Kitchen Bitch

Cooking in the Kitchen with Sass & Class

Cool and Crunchy Cucumber Salad July 21, 2010

Filed under: Healthy,Salads,Side Dishes,Vegetables — thekitchenbitch @ 5:37 PM
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Cool and Crunchy Cucumber Salad

It’s been HOT around the country over the past few weeks, and I’ve got just the thing to cool you down on those scorching summer days. It’s cold. It’s crunchy. It’s healthy. It’s cucumber salad.

Now, I’ve never really cared for cucumbers, but I can’t get enough of this salad. It’s a great accompaniment to a backyard barbeque or a beach picnic, and it’s easy enough to make for a crowd. Besides that, it’s healthy. With only 99 calories and less than 1 gram of fat per serving, it’s beach-bod friendly for all ya’ll watching those waistlines.

This recipe is basically a quick pickle. Vinegar, water and sugar are brought to a boil and then poured over a mixture of cucumbers and onions and mixed with dill. The resulting salad has the brininess of a dill pickle with just a hint of sweetness from the sugar and a sharp bite from the red onion. Serve the salad with a dollop of Greek yogurt on the side as a creamy dip. Just one bite will take you away from the heat and to a cooler, balmier state of mind.

Cool and Crunchy Cucumber Salad
This delicious salad, adapted from JSchamd, is basically a quick pickle. It will keep for several days in the fridge. Serves 8. Click here for a print copy of this recipe.

2-3 English or hothouse seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 c. apple cider vinegar
½ c. water
¾ c. sugar
1-2 Tbs. dried dill, double this amount for fresh dill
Low-fat Greek-style plain yogurt to serve alongside if desired

Prepare marinade. Toss sliced cucumbers and onion together in large bowl or serving dish. Combine vinegar, water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Turn burner on medium high, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour hot marinade over the vegetable mixture.

Refrigerate and serve. Stir dill into salad. Cover dish and refrigerate until the salad is chilled, one to two hours. This dish can be served at room temperature, but the salad needs to marinate at least one hour for the flavors to blend.

 

Man Meals: Grilled Hawaiian-Style Pork Chops July 14, 2010

Filed under: Asian,Asian Food,Man Meals,Pork,Side Dishes,Vegetables,Vegetables — thekitchenbitch @ 10:58 AM
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Hawaiian-Style Grilled Pork Chops with Onions, Pineapple, and Peppers

This time of year, I do a lot of my cooking outside on a charcoal grill. My one-bedroom flat does go from a cool-down room to a sauna shortly after my oven gets turned on, but mostly I just love to cook outdoors (and my cat, Dina, likes it, too).

I’m sure many of you, my dear readers, also whip out that Weber grill at least once a week in the summer, so I’m going to be offering at least one grilling (or it-goes-great-with-grilled-food) recipe every week for the next month or so.

This week we’re grilling pork. Simply marinating pork chops in a Hawaiian-style sauce will bring a whole new flavor profile to the “other white meat.” Serve the chops with grilled pineapple and onions, and you’ll feel like you’re in a tropical paradise—or close to it. I served these pork chops with a loaded grilled potato and teriyaki-glazed snap peas. It’s simple and satisfying, and everything you could want on a summer night.

Grilled Hawaiian-Style Pork Chops with Pineapple and Onion
The pork chops can marinate for up to 12 hours. These chops will need very little additional seasoning because the soy sauce is so salty. Serves 4. Click here to download a copy of this recipe.

½ c. low-sodium soy sauce
¼ c. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. lemon juice
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. chili powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
A few dashes of Sriracha or other hot sauce
4 pork chops
1 small can pineapple slices, juice reserved
1 red onion, halved with stem end intact to keep together on the grill

Prepare marinade. In a medium-size bowl or resealable bag, whisk together all ingredients except pork chops, onion and pineapple. Stir a few tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice into the marinade. Add pork chops and return to fridge to marinate for at least 3-6 hours, turning chops halfway through.

