Chicken Cacciatore

Cacciatore means hunter in Italian. There are a few different stories about why this dish is called hunter’s chicken. I think the one I believe the most is that this is what you make after a long day of hunting in the woods because maybe you brought back a pheasant or a rabbit and some mushrooms. There are a lot of different versions of chicken cacciatore. Many of them contain bell peppers which I absolutely hate. Peppers are pretty much the devil. This recipe is easily customizable. You can leave out the olives, leave out the artichokes, add peppers, whatever you like. The essential recipe is chicken braised with aromatics and tomatoes and the veggies you like, all in one pot. Add a little red or white wine too if you’re into that kind of thing. Which I am. Serve the chicken and sauce over some cooked pasta or creamy polenta and top with a little grated parmesan cheese.

• 2 T. olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 6-8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 medium, yellow onion, diced
• two or three sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 lb. sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 C. white or red wine, or chicken stock
• 1 large can of whole, peeled tomatoes (28 oz.)
• 1 1/2 C. artichoke hearts (packed in water, not marinated)
• 1/2 C. green or black, pitted olives
• 1 C. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan with deep sides, like a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Brown the chicken in the hot oil, working in batches. About three or four thighs at a time for about four minutes on each side. Remove the browned chicken to a plate. Add the onions to the pot and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme and the mushrooms and continue to cook and stir until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are browned. Add the wine or stock and stir to combine. Squeeze the tomatoes with your hands to break them up and add them to the pot along with the tomato juices from the can. Roughly chop the artichokes and add them along with the olives to the pot. Add half of the parsley, reserve the rest for garnish. Return the chicken thighs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Cover the pot. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender. If you like the chicken skin to be crispy, you can put the thighs under the broiler for a minute or two – watch closely. Toss the sauce with some cooked pasta or serve it over creamy polenta. Garnish with the remaining fresh parsley. This is a great dish to make ahead, refrigerate and reheat- it only gets better with time.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies with Melted Butter Icing

Now that George is almost 9 the Valentine card writing experience is not quite as harrowing.

swellkid

Ten years ago Valentine’s Day was about roses, dinner out, maybe even a new pair of unmentionables. Today, Valentine’s day is about boxes of perforated Power Rangers cards with Tootsie Pops taped to them and forcing my 5 year old to write his own name 28 times like a Drill Sergeant. G-E-O-R-G-E! Again! G-E-O-R-G-E! Again! Just get it done! Oh, and it’s also about frosted sugar cookies. 

For the dough:

• 4 sticks salted butter, softened
• 3 C. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 t. orange or lemon extract
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2 t. salt
• zest of 1/2 a lemon (about 1 T. finely grated zest)
• 4 3/4 C. flour

For the frosting:

• 1 stick butter, melted
• food coloring- I used Chefmaster food coloring gel in Christmas Red to get the violent pink color.
• 2 1/2 C. powdered sugar
• 1/4 t. vanilla
• water as needed for thinning

Cream the butter and sugar until…

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11 Days until Thanksgiving…

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Acorn Squash Agrodolce

As a child, my family would travel from Portland, Oregon to Sicily every couple of years to visit my Nonno and Nonna. They lived in Siracusa, a small city on the eastern coast of the island. We always went in the heat of summer and we always stayed in their apartment overlooking the Piazza Adda. My Nonna was a good cook and would make all of our favorite dishes. She and my Nonno spent about 25 years living in Portland and then moved back to Sicily when they retired in the 1970s. So her cooking was not completely Italian-American, and not completely Sicilian. I would call it a hybrid of the two. She made excellent meatballs. We called her La Regina delle Polpette. The Queen of the Meatballs.

We rarely went out to eat. We always ate in the dining room with a white crocheted tablecloth and Nonno’s big jug of not-very-good wine. Going out to eat was a “waste of money” and my Nonno always thought that what other people made was not as good as Nonna made it.

I have one memory in all the trips we took when we went out to a Sicilian restaurant. It was a big deal. I remember that we had to get dressed up and my Nonna wore her pearls and lipstick. The restaurant had an antipasti table, that you could serve yourself a plate. It was a long table with probably twelve or fifteen different dishes on it. Mostly vegetables, and all of it was served at room temperature. There were the roasted red peppers in oil that I still think are totally gross. There were marinated olives and artichokes, grilled eggplant rolled up with goat cheese, and all kids of pickled things. Being about eight years old at the time, I wasn’t really interested in most of these dishes. My dad got a plate and piled it up with all of his favorites things. One thing he brought over to the table were these bright orange wedges of squash. I knew that I liked squash when my mom made it at home with brown sugar and butter. This squash was Agrodolce. Sweet and Sour. The sticky glaze coated the squash and soon, my fingers and face as well. It’s been too long for me to be sure if this is the same as the squash I remember from forty years ago. I think it’s close.

