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Nov. 8th, 2008 06:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nverland posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
carols_stuffMoroccan Chicken
Serves 2. Can be doubled or even tripled.
The base:
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbl olive oil
2 large chicken breast halves on the bone with skin
The sauce:
One medium onion diced
1 Tbl minced ginger (jar ginger will do)
1 Tbl minced garlic (jar garlic will do)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white wine
3 oz tomato paste (1 small can)
2 cups chopped tomatoes (you can use 15 oz of canned tomatoes)
1 cup chicken broth (unsalted)
15 oz can of cannellini beans (or white northern beans or chickpeas)
2 Tbl honey
1 lemon cut into wedges
Optional: 2 Tbl chopped parsley
Optional: 2 cups of baby spinach
On the side:
2 rounds whole-wheat pita bread
Olive oil spray
Onion salt
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Put the base spices in a large sauté pan. Add the olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon. Spread them around the surface of the pan. Heat on medium high and add the chicken, skin-side down. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes. Don't move it around. Just let it sit while the spices and the chicken cook. That way you'll get a nice brown surface to the chicken and much of the spice mixture will stick to the chicken.
Take the chicken out of the spice mixture and put it in a 9 X 13" pan. Put it in your oven to roast, bone-side down for 30 minutes. You'll finish the rest of the sauce while the chicken cooks.
Add the onion to the spices left in the pan. Stir to mix the onion with the spices. Now add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and cinnamon. Cook this for about a minute on medium. You just want to get the spices to "open up." Add the white wine and the tomato paste. Stir to break up the paste. Then add the chopped tomatoes, broth, beans, honey and all the lemon wedges. Stir to mix this all up. The sauce will continue to cook on medium low until the chicken is done. About 20 minutes more.
When the chicken is done take it out of the oven (Cut open to make sure you have no pink left in the chicken. Smaller breasts might take less time to cook). Turn off the sauce.
To make the dish even more colorful and healthy, mix in the spinach. The heat of the sauce will wilt it and you'll have green bits in your sauce as the spinach collapses.
Spray the pita bread with the olive oil spray and sprinkle on the onion salt to your taste. Heat the pita bread in the oven while you are plating the dish, about 3-4 minutes.
You can decide if you want your sauce on the top or underneath the chicken. This is just a presentation-style difference. Sprinkle on the chopped fresh parsley for color. Cut your pita bread rounds into wedges and serve on the side.
Chocolate Peppermint "Finger Wedges"
1 cup toasted coconut (see toasting instructions)
15 red and white peppermint candies, ground fine in a food processor or smashed by hand
12 oz. deep chocolate (Shoot for 70% cocoa). Cut into tiny bits
3 Tbl whipping cream
Butter spray
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
To toast coconut: Take the one-cup of coconut and spread it on a dry cookie sheet. No spray needed. Toast the coconut in the oven at 350 degrees; just until you see a little golden edging. This will take 5 - 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it. It burns very suddenly.
In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and the whipping cream on low temperature. Stir fairly often. Make sure it's low so you don't scorch the chocolate. When almost melted stir in the ground peppermint. The mixture will be slightly grainy in appearance.
Pour into a 9" springform pan that has been oiled with butter spray. This is only about a quarter of an inch thick so don't let that shock you. Sprinkle the coconut on top and press it down lightly with your fingers so it sinks into the chocolate mixture.
Set in your refrigerator to cool until hardened. When ready to serve, run a sharp knife along the edge, loosen the tart pan and take off the sides. Cut the chocolate peppermint mixture into tiny wedges or "fingers". These are really rich pieces of candy. Moist mouthfeel, they melt in divine fashion in your mouth and they even cleanse your breath!
Serves 2. Can be doubled or even tripled.
The base:
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbl olive oil
2 large chicken breast halves on the bone with skin
The sauce:
One medium onion diced
1 Tbl minced ginger (jar ginger will do)
1 Tbl minced garlic (jar garlic will do)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white wine
3 oz tomato paste (1 small can)
2 cups chopped tomatoes (you can use 15 oz of canned tomatoes)
1 cup chicken broth (unsalted)
15 oz can of cannellini beans (or white northern beans or chickpeas)
2 Tbl honey
1 lemon cut into wedges
Optional: 2 Tbl chopped parsley
Optional: 2 cups of baby spinach
On the side:
2 rounds whole-wheat pita bread
Olive oil spray
Onion salt
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Put the base spices in a large sauté pan. Add the olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon. Spread them around the surface of the pan. Heat on medium high and add the chicken, skin-side down. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes. Don't move it around. Just let it sit while the spices and the chicken cook. That way you'll get a nice brown surface to the chicken and much of the spice mixture will stick to the chicken.
Take the chicken out of the spice mixture and put it in a 9 X 13" pan. Put it in your oven to roast, bone-side down for 30 minutes. You'll finish the rest of the sauce while the chicken cooks.
Add the onion to the spices left in the pan. Stir to mix the onion with the spices. Now add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes and cinnamon. Cook this for about a minute on medium. You just want to get the spices to "open up." Add the white wine and the tomato paste. Stir to break up the paste. Then add the chopped tomatoes, broth, beans, honey and all the lemon wedges. Stir to mix this all up. The sauce will continue to cook on medium low until the chicken is done. About 20 minutes more.
When the chicken is done take it out of the oven (Cut open to make sure you have no pink left in the chicken. Smaller breasts might take less time to cook). Turn off the sauce.
To make the dish even more colorful and healthy, mix in the spinach. The heat of the sauce will wilt it and you'll have green bits in your sauce as the spinach collapses.
Spray the pita bread with the olive oil spray and sprinkle on the onion salt to your taste. Heat the pita bread in the oven while you are plating the dish, about 3-4 minutes.
You can decide if you want your sauce on the top or underneath the chicken. This is just a presentation-style difference. Sprinkle on the chopped fresh parsley for color. Cut your pita bread rounds into wedges and serve on the side.
Chocolate Peppermint "Finger Wedges"
1 cup toasted coconut (see toasting instructions)
15 red and white peppermint candies, ground fine in a food processor or smashed by hand
12 oz. deep chocolate (Shoot for 70% cocoa). Cut into tiny bits
3 Tbl whipping cream
Butter spray
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
To toast coconut: Take the one-cup of coconut and spread it on a dry cookie sheet. No spray needed. Toast the coconut in the oven at 350 degrees; just until you see a little golden edging. This will take 5 - 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it. It burns very suddenly.
In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and the whipping cream on low temperature. Stir fairly often. Make sure it's low so you don't scorch the chocolate. When almost melted stir in the ground peppermint. The mixture will be slightly grainy in appearance.
Pour into a 9" springform pan that has been oiled with butter spray. This is only about a quarter of an inch thick so don't let that shock you. Sprinkle the coconut on top and press it down lightly with your fingers so it sinks into the chocolate mixture.
Set in your refrigerator to cool until hardened. When ready to serve, run a sharp knife along the edge, loosen the tart pan and take off the sides. Cut the chocolate peppermint mixture into tiny wedges or "fingers". These are really rich pieces of candy. Moist mouthfeel, they melt in divine fashion in your mouth and they even cleanse your breath!