Asian Pork Chops on Grill

Grill dish components. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Spray pineapple and onion with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Grill pineapple and onion until grill marks appear and onions soften. Meanwhile, grill pork chops for 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through, or the internal temperature reaches 160˚F. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Asian-Style Pork Chops with Loaded Grilled Potato, and Teriyaki Snap Peas

Teriyaki-Glazed Sugar Snap Peas
 I cook these on a grill using a stainless steel pan (see below). For a print copy of this recipe, click here.

2 c. sugar snap peas
1 fresh red or green chile, minced
1 Tbs. fresh garlic, minced
½ Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
½ c. teriyaki sauce

Heat skillet on grill or burner over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, drizzle in some olive oil. When oil shimmers, add sugar snap peas, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add minced chile, garlic and ginger, sauté 1-2 minutes more. Add teriyaki sauce, sauté for 2-3 minutes more or until sauce simmers and flavors meld. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Teriyaki-Glazed Sugar Snap Peas

Loaded Grilled Potatoes
These take awhile to cook on the grill, so be sure to throw them on as soon as it’s hot. Serves 4. Click here for a print copy this recipe.

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed
Lawry’s seasoning salt
Olive oil
Butter, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Cheddar cheese, for garnish
Fresh chopped chives, for garnish

Prep potatoes. Prepare 4 squares of tin foil. Using a fork, poke holes all over the potatoes. Put one potato on each square of foil. Drizzle each with olive oil and sprinkle with Lawry’s seasoning salt. Seal foil.

Cook potatoes. Preheat grill to high heat. Cook potatoes over high heat from 30-45 minutes until tender. If cooking on a charcoal grill, put potatoes on grill as soon as coals are ready for cooking, and add other items when the heat dies down, about half to three-quarters of the way through the potatoes’ cooking time.

 

Bacon and Onion Stuffed Bell Peppers July 12, 2010

Filed under: Appetizers,Bacon,Entrees,Pork,Vegetables,Vegetarian — thekitchenbitch @ 12:26 PM
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Bacon and Onion Stuffed Peppers

Folks all over the world love stuffed and filled foods. Just a few examples: chicken cordon bleu, ravioli, loaded baked potatoes, pierogies, jalapeno poppers, stuffed mushrooms, jelly donuts, braciole, and the list goes on and on and on.

There are lots of great stuffed dishes out there, but there’s one in particular that holds a special place in many hearts—the stuffed bell pepper. With summer in full swing and the pepper harvest sweet, cheap and plentiful, there’s no better time to make this crowd-pleasing dish.

Instead of the traditional ground beef filling, I choose to use a combination of bacon, onion, and mushrooms. Also, many stuffed pepper recipes call for the peppers to be baked in tomato sauce, but I wanted to keep it very southwestern in flavor, so I skipped the tomato sauce and used grated cheddar and breadcrumbs as my pepper topping. We served the peppers with a hot Italian sausage and some pretzel mustard on the side.

The Arborio rice called for in this recipe is an Italian short-grain rice that’s usually used in risotto. It’s firm, creamy, and chewy, which makes it an excellent option for fillings. You can find it at most grocery stores and supermarkets. Substitute any short-grain rice if you can’t find it.

Queso fresco is a Mexican-style soft un-aged crumbling cheese that adds a salty bite to the pepper filling. It’s great crumbled over salads, soups, tacos, enchiladas or bean dishes. If you can’t find it in your grocery store, look for it at your local Latino/Spanish market or substitute a mild feta.

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be altered to individual tastes. Want an Italian-style pepper instead of a Southwestern one? Use feta, Italian seasoning, basil and sweet paprika instead of the queso fresco and seasonings call for here. Top with Parmesan instead of cheddar, or the traditional tomato sauce. Or skip the meat altogether and make vegetarian peppers, or fill baby peppers instead of large ones and serve them as a fun one-bite appetizer at your next party.  How this recipe turns out is all up to you.

Bacon and Onion Stuffed Peppers
If you want to use mini peppers to serve as an appetizer or side dish, simply fill the peppers and bake in cupcake pan for about 25 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly and peppers are soft. Lose the bacon and add more mushrooms for a vegetarian option. For a print copy of this recipe, click here.