• 1 Acorn Squash, Delicata would also be great
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 C. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 honey or maple syrup
• 1 Thai or Cayenne chili pepper, sliced into small pieces
• Kosher salt

Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds and pulp. You can roast the seeds like you would pumpkin seeds, they are pretty nice! Cut the squash into one inch thick slices. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a large baking sheet drizzle the olive oil and lay out the squash slices so they lay flat. Sprinkle the slices with salt. Roast for about 20 minutes. Flip the slices over and return them to the oven for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile make the glaze. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey or syrup, and the chili pepper. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Watch it so that it doesn’t boil over or burn. Whisk the mixture occasionally. Boil for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture had reduced by half and has a syrupy consistency. When the squash is tender and turning golden, take it out of the oven and brush each slice with the glaze. Let it soak in and sit for a few minutes. Place the slices on a serving plate and pour the glaze from the pan over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Guinness Braised Brisket

Happy Guinness Day!

swellkid

I wanted to make a traditional corned beef (it’s corned, not corn beef, I hate it when people say corn beef) last year for St. Patrick’s Day.  I am usually pretty good at planning ahead, but in this case I waited until the last minute.  You need two things for corned beef: time and saltpeter, neither of which I had.  Corned beef needs to brine for at least 5 or 6 days.  Saltpeter is what gives it it’s characteristic pink color.  Knowing I only had a day or two, I decided to skip the corned beef and go for a braise.  In keeping with the Irish theme of St. Patricks Day, I chose to use Guinness for the braising liquid.  The rich, silky sauce is addictive.  The total time for this dish is about 3 1/2 hours and serves 4-6.

• 1 T. olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 3lb. beef…

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Fluffiest Pancakes

For a while now I’ve been trying to achieve perfect pancake status. I used to use Bisquick, but my pancakes were always too dry and heavy. I started to tinker with different additions and methods and now I can safely say that my pancakes are perfect. I’m writing this post so that I have this recipe to refer to forever!

Fluffy, flavorful, and dare I say, moist? I have a few tips to share: Don’t over-mix- lumps are a good thing, they create air pockets in the finished pancake. Flip gently once, and then leave them alone. Flipping too roughly or too many times takes the air out and they deflate. This recipe makes about ten four-inch pancakes.

• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 4 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. Kosher salt
• 4 T. sugar
• 1 1/2 C. milk
• 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 2 T. butter, melted
• 2 t. vanilla
• Canola oil for coating the pan

Whisk together the flour, soda, salt, and sugar. Add the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Leave it lumpy. Let the batter sit for ten minutes- it will start to bubble and thicken a bit as the baking soda is activated. Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to medium. Put a little of the canola oil in the pan, just to coat it. Use about 1/4 C. of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form around the edges, about two minutes, and flip gently. Cook on the other side for one to two minutes until cooked through. Keep warm in a low oven until all the pancakes are ready. Serve with butter and syrup. Double the recipe if you have teenagers…

Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream

Does it count as homemade if you use a cake mix? Yes.

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 C. canola oil
• 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
• 2 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 t. ground cloves
• 1 lb. very soft cream cheese
• 1 stick of very soft butter
• 3 1/2 to 4 C. powdered sugar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1- 3 t. milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 24-cup cupcake tin with paper liners and spray it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, pumpkin, 1 t. of the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the cloves. Mix for two minutes with a hand mixer until smooth. Spoon into the cupcake liners, dividing the batter equally among the 24 cups. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently with a finger. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully.

To make the buttercream, make sure the cream cheese and butter are truly soft- leave them out on the counter for several hours. Combine the cream cheese, butter, the remaining cinnamon, 3 cups of powdered sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. If the frosting is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar- 1/4 C. at a time. If it’s too thick, add a t. of milk at a time. Mix well, until smooth and fluffy. Spread generously on top of your cooled cakes.

I like to use this gadget: Tupperware Squeeze It Decorator. This isn’t sponsored, I just like the ease and speed of it for decorating things like cupcakes.

