion and sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 200C.  Coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with a small amount of oil.
2) Combine miso, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes with 1 T water in a small bowl for marinade.  (Note: I like to double the amount of marinade to give more sauce, but this is up to you.)
3) Place salmon fillets skin-down into the baking dish, and spoon on marinade.  Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, until the salmon flesh is firm and light pink, but not dried out.
4) Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Pad Thai

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated.  This version is a bit healthier, a bit more streamlined, and packed with fresh herbs and other ingredients.

Ingredients

4 T Tamarind concentrate (jarred)
1 c boiling water
5 T fish sauce
2 T rice vinegar or lime juice
6 T granulated sugar
1.5 t cayenne pepper (optional)
3 T vegetable oil
8 oz dried rice stick noodles
3 large eggs
1/2 t salt
12 oz PRE-COOKED shrimp, chicken, or tofu (or a combination of the above)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1/2 c unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
3 c bean sprouts
5 scallions, sliced thin and on a bias
1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves
lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

1) Cover rice stick with boiling water and soak until softened - the consistency should be pliable but not fully tender - about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside
2) Combine tamarind, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cayenne, water, and 1 T oil. Set aside.
3) Beat eggs and salt in small bowl, set aside.
4) Combine garlic and shallot in remaining 2 T oil and cook, over medium heat, until light golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs and stir vigorously until scrambled and barely moist, about 20 seconds.
5) Add noodles, toss to combine, then add sauce mixture, and toss until evenly coated.
6) Add 1/4 c peanuts, bean sprouts, all but a handful of scallions, and shrimp/chicken, and cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are tender and the flavors have blended, about 3 minutes.
Serve with a garnish of peanuts, scallions, and lime wedges.

Curried Chicken Salad

If you'd like to make this recipe vegetarian, you can swap the chicken with crumbled tofu. Adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

Ingredients

2 whole bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (large, at least 1 1/2 pounds each)
2 T vegetable oil
2 ribs celery, diced
3 scallions, minced
2 T fresh cilantro or parsley, minced
1 medium apple, chopped
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 c raisins (you can increase this to 2/3 c if you want)
1/2 c mayonanaise
1/2 c yogurt
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T curry powder
1 t mustard powder or dijon mustard

Instructions
1) Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12" non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on first side, ~5 minutes. Flip chicken over, cover, and continue to cook until it is no longer pink in the center, ~5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cool.
2) Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
3) Shred chicken into 1/4" pieces, and toss with sauce and toss with remaining ingredients.

Bulgur-Stuffed Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

Adapted from The New York Times recipe for Kasha-Stuffed Roast Chicken. I used bulgur instead of kasha since I didn't have it on hand, and I also brined the chicken beforehand. This dish was a delicious rendition of Jewish comfort food - the apples really bring the flavor together, and you're left with drippings in the pan that can pretty much stand on their own as gravy - yum!

Ingredients

1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
6 T vegetable oil
3 onions, 1 diced and 2 coarsely chopped
1 cup bulgur wheat
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c diced celery
1 c sliced mushrooms
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley
1 T finely chopped fresh sage
1 roasting chicken, ~4-5 pounds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound unpeeled red potatoes, halved
3 tart apples, cored and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 parnsips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 T chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

1) Before you begin, brine the chicken for 2 hours (you can prepare the bulgur and vegetables during this time). Mix 1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 gallon of water. Submerge the chicken in the mixture and chill in the fridge for two hours. Before preparing the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel.
2) In a skillet over medium heat, heat 2T oil, and sauté diced onion until golden. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F.
3) Sautee the bulgur in 2T oil for several minutes until toasted in a large skillet, then add 1.25 cups boiling water. Add cooked onions, celery, mushrooms, parsley and sage. Cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occassionally. The final texture should be fluffy, tender, and slightly chewy.
4) Rub exterior of chicken with 1T of or oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff both cavities of chicken with bulgur mixture.
5) In bottom of roasting pan, combine potatoes, apples, carrots, parsnips and chopped onions. Toss with 1T oil and rosemary to coat. Gently place chicken on top of vegetables (if you have a V-rack definitely use it) and bake until golden and cooked through, about 1.5 hours. (The chicken is done when an instant thermometer reads 160 in the thickest part of the breast, and 175 in the thickest part of the thigh.)

To serve, carve chicken as desired and serve each portion with some of vegetables and apples.