Mini Stuffed Peppers

1 Tbs. olive oil
½ c. Arborio rice
1½ c. chicken stock
3 slices of bacon
1 onion diced fine
4 bell peppers in a variety of colors, stems and seeds removed by cutting a hole around the stem of the pepper
6 oz. fresh white or cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
1 serrano chile, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
¼ c. queso fresco (Mexican crumbling cheese) or any other cheese or your choice
½ c. cheddar cheese, finely shredded
½ c. breadcrumbs
4 oz. salted butter, diced
¼ c. water

Cook rice and bacon. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Bring chicken stock to boil. Add rice, a tablespoon of olive and a pinch of salt. Stir, reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and soft. While rice cooks, fry bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove from pan to drain. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet and return to burner.

Make filling. In the same skillet, add 1 tsp olive oil then add mushrooms, onions, a pinch of salt and pepper, and sweat over medium heat until the veggies are soft and the onions are translucent, 7-10 minutes. Add tomatoes, sauté 3-4 minutes more. Add garlic and Serrano chile, sauté 1 minute. Add cumin, paprika, oregano, mix well. Stir in rice, mixing well. Crumble in bacon & cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bacon and Onion Filling for Stuffed Peppers

Fill and bake peppers. Divide rice mixture and use a spoon to pack it into peppers. Top each pepper with cheddar and breadcrumbs. Dot with butter. Stand peppers in baking dish. Pour ¼ cup water in bottom of pepper dish. Cover with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and cook for 25-30 minutes more, or until peppers are beginning to blacken in spots and cheese is brown and bubbling.

Unbaked Stuffed Pepper Dotted with Butter

* Note: If your peppers aren’t browning very well, broil them for 3-5 minutes to get that roasted look.

 

A Summer Classic Made Healthy: Potato Salad July 9, 2010

Filed under: Healthy,Salads,Side Dishes,Vegetables,Vegetables — thekitchenbitch @ 2:34 PM
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Healthy Roasted Potato Salad

No picnic or backyard barbeque would be complete without that one staple side dish all Americans love: potato salad.

Make no mistake about it—I love the original version with its wonderful mayonnaise dressing, but when I’m eating burgers and downing beers, I at least want my side dishes to have some kind of nutritional value. So, rather than slathering my potato salad in mayo and adding only a few choice bits of celery, I’ve skipped the mayo altogether and added a boatload of veggies to make this a potato salad even the most diet-conscious eaters will consume.

To start, I roast my potatoes (and onions) instead of boiling them to bring some brown crunchy goodness to the dish. Then I simply mix the warm potatoes with a variety of great summer veggies: artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, roasted onions, and peppery arugula. Finally, toss it all with a homemade Dijon vinaigrette and you’ve got a potato salad dreams are made of.

Healthy Roasted Potato Salad
Roasting the potatoes instead of boiling them brings flavor complexity to this delicious potato salad. Making a homemade vinaigrette instead of a mayo-based dressing really cuts the calories out of this classic dish. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6. For a print copy of this recipe, click here.

2 lb. red potatoes, diced
1-2 sweet onions, quartered
1 (13 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts
1 stalk celery, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 bell pepper, diced
1 handful baby arugula
Minced fresh chives
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

¼ c. red wine or white balsamic vinegar
1.5 tsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Roast potatoes. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place potatoes and quartered onions in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, tossing about midway through, until just fork tender. Remove from oven. Cool for 10 minutes.

Prep veggies and make dressing. While potatoes cook, chop other vegetables, except arugula, and put into a large serving bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil, whisking vigorously, until the desired consistency and acidity is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine in serving bowl. Add warm potatoes to serving bowl with other veggies. Toss to combine. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat. Mix in arugula, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. Potato salad will keep for several days in the fridge.

 

Julia Child + Cooking Light = Amazing Eggplant Soufflé June 28, 2010

Filed under: Eggplant,French,Vegetables,Vegetables,Vegetarian — thekitchenbitch @ 10:30 AM
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Two-Cheese Eggplant Souffle

One of my new favorite magazines is Cooking Light, because it offers foodies like me ways to cut calories and fat in all my favorite dishes. There’s even a way to make donuts more healthful! (Keep that oil at 375˚F to keep your donuts from getting greasy.)