Fresh Peach Cake

This is the perfect end to a summer meal. The cake is buttery and not too sweet, the peaches add a tart, juicy tang. This makes one 9-inch round cake, but the recipe is easily doubled if you want to get more servings, just use two pans and split the batter between them. This is perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Serves 8

• 1 stick salted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 C. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t. almond extract
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 C. milk plus 3 tablespoons
• 2 large peaches, peeled (I use the boiling water method to peel)

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter the cake pan generously and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it’s well mixed and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in the eggs and the extracts. Add the baking soda and salt. Add the flour a little at a time, and alternate with the milk until both the flour and milk are all incorporated. Beat until the batter is nice and smooth. The batter will be pretty thick. Scrape it into the prepared baking pan. Slice the peaches into about five or six slices each. Arrange the peaches however you like. Press the slices slightly into the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Some crumbs attached to the toothpick are ok, that means the cake will not be dry. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving. I don’t frost this cake because it’s just too pretty to cover it up. It’s awesome with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Almost Instant Strawberry Sorbet

Can’t wait for strawberry season!

swellkid

Sorry California, your strawberries will never produce this color on their own!

This went from whole berries to soft-serve in about 20 minutes.  When the local Oregon strawberries come into town I always buy too many and then they sit in the fridge and after a couple of days begin to wrinkle.  That is the perfect time to make this sorbet!  The berries are cold out of the fridge and they are nice and soft.  If you let them sit in the fridge for one more day they will be compost, so make this! 

• 2 pints of cold, very ripe strawberries
• 1/4-1/2 C. sugar, depending on your taste and how sweet your berries are
• 1/4-1/2 C. cold water

Place the berries, 1/4 C. sugar and 1/4 C. water into the blender and puree.  Some blenders are better than others, so you may need to add a bit more water to…

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Turkey Croquettes

This time I added a little chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 C. of leftover gravy. So yummy!

swellkid

What can I do with all this leftover turkey and stuffing?  Turn them into these crisp, satisfying croquettes!

• 2 C. diced, cooked turkey
• 2 C. leftover stuffing click here for recipe
• 2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 C. cooked peas or other veggie
• 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
• chicken broth if needed
• 1 T. olive oil

In a bowl combine the turkey, stuffing, eggs, salt and pepper, cheese, and peas.  Use your hands to combine the mixture and form it into patties- if the mixture is too dry add a little chicken broth as needed to get it to hold together.  Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Working in batches, cook the croquettes in the hot oil until they are golden brown on each side, about three minutes per side.  Keep them warm in a low oven on a paper towel- lined plate.

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S’Mores Ice Cream

Graham cracker infused ice cream with mini-marshmallows and milk chocolate bits. The ice cream base recipe is loosely based on Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar recipe for graham ice cream. I love an ice cream recipe that doesn’t involve tempering eggs! The gelatin gives the ice cream smoothness and keeps it from crystalizing. Vegetarians could substitute agar powder (but follow package directions for dissolving). Makes 1 pint.

1 C. graham cracker crumbs

3/4 C. powdered milk, divided

1/2 C. sugar, divided

1/2 t. salt

1 C. milk

2 t. powdered gelatin (or agar)

3/4 C. heavy cream

2 T. light corn syrup

1/2 t. vanilla

1 C. mini-marshmallows

1/3-1/2 C. chopped milk chocolate, or mini milk chocolate chips

In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 C. of the powdered milk, 2 T. of the sugar, and a pinch of salt. Pour the milk over the crumbs and stir to combine. Let the crumbs steep in the milk for 20 minutes. Strain the steeped milk through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to release as much of the liquid as you can. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bloom the gelatin: Put two tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin powder over it. Let it sit for about three minutes. The gelatin powder will turn into a wiggly jelly. Now dissolve it into a liquid by stirring in 2 teaspoons of hot water.

In a medium bowl, combine the strained graham cracker milk, the heavy cream, the corn syrup, the rest of the sugar, salt, and the rest of the milk powder. Whisk in the dissolved gelatin and the vanilla. You can hand whisk this, or use a hand mixer or immersion blender to make quick work of it. You want the sugar to be completely dissolved. If the mixture is still fairly cold it’s ready to pour into the ice cream maker. If not, let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Pour it into an ice cream maker and churn for about 30 minutes. Add the marshmallows and chocolate and let the machine churn them in. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid, about three hours.