I spied a Parmesan and Eggplant Souffle recipe in CL’s June 2010 issue, but it seemed a little off. I’ve spent a lot of time with Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and, if you know anything about French cooking, you know that the French really know how to make soufflés, and pretty much anything else with eggs. Julia Child gives precise direction on how to make soufflé in her book, and the soufflé from Cooking Light just didn’t seem to have that soufflé magic I was looking for.

So, in my quest to count calories but eat the yummiest possible meal, I combined the two recipes. I kept the vegetables and low-fat milk from Cooking Light, and added a few extra eggs and some butter from Julia Child’s recipe.

More than the ingredients it’s my method that most resembles Julia’s. Cooking Light’s recipe calls for simply whipping the egg whites with a whisk, but I think of a soufflé as a dramatic, elegant, over-the-top egg puff. To get that dramatic height, the egg whites have to be whipped into beautiful stiff peaks and gently folded into the béchamel sauce and vegetables as Julia called for.

I think you’ll find this recipe a perfect compromise. You really can eat light and well.

Two Cheese Eggplant Soufflé
Sweating the eggplant removes the bitter juices so they don’t water down the soufflé. If you don’t like eggplant, swap in another vegetable like zucchini or spinach.  For a print copy of this recipe, click here.

1 medium sweet (Vidalia) onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 small to medium eggplant
½ Tbs. oregano
3.5 Tbs. butter
¼ c. flour
2 c. low-fat milk
½ tsp. red pepper flake
7 egg whites
6 egg yolks
¼ c. Swiss cheese
½ c. plus 3 Tbs. Parmigiano Reggiano or high-quality Parmesan

Special equipment: Souffle dish

Prep eggplant. Cut eggplant into thick slices and place on layer of paper towels. Sprinkle kosher salt all over both sides of the eggplant and let sit for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour, flipping half way through. With a damp towel or rag, wipe away excess salt on eggplant. Cut into ½–in. to 1-in. cubes.

Salt the eggplant on both sides and lay on paper towels to sweat out bitter juices.

Saute veggies. Preheat oven 400˚F. Butter mold and sprinkle with cheese. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 c. eggplant, diced pepper and onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside. Meanwhile, warm milk in small saucepan on stovetop.

Sauteed eggplant, peppers and onion for souffle.

Make béchamel. Melt butter in skillet. Whisk in flour, stirring 2 minutes to combine. Whisk in hot milk, and season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking all the while. Boil for one minute until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in red pepper flake.

Separate eggs. Stir yolks into cooling milk mixture, whisking with each addition. Stir in veggies. NOTE: Sauce can be prepared ahead to addition of egg yolks. Dot the top with butter or place plastic wrap on top to prevent a film from forming.

Fold in egg whites and bake. Whip egg whites and a pinch of salt until stiff with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk-milk mixture, followed by all but 1-2 Tbs. of the parmesan. Working in three batches, fold in the rest of the egg whites. Turn mixture into mold. Sprinkle with leftover cheese.  Put soufflé on middle rack in oven and immediately drop the temperature to 375˚F.  Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, without opening oven. When a long skewer comes out clean and the top is puffed and brown, the soufflé is ready. Serve immediately.

NOTE: It is possible to keep the soufflé warm and mostly puffed in a still-warm oven for about 20 to 30 minutes. Simply turn off the heat and leave the soufflé in the oven.

 

An American Classic with a North African Twist June 8, 2010

Filed under: African Food,Chicken,Eggplant,Vegetables,Vegetables — thekitchenbitch @ 4:36 PM
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Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken with Harissa

With the weather warming up here in the Chicagoland area, I can finally bust out my trusty charcoal grill and do my cooking outside. Together with my friend, Emily, I dusted off the old Weber and prepared for my first grill-out of the season.

Unfortunately, our grilling skills had gotten as rusty as my outdoor furniture—we just couldn’t get the damn thing lit. Once we realized that the flu was closed, the charcoal was wet, and the matches were crappy, we set out to buy a whole new set of supplies. An hour and a half later, we were finally sipping wine around a beautiful pile of crackling charcoal.

I live on the third floor of a refurbished house, so let’s just say it gets HOT in the summer when I turn on the stove. Subsequently, and despite the four flights of steps between my flat and the backyard, I like to cook outside as much as possible. I fill up cloth bags and my giant purse with as much food and supplies as possible, and then haul them up and down the stairs to my grill and back. It’s a workout, but it’s worth the picnic I get to have in my lovingly cared for backyard and garden.

In the coming summer months you’ll find lots of great grilling recipes here on Kitchen Bitch. To kick off the season, I’m giving you this decidedly different take on one of America’s favorite foods—grilled chicken. By marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices and then slathering it with harissa, a spicy chili-based North African condiment you can find in tubes or jars at many grocery stores, we’re taking this classic to a whole new level. I served it with grilled eggplant (see recipe below) and a light, fresh and healthy potato salad (check back Thursday for the recipe).

Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken with Harissa
This recipe adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli can be marinated for a few hours and up to a day and a half before cooking.  The yogurt tenderizes the chicken and adds richness. You can find harissa, a North African spice paste, at some grocery stores and specialty markets. If you can’t find it, click on the original recipe link above to learn how to make your own. Serves 4. For a print copy of this adapted recipe, click here.

½ c. whole-milk or Greek yogurt
1 (1 to 2-in.) knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. red chili flakes
1 tsp. Kosher salt
4-6 skin-on chicken pieces, or boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, halved
3-4 tsp. harissa, from a store-bought tube or jar

Marinate chicken. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, ginger, cumin, chili flakes and salt. Whisk until smooth and pour into a baking dish. Coat the chicken in the yogurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours to marinate.

Grill chicken. Preheat a very clean grill to medium. When the grill is hot, brush with oil. Remove the chicken from the yogurt, leaving any excess behind, and lay them out on the grill skin side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy then flip. You want to roast them, essentially, on the grill, and avoid “flaming” them or cooking them over too intense heat. That would dry them out. Grill the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers between 155˚F and 160˚F, about 35 to 40 minutes. If using boneless skinless chicken, this process will take less time, about 20-25 minutes.

Garnish and serve. Remove the chicken from the grill to a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon juice. Spread a little harissa on each piece, and serve immediately.

Grilled Eggplant
Substituting your favorite herbs for the ones called for here can easily modify this recipe. Herbs de Provence also makes a great eggplant topper. Serves 3-5, depending on eggplant size. To print a copy this recipe, click here.

Grilled Eggplant

1 medium eggplant, cut into ½ in. thick slices
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Chopped fresh parsley
Olive oil

Remove bitter juices from eggplant. Arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on a layer of paper towels on a cutting board. Salt generously on both sides with kosher salt. Let sit for 15-30 minutes You’ll immediately see all the bitter juices weep out onto the paper towels. Rinse the salt off the eggplants under running water. Put dry.

Marinate and grill. In a medium bowl, add a few teaspoons of olive oil, oregano, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine. Add eggplants and shake or stir to coat. Let sit in marinade until you’re ready to grill. Grill the eggplant until tender and browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and top with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

 

An Unbelievable One-Pot Midweek Meal June 2, 2010

Filed under: Chicken,Italian,One-Pot Dinners,Vegetables — thekitchenbitch @ 12:05 PM
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Roman-style chicken with peppers, onions, tomatoes and capers.

If you haven’t noticed yet, this Kitchen Bitch loves Italian food. If I could wriggle my nose or click my heels and turn into a long-legged Italian babe, I really really would. Alas, I’m not Samantha from Bewitched, so I have to wave my magic spatula around my Chicago kitchen instead, hoping I’ll suddenly change into una bellissima donna Italiana.

This week I’m bringing you one of my favorite one-pot Italian dinners: Roman-style chicken. While Roman food may be experiencing a renaissance today, Roman food traditionally is considered una cucina povera, or a cuisine of the poor. According to Marco Veneziani, a Roman food critic and amateur historian of Roman cuisine, poor Roman city folk were left to subsist on their own basic culinary creations while those in the Vatican City held elaborate feasts and fancy ceremonies until Rome became the unified capital of Italy in 1870. This is why Rome is one of the few city-states in Italy to fail to develop a refined, elaborate style of cooking, says writer Anya Von Bremzen in Saveur magazine.

Because of this history, Roman cuisine is hearty, filling and simply delicious, and the below recipe is no different. A beautiful combination of chicken, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and capers, this easy and fairly quick supper is sure to please, especially those on a budget.

Roman-Style Chicken
This recipe, adapted from Giada DeLaurentis, is one of my favorite one-pot Italian dinners. It’s fast, easy and looks beautiful enough to serve to guests. I like to use chicken thighs instead of breasts because they’re more flavorful and moist—and a heckuva lot cheaper. If using dry herbs, cut amount in half. Total time: About 40 minutes. For a print copy of this recipe, click here.


6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
½ tsp. salt, plus 1 teaspoon
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
¼ c. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 oz. prosciutto or good-quality bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
½ c. white wine
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh oregano leaves
½ c. chicken stock
2 Tbs. capers
¼ c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Brown the chicken. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Cook the veggies & chicken. Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Garnish and serve. If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

 

The Great White Pizza May 24, 2010

Filed under: Italian,Vegetables,Vegetarian — thekitchenbitch @ 5:04 PM
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White Pizza with Asparagus, Shallots and Egg

Vegetarians rejoice! The Kitchen Bitch has finally pulled through with a veg-friendly recipe for you! Meat lovers, you’re going to love this one, too, despite it’s lack of bacon, sausage or pepperoni. For those who don’t know, a white pizza is a pizza without tomato sauce, and this one’s pretty amazing if I do say so myself. Here’s how this magnificent concoction came to be:

I usually make pizza a few times a month, but I’ve been unhappy with my last few pizza crusts, so I started searching for a new pizza dough recipe. There it was, staring back at me from the pages of the newest issue of Cooking Light. The Overnight Pizza Dough recipe below is my new favorite and, after doing some research, I’ve realized it’s the long rise in the fridge that really makes any pizza dough—the longer the rise, the tastier and yeastier the pizza crust.

Spring is the best time of year for asparagus, so I often pick it up on sale at my fruit and vegetable market. One night last week I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner with said asparagus when I had an epiphany: I can make a pizza with it!

What goes well with asparagus? Shallots, cheese and eggs, of course! (Ever had a poached or fried egg over asparagus for breakfast? You haven’t lived until you have. Delish!) I went to work to transform these odd ingredients into the pizza of my dreams: White Pizza with Asparagus, Shallots and Egg.

Holy amazing! That’s all I can say about this pizza. I just about died when I ate it, and you will too. I wish I could patent this shit, because it needs to be inscribed with the KB name forever. Aunt Diane, I bet you could even get Uncle Mark to eat asparagus with this! If you like white pizzas, you’ve got to try this one.

White Pizza with Asparagus, Shallots and Egg
You can find Fontinella, a tangy semi-hard Roman table cheese, at most supermarkets. It really gives this pizza that added zing, but sub in shredded mozzarella and Parmesan if you can’t find it. You can pick up prepared pizza dough from your local pizza place or supermarket. Or do like I do and make your own, see the Overnight Pizza Dough recipe below. This makes one 12-in. pizza. Serves 3-5. For a print copy of this recipe, click here.

Prepared pizza dough
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 tsp. plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½ in. pieces
2-3 shallots, chopped fine
¾ c. Fontinella cheese, shredded
¾ c. shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend
4 eggs
Italian seasoning
Red pepper flake
Garlic Salt


Prepare toppings. Put your pizza stone or dish into the cold oven and preheat it to 500˚F, or as high as your oven will go. This will take about a half hour. Meanwhile, stretch out pizza dough to desired width. To make a crust, stretch dough and fold over the end to make desired crust thickness. Set aside. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter and oil, and once melted, add shallots and asparagus. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

The pizza before it's cooked.

Prepare the pizza. Carefully remove preheated pizza pan from oven, and transfer prepared dough to it. Sprinkle a little less than half of the cheeses on the pizza. Then sprinkle asparagus and shallots evenly over crust. Top with remaining cheese. Using your fingers, make a little indent in each of the four quarters of the pizza. Crack an egg into each indent. Sprinkle the entire pizza with Italian seasoning and red pepper flake. Then sprinkle a little garlic salt over each egg. Pour a little olive oil in a small bowl. Using a grill or pastry brush, brush the crust with olive oil.

Bake and serve. Bake the prepared pizza for 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice with a pizza cutter and serve.

 

 

Overnight Pizza Dough
I found this recipe in the May 2010 issue of Cooking Light, and it’s my new favorite pizza dough recipe. The dough does have to rise overnight in the fridge, but that’s what gives it that great yeasty flavor. I make multiple batches at a time and freeze them for later. Freeze dough in plastic bags coated in cooking spray. When you’re ready to use, defrost in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours, and then continue from step 2.

1 c. warm water (100° to 110°), divided
10 oz.  bread flour (about 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
7 tsp. olive oil, divided
½ tsp.  kosher salt
Cooking spray
1 Tbs. yellow cornmeal

Make the dough. Pour 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and spoons; level with a knife. Add flour to 3/4 cup water; mix until combined. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and yeast in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add yeast mixture, 4 teaspoons oil, and salt to flour mixture; mix 5 minutes or until a soft dough forms. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover surface of dough with plastic wrap lightly coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 24 hours.

Rest and form the pizza. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, 1 hour or until dough comes to room temperature. Punch dough down. Press dough out to a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured baking sheet, without raised sides, sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges to form a 1/2-inch border. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap.

 

Give BS a Chance May 18, 2010

Filed under: Side Dishes,Vegetables — thekitchenbitch @ 12:57 PM
Tags: , , ,

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Shallots & Dried Cranberries

Like any child, I hated Brussels sprouts. Detested them. They emitted that bizarre sulfur odor, tasted like garbage and looked like something the dog had thrown up. Even as an adult, I thought there was no way in hell you could ever get me to eat another Brussel sprout.

Enter my roommate, Laura. Armed with a fistful of bacon and a killer recipe, Laura proved to me that these tiny cabbages deserve a place in my cooking repertoire. Since then, I’ve convinced many other avowed Brussels sprout haters to give them another go-round, and I dare say this is the recipe I’m asked for most often. I’m even growing these beauties in my garden.

My recipe alters from Laura’s in that I add dried cranberries for that fruity chew. She hates dried fruit, so it would never appear in her version. That’s the best thing about cooking: you can change recipes to fit your taste buds. For me, the cranberries bring back memories of Thanksgiving, and there’s just something about the combination of them with Brussels and bacon that makes this a truly homey and heartwarming dish. Please, give Brussels sprouts another chance. You’ll be so glad you did.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Cranberries
This is a perfect recipe for your Thanksgiving table. I know I’ll be serving it. Serves 4. Click here to download this recipe.

1.5 lb. Brussels sprouts
5-7 slices thick-cut, good-quality, bacon, chopped into ½ in. pieces
1/2 c. chopped shallots
½ c. dried cranberries
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Trim and blanch the sprouts. Heat 4 cups of water to boiling in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, peel off each Brussels’ outer layer of leaves, trim its hard stem and cut it in half with a paring knife. Set aside. When the water comes to a boil, salt it with a few tablespoons of kosher salt. Submerge the Brussels into the water, and blanch for 3 to 4 minutes, until the Brussels turn bright green and are almost fork tender. Remove from boiling water and return to the bowl.

 

An Unpeeled Brussels Sprout

Remove outer leaves

Cut off the woody stem

The Peeled & Trimmed Brussels Sprout

The Prepared Brussels Sprouts

Cook bacon and combine. While the sprouts blanche, cook the bacon over medium-high heat. When the bacon’s almost crisp, drain off half the fat. Add the butter, shallots, Brussels sprouts, and the cranberries and sauté until the bacon is crispy and the sprouts begin to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

 

 
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